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Thread: Building a Nieuport 11...

  1. #781

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    Weather was criminally good this morning (mid fifties temps, zero wind, etc.), so I went up to the airport. One of my EAA brothers arrived at the same time for the same reason, and he whipped out his phone to take some pictures and video of my flying.

    I did the typical low pass flyby stuff down the runway (he drove down to be right off of it) and really made an interesting landing. That's what I get for trying to impress for the cameras...but at least I didn't drag a wing on the pavement.

    But it was all fun!

    I finally got some photographs of my airplane in flight!





    Another fellow out there took some video as well, and is going to upload it for me in the next couple days, so I'll have some sexy stuff to show (after serious editing).
    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  2. #782
    Nische pics
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  3. #783

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    Next up is replacing my fuel float corks, which don't, and slowly start to think about adjusting the brakes. Right now they're more a comforting thought than actual brakes.

    I'll fly around a bit and pull the lever to get the shoes wore down to the drums better and then think about tightening them up.

    Here's a video of my not-so-great landing!

    A few notes:

    1) Still perfecting my half circle drop to the end of the runway. Throttling up there was because I was dropping like a rock!

    2) Bounce doesn't look bad, but it felt like 20 feet.

    3) A bit too much rudder before I dropped the tail. Swishy swish skid!

    4) The tail swish after that was entirely for effect. I had the aircraft and was being funny.

    5) A few folks in other forums said I had some "anti-hedral" on the top wing based on the inflight photos, which I said was an optical illusion. Note that when I come up to the camera and turn, the wings are level all the way across.





    Everybody seems to post the good stuff and never the times they nearly screw up (other than the KC Dawn Patrol), but I take pride in being a very yeoman quality builder and pilot.
    Last edited by Frank Giger; 11-26-2017 at 08:59 AM.
    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  4. #784
    rwanttaja's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frank Giger View Post
    Next up is replacing my fuel float corks, which don't...
    This can be surprisingly awkward. Here's what happened to me, long ago.

    http://www.bowersflybaby.com/stories/corker.html

    Gasoline has a different specific gravity than water, so testing it in water doesn't necessarily prove anything.

    In the Fly Baby world, there's always been discussion as to what (if anything) to coat the cork with. I re-coated mine with shellac this summer. Actually suspended the gas cap above the shellac can, dipped the entire cork, then slid it out and let it dry in place.

    Quote Originally Posted by Frank Giger View Post
    5) A few folks in other forums said I had some "anti-hedral" on the top wing based on the inflight photos, which I said was an optical illusion.
    Wing sweep will do that....IIRC, the stock Nieuport had something like 5 degrees, and I believe some replica builders are up to 10.

    Ron Wanttaja

  5. #785
    Dana's Avatar
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    I replaced my fuel float cork with plastic floats made for Ford Model A's. I used two of them on the wire:

    http://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/gauge-float-only

  6. #786
    Sam Buchanan's Avatar
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    Here is the 'double cork' float system I've used with success on two aircraft:

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    The corks were painted with a thin coat of proseal tank sealant that had been thinned with MEK so it could be applied with an acid brush. The Model A float looks like a great solution, too.

    Frank, in regard to your landing, it always feels worse than it looks.

    The following video ends with a mid-field overhead break to a landing on the last 1/4 of the runway in the D.VII. This is a fun and efficient way to arrive if there is no conflict with traffic (can also be great practice for an unplanned landing if done at engine idle):

    Last edited by Sam Buchanan; 11-26-2017 at 12:33 PM.
    Sam Buchanan
    The RV Journal RV-6 build log
    Fokker D.VII semi-replica build log

  7. #787

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    Thanks for the link on the corks; I had the same from Aircraft Spruce, but they were a tad bit more expensive. I made the mistake of narrowing them up a little and not shellacking them, so they're soaked through.

    Sam, besides being a beautiful flight, it was very instructive.

    I think I'm way too tight in my half circle, just dropping her into the runway too aggressively to where I'm not giving myself enough to round it out - your approach is a lot more gentle.

    Either that or put my landing point further down from what I've been picking.

    Indeed, I'm doing a lot more "pilot" stuff with my Bebe, having established she's safe to fly. I think of it as the "meat" of the flight testing, now that I've established stall and best climb speeds. And figured out take-offs, which was surprisingly nuanced.

    I'm actually pleasantly surprised just how well she performs in the air. Figure 8's and tight circles are crisp with very little real effort keeping her at altitude and airspeed. She's responsive to throttle inputs, which is really nice. Not the least bit twitchy, though.

    I can also tell that I have a full fuel tank. Still well within the CG range, it's at the forward end of it, and I can feel the extra weight in how she climbs.
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  8. #788

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    I made an "instructive" video breaking down a good bounce landing:




    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  9. #789

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    Finally a video where the aircraft makes me look good!

    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  10. #790
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    Billy Bishop goes to war!

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