MyNameIsNobody Posted September 25, 2018 Report Share Posted September 25, 2018 6 hours ago, flyboy0681 said: Speaking of Lancair's, has anybody been privy to what may have happened to N2536T this past weekend? A friend of mine is (was) a very close friend of the pilot and his wife and is just devastated. What makes this matter worse is that my friend likes to fly with me in the Mooney and said he is reassessing the wisdom of that. Geez Captain downer...How about another thread for the dead? This bird is flyin’ and winnin’ and being enjoyed by a proud owner. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yooper Rocketman Posted November 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2018 I had a flight this weekend where I saw some really serious winds; on my tail outbound and on my nose coming home. What was exciting about this one was my best ground speed (yes, I know, it's all in the wind......but when you see a nice number you can't help but like it) prior to this flight was 395 knots. I saw 410 Knots on this flight, so clipped my best by 15 knots. Just wish I could see those more often on our Florida trips (well, on the way down anyway). .https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N994PT/history/20181110/1415Z/KIMT/KAGC https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N994PT/history/20181110/1945Z/KAGC/KIMT One screen shot showing 409 Knots GS and some FL240 shots over central Michigan during the snail pace trip back home. Tom 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted November 16, 2018 Report Share Posted November 16, 2018 Sailors love improving their hullspeeds... and a good strong wind to max things out! For modern day sailors... Here’s to hull speeds over 200kts and a good tail wind, cheers! Best regards, -a- 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yooper Rocketman Posted August 27, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2019 I haven't posted on this thread for a while, but since this is a continuation from the build, thought it most appropriate to post here. Just over the last month or so a noise developed in my left wing. I could hear a small "pop" when fueling it and once in a while when stepping up on the wing to board and taxiing. I initially checked and found my rear spar bolt could be torqued a bit tighter, and an interference of the gear leg to carbon fiber on the belly. Correcting those items, the noise didn't change and, in fact, started getting more consistent and louder. After that trip just over a week ago, a mercy flight from KRST to KSAW, and one Young Eagles Flight, I determined I could no longer fly the plane without finding the noise. I had a friend help me horse on the left wing while I searched for the origin of the noise. I was able to narrow it down to the top of the main spar, but could see no interference at the gap between the wing and the wing fairing. It became painfully evident the wing needed to be separated from the fuselage. The entire interior had to be removed, flight controls disconnected, the wing tip removed and all wiring and pitot hosing disconnected, rolling bench supports under both the root and tip of the wing, and 2 wing main spar bolts removed (holding BOTH wings.... yep, had to support the other wing during the process too) as well as the aft spar bolt for the left wing. That meant removing a silicone sealed (for pressurization) cover. Oh ya, fuel removed and fuel lines too. ARGH!! So, once pulled a foot (wings are so tight that required a ratchet strap affixed to the wall and the wing to assist two men pulling as hard as they can), I found a witness mark on the spar that had all the over spray primer rubbed off and carbon fiber showing nice and shiny. Wondering how that was rubbing, as the possibility of the wing "bending" enough to cause this was nearly impossible, considering how close the mark was to the spar bolt and the substantial size of the spar at that point, I stuck the spar bolt in the spar and detected a bit of movement. I measured the bolt ..... it was .747". Researching that AN bolt spec, I found manufacturers "accepted" tolerance was .744" to .749". The .751" hole still had anodizing in it, so clearly it was not worn. I called my guru down in TN, as well as our LOBO (Lancair Owners and Builders Org) maintenance guru, and both felt the bolt to spar bushing fit was fine and within tolerance. So final determination was the factory wing mating procedure is to "build up" a small area on the spars for the spar box to be tightened against during that process. Once all measurements and wing positioning is good, the spar box is bonded to the fuselage floor. Where the carbon fiber was showing was actually part of the area where it's raised up. I simply needed to remove about .010" of the build up. In addition, having another Lancair IVPT in my hangar being finished up, we grabbed his bolts to see if they fit better. They were perfect, but were clearly some other material (lighter weight and dark in color). I called the owner of the other Lancair and found he had gotten Titanium Bolts made (from a Grumman/Lockheed supplier), and they were exactly .750". I researched the tensile and shear on those bolts, concerned about deviating from the original AN bolt the factory was using, and found they were 300% stronger in tensile (not really a benefit) and 250% stronger in shear, albeit a whole lot more expensive. I installed the wing, installed all the Titanium spar bolts, and horsed on the wing. Noise gone. That was one labor intensive job to get rid of an annoying and uncomfortable noise. Tom 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steingar Posted August 27, 2019 Report Share Posted August 27, 2019 I helped pull the wings off Joe's Lancair when it made its trip up to you. Those are some hefty bolts. I think there were a dozen of us and we still had trouble getting those wings off. Those Lancairs are stout. