Mail Sack 6/25/13, Cell Phones and Upcoming Events.
Builders,
Here is a sample of the mail:
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on the subject of Turtles and Cell Phones, 6/24/13.
Zenith 750 builder/flyer (O-200) Jimmy Young wrote:
William, I grew up as a little turd hunting anything that moved with my BB gun. I don’t know why I wanted to kill every bird I saw, probably because I was just young, stupid, & dealing with something the wrong way. I was that “self-absorbed child” you spoke of. The prettier the bird the harder I tried. Cardinals, Blue Jays, they seemed more “valuable” than a common sparrow. Somehow, I gradually over the years grew into a more respectable game law-abiding young man by the time I was in my late teens. Today at 58, I haven’t pulled a trigger on anything other than an occasional rat with my Benjamin pellet gun in my suburban back yard in probably 30 years. Not because I am an Anti-Hunter or tree hugger, but because I simply don’t care to kill animals anymore unless it is necessary.
As I reflect back on my life & fast forward to the last 7 years, my best years to date & the only years of aviation and plane building, I fly around in my Zenith 750 just like those birds do. There is irony in this, now I’m the little bird. I had good flight training, do a good preflight, and respect the laws of the 3 referees you frequently refer to. Yet on Sunday, I was about to take off with a buddy for a little local flying. I had just added some fuel to both tanks, did my preflight, and was taxiing out on our grass strip when I heard some banging on the side of my fuselage. It was my buddy who had jumped out of his Taylorcraft & run up to my plane to warn me I had fuel pouring out of my left wing. I shut the engine down and found I had left the fuel cap off that tank during refueling. Not that this particular mistake would have necessarily turned into a disaster, but it woke me up to the fact that I missed something that should have been obvious because it wasn’t on my checklist and I had not been thorough. It is now.
The importance of your posts on safety cannot be stressed enough. Thanks for teaching me a lot about engines over the last few years and for sharing what you know with us, it is much appreciated. I read your column every time I see there is a new post. Jimmy Houston, TX
Zenith 601XLB builder/flyer Dr. Gary Ray writes:
Disrespect for life, disrespect for the lives sacrificed in order to build this country, disrespect for a person standing right in front of them, all the while expecting you to do more for them than they are willing to do for themselves. The moral, never turn your back to one of these people since this disrespect flows outward in all directions. They will not be good friends, customers or citizens. There can not be any mutually beneficial relationship with somebody that displays this trait.
Builder Doug Wright writes:
William, Back in the early 1980’s I served two and a half years at the garden spot of the army, Ft. Polk, Louisiana. Now don’t get me wrong, Ft. Polk really is a pretty place and because I have always tried to find the good in anywhere I have lived I could never understand why so many people had such a negative opinion of the post. Maybe it was because just a few years earlier Ft. Polk was the last stateside stop many guys had before heading to Vietnam. Tigerland!
One of the negative aspects of Ft. Polk and the surrounding area was the number of turtles that would migrate across the road and get squashed by the traffic. Here I was a rough and tough combat engineer and on more than one occasion I would pull over and save some poor turtle from imminent destruction. I am sure there are some who witnessed this and thought I was a big softy, but I really did not care. We were training to meet the Soviets in the Fulda Gap and I gladly would have killed as many of those folks as the situation called for but it always bothered me to see those turtles run over in the middle of the road. Doug, Stillwater, OK
Zenith 750 builder Dan Glaze wrote:
William, in all my years spent at various Air Force Bases around the world, when Old Glory was run up the mast at the start of day, every body on that base snapped to attention,if you could not see the flag from where you were, you needed to know where she was and be facing that way,at night, when tapps played we gave her the same respect, and if you didnt have a big lump in your throat thinking about all the men and women that gave their life for her then you needed more training, and teachers were not hard to find. I am a pretty laid back guy but will not tolerate disrespect for Country or Flag, Dan-o
Zenith 650 builder Paul Normandin wrote:
Zenith 650 Builder William, at about the time you were driving past that poor turtle to get your mail yesterday I was driving into work. I live in New Hampshire, work in Massachusetts and have to drive 3 badly congested highways in the process. In the course of this drive I was cut off three times (coincidentally, all three drivers were driving Acuras). In each instance the offending driver had a cell phone glued to their ear, two of whom were also gesticulating with their other hand. Apparently they were using their prehensile knees to drive. I have had a mobile phone since 1987, my original was a Motorola Bag phone, and I have had the same mobile number all that time. At no point in 26 years have I used my phone in any way that would endanger myself (bad enough) or others (worse). Maybe being a life long motorcycle rider has made me more aware of the stupidity of not having 100% of my attention on the task at hand. I can’t even in good conscience state, “These damn kids and their cell phones!” as I have seen just as many idiots our age engaged in the same bad behavior. As far as your shutting off the ignorant man who took a call while in the middle of talking to you, I would have done the same thing. There are a number of businesses locally, coffee shops, sandwich shops and other service related establishments, that have signs stating in no uncertain terms that they will not wait on anyone who is using a cell phone. Bully for them and for you. At some point we will meet at a College and you will periodically see me checking my phone. The major difference between the folks you were referencing and myself is this; more than anything else, my cell phone is a time piece and not a communication device (I haven’t owned a watch in almost 20 years)! Paul P.S. And everyone should SHUT UP during the National Anthem!
International Aviator of adventure Tom Graziano wrote:
William, The ignorance, stupidity and rudeness of the spoiled sheeple in Amerika nowadays amazes me every time I return stateside. It also makes me wonder if the hardships and sacrifices our men and women overseas have been enduring are worth it. Then….I think of the people who think and act as you and I do, and I conclude that it is – because of them.
Went to a breakfast fly-in at one of the local airfields, recently. Untowered airport, left traffic – both patterns, and a favorite of guys flying antiques and ultralights. Lots of planes flew in. So, I’m getting ready to take off when I hear some knucklehead calling that he’s entering the downwind for a right base. WHAT!?! I inform him that both patterns are LEFT traffic and look up in time to see him blasting along at pattern altitude going in the OPPOSITE direction of normal traffic. He smugly tells me that, since he didn’t hear anyone in the pattern, he decided to just come straight in and do right traffic. Apparently, it never occurred to Mr. Einstein that some aircraft don’t have radios, that radios don’t always work, and that there actually have been cases of pilots not being on the correct on frequency or not making calls. He was enlightened when he landed, but he was an arrogant sort, so it probably didn’t do any good. Just proves that we can’t regulate stupid….
Pietenpol builder and ATP Dave Aldrich wrote:
Hi William I once had an Airbus engineer ask the hypothetical question “Suppose the chances of your cell phone interfering with the aircraft are one in a million. Pretty good odds. There are roughly 5,000 commercial flights a day. How do you like your odds now?” The part B of all this is, well let’s just suppose that one cell phone doesn’t cause any interference (there’s probably some empirical data to support this) but has anyone done any kind of test with multiple cell phones, wi-fi enabled computers and idiot pads? The electro-magnetic spectrum cringes…
I’ve done a load analysis on the Pietenpol I’m building and can’t figure out how to get more than a 12 amp load, even considering the 80% requirement. That’s with position lights/strobes, radio, transponder, ignition, and electric gauges. If you wanted to go all electronic, the Dynon simple EFIS displays draw about 1 amp each. Yes, a landing light, heated pitot, a fancy autopilot and the gee whiz almost real life displays will get you above the 20 amp threshold but how many folks really need all those toys? If you did a lot of long cross-country flying, an autopilot could be considered almost essential but you could still stay within the 1 alternator power budget with careful selection of components. Experimental aviation is supposed to be fun, not an extension of your kid’s X-Box. You want to fly hard IFR at night? Get a Baron or a Caravan. You want to fly hard IFR at night in an experimental? Get your head examined. I’m not saying it can’t be done but the experimental pilot who doesn’t do night approaches to minimums for a living is going to end up as an unfortunate statistic when he/she tries it. It’s a waste of time and money to build to that capability. Simple and, as William preaches — proven– is the way to go. Stepping down off the soap-box now…
Zenith builder Spenser Rice wrote:
I can’t agree with you more William. Especially the kids talking through our beloved country’s anthem. Being 15 I’m ashamed that my generation has no respect and make the few good kids look bad as well. Spencer Rice
Spenser, you have nothing to apologize for. Here you are regarded as an individual, and you are not responsible for the behavior of other people just because they are your age. Sad but true, people with little respect or consideration come in all ages these days. To all of the rest of you out there, I want to introduce you to Spenser, who at 15 is our youngest builder. Many of his aviation mentors have sent me glowing reports on how serious he is, and how hard he works to earn his way in aviation. I would like to get a more detailed profile on him soon, so a number of you successful aviators can offer guidance on his progress. Spenser, write me back and let me know if you have found a workable core engine yet.
Zenith 650 builder Becky Shipman wrote:
I used to bicycle regularly. I was a lot less wealthy then. I remember seeing a turtle in the middle of the road, and stopping on the side to pick him up and carry him to the other side so he would be safe. While I was waiting to go get him, one of the cars hit him. I don’t know if it was intentional, I also don’t know if I created a distraction that made it less likely the driver would see the turtle. He was still alive, and I eventually got him to safety, but I don’t know if he survived.
Mostly I just try to be an observer of nature, but sometimes I’ll try and help if I can. And sometimes I won’t. I had a neighbor call me over to help save a toad from a snake. I looked at it and figured sometimes toads are eaten by snakes, and that’s not much fun for the toad but necessary for the snake to live. I don’t know if I got her to understand why I wouldn’t interfere. Just some thoughts. Becky Shipman
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on the subject of Upcoming events, Airshows and Colleges #26-28.
Zenith builder Vic Delgado wrote:
William! Many Thanks go to you, Kevin and Shelley for planning on hosting Corvair College #28 in Texas. I am so looking forward to being there! The last one they hosted CC #22 was an absolutely awesome experience. I am planning on hopefully making this the one I can graduate with a running engine from! Don’t forget to bring your Tee shirt and shorts, You know Texas weather is beautiful in March!
Builder Bruce Culver wrote:
Eureka! I will announce my intention to attend the 2014 CC#28 in Texas…..:-) This will work out beautifully as far as getting a core and being able to do a lot of the prep work. Outstanding!
Zenith 650 builder Paul Normandin wrote:
While I would dearly love to attend the Zenith Corvair College I know I will never be ready. I must set my sights on November and the lovely state of South Carolina instead. That depends on my getting the bloody heads off my core so I can get them out to Falcon as they are being exceedingly stubborn!
Parting shot, from builder Dan Branstrom:
I was doing some substitute teaching in a class that was English as a Second Language when it came time for the Pledge of Allegiance. There were kids from a number of different countries. The great majority of students stood. Some of those didn’t recite the Pledge. I didn’t have a problem with that, because I understood that they might not be citizens. When it was over, I was angry, but I decided to make a lesson out of it. Realizing that some of them would have a problem understanding me, I spoke slowly so that their friends could tell them what I’d said.
