Back to work on the Hornet

[Resasi]

Stu has been pretty busy with other weekend work during the last month so our Hornet was getting a little neglected. He has been trying to get back to it and managed to put some work in on it yesterday.

Used Gyrojake's jig to drill the holes on the top of the mast he put our dummy cheek plates on. The dash is now pretty well complete, for now anyway and is looking good.

Managed to finish off attaching the rods to the rudder arm beneath the horizontal stab. Put our Experimental sticker on, then dragged it out of the hanger and tried it on for size. Seems to fit OK.

The trailer is coming on and hoping to get some pics of that soon to show. This partnership seems to work real well because where I would make a huge production on just drilling holes Stu just gets on and does things, but then is not really into doing the research on the stuff which I enjoy doing on the forum. He is happy to let me do that, then package it for him to read and explain it as best I can.

I went up to Rissington yesterday to get some more training in for the PPL(G). Now been cleared and endorsed for cross country work. The new 532 engine on the Bensen has been running very smoothly and seems to be performing well so I went on a mini triangular course to try and get a feel for fuel consumption. It climbed pretty well and got to 2500' fairly easily which I felt gave me a good choice of spots if the engine did decide to pull a funny away from the field. Cruises comfortably at 55kts and it was great to be out and about. Morning flight went well until the RAF began their operations and we then all went back to our hanger. Evening flight wind was gusty, overcast and then began to rain. I had not put my clear goggles on but had my sunglasses which wasn't too smart cut the mini crosscountry I had planned short went back few landing then called it a day.

Today was a washout so came on back down to London.

Stu had to babysit as his wife had to go and do her flight so he didn't manage any more on the gyro.

Still we do both seem to be getting towards our goals. Once I have my licence and Stu gets the Hornet finished we can then get someone, hopefully Dave to look it over then we can think about testing it.

Waiting to get Nicolas's test results on the 12V prerotator he is working on for us.

 

[Resasi]

Wasn't sure these would go on the first post so the last two.

I guess it fits Stu OK

 

[Resasi]

And yes, I am wondering about the mast being too rigid as well.

 

[Dirtydog]

Just a thought

Just a thought

Resasi : Or should we start calling you DUDU?
Hey Just to warn you about the Exhaust bands... You need to safety the band in case the bolts don't hold. You are almost there I see. Have you finished the paper work?

 

[Resasi]

Yes Chris we started that before Bensen Days.

And no thanks, the name was explained to us a number of times, but it actualy means insect in Swahili and what Stu wanted to call it.

The word for Hornet is Dondoro,

Good tip on the exhaust ring. We will be safety wiring quite a lot more.

 

[StanFoster]

Resasi- Looking nice. Looking forward to seeing air under the tires!


Stan

 

[RockyMeLad]

Ditto what Stan said. . .

Insect sounds ok, but be prepared to "explain" it to the rest of us dummies. . . . . . often.

 

[Jazzenjohn]

Are you going to use a slider type rotorhead to help offset the extra stiffness of the mast/supports?

 

[Resasi]

Stan, Paul, thank you kindly for your thoughts, yes we are certainly looking forward to that. Sometimes it's the journey that can be rewarding as well though. We have both learned a lot in different fields and both have really enjoyed doing it. I have discovered flying in a whole new way and Stuart working with metal.

John we have an RFD head from Ernie to go with the blades. We do have the origional mast that Stu began to build which was the folding mast. Might be some changing required but will see how it goes.

 

[gyrojake]

Resasi,

How did your drilling go with the jig? Did it make the job easy?

Jake

 

[Resasi]

Hi Jake, a very big thank you.

Stu did the drilling and said that it took a lot of worry out of doing it wrong. I was really nervous about botching it so left it to him to do. Real glad to have your jig to help us with that.

Sorry it has taken so long to do, and that he misunderstood me when I had told him we did want one of the ones you were having made not just borrowing your origional. He got caught up in the in-laws new home renovation so it has taken time

Yours should either be on the way back to you or hopefully with you now, and we are waiting for the two diameter self clamping one that I ordered from you.

Problem is Stu doesn't come on to the Forum much if at all, certainly doesn't post comments, or read it, to my knowledge. He is kind of busy and doesn't have the time I do which is why my job is to research and learn first, digest then pass on the good stuff to him as he builds. It makes for a good team effort though and great fun working together on something.

My eldest flew with me as a co-pilot for a while before he went to the airlines which was great, so this is my youngest and I doing an 'aviation thing' together since he didn't seem that interested in an aviation career like Pa and Grandpa. He picked up flying real quick, they both started young, and is a natural stick but just didn't get the bug. He has made a great job of our bird and I am really looking forward to flying it and him learning on it.

 

[All_In]

Tell Stu it's looking great! Way to go!!!

It takes awhile but I enjoy watching these things come together, from parts to sitting in her.

Leigh, what's left to finish her now?

 

[Resasi]

John thank you I certainly will do that.

