What did you do today?

ColinD said:
Melted some wire, set my monumental waste of time back on its tires. Did some flying.

Almost remembered how to MIG uphill. :raspberry:
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Downhill would have been fine for that.
 
All the thin-walled stuff was downhill. There are a couple of thicker tabs that act as travel limiters behind the dump hinge, and I went uphill on those.
 
Ed Haywood said:
It is apparently more common with the streamlined wires. I am switching to round. I fly a Decathlon. Spruce has a pair en route to me via next day air. If they arrive tomorrow morning, I should be able to make the contest.
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I can believe that, especially in a scenario like you mentioned of a rock nicking the wire.

Ed Haywood said:
I pluck 'em every pre flight like a guitar string. This one picked up a buzz a few flights ago. Nobody taught me what that meant. Now I know. Dye pen at annual would be smart, but I think it progresses pretty fast.
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Now you know to investigate anything that seems different... I continue to remind myself that "Huh, that's different" too often leads to "Oh, S#!T"...
 
The headliner fabric in my pickup was sagging, so I decided to start doing some sound deadening while I was at it…

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And it’s back together…

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I should’ve taken the picture from the other side so you couldn’t see where I spun the headliner onto a screw. :rofl:

Not the most professional installation, but I’m not the most professional installer. At some point I’ll buy or make a new headliner.
 
It looks a lot better than if I had done it. Does the noise padding quiet it down any?
 
Albany Tom said:
It looks a lot better than if I had done it. Does the noise padding quiet it down any?
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I should’ve taken a decibel reading before I did it, but it’s noticeably quieter. Not sure how much it'll make rain sound like something other than hail since there’s a double ceiling layer there, but I’ll probably find out eventually.

I’ll take some decibel readings as it is, so that when I do the rest of it I can get a more objective picture.

I’m also probably going to do the cockpit floor and doghouse on the RV…that thing’s noisy going down the road.
 
0900: Waiting at front door for UPS.
1100: UPS delivered new tail wire.
1200: picked up chute from rigger.
1300: began replacing tail wire.
1430: finished replacing tail wire.
1500: A&P/IA inspected repair.
1600: Flew to Sebring.
1700: Flew 2 acro sequences in box.
1800: Pizza!
 
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Drove one hour to give lesson #1 to a fellow who just purchased an Ercoupe. Discovered he did not have the owner's manual with the operating limitations, so we did some groundwork but did not fly the airplane. It was a lesson about why you should not fly an airplane without the required documents.
 
Gilbert Buettner said:
Drove one hour to give lesson #1 to a fellow who just purchased an Ercoupe. Discovered he did not have the owner's manual with the operating limitations, so we did some groundwork but did not fly the airplane. It was a lesson about why you should not fly an airplane without the required documents.
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My first flight with a new instructor realized the airworthiness and registration was in a binder that was mistakenly given to the A&P during annual.
 
would anyone be willing to join a zoom meeting for an interview? It is for a school project that is due tomorrow and my last pilot cancled out on me. I would greatly appreciete if anyone could help please.
 
Remember pulp fiction when they open up the suitcase? Well I finally got what was inside today. Thanks Quentin!


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Gilbert Buettner said:
Drove one hour to give lesson #1 to a fellow who just purchased an Ercoupe. Discovered he did not have the owner's manual with the operating limitations, so we did some groundwork but did not fly the airplane. It was a lesson about why you should not fly an airplane without the required documents.
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Wasn’t that plane certified under the old CAR rules? If so, I believe placards should be sufficient for the operating limitations, with no manual required, right? Are placards posted in the cockpit?
 
Half Fast said:
Wasn’t that plane certified under the old CAR rules? If so, I believe placards should be sufficient for the operating limitations, with no manual required, right? Are placards posted in the cockpit?
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By the TCDS, it looks like it depends on model and/or serial number.
 
Half Fast said:
Wasn’t that plane certified under the old CAR rules? If so, I believe placards should be sufficient for the operating limitations, with no manual required, right? Are placards posted in the cockpit?
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The TCDS for all models require the FAA approved flight manual in the plane with the exception of the Model A2 and A2A.
 
farmrjohn said:
The TCDS for all models require the FAA approved flight manual in the plane with the exception of the Model A2 and A2A.
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So a 1946 Ercoupe must have an FAA-approved manual, even though the FAA wasn’t established until 1958? Interesting....
 
Gilbert Buettner said:
Drove one hour to give lesson #1 to a fellow who just purchased an Ercoupe. Discovered he did not have the owner's manual with the operating limitations, so we did some groundwork but did not fly the airplane. It was a lesson about why you should not fly an airplane without the required documents.
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Erco never issued a “flight manual” for the 415-C or the 415-CD. In 1946 when most of the 415-C and 415-CD aircraft were manufactured, the Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) had no requirement for a flight manual. (This was also the case for the aircraft manufactured prior to WW II.) At that time, each Ercoupe was sold with a weight and balance form that reflected the serial number, the manufacture date and equipment list. All the necessary flight information (and limitations) needed by the pilot were displayed on the instrument panel in the form of placards and instrument markings. As such, the 415-C Weight and Balance form was and remains the only approved data requirement for the 415-C.