I explained that my father was an immigrant, who arrived in this country not speaking the language, so I somewhat understood the situation they were in. What I told them was that I understood that they might not be citizens, and I didn’t expect them to recite the pledge, because they weren’t. I then told them that in not standing respectfully, they were giving ammunition to all the people who wanted to deport all foreigners, because it showed disrespect to the country they were in. I had the feeling that they understood what I told them. I expect the same respect from citizens.
Mail Sack, 6/17/13, various topics.
Builders, here is a sample of the mail:
On the topic of Flathead Ford, 71 cid. Freedom to pursue happiness.
Note: Factual data from an aviator at the scene is more valuable than an opinion from a self admitted ‘jackass’. With this in mind, I gladly print the letter below from Steve Bryan. My brother-in-law, Col. Nerges pointed out that some of my rhetoric may sound intolerant to people who have not met me. Builders should know that even my closest friends don’t agree with 50% of my perspectives, it isn’t a requirement. The original story is mostly aimed at getting builders to think and consider, and come to their own perspective. I hope that US builders understood that the story has two main points; The UK has a lot of aviation history and mechanical cleverness that I am a big fan of, and We have it very easy here as far as aircraft building goes. Steve is the lead example of a Corvair in the UK system, and the ‘approval’ is based on some data from his project. He is a good guy trying to pick up the responsibility for the slow progress, but I think that it would be reasonable LAA to accept US data on the engine, not require an individual to personally re-develop it.-ww
U.K. Pietenpol builder Steve Bryan writes:
Hi William, Apologies for being a little late in commenting on your take on what we refer to the ‘nanny state’ here in the UK. You make some valid points, but as a Brit, I felt I ought to respond!
Firstly, I think you have been unlucky to find an organization that is unwilling to sell anything to customers in the USA. I can understand why you got upset by their attitude, which presumably prompted you to get the other things off your chest! Let me know if you would like me to buy a starter for you and I’ll be happy to help.
Regarding the Corvair flight engine issue, the main reason why there are currently no Corvairs flying here is not that they are ‘illegal’ but is primarily due to the miserable rate of progress I’ve made with my Pietenpol project in the last 10 years (which has enjoyed the full support of Francis Donaldson throughout). As the first guy to register the intention to use a Corvair engine in my aeroplane here in the UK, I should really be held responsible for the current situation. In my defence (and without looking for any sympathy!) I have gone through a divorce, followed by the sudden death on my daughter, which took me a little while to come to terms with. I then devoted time to finding myself a new partner and then renovating our house. Since I purchased the core engine from you in 2003, I have also torn it down twice, once to have the crankshaft nitrided and recently to fit a Dan Weseman 5th bearing. I know that you will agree that both of these updates were worth doing, even if I had to save for a while to afford Dan’s excellent bearing kit. Currently I am waiting for a friend to complete the final welding on the engine mount frame (which has full LAA/Francis Donaldson design approval) before I mount the engine on the completed fuselage. I even have the alloy sheet in stock for the cowlings!
Why does Francis Donaldson keep getting a mention here? I have to admit that I’m a little envious of the Experimental system for home-built aircraft you have in the USA, but the reality is that here in the UK the Civil Aviation Authority (equivalent to your FAA) have authorised the Light Aircraft Association to ‘oversee’ homebuilt aircraft and issue them with ‘permits to fly’ on completion. How this works in reality is that you buy your kit/plans, register the project with the LAA and contact your closest LAA Inspector who (usually for free) inspects and signs off the build stages and mentors the rookie builder through the transition from novice to competent craftsman. However, if you decide to modify your aircraft (like fitting a different type of engine) then this ‘mod’ has to be vetted and approved by the LAA. Francis Donaldson is the Chief Engineer at the LAA, so he is in the unenviable position of being responsible to some degree for the airworthiness of the entire UK fleet of homebuilt and historic aircraft, hence his understandably cautious approach on occasions.
Regarding the subject of the Pietenpol here in the UK, it’s true that it’s easier to use the LAA ‘approved’ plans, which include modified wing spars and undercarriage designed by Jim Wills (who was not a government professional, but one of the early UK Pietenpol builders). These plans tend to be favoured here, not because they produce an aeroplane which is better than the original, but because they increase the ‘approved’ gross weight of the aeroplane to 1250lb. Given that in order to fly safely from our short fields and in more congested airspace, we usually build in seat-belts, radio, engines at the more powerful end of the Pietenpol range and we are not all as lightweight as BHP then this extra weight margin is useful. The rights to these revised plans are currently still held by Jim Wills and I understand that you are correct that he prefers not to sell them in the USA. I guess he has his reasons. Maybe he is related to the guy selling the old Ford parts!
Cheers, Steve Bryan (very slow UK Pietenpol builder).
Builder Steve S. writes:
OK William…..Worked on one of these as a teenager! You are dead on about Old Blighty. My English friends say England is politically doomed. Very good and hope to read more from You.
500+ hr. Zenith 601 builder/flyer Andy Elliott writes:
Just got my clean used copy of Stick & Rudder in the mail today, for a total of <$11, including shipping. It’s the 1944 version, but I think it’s the 29th printing. Dust jacket is still in one piece, and there was a Private Pilot magazine subscription coupon in it for a book mark. Private Pilot stopped publishing in 2005, but you can tell from the “3 years for $19” subscription price that this coupon is older than that!
Pietenpol builder Dave Aldrich writes:
Hi William, If you really want a starter for your Anglia, one of my good friends is English and travels across the pond on a regular basis. He’d be happy to bring one back. I’ve got his cousin looking for a good Series II Land Rover (think Hatari) for use up here in Maine so the starter would be simple.
As an aside on Anglias, many years ago in my misspent youth in upstate New York, I used to race cars on ice. At the time, I was a poor starving college student and my one and only car was a 1959 SAAB 93 that had a 2 cycle, 3 cylinder engine displacing a massive 750ccs. It was just about the only front wheel drive car available beside the Oldsmobile Toronado and was a hoot to drive on ice. One of the guys who raced with us must have been your older brother since at various times he had a Corvair powered Karmann Ghia and a SAAB with a Buick V-6 stuffed under the hood. Now we get around to the Anglia connection. One of my good friends actually had a job and could afford a dedicated ice race car. For $50, he bought a 1958 (I think) Anglia, the one with the reverse tilted rear window, and we tried to improve it’s performance by spending our summer evenings drinking cheap beer and tinkering. Speed parts for that engine were non-existent so we just milled the head, cobbed some headers together, and waited for Lake George to freeze over. After a couple of years of banging fenders with other like minded loonies, the Anglia finally gave up. We were flat towing it back home when one of the tow bar attachments gave out. Our faith in the integrity of the frame was somewhat misplaced. The safety chain kept the tow bar in the parade but the car wasn’t so lucky. We turned and the Anglia didn’t. It just twisted the remaining attachment point off. Fortunately only a ditch and telephone pole were in the way and we were only a couple of miles from its home so the Niskayuna police were unaware of the adventure. I consider that we were in the vanguard of the American racing scene since we actually had a 3 car “team” in the manner of the Europeans like Ferrari, Porsche, Jaguar, and so on. This was long before the Hendrich/Rousch/Penske juggernauts that came later. We had to dissolve Fubar Racing team when one of the guys got transferred to New Jersey, I joined the military and the others grew up.-Dave
Zenith 601xl builder Oscar Zuniga writes:
I live on this side of the pond, I like airplanes, and I was at the hangar this afternoon for a while to look at my collection of Corvair cases to see if any are candidates for some R&D that Dan Weseman may be doing. However, everyone of interest on my family tree is dead and gone, so I can’t thank them for coming to this country so I could be born here and enjoy the privileges and freedom to experiment, build, and fly. My grandpappy on my mother’s side was Scots-Irish of the common but industrious sort, and my other three grandparents came here from Mexico, descended from Spanish stock who crossed the pond from Spain to Mexico for conquest. My guess is that they didn’t find the fountain of eternal youth, but there were also no Corvair cores to be found there either ;o) I have aviation friends on many continents of the world and can completely corroborate the fact that, compared to those in other countries, we enjoy aviation freedoms that are almost beyond belief.
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On the topic of Model T of the air?
Zenith 650 builder Becky Shipman writes:
You are not opinionated if you:
Base your position on data and facts (F still equals ma, for example) Recognize and state your biases (Should be cheap, easy to understand, reliable, for example) Are willing to change your position when more data becomes available
You’re also allowed to have personal preferences. I run into this with instruments. As I’m searching for used instruments, I have come to the conclusion that my limited appetite for scrounging and the need to recondition the critical ones means I could save time and weight (maybe not money) by getting a low-end EFIS. But I like steam gauges – they are easy to read and trend with a glance and I know enough about how they work to figure out when one might be giving me a bad reading. They also look cooler. But I wouldn’t say that someone who installs an EFIS is making a mistake (unless they trade off the cost by skimping on something vital, like a carburetor).
I think the evolution of your ignition system is a good example of balance and data and changing opinion over time. Points are more efficient and reliable than magnetos, though they require an electrical system. Electronic is reliable too, and less parts to wear out. But the CDI system I flew behind in the Rotax 912s would not operate if the voltage got below 11 volts (happens easily in MN in the winter). One of the reasons I decided against one in my plane. When you went to the E/P system you went to the effort to find / design a system that would operate on lower voltage.
As for aviation for the masses, companies aren’t run by Henry Ford anymore, and they are purely designed for profit now.
Sometimes I wonder if a useable, affordable home built car design / kit might get people into the notion that they can make things themselves, and would allow them to be more open to the idea of an affordable airplane project. Of course the reaction from car manufacturers would probably be worse than the reaction from the aircraft industry.
OK, I get the V-8 Vega. Horsepower to weight is pretty outrageous. I am more of an autocrosser than a drag racer. In fact, since I appear to be unable to work on my airplane or ride my motorcycle for possibly most of the summer, I have indulged in getting a car for autocross – a ’91 Toyota MR2. Probably not your style, but very good handling. My motorcycle is a 2000 BMW R1100RTP – only 90 horsepower but I could leave any of the riders in my riding club in the dust if there were enough curves.
