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1
Hangar Flying / Pilot Uninjured in Emergency Landing
« on: January 29, 2008, 06:50:36 AM »
Pilot uninjured in emergency landing
By Georgia Fisher
 

Published January 29, 2008

No one was hurt Sunday when a small, home-built plane made an emergency landing in the 1800 block of Farm-to-Market 758.

The pilot, a 47-year-old man from of San Antonio, reported a sudden power loss after taking off from New Braunfels Municipal Airport about 5:30 p.m.

The man, whose name was unavailable Monday, lost power in his four-seat Velocity XL plane at about 400 feet to 500 feet.

“He landed in a field and did an excellent job doing it,” said Andy Spinks, manager of New Braunfels Municipal Airport.

New Braunfels police, fire and EMS responded to the scene.

“I was very impressed with our emergency services,” Spinks said. “It was a very big non-event.”

The small aircraft struck two nearby fences during the bumpy emergency landing, but sustained only minor scratches.

“It was a rough field he landed in,” Spinks said. “It had a lot of bumps in it, but (the plane) rode it out just fine, and proved itself a very sturdy, airworthy aircraft.”

The Velocity XL, a 200-horsepower, 200 mph, “canard”-style kit plane, has a back-placed engine and design similar to that used by the Wright brothers.

“It's highly efficient,” Spinks said of the plane. “The first aircraft that flew was a canard.”

The owner of an experimental plane must perform regular inspections under guidelines set by the Federal Aviation Administration, and “go through the same test questions and exams as with a regular aircraft,” Spinks said. “Statistics show most are built better than the factory built ones.”

According to a spokesman from the

FAA’s southwest region, the incident was examined by an investigator from the Flight Standards District Office in San Antonio, who was unavailable for comment Monday.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2
Hangar Flying / Battery
« on: April 26, 2007, 12:15:05 PM »
http://www.killacycle.com

3
Hangar Flying / Battery
« on: April 25, 2007, 09:14:54 PM »
Well, I said I was going to do it and we finally got the prototype
built.

We just built a 600 cranking amp, 11.5 A-hr, battery that weighs just
3.7 pounds. I've been testing it in my GMC van for the past week here
in the Denver Winter. It snaps the van right over every morning
without a problem. The van cranks faster than it did with the
standard lead-acid battery.

It is smaller than the Odyssey 680 so it fit in the same battery box
with a couple of foam blocks for spacers.
The battery has four status LEDs that tell you the cell balancing
electronics are working OK. We are using A123 Systems M1 cells with
our own custom battery management electronics. The A123 Systems cells
are proven to be the safest Li-Ion cells on the market. No problems
with fires (like laptop cells) because the chemistry they use is
completely different.

The battery can be damaged by running it completely flat (like
leaving the master on) and holding the battery below 8 volts for a
long time. It can also be damaged by charging it over 15.0 volts. It
will likely still function after such abuse, but it won't be nearly
as good as it was originally. If you don't abuse it, it should last
you for many years.

I think we will be in production in about a month, maybe two.

Specs:

3.7 lbs
600 cranking amps
11.5 amp-hr
Approximate maximum dimensions: 3" wide, 5" long, 7" tall (including
terminals)
Charging voltage = 13.8 to 15.0 volts (anywhere in this range is OK)
Nominal voltage = 13.2 volts (Just a touch higher than your typical
lead-acid, so it spins the starter a touch faster.)
Cell cycle life rated at 2000 cycles (80% DOD, 90% capacity
remaining) 10,000 cycles (80% DOD with 50% capacity remaining) @25 C
Cell specs:

<http://www.a123systems.com/html/products/ANR26650M1specs.pdf"http://www.a12

3systems.com/html/products/ANR26650M1specs.pdf>http://www.a123systems.com/ht
ml/products/ANR26650M1specs.pdf

Maintenance free
No heavy metals (iron-phosphate type cells)

At this time, we estimate the retail price will be $595. (Yeah, I
know this is not cheap, but this is the state-of-the-art battery
technology so the parts to make it are not cheap.)

Here is a picture of the prototype. We have it in a clear Lexan case
so we can keep an eye on it. The production battery will have a
smaller opaque case with a clear top lid (terminal end.)
http://www.killacycle.com/photos/aircraft-battery/Prototype1InVan.JPG


We have been racing these cells in the KillaCycle for about a year,
so we know _all_ about them.

<http://www.KillaCycle.com"http://www.KillaCycle.com>http://www.KillaCycle.c
om (Be sure to
watch the movie clip.)



We figured that most folks would want a battery that had the cranking
amps to easily spin the starter and would not care much about the a-hrs.

