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Canopy cutting My canopy is sitting in the former-bedroom-soon-to-be-my-wife's-office and I've been pacing myself during the winter so that I'll be cutting the canopy in the dog days of summer. A warm workshop, they say, helps prevent any possibility of cracking the canopy. From most of my Internet reading, cutting the canopy is one of those chores that has more psychological build-up to it than actual effort. I have been led to believe that if I look at it the wrong way, the thing will crack in half. Thus, my decision to wait until late summer to attempt the operation. Fortunately for me -- and now for you -- my RV pal, Warren Starkebaum, has more guts and did it last Sunday. (More)

Building and flying the RV-4
I originally got interested in RV’s in the early 90s after looking at a number of different designs at Oshkosh. I had almost settled on a GlaStar model, but as I thought about the length of time RV’s had been on the market, and the large number flying even then, I decided the Van’s kit would be a lower risk investment. I also really enjoyed working with metal, and didn’t like the messiness of composite. Tube and fabric would be fine on a classic, but I wanted something faster. (Ken Beene in an extensive interview in the EAA Chapter 25 newsletter)

RV pilot was at controls of jumbo
RV-8 builder and pilot Terry Lutz, was in an enviable spot on Monday when the Airbus 380 made its maiden voyage to New York: the pilot's seat. In an e-mail this week, I asked him which was more exciting, that "first flight" or the one in his "8".

"Hello from New York. Thanks for the message, and the great job you do with the newsletter. Don't feel bad about being a slow builder. I used to call myself 'World's Slowest RV-8 builder,' but finally had to just put my shoulder into it and finish the job. I found winter to be the best time to really get things done, because you can't do much outside.

The A380 landing was a huge honor and thrill for me, but I'm just a small part of a really great team of pilots, engineers, and technicians. The landing in New York was very close to max landing weight (a little over 800,000 lbs), and the goal was to make the landing and be slowed easily to taxi speed for the last high speed turnoff on Runway 22L at JFK. It worked out just great, with an approach speed of just 138 knots. Excellent runway performance and low approach speed are just a few capabilities that will make the airplane a great performer for the airlines.

As for which one I prefer, the A380 or my RV-8? Well, I love them both because they are so precise and so predictable throughout the flight envelope. But then the RV-8 does have a bubble canopy, and you can look at clouds from upside down..... I will be writing a more comprehensive article about the flight in a few weeks, and I'll put you on the list. Keep working on the RV-7A! Remember: if it was easy, everyone would be doing it!

Builder profile: Don and Debbie Nowakowski
When Don was working on the RV-6 from 1995 - 2001, he was one of maybe five people in the entire state of Vermont who were building airplanes! (EAA Chapter 242 newsletter)
Related link:
Meet Brent Owens and N870BL (EAA 9)

Cutting holes
Just another method of cutting holes in panels baffles etc. When using a circular hole cutter (starret) I find it very easy to cut a perfect hole, make certain that the centre holes is the correct size for the pilot drill , drill a slightly bigger hole in a 3/4" thick plywood use this as the backing to the hole cutting, start the drilling with a steady hand and holding the part from moving, I put oil on the cutter at all times, cut through the material gently, lifting the cutter to clear the swarf, then just before it breaks through ease the pressure off the cutter. You will find that it does not cut absolutely level, but with gentle pressure you will be able to lift out the centre of the hole as you break through the sheet. Always clear the centre removed part from the cutter. I have drilled a large number of holes in my parts but it must be done only after a little thought. Regards Bill Knott. Safety for very big holes it is necessary to clamp the sheet to the drill table. NEVER use the hole cutter with a hand drill. (Bill Knott on rvsqn mailing list)

Fitting the tank to the leading edge
I see this from time to time on some mailing lists and bulletin boards. I usually try to answer with the solution, but lately I've stopped, figuring a search of archives might reveal it to others. But lots of folks don't do archive searches so I'll stick it here. Maybe it'll pop up in Google. Here's the problem: A builder finishes his tanks, mounts it to the main spar, and finds a gap between the tank skin and the bottom skin, and, perhaps, an inconsistent gap between the leading edge and tank skin. The first thought builders have is, "my z-brackets are too high." That's not the problem. The problem is the jack you put under your rear spar in the jig has sagged. and the main spar is sagging. All you need to do is raise the middle of the rear spar and the tank will sit perfectly. You'll hear a small bang when it does. Dan Checkoway points out, by the way, that jacks are a lousy thing to use in this spot. He devised his own solution here. (Pix) "It's a piece of threaded rod with a deep hole drilled into a 4x4 base block. The rod can slide in and out of the hole in the 4x4. With a nut & washer on each end of the threaded rod, I could fine tune the support height/pressure. Once it was 'locked in,' it wasn't going anywhere," Dan reported on the RV-7 list this week.

ARCHIVES See a list of previous RV Builder Hotlines organized by date and subject. (Go) EDITORS' PAGE Since you're not getting this, I can't really tell you that you really are getting it, only you're not. And what you can do about it. (More)

PICTURE OF THE WEEK I'll admit, I had to look at this picture a couple of times before accepting that it was real. It kind of looks like the upper atmosphere. But it's not, it's just Twin Cities RV-7 builder Peter Freuhling out in somebody's Rv-4. He admitted he was a little "green" after the flight. (More on Rivetbangers)