Soleair

Just on the engine, forgot to say: as well as being 10kg lighter & electric start, the MZ also makes 30% more power than the Rotax 503. (And this is reportedly borne out in real world experience rather than ideal dyno numbers). (Sorry, I just really like my new engine.)

I have now collected my brand new shiny Compact Radial Engines MZ202 from Sydney Airport. And what a splendid piece of kit it is! I tried various import agents to get a price on the handling of Australian customs, etc. The shipping was organized by CRE in Canada. I shortlisted 3 agents, based on their response to my initial telephone call (which was identical for all 6 or 7 I contacted). I got quotes from all three. These varied from $960 to $294. Remember this is just for dealing with the paperwork to import, plus local airport charges (which are legion) - not the cost of freight or the Greedy Sod's Tax added to the value of the engine + freight cost. I went with the cheapest, & received faultless service and excellent communication via both phone & email. No problems at any point, and based on this very low sample (of 1!) I can certainly recommend the agent I used. This is SAC Import Clearance. The contact is the lovely Ms Chris McKirdy. (I think she is the main man). For the sake of interest, the engine weighed 52kg & was well packed in a cardboard box - NO WOOD! The air freight charge from British Columbia to Sydney was 498USD. I researched all the engines I could find in the 45 - 65hp bracket, and shortlisted to the Rotax 582 & the MZ202. In the end I went for the MZ because it was lighter and forced fan cooled, so no hassle or increased frontal area to accommodate the radiator. Incidentally, I weighed both my old Rotax 503 & the MZ202, using the same scales, and the MZ is almost exactly 10kg lighter than the 503. And the MZ is electric start vs. the rope started Rotax. And as a final bonus, the cost of the MZ202 fully landed & arrived at my shed was less than the Rotax 582. OK, there is the difficulty of lack of dealership in Oz, but Leon Massa at CRE is very easy to talk to, and extremely helpful. And given these engines are standard fitment on Mosquito helicopters, where they run at sustained high revs most of their life, I do not expect too many issues running at <75% power on my MiniMax. Sorry - I digress and apologize for the thread drift. Bruce

(I posted the following in another thread, but couldn't help copying it to here as it has some relevance. Apologies to those who have already read it.) I was working at Sandown Airfield in the 80's when an instructor with a student pilot suffered a heart attack and passed out. I was listening on the radio in a firetruck by the runway as the CFI talked the student round circuits and low passes, and eventually to a landing. The landing was very good; the instructor was still unconscious and the pilot very calm. It was his second flight ever! His biggest concern was that his wife would suss what he'd been up to in the resulting publicity, because he'd told her he was playing golf! Bruce

I expect to adopt an oval pattern in my MiniMax (when it is eventually finished) for the same reason Spitfire & carrier pilots used it: visibility over the low wing. Since the Max's wing is at cockpit level, it does blanket nearly all sight of the airfield when flying with wings level. A gentle bank from downwind to final means the runway can be kept in sight at all times. It's either that or a slipped final. Bruce

I expect to adopt an oval pattern in my MiniMax (when it is eventually finished) for the same reason Spitfire & carrier pilots used it: visibility over the low wing. Since the Max's wing is at cockpit level, it does blanket nearly all sight of the airfield when flying with wings level. A gentle bank from downwind to final means the runway can be kept in sight at all times. It's either that or a slipped final. Bruce

Pylon, I was asking Downunder, who quoted my post in the the one immediately before mine.

Note to self: do not get into an inverted spin.

Purely as an observation on the 2nd pic, I would prefer to see one of the jury struts the other side of the cleat to minimize bending of the bolt. Bruce

Beautiful welding, HIC. Do you have to normalize or otherwise heat treat the material after welding? ISTR if you heat steel above its Upper Critical Temperature the grain reorganizes itself, which may affect ductility, etc? Or is it not necessary? Which model welder do you have? Bruce

