Summertime is flying time!

A Summer's Sunday at the Aerodrome .... Bob F's Stearman and Bill C's Bird watch as my Cub makes a feathery-soft approach and landing before their very cowlings ....

Pretty soon everybody gets into the act ... Russ has the Legend out in the sunshine, Ace has the N3N ticking over and Bill J adds to the Stearman lineup. What an incredible day to go flying!

There are actually more airplanes in the air ... I just didn't take pictures of them ... Steve had the Fleet and the Aeronca Chief flying, Bill T hauled the Vagabond out for a spin around the Great South Bay and Bob M flew just about everything there was to fly. Stu coaxed the Auster in the air and thrilled the folks along the beaches. All in all, there were about 11 of us out flying one thing or another.

Finally, Bob F and Bill J cranked up the Stearmans with a couple of excited passengers and gave rides they will always remember. There's just nothing like a turn out over the Bay in a biplane.

The last flight of the day was Bill C and me, repositioning the Bird from the north end of the hangars to the south end, maybe 300 feet, by way of a circuit around the patch. If it gets better, I don't know how. In all, we put 1.4 hours on the Cub with 4 of us flying it and I got a chance to try out Russ' Legend ... a great treat.

The Frittsburgers and brats were pretty good, too.

There's no such thing as "just another day at the aerodrome". Not at Bayport. Come see us.

We Fly in July!

Bob and Shirley pose with the Red, White and Blue cake that has become her signature dish for the first Sunday in July ...

I had an ear problem that started last December and this was the week for the fixup job. So far I can report that the healing is going just as expected and I'll be ready to fly later this month. For my fellow pilots, I had a middle ear infection that was caused by a cyst of sorts that formed behind my eardrum. Look up "cholesteatoma" on Google. It's not all that common and not all that uncommon, caused by the failure of the eustacian tubes to adequately ventilate the middle ear. The resulting infections could be treated with antibiotics, but they'd return. The fix is to go in and clean the goop out of the middle ear, remove the cyst and fix what damage the cyst might have caused (bone tissue is eroded by the enzymes from these cysts and can result is loss of the little bones in the middle ear and a loss of hearing. It gets more gruesome if left untreated, but you should read more authoritative sources about that). Very good news: no disequilibrium, no bone damage, none of that stuff. The condition requires a review by the Medicos at FAA, but I foresee no problems.

Bill T and Bob are rib stitching the new cover over Bill's wing tank installation. It's already painted and Bill should be in the air in a few days with his Super Vagabond ER (85hp, extended range). When he goes away on flights now he can stay gone longer, though I suspect the average flight will remain an hour or less. It's just that when he goes to places like Lock Haven from Long Island he can make it nonstop. I know the agony of multiple fuel stops, but I don't mind since just about everywhere I go in the Cub people welcome me (or at least the airplane).

It's July 4th week and since the 4th falls on a Wednesday this year not much is going on at work. That's a good thing - gives me time to enjoy the company of the great people at Bayport Aerodrome and time to reflect on the blessings that our freedoms make possible. The men and women who are serving us overseas, far away from home in circumstances that are unimaginably difficult both physically and mentally are the best of our best. I thank God for them every day and I hope you do, too.

Father's Day '07 (weekend)

Ahhhh ... the sound of Wrights and Continentals and Kinners ... the blue oil smoke ... the smiles on the faces of pilots and passengers and bystanders ... this is the stuff that makes for a memorable Father's Day weekend at Bayport Aerodrome.

Ace's N3N is the first picture and the first below, with Steve's Fleet framed in the struts. Walter and Ace are just about ready to hop in for a flight to John's farm strip where the barbecue is held every year.

Next, Bob and Nick mount up in Bob's Stearman for the flight out to John's. Bob has owned this airplane over 30 years and knows every nut and bolt by its given name.

Bill's 1930 Bird is framed in the struts. You might gather that I like these kinds of pictures and you'd be right.

What a fabulous day! Look at that blue sky !

Next, Bill gives the Kinner a spin on Steve's Fleet.

These old engines are so easy to start (when they start). Richard Bach wrote about the old ones in his classic cross-country book "Biplane". The way he described hand-propping one of these was you just pull the blade through and let the impulse coupling take it out of your hand. Most people think they have to give it a mighty whirl; not so.

