Mark

Yeah, I have my panel in and about to do the wiring. I bought the AeroVee trim system and their spinner (which is solid ally and quite heavy). There was a bit to do to get the brakes operational. I am going to try motor bike hand leavers to give independent braking, mounted on the floor under my knees. Starting to think about fabric. Mark

Still building ..... Hi Brett, My Aerovee is sitting on the front now and has been there for a while now. I have built the cowls and made cut outs for the rocker covers to fit through. Maybe one day I will shape the fiberglass around them. I have fitted a Sweetapple prop 56"D x 38"P. Fitting the leading edges onto the wings this weekend and had the seats covered this week. It is all coming together slowly. Mark

Hi Ducks, and other Aeropup builders, I wanted to ask is there any good reason for making the port side panel hinged rather than being fixed like the starboard side? I guess it is intended for access to the back of the firewall and the rudder pedals but I question is this needed once the plane is built? My concern is that it may take a bit more work to make and I thought a good chance that it might become a bit untidy over time for little advantage. Any thoughts? And if you are looking for a destination in NSW you can drop in here at Inverell. I have plenty of room in the hangar at Warialda (YWRL)if you want to stay over. Regards, Mark

Good work Brett. I have just about done all I can do on my wings until I get the fuselage in July. I have my Aerovee motor half built with the crank case together. This weekend I plan to have the barrels and heads on and and the flywheel and electrics together and it will be all done. Mark

Good news Brett, where do you think you will start? Mark

Good one Brett, I am sure we will be able to make things work out well. Mark

Hi Brett, No Brett, I have not considered how it will fit inside the cowl however I expect a bit of fibreglass work will sort things out. My biggest concern is the engine mount. Paul has also contacted me re the aerovee and if it became a popular engine option then maybe JC could be persuaded to manufacture the mount as an option to buyers. I think the motor offers affordable 80 hp in a simple robust motor. The kit is well supported with manual, DVD etc and Sonex proved very good to deal with. It took 6 months from ordering to receiving by sea freight. You need to add approximately AU$2000 to the US$ price for exchange rate and freight. Regards, Mark

Hi Paul, I have not been at this site for a few days however I am making progress on the wings. I have also posted some photos on a blog at http://marksaeropup.blogspot.com I glued the spars to the rib on the right wing this week and am now working out how to drill the holes for the bracing pockets. I found it took quite a long time to get all the ribs assembled, painted etc. I have found Paul McGuire at Aviation Parts & Equipment (Ph 0297962733) very helpful and excellent service for supply of materials. Happy building, Mark

Hi Ducks, Congratulations on getting the Aeropup to this stage. I have followed your progress over the last 12 months on Leighs Airlines site. I have just begun my Aeropup project this month and like Paul I have begun with the timber work on the ribs. I often visit Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast and would appreciate the opportunity to have a look at the finished product. It is likely that I will be up that way towards the end of this month. Would it be possible to meet, have a look and ask a few questions? Regards, Mark

Sounds good Paul, are you going to seal/paint the timber ribs in any way? Would need to be a product compatible with the solvents/products used for the wing fabric. Mark

Hi Fellow Builders, My wing kit arrived in three heavy boxes last week. It looks as though I have plenty to start with however there was no list of contents to check off against and the folded aileron sheets were not a matched pair. Something I will sort out with John in due course. I have located a small magnetic (to hold the sheet in place) folding machine in town and folding the aileron and flap ribs will be the first job next weekend. If I can work out how I will post a couple of photos. How did the factory seem Paul? I intend to pick-up the fuselage and have a look then. Mark

Forum members, Good news, I received an email from John Cotton to say that my wing kit is crated and ready for dispatch. I am currently making freight arrangements to get this part of the kit here to me in Inverell, NSW before Christmas. I have holidays in January so the timing is quite good. My Aerovee motor is on the docks in Brisbane and should be ready for release next week. Both kits should arrive here about the same time. Mark

Paul McGuire at Aviation Parts and Equipment in Sydney 0297962733 and Aviaquip in Melbourne are both able to supply all fabric and covering requirements for both popular US systems. Mark

