Q&A - Zodiac 601XL -650 for the latest upgrade drawings of November 24 2009

This Q&A is for the upgrade kit of the Zodiac 601XL & 650 based on drawings of Nov. 24, 2009 and AMD Safety Alert of November 7. 2009
http://www.newplane.com/amd_downloads/SAFETY%20ALERT%20November%207...

New drawings:
Nov. 24, 2009: We've updated the draft Drawings 6-ZU-1, 6-ZU-2, 6-ZU-3 and 6-ZU-4, and LAA Aileron Balance.

For very detailed questions (or if you must complain or vent), email me at newplane@gmail.com

Please post all your questions on the last page.

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Hello Fellow Builders:

Can anyone tell me how the upgrade kits are being shipped here in the continental United States.....via UPS or by truck (motor freight) ??

I don't know if I should have the kit sent to my workplace (if by truck; there is a loading dock there) or directly to my home if by UPS.

Many thanks

Tracy Smith
N458XL (reserved)
soon to be 601XLS...or 601XL-II...whatever....
Tracy,

The upgrade kits are shipped via UPS. The kit comes in a shipping tube and a box.

Ken Pavlou
Thank you, Ken - good hearing from you.

Regards,

Tracy
Tracy,
Yes, Ken is correct. UPS is the preferred shipping method. You can tell UPS to drop off the shipment at your house even if you are not there.
Did anyone attend the 601 forum at Sebring Expo? Any new info anyone can share?
We had a good turn out at the Sebring forum. About 30-40 people attended including some FAA officials. No new information was presented and no new questions asked. Both me (Mathieu) and Sebastien attended the ASTM SLSA meetings before the Sebring show and were at the show all day Thursday, Friday and Saturday talking to builders. Overwhelmingly, you are all very supportive and we both thank everyone for this.
Zenith and Zenair are doing everything possible in making sure the upgrade kits are getting out, even though we had supplier delays earlier with hardware and things like the mass balance extruded square tube.
Here is a question. For the 601 crowd, fitting of the anti-oilcanning 'L' angle in the rear fuselage is suggested (my understanding is its not technically a part of the upgrade) and seems to be a desirable thing. Since I don't have access to the 650 drawings, I'm hoping someone (Mathieu?) can clue me in.

1. Does is make any difference in which orientation the 'L' angle pieces are mounted (angled side on top vs. on bottom)?
2. Clearly the pattern alternates (zig-zag, front to rear), but does this really matter? Could it also be reversed or even all one direction?
3. Can I make up some .016" 'L' angle to minimize weight, since these are supposedly to stop oil-canning, not provide structure?

This might sound like very minor points, but my XL is a very early model, with .016 side skins and the corresponding gussets where the skins mount to the longerons, so the structure is not quite the same.

Doug Moellering
See following drawing of diagonal "L" angles for the 650. Good idea to install them on the XL.
I would stick to the 0.025" thickness for the "L" angles.

Hey Webmaster (or whomever),

Is there an easy way to printout or download (pdf) ALL these discussion posts at one time, instead of printing or copy/paste one page at a time ? There is a lot of useful info here, and if we could get it all in a pdf file, it would be a great searchable resource. Need to get the previous Q&A also.

Hope you can help. Thanks.
Mathieu,

This is a little off topic, but I wasn't sure where else to get a answer. In several of the old newsletters Chris mentions that he is working on a book. Is this available to order somewhere? Also what happened to the Gemini project. It was featured several times in the newsletters, but then just seemed to go away.

Thanks,
Mike
Mike:

I remember reading somewhere that the Gemini project was shelved after the prototype when it was learned that one-engine performance was poor for lack of full-feathering props on the engines most likely to be used on a Gemini. I hope Mathieu can confirm this....I always thought the Gemini would be quite an airplane !

Regards,

Tracy Smith
Mike,
Yes, Chris Heintz has been working on a massive book on aircraft structures. I believe that it will be available in the very near future. I think that Zenith Aircraft will post the details soon.

Regarding the Gemini twin aircraft, it is waiting in a hanger. Maybe Zenith Aircraft will do something with it in the future. Its a small market for a twin kit aircraft so justifying the kit development is very hard, especially when times are tough.

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