The next airplane in line is Bill C's Bird. The Bird holds 2 people in the front seat. It was a popular airplane back in the late '20s and '30s for that reason. That extra seat meant an extra few bucks for pilots who made their meager living hopping rides. It also helps those of us who have had one or two too many Big Macs.

If I were ready and/or willing to part with my Cub, I'd love to have a Bird.

Finally, Stu and Bill T. clatter off in the Auster. We give Stu a lot of grief about his airplane (?) but it's a neat flying machine and not one commonly seen in the U.S. Our cross-pond cousins like to build 'em strong and this airplane is no exception. The sound of the Gypsy engine is distinctive - sort of like a Merlin with a real bad cold.

That's the menagerie for Father's Day ... we hosted a benefit for St. Jude's hospital on Saturday that netted a nice sum for the cause. I don't think there were any kids left out who wanted rides and a few more "Young Eagles" were born.

The Cub is purring like the kitten it is, but I am reminded of an observation in a magazine some years ago that it's wise to remember that a Cub is still a baby bear.

We're Flying! We're Flying!

Just me and Bill and the Cub, doing our thing.

There is nothing, simply nothing that is quite as much worth doing as messing around in a Cub.

...and on a nice spring day on Long Island, there is no place worth doing it more than off our little grass runways at Bayport. The gang was out in force today, it was meeting day for the Bayport Aerodrome Society, and everyone was in a fine frame of mind.

It's at this time of year that the phone starts ringing, people asking about tours of the hangars and airplane rides, picnic spots by the runways and so on. We have a great bunch that take the visitors around and show off the airplanes ... 24 hangars filled with treasure. One of these days I'll post pictures of what we have there ... or you can go to the official web site to dig around for yourself ... www.bayportaerodrome.org

Tiz time to fly and time's a wastin' ...

Happy Landings!

If this is April, give me Florida

I can't believe it. I flew back to New York so I could enjoy the blossoming of spring, but so far the only spring I've seen is on TV. This is nuts.

For all the really moderate weather we had during the early winter, April has given us all the nasty stuff in spades. It's cold, it's windy, it's wet, it's this, it's that. I'm glad I made reservations early to fly back to Florida for the 33rd annual Sun-n-Fun fly-in.

No need to finish the annual on the Cub (although it's mostly done) ... there's certainly no hurry. Maybe in 10 days or so we'll do the last of it and launch the flying season on Long Island.

One bright spot in early April: I was at the home base (Clearwater Air Park) and got a look-see at Chip's new CTsw Light Sport Aircraft (S-LSA) ... and what a beauty!

That little bugger has a full glass cockpit, autopilot, bells and whistles you wouldn't believe. www.flightdesignusa.com is the place to learn about them. I'd get one for myself if the Boss would let me (but she's made noises about my having to sell the Cub first and that isn't going to happen).

Patience, then fly when the weather is right.

Spring will come, Granny said. It always has.

Forwarrrrrd .... March

In case you're wondering, March is a good time to look out the window for any apparent (or wishful) sign of decent flying weather if you live or work anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon line. People Down South have no need for such ... they (we, when I'm There) simply open the hangar doors and let the sweet air of an impending spring freshen the airplane(s) and workbenches ... lawn chairs are best aired out when placed in the open doors, preferably occupied.


Up yonder (north), the yankees are still grumbling about the lousy weather, snow, slush, ice, and so on. They make excuses for going to the airport and the best excuse I know of is covering a Stearman wing. Bob is the master, usually gets things pretty well along before anybody notices and offers to help. One of Bob's pet peeves is all the "help" he gets, but he also likes it that we want to learn from him.

Learning rib-stitching is a big part of the process of covering a wing. Once you get the knots down, it goes pretty well. I'm all thumbs ... Bob watches over Bob2's shoulder and somehow restrains himself from jumping in to do it right ...

... but eventually, he has a whole group stitching and threading and tying knots (correctly) and he can throttle us on from a supervisory position ...

The Cub, meanwhile, has the new prop in place and since the cowlings are off Mike and I decided to go ahead and get the inspections items out of the way for the annual which is due next month. The engine runs smooth as can be with the new prop and without the coke buildup on the valve seats (thanks to Russ for cleaning that off) ...

April is a month made for flying and I'm ready ...

Why there is a February.

