EAA Chapter 81 Project Meeting Minutes
November 21, 2009
Meeting was called to order by President Duane Boyd at 1000 at the garage/workshop of Bob Miller.
Treasurer’s Report: Mick Myal tells us that we have $3220.05 in the bank. He also reminded us that annual dues of $20 must be paid by the end of the year and are payable now.
Secretary’s Report: Bob Miller read the minutes of the October 17 Meeting. He was remarkably brief, probably saving his wind for the project demonstration to come.
Old Business: It was confirmed that the Christmas Dinner would be held at El Corral restaurant on Wednesday 12/9/09 at 1800 hours. Those who had not yet paid up/selected from the limited menu were informed by notoriously flint-hearted Lori that no reservation = no dinner.
John Harlow, Forum Coordinator for the Copperstate Fly-In, reported that, on the busiest day, Saturday, they ran out of parking space for both cars and airplanes. Many of us participated or volunteered, and we can be proud of having put on a very successful event in a financially challenging year. John also lets us know that we can send 2 Cadets to Air Academy Oshkosh every year; he handed out applications for candidate submissions. Applicants must be 14 years old or under. Joe Seibold is again soliciting entries for his Pilot Profiles. This only requires that a person who has built his or her plane contact Joe and allow a brief interview (plane must be present and photographable), and Joe will do all the rest, including photography and framing of the Profile for our meeting room. There is no charge for this service.
New Business: Several guests were present at this meeting,
including Rick Brown, who flies a Cygnet, an experimental side-by-side two-seat
tail-dragger with VW power and an unusual shoulder wing design. The wings are actually swept forward at the
tips; this allows exceptional forward visibility, both in taxi and in
flight. One climbs aboard through ½ of
the center-hinged windshield! Other newcomers were Kory Klismith, an A-10
driver who is building a Murphy Elite, and Michael Lock, member of Chapter 129
in
Chuck Valade, a Chapter 81 Technical Counselor, informed us of a Safety Bulletin issued for the Pober Baby Ace because of rudder pedal assembly failures. Drawings are available for how to beef it up. He also apprised us of the issuance of a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin by the FAA on 11/7/09, regarding the Zenith Zodiac 601XL and the CH650. Special Light Sport Aircraft (SLSAs) and Experimental/Amateur-Built aircraft do not receive ADs (Airworthiness Directives), as do other certificated aircraft. In this exceptional case, because of seven crashes caused by structural failures, the FAA has “urged” owners of these aircraft not to fly until wing maintenance is performed to conform to this Bulletin. Chuck, along with builders present at this meeting familiar with the aircraft, has made it clear that these are neither simple nor easy modifications. Also, in the LSA arena, the new RV-12 has already had 15 modifications suggested. Joe Seibold is scrapping his partially constructed 601, but did not appear to be too upset, as he passed around baby-pictures of his brand new Czech Aeroworks Sport Cruiser. This is a sleek all-aluminum LSA which, at first glance, resembles a fixed-gear Lancair. Joe already has 100 hours on his new hot-rod and is very happy with it. He also reminded us that the Davis-Monthan Air Show will be held March 19 and 20, 2010, and the replica De Havilland DH-4 mail plane built by Roy McCaldin will be exhibited. Eric Witherspoon has changed out the com radio and repaired a fuel leak on his Sonex. Bruce Noon informed us that he has the capacity to incorporate photos of our aircraft into the Webpage, and encourages submissions.
The business portion of the
meeting was adjourned at 1045, and, finally,
Bob Miller was unleashed, to present his Kitfox project presentation. As Bob has, admittedly, not installed a single
part on his airplane since his last Project Meeting a year ago, one might
expect this to be a very brief meeting. Those
who might think this, however, don’t know Bob, who always has plenty to
say. His smallish 2-car garage (20 feet
square) has been converted into a workshop in the past year. Here is a report of the progress made: It now has overhead fluorescent lighting, with
a new breaker box for both 110V and 220V outlets. Compressed air, electric power, and a trouble
light, all on retractable reels, can now reach any part of the shop. Portable heating and refrigeration units make
it habitable year-round and, in case it gets really warm, a fire extinguisher has been mounted. He has laboriously restored his father’s old
12 inch radial saw and installed (and polished off the rust on) the drill press
(storing it in the humid laundry room was a mistake). The saws are all on casters and can be pushed
outside for messy work, and Bob has installed an on-off switch on the table saw
he borrowed from Mick Myal. A new,
combination belt and disc sander awaits its first use, as does a rotary
grinding tool. Bob has installed two
bench vises; an expandable aluminum one for wood work, and his dad’s old heavy
steel one for tougher jobs. The heavy
vise and the sander are mounted on a plywood board, clamped to the main
workbench, so they can be moved easily to make room. New parts bin shelves hold spare parts not
included in the normal Kitfox inventory, which is very complete, but provides
no spares. The desk has a portable
stereo for entertainment (and to drown out the cussing), and the requisite
risqué wall calendar completes the ambience of Bob’s
In discussing his project, Bob reprised a small part of the forum he presented at this year’s Copperstate: A History of Kitfox Aircraft. He happily noted that, in its 25-year history, no Kitfox has suffered an in-flight structural failure, even in the hands of aerobatic performer Jim Younkin. The project begins with the factory-made, fully-welded and powder-coated chrome moly fuselage of a Kitfox Series 5 Vixen. This is a relatively rare bird, as the swept-tail Vixen only was offered in the 6 years (1994-1999) that the series 5 was produced. All Model I-IV Kitfoxes, and all Series 6 and 7 (to date), as well as all tail wheel models, have straight tails. The Vixen, and its tail wheel counterpart, the Safari, were later marketed as the Voyager and Outback, respectively. Although there are both tricycle and tail wheel versions of the Series 5, they are not convertible, as are the Series 6 and 7. The Series 5 aircraft were notably larger and more comfortable than their predecessors, and were intended for 4-stroke engines ranging from an 80HP Rotax up to the 125 HP Lycoming. This project will most likely have the best-power-to-weight compromise currently available, the well-proven 100HP Rotax 912S and a smooth (non-bump) cowling. Already installed are the dual sticks, control column, flaperon mixer, elevator push-pull tube, rudder pedals, floor boards, and brake master cylinders. The console top is also in place, as are the dual rudder-pedal adjustment handles. Bob demonstrated the very complete factory assembly manual and the comprehensive parts inventory list. The next step in construction will be the installation of the rudder cables. In preparation, he had found every part required for this assembly from the inventory list and laid them out on the workbench. Joe Seibold loaned Bob his cable cutters and was about to lend his swaging tool as well, when Bob realized that he already had one but didn’t recognize what it was! In certifying amateur-built aircraft, the FAA specifies the purposes as “recreation and education.” Both are well-represented here as Bob is about to figure out how to swage Nicopress fittings. Now that his shop is done, he promises to have at least one new part installed on the airplane before he again offers it up as a Project Meeting. When asked when the project will be completed, he answered, “Tuesday.” Thanks to a plentiful supply of donuts, coffee, and even brownies, and the usual wonderful camaraderie of Chapter 81, a great time was had by all. Next meeting is the Christmas Dinner, to be followed by the next Chapter Meeting at the Ryan Field meeting room on Saturday, January 16.
Respectfully Submitted by
Secretary Bob Miller