OH MAMA!.......Smoooooooth!

[KenSandyEggo]

Gosh I'm P.O.-ed. I've been typing like a madman for the last 20 minutes and then I accidently hit some key with one of my fingers and I completely exit the Forum and am unable to go back to where I was. Thought I'd start a new thread as the other one was getting pretty long.

Here I go again. For the last few days, I've been doing runway flights trying to get my rigging correct. She basically was ballooning up quickly, leaning to the right and not accelerating with full power and full forward stick. Forgetting about the trim-wheels didn't help either. I got her to fly level by cranking in left roll-trim, but still couldn't build up any speed after lift-off. My stick position was also too far forward. She'd get to about 40 m.p.h. indicated and stay there behind the power-curve, so I knew I had to shorten the control rods some. To make a long story short, I finally got some "slim-line" AN nuts for almost a buck apiece, and this gave me enough range to get them where I wanted them. I left a little left-tilt in for torque compensation. I'm assuming that the specs on the SC head are not identical to those on the RAF head. Tightening in the 6 rod-ends brought my stick right back to where it originally was. I probably should have invested in a good angle-level. Mine kind of sticks and I "thought" I had the correct head-tilt angles dialed in.

I took off this morning intending to do a 5,000 ft. runway flight. I cranked her up and was at 200 rrpm as I turned onto the runway. I eased in the throttle in case there was any roll tendency and waited for her to easily lift off, which she did. I then gave her the gas and before I knew it, I was starting to climb and approaching 90 m.p.h.! I had over-cranked the left-roll trim, so I cranked her a little to the right to fly level. I told the tower I would do a pattern. I thought the ride was smooth when I installed the old SC blades. Throw in the SC rotor head and it's unbelieveable! I did nothing to any adjustments. Just took them out of the box and installed them.

Jim Vanek has nailed it. Stick-shake and cabin-hop are a thing of the past with his blades, hub-bar and rotor-head. I am impressed! Broke....but impressed. I was so busy enjoying the flight, I didn't even notice what the rotor rpm was. I'll take her up again in a day or 2 and collect some figures. Something tells me she is going to be a lot faster.

Now I have a sale in progress and I'm wondering if I'm doing the right thing. Yikes! The money will be wired to my account on the 25th. She has never flown so well or looked so sharp. Oh well, I committed to the sale and I committed to the J-2 owner to buy the J-2 with a $2,000 deposit. I better like that sled. I'm sure I will. Who I sold mine to is up to the buyer if he wants to post it. The J-2 I'm buying is Ron Herron's. I had to do a real sales job on him to part with it. Him and Chris really weren't too crazy about selling it. Ron said it was like selling one of your kids. I'm suddenly realizing what he meant by that. Selling a favorite certificated plane is hard enough, but when you've put in as much as I have into mine.......gulp.

[barnstorm2]

Contratulations on your re-build, sounds like she is a sweet ship again.

I would love to have a J2 or A&S18a. I am envious.

[scott heger]

Ken, I think your nuts...... also ....I don't think you should sell the gyro now that it is all dialed in. You may have one of the nicest flying two place gyros in the world. Why part with that? I hear J-2's don't like the summmer heat, and standby for the parts bills. And worst of all, you can't "adjust"(remove/add/modify) much on it.

Reminds me of my Chenowith Corvair dunebuggy (that are made in El Cajon) . It was the fastest and troublefree dunebuggy I ever owned. It would pop your ears it climbed sand dunes so fast , all the time in a wheelie!! The day I sold it, I knew it was a mistake, and 15 years later, I still kick myself for doing it.

Just rethink it all again....

Scott Heger, Laguna Niguel, Ca N86SH

[asmuzsr]

Yeah Ken I'm still regreting the day I sold the BunnyHugger.

