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Hi Charlie, It was good speaking with you again. It's good to see the involvement of the EAA staff with the builders.
Hopefully, I can get some progress done in a few weeks. I just have to get the other "Life Issues" taken care of. I am hoping that Novemeber wil be a good build month. In this area, the weather is pretty nice then and the shop is not a steamy oven, nor an ice box.
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The Nieuport was the plane that first started me on being interested in flying, before that I didn't think there was anyway I could afford a plane so why bother with a Pilot Certificate, I had bought Dick Starks books and was about to order plans when I found out I had diabetes, I was able to cure myself of that and picked up a sport pilot certificate, I first started building o rebuilding an Avid Flyer that I had found cheap, but was uncomfortable flying behind a 2-stroke engine and couldn't find the money to buy a 4-stroke that would work, I then started building a Wittman Buttercup and have made much progress on it, I am about ready to put on the landing gear and wings and then it will be where I stopped with the Avid. Time to Cover at least I have the majority of a Lycoming in my basement slowly going together I am building $100 at a time now, I came into some money from Railroad disability and bought the majority of the parts at once to build with, so there is almost always something I can work on when my back is feeling good enough to build. I would love to just have the materials in your scrap bin, they make my work look pretty poor but I was a welder for the better part of 1 years on the railroad and I know that my welds will hold. I am slowly getting the plane in the air, probably another 18 months to be honest but I keep plugging away it will be an airplane not a lawn ornament. The funny thing is I was so scared of the 2-stroke I stopped building the Avid with it in silver and the only taildragger I can get training in is a kitfox with the exact same engine, I guess I will rebuild the engine and have the Avid too.
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TW, I have Dick Stark's books and videos as well. Those guys are a real hoot. I have met them at the Gardner, Kansas fly in and they are no different in person.
I was fortunate to get my private pilot license right after I got out of college. It didn't cost near as much back then. For several years I have been a member of a local flying club that owns a Cessna 172 and a Cessna 182. I've always liked airplanes. I started with wire controlled models and progressed to R/C models, then full size. I still have a large collection of R/C models.
As noted earlier, I built a car kit several years ago. So with that kind of history, it was pretty natural that a plane kit was in my life somewhere. I put it off a long time as I am fully aware that I have WAY too many hobbies that I already don't have time for. But, here I am.
Good luck on your projects. I think the 2 stokes have come a long way in reliability. However, there are a lot of 4 strokes out there to consider. One being the V twin 40hp generator motor. I think is is sold as the Big Twin. I've seen two planes fly with them and believe they are a very reliable set up. Sharon Stark's Morane Parasol is powered by one.
Dale
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Hi all. It has been a while since I posted here. The project is progressing painfully slow. Several reasons, but not unexpected.
Since the last post, I mounted the rebuilt stab and elevators, pretty much finished the landing gear and just recently mounted the lower wing carry through tubes (after screwing up the first try and having to replace the carry through tubes and 3 fuselage members).
I took the project to Dawn Patrol Rendezvous back in September and was impressed with the number of questions and general interest in a very incomplete project.
I will try to post some photos to catch up this weekend.
Dale
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I've been tracking Dale's build from the beginning, and he's really modest about his efforts.
The Airdrome Airplane kits are something of a canvas to paint on - the planes, as built by the plans, are all good, solid ones. They're represenational of WWI aircraft, looking like their namesakes but completely modern underneath the skin.
For guys like me, it's an affordable, easy kind of plane to build. Basic tools and simple instructions coupled with a few easy to learn skills are all that are needed.
For guys like Dale, it's a chance to elevate the design to something really special. He's worked with Robert Baslee, who designed the planes and is phenomenal in his support of them, Rick Bennett, and a host of really top notch experts in making some modifications that not only improve the plane but make it look a lot more authentic. "Gooder enough" doesn't seem to be in his vocabulary.
Heck, his forward cabanes that wrap around the longerons are worthy of an article in SportAviation.
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7 Attachment(s)
Let's see if I can remember how to post photos.
Present from Australian Santa:
Attachment 4867
Attachment 4866
It's on wheels - sort of. Have to make airplane noises:
Attachment 4868
Attachment 4869
Tail wheel set up and additional bracing to support it:
Attachment 4870
Attachment 4871
Attachment 4872
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7 Attachment(s)
More photos:
Mounting the new stab and elevators:
Attachment 4873
Attachment 4874
Attachment 4875
Attachment 4876
Fancy axle caps made from pipe caps turned in a lathe:
Attachment 4877
Display set up at Dawn Patrol Rendezvous September 2014;
My guard - Dad
Attachment 4878
Attachment 4879
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7 Attachment(s)
Final set brings up to date:
My design for better forward cabane strut mounts:
Attachment 4880
With larger front cabanes, I wanted larger rear also, but the top must fit between spar mounting plates. How I worked that out:
Attachment 4881
Fancy jig set up:
Attachment 4882
Spar Plates attached:
Attachment 4883
Cabane structure basics in place:
Attachment 4884
Lower wing and cable carry through tubes mounted:
Attachment 4885
Attachment 4886
That's where it sits today. I have a hangar at the local airport where I have the wing internal structures waiting for me to bring out the fuselage, jig it up and start fitting the wing structure to the fuselage. Due to work issues and planning to go to a fly in at Gardner Kansas in a few days, work will be pretty much a stand still until July.
Dale
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6 Attachment(s)
The N17 project continues slowly, but is moving. Recent interruptions include a week at Oshkosh and a weekend with my daughter whitewater rafting in Maine and a dive in the aquarium tank at the New England Aquarium in Boston. She is a Vet at the aquarium.
One addition from Oshkosh was the purchase of an evaporative cooling fan for the shop/ hangar. I hope it will make life more tolerable while working.
A couple days ago, my son (visiting from Seattle) and I decided it was time to cut the stainless steel tubing for the spar connectors. I decided to go this route rather than the flat steel bars provided in the kit.
The SS tube has to be cut and welded at the angles to match the spars. The top is easy. The top wing has a combined 7 degree sweep between the wings, no dihedral. So a 3.5 degree cut takes care of each side. The bottom is more difficult as it has each wing plugs to a carrythrough tube at 3.5 degrees back and 2.5 degrees up. Although, I can set my saw for both angles, my wife Rose and son Rob, both math wizards decided to find the angle for a single angle cut. They came up with about 4.25 degrees, or 2.13 for each part.
To help weld them properly, I made welding jigs from 2" angle iron. I plan to take the parts to the local college welding shop where they have a world class welding school and the instructor comes highly recommended. I don't have the skill or equipment to weld stainless steel.
Here are a few photos cutting an fitting the parts:
Fitting the jig angles:
Attachment 5021
Welding the jigs:
Attachment 5017
Rob helping to cut tubing:
Attachment 5018
Cleaning up the ends:
Attachment 5022
Checking the fit:
Attachment 5019
Ready for welding:
Attachment 5020
On another part of the build, I have sent the drawings for the engine mount to Robert at Airdrome for construction, and the cowl bowl is in the hands of Rick Bennett for instructions on welding on the skirt and fitting the separation joints. Hopefully both in a couple months.
Dale
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Dead sexy work and it will serve you well - the blades that come with the kit are bothersome!
I forgot to ask, but are you planning on making it trailer friendly?