Ercoupe 415-C Flight Manual | Resource Library

Erco never issued a “flight manual” for the 415-C or the 415-CD. In 1946 when most of the 415-C and 415-CD aircraft were manufactured, the Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) had no requirement for a flight manual. As such, the 415-C Weight and Balance form was and remains the only approved data...
resources.univair.com resources.univair.com

I do have a "Flight Manual" which is sort of a multipage "Brochure" describing preflight checks, landing in a crab and other things but no perfromance charts.
 
Half Fast said:
Put down our dog this morning.

Sucky, sucky day....
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It’s always a heart breaking moment . My wife and I both cried when our Airedale had to be put down. Went 2 years with out a dog. It’s so hard not to expect them to greet you or be at your side.
Sucky day for sure.
 
Southpaw said:
It’s always a heart breaking moment . My wife and I both cried when our Airedale had to be put down. Went 2 years with out a dog. It’s so hard not to expect them to greet you or be at your side.
Sucky day for sure.
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And constantly seeing them out of the corner of your eye, then being disappointed that it's just a sweater or duffel bag...

These dumb little creatures really do become part of the family, don't they?
 
Yesterday: Finally hooked up a turntable to one of Amazon's finest mini amps and speakers. My wife and I went through the dusty album boxes - there is some fantastic stuff in our collection but we came to realize just how much absolute **** we bought back in the day. If anyone needs to fill out their Hayzee Fantayzee collection drop me a PM. :loco:

Today: Closed out a couple of nagging up gripes from inspection. Resumed polishing, but the airplane will remain flyable this time. :cool:

Nauga,
shiny, shiny
 
Had a good day hanging at the airport ,the regular Friday coffee and sweets get together talking airplanes and flying
 
Heading to lunch I had a c130 at 1300agl give me a flyover.IMG_2436.jpeg
 
I welded. First time I made a successful weld, butt joined some 20 ga. steel. It’s the first practice weld and I used a flux core welder, so draw your own conclusions about what it looks like, but it’s nothing a grinder can’t make look nice.
 
DaleB said:
I welded. First time I made a successful weld, butt joined some 20 ga. steel. It’s the first practice weld and I used a flux core welder, so draw your own conclusions about what it looks like, but it’s nothing a grinder can’t make look nice.
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I’ll have to use my imagination to guess what it looks like (no picture), but hang with it, it’s a valuable skill that people who want to can learn quickly. Practice, practice, practice, breaking and cutting apart your weld to look for defects. If you can find somebody that knows how to do it to give you pointers and you’re open to critiques you can get it in a few hours.
 
Yeah… I’ve got a long dormant car restoration project that’s going to require a fair bit of sheet metal welding. Figure I may as well hack up one of the parts I’m replacing to use as practice material. I had a shop I was going to take it to, then I had them do some collision repair work on my wife’s car. I figure I f I can’t learn to do it with the welder I have, I’ll take a class and buy something better and still spend less than a day of shop labor would cost.

You won’t find me welding any airplane tubing though.
 
For sheet metal like body panels TIG is where it is at, but MIG will work. Don’t try to lay long beads, it WILL warp it. Do a little bit (3/8” or less) than move to a different spot (about 4” between “spots” works well). When you get to the end of the panel go back to the first spot, extend it another 3/8”, and repeat the process until it’s all welded.
 
I think Iowa has it with practice and more practice. Years ago I bought a HF fold up trailer, rattled like crazy as it went down the road, it was all bolted together and the bolts would loosen as it bounced. So I towed it over to my friend, who was a retired welder from Conrail and then Amtrak. I asked if he'd weld it up for me, and he smiled and said "no, but you can", and taught me how to do it with flux core. I'm still terrible, but that got me hooked on it. At his suggestion, I got a welder that would do stick and tig, and first practiced with stick. Because it's kinda self regulating. If the amps aren't right or if your speed isn't right or if you hold too close or too far, it'll tell you. I used that to practice with 6011 and I think 7014 on bits of 16 gauge flat steel and same gauge tubing. Goes without saying do that outside. Then I practiced with TIG, which he thought I'd love and I do. Much more of a finesse thing. One day I'll get enough practice to be able to do aluminum with that, rather than my current state of having a 50/50 shot of just making a pool of aluminum on the floor...
 
Albany Tom said:
One day I'll get enough practice to be able to do aluminum with that, rather than my current state of having a 50/50 shot of just making a pool of aluminum on the floor...
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The other day. Cousins husband bought an insurance auction boatand needed to build up the lower unit.

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Went to JVL and Bessie's for the first time with dad, my sister, and her boyfriend who's also a pilot. Made dad sit in the 3rd row on the return flight...you know, for weight and balance reasons. He's never flown as a passenger in that plane before. I think he liked it a little too much and might be expecting red carpet treatment.
 
flew from point A to point B to point C. point B to point C was a bumpy ride. got food at point B. nothing noteworthy happened at point A other than a guy announced he was on crosswind when he was really on base. yes, he was in a high wing.
 
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