Fly Baby

jesse said:
The tank itself is made out of aluminum.
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Welds in aluminum crystallize after 15 years and become very brittle. If you ever replace it I'd give a lot of consideration to a racing grade fuel cell or at least weld the next one up out do 90/10 Copper Nickle.
 
Henning said:
Welds in aluminum crystallize after 15 years and become very brittle. If you ever replace it I'd give a lot of consideration to a racing grade fuel cell or at least weld the next one up out do 90/10 Copper Nickle.
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I think it's only a few years old.
 
jesse said:
They're a very capable machine - here I am high and slow:
IaBeZ.jpg"

424736_3655343823628_1826487390_n.jpg
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Hopefully you've spoken privately with the ghost of your grandpa and told him you'll keep an eye out for Doctors in Bonanzas up there, reading the newspaper.

Otherwise, you're going to be haunted. ;) ;) ;)
 
I got a close look at Jesse's new bird. Very nice. Looks great in the air and in the pattern. Fun to see these homebuilts being maintained, and in the air, knowing the people who fly them and the passion they bring to the sport. I love it!

Jesse's has an enclosed cabin and the open pit option! It's a convertible! :lol:
 
I got up early this morning and rode the motorcycle out to the airport to do a little flying. I climbed up to a safe altitude and played with slow flight and stalls.

Below about 45 mph indicated things start to get pretty mushy. Around 35 mph the stick and airplane start to shake. At around 25 mph indicated it hovers on the brink of the stall. It wouldn't actually break into the stall for me unless I gave the stick a brisk pop for the last inch or two of it's travel. The break was pretty much the same as a C150. It didn't favor either wing, level throughout the break. Recovery was no big deal.

After that I descended down low and just flew around the country side looking at the farms and tractors.

Before long, it was time to get the airplane put away so that I could head into the office. I am pretty fortunate indeed.
N7KQC.jpg
 
At MERFI this weekend I saw the neatest thing. Looked like a two-seat Flybaby sans wires. Can't remember what the guy called it, some very old experimental design. Sorry, didn't bring the camera, so I can't post up a photo. Still, really near airplane.

And I believe there was a fly baby in attendance. And three Midget Mustangs, two more than there were at Oshkosh.
 
jesse said:
I got up early this morning and rode the motorcycle out to the airport to do a little flying. I climbed up to a safe altitude and played with slow flight and stalls.

Below about 45 mph indicated things start to get pretty mushy. Around 35 mph the stick and airplane start to shake. At around 25 mph indicated it hovers on the brink of the stall. It wouldn't actually break into the stall for me unless I gave the stick a brisk pop for the last inch or two of it's travel. The break was pretty much the same as a C150. It didn't favor either wing, level throughout the break. Recovery was no big deal.

After that I descended down low and just flew around the country side looking at the farms and tractors.

Before long, it was time to get the airplane put away so that I could head into the office. I am pretty fortunate indeed.
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Motorcycle and fly baby.. I bet you had all that fun on less than 15 bucks of gas
 
steingar said:
At MERFI this weekend I saw the neatest thing. Looked like a two-seat Flybaby sans wires. Can't remember what the guy called it, some very old experimental design. Sorry, didn't bring the camera, so I can't post up a photo. Still, really near airplane.
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If it was indeed an older design, it's probably a Spezio Tuholer:

spezio.jpg

The Spezio was another entrant in the 1962 EAA Design Contest (the one the Fly Baby won). Don't have any insight as to why the Fly Baby over the Spezio, but I believe the Tuholer has a welded-steel fuselage. This might have scored the plane lower for buildability.

Another similar design, but much, much newer, is the Warner Revolution:

http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/430447.html

It's got a cantilever wing, and has no struts or wires. Which means it doesn't make that cool sound....

And Jesse, if you *really* want to have fun on those early-morning flights, take off the canopy and put the open-cockpit assembly back on....

Ron Wanttaja
 
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wanttaja said:
And for those interested in the Fly Baby, around the St. Louis area, we're having a Fly Baby 50th Anniversary Fly-In at Sparta IL on the 8th of September:
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Just got the word: This has been moved to Mt Vernon, IL, and will be in conjunction with the LSA show there. Still targeting the Fly Babies to be there on Saturday.

Ron Wanttaja
 
Still only 81 NM for me. I'll probably be there, weather permitting. Saturday may be somewhat sporty around here though.
 
I don't think I'll be able to make it - I'm pretty busy with several students right now.
 
jesse said:
I don't think I'll be able to make it - I'm pretty busy with several students right now.
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Just give 'em some Fly Baby dual on the way down there. Oh, wait... :)

Ron Wanttaja
 
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