Standard Pilot Blog

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Rear Fuselage Final Assembly

Vertical Stabilizer slipped into the fuselage

Note that the the vertical stabilizer is not parallel to the fuselage; although not shown on the blueprints, this is by design. The front clearance should be about 2 1/2 to 2 3/4".

A hole is then drilled for a pin. We use a AN3 pin (3/16" diameter) to slip the drilled home.

Hole drilled for AN3 pin.

The AN3 pin is then secured by a lock pin. Since we did not have a pin of the correct length, we cut the AN3 bolt to the correct length (after insertion) and drilled it for a lock pin.

The front of the vertical stabilizer is attached to the fuselage using a couple lengths of 1" square aluminum tubing.

1" square tubes clamped in place

The 1" square tubes are riveted in place to the aluminum frame.. After riveting, the steel strap is drilled with a 3/16" hole and then the parts are secured with AN3 bolts, washers, and locknuts. Do not use crushing torque on the locknuts.

AN3 bolts and nuts in place on vertical stabilizer

HORIZONTAL STABILIZER ATTACHMENT

The horizontal stabilizer is attached to the steel straps. The critical factor is the angle of incidence of the rear elevator; to determine this, first level the fuselage (using levels at the cabin) then make sure that you set the horizontal stabilizer at an angle of 3 degrees negative incidence. This means that the leading edge is lower than the trailing edge. If you are assembling a taildragger, this means that the rear of the fuselage will be off the ground by around 15 or 20 inches, so that the airplane is level as measured at the cabin. The airplane must also be leveled if you are assembling a tricycle gear airplane. This normally requires shimming the nose wheel up slightly.

Horizontal Stabilizer in place, front bolt position determined by angle of incidence. Elevator also is attached and drooping.

Horizontal Stabilizer, front and rear bolt shown.

The attachment of the flying wires is covered elsewhere in this manual. A bottom cross connector flying wire plate is made from two pieces of aluminum,

(PHOTO TO BE SUPPLIED of BOTTOM CROSS CONNECTOR FLYING WIRE PLATE),

and is attached with AN3 bolt to the bottom aluminum plate.

Here's one more photo of the horizontal stabilizer, with the rear bolt attached. Also note that the elevator has been test fitted using AN3 clevis pins.

Rear Elevator Bolt Detail. Length of strap may be adjusted to set correct angle of incidence. Elevator also attached.

ELEVATOR PUSH PULL TUBE ATTACHMENT

The rear elevator push pull tube is either 0.750 of 0.875 inches in diameter, and is constructed of aluminum. It is rough cut to length, so that a neutral stick, and a neutral reversing bellcrank, and the elevator position is neutral, all at the same time. Here are pictures demonstrating all of these requirements:

Neutral stick position

Neutral reverser bellcrank with elevator push pull tube attached

Neutral Elevator, looking forward through fuselage

The push pull tube contains a machined and threaded insert at each end, which is held in place with 3M 2216 adhesive, and a single AN3 bolt, drilled through the insert. When it is cut to the proper length, everything is neutral, as shown in the above photos.

A diagonal member is placed and riveted on the internal fuselage frame, with a nylon or poly plastic block clamped in place. The proper diameter of the hole through the bearing block is 0.125" greater than the diameter of the push pull tube. For instance, for a 0.75" push pull tube, drill a 7/8" hole. After positioning for perfectly frictionless movement, the block is then held in place with a couple of AN3 bolts, washers, and locknuts.

Diagonal with bearing block

GAS TANK COMPARTMENT ASSEMBLY

In order to construct the base of the gas tank compartment, a length of 7/8" by 1/2" angle aluminum is riveted to the rear of the fuselage cabin. Then 3 cross members are riveted in place, followed by attachment of a aluminum sheet bottom. Note that this compartment clears the top of the elevator push pull tube by about 1/2". If it does not, the base level is too low and must be raised.

Angle aluminum across rear base of cabin and 3 cross members

Clearance from elevator push pull tube below gas tank compartment

Aluminum skin placed in position

Aluminum skin riveted in place

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Evening Dream with Ten Beginnings

Barn, from the air in a Belite Ultralight Airplane

I've mulled about 15 different ways to write about what happened tonight. None are quite working, none express the sum of it.

Try these beginnings, even though they are inadequate:

A) I floated 400 feet over the trees and grass, all absolutely vivid green after one of the warmest and wettest spring seasons which the state of Kansas has ever seen. Every pond had a dead flat surface; the deer snuck through a field already lush, and nearly ready for harvest...

Dead flat calm on a Kansas pond

or,

B) Stress decompression therapy involved engaging in a kind of waking dream therapy. For it to be successful, I assigned myself the task of observing stillness, green, fields and homes.

Homes in the Kansas Countryside, taken from Belite Ultralight Airplane

then again, what about this one?:

C) A strip of grass, when long enough, and flat enough, provides a place to stop, and stretch, and realize that you've arrived at a place that could not have been reached and explored. OK, maybe that's pushing it, but some runways are like that.


Grassy runway, in hayfield

Let's twist that last one just a bit:

D) A strip of grass of a few hundred feet in length offered me a uniqueness not experienced by anyone else this evening: literally dropping out of the sky, walking in the grass, taking pictures, then rising again from that strip.

Grassy runway, somewhere near Augusta, KS

Belite Aircraft pauses on grassy runway (WoW Plane)

Departing from grassy runway in hayfield

Yeah, that's Terry's runway. Sort of. Sorry I missed you: I tried to call first.