The hand is slowly getting better, but the new skin on the fingers blisters up if I write for too long or do anything mechanical, even if I wear a glove over the medical glove. The graft, as you suggested, doesn’t hurt at all now, and is more rugged. Don’t get drowned by the tropical storms or become snake food.-Becky Shipman
Builder Bruce Culver writes:
William, having done a bit of research on the Model T for a modeling project and possible historical article, I too was impressed by the tremendous influence this crate had on American society in the early 20th century. I also was impressed by the awareness of Henry Ford in paying his workers enough so they could afford to buy the cars they were building. In aviation, this seems to have slipped off the screen….. The tragedy is that with modern technology, making inexpensive and capable light aircraft would be easy for someone with the right attitude. I know wood has its drawbacks, but if a largely wood structure was assembled from pre-cut parts like a large model airplane, it would be safer and better built. The parts could be designed so that they went together only one way. I suspect that a safe wood fuselage structure could be designed, but to take welded steel tubing, there are automated welding machines that could weld a high-quality fuselage frame for those who have no experience. Or perhaps more welding classes would be a good idea, as I know that welding has to be done correctly or it’s no good. That is a concern of mine, as I have no welding experience at all, and I have an XXXX (I edited out exact model of firearm here for privacy-ww) parts kit to put together – but that won’t kill me if I don’t get the welds right. Nonetheless, you are absolutely correct that the current emphasis on high-dollar designs in EAA will be the eventual death of light aviation. Get the price of a decent plane down to what the middle class can afford and the number of new pilots will grow significantly. Keep it up and the new folks won’t likely be around. When GA is cut down to size by this short-sighted attitude, EAA and AOPA will lose what political clout they have. Only the folks who have true homebuilt aircraft and engines, with the legal right to repair them, and the desire to fly for sport outside the ATC system, will have the privileges of private flight.
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On the topic of Fixing America is going to cost each of us $1.69
Zenith 650 builder Paul Normandin writes:
Regarding Fixing America is going to cost us $1.69 each William, you are a seriously deranged individual and I am VERY glad you are!
My perspective on the world is much the same as your own, likely because we are almost the same age (beat you by a year). As a kid I played with those very same balsa planes, and you could buy them everywhere. My father always loudly expounded on the virtues of Briggs and Stratton engines and I took apart and reassembled these wonderfully simple and reliable machines many times in my youth, and never because they needed repair! Every one ran as before when I was done to boot, a testimony to B&S not me.
I plan on steam gauges for my Zenith and my coworkers think I am nuts using this “old technology”. You see, I work for a Robotics company and am neck-deep in high-tech all day and have many young coworkers. They are all very much as you described the current generation and there is nothing wrong with them; with their video games and cell phones glued to their heads they just didn’t have as much fun growing up as we did. Me, I have seen tech develop, hell, I have helped to create some of it, but with my life and safety on the line I just don’t trust it. I want to fly, I don’t want to play a video game in my plane… besides, I hope to some day be someone who you would be proud to call an Aviator. Thanks for all the great Corvair info and Philosophy, -Paul
Zenith Builder Bill Mills writes:
William, Great discussion on flat head engines. I have owned several in the past. Presently I have a 1934 and 1937 Fords and several one cylinder engines. Also the snakes here in Florida; I have had several run ins with rattle snake, water moccasins or cotton mouths and copper heads, they all lost. Question: I am building the Zenith 650 from scratch and have reached a point the decide whether to use the standard sizes gas tanks or the long-range size. Your thoughts. Bill Mills EAA chapter 282 Clearwater, FL
Bill, I know of only one Corvair powered 601XL with 48 gallon tanks, Louis Kantor’s. He flew from our airstrip in Florida to Pittsburgh, non stop, and had 11 gallons left on arrival. He later flew from Mexico MO to Pittsburgh, about the same distance. You can go a long way on todays standard 30 gallon system, and the 4 way tank valve is very expensive. -ww.
Pietenpol Builder Jon Coxwell writes:
I just could not pass up commenting on the balsa wood planes. I grew up in two worlds simultaneously literally 120 miles apart. The first was in the largest city in Montana (Billings, about 60,000 when I was a kid, bigger now) and the second on a small cattle ranch nestled against the Little Belt Mountains in central Montana. It was in my first world where I lived with a grandmother during the school year. The house was at the intersection of two very quiet tree lined residential streets. My airplane of choice was rubber band powered with jaunty long wire landing gear. The only place my friends and I could have a successful takeoff was in the intersection of the two streets. Other wise the plane would soon be in the trees. Flying that rubber band powered ship was the impetus for learning to climb trees so I could retrieve it. More than once, cars would stop and wait for us to complete our flight. I think the adults got just as much fun out of it as we kids did. (Those were the days when mothers and grandmothers knew of us playing in the street but just admonished us to watch for cars. It was learning to take responsibility for our own actions.) We would grease up the prop bearing with Vaseline and wind the rubber band to 16 knots to get an extra 20 feet of altitude. What a life!
My second world was where I learned about motors. I do not remember any flat head lawn mowers but I did build an electric reel mower from plans in Popular Mechanics. My step dad was always overhauling a tractor, truck, or the little jeep in less than ideal conditions. A family friend gave me an old Wizzer bike motor and I proceeded to build a go kart. It didn’t work well as all the roads were dirt and rutted but my dad saw my interest and proceeded to help me scrounge Model T parts from all the old homesteads. He knew where all of the old Fords had been pushed into the brush when the homesteaders starved out in the thirties. Before I was out of high school I had a running Model T to chug around the hills in. The only thing I had to buy was 2 tires. When the GN-1 flies it will be dedicated to my natural father (a WWII B-24 squad commander) who gave me the genetic interest in flying and my step dad who taught me the manual skills and patience I needed to build an airplane.
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On the topic of MCW is 60 today.
builder Martie writes:
Happy Birthday, Michael!
Zenith builder Oscar Zuniga writes:
William; as the second eldest among 10 children, I can really relate to your comments and observations on how things work among siblings. I can only hope that some of the things that I’ve been involved with in my life (motorcycles, especially vintage Triumphs; street rods; cartooning; engineering; aviation; salt water fishing; hunting, camping, rafting, boat building) have been of interest for my 4 brothers and 5 sisters and their wonderful families as they have followed behind me. You know what they say about being back in the pack string in a line of sled dogs though: unless you’re No. 1, the view never changes ;o)
Pietenpol builder Terry Hand writes:
Your comments from the heart may be among the best gifts your brother receives today. Nicely written. Happy birthday, Michael!
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Parting Shot from Sprint Builder Joe Goldman:
We just lost Roy Hall from a heart attack, hard living, and hard drinking. You should have visited me at his shop. You would have enjoyed his stories. I first thought they were BS, but I always listened. I found out from his friends and visitors that looked in on him that they were not exaggerations but were even more amazing. Roy was a machinist and metallurgist and foremost a pilots pilot. He was a lover of old, old machines. His large lathe was 110 years old, turned my three axles on it, as is his horizontal shaper. His huge vertical shaper with turret is a little newer. He has machines and furnaces that he built. He owned and flew a DC 3, Stearman, and Beech 18. The 3 and 18 carried so much gas in their modified wings that they looked like a B52’s. Well, a living is a living ( no dope just gas and repairs). I worked by his Stearman with “The world’s greatest aviator” written on its side. Right next to me was a Travel Air fuselage that Roy beautifully rebuilt. He teared sometimes because he knew he was unable to finish it. He has many friends and impressed many people with his skills, though He was a pain in the ass was heard.
August 2011 I moved my Sprint to Roy’s place. I felt sorry for him and that he could use my rent. Turned out I did myself good. We worked on my landing gear. Lots of metal forming on his press and dies. He made sure I didn’t screw up. He did all the welding. His TIG welds were smooth. He covered all finished welds with asbestos like material. He enjoyed working on my plane. It turns out I was the last one to use his skills. I remember telling him about Marks tight turn and how he could make it back to the airport in 250ft. He remarked just unload the wings and you can turn on a dime. I will miss him. Maybe if I do something dumb in the air I ‘ll hear him yelling Just fly the damn plane. Joe Goldman
Mail Sack, 6/4/13, Model T’s, Charles Poland Jr. and reptiles
Builders,
Here is a sample of the mail:
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On the story of Model T of the air? :
Builder Dan Branstrom writes:
“Budd Davisson wrote two pireps on Davis designs, The DA2 and the DA5:”
http://www.airbum.com/pireps/PirepDavisDA2.html
http://www.airbum.com/pireps/PirepDA5.html
Builder “Jacksno” writes:
“Wynne for President.”
I couldn’t agree more, I will let my sister Melissa, the Illinois politician, know that you nominated her.I think she could get elected, her only liability is a jackass politically incorrect brother in Florida.-ww
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On the story of Charles Poland Jr., An American of whom you could be proud.:
Builder Harold Bickford writes:
“Indeed William, where do we get such men and women? Certainly we can cite many reasons relating to upbringing, family, culture, experience. faith. One place they don’t come from is selfishness. Being a veteran Charles knew what service was and the calling that goes with it even to ultimate sacrifice standing in the breech.
Likewise building airplanes and engines can’t be a selfish enterprise. Where there is success it is because folks listen to and help each other and pay attention to solid information which at times has been gained at great cost. To the question some ask about building the response is simple; why not give it a try? They’re often expecting a defensive answer and instead they have to think. -Harold”
601XL Builder/flyer Dr. Gary Ray writes:
“Any person or group that attacks innocent, unarmed soft targets looses all rights to claim any violation of their own individual rights as this makes the claims hypocritical while trashing the individual rights of others. It is like profanity, a feeble mind trying to act forcefully. Also, an act of cowardice.”
Builder Dan Branstrom writes:
“I rarely pass on anything that has been forwarded multiple times, unless I can go to the source and verify it, and I’ve fact checked it. [Jokes excluded].
What I usually find is that a quote didn’t come from the person who “said” it, that things stated as “facts” started out as opinions expressed by some columnist years ago, and, for propaganda purposes, lies are mixed with truth to make them appear plausible. Sometimes, the sources cited turn out to say exactly the opposite of what the email claims they did. I used to email a reply to the earliest person who forwarded it, but I got accused of being an evil person involved in some international conspiracy at best. I now only reply to the last person who forwarded it to me. We’re friends, and they understand that I want truth and honest discourse, and that even if we disagree, we’ll stay friends.”
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On the story of Fun with Agkistrodon Piscivorus and Vern’s Aero-Trike:
Pietenpol builder Terry Hand writes:
“William, I am sure that Vern’s sock was not the only item of apparel that got soaked! I am glad to hear that both of you are safe. Please make sure and keep an eye out for Scoob E. Semper Fi, Terry Hand”
Zenith builder Larry MaGruder writes:
“We have a good number of all four here in Texas, too. Still don’t like them.”
Builder “Jeffeoso” writes:
“I do beg to differ – Texas has all four native poisonous species as well…”
Hey, learned something new, you Texans are right. When it gets to the point of stepping on them in the hangar, they seem pretty dense here. Hope they are a little thinner in your state.-ww.
