Today, I worked with Keith to match drill the Y-Tail Doubler Strap supplied with WIX-SB-001 to the existing holes in the rear spar of the empennage. It was a good idea to remove the empennage from the fuselage. This job would have been impossible to do while the tail was on the aircraft.
After drilling the Doubler Strap, Keith and I proceeded to reinstall the tail on the aircraft. We noticed that the forward spars of the Y-tail did not want to sit flat on the fuselage. There is a little bit of twist to the empennage, but torquing the bolts on the Lower Fwd Angle that hold the empennage to the fuselage should remove it.
The aft fuselage C-Channel had to be widened slightly with seamers to accommodate the doubler. It's a tight spot, and all the pop rivet tails don't help!
A John Schmidt helped me to some free "AN" nylocs to use when reassembling the tail. After getting most of the bolts in, we stripped out one of the free nylocs while torquing it to spec ... not good. We removed it and discovered that it, and all the other free nylocs, were non-magnetic (unlike all the other nylocs I had in my little hardware stash). This cast doubt on the whole lot of free nylocs. Fortunately, John Koser was around and let us into his hardware cabinet where we found good nuts. Thanks John! Keith and I took out all the bad hardware and started over.
John Koser also gave us some bolts. Keith and I discovered that some Sonex-specified bolts were too long and were shanking-out. Keith's bolts (one dash number shorter) allowed us to avoid needing to double-washer. This is a common problem on the aircraft.
Some bolts on the left side of the doubler could not be installed with washers under their heads due to interference with the rudder. The bolts are in shear, so this won't be an issue. The only alternative would have been to move the fuselage side of the rudder hinge aft by approximately 1/8", requiring half the hinge to be remade.
It was a really hot, sweaty day with lots of fiddly work. Keith and I did not want to cut an inspection panel in the aircraft if we didn't absolutely have to. We fed all the hardware down into the tight space of the aft fuselage with magnets and torqued things with wrenches taped to extensions as sweat dripped from our foreheads. With the job about halfway done, we decided to quit for the day.
Thursday 29 August 2013
Wednesday 28 August 2013
Trip #2 - 2
After speaking with Dick yesterday, I decided that it would be best for him to do the engine work for me. So, I picked up the engine from Further Performance and dropped it off at Dick's shop/home in Wayzata. Dick and I discussed options for the engine. Keith had said yesterday that he felt his Sonex didn't have enough power with the stock AeroVee. I decided to go hog wild. Dick was charged with performing the following work:
By the time I arrived at the Airlake Airport, the morning was gone. Keith has been back to the hangar and had finished removing W0014's empennage with the help of his brother, Bruce. Keith had also manufactured the doubler bars needed for the forward spar carry-through reinforcement required by WIX-SB-001. Since all aircraft are slightly different, Sonex supplies 7/8" aluminum bar stock and expects owner/builders to make this part. Thanks to Keith and Bruce! It was quite a surprise to arrive at the hangar and find these tasks done!
The battery was totally flat. I hooked it up to a charger and it got quite hot - not taking a charge! I'm not surprised since it has sat for so long. It's time to replace it. There are lightweight lithium options now - I'll have to investigate ...
I drained all the old fuel from the fuel tank and put it in my rental car to burn. I left the tank open to ventilate. The cockpit smells strongly of fuel: I will need to fix the fuel seep at the tank sump. For those not familiar, the Sonex plastic tanks are notorious for leaking at the moulded-in fittings. Over-torque them once (and it doesn't take much) and you're screwed. To fix this problem, Sonex supplies Oops Fittings. They are an elegant solution, but would be a pain in the butt to install while the tank is in the airplane. For now, I plan to apply some sealant (Van's ProSeal replacement) to the exterior of the sump and hope for the best. It's not the nicest fix, but the sealant worked for Mervin in C-FMNX.
- Install the Great Plains Force One Hub and Main Bearing.
- Increase displacement from 2180cc to 2332cc. This will require a new crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, cylinders (Dick has a set of new Nikasil cylinders in the shop - very light), case clearancing, align-boring ... like I said, hog wild.
I asked Dick to keep the compression ratio low to avoid detonation, since I want to run MOGAS. AeroConversions recommends 7.0:1 for MOGAS. Dick said that 8.0:1 wouldn't be an issue on MOGAS, provided the ignition is timed correctly. Timing on the AeroVee is fixed at 28 degrees BTDC. Dick runs MOGAS at 30 degrees and 8.0:1(?) on the redrive-equipped 2332cc VW in his 601. According to him, street engines run at 32 degrees. I hope he's right! Just to be safe, I asked him to keep the compression ratio below 8.0:1, knowing that it would rob some power. I left Dick with a $900 USD deposit.
