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Thread: Building a Nieuport 11...

  1. #951

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    Of course I did the wrong side of the wheel first - it should have been inner side with the nuts and bolts for the brake drum THEN the outside with the hole for the bike pump.

    But I figured out how to work around my inability to fully grasp the notion of Order of Operations, which will be part 2.
    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  2. #952

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    Here's part two to the covering:



    A few notes:

    1) I should have covered this side first, so I could cover the wheel completely and still have access to the nuts for the bolts of the brake drum.
    2) I could have simply put the drum over the side I had already covered, but I didn't want to paint over the stripe or have the air hose hole patches on both sides (though I would have left them uncut).
    3) I managed to bugger up the painted side even though I put down a moving blanket on the bench, and went back later to touch it up.
    4) I wound up tightening the fabric a little once it was done, which wasn't a big deal. Latex paint is extremely flexible so no cracking.

    And last, to make removing the wheels easier, I had to loosen the brake cables. So they need to be re-adjusted, which is a two man job - one at the brake end and one on the lever inside to ensure that they're grabbing okay (but not too much) and the same amounts. Both brakes go to one handle, so the latter is pretty important.
    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  3. #953

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    One of those rare early mornings where the winds are slack, the thermals hadn't quite kicked up yet, and all is right with the world.

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

  4. #954
    Sam Buchanan's Avatar
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    [QUOTE=Frank Giger;75324]One of those rare early mornings where the winds are slack, the thermals hadn't quite kicked up yet, and all is right with the world.

    One of those flights where you are thinking as you put the plane away, "Man, did that just happen?". Very nice.
    Sam Buchanan
    The RV Journal RV-6 build log
    Fokker D.VII semi-replica build log

  5. #955

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    A few things I said after landing:

    "Man, I should have put those three gallons of gas I have in the can into the airplane.*"

    "All that and I three pointed the landing?** Inconceivable!"

    - Outright giggling like a school girl -

    "I'm so glad I made the padded back for the seat!"

    * If one looks at the video, the fuel stick is getting low by my standard with about four gallons in the tank. Another three gallons and I could have stretched the flight another hour.

    ** Yeah, I actually three pointed the aircraft, right at the stall. Not the most pretty, mind you, but it was a three pointer.
    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  6. #956
    Dana's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frank Giger View Post
    One of those rare early mornings where the winds are slack, the thermals hadn't quite kicked up yet, and all is right with the world.
    Nice video!

    That's the kind of flight that makes the previous 95 forum pages of tribulations worth it, eh?

  7. #957

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    Definitely.

    My aircraft may be a little rough around the edges, she might spit oil out of the prop hub, and there's a long list of improvements in my back pocket that need attention, but when she's in the air and all is right with the world there is nothing that compares.
    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  8. #958

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    So the aircraft is in pieces right now, as I had to take the wings off and remove the forward panel on top of the fuselage to remove the fuel tank.

    Why?

    Because my constant guessing at fuel levels is A) shorting me on flight duration, as it always reads low, and B) because it always reads low it's too easy to think I have a bunch more gas than I do.

    So it's remove the tank, flip it around 180 degrees, drill out the sight gauge fittings, and put in a sight gauge.

    Also, since I'm there, might as well put in an actual filler neck that supports something really crazy...like an actual gas cap that isn't made up of cobbled together PVC fittings.

    To illustrate just how woeful my cork is, I naturally had to drain the fuel tank. I had guessed between 3 and 4 gallons in there. Nope, SEVEN. I had seven friggin' gallons in my 12 gallon tank and was thinking I was needing to put more in. It makes me think I've never had the tank less than half full. Seven gallons is two and a half hours of flight duration! That glorious flight I cut short because the cork went low didn't need to have been.

    Oh well, better to gripe about the fuel reading too low than have it read too high and go into whisper mode over the trees.

    So all the fittings and the filler neck are here, so tomorrow I go up to put it all back together and calibrate the sight gauge.

    A secondary issue is actually fueling the aircraft. I have a crank pump for the fuel, which is grand for putting a bunch (a whole 5 gallon can) into the airplane in a hurry. It is hopeless in putting in anything less. Either I'm too cautious and don't fill the tank all the way, or I'm not cautious enough and spray gas onto the fuselage (and into the cockpit).

    So to refine the process a bit I invented the Fuel Dispenser 2000, complete with a sight gauge itself, a pluggable breather hole on top, and a quick action valve.



    Easy as punch! Put gas in, put the cap with the hose connector on, place it on a step ladder or something, remove the breather hole on top, put the hose (not shown) into the aircraft tank, turn the lever and watch it go.

    The sight gauge is to let me know how much I've dispensed.
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  9. #959
    Sam Buchanan's Avatar
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    Or....you could rig up something like the electric transfer pump I use. Just stick the nozzle in the fuel tank, turn on the pump and watch the fuel level slowly rise to the desired quantity in the calibrated sight gauge on the fuel tank.



    The pump is a Carter automotive/marine pump that delivers ~1 gal/min. It is powered by a 12v battey that has been retired from aircraft duty. The five-gallon fuel can sits on the plywood platform.
    Last edited by Sam Buchanan; 05-31-2019 at 04:05 PM.
    Sam Buchanan
    The RV Journal RV-6 build log
    Fokker D.VII semi-replica build log

  10. #960
    rwanttaja's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sam Buchanan View Post
    Or....you could rig up something like the electric transfer pump I use.
    My old tech counselor built something similar using a bilge pump. Did work pretty slick; didn't take much time to pump the entire five gallons.

    I was always a bit skittish about the diaphragm or other other components being attacked by the fuel, but bilges occasionally get contaminated with fuel and the pumps apparently have to tolerate it.

    Being old and lazy, I have two 2.5 gallon containers. That way I only have to lift ~16 pounds or so to shoulder height to pour one into the Fly Baby tank. The two containers nest perfectly inside a plastic "milk crate"; that makes them easy to keep them from flopping down when hauling them in the trunk.

    Ron Wanttaja

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