Nicolas is just finishing testing the 12V prerotator he is making for us so hopefully we will shortly have that. We have the blades and head so will then get those bits together and on to the cheek plates.

This is a fairly critical phase as we want to get the CofG as close to the Engine Thrust line and Rotor Thrust Vector as we can, (if I am understanding the process as I should).

We really do want this to be as stable and efficient as we can make her and when we have all the rotor head components together we can see how high we have to go as well as where fore/aft to get the CG in the right place. Then get the control rods and flapper arms sorted.

Engine has to be run in, fuel systems checked to see that it is feeding evenly from both tanks. Ground taxi to check out rudder pedal set-up and rudder travel.

We still have to get the dual tach RRPM working correctly and to try and sort a decent aerial for her. I am having problems on the Bensen with my Icom A6, still think I might have gone Vertex and done better. Fine on the ground unreadable in the air. Looking at a helmet that supposedly has a decent open air mike so that with the aerial will hopefully sort that out.

Have ordered a helmet video cam so hopefully can show our progress when it comes to testing and getting airborne.

It is beginning to feel as though we might be nearly there, but more realistically to the point where we begin to find out our mistakes and can go back and start working on those.hwell:

 

[All_In]

It's exciting just to read it. I can image how Stu must be felling.
Can't wait for the videos!!!

Thanks for sharing...

 

[Dirtydog]

Resasi :
It is beginning to feel as though we might be nearly there, but more realistically to the point where we begin to find out our mistakes and can go back and start working on those.



I thought I was finish too! Well Need to fix this and that........:suspicious:

 

[Resasi]

I guess we are never done Chris as things can nearly always be made more efficient or safety improved. Still it will be nice to get it to the stage where we can get to the airborne tweaking phase.

Delighted I got my training started early. My PPL(G) is coming together now. Have the hours required, just need the 2 X-countrys and GHT so if and when we can get Dave's look-see and nod I can begin flying her immediately. In the US my present US licence together with a driving licence I think, gives me sport pilot privileges and I have done the training, but will check what else I might need to do.

 

[Resasi]

Just found what one would need to do to get a UK license recognized by the FAA which Kevin kindly sent.

Getting a foreign PPL (for any class and category) recognized in the USA, you get a US FAA license based on your British license.

The procedure is in 61.75.
http://www.faa.gov/licenses_certific..._verification/

Steps:

1. Go to FAA, download the form. Here's the link again: http://www.faa.gov/licenses_certific..._verification/
.
2. Fill it out. You will see that you need to get your CAA to authorise release of data The UK CAA page you need is here: http://www.caa.co.uk/application.asp...detail&id=2090 has to be faxed or snail-mailed to FAA.
.
3. There are some decisions to make about your license. One is which ratings you wish to have on your US license (of the ratings you hold in any ICAO member nation), the other is where you will get your license. You need to select the FSDO that will grant your license when you send in the form. You can either get the license through the FAA itself (which is free) or through a Designated Examiner (which will cost you the examiner's fee). If you deal with the FSDO, you have to meet them in their offices on their schedules.

I don't know is whether the DE must have privileges to grant your particular ratings sought. For example, normally only a gyro DE or heli DE can grant a gyro or a heli license respectively. I think that would also hold in this case, even though it is strictly a paperwork drill.
.
4. Once your paperwork is mailed or faxed to the USA (addy and numbers at that link, overseas +1 for USA, I guess we're #1 because one of our guys invented the phone) then you need to set up in IACRA. http://iacra.faa.gov/ You will need to log in and the FAA will give you a number called an FTN (I have no earthly idea what that stands for, but you'll need it to get back in. I wrote mine in my logbook where I record my ratings and certs). IACRA is actually fairly self-explanatory but the FAA does provide some online training and I (and any of the list instructors) can answer questions.

Due to bugs in IACRA, it only works in Internet Explorer on the Windows platform, when it works at all; it was not the FAA's finest hour but it was less of a boondoggle than the Microwave Landing System. You can make it work at the expence of some aggravation and tooth enamel.
.
5. Make your FAA inspector or DE appointment. At the appointed time and place, bring all your documents. The inspector or examiner will examine (or inspect!) them, walk you through digitally signing your IACRA application, and digitally countersign it. In a half hour, you'll have your temporary US airman certificate. It is only valid to the extent that your non-US cert is, so if you have some bizarre restriction on your license ("no mustering wildebeest") it carries over. As long as your foreign medical is current, it's OK... you do need to carry your home-country documents because they provide the authority by which FAA granted you a ticket.
.
6. One important restriction: you must get your stuff to the FAA 90 days before you plan to darken a FSDO door (or loom up in front of a DE). And once you do get it in, you have six months to execute the IACRA application with an inspector or DE, or you turn back into a beastly foreigner and we make you do the whole thing again.
.
7. You do not need TSA screening unless you are going to seek flight training which will lead to the granting of a new license. That's a whole other can of worms.



Boy, sure does make me happy I got that US license.