Building a Nieuport 11...

[bookmaker]

Although my N17 project is a long way from completion, I concur with both above. Mine is taking much longer than it should. But I knew it would before I started. The main reasons are that I do have another life and my wife and I like to go off several weekends a year and on other adventures. Also, I have changed nearly every area of the kit from "as designed" to something that I feel looks a little more original. When you make one change, you have likely made ten and you have to figure out all to continue. Before everyone goes nuts over that statement, I have conferred with Robert on nearly every change - all that are structural.

The AA kits are definitely builders kits and require a lot of interpretation of the very basic drawings that are the plans. But as said above, Robert is a saint about answering questions and helping decipher some aspect of the build. Also, there are many other builders out there who are a wealth of info.

Dale

[Frank Giger]

Got a postcard from the FAA today!

Hurray, she's officially registered as an aircraft with the gub'ment!

Now to firm up the rest of the paperwork and get a DAR to sign off on her.

[Frank Giger]

Translated this thread into the builder's log.

258 pages of pedantic murmurings with a lot of poorly taken pictures.

Now to make an index for it (otherwise I won't be able to find any particular thing in it if needed) and the POH.

[Frank Giger]

Saturday is "come find stuff wrong with my airplane" day, with my EAA chapter brothers sharpening their knives and grinning at the prospect.

Should be interesting - most of them have been through the inspection process and have long experience with homebuilts, and know that a tough rehearsal is the surest way to get a good show when the time comes.

[Frank Giger]

Lots of fun on Saturday - my chapter is the reason I'm in the EAA, not the folks in Oskosh. The list of gigs isn't very long and I worked off most of them on the spot - but all of them were gigs to be fixed before inspection.

I also got a letter from the state of Alabama asking for a bill of sale so they can tax me 2% on the aircraft. I'm going to call them for some amplification on this....running afoul of the tax man is on my "do not do" list.

[jdanneel]

[QUOTE=Frank Giger;53860]

I also got a letter from the state of Alabama asking for a bill of sale so they can tax me 2% on the aircraft.

2% only ? I am facing 21% + import taxes, and I paid last week 960 euro (1000usd) to the CAA so they can inspect my shop and building materials ....If all goes well I will be allowed to start with the rudder, If the gents from Brussels are satisfied with the work, only then I can move to THE next item, make another appointment for inspection and so on, .....

good luck with your DAR inspection

johan

[Sam Buchanan]

Lots of fun on Saturday - my chapter is the reason I'm in the EAA, not the folks in Oskosh. The list of gigs isn't very long and I worked off most of them on the spot - but all of them were gigs to be fixed before inspection.

I also got a letter from the state of Alabama asking for a bill of sale so they can tax me 2% on the aircraft. I'm going to call them for some amplification on this....running afoul of the tax man is on my "do not do" list.

Frank,

Pay 2% of the amount on your bill of sale via your Alabama income tax form (line 18e) and you will be good to go. The tax is referred to as 'Use Tax' on Form 40. Reply to the Revenue Department that your tax will be paid with your income tax return.

[Frank Giger]

My friendly FAA inspector has all my documents "for review" and should be calling the beginning of next week to schedule a time to come out and look at her.

And my EAA chapter is just the best. It's no accident that they volunteered me to give a presentation on the Test Flight Pamphlet for our next meeting. That is probably the most non-subtle way of them showing me the love.

One of the things the pamphlet says is to drain and check the oil before and after the first flight. I was thinking of doing that anyway (at least before the first flight), but there is was in black and white - not just a good idea but a best practice.

As always, there's a kind of story to go with changing the oil. Since I don't know what wrong looks like, one of my EAA brothers with a lot of VW experience came by to lend a hand. My five gallon oil drain catcher needed some surgery to shorten the pipe going up to the catch pan so it'd fit under the airplane.

Huh. So I whip out my Harbor Freight dremel tool, put a cutting wheel on it, hack some off, run the edge on the sander, and call it done. He just gave me a look and said "I'd of used a tape measure."

"They only complicate things," I replied in my best deadpan.

But I did measure the oil cooler under the engine when he wasn't looking, grabbed a bit of scrap sheet, ran some lines down it in a sharpie, and whipped out the butane torch.

"Whatcha doing?"

"Annealing. I don't want to have any fuss out of this sheeting." When the mark disappeared, I just quick-quenched it with water, put the edge on the side of the table, and whacked out some bends with a rubber mallet on both sides and then the end.

I put a line of rare earth magnet buttons along the lower edge and put it on top of the oil cooler, a clean shop rag into the catch basin of the oil can thingie and then put both to the side, and grinned.

"We should warm the engine."

"Yep, that's the best way."

So I taxied around the hangars twice, because what's the fun of just having it sit there idling?

Put all of it back, pull the plug, and two little tiny slivers of metal, each maybe a third the with of a hair and less than 1/4 inch long stuck to the magnet, and we didn't find anything else on the rag. So nothing that would cause concern out of a new engine.

[Frank Giger]

No word from the FAA inspector this week - emails and phone calls unanswered. I figured he must be out of the office for some reason (maybe TDY somewhere), but a note from him saying such would have been nice.

[pittsdriver3]

You're lucky that He agreed to inspect it. In our district the FISDO says they are way to busy to do inspections and that we have to use a DAR to the tune of $650 plus travel expenses. Don