Pietenpol builder Jon Coxwell writes:
“I am mostly scared to death of snakes. I learned that from my mom. She dislikes all creepy crawly thing. Prior to WWII my father flew sub patrol with B-17s in central America. My mom followed him from airfield to airfield all over central America. One night while driving they ran over a boa and my dad decided he wanted the snake (probably for the skin). He went out into the jungle on the side of the road with a flash light and his army issue .45 until he found the head and he shot it. My mother had to help him stuff the shake into the trunk of the car. She never forgot that. That is a cool vehicle! Is it licensed as a car, airplane, or Motorcycle?”
Jon, Vern’s creation is a motorcycle in Florida. We have no emissions nor inspections here, and you can license just about anything you wish to drive. Combine this with no state income tax and it all seems like a great deal until you come back to the snake thing. For more on the trike, check this link: Vern’s Aero-Cars , (hit F5 if the pictures are small.)
Pietenpol builder Harold Bickford writes:
“In the wall Street Journal under economy the 6/3 issue has an article about the increasingly risk averse culture. It seems too many folks do’t even want to try, instead looking for elusive security. Fortunately here at flycovair people aren’t so timid and are willing to investigate and do.- Harold”
Harold, Vern is the only guy here willing to dance on poisonous snakes, He sets the standard.-ww
Zenith 601XL builder/flyer Ron Lendon writes:
“WW, I thought being your neighbor might be fun, now I’m not so sure.”
Ron, we should have draped the carcass on my neighbors ‘For sale’ real estate sign to hear how his agent would explain it to potential buyers.-ww
Cruiser builder Sarah Ashmore writes:
“When I was young while on an evening walk with my father I almost stepped on a Copperhead that was in the laying middle of the street. I had never seen a live snake and assumed that it was dead like every other one I had ever seen. My father was far more aware of the dangers then I was and I remember a very strong grip taking me by the shoulder and yanking me back before the snake had become aware of my approach and become defensive. A single whack with a convenient branch dispatched the threat and I have never been so casual again when out amongst nature. The funny thing is that my professional career has returned me now to the city of my youth and with a storm drainage ditch in my back yard I maintain a constant vigil for anything that might be a snake. With all the years I lived in Florida I saw but one rattlesnake and a single Corral Snake. “Red touches Yellow, kill a fellow, Red touches Black, friend of Jack” was the guideline I kept in mind to be sure I did not mistake the deadly Corral Snake from the beneficial King Snake.”
Zenith 750 Builder Dan Glaze writes:
“they say that everyone has a double, ole Vern sure looks a lot like Albert standing there, dan-o”
Builder Dan Branstrom writes:
“I ate water moccasin (aka cottonmouth) on land survival at Eglin AFB, 45 years ago, along with poke salad, palmetto hearts, and even wood rat. All I can remember is, just like the cliche, it tasted somewhat like chicken. Somebody else had gigged it swimming in the water. He nailed it in the body, and the snake still tried to climb up the shaft to bite him I sure wouldn’t like to meet one any closer. I know you’ll be careful.”
Parting Shot from Zenith builders Bob and Pat Pustell :
“Hi, William–My birthday may preceded yours by a decade and a half, but I am with you on almost everything you posted lately. I loved my balsa gliders/rubber band airplanes as a kid. I loved my balsa and tissue paper stick built planes even more, but it was more painful when they got wrecked. Great fun and many lessons. The plastic models were fun, too, but you could not fly them.
I loved the old flathead utility engines. My Grandmother’s place had no electricity, kerosene lamps and a Briggs and Stratton powered well pump. Many times, as a remarkably young guy, I had that engine apart and got it running again. It powered that wellpump for many decades. My first hot-rodding project was a cast-off lawn mower. It turned such high revs when we were done with it that we eventually put the rod through the side of the case, but man could that thing cut tall grass at full power!! I could tune up a flathead Ford V8 pretty nicely, also. Small block Chevies were my stock in trade in later years, however.
Stick and Rudder was my first and is still my favorite aviation book. Anything by Ernie Gann is right up there, too. I never met Ernie but I flew with guys who did know him from when he worked for my airline. Even second-hand, I enjoyed the glow……… Before the airline, I flew in the Air Force with Medal of Honor winners, regular guys, everyday heroes. We have a wonderful country going here. Let’s keep it that way.
Oh, about those big nasty venomous snakes in your area — I moved to northern New England to retire for a reason — I had enough of those nasty creatures in southeast asia and the southwest desert of the US. Come on up and join us. The winters are not as bad as people would make you think. The rest of the year is wonderful and we do not do venom, tornadoes, major hurricanes or earthquakes.
Best wishes to you and Grace and ScoobE, Bob and Pat Pustell”
Mail Sack, 5/30/13, Cowls, Balsa Planes , Stick and Rudder
Builders:
Here is a sample of the mail:
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On the story about Cooling with J-3 style cowls. (Pietenpols, Cubs, Biplanes, etc)
Jeff Moores Corvair/Merlin builder/flyer from Newfoundland writes:
“Hi William, While flying over The Avalon Wilderness Reserve this evening and listening to the strong steady beat of my Corvair I realized that I will soon have a year of flying with my engine. In spite of our poor weather most of the time and my full time job, I have almost 100 hours on it now. I have flown it in every month since last June. I’d like to make the point here for any current or would be builder that since the initial timing setup with a timing light and idle mixture adjustment of the Stromberg, I HAVE NOT HAD TO CHANGE OR ADJUST ANYTHING !!!! My engine is built exactly to the instructions and procedures in the manual. I’m using a Dan 5th bearing that was extremly easy to install with excellent instructions. (thank you Dan for designing and selling this.)
Aircraft carburetor, 100LL fuel, 5th bearing, manual and parts from the Corvair Authority, Williams’ help and advice, you can’t go wrong!! Jeff Moores Corvair/Merlin”
Piet builder Harlod Bickford writes:
“Hello William, The attached cooling article re: Garidner’s engine left me with two conclusions.for the side by side Piet our project has developed into. Namely use a cowl along the lines of the Wagabond and Zenith or the cooling fan as used on the stock Corvair, albeit about 25 lbs heavier. With one less thing to break and less weight the pressure cowl makes more sense. With a firewall height at about 30″ high and 38″ width there is lots of room to work with. Harold”
Pietenpol builder Mark Chouinard writes:
“William: The write up on Gardiner Mason’s engine issues was very informative. I have printed it, as I have with many other writings in order to keep it in my “Corvair” binder for review at a later time. That part that discusses detonation, the spring effect of the head studs and the type of damage this causes to the heads went a long way in describing the damage that I found when disassembling my core. Once my heads were off, I found a quarter sized hole in the top of the #2 piston. It was not completely punched out, but a hole none the less that was probably 3/4 punched. Later in the conversion process, Joe at Moldex informed me that my crank had a crack at the #2 journal… what a bummer, but I’m sure glad they found it! I had a local shop perform a magnaflux inspection on my crank just to see if it was worth sending to Moldex… they said it looked good. Never again will I trust the locals for anything other than degreasing dirty crap… they just don’t understand or don’t have the skills or don’t care or are dishonest or all of the above. Not sure which and don’t care. Once I found another crank I sent it directly to Joe… no need for any further waste of time. Finally, when I received my heads back from Mark at Falcon, he had stamped one with “use .042” and the other with “use .052”… my assumption would be that he had to remove more material from one of the heads in order to resurface the gasket seats properly… likely the one that experienced detonation. He did explain to me that the different thicknesses would balance the compression ratio between the cylinder banks. This stuff is so much fun. Like Gardiner, I am not a real motor head, but with all the lessons that have been learned by others I feel confident that I can do this properly and safely. Thanks for your continuing support and education… looking forward to Austin in 2014!- Mark Chouinard Owasso, Oklahoma “
Pietenpol pilot and 601 Builder Oscar Zuniga writes:
“Yes, I read the 16-page writeup on PietVair engine cooling and it was worth every moment it took to read it. There is no need to wait for next month’s “Hints for Homebuilders”, there are a month’s worth of them in this article. Some are subtle, but most are as plain as a “remove before flight” streamer is on a preflight inspection. There is no need to wait for next month’s “I Learned From That”… it’s here. “Tech Tips”? It’s here. “From The Cockpit”? Yes. “Parting Shot”? Got it. Color photos? Illustrations? Yes. So this article is a full aviation magazine in one spot ;o) All for the price of a full year’s subscription… same price as what I’ve paid William for every bit of advice, information, counsel, opinion, conversation, and honesty since I registered the Corvair conversion manual that I bought from Joa Harrison about twenty years ago. Zero. I think I’ll renew my subscription to Flycorvair.net.”
601XL Builder/flyer Andy Eliott (Phd aero engineer) Writes:
“OK, I read the article on Gardiner Mason’s Piet problems. You will have to agree I know the theoretical part of aero. Multiple times in the article, you state that mass flow rates scale with the square of the airspeed. Unfortunately, this is not true. If you look at a stream tube you can see (even from dimensional analysis) that m_dot units are mass/time. rho is mass/length3. A is length2. V is length/time. Surface cooling rates are a different story, but effectively are a nonlinear function of m_dot and delta_T, the time in which the air is in contact with the surface. With equivalently good inlet, plenum and exit designs, two planes would comparatively cool simply as a function on m_dot.A small editing pass might be in order. -Andy”
Andy, you are the only guy to write in about this, and of course you are correct, mass flow is only doubled, it is dynamic pressure that is squared. I saw that when I put the story together, but couldn’t correct is as the original story is from our old website which is written in a computer language that only Grace and two guys a DARPA understand. The point I wanted everyone to take away was that small changes in forward airspeed make a big difference in cooling. Everyone who has flown enough with good CHT’s knows the effect of lowering the nose, picking up 10 mph and increasing the cooling at the same power setting. -ww (Andy’s letter has an equation with it that may not show up on your computer.)
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On the story about Fixing America is going to cost each of us $1.69
builder Doug Wright sends:
“William, This is one of the funniest things I have read in a while:
“I told them that there were many reasons to use planes, but the best one of them all is just to have fun. When one of the kids asked if this was OK, I told him it was not just ok, I did it for a job. There was a lightbulb that went off in his mind, this was the first time he had heard you could evade becoming a grown up.