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted August 27, 2019 Report Share Posted August 27, 2019 Accepted tolerance of bolts..! Now that’s some detail! Thanks for including the challenges with all of the good stuff, Tom! Best regards, -a- 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RogueOne Posted August 27, 2019 Report Share Posted August 27, 2019 Job done! Whew. Check the box on why I would love to fly in your bird. Weird noise? (Other owners “it’s probably nothing”) Tom....”Sigh, I guess I better pull the interior, the fuel lines, the wing and find out why”. It’s a beautiful thing...Peace of mind by knowing that is. Nice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yooper Rocketman Posted August 27, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2019 2 hours ago, carusoam said: Accepted tolerance of bolts..! Now that’s some detail! Thanks for including the challenges with all of the good stuff, Tom! Best regards, -a- A. That's why I posted this. So everyone knows there's a price to pay sometimes for owning, building and flying a bird like this. It's not ALWAYS fun. Tom 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browncbr1 Posted August 28, 2019 Report Share Posted August 28, 2019 Now you know ... sounds like lots of work, but worth knowing what was going on 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aviatoreb Posted August 28, 2019 Report Share Posted August 28, 2019 3 hours ago, Yooper Rocketman said: A. That's why I posted this. So everyone knows there's a price to pay sometimes for owning, building and flying a bird like this. It's not ALWAYS fun. Tom How many hours you figure this took? e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsxrpilot Posted August 28, 2019 Report Share Posted August 28, 2019 When talking about dangerous things in aviation... flying in a turbine Lancair has to be up there. Those airplanes have killed a significant percentage of their pilots. But there wasn't one second of hesitation on my part, when offered the chance to fly with Tom in his bird. The craftsmanship is something that has to be seen to be believed. Add to that his skill and attention to detail as a pilot, and there's no reason apprehension or doubt. If I were ever to own one of these rocket ships, it would have to be this very one or none at all. I certainly wouldn't trust myself to build one, nor would I trust anyone else. But as you might have worked out from this thread, this one is absolutely perfect in every way. If a flight in this one isn't on your bucket list... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted August 28, 2019 Report Share Posted August 28, 2019 Paul... If we do some planning... and order this year... We have about 17 more years to get this far... Building two ships side by side... three if I can get the Math professor in on the idea... Or by teleconference... Does the new Lanceair company have a L-IVPT option any more? One challenge that the Lanceair and other fast home builts have is their stall /landing speeds.... the options for engine out operations become very limited.... Keeping the fan running does improve with turbines... unless your challenge is fuel logistics... Best regards, -a- 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsxrpilot Posted August 28, 2019 Report Share Posted August 28, 2019 8 minutes ago, carusoam said: Paul... If we do some planning... and order this year... We have about 17 more years to get this far... Building two ships side by side... three if I can get the Math professor in on the idea... Or by teleconference... Does the new Lanceair company have a L-IVPT option any more? One challenge that the Lanceair and other fast home builts have is their stall /landing speeds.... the options for engine out operations become very limited.... Keeping the fan running does improve with turbines... unless your challenge is fuel logistics... Best regards, -a- I'm in! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aviatoreb Posted August 28, 2019 Report Share Posted August 28, 2019 8 hours ago, carusoam said: Paul... If we do some planning... and order this year... We have about 17 more years to get this far... Building two ships side by side... three if I can get the Math professor in on the idea... Or by teleconference... Does the new Lanceair company have a L-IVPT option any more? One challenge that the Lanceair and other fast home builts have is their stall /landing speeds.... the options for engine out operations become very limited.... Keeping the fan running does improve with turbines... unless your challenge is fuel logistics... Best regards, -a- Oh boy - if only. But I know better than to even come close to considering to fly in something that I built. Let's just say that I know where my skills lie and building stuff always turns out a little crappy when I try, but I am smart enough to hire someone capable. I have a different idea - what if I make some amazing software, get a patent, sell it, make a ton of money and then make Yooper a massive money offer he can't refuse? Not likely - but the closest I would ever come to flying such a plane. