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  1. C

    Airplane For Sale Avid Catalina Project N157AB $5000

    Yes, to close the loop, this did sell. Thanks!
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    Airplane For Sale Avid Catalina Project N157AB $5000

    pics at Avid Catalina Seaplane Amphibian PROJECT - aviation - by owner -... Avid Catalina Amphibious Seaplane project. TTAF 268 hours, Rotax "Rotax Rick" 670 TTSN 2 hours. Warp Drive 3-blade 68" TTSN 268. Last annual 8/2016 at Ace Aviation, last flight 8/2017. Complete log books, construction...
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    Homemade Autopilot with a Raspberry/computer

    LoL! Maybe "steerstick" has been wrong all along. Maybe "steerstring" is where it's at. Trim the controls against the pull of a string from a clamp-mounted box off to the side. Much better universality than the steerstick! It would be truly hilarious to hop a ride in a friend's plane and...
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    Homemade Autopilot with a Raspberry/computer

    I'm checking in to this thread pretty late, but I've been working on a "steer stick" hobby project for the last year or so that lines up with the original poster's question pretty well. My idea was stolen from several commercial products for sailboats: a self-contained autopilot unit that...
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    Down-Home Vibrometer

    There's a slightly more refined method that does some math on three trial weight vibration measurements and tells you where to add weight. Fairly brief discussion: Spreadsheet for Balancing Spreadsheet to do the math: http://www.conradhoffman.com/Balancing.xls
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    Twin engines packaged to replace O-360, both engines sharing a PSRU housing driving independent coaxial props?

    article english Twin Cozy Mk IV. Interesting. The motors were side-by-side, the flywheel of one forward and the other aft and coaxial shafts running between the motors driven by belt drives. They reported shaft bearing wear and other vibration issues.
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    Twin engines packaged to replace O-360, both engines sharing a PSRU housing driving independent coaxial props?

    Sorry, that was more of a brain-dump/statement and didn't really pose any questions or try to start a conversation. Has anyone tried anything like this? Opinions? Is the complexity and unconventional arrangement worth the novelty? Risks/weaknesses?
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    Twin engines packaged to replace O-360, both engines sharing a PSRU housing driving independent coaxial props?

    I have a pair of 582's sitting around, and a bad idea has been haunting me for a couple years and just won't go away. Two 582 or 670 two-strokes side-by-side, perhaps one inverted to place both exhausts outside, mounted to a custom shared PSRU housing, using belt drives to provide isolation and...
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    Shipping a Rotax 670....

    To echo others, I'd go with Rotax Rick's instructions. If I remember correctly, he even went to far as to describe the optimal route to take through the aisles at Walmart when picking up the exact specified cooler, pillows, and ratchet straps.
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    Cooling a pusher - using prop inflow over a cowl flap?

    I did experiment with a pair of cheap EDF ducted fans blowing air from the cabin into the pressure side of the radiator plenum, and they cooled the engine adequately up to about 3000RPM, or a slow displacement taxi power setting. Sounded cool, too. Obviously, that would only be for ground...
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    Cooling a pusher - using prop inflow over a cowl flap?

    I think other Catalinas just deal with it, and don't taxi around at controlled airports :) I've seen one with an up-sized radiator, and I also saw this: The cooling system would perform ideally, but I didn't like the idea of a big chute of dirty air hosing the control surfaces in various...
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    Cooling a pusher - using prop inflow over a cowl flap?

    I fly an Avid Catalina, and have enjoyed it. It came home to the garage for a re-engine, and I couldn't help but try to redesign the cooling system also. The existing system cooled the Rotax 582 with a 140 in^2 radiator hung square out in the wind in front of the engine. It cools...
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    Decalage angle

    Looks exactly like high-pressure air rushing up into that gap to me, as I didn't see much change when you added power. I'd be super interested to see tuft tests with that gap closed. But jeez, be careful. Don't put a wad of cardboard and duct tape into your prop.
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    Thoughts on making complete faired strut/cuff assemblies in a split female mold?

    No, it's not composite structure, it's steel tube (pic). An Avid Catalina. Yes, I'd planned on making a hardpoint for the through-bolt somehow. The feedback is kinda confirming my new thinking on the matter- it's a lot of work and there are easier/quicker ways to just fair the existing...
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    Thoughts on making complete faired strut/cuff assemblies in a split female mold?

    The 3/8" OD tensioned strut tubes for the tail feathers of my plane are directly behind the pusher prop, and the pattern of exhaust grime makes it clear there's vortex madness going on all around back there. I've somehow got it in my head that I'm going to see amazing improvements in every...
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    Question for Fauvel / Plank Enthusiasts / Experts

    I use the ubiquitous Moeller 6.5 gal marine tank as a removable auxiliary fuel tank in my Avid for a couple years. Works great. Don't forget to open the vent.
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    Arduino-Based Instruments?

    I like the bezel and the fit/finish of your piece. Very nice and professional looking, which mine is not. I used this $50 module that has an on-board atmega chip (same as the arduino) to run the display driver. https://www.sparkfun.com/products/8799 The display driver was open source...
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    Troubleshoot - Rotax C gearbox on a 582

    Service Bulletin describing the loctite, increased torque and new cone taper: https://legacy.rotaxowner.com/si_tb_info/serviceinfo/si-2st-007r2.pdf
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    Troubleshoot - Rotax C gearbox on a 582

    Your prop shaft is slipping in the driven gear. Don't run it any more until you fix this, the tapered shaft and gear will gall pretty quickly when slipping. This happened to my C gearbox. It was an issue that Rotax addressed several ways. In '91, then decreased the taper from 5:1 to 7.5:1...
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