So I don't know how to write an introduction to my Evening Dream. Let's try another approach

Here's a fact based approach:

E) After flying for about 1.2 hours, I still had half a tank of gas left. This means I had been able to loiter in the sky for the evening on Two and One Half gallons of gas. My direct operating costs were about $10 an hour, using $4 / gallon gas as my cost basis. It also meant that I could plan a cross country FLIGHT of nearly two hours duration, and still have a little reserve. Emporia is now in my grasp! ....

I'm not sure what picture follows that introduction. Let's try these, even though they have nothing to do with burning 2.3 gallons per hour:

Kansas trees and bog from Belite ultralight airplane

Scrubby ground, trees, and field, all in Kansas

Kansas Countryside, from Belite Ultralight airplane

Kansas beauty, from Belite ultralight airplane

Another introduction might focus on landing at Stearman field, with its fairly amazing fly in restaurant, then taxiing by the restaurant and getting the outdoor patrons to smile, wave and give 'thumbs up' to the airplane which had just deftly landed on their runway. So let's try that, as an introduction to this piece:

F) I had no radio, so I was very careful to look in every direction for traffic. I spotted a Stearman biplane landing at the airstrip, then saw a classic taildragger advancing around the pattern. Crossing midfield, I snuck into the pattern behind the taildragger, then landed in front of the field restaurant. Reversing course on the taxiway, the patrons nearly applauded as I taxiied by in my polka dot WoW plane.

This picture would go well with that story, so I'll let you look at it:

At Stearman Field, Benton, KS; while taxiing my Belite WoW Ultralight Airplane

((( DOES YOUR PLANE GET THAT KIND OF REACTION ??? ))) (Sorry for yelling.)

I went around the pattern at Stearman field, And I did a couple of landings there.

Here's a starting story approach which might appeal to someone who wants to know what stability this Belite airplane has:

G) I was irritated with the fact that I still hadn't set the elevator trim just right. I needed to keep some forward pressure on the stick, to keep the nose down and level. Otherwise, it just wanted to climb. Or so I thought!! Out of irritation, I let go of the stick while I played with my camera. To my surprise, the plane did something I should have known it would do: It started to climb, then eased over into a dive, then started to climb again. After four or so oscillations, it had entered a stable flight mode, slightly nose high, lower airspeed, but mushing itself through the sky in a state of equilibrium. Having released the stick, I found that I could guide the plane entirely with the use of rudder pedals only. Occasionally, I shoved a bit of aileron to keep it level. Dynamic pitch stability -- demonstrated. Should have done that a long time ago. Never had done it. Now I could write about. And speaking of technical matters, I did a two way speed pass, using my GPS to calculate average speed. The average was about 58mph in cruise, which is a new record for our little 28HP engine. (My goal is to hit 63 mph with just 28HP. I'm closing in on it, as I've made steady technical advancements on Belite aerodynamics.)

That's too technical. How about a sales pitch approach?

H) We currently have assembled planes on sale for $14,500. You can experience an evening dream like I did, but you have to be willing to part with $14,500. In return, you can write your own stories.

That just is a horrible approach. Sales pitches turn people off.

Or perhaps I could talk about the odd things spotted from the air, such as the car, or the boat, floating in a field of grass:

I) I've spotted a fair bit of odd stuff on the ground. There is *Nothing* like a small airplane, flown a few hundred feet in the sky, to spot the odd bit of man's impact on earth. Today's examples include the abandoned car and a boat, still floating in a sea of grass. I took a very nice photo of the boat. And some other photos, too.

The boat sails on.

Windmill, Pond, Dusk approaches; taken from Belite Ultralight Aircraft

Perhaps a nice quotation from a famous person would set the right mood to start this tale:

J) Quoting Peter Garrison: "No bird ever flew nonstop from New York to Tokyo, or raced 15 miles high at triple the speed of sound. But birds do something else. They do not conquer the air; they romance it." And tonight, I romanced the air. I found the beauty of a breathless evening; of breathtaking green; of softness; of gentleness, as not a puff of wind swayed my plane even as it hung on wind; of lightness, both in sky, in sunset, and in the touch of the earth on the plane as it floated down and touched the ground.

---

That was potential beginnings of A) thru J), which is ten different beginnings to this tale.

I don't know which way is the best way to start this article, but I do know how to end it.

Thanks for sharing my evening dream.

Terry, I'm sorry you weren't home. I would really have enjoyed seeing you. Thanks for stopping by my field earlier in the day; sorry I missed you there as well. The joy of all of this is experienced by sharing it with friends.

A last photo:

Evening dream, taken from Belite Ultralight Aircraft

Okay, just one more photo:

Trees protect the creek and crook the field

Good night. Sleep well. Dream.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Steel Fuselages, Revisited

Please note: James' blog has moved to a Wordpress site. To access it, please visit http://jameswiebe.wordpress.com/. All posts have been transferred to the new site, and all new posts will only be accessible via Wordpress. Thank you for your interest!

Chromaloy steel is amazing. It used to be our only product offering -- but has been supplanted by aluminum due to substantially reduced costs in favor of aluminum. Most of the times, the customers vote for aluminum.

When the steel is built with thin wall 0.028 tubing, it is virtually identical to aluminum in weight.

Steel fuselages are very much still on our offering sheet. They're just expensive, relative to the aluminum option. We currently charge an upcharge of $2000 over the aluminum option, but this will be going up. It takes us 5 to 6 man weeks of welding and fabrication time to make the steel fuselages. Add in the cost of the steel, the welding supplies, and overhead, and they cost us a lot to make.

This particular steel fuselage is heading to the bay area in California.

I'm simply posting 20 or 25 photos of this particular fuselage, complete with front cabin dacron covering. It still needs some UV protection -- a little EkoFill to finish the job.

We build these in our factory jigs, which is why they turn out so square and lovely.

I weighed this particular fuselage before we covered it. It was 37 pounds.