Just a quick note to let everyone know whats happening with the Robin. I got a nice note from Norm Langlois who was concerned that something might have befallen me!! Well I went to the airport for the first taxi tests and I discovered a problem with the landing gear. My design , using a spruce wood core and carbon pultruded flats started to crush under the clamp stresses and taxi stresses. As a result the gear started to slide outward. We noticed it immediately and stopped all taxi testing. I took the Robin back to my shop and pulled the gear. Bottom line is, I ordered a brand new Aluminum spring gear from Grove Manufacturing. I am not giving up on the idea I had for this gear, but a one piece aluminum gear is a known entity and represents one less variable. I am making modifications for the new gear to the Fuselage. I will be back in air in a few weeks.
Last weekend I had the privilege of being asked to speak at the ESA's (Experimental Soaring Society) western conference in Tehachapi California. I really had a great time and I received a lot of comments on the Robin. The ESA is the Homebuilding division of the SSA (Soaring Society of America) as such they are just like the folks at the EAA except engine-less.