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    "We just hit a Drone!" | Windshield Damaged on United B737 MAX at SFO

    I fly just south of Edwards AFB and about 8 yrs ago on a westbound flight at 8500', a Predator flew over me about 200', eastbound. Had a chase plane behind it and that also passed over me. I was with Flight Following at the time. They never said a word. The Predator turned around and flew off my...
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    Advice Needed: Windscreen Hoop - Carbon Rod or Uni Cloth?

    Pultruded rod pulled into a curve will induce some residual bending stresses whereas laminated uni under vacuum and room temp cure will not. And the fiber volume of the uni will be higher than packing efficiency of the rods. I'd go with uni laminate.
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    ?have any aeroplanes had missile-esque folding wings before

    If you push the limits on 4130 or 7075, fracture toughness will be reduced and cracking will be easier to start/propagate. You would like to have plasticity area under the stress/strain curve to tolerate flaws in construction. Margin is good.
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    Rivet Shear Test

    Assuming you have skins around .016" thick of 6061-T6 with 1/8" dia fastener, the bearing strength of the skin is only 160 lbs max so installing a high strength rivet won't make the joint stronger. Would still fail by bearing. As skin thickness increases, then shear strength of rivet becomes...
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    Angle of Incidence Tolerance

    I made a wood and alum jig that picked up on LE of wing and on the trailing edge of the flap with v-notches. Placed a digital level on the chordwise beam of the jig and took measurements with flaps in full up position as if in flight and at same spanwise station on each side. One side to the...
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    Angle of Incidence Tolerance

    Thanks to all who responded. I did make a vee block jig to determine AOI and a digital level to compare both wings around mid-span. Should be able to move rear spar attachment to fuselage fitting vertically on higher wing to bring it close to lower wing value. Won't fly it until AOI values are...
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    Angle of Incidence Tolerance

    I'm rebuilding a Pulsar 3 kitplane that weighs 680 lbs, has 100 hp 912 S engine and cruises at 140 mph; plane has never flown. In checking angle of incidence between wing semi-spans, found left is about 1 deg lower than right span. Bringing them closer together is much work but doable. My...
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    Pros and Cons on Composites vs Aluminum

    In comparing composite structures to aluminum ones, there are primary differences in the parts count. Alum planes have many detail parts starting with skins and adding stiffeners, ribs and frames. All these parts are attached with fasteners. Each fastener requires drilled holes and fastener...
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    Parts For Sale BRS 6-800 For Sale

    I have a BRS 6-800 ballistic chute that I'll never use so would like to find a buyer. It's operational date expired in 2017 so it would need to be repacked and the rocket motor would need to be refurbished at around $2100. Does not have attachment straps. Will sell the unit as is for $500...
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    To what out-of-production aircraft would you buy the rights, if you wanted to start a 'kit-plane' company?

    I would choose a Pulsar XP by Aerodesigns as a revived kit because of its relative ease of glass sandwich construction, it's ease of flying (flew mine for 1500 hrs) and performance at 140 mph cruise with 80 hp 912 engine, 2 aboard. And esthetics.
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    I want to rivet 6061T6 to carbon fiber

    I generally use clecos for paste bonding clamp-up and remove them before adhesive gets fully cured. Any rivet that expands radially during installation is taboo in composites because it would break fibers adjacent to the hole and reduce bearing strength. Most fastening in composites is with...
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    Most universal aluminum sheet for interior?

    6061-T6 is best general purpose alum alloy and is weldable and has relatively high corrosion resistance. Has higher mechanicals than any architectural alloy.
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    Reducing weight by using composites

    Assuming you are talking about epoxy matrix in the laminate, post-curing at 150F will raise the Tg but not by 100F. Most epoxy systems will just about match the Tg with the post-cure temp. But you will reduce strain to failure in the process. There are tooling resins that can be cured at low...
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    B-52 Sighting

    In Big Bear, CA., we get Marine V-22s several times a week, usually in tandem pairs, from 29 Palms Marine facility. They are noisy and the downdraft sends clouds of tumbleweeds all over the airport, especially when they land for lunch. I have announced to them on CTAF to bring brooms and clean...
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    Composite or aluminium fuel tank?

    From your sketch for a composite tank, I assume you will fabricate the end domes from composite and the interior baffles from aluminum? And that you would precure the exterior skin and bond to the end domes and the baffles? That would leave at least one longitudinal skin joint that needs sealing...
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    Low aspect ratio sport plane ideas

    When I worked at Douglas, the floor panels on the aisles had fiberglass skins over honeycomb core and the stiletto heels penetrated the skins and grabbed the shoe. So the upper panel skins were converted to aluminum and that accepted the concentrated loads. Added weight but kept the ladies happy.
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    Boat fiberglass on aircraft?

    The thicker the woven cloth, the lower the compression strength of the laminate because each fiber tow has to go up and down adjacent tows in the weave. This generates eccentricity of the tow instead of an ideal flat tow. The strongest laminate is made with unidirectional material that has no...
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    Crashes in the News - Thread

    I fly out of a high altitude, uncontrolled airport in mtns of S. Calif where we get all kinds of traffic from Marine V-22, Cessna 300s, biz jets, ultralights, GA planes, Cobra Gunships, IFR and mostly VFR flights. To keep all this traffic safe, we communicate and keep egos away. If a fast IFR...
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    Correct CHT probe for a Rotax 277?

    Type J thermocouples are used for applications below 700F and Type K are used for higher temps like EGT in the 1500F range. The readout device has to match the TC type. I make my own CHT probes using a copper washer with the J leads soldered to the washer. The washer is placed under a bolt in...
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    Once again with the FAA...

    On a humorous note- I had finished a Zenith 701 in May of 2019 and contacted the local FSDO in Riverside, CA for a FAA inspector to come up to my mountain airport at 7000' for the inspection. I received a call from an FAA guy that he would be coming and bringing another fellow to train him...
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