Gary Welch Cloverdale, CA United States: Like

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Gary Welch's Discussions

Got My Warp Drive Service Bulletin Hub and Props Back from WD

Started this discussion. Last reply by Joe Spencer Jan 5. 2 Replies 0 Likes

Chasing oil leaks/seepage

Started this discussion. Last reply by brad cohen Jan 5. 4 Replies 0 Likes

The importance of hemispheric altitudes, ADSB and Visual Scanning

Started this discussion. Last reply by Bob Pustell Oct 16, 2018. 2 Replies 5 Likes

Warp Drive Prop Service Bulletin for HP Hubs

Started this discussion. Last reply by David Krakowsky Oct 10, 2018. 17 Replies 1 Like

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Gary Welch's Page

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Gary Welch posted a discussion

Got My Warp Drive Service Bulletin Hub and Props Back from WD

I really appreciate Daryl at Warp Drive. He has always been responsive and good for his word.I had a two-year-old "HP" hub and 3 bladed prop on my O-235-C1 engine. It was part of the recent SB. I decided to order the replacement hub and sent in the blades as they were part of the required inspection.I got the upgraded hub and blades back today and have two observations.First the new hub still has some engraved writing on it which surprised me. WD had speculated the engravings might have been…See More

Jan 5

2 Comments 0 Likes

Gary Welch posted a discussion

Chasing oil leaks/seepage

I've got 300 hours on my O-235-C1 in the past two years and I am still chasing down oil seepage issues. None of them have been serious, more of an annoyance and a cleanliness issue.I thought I would document some of my issues and resolutions.First off, my engine had 6 hours since OH when I bought it, but it had been sitting (pickled) for 4 years. The very first leaks were concerning to me. It seemed some of the bottom case half bolts were seeping oil. At the same time I was getting some black…See More

Dec 16, 2018

4 Comments 0 Likes

Gary Welch posted a discussion

The importance of hemispheric altitudes, ADSB and Visual Scanning

My 601 is flying great after some recent upgrades.I'm flying home for the weekend to be with my wife and mutts. I have passed through all of the congested airspace in the California central valley (Travis Air Force Base, Sac Exec & all the other airports in this region) and I'm now approaching the Sierra foothills on my way to Pine Mountain Lake Airport (E45), near Yosemite.I'm flying an appropriate altitude for my heading (7500 feet), my ADSB receiver is sending data to my IFly and my cell…See More

Oct 14, 2018

2 Comments 5 Likes

Gary Welch posted a discussion

Warp Drive Prop Service Bulletin for HP Hubs

I received a text message with a link to the Warp Drive website informing me of a new service bulletin they just issued.The bulletin applies to the "HP" hubs that are used on the O-235, O-200 and C-90 engines.The SB is for cracking of the prop hub.It is also onerous in that it requires inspection "every 15 hours of flight or 12 months". Since you have to pull the prop bolts this takes a bit of time and effort - especially for people like me who fly a lot of hours every month.They do offer a hub…See More

Sep 30, 2018

17 Comments 1 Like

Gary Welch posted a discussion

N972GL and the B-17 Sentimental Journey

My sister Shirley is the "Oscar" (aka crew chief) for the current tour of Sentimental Journey. And yes - I am stinking proud of her!!! Our father flew 36 missions in WW2 over Germany as a ball turret gunner in one, so our family as always had a connection to these amazing aircraft.Today the plane was in Sacramento (Mather Airport) for the upcoming airshow. I flew 972GL over there this morning and was able to park right next to the big boy. And yes - I was grinning like an idiot as I taxi'd up…See More

Sep 18, 2018

6 Comments 4 Likes

Gary Welch posted a discussion

Density Altitude - My Stupid Complacency

No, i didnt wreck my plane, but i could have.The comparatively wide range of the CG on my 601 XLB allows for carrying, at least, up to max. gross weight and higher.I have been doing a lot of flying out of relatively high density altitudes - say 5k to 7k DA. I've gotten used to leaning the mixture on all of these takeoffs for max. power - well, sort of.So, I was feeling quite comfortable departing on a long trip to another state. In all cases I would be dealing with high DA.After weighing ALMOST…See More

Sep 9, 2018

12 Comments 1 Like

Gary Welch posted a discussion

N328SK Off Field Landing

Pilot and Passenger walked away unhurt, apparently. Report indicates a mechanical problem followed by an emergency landing. Don't know for sure the exact circumstances, but the very low stall speed has to help at times like this. …See More

Aug 12, 2018

2 Comments 0 Likes

Gary Welch posted a discussion

I'll start it off with my O-235

I have an O-235-C1, one of the earlier O-235 versions. The engine is low compression rated at 108 HP at 2600, though the engine is placarded at 2800 RPM.I have a cross -over exhaust system, light weight starter, MA3A carb, bendix mags, dual electric fuel pumps (no engine driven pump), oil filter adapter and an electric primer system. The prop is a 3 blade ground adjustable Warp Drive HP prop.I have 240 hours on an overhauled engine. I've had a few oil "seeps" to deal with but the engine has…See More

May 30, 2018

14 Comments 3 Likes

Gary Welch posted a discussion

There are moments when the sheer beauty of flight is awe-inspiring.

