Eagler's Nest
Airframes => Single Seaters => XL => Topic started by: CHARLES DEBOER on January 03, 2016, 11:40:10 PM
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Starting to install the struts. Drilling and cutting the struts make me nervous. I have leveled the fuse and added 3" of dihedral but how do you adjust the strut to hold that 3" of dihedral? I have attached some pictures to show what I have so far need suggestions alignment, drilling and cutting the strut to length.
The little hold and leveling jig says "spar" but has since been remarked Strut.
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Charles, maybe I don't understand your dilemma. But, if you support the wings in the 3" dihedral position, then make and attach the struts to fit that wing position, the wings will remain at the 3" dihedral position after you remove the temporary supports.
We made our struts by fitting and attaching the fuselage end first, then making/fitting/attaching the wing end last.
Hope that helps.
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I want to make sure the hole alignment is straight between the fuse and the wing attach point. Also aligning the fitting inserted into the strut with the holes drilled into the strut. The fitting moves around inside the strut while attempting to drill the two pieces so that the holes stay aligned. If the fitting moves 1/16" the holes are miss-aligned.
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Clamp the fitting/strut so they do NOT move around before drilling.
Also don't forget to set the wing chord incidence to zero at the wing tip. (+3degrees at the root = washout) Adjust with the rear strut.
I had my struts cut to minimum for shipping and used a longer inner fitting at the fuselage thus allowing for some room to clamp then fashioned a sheet cuff to cover the strut/fitting. But you are building the XL and may be different.
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Bob S:
Regarding your last message, I get what you mean by zero incidence at wing tip, but I don't quite get what you mean by "+3 degrees at the root = washout". Can you reword or further explain? Thanks.
Vince
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Your wing should have some amount of positive incidence at the root and zero incidence at the wingtip there by creating a washout on the wing as a whole. You want the wing to stall at the root first. (zero at the tip, +3 at the root = washout) I am not sure what the incidence is reccomended for the XL.
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Bob S:
Thanks. I had to Google search WASHOUT as it applies to wings. But now that I understand the definition, your explanation makes perfect sense. Thanks.
Vince
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Your wing should have some amount of positive incidence at the root and zero incidence at the wingtip there by creating a washout on the wing as a whole. You want the wing to stall at the root first. (zero at the tip, +3 at the root = washout) I am not sure what the incidence is reccomended for the XL.
According to the drawings for the XL there is a "built in" +2 degrees incidence at the root. When I put my super duper laser level on the flat bottom of my wing it says +2 degrees.
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On my DE, I didn't put in the recommended amount of washout. I hated to twist the wing that much! Stalls are benign. Plus, I put an AOA indicator in front of my face so that I stay away from that flight regimen during normal operations. I seem to remember that some have said that they didn't put in any washout to maintain maximum lift.
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On my DE, I didn't put in the recommended amount of washout. I hated to twist the wing that much! Stalls are benign. Plus, I put an AOA indicator in front of my face so that I stay away from that flight regimen during normal operations. I seem to remember that some have said that they didn't put in any washout to maintain maximum lift.
I think Steve Kiblinger dint put any and maybe Spencer...
Excessive dihedral is a pet peeve of mine. The plane is already a high wing, it is not going to flip.
The more dihedral you put the less cross wind capability you have, and you are giving up lift.
The wind is going to get under the upwind wing...
Put just engouh dihedral in so that the wing does not look like it is drooping. About 3/4"... Maybe 1".
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Excessive dihedral is a pet peeve of mine. The plane is already a high wing, it is not going to flip.
The more dihedral you put the less cross wind capability you have, and you are giving up lift.
The wind is going to get under the upwind wing...
Put just engouh dihedral in so that the wing does not look like it is drooping. About 3/4"... Maybe 1".
Why did Leonard put in the design 3" of dihedral?
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Why did Leonard put in the design 3" of dihedral?
I can't speak for Leonard, you will have to ask him that question. I am just stating an opinion.
Perhaps he only wants to fly with no wind.
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I did put the dihedral in my DE but not much washout. Maybe I should try less dihedral. that would mean cutting my struts which means it would not be easy to put it back. I think I'll leave it alone!
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I did put the dihedral in my DE but not much washout. Maybe I should try less dihedral. that would mean cutting my struts which means it would not be easy to put it back. I think I'll leave it alone!