The cost is directly proportional to the amp-hrs. If we were to go to
16 amp-hrs (it's easy to do) the cost would go up to about $850. The
cranking amps would also go up in proportion too. Figure about $1 per
cranking amp, and about $50 per amp-hr and you won't be far off. The
steps are 2.3 a-hr and 120 cranking amp increments. You pick.

This battery REALLY spins the starter in my GMC van. When I turn on
the key in the morning, the battery voltage is typically 13.4 volts
(instead of 12.8 volts.)

Anyone in the Denver area that flies daily interested in flight
testing one of these? You would get to keep the battery and write
anything you want about it (good or bad) as long as it was truthful.
You would have to inspect it before and after each flight including
noting the voltage and the BMS indicator light status. You must sign
the usual liability waiver we are all now accustomed to of course. :-)

You need to isolate it from over and under voltage as much as you
would your present sealed lead-acid battery. I would suggest a buzzer
connected to a door switch to warn you that you have left the master
on. You should also have a warning light on the panel for over and
under voltage. You should have these already.

Keep in mind that this battery will withstand over and under
voltage. It just "wounds" it much like such mistreatment "wounds"
your present sealed lead-acid battery. This battery will take the
abuse without creating an additional hazard. Other, less safe, types
of Li-Ion batteries will do very bad things (like burst into flames)
if you subject them to abuse.

You wouldn't want to use anything other than a warning
system for over and under voltage. This would cause a hazard greater
than letting the battery "take the abuse". There is no danger in
abusing the battery other than reducing its capacity for later use.

To give you an idea of how tough these batteries are, we
routinely heat these up to 100 C (212 F) in the bike. We routinely
draw 50% more than their rated current. We routinely go below the
minimum voltage (briefly.) We have accidentally over charged some of
these cells. Yet, despite this abuse, we have never had to replace a
single one of the 880 cells in the bike.

These are not the delicate Li-Ion cells that they put in
your laptop or cellphone.

Bill Dube'
bike@KillaCycle.com

4
Hangar Flying / 3.7lbs. Battery
« on: February 07, 2007, 06:03:19 PM »
=================================

As posted by Bill Dube who builds and races electricaly poewered drag
motorcycles.

http://www.killacycle.com

====================================

Well, I said I was going to do it and we finally got the prototype
built.

We just built a 600 cranking amp, 11.5 A-hr, battery that weighs just
3.7 pounds. I've been testing it in my GMC van for the past week here
in the Denver Winter. It snaps the van right over every morning
without a problem. The van cranks faster than it did with the
standard lead-acid battery.

It is smaller than the Odyssey 680 so it fit in the same battery box
with a couple of foam blocks for spacers.
The battery has four status LEDs that tell you the cell balancing
electronics are working OK. We are using A123 Systems M1 cells with
our own custom battery management electronics. The A123 Systems cells
are proven to be the safest Li-Ion cells on the market. No problems
with fires (like laptop cells) because the chemistry they use is
completely different.

The battery can be damaged by running it completely flat (like
leaving the master on) and holding the battery below 8 volts for a
long time. It can also be damaged by charging it over 15.0 volts. It
will likely still function after such abuse, but it won't be nearly
as good as it was originally. If you don't abuse it, it should last
you for many years.

I think we will be in production in about a month, maybe two.

Specs:

3.7 lbs
600 cranking amps
11.5 amp-hr
Approximate maximum dimensions: 3" wide, 5" long, 7" tall (including
terminals)
Charging voltage = 13.8 to 15.0 volts (anywhere in this range is OK)
Nominal voltage = 13.2 volts (Just a touch higher than your typical
lead-acid, so it spins the starter a touch faster.)
Cell cycle life rated at 2000 cycles (80% DOD, 90% capacity
remaining) 10,000 cycles (80% DOD with 50% capacity remaining) @25 C
Cell specs:

<http://www.a123systems.com/html/products/ANR26650M1specs.pdf"http://www.a12

3systems.com/html/products/ANR26650M1specs.pdf>http://www.a123systems.com/ht
ml/products/ANR26650M1specs.pdf

Maintenance free
No heavy metals (iron-phosphate type cells)

At this time, we estimate the retail price will be $595. (Yeah, I
know this is not cheap, but this is the state-of-the-art battery
technology so the parts to make it are not cheap.)

Here is a picture of the prototype. We have it in a clear Lexan case
so we can keep an eye on it. The production battery will have a
smaller opaque case with a clear top lid (terminal end.)
http://www.killacycle.com/photos/aircraft-battery/Prototype1InVan.JPG


We have been racing these cells in the KillaCycle for about a year,
so we know _all_ about them.