[KenSandyEggo]

I have enough calluses on my ass that another kick or two won't even be noticeable. I will say one thing. I am getting tired of lifting my leg up over the ledge past the stick and squeezing it alongside the keel climbing in. Getting out is even worse. My legs aren't as nimble as before. I'll be kicking myself if I don't ever get to own and fly a J2. I've wanted one for over 30 years. At my age, it's understandable to be going from a Miata to a nice Oldsmobile sedan. Here's a pic of the one I'm getting. Now tell me it's not a sweetheart. I think I'll be very happy with it and it'll be more conducive as to people being willing to get in and go for a ride. This is something I enjoy doing immensely. It looks more "aircrafty."

In fact, one of the things I plan to do with her is to airport hop on weekends and park her outside airport restaurants and at fly-ins with a small sign offering rides for a fee. In other words, I want to "Barnstorm." All those free rides are getting expensive. I know a couple guys that did that with an RAF many years ago and turned a very decent buck and had fun doing it. If this isn't a "Babe-Magnet," I don't know what is. Look. There's a babe in it already. (Just kidding, Demetra). I also promise not to become a "Gyro-Snob." With the under-seat storage, do you guys realize how many more grenades and ammo I can carry on my next mission to Karjakistan?

Which brings up a question that I haven't been able to get a positive answer for. Can I simply sell rides with a commercial ticket, or must I get a CFI rating so I can call the rides "Introductory Flight Lessons?" One CFI thinks I just need a commercial add-on as long as I don't do charter work. Anyone know for sure?

Scott, as I previously mentioned, mine comes with a virtual truckload of spare parts, including an extra set of blades and a brand-new rotor-head assembly. There are also belts, cables, tires, fairings and other "stuff." That's one of the reasons I went for this deal......or rather pushed for it.

[asmuzsr]

You'll have to have 100hour inspections done along with the annual. There may be other requirements but you commercial should be all you need and of course currency requirements.
I have to say I've always liked the J2's looks.

[KenSandyEggo]

But then, it'll also be a business/tax deduction. Maybe Jim Mayfield will pop in here and answer. He should know for certain if anyone does. Tony......what the hell you doing up at 3:30 in the morning!!??

[KenSandyEggo]

"Ken, I think your nuts......"

What about them?

[asmuzsr]

Sunday to Thursday I work midnights.

[david holmes]

[QUOTE=asmuzsr]You'll have to have 100hour inspections done along with the annual. QUOTE]

WHY?

[Red Sky]

Originally Posted by KenSandyEggo

...At my age, it's understandable to be going from a Miata to a nice Oldsmobile sedan. Here's a pic of the one I'm getting. ...

You'll love it and it makes perfect sense to me. I think she's one sweet ride.

[Rotornut]

Nice Ken, J2 is a nice machine. Wish you the Best. Now we can get more cross country stories and pics. Enjoy. MJ

[asmuzsr]

Answer to David's question, Taking people for rides and accepting money, he will be a commercial operator. I don't remember all that goes in to it but to cover himself he'll need to check it out. I'd hate to see someone ask the wrong questions and he get into trouble. Then he's be needing your services. When you start taking money for rides, as we all know it's a whole new ball game.
It's nice for him I think, though, he could have another business on the side and this time be doing some thing he really loves. He just needs to check the reg's before he does that's all.

[KenSandyEggo]

I'll certainly do that, Tony. I know an aircraft used commercially has to get 100 hour inspections, but I don't know if what I plan to do qualifies as true "commercial" usage. 100 hours per year is quite a bit anyway.

[C. Beaty]

The designer of the J-2, D K Jovanovich, was yet another of aviation’s colorful characters.

Jovanovich and a team of ex-Piasecki engineers set up Helicopter Engineering Research Corp. in Philadelphia around 1946 and designed a series of midget flying bananas (tandem rotor helicopters).

McCulloch built a couple but there was no market.

The design rights of one banana were sold to Hughes who lifted one of the rotor systems and developed the 269 helicopter.

Rights to the J-2 were first sold to Bill Lear (Learjet) with the stipulation that if it had not entered production by a certain time, ownership, along with a bag of money would revert to Jovanovich; which it did.

At some time before McCulloch purchased the J-2 rights, Jovanovich approached Bensen with a licensing proposal. Bensen didn’t have the resources to manufacture a certificated aircraft even if he had wanted to.