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Bob Pustell
- West Ossipee, NH
- United States
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When I'm cleaning windows...
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Dynon auto-pilot servos
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601xl kit for sale
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Hi Gang-------
For this week only, LoPresti Speed Merchants is offering a bunch of things at Sun N Fun show prices. You can get the deal in person at Sun N Fun or by calling them at (877) 565-1731 or (772) 562-4757 and mail order from the factory.…
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- ZODIAC XL
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- Just started
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- Have worked on airplanes before
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- Commercial / CFI
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- Retired Pilot/Major Airline/USAF/General Aviation since 1969/currently own, maintain and fly 1947 Stinson, building 601XL taildragger with Corvair power.
Bob Pustell's Blog
A GOOD DEAL on HID lighting!!!
Hi Gang-------
For this week only, LoPresti Speed Merchants is offering a bunch of things at Sun N Fun show prices. You can get the deal in person at Sun N Fun or by calling them at (877) 565-1731 or (772) 562-4757 and mail order from the factory. I just ordered a pair of their SkyStruck HID lights (one for taxi, one for landing) for $375 for the pair. Normally, they are about $300 each. Single units are going for $199 this week, by the way.
This is the experimental only version of their Boom… Continue
For this week only, LoPresti Speed Merchants is offering a bunch of things at Sun N Fun show prices. You can get the deal in person at Sun N Fun or by calling them at (877) 565-1731 or (772) 562-4757 and mail order from the factory. I just ordered a pair of their SkyStruck HID lights (one for taxi, one for landing) for $375 for the pair. Normally, they are about $300 each. Single units are going for $199 this week, by the way.
This is the experimental only version of their Boom… Continue
Posted on April 21, 2009 at 11:31am —
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Thanks for your comment on the fuel lines. I have a buddy who is an A&P and watching me build my 750. He wouldn't fly with the rubber lines. I will be ordering braided ss very shortly. I see where you are going to use a Corvair engine. That is my choice as well. How far along are you?
Thanks,
Blaine Schwartz
A while ago I drew a design for a fellow xl owner who was not happy with how his pedals fell to the floor when he took his feet off them. So I had a bit of a think and came up with the following design. I thought I'de post it here and not in the Q&A forum. No offence taken if you don't like it.
Regards
Phill
I have now painted the flapperons and slats, next the wings. Good job its summer and I can sit outside in the shade as I do the preparation.
Regards
Jock Struthers, NewZealand
I do have Grove gear, it is gundrilled and I used their lightweight wheels and brakes. It saved 13 pounds, about $100 pound is what I figure. I deleted the landing gear from my original order with ZAC. My goal from the beginning was performance and that meant keep it simple and keep it light. I occasionally make the right decision.
Now that I have a current Medical, we're in the same boat, but I need to provide a cardiac status report, echo, etc. before my Medical expires to the FAA at least a month before my next Medical exam with an AME. Basically, I need more data. I can choose to let my Medical lapse and still be Light Sport legal. The key is to not have been denied or suspended.
I used to think Sport Pilot was for old guys ;-), not for me, I was only 50.
Now I guess if I was building the wings right now, I might happily add the changes and accept the added weight in order to keep everybody content and have more idiot-proofing built into my plane. The problem is that my plane is completed and painted and flying just fine... no wrinkles in the skins, no fretting at the bolts, no smoking rivets, no loose cables, no vibration or flutter inflight. I wouldn't put too much stock in my own experience since one plane is not a very significant sample for analysis and I only have about 45 hours at present. On the other hand, there are a crapload of XLs out there with 100 or more hours and they have the same experience with much more use (the factory demo for instance).
I am definitely not a top gun sort of pilot... I'm more of an airline sort of pilot. In fact I have been on airliners that landed a lot harder than my worst landings. I have only rarely flown from a grass strip and then only grass strips that were in very good condition and I have no bush pilot aspirations for the future. If the air gets bumpy, I slow down; if it stays bumpy, I land. I find that not only sensible but much more comfortable. I like nit-picking my plane when the weather is crappy so careful maintenance is not a burden to me.
In short, at present I am not inclined to re-engineer my plane to please folks who believe there can be a perfect world in which no bad things happen. Since the mods are only recommended and have been made for business survival and anti-lawsuit motivations (none of which apply to me) I think I'll pass. The plane will be sold only when I die or am too ill to fly. It will be sold for whatever it will fetch and will be "as is" with the drawings included with the POH.
Your case is probably very different and likely so will be your reaction. In any case good luck and trouble free building.
Ed
If you send me a real e-mail address, I will send you the sketches I have. I have about 100 hours on the spades now. Both Sebastian and Roger have flown them and agree that aileron forces are reduced by ~1/2. Of course, the forward shift in the CG is a bonus. And you have complete control over how big the spades are (for feel) and how much weight you want to add (for flutter margin). Unless Zenith comes out with a "standard" fix, I expect you'll see many similar to mine in the next year or so.