nickbayer1
Member
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- Jul 8, 2021
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- 10
Congrats Scott
Is it a bit surreal to see this bird go from imagination to project to reality?!?
LiteFighters: P-40/P-36 and beyond
- Thread starter ScaleBirdsScott
- Start date
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Is it a bit surreal to see this bird go from imagination to project to reality?!?
Well, it looks right, and my bet is that it flies right. Good on you guys!
Hatzdude
Member
Congrats, carry on post haste !!
Whoo Hoooo Congrats Scott.... Cant wait to see how this thing flys.
ScaleBirdsScott
Well-Known Member
Thanks guys.
We're currently working over our final plans for how to do the first flights. Figuring out who and when now that the time has finally come. We had a plan for a while now of getting a test pilot and doing a whole initial program. Then the DAR and a few others had some suggestions for not overdoing it, and doing the first few flights ourselves seeing as our aircraft is so straightforward.
I'm torn on the best strategy, knowing what is involved and what it all can take and cost. But I see merits to both sides. We will see.
In the meantime doing some more taxi tests and seeing if anything shakes out.
We're currently working over our final plans for how to do the first flights. Figuring out who and when now that the time has finally come. We had a plan for a while now of getting a test pilot and doing a whole initial program. Then the DAR and a few others had some suggestions for not overdoing it, and doing the first few flights ourselves seeing as our aircraft is so straightforward.
I'm torn on the best strategy, knowing what is involved and what it all can take and cost. But I see merits to both sides. We will see.
In the meantime doing some more taxi tests and seeing if anything shakes out.
It certainly looks like it has the right proportions to fly well. One thing that couuuuld be a question is whether an open canopy would "blank out" the fin and cause some yaw issues. Tuft testing during high speed taxi would probably tell the tale.
I was going to ask if you could fly canopy slid back. Have fun with the taxi tests, make sure the cameras rolling
Elliot Seguin is our local test pilot in the Socal area but I know he travels. He's pretty busy and involved in many new aircraft designs right now. Maybe contact him.
(Not sure why my link below looks odd but it is legit or look him up yourself on facebook or PM me and I will give you his email)
www.facebook.com
Marc
(Not sure why my link below looks odd but it is legit or look him up yourself on facebook or PM me and I will give you his email)
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Marc
There may be one or perhaps even two other test pilots in the world besides Elliot
My understanding is that one of our HBA folks is actually a pretty highly qualified helicopter, airplane, and V-22 heli-airplane-transgender-presto-change-o-contraption test guy.... who just moved to the eastern US.
My understanding is that one of our HBA folks is actually a pretty highly qualified helicopter, airplane, and V-22 heli-airplane-transgender-presto-change-o-contraption test guy.... who just moved to the eastern US.
ScaleBirdsScott
Well-Known Member
We're currently at Westerly (WST) but I wish we could move to a hanger at GON at some point, as that's where the workshop is and the extra commute is a pain. Tho WST has benefits.
I'm not going to be flying the P-36 anytime soon, but we'll definitely be having it stop in to Chester during the test period. Our 3D print partners want to see it and SNC is only a few minutes up the road from them.
sendymcsendyface
Member
Can't wait to see this thing airborne!
ScaleBirdsScott
Well-Known Member
We're shooting to have things ready for a flight around this weekend. After a number of engine runs and taxiing all over the airport, we've been seeing some vibrations we want to deal with. Last week been ticking off the boxes. Re-checked the prop and dialed the blades in a little to get angles down within 0.1 degrees, they were previously set with a bubble level and were within about 0.5 degrees. Also modified our port side exhaust hangers a bit to better control some of the range of motion on the exit tube. And then over the weekend we've borrowed a dynavibe to work on getting accurate numbers so we can quantify the changes we're making. At this point we're down to trying the method of adding some weights to the prop hub under where the spinner cover will go. To look right, we don't have a big spinner, so we are really limited, the weight needed will be fairly substantial compared to those who can put a few bolts on their flywheel.
I'm not expecting to get us diamond glass smooth, especially right off the bat, but based on the experiences of some other Verner users, we should be able to get it pretty decent from here.
We shall see!
I'm not expecting to get us diamond glass smooth, especially right off the bat, but based on the experiences of some other Verner users, we should be able to get it pretty decent from here.
We shall see!
WWhunter
Well-Known Member
I, as are the others following this post, are excited to see this plane get airborne!!