Just thought you might like to know it was appreciated.-Doug”
Doug, the story was popular, it had 1,000 page reads in the first 24 hours. Part of this was several people putting a link to it on face book. The tracking on our site also showed that It was picked up as far away as “GTT”, a web discussion group for people who appreciate and restore small tractors. I am glad it appealed to a wide variety of people.-ww
Dragonfly builder Guy Bowen writes:
“Fixing America is going to cost $1.69 is dead on. I was a huge fan of the Guillows products that were, at the time of my childhood, available at the local 7-eleven. Now a trip to the Hobby Lobby, Micheals, or the local RC shop is necessary to find these gems. I would add to that list my personal favorite: Model Rockets (although they were relatively more expensive). I preferred them over plastic models because they were dynamic…they did things that you could show your friends. I never realized that I was learning anything playing with these things until I ran into the kid down the block who was just amazed at the fact something that I built not only flew but I could explain how it worked! My youth was filled with kites, chemistry sets, telescopes, microscopes, electronic sets, rockets, planes, bikes and lawnmower engines. There is an unnamed layer that exists between the youth of today from the mechanisms that we use and it is growing more obfuscated as we become a more consumer-centric society. Black box engineering has become a more prevalent tool in production since processes and products have become more complex. Black box consumerism on the other hand, promotes apathy and laziness of the underlying nature of things so much to the point of disconnection. Just as I did not realize I was learning playing with balsa wood gliders and rockets…the inverse is true: consumers experience a loss of physical connection or fascination with the machines inner workings. The “wow” factor becomes focused on what machines do…not how they accomplish it. My 3 yr. old loves to work on machines with his old man while my 12 yr. stepson keeps his face buried in a video game and is more worried about fashion brand names that some girls his age…sad really, I wish I had more of his childhood back to show him the fascination of machines instead.”
Builder “Jacksno” writes:
” Your most fun post yet re Cub Scouts and Guillow planes. Here you were preaching to the choir: I was 19 in 1962, had been making model planes for 11 years. First one I made was from 1 x 6′s in the garage. Wanted to make a swept wing rocket/jet thingy. No tools. No dad. But I had passion. And a hammer. And glue. I would not be refused: I beat on the boards full chat until I had an assortment of aerodynamic looking pieces. glued that all up and painted it silver. Put a stout cord on it and whirled it around my head like crazy. Cord broke when the craft reached escape velocity – it did not land anywhere in our yard! I had no idea there was an EAA, but I was on it in miniature from then on. Oh, I did hack something together earlier out of balsa pieces with scimitar wings. Talked my mother and grandmother into sending it to President Truman so he could kick some commie butt. They did it and I got a nice letter from somebody up there, official white house stationery. No, I don’t know where it is. Not my longhorn bull embossed ‘pearl’ handled colt .45s in matching holsters, either. A little later I developed a modicum of craftsmanship and built hand launch gliders of solid balsa that would eventually get an stc for jetex 50s. Fun days. Built every Monogram kit, some 2 or 3 times, had awesome Jim Walker folding wing rubber launched gliders, and the ‘P80′ type that cost .10 – all well modified and over powered. Lookin’ to have some more (still flying gas and electric models) real time full size action before it’s all over! {;^) OK, OK, I know…I will calm down, be safe, build carefully and reliably under the expert and qualified eye of you and other real aviators, never ‘have’ to get there, never run scud…and I’ve read S & R often and will continue to.”
Kr2 builder/flyer Steve Makish writes:
“Hi William, read your post on balsa planes etc. Great stuff. My go cart when I was a kid had a 2 hp Briggs and Stratton from my grandmothers washing machine, yes it was a gas powered washing machine (outdoors of course) It actually had a kick start ratchet device and was at about a 45% angle. It was the first motor I ever souped up. took the head off and made a head gasket out of newspaper to raise the compression (wow) I thought it doubled the hp because it ran so great. Regards Your friend Steve”
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On the story about Greatest Book on Flying Ever Written, (Is your life worth $16?)
Pietenpol builder/flyer Kevin Purtee writes:
“You just can’t beat Rod Machado…”
Builders: One of the things I ‘like’ about Kevin is that you can never tell when he is kidding. He is a tough guy so you never really want to offend him on the chance he isn’t kidding. He also wrote me to say that he is a Celine Dion fan…..-ww.
Parting Shot, on the topic of Built by William Wynne? Built according to The Manual? from 601XLB builder/flyer Dr. Gary Ray,
“An advantage of the Corvair Engine that builders don’t easily have with any other engine is the ease, short turn around time, and low expense to do a complete disassembly and rebuild. For this reason, it would make sense that all purchased engines (not directly built by the end-user) be taken down for inspection and rebuilt before flight. This is the only way to know if any variation exists with accepted practices stated in your manual. The new owners knowledge is now at the hands-on level of understanding. This is a small price to pay for safer operation and it deals with a major portion of any future liability issue. If I ever sell my aircraft, this will be part of the contract.”
Mail Sack, 5-26-13, “Stick and Rudder,” Starting Procedures
Builders,
Here is a sample of the mail:
…
On the story of Greatest Book on Flying Ever Written, (Is your life worth $16?)
Zenith builder Larry Magruder writes:
“William: I agree about Stick and Rudder. When I learned to fly in the ’80s my instructor suggested some video tapes and a text that he said would teach me about flying legally. He suggested Stick and Rudder which he said would teach me to fly safely. I pulled it out just before Corvair College #25 and reread it just for the fun of it. Twenty-five years later I find my original flight instructor is still right.-Larry”
Pietenpol builder Harold Bickford writes:
“Stick and Rudder was one book I bought when working on a private certificate in ’76. Reading it was a tremendous counter to conventional wisdom and hangar tales. It is not a hard book to read though some folks might find themselves thinking about flying in new ways, such as airplanes do two maneuvers – climb and turn. Langewiesche had a great way of simplifying then building on that base. $16 is a most excellent purchase though I recall paying less.-Harold”
Merlin on floats builder/flyer Jeff Moores of Newfoundland writes:
“Hi William, My copy of Stick and Rudder was given to me over 30 years ago when I first started flying by a pilot/friend who is now 78 years old and still flying his C172 on floats. He is definitely old school having flown skis and floats since the ’70s in our challenging environment. My copy is the nineteenth printing copyright 1944. I have read and reread it many times over the years.-Jeff”
Cleanex builder/flyer Dale Williams writes:
“Hi William, Back in the day when I taught ultralight flying as an AFI, I encouraged my students to read this book. I’ve read it several times and still refer to it often. Langewiesche had my attention from the very beginning by first making the point that the art of flight is understanding how to fly a wing. His insistence that all of our instincts of what we believe we should do to achieve a certain result is wrong and ultimately gets people hurt or killed is absolutely correct. How anyone with a true love of flight can find fault with the valuable teaching in Stick & Rudder is beyond me, yet it doesn’t surprise me much. I’m reminded of the man who looked at my plain Jane panel and asked me, “What do you use for obstacle and terrain avoidance?’ I replied, ‘I look out the windshield!’ Crazy but true …There is a huge difference between aviators and airplane drivers … Thanks for another great perspective.”
750 builder Dan Glaze writes:
“William, my book is on the way, Amazon books $7.75 , $3.00 shipping, the site has 75 at this price, Dan-o”
Builder Bruce Culver writes:
“This is a great book William, and I just ordered a second copy to go with my ‘new’ second copy of Fate is the Hunter by Ernie Gann. I stored a lot of my old aviation books many years ago, and will dig them out when I copy Schliemann at Troy and excavate the storage unit this summer. I have been buying new copies of the old classics in case the years in the heat and cold have not been kind to the originals. The opinions expressed by your paraphrased group show that they have little or no interest in aviation, but instead will do Point A to Point B, perhaps never looking out the window to see the true wonders waiting for them to notice. How sad. … Your Web site has revealed to me another gift for which I thank you. I am going to go through all your postings and copy out all the information on the proper way to build and outfit an engine installation and airplane (mechanical/electrical/controls etc.), and I am going to make up a notebook with all the pages printed out as a supplemental shop manual to show me what a good safe installation looks like. I have all of Tony Bingelis’s books, but I find that sometimes photos show details better than sketches. These are really valuable to me.”
601XL-2850cc Builder/flyer Ron Lendon writes:
“I bought that book when I was a student pilot and it made my landings better. He has a very good way of explaining things. I loaned this book to a friend who claims he doesn’t have it, so I bought another copy and read it again, it is on my bookshelf and is not available for loan.”
Sarah Wallhauser Matthews writes:
“Just an FYI, my Dad wrote a book about flying – Pioneers of Flight – published by Hammond in Maplewood, N.J. (Henry T. Wallhauser) – have a great Memorial Day weekend WW!! 
Builders: I have known Sarah since I was 13 or 14 years old. We grew up in the same town in N.J. At the time I did not know her Father’s aviation background. I went on amazon.com last night and bought a mint condition copy of her Dad’s book to add to our library.-ww.
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On the story of Built by William Wynne? Built according to The Manual?
New builder Dustin L. writes:
“Hi William, I just ordered your Conversion Manual. I’ll be starting a CH750 STOL in the next year and will be looking hard at the Corvair for the powerplant. Being 28 years old, I’m hoping to build several airplanes eventually and many of the planes I’m interested in could be Corvair powered, so you’ll likely be hearing from and seeing me in the future. I’ve spent quite a bit of time reading your .net site/blogs. I have to say I really appreciate your ‘attitude’ about your work. In your last post about the 3 engines that were supposedly built to your plans/built by you, you mentioned you’re a jackass. I just have to say, with what you do and the consequences of failure, if you aren’t a jackass occasionally you aren’t doing your work justice, you aren’t doing the Experimental Aviation community any good, and you aren’t doing me any good. So – I look forward to working with a jackass like you in the future. Should be fun.-Dustin L., Oconowomoc, Wisc.”
Builder Randy Curtis writes:
“Hello folks. I’m new here as far as comments go. I’ve met WW a couple of times at Sun & Fun and bought a few parts from him as I’m starting a project. The comment I have is that the precautions that William is promoting should be common to any attempt to enter aviation. We live in a fast paced community, meaning our society. More often than not we don’t take the proper time to prepare to do many of the activities that we dream about. … That’s ok for the most part, but when it comes to aviation it’s not as forgiving as the others, therefore it makes a lot more sense to take the needed time to get things in the order that theater need to be in. Unfortunately, I can tell a couple of stories of fatalities because people weren’t doing as they had been taught or were just too busy to take care of the critical things. … It changes life for all of us and leaves a few feeling responsible for things that they had no control over. When it comes to Corvairs, William has done a fantastic job on researching and getting the information out there on what works best. … I’ve had the opportunity to buy a Corvair motor, but without documentation from the builder it’s not worth any more than a core engine. … so it was turned down. I’ve also had the opportunity to fly a certified plane that hadn’t been flown for several years but was annualed by a heavy equipment mechanic who had a very good friend who was an AI mechanic that lived several states away and would sign off the annual based on the equipment mechanics report … not a good situation in my view. … I was offered the chance to fly this plane and refused. … Yeah it would have been a cheap way to fly, but ????????And the equipment mechanic/owner was a bit offended. I felt it was too risky and would have been poor judgement on my part. … I tell these two stories because these things happen in both in experimental aviation and certified aviation. … I’ve said my peace and hope that all enjoy their projects, whether it be craftsmanship of flight…..Randy”
650 Builder Becky Shipman writes:
“Hi William, This gets me a little riled, it is maybe the biggest threat to the reputation of the WW Corvair. I particularly don’t like the cast pistons from China hidden inside a ‘WW’ Corvair. Maybe you should have a logo that can be stamped onto the case? Or an official WW Corvair sticker? Or if a builder needs to sell their engine, should he/she notify you? Probably not a huge problem yet, but I imagine that several Corvairs will outlive their builders. You could put the logo on your polo shirts for the booth. Of course, knowing how you feel about polo shirts, maybe greasy coveralls? -Becky”
Becky, the best thing to do about the situation is talk plainly about it, and remind builders that “buyer beware” applies here. Not all project engines are bad, but far too many of them are, or they want today’s price for an engine that was built to 2003 standards. The main objective is to get everyone to the point where they prefer their own workmanship to that of any other builder. If I ever have a clothing line, it will be black t-shirts that come already scented of 10w-40, and Carhart jeans that are already stained and come as cut-offs. The line will be exclusively marketed at Salvation Army outlets. -ww
601XL builder/flyer Patrick Hoyt writes:
“William – Your high standards are contagious.-Partick Hoyt, N63PZ”
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On the story of Starting procedures on Corvairs, 2,000 words of experience.