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yooper Rocketman Posted August 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2019 9 hours ago, carusoam said: Paul... If we do some planning... and order this year... We have about 17 more years to get this far... Building two ships side by side... three if I can get the Math professor in on the idea... Or by teleconference... Does the new Lanceair company have a L-IVPT option any more? One challenge that the Lanceair and other fast home builts have is their stall /landing speeds.... the options for engine out operations become very limited.... Keeping the fan running does improve with turbines... unless your challenge is fuel logistics... Best regards, -a- Aaron, I eat my breakfast every morning while catching up on my forum's. Reading your post with a mouth full of cereal and milk by the time I hit the end of your fourth line I spit milk all over my keyboard and screen. Took me 5 minutes to clean it up. ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS!!! Tom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yooper Rocketman Posted August 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2019 9 hours ago, gsxrpilot said: When talking about dangerous things in aviation... flying in a turbine Lancair has to be up there. Those airplanes have killed a significant percentage of their pilots. But there wasn't one second of hesitation on my part, when offered the chance to fly with Tom in his bird. The craftsmanship is something that has to be seen to be believed. Add to that his skill and attention to detail as a pilot, and there's no reason apprehension or doubt. If I were ever to own one of these rocket ships, it would have to be this very one or none at all. I certainly wouldn't trust myself to build one, nor would I trust anyone else. But as you might have worked out from this thread, this one is absolutely perfect in every way. If a flight in this one isn't on your bucket list... Paul, Based on my knowledge of your piloting skills, AND how you flew my Lancair when we went up, I have zero doubt you could fly this until too old to fly, and do so safely. I suspect Aaron and Erik could as well. Tom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yooper Rocketman Posted August 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2019 15 hours ago, RogueOne said: Job done! Whew. Check the box on why I would love to fly in your bird. Weird noise? (Other owners “it’s probably nothing”) Tom....”Sigh, I guess I better pull the interior, the fuel lines, the wing and find out why”. It’s a beautiful thing...Peace of mind by knowing that is. Nice. I still feel bad we didn't connect during your last trip north. Might be for the better it ends up on a future trip as I hope to see your new bird! Sounds a lot like a Rocket other than no turbo. AND we all know how much I like Rockets!! Tom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steingar Posted August 28, 2019 Report Share Posted August 28, 2019 10 hours ago, gsxrpilot said: When talking about dangerous things in aviation... flying in a turbine Lancair has to be up there. Those airplanes have killed a significant percentage of their pilots... Mini airliners built and flown by amateurs. That said, I suspect those who train like the pros they fly them safely indeed. I dod suspect they're a handful when the chips are down though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aviatoreb Posted August 28, 2019 Report Share Posted August 28, 2019 1 hour ago, Yooper Rocketman said: Paul, Based on my knowledge of your piloting skills, AND how you flew my Lancair when we went up, I have zero doubt you could fly this until too old to fly, and do so safely. I suspect Aaron and Erik could as well. Tom Thank you. I think (only guessing) I may be a little younger than you. Who knows...maybe someday when you are ready to sell, maybe I will be fiscally able to buy. Yours is step up I dream of! I AM still planning on coming to visit at some point. Actually I was in Ann Arbor a week and a half ago and I oh so was trying to figure a way to extend a day to visit you...but I was constrained for work reasons to keep that trip down to just the 24 hrs it was. But ... I'm a comin' one of these days! 20 min of right seat time in your plane, with you, is officially on my bucket list! Whiiiiirrrrr love the sound of a sweet turbine spinning up! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RogueOne Posted August 28, 2019 Report Share Posted August 28, 2019 4 hours ago, Yooper Rocketman said: I still feel bad we didn't connect during your last trip north. Might be for the better it ends up on a future trip as I hope to see your new bird! Sounds a lot like a Rocket other than no turbo. AND we all know how much I like Rockets!! Tom Came through airframe and engine after sitting six years o.k. Looking forward to adsb update and then flying her. Hope to connect in Northern Wisconsin Tom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yooper Rocketman Posted August 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2019 14 hours ago, aviatoreb said: How many hours you figure this took? e Sorry, never answered your question. About 20 man hours. But ............................ I WAS HAVING FUN !!! (LOL) Tom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steingar Posted August 28, 2019 Report Share Posted August 28, 2019 I'll probably be up there for the long weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yooper Rocketman Posted August 31, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2019 So fueled and flight tested this evening. No noise at anytime. I guess I had gotten used to the noise at lift off as it was very noticeably GONE. Big job Little problem Maximum satisfaction Tom 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted August 31, 2019 Report Share Posted August 31, 2019 -a- 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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