I made my weekly 170 mile weekend trip to my home this past Thursday. The flight takes me from Cloverdale California (O60) to Pine Mountain Lake (E45) which is near Yosemite National Park.As I approached E45 I found myself in a ring of spectacular clouds. In the distance the orographic lifting of the 13000 foot peaks of the Sierras were attempting to build some massive cumulonimbus monsters.This is one flight I will never forget. It also reinforced my appreciation of the 601's bubble canopy.…See More

May 20, 2018

4 Comments 5 Likes

Gary Welch posted a discussion

Going to do a partial vinyl wrap on my polished plane

I've already bought the 3M 1080 vinyl wrap - Metallic Blue, Metallic Black and Dark Metallic Grey (accent only). I've been planning to do this for some time but didn't have the money until now. The vinyl comes in 5 foot wide rolls and I ended up buying 40 feet of blue, 25 feet of black and 5 feet of grey. The cost for the above was $611. I've also ordered about $50 worth of supplies and knifeless tape. I've attached a pic of my design. Since my day job has me working in AutoCad it was easy for…See More

May 11, 2018

30 Comments 8 Likes

Gary Welch posted a discussion

My learning curve with ADSB-In and Stratux

About 3 months ago I bought the Stratux parts, including an AHRS chip, off of Amazon and assembled a Stratux ADSB-In box.One of the companies that assembles these units, and sells them for about $75 more than the parts themselves, has an article on the web about the lack of quality control of these components. They state that this is a good reason to buy a pre-tested unit from them - and they offer free replacement if it doesn't work.At first I thought it was just salesmanship. Then I found…See More

May 6, 2018

21 Comments 2 Likes

Gary Welch posted a discussion

Is there a better fuel tank quick drain valve?

I seem to have a never-ending problem with the fuel quick drain valves.Since completing my plane a year-and-a-half ago I have flush the tanks repeatedly.I have removed and replaced the quick drain valves so many times its getting a little ridiculous.Sometimes it's just one stuck piece of metal other times it doesn't seem to be anything at all that causes them to leak. I can't help thinking there's got to be a better fuel drain design and use Curtis valves.It just makes no sense to me that's…See More

Apr 3, 2018

14 Comments 0 Likes

Gary Welch posted a discussion

Is a Cyclo Polisher worth the money? Hell yes!

There is along post in this forum where I relate my experiences of polishing my 601. I now have over 100 hours into polishing my plane - and I still wasn't happy with the finish. It was NOT that perfect mirror finish that I had imagined when I first made the decision two years earlier. All the time invested and I still couldn't get the finish I was hoping for.I had read a number of posts here, and elsewhere, regarding the Cyclo polisher. It was reported that it got the final swirls out. The…See More

Mar 11, 2018

0 Comments 3 Likes

Gary Welch posted a discussion

WTB - Bungee Cord Install Tool

Does anyone have the bungee cord install tool they no longer need (like after installing a steel bungee)?I could use one right now.Email me at gaw dot ebm at gmail.com.Thanks,GarySee More

Feb 19, 2018

7 Comments 0 Likes

Gordon Edgar Burgess left a comment for Gary Welch

"Hi Gary. Thanks for your info I will try your tecknea and see what happens, I have a 3300 jabiru engine which is lighter than yours. As I said I am new to the site and in future I will post on the blog. Thanks again Gordon"

Jan 11, 2018

Gary Welch posted a discussion

Your panel is telling you something, so what should be your response?

With nearly 200 hours on my 601 XLB in the past year and three months, I re-started thinking about emergency procedures.During Phase 1 testing, critical failures were constantly on my mind and frankly, added a great deal of stress to every flight. Each flight carried the expectation of a major system failure requiring some immediate response.I had a few relatively minor emergencies during this period. The lack of serious problems helped build my confidence in this complex piece of machinery I…See More

Dec 11, 2017

4 Comments 9 Likes

Profile Information

Aircraft Model: ZODIAC XL

Project Status: Flying

Building From: Partial kit

Engine installed (or plan to install): Lycoming

Building Experience: No Experience

Flying Experience: Private Pilot

Home Airport (ie. KMYJ): O60

Gary Welch's Photos

Comment Wall (9 comments)

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At 4:24am on January 11, 2018, Gordon Edgar Burgess said…: Hi Gary. Thanks for your info I will try your tecknea and see what happens, I have a 3300 jabiru engine which is lighter than yours.

As I said I am new to the site and in future I will post on the blog.