I looked at the Baby Ace web site (http://www.aceaircraft.com/faq.htm) today...
It uses the same airfoil as the Eagles, and 54 inch chord. The D model is virtually the same plane as the DE but heavier with the Continental engines.
It has 2 inches of dihedral. (also recomends CG at 30% chord)
I would not change dihedral on a plane already finished unless I had trouble in crosswinds... Some people live in high wind areas.
Enough aileron response at landing speed in reasonable flying conditions should do it for you.
It has not been an issue apparently. It is just a personal peeve I have...
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Interesting. I have found that 30 to 33% seems about right for my DE. Much more, and i loose some stability. Less and it's nose heavy. Now that I'm a bit used to flying it, I accept a little nose heaviness for less weight in the tail. I actually had to land it dead stick once (my fault) and found it glided just fine and flared quite nicely at that CG setting. One of the best landings I have ever made with it.
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Hegar Spun aluminum wheels and mountain bike brakes. Friend gave them to me for free. Also had an un-used mountain bike. Had to use them.
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Mimi Max Wing Tank Installation. I doubled the the ribs on both sides of the wing root bay ,lowered the diagonal drag brace to the bottom of the wing root bay, installed two extra drag braces and insulated with felt all contact points around the tank. Probably over kill, I add a tray for the tank to sit on.
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I used the Stuart System for covering wings and tail feathers. I like the system and had excellent results as a first time builder. Also painted with latex house paint.
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I used the Stuart System for covering wings and tail feathers. I like the system and had excellent results as a first time builder. Also painted with latex house paint.
Really nice looking plane Charles. What wheel/brake setup are you using?
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Really nice looking plane Charles. What wheel/brake setup are you using?
Look below. There are some pictures and brief description.
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Started engine install.
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Charles, your plane is looking really good. I'd like to see a photo of what the mag looks like next to the rudder pedals. I'm thinking of using a mag also. Can you take a picture when you get the engine installed?
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How did you install the mag when using a cut crank? do you have any pictures.
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XL A67 is starting to look like an airplane.
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It looks great Charles. I wish I had mine that far along. It want be long now and you should have it in the air. Thanks for sharing.
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Looking good Charles
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Very nice workmanship Charles well done
Paul
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Yes, very nice Charles!
Ken
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Charles,
Can you show some details of the push rod system you used for the Elevator, I wanted to make it but Sam's Information is not longer available and that was one of the few MODS he did that I wanted to incorporate into my build. Its a shame its not available anymore it was certainly a wealth of information and helpful to many.
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Charles,
Can you show some details of the push rod system you used for the Elevator, I wanted to make it but Sam's Information is not longer available and that was one of the few MODS he did that I wanted to incorporate into my build. Its a shame its not available anymore it was certainly a wealth of information and helpful to many.
That mod may require you to make the seat straps just a little bit shorter on the length due to interference with the elevator tube. I had to put in the double strap stiffeners (like Sam's) at the base of the seat to take out slack in the bottom of the seat. (See last Photo on page three of this post) It would have been easer to shorten the straps in the seat but I had already made the seat. It also involves modifying the stick tork-tube. I'll have to take some better pictures. The location of the connection to the bell crank was changed from this picture by dropping the tork tube connection down about an inch to create a two to one ratio from stick input to elevator movement. This also gave me a little more clearance under the seat.
The nylon guide (first picture) was cut out of an old cutting board my wife through out. Inserted into a 3/4" tube, epoxied and set screwed after I had welded on a couple of 3/16" rods for attachment to the fuse mid point of the push rod.
One small change creates ten others and those changes create ten more.......
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Better pictures of the push rod elevator set-up.
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Lift Reserve Indicator Installed.
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Those look really good, Gives me a better idea of whats going on.
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Finally got the aileron cable pulleys and guides worked out. Pictures attached. One of the sketches shows a 2 1/2 in. dia. pulley but I used a 1 3/4 in. pulley. These are what I was able to scrounge. The drawing calls for 2 in. I drilled out the 1/4 in hole to 3/8 in the phenolic pulley and inserted a bushing with a 1/4 in. hole. The bushing acts as a bearing for the bolt to pivot on and a spacer to prevent the bolt from clamping down to tightly and binding the pulley.
