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  1. F

    Falco

    Hey Jake and others, I see I haven't posted for about 3 1/2 years - funny how life gets in the way of doing stuff. Anyway, I've finally finished the Falco and flew it in Sept 2010. Everything works pretty much as advertised - heres a few photos of the first flight:
  2. F

    Greetings from Baghdad

    Hey Jake, I haven't been on the site for quite some time and didn't know you were in harms way. Take care sport, and all the best from Aussie. Cheers, Rob
  3. F

    Metal tool

    That would be them! Go here for the rivnuts: http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/hapages/rivnuts.php and here, for the tools that insert them: http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/to/rivnuttools.html Rob
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    landing gear

    Shane, Ok, many thanks for the detailed info - I'll check them out. Good luck with the Mustang. Cheers Rob
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    landing gear

    Shane, Can I ask what model no. discs you used and if these guys have an Australian distributor? I played with making replacements for the gas struts on my Falco using urethane do-nuts but the ones I eventually bought were super hard. I finally bit the bullet and had hydraulic struts...
  6. F

    business prospect

    Would make for an interesting exercise when you try to do retraction tests with the aeroplane up on jacks.:gig: Maybe jack it up on the back of a semi then blast down the freeway at 100 knots. I once saw a video of one of our local characters launch his float plane off a trailer like...
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    all metal birds

    If you don't want to build it yourself, here's an idea: http://aircraftsalescentre.com.au/index.php?secId=4&id=2 The kit costs about A$110,000 in Australia excluding engine, avionics, prop, paint, etc. etc. so at A$75,000 (about US$57,000) this is probably a good buy. These type of...
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    Scarfing and laminating wing spars

    Jeff, Referring to your earlier post where you ask about location of the laminate splices, keep them as far outboard as possible. The bending moment of the wing decreases as you move outwards away from the fuselage (or centre of the span for a one piece spar) To use the Falco as an...
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    Scarfing and laminating wing spars

    Jeff, Using a built up spar with laminated caps, even with spliced joints in the laminates, can actually be stronger than a single solid spar of spruce. The reason is that every piece of wood has some minor deformities and the thicker the piece the more likely there will be one or two, and...
  10. F

    bonded aluminum construction

    Orion !! Do I detect a sense of humour lurking somewhere in all that techno talk ??
  11. F

    Progress thread

    Thanks Beej, The more skin I glue on (hiding the interior) the better it looks !
  12. F

    Progress thread

    Progress report for the end of 2006:- Tail removed, fuselage inverted, bottom wing skins on, working on the bottom fuselage skins. Superior IO 360 engine kit has been delivered and is waiting assembly. MT 3 blade prop due at the local prop shop tomorrow, will be assembled after Xmas...
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    4 Place wood aircraft

    With a bit of clever design and thought wood can be formed as you suggest and the end result can be difficult to distinquish from a composite airframe. Although not the type of aeroplane you're looking for, here's an example of what can be done in wood - www.seqair.com The downside is...
  14. F

    Hydraulic or elecric for a prop?

    Hey Strange, After a lot of research I finally settled on an MT 3 blade hydraulic prop. The main advantage over the electric is that the hydraulic pitch change action is about 6 times faster. Also the electric is a little more expensive. If you go with MT make sure you buy it through...
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    pitot position

    Oops ! Looks like I screwed up with my comments about installing on the upper wing for biplanes. I must confess my exposure to aeroplanes with 2 wings is limited to a Culp Special built by one of the guys in our Chapter who has his pitot on the top wing, but from what I've read here it's not...
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    pitot position

    For an underwing pitot the general concensus around here is to place it as far outboard as possible, extending below the wing a minimum of 150mm (6") and with the tip of the pitot tube no further aft than about 20% of the chord (measured at the location of the pitot). For biplanes, which...
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    Toyota 2.2 D-4D New Engine of Choice

    While all these new auto engines look to be very promising for us in the experimental arena, has anyone yet actually tried to buy one? Will the manufacturers sell a complete engine to an individual to use for whatever purpose he desires, without question or conditions? I'm assuming here...
  18. F

    first homebuild

    Gotta go with Tom on this one - I wouldn't be wasting my twenty five bucks on a set of plans from these guys. Isn't it interesting that all of the "jet" engines start with the push of a button and easily throttle from idle to full power? Several of them are also "economical" and can even...
  19. F

    Wood X................

    An impressive achievement. I sometimes struggle with the effort and not inconsiderable expense associated with building the Falco, but at least I have the comfort of knowing that others have gone before me and its performance is well documented. It is difficult to comprehend the...
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    Wood X................

    Checked your link but couldn't find any photos of your progress.
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