It appears that Bill Monroe's estate is very jealously - and with supreme quickness - protecting his Bluegrass sound, and banned the video in about two minutes from publishing.
Video and links updated to something royalty-free.
It appears that Bill Monroe's estate is very jealously - and with supreme quickness - protecting his Bluegrass sound, and banned the video in about two minutes from publishing.
Video and links updated to something royalty-free.
Last edited by Frank Giger; 03-13-2018 at 07:12 PM.
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
Neat video, Frank.
They sell key fob cameras very cheap... one of these with a bit of double-faced tape can get some neat footage.
Ron Wanttaja
Oh, that's full of awesome!
And I am delighted to see I'm not the only one that keeps his head on a swivel, particularly around the pattern!
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
Second attempt at the coaming around the cockpit and I decided to back up and re-think it right before the "throw rubber mallet across the hangar" stage of building.
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
I'll try and remember my camera to show the progress on the coaming next time.
Meanwhile...
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
So, coaming then.
Well, I started out throwing away the old foam core and installing a new one that went all the way around:
It actually made me a little sad that the aviation grade pipe insulation wouldn't hold up to the stresses of use, as it looks fantastic just as it is.
I did a LOT of trial and error on this whole coaming thing, ruining a lot of old sheets and stuff trying to make templates. I finally just dove in with the leather itself. For the center I just TLAR'd it with an Xacto knife.
I went to work with a zillion little stick pins and, to keep it from buckling as it went around, simply cut slits on the inside to relieve the pressure.
The big question was how I would line it back up after removing it to put in the eyelets. Aha! Measure and cut the holes for the eyelets in situ, mark the locations, drill the holes, and then just line them back up! Super Genius, if you ask me.
Look at the precision of those Sharpie markings!
Slather the inside of the leather(ish) material with Weldwood contact cement along with some 3M 90 to help saturate the fabric side of the leather(ish), put it back on, lace it up, and pin in place to let it dry.
I had to close the hangar doors as it was starting to rain right though it, so no picture of the front of the cockpit coaming. I cut it in the center, as I wanted room to work with the leather on the rest of it - the piece looked much like a commercial toilet bowl seat when I got done - and since there isn't a grand curve there got away with a small piece with an eyelet on each corner to sew into the main piece and just glued it down.
It's definately a case of "better enough" over the "gooder enough" coaming I had before. I may come back at some point and fabricate a single piece to go around the inside to cover up the saw toothed leather on the foam, but this will work for right now.
Oh, and y'all experienced builders: please tell me there's a point when I can stop the Education part and just get on with the Recreation of an E-AB.
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
Frank, I have been building and restoring airplanes for 40 years and you never stop learning.
Nothing broken on the aircraft!
Today was definitely a day of education in piloting Babette.
Winds were calm, sky was clear, and up-uppity-up I went. A couple minor burbles as I climbed all the way up to 2,000 feet (AGL, too!), but then it was hands free flying! I even did a little dance in the cockpit as I sang (fortunately over the wind and distance nobody was endangered). On the way back to the field I descended and performed an okay-er enough turn about a point using a cell tower, ascended again, and headed back to the field.
A check of the AWOS brought no surprises. 190 at three, it said. Okay, runway 22 it is.
With the sun coming out and warming things up, it was getting a little bouncy, but nothing too impressive, but as I turn base something just feels wrong. I'm going to have to do some minor pilot type stuff to get lined up properly for final - usually I can hit the mark in a smooth half circle.
Hmmm, I'm crabbing to keep the line. Okay, so it's a tad more than a gentle crosswind. Add a touch of power, fly her down, kiss the wheel, bring the other down, then the tail and done. Except it wasn't a tad. I catch a glimpse of the windsock in the middle of the field and it's 90 degrees to the runway and sticking straight out. Three knots my tail dragging end!
Touch a wheel a bit more firmly than I wanted, tiny bounce, but it's a bounce, so let's adjust and go with it. Down again, smaller bounce, other main touches, gust, up in the air, and I'm on the right third of the runway.
Oh, heck no. Firewall and go around.
Well okay, then. 90 degree crosswind at seven or ten gusting to whatever, I reckon. I'll give it a shot, and if it doesn't work out bail from the pattern and land differently.*
Air is getting pretty dang yucky, and I was not liking it very much. I wrestle her back around the pattern, widening it up, determined to use every bit of the 5,000 feet of runway if I have to. The Nieuport is just whipping across the ground and I'm lining up on final when the windsock snaps 90 degrees. Oh, good not a crosswind. Now it's a tailwind. Ah.
Easy as punch. Pick her back up, go into the downwind leg which is amiable since the other end is a right hand pattern. Radio tell the lonely ether around the field what I was doing, line up again - mindful that the winds are being tricksie today - pick up a slight crosswind, put her down, and taxi off.
Turn over to AWOS. Winds 190 at three. I guess it hadn't caught up to the news of the day.
Naturally, like all things aviation, I putter up to the grass and pull off to holler at some folks out to their hangars for the day and the wind just dies down. I climb out, we all laugh, and I get to hear great stories about shifting winds and stuff.
I'm debating about making the video, as it's kind of more of the same. Then again, we don't get a lot of go-arounds and switching ends of the field. I had the camera on the wrong side to get the windsock, though.
* The Talledega Speeway was built on a WWII airstrip used for training bomber pilots, on one of the remnants on our side of the fence is 1,800 feet of perfect pavement that is away from everything and at a 90 degree angle to the new one NASCAR built. I would not be the first to ever use it.
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
I'm based about 50 miles NE of Talladega. The late morning certainly did get a bit squirrelly.Originally Posted by Frank Giger
I'd called the FSS to get the <most> local terminal forecast, which was something like 5 knots from the SE. Braving those winds, I flew down to Falcon Field (50 miles South of here) to grab a $100 cotter pin from Aircraft Spruce and things were windier down there than expected. On final for 13, you're over a lake and the lake was not smooth at all - a fair amount of wind down there, but aligned with the runway. On landing, I had it nicely on the ground and caught a gust that ballooned me 5-8' high. Bumpy recovery, but nothing scary.
On return to VPC, the AWOS claimed direct 8 knots, gusting 15. We have a really awful setup for mechanical turbulence (river, tree line, large slope up to the runway) if you're landing to the South and the wind is from the East. So, I flew 2,000' feet down the field to avoid most of that, and made a rather squirrelly landing in a G12-15 <est> moment. Again, nothing scary, but I did have the ailerons to the stop on rollout... I'd have been in the weeds with a broken wheel and a damaged lower wing if I'd been in a Nieuport.
Then I changed the oil on the RV-6 without making a huge mess, which is an accomplishment for me.
By the way, the highlight of the day was an encounter with a pair of hawks on my walk over to Aircraft Spruce from the FBO at Falcon Field. They were chasing each other and making hawk noises. I'm pretty sure they were mating, but they could have been fighting. <It is sometimes hard to tell at my house too.>
Anyway, one did a split ess from above the treeline into the open area above the road. The other one did a split ess too, but entirely folded its wings and did an extended vertical dive. Before he pulled out, he was close enough and fast enough that I could hear the sound of him ripping through the air. Very impressive.
Naw, you're an Ace!
But thanks for validating it was goofy air today! I don't mind a crosswind. I can deal with gusts. But when it is fairly moving along and swapping directions I tend to show consternation.
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