Hi Paul & Brett, I purchased my order at the end of June and still no word from JC about a delivery date. There may be a message in that for us all. When I last spoke with John, two weeks ago, it seemed the wings were not far away. I was planning to freight this part of the kit to me here in Inverell NSW so that I could get started and then travel down to the factory in January to pick up the fuselage etc. My Aerovee motor is half way across the Pacific on a boat to arrive in Brisbane port at the end of November. It will be fun to track each other progress, I plan to post photos on this forum. Regards, Mark

Hi Brett, No not yet. I was speaking to John Cotton on the weekend and he was suggesting that issues with the supply of folded ailerons and flaps and welded fuel tanks were nearly resolved and so my wing kit was 'not far away now'. I guess I will just have to wait and see. The aerovee motor is sitting in a container on the wharf at Los Angeles and should be in Brisbane by the end of November. I expect that I will be underway with the project by December. Mark

Hi Fred, Thanks for this suggestion a while back. My Aerovee will be shipped in October and I plan to build the mount in January. Do you have engineering drawings or photos of the mount that I could take measurements off or at least take a look at to get started? Mark

Hi Curandero & fellow Aeropup owners and builders. Like Brett I hope to get started soon. I have my order placed and paid for and hoping to hear from John soon about delivery time. Curandero makes some interesting observations. What motor option did you choose and what prop pitch and diameter do you have? Is 53kts with full flaps? Hope you can sort it all out. Mark

Thanks for the suggestion Murray. I will look up the Whisper web site. You must be happy with your experience of the AeroVee. It sounds like a simple but reliable motor, direct drive and dual ignition. Sometimes the simple things are the best. Mark

Hi Knighty, Yes you were correct. I have ordered the AeroVee, it should be dispatched in September. When I mentioned options I was referring to building the engine mount. I would want to discuss this with John but I will wait until I have more technical detail on the engine such as the position of the engine mounting bolts etc. I will also discuss the mount with the tech people at Sonex, I am confident they will be helpful. Performance metals have also referred me to Aeroweld at Balina as a business close to me who may be able to assist. I have not had the opportunity to speak with them yet. Thanks for your interest. Mark V

Hi Folks, As I have mentioned earlier on this thread I hope to pick up my Aeropup kit in October. The idea of having a separate forum seems a great way to support and promote this Aussie industry. I would be happy to contribute my experience to the dedicated forum. Mark V

Thanks for the contribution Knighty. I have only just placed my order and John was most keen on the Jab option. However I like the VW and I am optimistic that it will be a good thing. Once the project becomes more advanced and I get to know JC better then I will talk to him about the options. All the reports I have of the Aeropup and building from the kit are positive. Has this been your experience? Are you happy with the final outcome and is it all that you expected? What is the HP of your Subaru engine and why did you go with that? Thanks for your offer of assistance, how does it work here that I can contact you directly. Cheers, Mark

Does anyone have any experience of this 80hp VW conversion, supplied as a kit from the US? I have just ordered one which should arrive in October. The following comes from the Sonex website. "The AeroVee 2.0 is a complete VW Conversion Engine Kit Package, by AeroConversions, a product line of Sonex Aircraft, LLC. The AeroVee 2.0 package is a 2180 cc, 80 hp Aero-Engine that can be run on 100LL or Auto Fuel. The complete package weighs 161 lbs complete! All of the supplied components are brand-new, zero-time parts. The AeroVee comes as a complete kit that you can assemble yourself in approximately 12 hours, with the aid of an AeroVee Assembly Manual and an instructional DVD." I plan to install it in a Aeropup. I should get the kit for that about the same time. Designing and building the engine mount is something I do not know much about yet. Any comments would be appreciated. Mark

This thread is of great interest to me. Last week I made the first payment on a Aeropup kit which I hope to pick up in October. My rational was that I currently fly a single seat N3-PUP and I wanted more of the same in something a bit bigger. I purchased this PUP second hand and I like to know all about what I am flying and thought the best way to achieve that was to build it first. I have seen Leighs photos on the web site and the first thing I noticed was the three bay shed large enough for the plane rigged with the wings. I only have a one bay shed and I am hoping I can work on one piece at a time,fuselage, wing or wing. I am excited at the prospect and expecting to have to solve one problem at a time. Mark V