February starts with an "F", and that stands for Florida ... which is where I spent the month, away from the snow and cold that seems to be what everybody on Long Island looks forward to and loves to complain about when it finally happens. "Oh, I love the seasons" is what I hear a lot. That's a load of crap. If they had said "Oh, I love summer" or even spring or fall, I'd understand, but they can have winter, even if they do love it in, say, August.

February is when the hanger is coldest and when I feel really guilty about pirating heat from my neighbor, Bob, even though he offers so I tend to stay on his side of the wall and soak up his heat along with him.

February is when we spend an awful lot of time hangar flying and very little time actually commiting lift, assuming the hangar is warm. If the hangar isn't warm, we spend very little time hangar flying and a disporportionate amount of time at lunch.

February is a time for making lists of things to do in March or April before the annual is due. Woe be he or her who has an annual due in June, July, August or September because it takes about forever to have the work done and signed off. There's flying going on then.

February isn't very good for cooking on the grills. The fire freezes before it gets to the grillee and makes for lousy eating.

Not that I completely disown February. February I don't have to mow the lawn. February the hedges don't need cutting. February the spider mites don't eat my dwarf Alberta Spruces that line the back yard. Other than that, February is pretty much a write-off.

February gets an "F", and that stands for Florida.

Why there is a January

Number one reason there is a January is that Fred and Bill had to have a month for the Cub rebuild project. Not that they'll be finished by the end of the month, but it gives them time to get so deep into the thing that they have to finish it. No backing out now.

Number two reason for having a January is so Bob can protest that he is NOT going to Florida this year. I saw him today, and he denied emphatically that he would be going to Florida this year. Too many old people there. They don't know how to drive. (Most of them came from New York).

Bill and Stuart don't care about January. They have closed cabin airplanes. Bill even has toe brakes. Steve says he doesn't care. He has a closed cabin airplane, too, but he has heel brakes and they work.

I have a good reason for January - it's for doing all the stuff you don't want to do when the weather is good enough for flying. Now, if I could only get past the temperature in the hangar. It's cold.

More prop stuff ... and an eye toward 2007

I hope you and yours had a Merry Christmas and will have a safe New Year's ... and a safe New Year, too. For my part I've been doing my bit to promote aviation safety by not flying.

I took the wood prop to Sensenich at Plant City yesterday and couldn't have been met by nicer people. Their business manager, Don something, was just great - he's been there for 30 years and knows his prop stuff pretty well. He's also the last guy who signs off the props before they go out the door. He listened to my description (it'll balance with 4 quarters and a penny) and then went right back to the balancing rack - couldn't believe his eyes. He said he was shocked and I believe him. Then we went over to the edge alignment table where they check how straight the prop is and it was out quite a bit beyond tolerance. Again, he was shocked - and I believe him. They're making a new prop for me and I'll deal directly with the shop, thereby taking any middlemen and any possible storage issues out of the equation. No charge.

This is a first for me - and Don said it was a first for him, too. The prop was really out of whack. Good news is I'm on the A list and will get my new one in 3 or 4 weeks.

This is a good time to look ahead ... in 2007, I resolve:

To fly a little more and fix a little less,
To take as many kids of all ages for rides in the Cub,
To encourage aspiring pilots along their way toward their licenses,
To help people without being asked,
To be the kind of friend my friends have been to me,
To spend some quiet time with someone who really needs it,
To write those letters I've been meaning to write,
To let a few of my teachers know that I remember them and their encouragement,
To teach my grandsons to shoot,
To teach my granddaughters to shoot,
To get another dog,
To finish renovating the old family place,
To find the spring,
To clean the cemetery and straighten the stones,
To build a barn,
To make new friends,
To lose the weight I put back on,
To keep my eye on the place I would make for myself,
and
To let you know how it's going.

Thanks for stopping by ...

Alex

On friends, old airplanes, and #3 exhaust valves

The verdict is in on the rough running engine in my J-3 Cub - the exhaust valve on the #3 cylinder fails to seat properly. Just why is a mystery for Lee to divine, but after a week of head scratching and hypothesizing, Russ and Stu and Bill and Bob and Bill and Mike and Steve all pitched in and we found the problem. I wrote George, who flew with me when I brought the Cub to NY:

Hi George ..Well, I went out to the airport and fired up the Cub last weekend … engine ran rough. I couldn’t believe it. It felt like the motor was running on three cylinders, it was shaking so badly … There was a lot of muttering and mumbling on my part … the cylinders all felt the same compression-wise … It really felt like there was a miss, but at the same time it could have been an out-of-balance prop (although I store it horizontally) or some other goofy thing. It was the same on each magneto … On Monday I went out and pulled the lower plugs and cleaned them and that seemed to help a little, but only marginally. I’m going to pull the upper plugs over the weekend. The airplane has been sitting for about 3 months while I decide What To Do With The Rest Of My Life and I can see now that letting it sit is probably not a good thing to do. The engine rebuilder guy is all for the plugs – I am completely mystified. Cold up in New York today ... blah blah blah ...