Cleanex builder/flyer Dale Williams writes:
“William, A personal thanks for the information on Corvair starting procedures. As you know, my Cleanex has the MA3SPA carb. I had been shutting it down with the mixture. Well the past few days I have been using the procedures you had given and that Dan had shared with Mr. Woolley. To say it made all the difference in the world is an understatement.
I did a bit of airport hopping today and most starts seemed to be within a 1/2 blade or so. Seriously, that 3.0 Corvair was impressing anyone who witnessed it on start-up and I was quite pleased to see it ignite so effortlessly. On a side note, I agree with all I’ve heard about the smoothness of these engines. I only have about 24 hours on mine but it has been quite impressive both in smoothness but also power and performance. It cools very well and has been virtually trouble-free. This is the engine my airframe needed! Best to you, Dale Williams N319WF @ 6J2 Myunn – ‘Daughter of Cleanex’ 120 HP – 3.0 Corvair Tail Wheel – Center Stick 23:47 hours – Phase One Status – Flying”
Piet builder Dave Aldrich writes:
“Your description of starting issues with Lycoming engines is, at least in my experience, only partially correct. The O-320 in my Cherokee is almost impossible to overprime. The primer line runs to two cylinders, leaving two unprimed, and allows the fuel to drain down the intake runners. None goes directly into the cylinders. The impulse coupling on the left magneto produces adequate spark to get things running nicely. Hot starts are a no drama event. Push the button, engines starts. Where your description IS correct is in the IO series. Restarting a hot IO-360 in a Mooney can be a frustrating experience. Starting with the fuel in full lean and the throttle wide open and then juggling levers when it finally starts to run is a certified (or is it certificated) PITA.
I also agree with another poster that shutting down the engine with the mixture control does minimize residual fuel in the cylinders, lessening the chance of the engine starting if the prop moves and the mag switch is defective. For that reason, I do a ‘dead mag’ check just prior to each shutdown. It has also been hypothesized by Continental experts that using the mag switch to shut down the Stromberg carbureted A and C series engines leaves residual fuel in the cylinders that wets the plugs and makes them hard to start when warm. These experts recommend using a fuel shutoff valve in the primary line to stop the engine and eliminate the problem, especially if there isn’t an impulse coupling on one of the mags. I realize this is a major digression from the subject of Corvairs and almost certainly adds nothing to that body of knowledge, but does try to paint a more complete picture of these issues.
On a different subject, there is no regulatory restriction on the use of a Corvair engine in the RV-12 as long as it’s registered EAB versus E-LSA. Van’s site even says that you can, AT YOUR OWN RISK, do whatever you want to it. I suspect that there are packaging and weight issues but wonder if it isn’t a practical idea nonetheless. If you can put a Corvair into a KR and a Sonex, neither of which were designed with the Corvair in mind, then the RV-12 should be possible. Enough drivel. Time to go work on the Pietenpol.”
Dave, I have an O-320 Lycoming cylinder right in front of me, and the injector port and the primer port are about an inch apart, and they are both aimed at the intake valve. If the intake on that cylinder is off its seat, using the primer is going to put fuel in that cylinder. You are correct, the carb models don’t flood as easy, but they can. Most carbed Lycomings have 3 or 4 primers in the intake ports, 3 if the plane has an MAP gauge, varies by installation. As you said, we are focused on Corvairs, so it is academic. I have shut Grace’s C-85 off with the mag switch for 12 years, and never had a starting issue. Again, there are many variations on certified engines, we just need to share Corvair perspective.
The RV-12 was not designed to take many engines, the Corvair or an O-200 would definitely put it out of the CG range, where the Zenith can take engines up to an O-235. If you wanted to try it, even “at your own risk,” I am sure they would have Doug Reeves, their all-powerful list moderator, delete any reference to your project. I have been present at a number of closed-door industry meetings where Mr. Van Grunsven was the chief speaker. Trust me, he doesn’t want anyone putting any alternative engine in “his” aircraft. For a guy who started out his whole business by building a modification on another mans design (the RV-1 is a Stits Playboy with metal wings), he has long forgotten that some people build experimentals because they can be tailored to individual missions. – ww
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Parting Shot, from KR-2 Corvair Builder/flyer (for 13 years) Steve Makish:
“William, you mentioned Steve Jones in your post. I knew Steve briefly and met him at Sun and Fun some years ago. He was flying his trigear KR with my old type4 engine and wanted to see my Corvair installation. He said he was going to Corvair power when he got home from the fly in. That night at the KR dinner, he was talking about his Corvair engine and was going to run very high compression with turbocharging. We all looked at him and questioned his statement and he got very indignant and said ‘I really know what I am doing.’ I guess we all get opinionated at times but as you get older, the been there, done that, didn’t work seems to be the guiding factor. -Steve”
Mail Sack, 5/19/13, Various topics.
Builders,
Here is a large sample of the mail. You can click on the topic headings to review the original story the letter is referring to…….
On MA3-spa carb pictures, Wagabond notes.
601XL builder/flyer Ron Lendon writes:
“WW, you must have written this for me. Monday I will contact Russ and have him build one for me. The oneoff the 65hp continental should remain there. Maybe it it can be a core, but it’s coming off my engine and getting replaced by a D & G.”
Ron, I am glad to see you moving to the same carb that others find to be very successful. I feel that the smallish carb that you engine had contributed to lean/hot operation. Smart move.-ww
International Builder Howard Horner writes:
“Ahhhh. Nitrous! I had a conversation with Dan at Sun n Fun about Nitro vs Turbo or supercharger for short boosts of power on a CH 750 float plane. He thought you might like the idea… maybe he was right!”
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On the story Built by William Wynne? Built according to The Manual?
601XL Builder/flyer Charles Leonard writes:
WILLIAM, I HAVE BEEN READING EVERYTHING YOU HAVE WRITTEN , OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS. THIS HAS PROVIDED ME WITH A WEALTH OF INFORMATION, AND HELPED KEEP ME FROM KILLING MYSELF. HOWEVER IN THIS E-MAIL, THERE IS ONE POINT I THINK IS WRONG.
YOU SAID,” NEVER BUY A SECOND HAND ENGINE”, IF THIS IS TRUE, THEN AFTER YOU ARE THROUGH BUILDING YOUR PLANE AND ARE GOING TO MOVE ON, YOU SHOULD NOT SELL IT, THE PROJECT SHOULD JUST BE THROWN OUT. THIS I DO NOT AGREE WITH.
KEEP THE E-MAILS COMING. CHARLES LEONARD 601XLB
Charles, I was not clear enough in my comments, and I have gone back to amend the story to fix that. What I didn’t want people to buy were unknown second-hand, project engines. An engine like the one in your aircraft is fully proven and conforms to the best ways we have of doing things. No problem there.-ww
Aviation professional Jon Ross Writes:
“William: I know how you feel… I was asked to assist in licensing a Fairchild that had been damaged in a ground loop accident. The airplane was in the experimental category (not amateur built of course) and the owner wanted to put it back in the standard category. There had been an engine change to another model of the Ranger engine. The TCDS supported the change to the more powerful Ranger, so that was not a problem. But in the accident the propeller had been splintered down to about 3 feet in diameter. The aircraft owner (a physicist of all things) was surrounded by friends and “Experts” that stated all that was needed was a runout check on the crank. I wanted the engine torn down and inspected but with Ranger so long out of business I could not supply any data supporting the need for a teardown after a prop strike. If it had been a Lycoming or Continental this would have been no problem. I refused (politely) to assist. The aircraft owner heard what he wanted to hear from his friends and so they repaired the airplane and hung a new prop on the existing engine. I reminded the owner that he was not exempt from the laws of physics and that this was simply not safe.
I am now the bad guy, and I no longer feel welcome on that side of the airport. After witnessing two crashes of pilots from the same group of guys as a result of taking off downwind I am really on the outs with these folks. All because I did not tell them what they wanted to hear.
I tell you this because you are not alone. Your situation is worse because you have much more latitude in the experimental world, which makes many builders hide behind the Experimental label… It is all very dangerous.
People like you describe will continue to do as they do, and guys like us will continue to counsel them. When it’s all over perhaps we will have made a difference. You would make a very good DAR William, I encourage you to apply for designation as such. You do look better with shorter hair, but that is just an opinion and I suppose Grace has some preference here:) Best, Jon Ross A&P IA AB DAR”
Pietenpol builder Terry Hand writes:
“William, If I buy a Corvair engine that I did not build, then I do not know for sure what I am flying behind. I might as well buy an O-200 (with a similar unknown provenance) at the Flymart. But I want to build my Corvair so I KNOW what is on my airplane. There are no shortcuts to that feeling of accomplishment.”
Noted Corvair enthusiast Bob Helt writes:
“William, You certainly don’t need my feedback, but I feel it necessary to compliment you on your knowledge, explanations, and concerns. Thank You. This is a very impressive educational lesson.