There may be one or perhaps even two other test pilots in the world besides Elliot
My understanding is that one of our HBA folks is actually a pretty highly qualified helicopter, airplane, and V-22 heli-airplane-transgender-presto-change-o-contraption test guy.... who just moved to the eastern US.
It appears that one specific word in the post above accidentally offended an HBA member. It was not my intention to do that by any means, and I do genuinely apologize for accidentally pi$$ing someone off unintentionally.
BUT, I disagree on principle with the stated reason why that person got ticked off. I believe the language I used did not rise to the level of being inappropriate or intolerant. While that language was admittedly not strictly aviation related, a large part of our references, banter, ribbing, and examples here are also not strictly aviation related (other than the fact we are using those non-aviation words as descriptors).
And the potentially offensive word was intended to describe the V-22, not the V-22 test pilot!
If the other participants here wish to weigh in on this, or even light saber-wielding moderators, let me know. Sorry for any drift this creates
Describing the V-22 that way - and the language was clear that you were referring to the machine, and not the man - seems appropriate, given its transformation in flight. Of course, there are people primed and cocked, just waiting to be offended.
Speaking of test pilots, has anyone heard from Rockiedog2 recently?
BJC
Speaking of test pilots, has anyone heard from Rockiedog2 recently?
BJC
ScaleBirdsScott
Well-Known Member
We've been in contact with Elliot about being the test pilot for the first few flights at least, but of course there are challemges with schedules and travel and so-on, so we're working on that.
In the meantime the vibration tests have been driving us crazy and not making sense. Even the people who make the unit were a bit stumped as the whole setup we have should be good, based on our images and some phone calls. We can get the numbers OK-ish for most part, down from an average of 1.0-1.2 to 0.75ips, but there seems to be a floor below which it won't go; and adding or removing or flipping or recoloring or encouraging the weights doesn't seem to offer much benefit. It may be that our sweet spot is a 3 gram window in which 2 perfectly placed #10 washers takes us from .75 down to .10 and beyond that it quickly jumps to 2.0... but with our weights being only at a 2.75" radius, i doubt our issue is that fine tuned.
My gut says get it feeling reasonable, and send it.
In the meantime the vibration tests have been driving us crazy and not making sense. Even the people who make the unit were a bit stumped as the whole setup we have should be good, based on our images and some phone calls. We can get the numbers OK-ish for most part, down from an average of 1.0-1.2 to 0.75ips, but there seems to be a floor below which it won't go; and adding or removing or flipping or recoloring or encouraging the weights doesn't seem to offer much benefit. It may be that our sweet spot is a 3 gram window in which 2 perfectly placed #10 washers takes us from .75 down to .10 and beyond that it quickly jumps to 2.0... but with our weights being only at a 2.75" radius, i doubt our issue is that fine tuned.
My gut says get it feeling reasonable, and send it.
Tiger Tim
Well-Known Member
Another light coat of yellow on the lightest prop tip, perhaps?
ScaleBirdsScott
Well-Known Member
If it was that simple, I'd almost be mad! But relieved. We've tried adding a few washers, we tried adding a lot of washers. All sorts of spots tried to rule out any sort of issues using this type of sensor on a radial vs a boxer. I even made a special counterweighted plate that fits inside the spinner, when the formula we found suggested we might need anywhere from 130-250g of weight!
Part of me says it'll certainly not fall apart at this point so we can fly it to an expert with a more advanced unit to do a more thorough evaluation.
The plus side of all this is that it has pushed me into working to finish the spinner.
Scott,
There is a guy in my area that makes a mercury balancer and it works quite well. He demonstrated it at our EAA chapter many years ago. He had a motor with an off center weight on the shaft like a vibrator. He fired it up on the table without the balancer and it jumped around like mad. he then added the balancer and it was dead smooth. it was nuts. The inventor said most of the Nascar and Drag cars have his technology balancer in their wheel rims.
Link here:
You may want to give him a call.
Marc
There is a guy in my area that makes a mercury balancer and it works quite well. He demonstrated it at our EAA chapter many years ago. He had a motor with an off center weight on the shaft like a vibrator. He fired it up on the table without the balancer and it jumped around like mad. he then added the balancer and it was dead smooth. it was nuts. The inventor said most of the Nascar and Drag cars have his technology balancer in their wheel rims.
Link here:
You may want to give him a call.
Marc