George wrote back:

I believe that airplanes are capable of sulking when they are given insufficient attention by their owners. In this case, though, I’d look at plugs. You did exactly what I’d have done. The other malady that comes to mind, regardless of the apparent compression, is a stuck valve. Can you pull the rocker covers and have somebody prop it while you observe? ... Cheers, G

After glossing over that crack about insufficient attention we scratched our heads and after Russ waved the magic wand I wrote again:

The problem has been diagnosed – partly. At least we know which cylinder it is and maybe part of the cause. You got it – stuck valve. The telephone diagnosis was coke in the valve guide but then my ol’ buddy mechanician took a closer look and it might be more than that – even to a cracked cylinder. So tomorrow off comes the jug and it’ll be shipped maybe to Superior for a closer look. We worked through it all, and without any contesting and everybody finally agreed that the way to do it is the right way. We’ll all end up feeling good about it (if the engine proves good when all’s said and done). What was really strange was that the cylinder held pressure when we checked it the first 2 times … then when we ran it for about 2 minutes with the rocker covers off (what a mess) – just enough to put a little heat in the cylinder – we hand propped it through all 4 and the prop swung right through what turned out to be #3. Pushback into the hangar and tried the pressure gauge again and it held pressure again … backed off the prop a little to unseat the valve and WHOOSH that was that – the valve never re-seated. I can’t tell you what a relief it was to find a specific problem that made sense. Let’s hope the problem turns out to be the cylinder – if it’s tappets, we’re going to have to split the case again. Newly rebuilt engines are new to me – I prefer airplane engines with a couple of hundred hours on them if they’ve been treated well. … Our trip to Hville is going to be another quickie – enough time to be struck dumb by the mess and then back before the Christmas traffic gets ghastly. On the way back, we’re thinking of overnighting at Broxton Bridge Plantation near Ehrhardt … the owners have a little over 7500 acres with an airstrip, meeting house, B&B, fishing hole, shooting, and horseback riding … a real find, if what I read on their website is anywhere close to accurate. I always wanted a plantation. You and I could sit on the veranda, listen to the crickets and the bullfrogs and make friends with a condensation-beaded glass of something cold.

>>>>TODAY WAS THE DAY<<<<

... and here's what I tacked on to my last note to George:

Well, Geo … it was partly the valve (fixed today) and partly an out of balance prop. So we were both on the money. I couldn’t believe it – after pulling the cylinder and cleaning the valve seat and guide, the engine still was a little shaky – not running rough, just shaky. AT LEAST PART OF THE EQUATION WAS SOLVED. (CAPS LOCK off). So Russ pulled a metal prop out of his hangar and bolted it on – the engine is smooth as glass. Just in case the problem was really fixed and the prop change was an illusion, we re-mounted the wood prop and it shook again … remounted the metal prop and it was smooth. Pretty solid evidence. So the wood prop that looked so nice and felt so comfortable in my hand when pulling it through is in the back of the car and will go with us to Florida – by car now instead of Southwest Airlines. More on that. Last week when we flew back up to NY, I had a little ear blockage in my right ear – no biggie, this has happened before and resolved in a few days. This time it didn’t resolve and I’ve had a middle ear full of gunk for a week. No real hurt, but uncomfortable, if you know what I mean. So I went to my local ENT guy who couldn’t see me but another doc in one of the other offices could so I saw him – we didn’t speak the same language but he supplied me with the meds I already knew I needed from my research (on the internet, natch) and I finally got in to see my real doc today – he said no fly, flyboy, so that’s the best excuse I could have gotten – a gift, actually – to drive and take my prop and a couple of rifles and whatnot at the same time. Life just keeps on happening no matter what plans you make … ain’t it a kick?

And that's how my week has been.

It's December ... Where did November go???

OK, I admit it, I'm guilty of goofing off.