<http://www.KillaCycle.com"http://www.KillaCycle.com>http://www.KillaCycle.c
om (Be sure to
watch the movie clip.)



We figured that most folks would want a battery that had the cranking
amps to easily spin the starter and would not care much about the a-hrs.

The cost is directly proportional to the amp-hrs. If we were to go to
16 amp-hrs (it's easy to do) the cost would go up to about $850. The
cranking amps would also go up in proportion too. Figure about $1 per
cranking amp, and about $50 per amp-hr and you won't be far off. The
steps are 2.3 a-hr and 120 cranking amp increments. You pick.

This battery REALLY spins the starter in my GMC van. When I turn on
the key in the morning, the battery voltage is typically 13.4 volts
(instead of 12.8 volts.)

Anyone in the Denver area that flies daily interested in flight
testing one of these? You would get to keep the battery and write
anything you want about it (good or bad) as long as it was truthful.
You would have to inspect it before and after each flight including
noting the voltage and the BMS indicator light status. You must sign
the usual liability waiver we are all now accustomed to of course. :-)

You need to isolate it from over and under voltage as much as you
would your present sealed lead-acid battery. I would suggest a buzzer
connected to a door switch to warn you that you have left the master
on. You should also have a warning light on the panel for over and
under voltage. You should have these already.

Keep in mind that this battery will withstand over and under
voltage. It just "wounds" it much like such mistreatment "wounds"
your present sealed lead-acid battery. This battery will take the
abuse without creating an additional hazard. Other, less safe, types
of Li-Ion batteries will do very bad things (like burst into flames)
if you subject them to abuse.

You wouldn't want to use anything other than a warning
system for over and under voltage. This would cause a hazard greater
than letting the battery "take the abuse". There is no danger in
abusing the battery other than reducing its capacity for later use.

To give you an idea of how tough these batteries are, we
routinely heat these up to 100 C (212 F) in the bike. We routinely
draw 50% more than their rated current. We routinely go below the
minimum voltage (briefly.) We have accidentally over charged some of
these cells. Yet, despite this abuse, we have never had to replace a
single one of the 880 cells in the bike.

These are not the delicate Li-Ion cells that they put in
your laptop or cellphone.

Bill Dube'
bike@KillaCycle.com

5
Hangar Flying / EZ Squadon
« on: February 07, 2007, 05:47:10 PM »
Thank you for all you do for the canard community.Chuck

6
Hangar Flying / Rutan Extra 300 chrash
« on: August 17, 2006, 07:26:41 AM »
Print Article   Email Article
Article Last Updated: 08/16/2006 07:10:07 PM PDT

Plane crashes during aerobatics; pilot hurt
BY CHARLES F. BOSTWICK, Staff Writer

 
 
MOJAVE - An aerobatic plane that was used as a chase plane in test pilot Burt Rutan's historic 2004 space flights crashed and caught fire Wednesday outside the grounds of Mojave Airport, seriously injuring its pilot.
The pilot, whose name was not immediately released, was pulled from the wreckage by firefighters, who also extinguished the small grass fire the crash started.

"He crashed while he was performing aerobatics," Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.

The injured pilot was flown by helicopter to Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield, Kern County sheriff's Sgt. Richard Wood said. Officials at Scaled Composites, Rutan's Mojave-based company, had no immediate comment.

The single-engine Extra 300 airplane belongs to Chuck Coleman, one of Scaled's design engineers. Scaled said it was used to train Scaled's  
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
 
pilot/astronauts before the SpaceShipOne rocket plane flights, and also flew with the SpaceShipOne rocket plane at the end of its flights to assist the rocket plane pilot in landing.

Kern County officials said they did not know why the plane crashed. National Transportation Safety Board officials were called in to investigate.

The crash occurred about 1 p.m. Wednesday about 200 yards north of the airport's northern fence, sheriff's officials said.

7
Hangar Flying / F-14
« on: July 18, 2006, 07:44:45 PM »
Museum's fighter called back to duty
Published: July 18, 2006

 
A U.S. Navy F-14D "Super Tomcat" flies from the CVN-71 U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt during the aircraft's last operational cruise in January 2006 in the Persian Gulf.
John Higgins/AirTeamImages.com
 
 
By LAURENT L.N. BONCZIJK
Of The News Register


The Evergreen Aviation Museum was poised today to take the first step toward addition of a choice piece to its collection - an F-14D Super Tomcat, the fighter plane Tom Cruise flew in the hit film "Top Gun."

But the flareup of violence between the Israeli army and Hezbollah and Hamas militias in Lebanon and Gaza led to a change in plans. The Navy, which had been planning to replace the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt's F-14 Tomcats with newer, more multi-dimensional F-18 Hornets, has decided to instead dispatch the carrier to the Middle East with its current squadron of F-14s - including the one promised to the museum.

