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  1. J

    Aircraft finish quality effect on aerodynamics

    The fuselage side will get the graphics, none planned for the wings. Should the leading edge of the wing be avoided? Other critical areas? Thanks
  2. J

    Aircraft finish quality effect on aerodynamics

    Background: There are Formula 1 race cars using matte finishes these days (Red Bull for one). On a racing forum, much discussion as to whether there is an aerodynamic advantage to such while some hypothesize that the matte finish makes the various vinyl graphics “pop” and that any difference in...
  3. J

    Electric fuel pump

    Good point, Charlie. Since my bird is a high wing with a third tank in the fuselage, it’s plumbed so that it gravity feeds off either wing tank through the “front” pump solely. The fuselage tank (17 gallons) is also where the bypassed fuel returns to and that is where the second pump is which...
  4. J

    Electric fuel pump

  5. J

    Electric fuel pump

    A point of clarification: The Bonanza that my IO-470 came from had a fuel flow gauge calibrated in GPH whereas the pressure gauge I have is calibrated in PSI. Part of my purpose in the previously mentioned experiment running fuel through the pump/TCM control unit/and finally injectors with the...
  6. J

    Electric fuel pump

    My experience with entirely using walbro pumps in lieu of an engine pump: In my BD-4, the IO-470 Continental engine is successfully fueled with a Walbro pump (there are 2 actually, independently controlled for redundancy), eliminating the engine driven pump. The Continental sixes are...
  7. J

    Establishing fwd and aft cg limits?

    We took 157JS to the Mineral Wells airport today after 9 years of build time and a heart attack along the way. Getting through the FAA took almost as much as building the airplane! We stopped in front of the old railroad depot in Weatherford, TX: Here she is (wingless for now) on the tarmac...
  8. J

    Establishing fwd and aft cg limits?

    Rockiedog,pretty much my thoughts at first as well, square and ugly BD-4s! Yuck. But as I sought a homebuilt design (and mine is HOMEBUILT, not kit-built) for my mission, I kept coming back to the BD-4 and finally decided to build it and try to improve the looks where possible and to address...
  9. J

    Establishing fwd and aft cg limits?

    Billski- Thanks for the comments. My fuselage is only stretched 7" from the original plans and was done to help offset the additional length and weight of the IO-470 and to add a little legroom in the rear seat area. Over the years several BD-4 builders converted to bigger engines and...
  10. J

    Establishing fwd and aft cg limits?

    My Bd-4 is headed to the airport for weighing soon. If the empty weight CG is roughly 25% MAC, what is a reasonable place to put the fwd and aft limits in terms of MAC? Would the original limits determined by Jim Bede still apply even though mine is substantially heavier on the nose and the...
  11. J

    Airflow through lower cowl nose gear slot?

    I'm wondering about what the air will do around the nose gear slot on my BD-4 flat bottomed cowl. The cowl bottom has two openings for the exhaust pipes similar to those on a Cirrus and with the pipes inside I'm wondering if there is adequate area for the heated air from the engine to exit...
  12. J

    Flexible landing gear fairings?

    "Rein" in the previous post should have been "resin"!
  13. J

    Flexible landing gear fairings?

    Getting ready to fair the main gear on my BD-4, I have Cessna flat gear legs and need some info on just how flexible epoxy/ glass would be if I used that to flair the legs. Seems like the flat surfaces would be flexible enough if only a couple of layers of maybe 7 oz bidirectional cloth but I'm...
  14. J

    Improving the safety of fuselage fuel tanks

    I don't see this with the same alarm that others do. Some questions to ponder.... A crash that makes a 90 lb. wrecking ball of a fuselage tank would likely incinerate corpses, wouldn't it? If a crash is substantial enough to rupture reasonably well built tanks, won't it likely rupture the wing...
  15. J

    Homebuilt paperwork to the FAA!!!

    Thanks to all!
  16. J

    Homebuilt paperwork to the FAA!!!

    I built it from plans, not a kit. The FAA paperwork from OKC included a Bill of Sale form to establish ownership but in my case since I did not buy a kit or a preassembled airplane, what about the required Bill of Sale? I do have a folder full of receipts.
  17. J

    Homebuilt paperwork to the FAA!!!

    Working on the paperwork for N157JS, called local FSDO, called OKC, among other things they referenced a FIFTY TWO page AC that explains (poorly) how to fill out a two page form. Sigh. BUT no answer to the next question: what do I do about the required Bill of Sale when I have a plans-built...
  18. J

    Passing the Written Exam for Sport Pilot

    Congratulations! One more step toward the goal... There used to be quite a few questions on the PP knowledge test that were seriously outdated or mostly irrelevant while some important issues were skimmed over. That is the essence of the FAA, alas. Don't know about MP gauges in the aircraft...
  19. J

    Bede BD-22L Light Sport

    BD-22 down near ST Lucie airport in Florida, pilot killed....very very sad. preliminary reports sound like engine trouble. Prayers for the family of Joe Loney....
  20. J

    Initial CG for new BD-4

    Thanks for some confirmation on my reasoning on the CG. I really appreciate the opportunity HBA provides for a novice like me to run things by people who have greater expertise. The Cessna 182 in which I plan to be checked out before flying my own airplane is said by many to be a nose heavy...
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