But in the middle of it all, I retired and then signed on with an old friend to set up his flight department, so I guess I un-retired. The Cub sat, patiently, through all of this until yesterday, when I finally made it back to the airport after too long an absence and asked Bill to help me get 'er started for a drive around the patch. First blade, it started, then commenced to shake like the dickens ... I thought I was running on three cylinders. This kept up, so I shut it down and asked opinions (which are free at Bayport) and then we tried it again. Same deal. Ran it up and down the rpm scale, same thing. Let it warm up good, taxiied out and did a couple of full power runs. Same thing. Brought it back, took off the cowlings and checked all the intake hoses, plug wires, etc etc ... let everybody get a good look ... and then started it up again after a good pre-heat (it was a bit chilly outside - mid 40s) ... same thing.

Grrr.

Lee wasn't answering the phone this morning at the engine shop - probably busy rebuilding engines since that's what he does - so it'll be later today when I find out what to look for next.

Maybe the wood prop somehow went out of balance?? Maybe. My next step if Lee doesn't have anything particular in mind is to put a metal prop on and see if the vibration goes away. If it does, then I have my culprit. More on this saga later.

Fly safely ...

It's October ... Where did September go??

Simple story. September I sort of changed jobs. Actually, there was this big reorganization and instead of retiring next summer, I 'got' retired a little early. Then the phone rang and I un-retired about 25 hours later. So, the old dog is back in the saddle, only I don't have a saddle yet. I celebrated by taking some time off.

My office, September 2005

The time off was originally planned to find and buy land for an airport where I would spend some time in the sun, sweating and grading a runway, sculpting the grounds around the runway for a park (an air-park, get it?) and plan for the hoards of enthusiastic sport pilots, antique pilots, light-sport airplanes, antique airplanes, campers, parachutists, lunch fixers and eaters and tellers of tall tales. I also hoped to sit around composing long sentences and maybe build a house, a bunk house, and some hangars. It all looked really good on paper but then when I found my 302 acre dream spot, the reality of $$$ set in. Whew! I never thought retirement could be so expensive. It's a good thing I have a job!

SO that's what I did during September and this far into October ... If the muse strikes again pretty soon (I owe the little bugger big time) I'll be back. In the meantime, fly safe and fly often.

August 06, fair August ... ?

You talk about rain ... you talk about wind ... August 2006 had both in spades, at least on Long Island. But ... there were those idyllic August days when the breezes were light, the grass was freshly mown and flying was happening all around. The best news was when Bob and Ace got their medicals back and Bill T's Vagabond was finally signed off for flight with the mighty C-85 in the nose. Talk about a rocket! He pushes up the power and it's off to the races, climbing like a scalded ape. Those short wing Pipers are fun when they have the juice. Bill hasn't stopped smiling.

I'm a little ahead of myself...

The month actually started at the tail end of July on a trip to Brazil in the Big G ... Mike and I made a side trip to San Jose dos Campos where they build the Embraer jets and got a tour of the factory ... this is a picture of a new Legacy corporate jet, which is based on the EMB-135 airframe. We came away with a handful of little jet pins which we parlayed into points with the girls in the office back home and an idea of things to come ... the Embraer people build a nice airplane and apparently a pretty durable one since they're in service as commuter (and larger) airliners all over the world.

There were a bunch of little trips all through August, but the Big Day was the 26th: the day of the Antique Airplane Club of Greater New York Fly-In, pig roast, camping trip and flying/lying fest. The weather stunk! Friday had a tornado touchdown on Long Island (fortunately Bayport Aerodrome is disguised as a long, straight and smooth stretch of grass and the tornado gods don't even notice it - they look for paved runways where numerous all-aluminum Cessnas, Pipers and such are tied down outside so as to make a bigger splash on the evening news). The picture is of a few of the airplanes that turned out ... we actually sold enough wristbands (all you can eat pig and potato salad and slaw; all you can drink belly washers of all sorts) to pay for the pig and fixins so I guess it turned out pretty well. Yours truly and noted bomb-aimer Harry captured the glory for coming closest to the flour-bomb target. Bill T. won the spot landing contest in his hotrod Vagabond. There were some really nice airplanes there - some from as far away as Connecticut! Next year maybe the weather will cooperate.

The first oil change is coming up on the Cub's engine and I'm looking forward to some good news when we crack the filter open ... Oil temps are coming down a little and so far it looks like we have a good engine. I called my engine man - Lee - and he said it sounded like everything is just as it should be.