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| WIX-SB-001 Doubler Bar |
I drained all the old fuel from the fuel tank and put it in my rental car to burn. I left the tank open to ventilate. The cockpit smells strongly of fuel: I will need to fix the fuel seep at the tank sump. For those not familiar, the Sonex plastic tanks are notorious for leaking at the moulded-in fittings. Over-torque them once (and it doesn't take much) and you're screwed. To fix this problem, Sonex supplies Oops Fittings. They are an elegant solution, but would be a pain in the butt to install while the tank is in the airplane. For now, I plan to apply some sealant (Van's ProSeal replacement) to the exterior of the sump and hope for the best. It's not the nicest fix, but the sealant worked for Mervin in C-FMNX.
Tuesday 27 August 2013
Trip #2 - 1
After an uneventful flight to Minneapolis, and a great first night (and Italian dinner) with John Schmidt, it was time to get to work.
I started by inventorying the odds and ends that Joel had left in a box in the hangar to find all the hardware and parts that I would need for WIX-SB-001. As I was working on this, Keith arrived. Keith and I (together with some help from Mike Skinner) disconnected my Aerovee 2002 engine and placed it in my rental car. We left the accessory case on the airframe.
Keith and I then began removing the empennage of W0014 to allow us to do the modifications necessary to comply with WIX-SB-001. Fortunately, I found that all the necessary hardware and parts necessary were in Joel's boxes.
I should mention that it was hellishly hot in Minneapolis at this time. Keith and I could only work for a few hours before we were worn out. When we quit, we had most, but not all, of the bolts removed that hold the empennage on the fuselage. There are lots of bolts, and had resolved to not cut an access panel in the fuselage. It was slow work with a lot of reaching using improvised wrench extensions and magnets. We left the hangar to have a Coke at the FBO, and talked about Keith's impressions of the Aerovee.
Regarding the engine: After my discussion with Keith, I decided to have the Great Plains Force One Prop Hub and Main Bearing installed in my engine. Given the history of crank failures on VW-derivatives with shrink-fit hubs, it seemed like a prudent thing to do, particularly because I intend to fly aerobatics occasionally. We also talked about removing the oil restrictor plug to the #1 bearing, the subject of an optional AeroConversions SB (ACV-SB-081409). I left the airport with my engine and a list of things that I wanted Further Performance either have a look at, or do.
Arriving at Further Performance, I unloaded the engine and talked to Tristan. It became immediately apparent that the work I had in mind was pretty aircraft-specific and way different than what they normally do to a street engine. Tristan suggested that I talk to Dick Burns, a machinist who does the bulk of their engine building for them. I left the engine with Tristan and departed for home (John's place) with Dick's number.
My phone call with Dick was enlightening. Dick has been racing behind VW engines since the 60's and flying behind them since the 90's in a Zodiac 601HDS that he built from plans. He has built many VW aircraft engines and said that it would be no problem for him to do the machining necessary to adapt my case to the Force One Hub.
I started by inventorying the odds and ends that Joel had left in a box in the hangar to find all the hardware and parts that I would need for WIX-SB-001. As I was working on this, Keith arrived. Keith and I (together with some help from Mike Skinner) disconnected my Aerovee 2002 engine and placed it in my rental car. We left the accessory case on the airframe.
Keith and I then began removing the empennage of W0014 to allow us to do the modifications necessary to comply with WIX-SB-001. Fortunately, I found that all the necessary hardware and parts necessary were in Joel's boxes.
I should mention that it was hellishly hot in Minneapolis at this time. Keith and I could only work for a few hours before we were worn out. When we quit, we had most, but not all, of the bolts removed that hold the empennage on the fuselage. There are lots of bolts, and had resolved to not cut an access panel in the fuselage. It was slow work with a lot of reaching using improvised wrench extensions and magnets. We left the hangar to have a Coke at the FBO, and talked about Keith's impressions of the Aerovee.
Regarding the engine: After my discussion with Keith, I decided to have the Great Plains Force One Prop Hub and Main Bearing installed in my engine. Given the history of crank failures on VW-derivatives with shrink-fit hubs, it seemed like a prudent thing to do, particularly because I intend to fly aerobatics occasionally. We also talked about removing the oil restrictor plug to the #1 bearing, the subject of an optional AeroConversions SB (ACV-SB-081409). I left the airport with my engine and a list of things that I wanted Further Performance either have a look at, or do.
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| Great Plains Force One Prop Hub and Main Bearing |
My phone call with Dick was enlightening. Dick has been racing behind VW engines since the 60's and flying behind them since the 90's in a Zodiac 601HDS that he built from plans. He has built many VW aircraft engines and said that it would be no problem for him to do the machining necessary to adapt my case to the Force One Hub.