Regards, Bob Helt”
Cleanex Builder and CC#22 grad Vic Delgado writes:
“William, I am one of those people that is stubborn in my ideas once I have done my research and made up my mind. I actually had chosen another option which I thought would be simpler, less expensive, and dependable. Once I had the opportunity to speak with you at CC23 about my choice, and you explained the different options available, and why you thought the MA3 was a good choice, I was reluctant to change, at that moment. But the explanation you gave made so much sense, and your experience counted for a lot as well, that I knew I was looking for an MA3 carb for my engine before the weekend was over. I really appreciate the way you explain things, and even more that you don’t sugar coat the truth, bad or good. I respect that presentation because it is honest, and straight forward, which it the way I like to deliver as well. I am still looking for a good MA3, if you have any good leads where I should be looking for a fair price, please let me know. I too am building for myself and my family to fly behind, and there is no “Bargain” that will make me skimp on my safety and peace of mind. My goal is to try to have my engine completed by end of 2013 if possible. I am really looking forward to it! I will be getting in touch with you regarding my engine block and work.
thanks, Vic”
Builder “Jacksno” writes:
“…stone reliability…” If I had an aircraft parts company, it’d be Stone Reliable Aircraft Parts. Also, really like your priorities, especially concerning ‘glass/’instruments’ a distant priority from that of a reliable carb. I try to stay positive, but have to admit I was sorely disappointed with the choices made by the EAA staff (latest mag) and their CH 750 build- I love the concept, the airframe choice, am willing to accept the use of the on hand historic Continental power plant, (although, of course, would rather see a 5th bearing Corvair), but reached for the puke bag when I got to the sell out (my opinion) on the Dynon. Not saying anything at all against Dynon, just that a) having them do the panel is completely out of line with homebuilding and may violate the 51%/majority build rule, (which may not apply to the organization as it would to an individual), and b) as an example of entry-level home building for entry-level pilots ostensibly planning to fly for the pure joy of it, (just like crows do as opposed to mission oriented raptors), ‘steam’ gauges seem far more appropriate. They are free to do as they please, just didn’t like it and using this opportunity to vent. Thanks.”
Jacksno: Everyone knows I like stupidly simple stuff in aircraft, so let me take the counterpoint on this and give a little of the opposing perspective: Of all of the Glass cockpit stuff, I like Dynon the best, it is well proven, and if someone likes that stuff, it is a good value. Part of the mission of the plane is to fly all of the EAA air academy students that go there during the summer. Most of these kids are far more familiar with that type of display that steam gauges. The thing I like best about their choices are that the plane, the engine, and the instrumentation are all US made products. You know what aircraft they were using at the Air-acedemy? A Chinese built Skycatcher. I will accept nearly anything over that. I want every kid who goes there to understand that Americans wrote a large part of the history of flight, and we still have a fantastic engineering education system here, and that they should take their place as the next generational link in the chain of achievement by becoming as educated as possible and then using that knowledge to create more manufacturing here. The plane, as they are building it, supports this. Flying in a Skycatcher built by repressed labor in a communist country sends the message that we once went to the moon, but today the best you can hope for is a ride in a cheap toy built for maximum corporate profit by using the lowest wage workers they could find on the planet.
The paint, interior, engine and panel all are not considered as part of the 51%. Builders are not penalized for purchasing these items nor hiring them out.-ww
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On the story of Starting procedures on Corvairs, 2,000 words of experience.
Builder Dan Branstrom writes:
“I always considered that cutting off the mixture would starve the cylinders of fuel that could be fired by magneto ignition if the prop was moved and either there was a broken P-lead or the ignition was not turned off.”
Charles Leonard 601XLB builder/flyer writes:
“If I start using the ignition switch to kill the engine, may I leave the mixture control in between flights, or what?it sounds like I can just leave the mixture control alone. Charles”
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On the story, Machines vs Appliances Part #2
650 builder Becky Shipman writes:
“Great topic, with 1/2 a beer I could go on for hours about this. Mostly I agree w/ a few exceptions. Rotax 912s – you are right for the most part. I do know someone who rebuilt one who was not an A&P but took a Rotax repair class.
Cars – while they are harder to work on, there is one particular area where I love modern cars. They don’t rust! I would still drive my ’76 Nova if it hadn’t rusted out. In 5 years. And because of unibody construction, once the rust gets significant you are done, unless you weld / replace major body portions. My 2004 Ranger, 150,000 miles, not a spec of rust.
Materials – especially rubber and plastics, last much longer. Modern cars rarely leak oil if you don’t abuse them. Door and window seals last forever compared to the ’60s. I like that you can incorporate that into rebuilding old engines w/ improved seals. In the process control world, a computer is much more reliable than a room filled with timers and counters and relays that gets really, really hot. But if something goes wrong, you need a EE degree just to get into the logic and trace the circuits.
My car never knocks or detonates. There’s the darn check engine light – but what that really means is that the computer control system had to go full on or off to try and control the mixture (at least most of the time). In my opinion, the problem isn’t that the technology is bad in and of itself, it’s that the designers try to make it so you don’t have to know how it works to use it. In the Jenny days, you had to know how the OX-5 worked to be safe flying it. Modern airplanes, you sort of don’t have to know as much, but I believe you are still safer if you do.
The Corvair engine and the way you approach it guides builders into knowing how it works, and that makes us safer. It’s more reliable than an OX-5, even if you know the OX-5 by heart. But with the Rotax, I think there’s overlap – if you don’t know your Corvair the Rotax is probably safer, if you know your Corvair but not your Rotax, the Corvair is safer, if you know them both – maybe a tossup? But no one demands you know your Rotax before you take off, and that in my opinion is the real problem. I would like to hear you try to convince me to own a V8 Vega …….Becky Shipman”
Becky, think of a V-8 Vega as a Nova that weighs 700 pounds less, and has about 50% of the aerodynamic drag. Go to You tube and search “V-8 Vega – Burnout” , there are about 100 great clips in there. My Brother and I had several V-8 Vegas, mostly 1974 GT Wagons and a Panel Express.-ww
My Brother in Law Col. John Nerges shares:
“I am typing this on a Dell computer, a model they probably made 5 million of. This computer could be called a machine, but for all intents and purposes it isn’t. A computer is another thing entirely. It is an appliance. Is there anyone reading this who thinks that there will be a single 95-year-old laptop of this model working in the year 2105?”
Wow, talk about perspective.
Builder “Jacksno” writes:
“It’s hard for me to accept the word as applied today: technology. It WAS a beautiful word. As all words, it’s value and veracity are directly proportional to the integrity of the ‘heart’ that powers the brain, mouth, and lungs to utter it. You nailed it re ‘consumer-ism’. Such a poor, poverty spirit business concept. Somethings, like my product, are in fact consumable. It’s not a Machine, or even a machine, but a substance. That’s different than a Machine, which has a very widespread definition for me, something made by a maker called to make things, one who has the greatest admiration and respect for working parts functioning in harmony toward a designed purpose, made to last as long as possible regardless of the potential ‘profit’ of the greed driven concept of ‘engineered obsolescence’. Thanks for your standard of integrity.”
Builder Charlie Nowlin Writes:
“Yes, William, I am a 15%-er too! I immediately understood your first post on this subject. The second? A piece of cake! Keep up the great work!”
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On the Video of Running 2850cc engine.
Corvair/Merlin, builder/flyer Jeff Moores writes:
“Hi William, loved the video; sounds great as all Corvairs do. With the 2850 what is the prop dia. and pitch? What is your WOT rpm? Thanks, Jeff Moores Corvair/Merlin”
Jeff, that is our test prop, it is only 62″ diameter. The peak RPM in the video was a momentary 3,000.-ww.
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On the story of The cost of being Charles Lindbergh
Builder Dan Branstrom writes:
“To add to the biography of Lindbergh, it is the theory on the part of Pulitzer Prize winner Scott Berg that the reasons that Roosevelt didn’t want to let him reenlist were twofold: Lindbergh had voiced his opposition to the Army pilots taking over the air mail routes because he said that while the Army pilots were excellent pilots, that flying the air mail was a totally different type of flying. He was proved right when there were many fatalities. That ticked off Roosevelt.
The other is that Lindbergh in a dramatic move had resigned his commission to head up the America First movement. It was understandable that he would have those views because his father had been one of the few Congressmen to vote against going to war in WWI.
Lindbergh had even contemplated moving to Germany, not because of any great love for the country, but because in that totalitarian state, the press left him alone. If you think that today’s paparazzi are bad, the press of that day was far worse towards Lindbergh. It is for that reason he had moved his family from the U.S. to England in the years after his son was kidnapped.
The award he was given by the Nazi government was sprung on him, and it was a propaganda ploy on the part of Germany. The Germans, proud of the Luftwaffe, showed him everything, and he shared this information with U.S. intelligence.
Because Roosevelt didn’t let him rejoin the Army, he quietly became a manufacturer’s rep and troubleshooter in the Pacific. He had orders cut that let him go anywhere in the Pacific. He is responsible for teaching fighter pilots how to increase their range by a substantial margin. As he put it, “It’s in your engine manuals.”
They learned that at low RPMs that they could use power settings that were over-square to increase their range at low power settings. They could use settings of very low rpm and high manifold pressure without damaging the engine, yet cruise at much greater efficiency in the trip to and from the site of a battle. This gave them at least an extra hour of flight time. Because he was Lindbergh, fighter pilots listened to him. If he’d been someone else, they might not have. He also flew fighter sweeps with them and demonstrated that he knew what he was talking about.”
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On the story of The Quote, 1927, C.A.L.
Builder “Jacksno” wrote:
“That’s it. Period.”
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On the story about the New Photos of JAG-2, a Corvair powered twin.
Pietenpol builder Terry Hand Writes:
“William, I am in awe of guys like Jim and Dan Weseman and others. Their skills and their projects make my build project look down right minuscule in comparison, but I proudly stand up with them and say “I am a homebuilder.” And thank you for having a place for us to share the journey with likeminded people. Semper Fi, Terry Hand”
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On the two stories about Gary Burdett’s 750, Gary Burdett, 2,850cc Zenith 750, now flying. (engine selection) and Zenith 750 Flying on Corvair Power, Gary Burdett, Illinois
759 builder Blaine Schwartz writes:
“Congrats Gary! The plane looks great!”
650 builder Becky Shipman writes:
“Hello William, I am glad to hear that Gary’s plane is flying. Another zenith success story. It is interesting that you mention the RV-12 and zodiac 650 since that is exactly the choice I had to make before starting to build my plane. I went to both the vans factory and the zenith factory before deciding. The RV-12 looked to be an excellent plane, vans kits have a great reputation and the instructions were excellent. But there was no flexibility in design options. The plane was licensed as an ELSA which meant that every option had to appear in a production plane.
I have flown about 200 HRS behind a Rotax 912s. The engine was fairly reliable but there were a couple of problems I noticed. While the fuel consumption was low at low altitudes it was unreasonably high at high altitudes. The cylinder head temperature would occasionally be too high when climbing. Both of these issues could have been handled in flight with a mixture control, but the Rotax with its Bing carburetors didn’t have one. The Vans also didn’t allow any options for flight or engine instruments.So I decided to go with the zodiac which allowed me to put off making my decision on instruments and engine until I had checked out more options. Regards, Becky”
International Builder Howard in Hati writes:
“I chuckled (and cringed) when I read this blog post on a builder forum and it caused me to think about your dedication to educate and empower builders.