More later. Fly safe.

July we Fly

What a great month - July ! Although it started off with a lot of lousy weather interspersed with 2 1/2 weeks of jet trips, we (the Cub and me) managed a reasonably respectable 6 hours in the air and made 12 folks happy with Cub rides. That's so much fun ... flying along with the door open, looking down on boaters/golfers/drivers/sunbathers who think they're happy ...

That's the home field - Bayport Aerodrome, on Long Island. There are 2 north-south runways and we're using the one to the west this summer - (the town swaps runways every year to keep from wearing out the grass surface and it works really well - the grass is like a pool table this year).

Bob and I managed a little flying in the Stearman (oops - his B75N-1 - sorry) and had a great day touring the north and south shores. What a nice airplane ... it's older than I am and you could eat off any part of it, it's that clean.

This past weekend, the last in July, we hopped out to Lou's grass strip out east of here for an EAA gathering ... more fun ... I was on downwind with a Tiger Moth, an English Auster, a motorglider, a couple of skydivers and a jump plane ... if it sounds complicated it wasn't, really ... just a great time and everybody looking out for each other. Nobody doing anything stupid at all, except I ate maybe one too many hot dogs ..

So that was July and next comes August and I just can't wait.

Fly safe ....

Having too much fun to write

The Cub is back in the air!!

With a lot of help from Glenn and Mike and Russ and Bill and Bill and Bob and Bob the old bugger is flying again! That's me. The Cub helps. First time we started the rebuilt engine, it started on the second pull of the prop. What an exciting moment! After checking for leaks, off we went. The airplane flew flawlessly ... and I have to admit my landing was very good. Bob the younger flew the first flight with me, followed by George, then Stu and even Vladimir risked life and limb ... V and I flew over to John's private strip for the Fathers' Day fly-in and had a great time with about 40 other antique airplane nuts ...

More on the ups and downs from Cubland when the muse strikes ... for now, I'm having too much fun to write!

The Western North Carolina Air Museum

What a nice surprise! I took a few days and happened to end up in Hendersonville NC on the weekend of the WNCAM's annual Air Fair ... what a great event!

The picture above is a little "ornithopter" that is powered by an antique "hit and miss" engine and used to take small kids for rides around the airfield ... the wings flap, there's a train whistle ... its a lot of fun just to watch ...

The airport is one where I used to teach, long before I became a steely-eyed jet god.

The parking was getting pretty crowded so I hooked around to the museum where a guy at the gate asked me if I was there to volunteer ... OF COURSE!! Got a fantastic parking spot away from the great unwashed and was put to work right away selling tickets for airplane rides. They even gave me a T-shirt for volunteering. The rides were interesting - 4 people could go at once in a helicopter (Bell Jet Ranger) for about 6-7 minutes, 3 could go at once for 12-15 minutes in either a Cessna 172 or 182, and there was a fellow taking people up one at a time in an antique Piper PA-12. Tickets were $25 no matter what aircraft, and the line stretched sometimes for 15 or 20 deep. It was an old fashioned barnstorming weekend!

So I guess this has gotten me inspired to get back on the Cub project and that's where I plan to be come next week. More then ...

Overnight to distant cities

Occasionally I get to fly the jet. Well, more than occasionally since that's my job, but it does tend to get in the way of the Cub project ...

Cris-crossing the country, north to south, east to west, and vice-versa is a pretty good way to make a living but I really like the overseas stuff better. For awhile, about 80% of my flying was international; Europe, South America, Asia ... it was all good but some was better than others. The end of May we were off to Lisbon for a few days - now that was something new for me ... I'd never been there. It's a beautiful city, dating way, way back and I loved the narrow, cobblestone or quarried block streets ... I took a few side trips while we were there - Cascais, the old city, a castle or two. Pretty amazing stuff.

Now back in the U.S. of A. and many channels of cable TV ...

I guess no matter where you live, there's no place like home.

It occurred to me that I haven't written about my travails with the new prop. I ordered a new wood prop from a Sensenich dealer in Ft Lauderdale and when it came, the diameter of the hub bore (the hole in the middle of the middle of the prop) was too small. Try as we might, it wasn't going to fit. So I called the dealer and Sensenich, thinking I was doing something wrong (but no, too small is just too small - nothing in question there) and hoping they'd help me out. The warranty had run out calendar-wise and I was prepared to do heated battle.