According to Colin Powers, Evergreen's director of air restoration, the museum is still in line for the plane, which will be flown into Portland, dismantled there and trucked down to McMinnville for reassembly. But not until its new unscheduled tour ends, and no one yet knows when that will be.

The Navy had originally planned to fly the plane directly into town. It would have been the largest and most powerful jet fighter ever to touch down at the McMinnville Airport.

However, officers eventually concluded that the airport lacked sufficient runway length, and that setting up the cable-hooking mechanism used for F-14 carrier landings wasn't feasible. They decided they would have to fly it into Portland instead.

The plane had been scheduled to make the cross-country flight from Virginia's Naval Air Station Oceana to Oregon's Portland International Airport today, then undergo dismantling in preparation for shipment on to McMinnville by truck - a process expected to take about two weeks.

A four-member crew from the Titan Corporation had already been dispatched from Norfolk, Va., with all of the necessary equipment. But that mission will have to be rescheduled, in light of the developments.

When the plane joins the collection, it will be on permanent loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation. It will join the HK-1 Flying Boat seaplane, SR-71 Blackbird spy plane and Titan II missile among top museum showpieces.

Last used in the bombing of targets in Iraq in October, the plane destined for the museum runs 62 feet in length, 16 feet in height and 38 to 64 feet in width, depending on whether it has its wings fully extended or in swept-back position.

Crews will have to remove its wings, horizontal stabilizer and vertical fins for manageable truck transport and its engines, armaments and ejection seat mechanism for safe museum display. The disassembly in Portland is expected to take about two weeks and the partially reassembly for display is expected to take a like period once it reaches McMinnville.

The plane is part of fighter squadron VF-31, whose insignia features the cartoon character Felix the Cat. The squadron has long been assigned to the Roosevelt, which had been supporting U.S. military operations in Iraq prior to being called home for re-outfitting with F-18 hornets.

The F-14 was designed to provide air superiority over Soviet fighters in dogfights staged in defense of U.S. aircraft carriers. Thus, it did not transition well to other roles, such as the precision bombing called for in Iraq.

VF-31 is one of only two squadrons in the U.S. Navy still flying Tomcats. The Navy, which began taking delivery on them in the early 1970s, has been steadily swapping them out of its carrier-based squadrons in favor of the more versatile Hornets.

8
Hangar Flying / Exhaust pipe retention springs
« on: April 02, 2006, 10:45:06 AM »
I see them on Ebay a lot, Aviation parts. Chuck

9
Hangar Flying / Waiter
« on: February 26, 2006, 10:28:13 AM »
waiter: I've been cutting and splitting wood now for 20years,love the heat. But it is time to change,getting to old to be in the woods alone .Chainsaws are dangerous.pellet stoves are nice but I've have found out about corn burners.If you google it there is a good site from the University of Pennsylvania that is very informative. #2corn is really cheap. Chuck

10
Hangar Flying / our classified section
« on: February 01, 2006, 02:27:23 AM »
A  OK in the Mid- Atlantic

11
Hangar Flying / SPIDER BOX
« on: January 26, 2006, 07:50:48 AM »
Gost-Rider:  There are two new listing for intakes on Ebay. Bids start at 24.95 on both of them. Chuck

12
Hangar Flying / SPIDER BOX
« on: January 19, 2006, 05:35:50 PM »
Ebay list one Continental 0-200 intake spider. Bid starts at 49.95.No bids yet,six days to go. Chuck

13
Hangar Flying / SPIDER BOX
« on: January 19, 2006, 05:27:13 PM »
I see spiders on Ebay a lot. Chuck

14
Hangar Flying / Varieze speed break
« on: September 14, 2005, 08:16:50 PM »
Hi Gilbert:  The paper plans& the CD says 40lb. forty pounds. Chuck

15
Hangar Flying / Varieze speed break
« on: September 06, 2005, 07:14:14 PM »
Hi Gilbert: I've got some more info on the springs. Aircraft Spruce P/N 01-27600,spries 157 wire dia.1.50mm spring O.D.8.85mm length 25.5 cm. I also checked the plans. Screen Door Spring .375x1/16 wire dia. Unstretch length approx. 10". It also says, Adjust the spring (LB-12) tension such that a 40lb pull at the trailing edge will kick the LB20 away from it's stop And automatically close the Brake. If it closes at less than 40lbs tighten LB12 tension. This adjust the brake so it will close itself above 95knts. to prevent overstress. Plans call for two springs. Hope this helps  Chuck

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