Hangar Flying

Hi Guys

I enjoyed talking with several of you.   Unfortunately I am always busy in the middle of
the day so can drop by only after duty is done.

I was disappointed that NOBODY took advantage of the fact that we had a motorhome
with a refrigerator, soft chairs, etc.   It was empty all day while we were on the job.
I hope you can use it some next year (but I am not 100% sure that we will be there
next year; depends on the health situation),   We are always parked in the same place,
within a few feet.

BTW 2009 was the 33rd year that Candy has been a  volunteer at Arlington (started 38
years ago but did not go for 5 years due to conflicts with administration in the 1980s)

That was my 9th year as a volunteer.   Email me for information on volunteering at
bruce@fairpoint.net

This was a great year for me as I found 2 hardback books by E. Gann at the bookstore.
Last year I got 4.   There are still 2 Gann books that I do not have (one of those was
at the bookstore, autographed, for $350; I did not get that one).

I have 4 only in paperback.   Anyone want to sell "Island in the Sky", "Blaze of Noon",
"Benjamin Lawless", "Fate is the Hunter" or "The Encounter" in hardback?

I believe that Gann wrote 24 books.

Bruce Hughes   

OK, that is a fair deal.    BTW we may have some weather; I hope is not too much.
There will be some clouds and rain on Wednesday.  Then it will be "clearing" the
rest of the week.

We are busy all day judging antique/classic aircraft but you can catch me after 5
Wed. if you are there Wed.   We stay in a Dolphin motorhome.   License plate
Washington 308 VWB

I will search around for you, too, after 5 on Wed. and at noon on Thursday.

What is your N number?

Bruce Hughes   

Hi John

If you join the CSA you will get a directory (and 4 newsletters) each year.
The directory will give you an alphabetical listing by people's names and the
city is shown.   There are about 108 names.   I don't know the difference
between Cottonwood and Lemoore so you will  just have to get your own
directory and scan for the cities through the 108 names.

A lot of guys are building or planning to buy plans so you have to scan the
"flying time" column to see if they are really flying.  At least 3 guys have
2000+ hours.

There may be a few guys who are not in CSA so ask about them when you
meet the ones in CSA.

Thirty states have "state representatives" (unpaid).   David Orr is the rep
for California.   You could call him at 949-939-1479

Bruce Hughes

Vandy12

PLEASE tell us your name AND where you live (at least the state).   We can tell you who
lives in your area, from the CSA directory.   Did you join the CSA?   It is a good idea.

Bruce Hughes   

As Joe Person knows that the antenna is a dipole, you don't need a ground plane.

How LONG is the antenna?

Do you know about polarization?  Com antennas are vertically polarized, I believe.
(many canard people have put the antenna in one vertical stabilizer so that is
vertically polarized).

Bruce Hughes   

Hi Marc

There are dogs out there!   You should contact David Orr at canardfinder@worldnet.att.net
or call him at 949-939-1479.   He knows about all or almost all of the decent canard aircraft
for sale.   He charges a fee but it will be worth it to find a decent airplane.

When you find a good prospect get one of the following to check it:
NE - Ken Miller
NW - Dale Martin
SE - Bill Oertel
Rocky Mt - Burrell Sanders
Tennessee - Valerie Harris
There may be others that I don't know about but those are the PROFESSIONAL canard
repair/renovate people that I know.   All are much more knowledgeable that the ordinary
canard driver.  Of course you will pay for their service.

Bruce Hughes   

Hi Gary

We have a very loose organization called CSA (Central States Ass'n) which has 30 state
representatives.   Alfred Coha is the AZ rep.  Call him at 602-546-6646 for more info.

There are about 24 CSA members in Arizona and a few guys who are not in CSA.   You
could also call Don Berlin (520-760-8711) but he may not be finished building yet.

Also Bob Eckes (885-0365) has both a Longeze and a Varieze, I think.

Tell me the names of all of the subdivision cities around Tucson and I can give you
more numbers.

You should consider joining CSA.  $30/year.   Good value for that. 

Bruce Hughes   

Building will go faster if you have someone to help.   However how will you repay
a helper?   Work on his airplane?   Hire him?   I worked alone 99% of the time.

I recalculated my time.   Worked on it 3 days/week before I retired.   Then 7
days a week.  About 48 weeks/year.   Missed 2 years due to a divorce
(building an airplane was only part of the reason for the divorce).   
Now I can work on it only 6 months each year.   So calculations get very
complex.   IF I HAD BUILT EXACTLY TO THE PLANS AND NOT HAD
MISCELLANEOUS PROBLEMS, 4000 hours could have done it.   Maybe others
can do it in 2000 hours.   I changed engines which added 3000 hours.   I believe
that I have 13,000 hours in it and am still not finished.   

I think I can finish in another 25 hours. 

You WILL have unexpected problems.   Probably problems that NOBODY else had.
They will be problems that YOU created.   The more "mods" you make, the more
problems you will get.

The only good mods that I made:   (1) longer nose  (2) NACA duct (but now I
wish I had downdraft cooling)  (3) my own design - see the following:

The passenger/copilot has to put his/her feet somewhere.   The original
design just runs the floor and front bulkhead together at an acute angle.
You MUST put your feet on top of your spare clothes or ?    I put a shelf
down there (the fuselage has to be upside down to do that or you can do
it before the strakes are on and roll it on it's side on top of some sawhorses)

The shelf is actually in 2 pieces with little pull tabs on the edges so you can
get the shelf out.   You can put stuff under the shelf BUT it is hard to get
the stuff out once it is in there.   You have to avoid interfering with the
springs and mechanism of the landing brake, too.   The shelf, of course,
has to be a little wider than the length of your shoe.

Bruce Hughes