Just wanted to let everyone know that Kitplanes did an article on my airplane and me and it will be in the April 2011 issue. Apparently they saw my pictures in Zenith's photo albums and asked to contact me. The interview was done the latter part of May 2010 right after the 1st generation fat fin heads developed a crack between the valves in the number two cylinder that let the seat move around. I mentoned this event in an earlier post. I was a little less than optimistic about the vw at this time and the article copy reflects my my mood at that time.
I'm a " the glass is half full" kind of guy and I just call things like I see it. It's either back or white, I don't see things in shades of gray. I figured out that there are more people who stretch the truth in the homebuilt community than anywhere else on the planet. At first I believed all the hype people were spewing, the performance, weight, temperature, fuel consumption claims because I WANTED it to be true and in the end I found out the truth. Thats about the time when I decided to take matters into my own hands and fix it. I also came to the conclusion that I had to tell the truth, how many times have you heard about experimental planes not meeting published performance figures?
I promised from this point on that I would always tell the truth, be honest and open with my experience and data, and for that I have caught the most hell. Like I said earlier, if you don't tell people what they WANT to hear then you are an idiot. I have had some tell me that the "expert" says you need to do this or that after thay didn't get the expected response from me in regards to performance. Guys, I just tell the truth. I've just about tried it all.
The important thing to remember when you read the article is the time when the interview was done. I just told the truth. Since the interview a lot has happened, 9 months has elasped, hours have been flown. I have flown the plane a total of 35.5 hours since the installation of the Generation Two heads, this includes flying through the summer (and winter) as well as a total of 54 full power takeoffs and climbs........ with no issues what so ever. What does this mean? Nothing really. Only extensive testing will prove the viability of the heads. When, or rather if I get a couple hundred trouble free hours on this thing then I'll have to say Bob and I are on to something, so I guess I'll just have to keep flying.
I flew this evening for another hour and had a wonderful time, I just get in the plane after a preflight and go at full power with no special handling. That throttle is tight against the panel while I climb to whatever altitude I want and thats it, tonight was a 3000 foot climb in excess of 8 gph and the cht never got over 320. I'm finally happy and hope this thing holds together. When I logged the trip tonight I took the time to actually go back total everything up, I've been estimating the times in some of my other communications.
The condition inspection is due the end of the month and I intend to take pictures of the combustion chambers if possible when I borescope the cylinders. I'll post them here if they work out.
I have the steel to build the jigs for the dual plug conversion and 'll get on that after I get the inspection done.
I'm a " the glass is half full" kind of guy and I just call things like I see it. It's either back or white, I don't see things in shades of gray. I figured out that there are more people who stretch the truth in the homebuilt community than anywhere else on the planet. At first I believed all the hype people were spewing, the performance, weight, temperature, fuel consumption claims because I WANTED it to be true and in the end I found out the truth. Thats about the time when I decided to take matters into my own hands and fix it. I also came to the conclusion that I had to tell the truth, how many times have you heard about experimental planes not meeting published performance figures?
I promised from this point on that I would always tell the truth, be honest and open with my experience and data, and for that I have caught the most hell. Like I said earlier, if you don't tell people what they WANT to hear then you are an idiot. I have had some tell me that the "expert" says you need to do this or that after thay didn't get the expected response from me in regards to performance. Guys, I just tell the truth. I've just about tried it all.
The important thing to remember when you read the article is the time when the interview was done. I just told the truth. Since the interview a lot has happened, 9 months has elasped, hours have been flown. I have flown the plane a total of 35.5 hours since the installation of the Generation Two heads, this includes flying through the summer (and winter) as well as a total of 54 full power takeoffs and climbs........ with no issues what so ever. What does this mean? Nothing really. Only extensive testing will prove the viability of the heads. When, or rather if I get a couple hundred trouble free hours on this thing then I'll have to say Bob and I are on to something, so I guess I'll just have to keep flying.
I flew this evening for another hour and had a wonderful time, I just get in the plane after a preflight and go at full power with no special handling. That throttle is tight against the panel while I climb to whatever altitude I want and thats it, tonight was a 3000 foot climb in excess of 8 gph and the cht never got over 320. I'm finally happy and hope this thing holds together. When I logged the trip tonight I took the time to actually go back total everything up, I've been estimating the times in some of my other communications.
The condition inspection is due the end of the month and I intend to take pictures of the combustion chambers if possible when I borescope the cylinders. I'll post them here if they work out.
I have the steel to build the jigs for the dual plug conversion and 'll get on that after I get the inspection done.
Wayne, the article was good. I was disappointed with the comment about saving for a Rotax, but see now that was a while ago. Why a jig for dual plugs, there are dual plug heads readily available. Are you thinking about different placement? Are you concerned about cracking with two plugs? Have you tried the American made heads? Have you tried welding with mig and aluminum wire? If my BMW does not work out, I plan to go VW. Ray
ReplyDeleteLook at the post I made under More Thoughts, the first head is an american made head. It is solid by the valve guide. While there are dual plug heads available you are locked into what the supplier sells, you have no choice of castings all of which I have looked at, and currently fly are solid. The second thing is the length of the bottom plug and the way it is machined into the head, On the heads I purchased already machined I specified the 12mm x 3/4 reach top plug (for strength) with dual plug option with the understanding they were 10mm on the bottom. When the heads cam in the plugs were 10mm diameter by 10mm reach which makes the head very thin on the bottom and there isn't much thread there to hold the plug in. On my first set I machined the plugs myself in about a day, removed just what material that was needed and I used a 15mm reach plug. To me it was a much better installation with less material removed from the head. So yes I'm afraid of cracking on the bottom set. I saved the cost of machining for a days worth of work also.
ReplyDeleteI have not tried mig welding a fin on but others have. I feel it would work fine, anything to get them to stick, it's much faster than tig. I just didn't have a spool gun for my mig or I would have done it that way. Just my two cents worth.
Wayne