Table of Contents
April 2018 Issue
Builder Spotlight
How Dan West put a Vortech supercharger on his RV-8. By Tom Wilson.
Riveting the assembly, part 3. By Paul Dye.
Around the World and Over Both Poles
Sky Polaris-a historic flight in an RV-8, part 2. By Don Pearsall.
If you're going to design the perfect airplane, which piece do you work on first? By Lewis Bjork.
CozyJet dead-stick. Losing an engine was the least of the problems. It was a brake fire that almost destroyed this one-of-a-kind homebuilt. By Ryszard Zadow.
Shop Talk
A second life for Cleco pliers. By Jon Croke.
Buckin' where the sun don't shine. By KITPLANES� Staff.
Rebuilding the MATCO MC-4 master cylinder. By Dave Prizio.
Home shop heat treating. By Bob Hadley.
Be a fan fan. By Jim Weir.
Missing baffling screws. By Vic Syracuse.
Shop Tips
Exploring
Traveling machine. By Paul Dye.
So, what's the Homebuilt Council? By Vic Syracuse.
Through new eyes. By Tom Wilson.
Fast and Smooth
The Tarragon invades America!
The Tarragon is a new (to the U.S. market) plane from Europe, a fast, sexy-looking craft built for the Light Sport market across the pond, but selling as a kit in the U.S. for the Experimental/Amateur-Built market. Why not market it here as a Light Sport? Retractable gear, a constant-speed prop, and a speed that significantly exceeds the 120-knot LSA limit. And the truth is, while those things might disappoint a Sport Pilot, they are significant plusses for someone looking for a new E/A-B.
West with the Wind
How Dan West put a Vortech supercharger on his RV-8.
Well built and equipped, Dan West’s RV-8 is a full-featured daily flyer with racing pretensions. There’s no bleeding edge aerodynamics going on here as the tiedown rings and antenna farm attest. That means its 240+mph TAS at altitude comes down to muscular engine power and efficient prop thrust.
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This Searey amphibian was built over a three year period by owners Bob Schmitz and Glen Clarke in Nelson, British Columbia, Canada. Initial flights in September 2018 were trouble-free with the normal adjustments. Aircraft details :Searey LSX s/n 1LK597C, fiberglas hull, Friese ailerons, manual flaps, empty weight 994 lb, gross weight 1500lb. It is powered …
Sometime after my grandfather passed away I ran across a curious photo of him in an airplane. Turns out he was one of the first aviators in the newly formed aviation division of the Austro-Hungarian Empire's military. No one in the family ever told me about it, not even he. The airplane turned out to … Continue reading "Michel Fithian-Eyb's 1912 Etrich Taube Series F Replica"
After three years and 1,800 hours of construction, I'm proud to acknowledge the first flight of my Rotax 912 ULS powered Van's RV-12 E-LSA, serial number 120850, N850VH, on May 20, 2017, at Archuleta County Stevens Field (KPSO) Pagosa Springs, Colorado, field elevation 7,664' (morning density altitude well over 9,000'). It is equipped with a …
At Sun 'n Fun 2018 we interviewed Jeff Schans, Lycoming's Sales manager and we asked about the popular Thunderbolt Engines. Watch the short Product Minute video as Jeff describes the benefits of the Thunderbolt product line and what it means for the aircraft homebuilder.
Dynon Avionics' latest-generation SkyView integrated avionics called the SkyView HDX has a newly designed bezel and user controls for easier use while flying in turbulence, plus brighter displays and a reworked touch interface. Larry Anglisano takes a product tour of the HDX with Dynon's Michael Schoefield in this video.
At Sun 'n Fun 2016, Dynon continued to push into the world of non-certified avionics with its SkyView SE, a less expensive version of its popular SkyView EFIS system. Paul Bertorelli prepared this video report.
The G5 is a self-contained electronic flight instrument, which can be interfaced with Garmin's G3X/Touch avionics and autopilot for backup and flight instrument redundancy. The GMA245 and remote GMA245R Bluetooth audio panels have advanced entertainment input functions and onscreen programming.
At Sun 'n Fun 2016, Just Aircraft is showing off its new Titan-powered SuperSTOL XL. Harrison Smith took Paul Bertorelli for a half-day demo flight in the new airplane, and here's his video report.
Kit manufacturer Zenith Aircraft Company has released a new 360-degree VR short video to showcase its kit aircraft and to promote the rewarding hobby of kit aircraft building and flying light-sport aircraft.
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