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Nice work and documentation!
Although why not modify the original bracket to begin with and save some weight? Or is it a hindsight thing?
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It looks like the new plates are aluminum. The weight penalty must only be a few grams, might not even add up to an once or two. I suspect eating the extra weight is preferable over a full redesign and build of existing parts. Time and effort are precious commodities. IMHO.
Thanks for the photos Charles.
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Nice work and documentation!
Although why not modify the original bracket to begin with and save some weight? Or is it a hindsight thing?
When you start building you will find that you will have to make some modifications and build some things on the fly. I know you are drawing everything out, but believe me you will have to make some mods. Even when building you also see something and will want to make a few changes. which will change this or that. Its part of the fun to me. I have many things in cadd on the LEXL welding drilling etc. changes those tolerances.
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Finally installed the instrument panel. Going to have a glass and steam gauge panel. The grandkids out grew the old fashioned I-PAD Mini but it will work great in my panel. Hope I don't get a lot of glare on the IPAD while flying. Some comments indicate I might need a glare shield. I will be doing a couple of cross country flights a year of 200 miles thus the need for I-PAD which will give me moving maps and GPS for ground speed and altimeter. Our club flies mostly Quicksilvers and we plan gas stops along the route.
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Wind Screen is installed. Magneto kill switch installed and is working. Fixed two oil leeks. Steerable tail wheel. Getting ready to break-in the engine.
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Looks really good. Keeps us guys just getting started in the build motivated.
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I rigged up a steerable tail wheel as an after thought. Should have slipped a nicopress onto the rudder cable before closing the ends and attaching to rudder. These decisions nearest the end can cause accidents so I think I'll have to remove and remake the rudder and tailwheel cables. Still need to safety wire my turnbuckles. Getting anxious to start taxi testing. Now is not the time to take short cuts.
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Charles
Unless you have a lot more sun than we do the glare screen will not be needed. Looking good on the progress.
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That tailspring/tailwheel setup looks likes a good choice. Looks like it is from a Sonerai? Let us know how it works out.
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It is used on Sonerai and was purchased from ACS. The wheel that is used on Sonerai was much heaver so I am using a roller blade wheel.
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It is used on Sonerai and was purchased from ACS. The wheel that is used on Sonerai was much heaver so I am using a roller blade wheel.
Hi Charles, I've looked on the website as well as in the ACS catalogue, I can't find this tail wheel setup. I think its been used on a few LEXL's and I was thinking of using the same.
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My bad. I got it from Great Planes for $160.00 while at AirVenture in 2014. I bought several things while there please pardon my confusion. Just checked they no longer sell them and refer you back to WWW.Sonerai.com but they want $230 now.
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You could get a 3/4",7/8", or 1" solid fiberglass rod here (https://www.mgs4u.com/fiberglass-tube-rod.htm) for a tail spring.
The Flit Plane calls out a 3/4" rod.
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My bad. I got it from Great Planes for $160.00 while at AirVenture in 2014. I bought several things while there please pardon my confusion. Just checked they no longer sell them and refer you back to WWW.Sonerai.com but they want $230 now.
Ah, I was pulling out what hair I have left trying to find it. No problem. Thanks.
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You could get a 3/4",7/8", or 1" solid fiberglass rod here (https://www.mgs4u.com/fiberglass-tube-rod.htm) for a tail spring.
The Flit Plane calls out a 3/4" rod.
I hadn't thought of this approach Dan. Thanks.
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My bad. I got it from Great Planes for $160.00 while at AirVenture in 2014. I bought several things while there please pardon my confusion. Just checked they no longer sell them and refer you back to WWW.Sonerai.com but they want $230 now.
Link to the $230 spring...
http://www.sonerai.com/from-soneraiworks-llc.html (http://www.sonerai.com/from-soneraiworks-llc.html)
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I rigged up a steerable tail wheel as an after thought. Should have slipped a nicopress onto the rudder cable before closing the ends and attaching to rudder. These decisions nearest the end can cause accidents so I think I'll have to remove and remake the rudder and tailwheel cables. Still need to safety wire my turnbuckles. Getting anxious to start taxi testing. Now is not the time to take short cuts.