Interesting observations. Your point on the escalation of structure weight to accommodate a larger engine could perhaps be addressed by using a 2-stroke engine. I realize there is a deep seated mistrust - even contempt - for these engines from some, but I wonder how much of this is based on first hand experience with a modern 2 stroke, as opposed to 3rd or 4th hand anecdotal assertions. Using a lighter engine means lower structure weight and therefore increased useful load. True this is offset to some extent by the higher fuel burn, but even here modern 2 strokes are considerably improved on say, Rotax 503 levels. Properly looked after & operated, 2 strokes can be as reliable as 4 strokes (perhaps even more reliable than some [pause to don flak jacket]). This is unsurprising considering a single cylinder 2 stroke has just 3 moving parts. And as you point out, they are considerably cheaper. They don't sound as nice, though . . . Bruce

L.ove the bearing jig, and the wrap templates. A bit of CAD time obviously saving hours of fettling there. The portable workbench is a good solution to limited workshop space. Mine was to leave the car outside to take its chances :) Are you happy that the (19mm?) plywood top will stay completely flat as is? From your pix there doesn't appear to be any supports under the outer edges. My concern would be that it may warp in your sunny Qld weather. I welded my workbench from 50 x 100 box, then put a 19mm chipboard top on, followed by a second 19mm melamine board. That gave me a nice white plasticized surface to draw on, glue on, screw to, etc. It is 14'6" long by 4' wide (sorry about the mixed units - I'm building an American plane), and is flat & level to as near as dammit. It's also very solid! Pic of framework here: http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag145/beragooBruce/016Medium_zps1db12389.jpg I am looking forward to seeing your STOL progress - more power to your Tig hand. Bruce

Watching with great interest. Excellent list of objectives. Do try to keep the momentum going! Bruce

Good to know the professionals are using this system too! Which aircraft do you fly?

I've just fitted my elevator trim using a Bowden cable in tension working against a spring on the upper half of the actuating horn on the elevator. I hope I have provided sufficient spring load to guard against flutter. . . I couldn't find a robust enough push-pull cable for my budget: even Bowden tension cable was cheaper to import from UK. And some years ago, PTFE liners were readily available for Bowden outers. you pushed them down the inside and they gave a silky smooth operation of the inner. Couldn't find them anywhere for my trim setup. Bruce

I suspect they want you to answer c), but it is very poorly worded. In my view, 'chord line' is a line joining the leading edge radius to the trailing edge. Chord line does not have a length. Chord does, but is not mentioned in the questions.

Scotty, I'm going to be importing an engine from Canada very soon, so I'm watching this thread with great interest. Bruce

span squared over area Bruce

Nor the dreaded Double Diamond! I was working at Sandown Airfield in the 80's when an instructor with a student pilot suffered a heart attack and passed out. I was listening on the radio in a firetruck by the runway as the CFI talked the student round circuits and low passes, and eventually to a landing. The landing was very good; the instructor was still unconcious, and the pilot very calm. It was his second flight ever! His biggest concern was that his wife would suss what he'd been up to in the resulting publicity, because he'd told her he was playing golf! Ah, them were t'days. . . Bruce

I'm relying on you to do my research for me, Rick. I live the other side of the Blue Mountains, and Mudgee is my nearest airfield (metal & grass strips). But as I'm still building, I haven't done any active scouting yet. I fancy a flight out to Katoomba, but that would be a major cross country for a MiniMax! Good luck in finding a nice airfield. I used to fly out of Sandown on the Isle of Wight. That was a great little grass strip. Bruce

All excellent advice. However, if while you're busy saving , studying, prioritising, and staying home to save money you want the occasional fix to keep you fixated, try gliding. It's cheaper & even a couple of TIF's will make you a better powered pilot. Bruce

Fortunately.

And the resulting change in thrust line will be minimal due to the change in 'angle of dangle' also being minimal. And well within the pitch control ability of the pilot. Bruce

Engine burn, or replacement engine cost, is right up there as one of the highest elements, which all bar IBails have failed to factor in. Bruce

Helicopters are an abomination. If they were meant to fly, they'd have wings. Ugly, nasty, noisy, rattly things. And talk about high maintenance. . . cheaper to run a glider and a mistress. Bruce

I resemble that remark! (http://www.recreationalflying.com/threads/getting-a-round-tuit.48985 ) Bruce