Legal Eagle 2XL

[Flyboy]

OK Larry I'll carry my couch to the shop and my TV so I can fully enjoy the building process.  Always remember, "Never do today what can be put off till tomorrow"  ,unless you actually want to do it today.  Never try to build an aircraft faster time wise than it's intended cruise speed in mph.  There is a big difference in being lazy and being an expert in conserving energy. Though they sometimes looks alike.  Building too fast can end up in a situation where you don't know where your going, and there is no sense being late getting there.  LOL  Happy,Happy,Happy

[Dave Stroud]

Thanks for the report, flyboy. In all seriousness, what strength level of the Legal Eagle series of planes are you really building to, please ? Is it a beefed up LEXL, a single seat Double Eagle or what ?  I'm looking at beefing up my specs in any way necessary for my approx 575 gross spec. XL. Are you doing anything to the wing more towards the strength of the Cabin Eagle  etc.  ?  Thanks.

[Flyboy]

It's just a beefed up Legal Eagle XL.  I call it a 2xl because I'm 30 lbs over the published max weight.  Have to work harder at dropping that to maybe 10-15 over.  I'm just pondering the 1835 to have enough power to lift me on a 100 degree Texas afternoon.  Can't say from experience, but I have read that on a hot day with a 38 hp 2 cylinder engine I would be very marginal on power.  Wished I could remember where I read that.  Be that as it may what pilot complains about having  too much power.  I can always throttle back.  Don't have any real plans to beef up wing as I have been told it is designed to 4+ Gs.  I hope to never see more than 2.  I think I may go larger on gear tubes due to larger pilot and possible engine.  I do like the double eagle torque tube aileron system a fellow eagler told me about, though I have never seen it as yet.  The folding wing would be nice, but haven't checked to see if it is even possible with LE xl.  Right now I have a few things I would like to do but nothing is concrete yet.  Besides, if all our planes looked the same that would take away part of the fun of building your own aircraft.  But really, would say 330 lbs empty weigh make us unsafe or dangerous.

[Dave Stroud]

I ask this with respect..only for the safely of anyone reading this. Flyboy...
are you a licensed pilot and if not, have you ever had any flight training  ?

[scottiniowa]

It is almost always better to build a plane  structurally to plans for a given weight capability and power, than it is to take one designed for less and home engineer what is "thought" to be a bit stronger.  It is a bit hard to explain "cumulative stress"  but in simple terms, it is stress that a part goes through, that is ALMOST good enough or strong enough to handle.    That is simply, with each "almost good enough" event, a part gets weaker but does not break. until one day the accumulation of these events causes a fairly large event or breakage.    

If you feel your well past that, go for it.

Generally cosmetic changes do little to effect strength. Thus are generally ok. 

Scott

[Flyboy]

Sorry for the absence from the forum guys.  Other projects have a way of bullying their way to the front.  In answer to Scott and Dave, I don't have any problem with you guys questioning what I do.  I do sometimes myself.  lol  Yes I have around 200 hours pic AND a license.  I have had an A&P since 1981 and 32+ years heavy sheet metal repair and modification experience on everything from C-130s to 747s, and several years of little aircraft repair and rebuilding before that.  I have had all my proposed (not yet realized) modifications run past several of my Aircraft Engineer buddies with a thumbs up.  The larger gear legs are because of
the gear failure stories I have heard, and lets face facts, I am not a poster boy for Anorexia or how ever you spell it.  If she ends up too heavy even with a 2 banger, then she will just be a VLS (Very Light Sport) lol  and get licensed.  I was told by someone who knows Leonard that the original LE was drawn on the hanger floor and built and that plans were made when others showed interest.  Can't verify that but it sounds reasonable.   Bodacious has the cabin LE thing whipped, and I have seen several LEs with all 4 cylinders installed and working and flying fine on Youtube, so it's not like I am reinventing the wheel here.  Yes the larger engine will weigh aprox. 45lbs more but it will take some of that tail wheel weight off the back end, and the gear beefup will handle the increased load in the cabin area.  Don't be afraid to think outside the box.  Figure the loads or have someone else do it, like I did.  Hey, If a couple of bicycle mechanics can do this, so can we.  Ifn you get to going too fast, throttle back, you don't have to fly wide open.  Just my opinion, so "Geterdone"