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  1. M

    Controls for Flea on Floats ?

    I am in the process of acquiring a Flying Flea (Pou de Ciel) HM293 project. My intent is to finish this project specifically to fly on straight floats. No brakes needed, but it would be nice to have water rudders. If that's the case, wouldn't it make sense to connect both the water rudders and...
  2. M

    Aviation Art from the 1920s

    Just opened a Christmas present with this card. Anyone recognize the image? Artist Frederick Dana Marsh, 1926
  3. M

    Verner 3VLA

    In May, Verner introduced their new 3 cylinder radial, the 3VLA. This uses an aluminum case with re-designed mounting tabs. "We have focused on reducing vibrations and the need for complicated motor mounts. The crankcase contains the silentblock nests as is at the 9S engine." Has anyone yet...
  4. M

    Rotary or Radial

    Is this a rotary engine? It is mounted on a French built Pou du Ciel (Flying Flea). Anyone recognize it?
  5. M

    Updating Heath Wood Floats

    Investigating the topic of floats for a light homebuilt. I am inclined to go with wood floats, generally following the 1931 Flying and Glider Manual article "The Heath Seaplane Parasol and its Pontoons", as these seem relatively simple to fabricate. My question: Instead of 1/8" marine ply skins...
  6. M

    Aeromarine Floats

    Having received zero feedback from the Bush/Float Flying group, I'll redirect this question to the Light Stuff, and I'll adopt a more strident tone: Are Aeromarine 750 floats vaporware or real? Anyone have any experience with them?
  7. M

    Aeromarine 750 floats

    Anyone have experience building and/or flying Aeromarine's 750 straight floats? Thanks
  8. M

    Fleas on Floats

    I am fascinated by Jacques Arnould's Flying Flea on floats, which I see on Pou Guide (the translated version). Apparently, worried he would need additional pitch control, Arnould added flaps to the rear wing, but he never uses them. He writes: "In a seaplane, the Mignet formula has a big...
  9. M

    Rotax 503 vs Verner 3V, 5V

    Is there a consensus about how these engines stack up against each other? I think both are used in light aircraft, such as the Legal Eagle. Can the 3V, which has less horsepower but probably more torque, happily replace a Rotax 503?
  10. M

    EPA Declares Leaded Plane Fuel a Public Health Threat, Paving Way for Limits

    Just now as reported by Bloomberg: The Biden administration on Wednesday declared emissions from airplanes running on leaded aviation fuel a threat to public health — a first step toward stamping out a major source of metal pollution linked to developmental delays, kidney disease and other...
  11. M

    Suitable use for thin ply?

    On another thread I mentioned that Aircraft Plywood Mfg in Highland, IL produces thin, three layer MIL-P-6070 ply that is uses melamine for glue and is therefore suited to laser cutting. I've also griped that the spruce called for in the Fly Baby plans to laminate the landing gear struts now...
  12. M

    Moved: Gyroplane topic branched off of Volksplane

    The circumstances of your gyro training sound auspicious. If you haven't already, be sure to study SFAR 73, particularly the Low G - Mast Bumping sections. The principals apply to all teeter-totter 2 blade rotor systems, not just Robinsons (including Bell's 200 series of helicopters). With the...
  13. M

    Modular Geodetic Fuselages

    It occurs to me that a spiral-wound geodetic fuselage could be well-suited to modular construction. At some weight penalty, of course, the ring former/bulkhead could be doubled at the split, allowing for the two modules to be cut apart after the structural helices are wrapped. The two...
  14. M

    Prop clearance

    My understanding is that the standard minimum prop clearance with the tail raised to flight attitude is 9", but I assume this is for sprung aircraft. For an aircraft whose only suspension is the give in the tires (such as the Fly Baby), shouldn't the minimum prop clearance be less? Any...
  15. M

    Geodetic Midwing Player

    Here's a preliminary scheme for a geodetic midwing Player (in a hat tip to Wm. Earl Player, geodetic homebuilt pioneer). Fixed, Fly Baby type gear. Wing wire braced to a 3-point, Buhl Pup style cabane on top and axle on the bottom. 34" spun aluminum cowl. Round fuselage aft of the firewall is...
  16. M

    Esoteric jig concept

    Thinking (obsessing?) still about a possible spiral-wound geodetic fuselage, but it occurs to me that this jig concept might make sense for a range of fuselage builds (even steel tube?), where keeping things square and true is key. Early practitioners of geodetic wood fuselage construction...
  17. M

    Inverted cabane monoplane?

    Anyone aware of a low wing monoplane using an inverted cabane, which lifts the fuselage above the wing, such as the Blackburn Lincock biplane (which I know is one of Flitzerpilot's favorites)?
  18. M

    Eye level parasols

    The Corben Super Ace sets the wing MOL at the pilot's eye level. With the original Ford engine, which was faired directly into the forward part of the wing, this resulted in a kind of hybrid parasol/shoulder wing set up, with two windscreens, one below and one on top of the wing. Are there...
  19. M

    Why does the Cub have jury struts?

    My understanding is the purpose of jury struts is to prevent buckling under compression. Did they expect Cubs to fly inverted?
  20. M

    Advantage of parasols?

    As a general design question (from someone with zero design experience): Am I right to think that one advantage of designing for a parasol wing is the ease with which its final location can be shifted, if necessary, to accommodate the choice of engine and the as-built CG of the ship? Comments...
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