They could not have been nicer - both the dealer and Sensenich. To make a long story even longer, I sent the prop back to the factory in Plant City FL, the dealer sent me a replacement prop, and Sensenich sent my old prop to the dealer after fixing the problem. Now to install it ... but after another trip and a few days off to regenerate.

One small step at a time, but it's getting close

I thought we were going to hear the throaty roar of the Continental last week, but noooooo. A few problems cropped up while we were installing the exhaust system. A little rework here and there to get clearances for the muffler and tailpipe and that was the week's work assignment. Then I went out to the airport today.

Bob took a look at the magneto leads and said we'd better get cracking on those connections before we even think about mounting the prop ... reason being that without a ground, the mags are HOT! Move the prop, catch the impulse coupling, and you've got a running engine (or at least that's what's supposed to happen). So I rang out the wires and marked them, then had a problem with the switch, so I disassembled it, cleaned the contacts, and put it all back together - works fine now. Seems like there's something else always waiting in the wings (oh Lord, I hope not in the wings) ...

So this weekend, with any luck at all, we'll finally have sweet 85hp music in our ears after 9 long months. Honestly it didn't have to take that long ... I just wasn't in any hurry what with winter coming on and all ..

The endless, measured, plod of progress ...

From a couple of emails, written yesterday and today ... hope springs eternal when it comes to getting an airplane ready to fly after a long layoff ....


4/28/2006 - to Mike:

Bob and I fitted the cowlings today to see how the new oil filter would do and found that there was some interference with the upper cowl half … so we did a little cutting and reinforcing and now we have a cutout for the filter … I’m going to borrow some aircraft zinc chromate from the hangar in the morning to prime the rivets and exposed edges and Bob has some AN Orange Yellow to touch it up. Ill get some lacquer thinner to degrease and we should be in prime shape for Sunday. I guess if we can rig the carb heat with that bolt and 2 nuts and get the Adel clamps in place for the primer lines and cabin heat, we’ll be set to fit the exhaust and cut scat tubing to put this bad boy back together. It sure will be great to at least get the engine going again – and fly when it’s done!

4/29/2006 - to George:

We spent the last couple of days tweedling with the Cub cowling ... first of all, I decided that after spending my retirement on a major overhaul for the engine (ok, just some of it) I wanted to install an oil filter. There is an oil filter adapter for my C-85-12 and I bought it. 2 kinds, long and short ... long adapter and short, long filter and short ... I wanted both to be short. At the end, the filter still interfered with the upper cowling. So we carefully measured, measured again, and cut a circle in the cowling following a precision template (traced around the top of a caramel corn jug), reinforced it, and now we have a cowl that looks pretty good and works really well. Around the filter, anyway.

Problem 2.......the lower cowl doesn't quite fit right - bumps up against the front of the case... This is a mystery, since it's the same airplane and the same engine and the same cowling ... oops....almost the same ... Wag-Aero sent me AN7-41 bolts instead of AN7-40 so we added a washer to shim it out so we wouldn't run out of thread on the engine mounts. Maybe a mistake there. So tomorrow we're going to re-shim and take out the extra 1/8 of an inch of length and see if that helps any at all.

Tomorrow we look at the exhaust system and see what surprises await us ... if all goes well, I hope to be able to put oil in the motor, install the propellator and crank it by the end of the day. Flight and joyous celebration to follow.

Hopefully ..

News at 11 ...

A few more nuts and bolts - the Cub will fly

After too long just sitting around and twiddling my thumbs over the most arcane delimmae (is this too close to that on the new engine?) Bob as much as grabbed me by the throat and we commenced to get the Cub ready to fly. OK, so the eyebrow on the left side didn't fit .. Dremel tool, mallet, a buzz here a whack there and the damned thing fit just fine. I've just been too timid with this airplane. Gotta show it who's boss.

The exhaust system is next - that'll be tomorrow - and Mike should be out there to help with that. The tailpipe has to be indexed just right so it won't rub against the cowling (as it did before the engine came off). Then, check the fittings one last time, put some spiral wrap around some of the wires and leads, install the cowlings and .... we're ready for oil and prop. Only thing left after that is to fly.

Stu was there today and is making better progress with the Auster than I am with the Cub. No worries ... I'll still fly first.