Zenith Aircraft Builders and Flyers

Build It! Fly It! The Companion Website to the Zenair Newsletter

Brad DeMeo
  • Male
  • Santa Rosa
  • United States
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Latest Activity

Brad DeMeo might attend Doug Dugger's event
601xl upgrade kit at QSP Cloverdale CA
November 20, 2009 to November 22, 2009
QSP will be having a open shop on Nov. 20-22 to help our customers and all 601xl builders that can make it to install as much of the upgrade kit as time allows. I will be using my own 601 as the test bed for the upgrade. We will have the first kit h…
November 15, 2009
Cricket....cricket...
November 10, 2009
Installed a downward oriented exhaust pipe extension. Reduces blow back and noise.
November 9, 2009
Flew Little Yellow Bird from QSP to Santa Rosa. Made some tweeks on the carby. Flies great with no leaks.
November 8, 2009
Replaced the floats and the float bowl gasket in the Bing Carby to fix a leak. Will fly it home tomorrow morning.
November 7, 2009
Crawled all over it. Finished Annual Condition Inspection with an A&P at QSP in Cloverdale. Hope to fly it tomorrow or Sunday.
October 31, 2009
Flew Little Yellow Bird to QSP for the annual condition inspeciton.
October 25, 2009
Waiting to do the annual inspection next weekend...cricket...cricket...
October 19, 2009

Profile Information

Aircraft Model
ZODIAC XL
Project Status
Flying
Building From
Kit
Building Experience
Have already built an airplane
Flying Experience
Private Pilot

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Brad DeMeo's Blog

Brad DeMeo

Precision Airplane Scale - New Weight and Balance for N601BD

Today I had my airplane weighed on a precision airplane scale that can register the weight of a dime. It was designed and constructed with a grant from the EAA years ago and is used by the CAFE Foundation. There is no charge, but a donation to the Foundation is suggested.

I did my original weight and balance in August 2008. After that my Zodiac XL was painted, I added sound proofing, and I recently replaced a 25 lbs. battery with a 13 lbs. battery. So a new W&B was needed and, today, I drai… Continue

Posted on September 7, 2009 at 11:49pm — 4 Comments

Brad DeMeo

I Lost 12 lbs. and I Feel Great!

Unfortunately, I am not talking about my beer gut...

I fly a CH601XL with a Jabiru 3300 in front.

I was having problems with my 25.5 lbs. battery going dead too frequently, so I switched it out for a 13.5 lbs. Odyssey 680 last weekend.

WOW! what a difference 12 lbs. makes forward of the firewall. I immediately noticed a difference on take off. Less trim was needed for the plane to fly off the ground. It just felt lighter on climb out.

I can now set and trim for straight and level flight at 2… Continue

Posted on September 1, 2009 at 10:38pm — 7 Comments

Brad DeMeo

N601BD Performance Statistics

Thought I'd update some performance stats for N601BD to actual experience from a few recent flights of 2 hours or more:

Range: 518 Statute Miles

Endurance: 4.3 hours

Rate of Climb: 1000ft/min.

Fuel Consumption: 8.5 gph full throttle on climb out - 8 gph full throttle in cruise and 5.2 gph/@ 2650 rpm cruise

How does this compare with all y'all's experience so far?

Posted on August 30, 2009 at 12:36pm — 7 Comments

Brad DeMeo

Shakespeare and the Zodiac XL

Captain's Log Stardate 6.26.2009:

At 17:53z this captain and the Admiral (Wife Rosalie) departed Santa Rosa for Ashland, Oregon. In no time we were there at 19:28z. We set cruise at 2650 RPM's and sipped 4.8gph at 5500 feet msl. We averaged 93 KIAS and about 19.5mpg. Total fuel used was 13.5 gal. to go 230nm/264smiles (I like spelling "statue miles" "smiles" because that's what we get along the way). The air was smooth the enitre 264 smiles route. We took some pix of Mt. Shasta and Castle Crags… Continue

Posted on June 27, 2009 at 5:34pm — 6 Comments

Brad DeMeo

First Passenger in "Little Yellow Bird"

Last night my daughter and I went flying!!!!! She's 24 and has had a couple flying lessons at Bob Archibald's Dragonfly Aviation before she went to college.

With the NTSB issue it was a big decision to take a passenger with less than 50 hours on my plane. She has been thoroughly informed over that last few months of all that has transpired with the issue and still wanted to fly.

I have an ELSA. I was given only 5 hours for the Phase I testing. I extended it informally to 15 hours to allow for… Continue

Posted on May 21, 2009 at 11:16am — 3 Comments

Comment Wall (2 comments)

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At 6:25am on November 25, 2009, Dr. Edward M. Moody II said…
Okay then... at the risk of beating it to death; why are we hell bent on changing the design? The design is the constant that exists nearly identically in all XLs.... the ones that are airworthy AND those that have broken and crashed. We should be identifying and changing whatever VARIABLES are related to the crashes, not the constant.

I will soon have to convince myself to just duck down behind the log out of the field of fire like the vast majority of XL builder/flyers who are not interested in the upgrade mods. If I continue to speak out, I will become a target and who needs that?

Ed
At 10:52am on November 24, 2009, Dr. Edward M. Moody II said…
Would I fly with you through the mountains in a non-modified XL?

If I had a chance to take a good look at your plane, your logbook, and do a thorough preflight, I would probably be willing to fly with you without the mods. I'm a little bit sceptical about the flight through the mountains scenario but I would feel the same in a Cherokee or a 152. Before venturing into more complex decision-making territory, I would like to fly with you a few hours in a less potentially hazardous environment.

See? It's that "design coupled with operational issues" thing... no doubt about it. Also notice that it doesn't relate to changing the design of the plane?

Ed
 
 
 

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