Did a taxi test of the tail wheel today. The ratio of tail wheel turn to rudder movement needs some adjustment. HERE IS A VIDEO LINK OF THE TAXI TEST ON YOU TUBE. TURN THE VOLUME UP. IT REALY SOUNDS GOOD!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5chb_LPxb4&sns=em
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Awesome..! Great looking bird...
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Would love to see a walk around video.
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Fantastic Charles!
Sounds amazing too :)
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I rigged up a steerable tail wheel as an after thought. Should have slipped a nicopress onto the rudder cable before closing the ends and attaching to rudder. These decisions nearest the end can cause accidents so I think I'll have to remove and remake the rudder and tailwheel cables. Still need to safety wire my turnbuckles. Getting anxious to start taxi testing. Now is not the time to take short cuts.
Did a taxi test of the tail wheel today. The ratio of tail wheel turn to rudder movement needs some adjustment. HERE IS A VIDEO LINK OF THE TAXI TEST ON YOU TUBE. TURN THE VOLUME UP. IT REALY SOUNDS GOOD!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5chb_LPxb4&sns=em
W a y N i c e :emoji_u1f62f:
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Love the paint
I am a sucker for purple
Tom XL-7
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Having a problem with gas spraying out of the float-bowl over flow tube on my dual VM28 Mikunis. I added some supports ala Les Homan (see pics) but still sprays out of the right carb. I am talking droplets that vaporize when hit by the prop wash but enough that I can feel it on my right arm while taxing. Left carb seems to be OK. I am going to lower the floats on the offending right carb to see if that helps.
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Having a problem with gas spraying out of the float-bowl over flow tube on my dual VM28 Mikunis.
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Left carb seems to be OK. I am going to lower the floats on the offending right carb to see if that helps.
The slip stream flowing past the open end of the float bowl vent tube could be causing a venturi effect and lowering the pressure on the inside of the bowl, causing it to dump. The pressure must remain equal for the carb to work as designed.
Some have connected the 2 bowl vents together with one vinyl tube leaving a loop in the center with the front and rear of the bottom of the loop drilled with multiple holes to cancel any venturi effect.
Several ways to accomplish the same thing if that turns out to be the problem.
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Charles. I adjusted float on carbs that overflowed a small amount at a time till overflow stopped
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Having a problem with gas spraying out of the float-bowl over flow tube on my dual VM28 Mikunis. I added some supports ala Les Homan (see pics) but still sprays out of the right carb. I am talking droplets that vaporize when hit by the prop wash but enough that I can feel it on my right arm while taxing. Left carb seems to be OK. I am going to lower the floats on the offending right carb to see if that helps.
Some have connected the 2 bowl vents together with one vinyl tube leaving a loop in the center with the front and rear of the bottom of the loop drilled with multiple holes to cancel any venturi effect.
[font="Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", "Liberation Sans", "Nimbus Sans L", Arial, sans-serif]Thanks Dan: [/font][font="Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", "Liberation Sans", "Nimbus Sans L", Arial, sans-serif]This seems to have solve the problem.[/font]
Bending the tab on the float arm just made the engine run lean with gas still coming out of the vent. I finally put everything back to original settings. I connected the two static ports with one tube leaving a loop that had four holes drilled top to bottom and front to back. I ran a tube from float bowl over flow port back to bottom of fuse to prevent venturi effect. So far all is good.
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Started doing "crow hops" trying to get accustomed to a tail dragger. I have always flown a tricycle gear ultralight. A little cross wind and a little too slow and only 3 or 4 feet off the ground. Bent the landing gear.
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Charles, I bent the gear doing the same thing with LEU Treehugger, and I supposedly already knew how to fly a taildragger.
To strengthen your gear without adding weight, you could shorten the length of the axle tube to put the wheel as close to the tubing cluster as possible. This would reduce the "lever arm" that is trying to bend the gear leg, just like you experienced.
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My Eagle is no longer a lame duck. Fixed the bent landing gear and did a couple of "crow hops". Check out the attached you tube link below. A three point landing. Yahooo!!!
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF9sWye4dYI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF9sWye4dYI)
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Very nice. That thing is ready to fly!
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Well done Charles!
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Way to go Charles! Congrats.
After you get some time on it let me know hoe the prop is doing, and if it needs an adjustment or not.
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Congratulations Charles. Happy flying
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extend post for spring, safty wire there?