Charging Issue: …While taxiing to the active, my battery charge indication shoed low voltage, fluctuating into yellow. On run-up, the bar still showed slightly more than 12 volts. It usually reads 13.2 or so. I went back to tie down, and quit for day. Later, the battery would not turn engine. On charger all night. Does the Jabiru have a voltage regulator that may be bad? If so, where is it, and what does it look like…
–Thanks, Haiti Howard.”
Builder Paul Sanders writes:
“Great article. I spent a lot of time comparing the main players in the game and until recently had decided on the Viking, with the Corvair a close second (largely due to the perception that is a lot heavier – a perception that has since been corrected). As I’ve watched the Viking grow it has become obvious that it is not the engine for me for a lot of reasons. Your arguments are good, one needs to look closely at all aspects, not just cost and weight etc. In my case particularly, I know very little about engines, and the system you have designed to support the Corvair conversion is just what I need. I don’t think I can succeed if I buy an engine and am then abandoned. I’m hopefully going to be in touch with you soon to talk about having you build one for my “forthcoming” 750.”
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On the story about our dog, Scoob E,
650 Builder Becky Shipman writes:
“Hello William, It’s funny how dogs focus in on sound. My family had a Collie named Mac. The dog loved my father and used to run to the door when he pulled up in our 76 Chevrolet nova. I inherited the nova when I moved away after college. A couple of years later I drove back to the house to visit my parents and they told me that Mac ran to the door when she heard the car even though dad hadn’t driven it for two years. That nova, with an in-line six and three on the tree was my most reliable car. I would still be driving it if it hadn’t rusted out. Glad you and Scoob E survived Grace’s absence. Regards, Becky”
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On the story about 76 Days until Oshkosh 2013.
Pietenpol builder Ryan writes:
“William, Have you thought about drawing up your redesigned Piet gear? I think I would like to do something similar but not sure where to start. Ryan”
Ryan, I am working on an informal Pietenpol notebook which would have all of the information I have gathered on them, and drawing of this like the gear. I am gathering this along with positive storieds of fun and adventure in Corvair-powered piets. I hope to sweep this together before Brodhead this year.-ww
Builder “Jeffeoso” writes:
“I shall likely see you there. at Oshkosh”
Looking forward to it-ww.
Pietenpol builder John Francis writes:
“William, I am interested in purchasing a motor mount for a Pietenpol at Brodhead.”
John, Send me a direct Email to williamtca@aol.com, and give me some detail on your fuselage. Be sure to include an evening phone number. I will be glad to get started and bring you one.-ww
Posts in the works.
Builders,
I have a few things in the works for later tonight. We have Mail Sack, a picture on another Flying 750, Pictures of a running 2,850cc engine on our stand, and a follow on story about Charles Lindbergh. This last one leaked out in draft form earlier today and builders subscribed to this site got an advanced look at it, in half-baked form, it probably needs another evening and a few more cups of coffee to be in final form. Back to work in the hangar while it is still daylight for 3.5 more hours.-ww
Let It Not Rain
Builders:
Our local area of north east Florida saw torrential rain on Thursday and Friday. St Augustine recorded 12 inches in one day, and we had 8″ in 8 hours on Thursday night. Below are some of the pictures of flooding at our airpark.
Above, Rain does not stop the mailing of parts. I leave for the first leg of getting to the post office at noon Friday. This is knee-deep swamp water in our yard. I walked out through 300 yards of this to get to the high ground where we parked the truck. The 20 gauge is due to the Water Moccasins and Diamond Backs that were dislodged by flooding. Our area has a very high density of both, and they are excellent swimmers. I have lived in both rural areas and urban ones, and have found that rural living requires infrequent times of high vigilance, like walking through swamp water, but urban living requires a different kind of daily vigilance I find much more tiring and stressful.
Above, Grace takes ScoobE out on the only part of our yard that was not submerged, the top of the septic tank. When the water was rising quickly, We moved her Caddy up there also. Our house always stays dry because it is 5′ above the yard. The green strip of land behind Grace is the crowned top of the runway. No need to run the sprinklers this week.
By Sunday morning, the water had mostly retreated back to the drainage ditch network around the airpark. We had some clean up to do, but it isn’t a major interruption, just 2 or 3 days of lost time in the workshop. In the larger view, it is a very small price to pay once every year or so for living every day in a very peaceful and beautiful setting, and sharing it with really great neighbors. -ww
Mail Sack, 4/28/13, Various topics;
Builders;
Here is a sample of the mail:
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On the topic of Carl Sagan and the value of individuality:
601XL builder/flyer Dr Gary Ray writes:
“If each Individual strives to be the best that they can be and follows their own course, then they are the primary beneficiary and all of society benefits as a secondary beneficiary. The Individual is free and society evolves in a positive direction. There are benefits not immediately obvious. Such as a huge increase in mentors and role models. I know now that I am only half as much as I could have been because there was not enough quality science exposure in my early education.
This mental malnurishment takes a toll. It burns time and we know now that a human brain will truncate pathways that are not used (use it or loose it). Each year another thousand doors of opportunity slam shut. So my advice to everybody is, start early and “Go for it”. Associate with those that know much more than you do if you want to learn and grow quickly.”
Pietenpol Builder/flyer, 2012 Cherry Grove trophy winner Kevin Purtee writes:
“I’ve mentioned that I can’t read the website at work anymore so I have to set aside time to get caught up at home. Read all the philosophy tonight. Good stuff. I’m not smart enough to understand a lot of it, but I get enough, I think. I really enjoyed the risk management series. I’ve been doing aviation safety professionally since 1989 and you continue to help me evolve with fresh insights. -Kevin”
601XL Builder w/running 2700/Dan engine William Dominguez writes:
“I’m also a big admirer of Carl Sagan and its work. I was in my early 20s when I watched Cosmos for the first time and it influenced heavily in the formation of the world view I have today.- William”
Builder Bruce Culver writes:
“You see, William, as Ronald Reagan would say, there you go again – enriching my literary understanding of the world. I read Orwell’s review of “Darkness at Noon” and it was everything you said, and so was the quote from Carl Sagan, disturbingly (and accurately, alas) prescient. Both are now safe on my computer for future reference and reflection. And I do reflect on things like this, as I consider what kind of society and culture we are leaving our kids. I am glad I grew up in the 1940s and 50s, when kids could and did ‘go out to play’, sometimes staying away from home for the whole day, exploring streets, neighborhoods, woods – all sorts of places – when we could express our curiosity without being labeled ‘hyperactive’ or ‘ADD’ and get pumped full of drugs, when we could be independent and learn on our own, when we weren’t scheduled to a fare-thee-well to make sure we would get into Harvard Medical School. We had it so good, even if we had no idea at the time just how good it was. Nero once championed ‘bread and circuses’ to keep the people distracted and content, and I see much of that in today’s culture, in “reality” TV and talk radio. The bride and I choose not to participate. You may be, in the truest sense of the term, one of the best-educated people I know and it is a pleasure to read and reflect on what you wrote here – it is so rare to have this kind of philosophy discussed, but it does lead us to consider at least the value of being our own person, pursuing our own dreams, making our own mark, refusing to be one of “those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” Bravo”
601XL Builder/Flyer Phil Maxson writes:
“While teaching another builder how to polish aluminum in my hangar last night, my friend lamented an $80 part he had ruined due to an error. After looking under my workbench at the many, many parts I had made and was not satisfied with, I responded, “If you stay with this project to completion two things will happen: 1) you will waste far more than $80, and 2) you will gain an education that is better than your college degree.” Sure, we are building airplanes, but in reality we are building men and women.-Phil”
On the topic of engine availability:
Merlin on floats Builder/flyer Jeff Moores of Newfoundland writes:
“Hi William, I’ve been trying to think of something clever to say all week but can’t think of anything, but I feel the need to send a small message of encouragement. I look forward to every evening after a long day at work, (sometimes followed by an evening flight if I’m lucky) when I read your blog. All of the positive things people are saying are right on. Keep up what you are doing and please don’t change! You are both informative and entertaining. I have said this before but again thank you for all of the help you have given me since I started my engine build.
I find it odd for someone to question the “availability” of Corvair parts, and the future thereof. I am probably the most out-in-the-sticks Corvair pilot around, yet I have managed to find a complete core engine locally as well as two spare blocks, a crank (currently at Moldex) and four spare heads. My engine is working so well that I don’t anticipate ever needing these spares but I’m building a QEC (quick engine change) just in case. I do not want any down time! I’m probably farther from Corvair parts than any builder in North America. With all the new stuff from Clark’s and Dan it’s a non issue. The ice on our lake has melted so now I’m back on the water and having tons of fun!!-Jeff, Corvair/Merlin”
Pietenpol builder Dave Aldrich writes:
“If you’d like a counterpart in the automotive community, look at the Ford Model A. Henry built 4.3 million of them (less than 3 times the Corvair total) and the last one was built over 80 years ago. Virtually every piece has been reproduced (in varying degrees of quality) so you can literally build a new Model A, except for maybe the engine block and one or two other castings. The point is that, if there is a demand, there WILL be a supply. People are still building racing parts for that engine, for heaven’s sake. I submit the same thing is true for the Corvair engine, even within the very small aviation community market.”
Builder Jackson Ordean writes:
“Great reality check, especially for us noobs at the bottom of the ‘hiking trail up the hill’. It’s notable that folks critical of even your very high level of ‘transformation’ (I like better than ‘conversion’) of the motor, don’t seem to do any research on O-200 part failures.
5th bearing, de-rating power, non-aerobatic rating, and propeller choice wisdom (and of course, airframe choice), are all parameters you have created that have highly reduced risk down to a non-issue in general. Therefore, specific follow up in craftsmanship and quality part choices falls to the builder.
Re your personality (at least the 2% that can be gleaned from a person’s writing and ‘public persona’) and philosophic bent and expression thereof: Don’t waste an erg more. Say what you want. Besides, we like it. If it’s ‘too real’ for some, that’s their problem. Finally, this post re tech issues is a pretty perfect balance of personal expression, truth, facts, and re-challenge to any questions doubtful or critical of your Corvair program. Thanks!-JO”
Jackson also shared the thought: “A handy ‘ruler’ to measure the validity of our beliefs is whether it helps, encourages, builds up, validates, saves, touches others. Simple, really. The bumper sticker version of this is: “Stay stoked ’til you croak!” – usually covers all the above. {;^)”
Builder Dan Branstrom writes:
Amen!
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On the Dragonfly flight report from “One Sky Dog”
Dragonfly builder Guy Bowen from TX writes:
“Congrats on 20hrs.OSD! I hope to learn a great deal from your experiences with this air frame and engine combo. I’ve been following your latest exchanges on engine baffling/temp and prop performance experimentation and it seems you are seeing some progress. Things are proceeding well on my 2850 and I hope to get the core finished before the end of the year. By that time you will probably have more issues worked out.”
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