KITPLANES的July 2024目录

Success in the Experimental world can be measured in many ways, but longevity is surely one of them. For Zenith Aircraft, 2024 is a milestone: four decades producing simple, straightforward airplanes. Chris Heintz introduced the CH 600 in 1984 as a low-cost primary trainer, well before anyone thought of Light Sport Aircraft or certainly the dead-end Primary category and, now, MOSAIC. Chris correctly saw that legacy trainers were tied to their own history, so the CH 600 broke free, with innovations everywhere you looked. The low-wing, side-by-side airplane lives on today in the CH 650 but showcased such unusual features as the all-flying rudder and pull-rivet construction. Like most kit companies of the day, Zenith searched for the right engines for its airplanes, choosing from VW-based designs, small-displacement traditional engines…

You might have heard that Glasair Aviation has decided to move manufacturing for the Sportsman to China. I’m not really interested in the “why.” My interest is how the move will affect insurability of the aircraft. First, a little background. My insurance agency provides coverage to a large number of Experimental aircraft owners. We use several different underwriters. Not all aviation underwriters will provide insurance for Experimental aircraft. The insurance market has changed quite a bit from previous years. Looking back, we used to be able to get coverage on unique or unusual aircraft or insure a student pilot in high-performance aircraft—but not anymore. Today, transition pilots, old pilots, old aircraft, complex aircraft and low-production aircraft are difficult to insure. Why Do You Buy Insurance? Buying insurance is a way…

In the last article I wrote briefly about builder’s block and the many different forms of it. The builder’s block that hit me most recently was one that has a builder just looking at their project for days and scratching their head while trying to figure out how to make the next steps of a customization work. With this Zenith that I call 750SDXtreme, I have decided that the “Xtreme” is the amount of time consumed doing modifications that might only add very little benefit to the flying airplane when it is compared to an airplane that was built with standard kit components. You have heard me say it before and I will continue to say it that the best approach is to just build the airplane to the factory…

In my last column, I described construction details for the fuselage section of the Affordaplane ultralight project. (See the April and May/June issues for Part 1 and 2.) Now let’s look at construction of the empennage and wing assemblies. Remember, this is a plans-only type of build using off-the-shelf materials and tools intended for a novice builder. Keep this objective in mind when reviewing the construction and design details. A complete free video series on YouTube shows each step of this construction (https://tinyurl.com/affordaplane-project). The components of the empennage (rudder, elevator, vertical and horizontal stabilizers) are all formed from 1-inch 6061-T6 aluminum tubing. These tubes must be bent into their respective shapes, matching template patterns drawn on your workbench. (Use some craft paper for this!) What is the easiest way to…

I have performed countless Lycoming compression tests in my life. While that’s what we all call them, they are more accurately referred to as cylinder leak-down tests. Simply put, the test—using a dual-pressure gauge device with a specified-size orifice in between—tells you the capability of the cylinder/piston/valve assembly to hold pressure. The better it holds pressure, the more power it will develop. The less pressure it holds, well…it will probably still run—so long as it isn’t shedding pieces—but your power output is going to be low. I used to own a J-3 Cub with some partners and we joked that on a good day, it had a three-cylinder engine, because one of the jugs was always low compression. The weak one just changed every other day. Of all those countless compression…

With the wings and fuselage in the paint shop, the hangar felt quite empty. Stan, Kerry, Hal and I had to find some other projects to do. Fortunately, there were plenty. During this time, we overhauled the brake cylinders, prepped the gear leg fairings for paint, worked on engine baffling, picked up parts and got a new alternator. After picking up the wings and fuselage, I painted the baggage area. Then, Stan and I installed brake lines and my friend Kyle Rodrigues welded new brakes. Overhauling Brake Cylinders 101 Stan and I took the entire braking system apart to replace the brake cylinders and add copilot brakes. I want to be able to fly from the right seat and teach tail-wheel/transition training in my RV-6, so we needed to add…

Working with epoxy can be a simple, satisfying process, or it can be a sticky, drippy, frustrating mess. From the moment you start mixing the glue, the clock starts ticking and you are under pressure to get everything done quickly and correctly with the fear that if you get it wrong, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to fix. The difference between success and failure comes down to a few simple “tricks of the trade.” The methods I’m about to describe might seem deceptively simple in advance or obvious in hindsight, but if you try to work with epoxy without using or at least being aware of them, you will struggle and likely have poor or even unusable results. These methods are closely guarded trade secrets and cleverly concealed…

Powered aircraft inherently have several types of fluid hoses. They can be used for fuel, lubrication (oil), coolant and hydraulic fluids, which are all essential to the operation of the aircraft that they are installed in. Hoses that are used in high-stress areas like firewall forward areas are particularly subject to age and deterioration from heat and vibration. Modern aircraft hoses that meet Mil-spec and/or TSO standards are constructed of long-proven materials and fabrication standards. The Eaton Aeroquip 666 product that was used in my new hoses consists of an inner PTFE (aka Teflon) liner encased in stainless steel braid, encased further in banded firesleeve and terminated with high-quality fittings of the appropriate type for the application. Each hose is then pressure tested to at least twice its application rating.…

When I started taking flying lessons in earnest a couple of years ago (my first lesson was at 14 but it took a while to have the resources and time I needed to commit), I, like so many other lovers of all things airplane, began shopping for my own bird. I quickly hit two snags: available hangar space and rapidly increasing hull values for even legacy OEM-built craft. A friend sent me information about Zenith Aircraft, the headquarters of which is practically in my backyard—about an hour’s drive through the cow pastures of mid-Missouri. But, as a newbie pilot, could I comfortably—and safely—transition from a familiar environment to something different? Is it true what the naysayers claim about homebuilts? Are they sketchy? I was intrigued by the idea of building…

Inspection panels are required for both assembly and maintenance of various aircraft systems. Most kit aircraft will have the location of the panels specified in the plans and may have the holes already cut out or molded into the part. For folks who wish to fabricate custom panels, this article shows how to make your own. The method here is intended for composite aircraft, but for the odd wood-skinned plane this might make sense too. First off, let me point out that the easy way to do this is to make the access panel before making the skin it fastens into. The panel itself is fabricated by laying up fabric in the mold where the panel goes—the mold should have scribe lines indicating the outline of the panel. This small…

Back in 1993, I owned a 1956 V-tail Bonanza that had a 500-watt landing light installed in its left-wing leading edge and a 100-watt taxi light installed in the right-wing leading edge. When the 500-watt landing light was turned on during final approach, it lit up the entire landing zone from a half mile out. As the approach progressed to near touchdown, the entire runway and beyond was lit up. It was such a blessing to have that powerful landing light. However, that light drew 40 amps of current and pumped out an abundance of heat. You had to turn the landing light off the second the airflow over the wing slowed down or you would melt the plastic lens on the leading edge. Also, with the slower turning generator,…