Thanks again Gordon

At 1:04pm on January 23, 2017, Don Hodges said…: Mine is a 601XLB LYC 235 L2C

At 9:02am on October 23, 2016, Stephen R. Smith said…: Hello Gray,

Anxiety could be tough. I would keep in mind that the plane itself is very unlikely to let you down. The 601 is very simple and since the wing upgrade, they don't ever fail. The most important component in an airplane is the engine and the most important thing to keep the engine running is fuel. You don't need the miles of wire and gauges to work. They are not needed. A running engine is all you need.

However in a Zenith 601 you often don't absolutely need the engine, because they touch down at a reasonable speed you can dead-stick it in, not that there is often any need to do that - hasn't happened yet in my 2,000 hours. Its just that the survival rate in off-field landings in slow airplanes is much better than fast ones.

Its good to have a plan for engine failure and when you become comfortable with the plane, you might want to practice dead-stick landings. No need to turn off the engine, just idle it back, come up with a plan and see how it works out. Do this over and over until you understand what works and what does not.

Steve

At 5:20pm on March 20, 2016, David Krakowsky said…: Hi Gary
I am happy with the warp drive, the sensinich 68x57 factory supplied
Prop was too much pitch for a 0-200
My climb is better, much less vibration, top end about the same.
Three blades look better too.
Daryl at warp drive is great, terrific customer service.
Give him a call with your needs and he will tell you what he suggests for your application.
The spinners are made by a Canadian outfit, quality not up to the same as the warp drive prop in my opinion.
Dave

At 3:43pm on February 6, 2016, Steven Mogg said…: Yes I have been thinking about it for two year. It was good to see the ideas materials over a couple of days. I would like to see the final product also. As usual waiting on parts :)

At 3:47am on February 6, 2016, Steven Mogg said…: Thanks Gary,

Yes I can. I have some sketches I did along the way. Things changed along the way and I have the latch coming in a couple of weeks. When I have it finished I will draw up some better sketches for it and send them to you.

Not sure if I mentioned ti on the kit log but I am also including an external release pin. Once I get the latch I can setup the release pin and include that in the sketch. So another couple of weeks if you have time and I can have a more complete sketch of the secondary latch.

Steven

At 6:38pm on October 23, 2015, John A. Heiser said…: Hi Gary,

I'll pull the prop out of the shipping box tomorrow and get you a weight.

At 8:28pm on July 3, 2015, Louis W. Ott said…: Hi Gary,

You asked a question about connectors and now I can't find the question. Was it about the 90 deg crimp on connectors? I may have to go down to the airport hangar where I have them to find that out. Most of the other electrical pieces and parts is from BandC.

http://www.bandc.biz/electrical-supplies.aspx

Including their crimp tool. The 90 deg connectors take a different jaw insert for the tool than the straight crimp ons.

I see you are from Cloverdale. Nice place. We bought the kit from Doug there and have been back several times. Once for the fly-in open house.

At 3:18pm on January 26, 2015, Zenith.Aero said…: Welcome to Zenith.Aero

Please be sure to complete your online profile and upload a photo of you (and/or your airplane).

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Gary Welch's Videos

First engine start

Added by Gary Welch 2 Comments 2 Likes

Gary Welch's Blog

100 Hours and Counting

Posted on May 9, 2017 at 9:03am 0 Comments 4 Likes

This past weekend the Hobbs turned 100 hours. First flight was last September. Plane is flying great though it seems there is always one more thing to do.…

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My experience with dangers of haze

Posted on March 4, 2017 at 12:00pm 2 Comments 1 Like

One area of flying that has very little written about is "haze".There's a lot of stories about flight into IMC that usually center around flying into clouds, rain storms or black hole night experiences.

However I have learned that haze can be a subtle and deadly situation. The real problem is that aviation weather reports do a very poor job of identifying and reporting on it.

Yesterday was a classic example. I was flying home from Pine Mountain Lake in Northern…

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Dealing with the anxiety of the flight test phase?

Posted on October 20, 2016 at 2:41pm 5 Comments 2 Likes

I am 6 hours into my flight test phase and am definitely struggling with the anxiety of everything that could go wrong.

For background - I have been flying for 25 years, have a little over 500 hours in Cessnas and have an instrument rating (though not current).

So far nothing really scary has happened with possible exception of finding a small engine compartment fuel leak AFTER a recent flight test.

Yesterday I flew for about an hour - at…

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Mobility Cart Tug - and Keeping the Wife Involved

Posted on October 20, 2016 at 10:40am 4 Comments 1 Like

I bought a $40 non-working mobility cart at a yard sale. I got lucky and, although the wiring was all screwed up , the 24 volt motor still worked.

When I bought it I told my wife this was HER aircraft tug. It was a way of getting her partially involved in the plane. Of course now the pressure was on me to actually make it work.

I ripped all of the wiring out and put a toggle switch on/off control on the mini-panel. I quickly learned that I would need a motor…

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