Flying stories
All the Right Stuff
There Tom Martin was. Flying along in his Rocket. "About 15 minutes north of Memphis there was a sudden, and very attention-getting roar of noise, in the cockpit.  I could feel vibrations in the floor and through the firewall." Welcome to Arkansas (Read Tom's entertaining story). 

How not to buy an RV
If you are going to buy an aircraft, 1. Never use a pre buy inspector recommended by the seller. 2. Pictures of an aircraft can lie. 3. Get someone who knows the aircraft, and has a “good guy” reputation to look, feel and smell the aircraft. 3. If it smells like a skunk, don’t kiss it! (Tom Irlbeck in the March newsletter of VAF Minnesota Wing)

Ralph Capen's RV
A story in the last few weeks in a Maryland newspaper illustrates the point that local media reporters are just as interested in your project as all of your friends who look at you funny when you say, "I'm building an airplane." Be sure you watch the accompanying video. (The Daily Times)

Fuel pump installation blamed for fatal RV-7 crash
The National Transportation Safety Board this week said improper installation of a fuel pump is the likely cause of a crash that killed pilot Steve Wilson in February 2008. "When the engine's fuel pump push rod is in the extended position it can interfere with the placement of the fuel pump lever arm during the installation, which results in it being obstructed or jammed against the engine case, possibly creating a crack in the pivot area of the lever arm," the NTSB report said. (Read more).

The NTSB also issued its finding in the February 2008 RV-4 crash in North Carolina that killed Darrell Proctor. The NTSB said he attempted a "split s" type maneuver close to the runway. (Read more)

Ben Schneider’s Mazda Renesis-powered RV-7
My alternative engine installation in my RV-7 is a Mazda Renesis (RX-8) engine built for this purpose by Bruce Turrentine. The intake, exhaust, and cooling systems are of my own design, though Ed Klepis at Tech Welding welded the intake and fabricated the cooling system from scratch. I prefabricated and fitted all the components for intake and had Ed do the actual welding. (EAA Experimenter)

Replacing the battery in a Garmin 296
On the Ohio Valley RVators Yahoogroup (registration required), Bobby Hester discusses changing the battery on his Garmin 296 GPS. "I got it changed and it powered up ok, it took a long time to find
itself I am going to let it stay on and charging overnight then I'll turn it off and check it again when I get home from work, it should find itself right away. I'll then have to let it set for about a week to see
if it will find itself quickly, before I know if it is fixed. He provides some pictures here. He also has an outstanding Web site.

Shaping micro
Eventually your glass work gets down to final contour and filling surface weave. In past posts I've suggested laying on more dry micro ("dry" meaning like stiff peanut butter) than seems strictly necessary, as you want to contour and sand just once. The lowest low spot in your fill application should be higher than the final countour, which brings up the subject of rapidly removing all the excess. Sanding down the excess can be tedious and dusty. During cure, epoxy goes through several stages, from viscous liquid, to sticky jell, to firm but flexible, and on to hard cure. You can save a lot of work with some timing. About 4 hours into cure (assuming West and slow hardener) grab a Stanley Surform file. The micro is still way too soft to sand, but a Surform will rip the excess down to contour very quickly. You get nice neat shavings (like dry cheese), not dust; you don't even need a mask. Just swipe the Surform across the surface. If the shavings don't stick to the file, it's ready. Stop just shy of final contour and come back in 24 hours for a lot less final sanding. If you wish you can slick off the Surform marks with a vixen file at the same time. Push it off-angle about 30 degrees. Same idea works with polyester body fillers (Rage, etc), but the time window is not as wide. (Dan Horton via VAF)

CherryMAX rivet installation and removal
In this latest EAA video for homebuilders, we learn some of the differences between installing a CherryMAX rivet vs. a typical pop rivet. Hopefully, you're not like me. There are things here I should've known before I installed a few in my RV-7A airplane. This is one of the best EAA videos yet. (Watch)
Related Link:
Leading the blind - CherryMAX rivets - October 2004 Sport Aviation Magazine (Members only)

Looking for AirVenture housing?
Michelle Mangan, an acquaintance on Twitter helps connect local residents in Oshkosh with people who want to stay in a home. She writes, "I have a list of home owners I work with - some as close as less than a mile away from the grounds all the way to about 30 minutes from the grounds. If someone is interested in finding housing they can send me an email or call me at 920.279.2814 and give me the following info so I can narrow the list down for them. 1. Number of beds needed 2. Number of people attending 3. Desired proximity to the grounds 4. Any pet allergies (although pets won't be present it's always nice to know if there may be dander in the rental) 5. Desired price range 6. Do they want a private rental or is shared with homeowners OK? 7. Any "must haves" - e.g. central air, etc. Once I have that info I go through my list and present the results. Once it's been narrowed down I give contact info to both parties and they finalize everything from there."

PICTURE OF THE WEEK   Throw a cold front and some clouds into the mix and some group shots of RV look cooler than with just a perfect blue sky as a backdrop. More pictures here.