Thursday 15 August 2013
Preparing for Trip #2
Meeting Kim Johnson on Trip #1 proved to be very fortunate. Kim put me in touch with, or helped me get in touch with, two great guys: John Schmidt and Keith Rhode.
John Schmidt is your classic airplane nut - which makes him great company for an airplane nut like myself. He's working on an RV-6, has a share in a Piper Cub, flies a Stinson L-5 for the Commemorative Air Force, is nuts about Young Eagles, and I'm sure there is lots more ... what more do I need to say? This: he's a great guy too! John offered his services to help me complete the 40 hours of test flying on W0014 and the subsequent flying to get it up to 100 hrs. As a experienced taildragger driver, I was compelled to accept. He also offered his home as a place for me to stay while in Minneapolis, for which I will be forever grateful.
Keith is a retired A&P, who is the owner/builder/pilot of a kit-built Sonex. Originally powered by an Aerovee, Keith felt his airplane was underpowered and swapped in a Jabiru 3300. His expertise as a mechanic is invaluable and serves to temper my ignorance.
In fact, during my first conversation with Keith, he pointed out that Sonex had issued a service bulletin (SB) related to the Waiex tail - D'OH! Rookie mistake: check for service bulletins before you buy! Keith was correct, Sonex had issued a service bulletin (WIX-SB-001) which applied to W0014. This service bulletin resulted from the in-flight breakup of another Waiex (N75654) on October 22nd, 2011. For more information on this accident, see the NTSB's docket. The accident resulted in a fatality, and opinions on message boards and forums have been divided. I'll leave it to the reader to review the NTSB's file and come to their own conclusions.
I did a bit more research on the SB and inquired with Joel Fuller as to whether the SB had been actioned (since W0014 had been sitting for a while, I suspected that it hadn't), and whether or not Joel had the relevant parts and documents from Sonex. The modifications required by the SB had not been completed, but Joel had the parts. I felt like a bit of a bonehead.
This set the tone for trip #2: 1) Complete the tail SB, 2) get the engine sorted out.
My plan for the engine was to take it to an automotive shop that works on air-cooled VWs. Through Joel Herman of the Red River VW Club (I got no response from the Twin Cities VW Club), I was put in touch with Tristan at Further Performance in Minneapolis. Tristan said that his shop would be happy to work on my engine to rectify the oil leak and verify that it was assembled correctly.
I now had a plan: fly to Minneapolis, stay with John, remove the engine, take it to Tristan, and work on the tail with Keith. At the conclusion of Trip #2, I hoped to have the tail SB done, the engine reinstalled, and the aircraft ready for flight. As it turns out, that was a bit of an ambitious plan...
John Schmidt is your classic airplane nut - which makes him great company for an airplane nut like myself. He's working on an RV-6, has a share in a Piper Cub, flies a Stinson L-5 for the Commemorative Air Force, is nuts about Young Eagles, and I'm sure there is lots more ... what more do I need to say? This: he's a great guy too! John offered his services to help me complete the 40 hours of test flying on W0014 and the subsequent flying to get it up to 100 hrs. As a experienced taildragger driver, I was compelled to accept. He also offered his home as a place for me to stay while in Minneapolis, for which I will be forever grateful.
Keith is a retired A&P, who is the owner/builder/pilot of a kit-built Sonex. Originally powered by an Aerovee, Keith felt his airplane was underpowered and swapped in a Jabiru 3300. His expertise as a mechanic is invaluable and serves to temper my ignorance.
In fact, during my first conversation with Keith, he pointed out that Sonex had issued a service bulletin (SB) related to the Waiex tail - D'OH! Rookie mistake: check for service bulletins before you buy! Keith was correct, Sonex had issued a service bulletin (WIX-SB-001) which applied to W0014. This service bulletin resulted from the in-flight breakup of another Waiex (N75654) on October 22nd, 2011. For more information on this accident, see the NTSB's docket. The accident resulted in a fatality, and opinions on message boards and forums have been divided. I'll leave it to the reader to review the NTSB's file and come to their own conclusions.
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| NTSB Accident ID ERA12FA018 |
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| WIX-SB-001 |
My plan for the engine was to take it to an automotive shop that works on air-cooled VWs. Through Joel Herman of the Red River VW Club (I got no response from the Twin Cities VW Club), I was put in touch with Tristan at Further Performance in Minneapolis. Tristan said that his shop would be happy to work on my engine to rectify the oil leak and verify that it was assembled correctly.
I now had a plan: fly to Minneapolis, stay with John, remove the engine, take it to Tristan, and work on the tail with Keith. At the conclusion of Trip #2, I hoped to have the tail SB done, the engine reinstalled, and the aircraft ready for flight. As it turns out, that was a bit of an ambitious plan...
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