Recent content by crusty old aviator

There was a mid-80’s Kasperwing at Oshkosh ‘22, and she was really showing her age. I didn't spend enough time in “the Funzone” to see her fly, if she ever did.

I spoke with the German goomer at the Scale Wings display: he explained that molds have the flush rivet outlines in them, and the entire female molds have been polished to the extent that there is minimal mold release required, and no sanding of the exterior surfaces. The downside is that you...

Cooler than your P-36A?

I grew up just down the road from their home/shop/business. Steve used to come and get horse manure from me for his big veggie garden. They invited me to come drill holes in a thick steel plate that they eventually turned into a Wright 1903 crankshaft. I learned a lot about proper drill press...

At 2018, there was an indoor exhibitor with a vibrating stairclimber rig that my elderly friend tried, swore by, and convinced me to give it a go: it messed up my back for two days...

Ma Nature tried to wash and blow us away last night. EAA's 1929 Pheasant got left out at the Pioneer and ended up in a tree, which is tragic. In Camp Scholler, it was easy to see who was a Scout when they were younger and who stayed home and played video games.

the view from my window... You never know what will go by next.

I’ve been here since Sunday evening. Another convention is coming together. The non-aviation related sales booths get weeded out by the public not stopping by nor buying their products. I think they call it letting the market decide...

There are always exceptions: the ball player in a Cirrus took a wrong turn over the East River in NYC; a B-25 in the Empire State Building...

This is new to me. Where would the shaft transmitter usually be located. I was involved in a project where we mounted strain gauges inside an IC engine and used transmitters. Is this similar?

100LL is wicked expensive now, but birdseed has gone up in price, too, so I don’t think having a birdseed powered plane will save on operating expenses...okay, this observation may be odd, but it is OT!

Oh, so that's what happened to little Fifi’s dog tether!

We had a guy show up at Post Mills with one of these early American Autogyro units about 15 years ago: rolled it up into a ball on his first attempt at flight. I‘ve looked at AA’s gyros with a bit of a jaundiced eye ever since (which isn’t fair to AA, I admit, but fair is where they show pigs...).

What is the price range for “low cost?” I have a $1700 Aces Sport dynamic prop balancer (+ $200/yr for recal) that has a pretty good accelerometer.

Always thinking forward, Victor...Onward, into the prop! If you don’t have a strong rope, tie what you do have (boot laces, kite string?) to the throttle quadrant and route it out the left side door or window. If the throttle “somehow” is set too far forward and she takes off on you: Don’t let...