How did your new RV fair the first year?
Well today is the day 1 year latter from the first flight for the "School
Bus". It now has over 290 hrs on it.
Man it seems like yesterday that I was privileged with riding into the
air for the first time after 22 months of hard work.
Welcome:
www.wildblueinnovations.com
...home of the Aero Gust Buster
The "Gust Buster" is an engineered "gust control system" for
light aircraft. It is not a "gust lock" but rather a gust
control system that absorbs the energy of high wind events
protecting the control surfaces from . It is used in the cockpit
making it safer for the pilot, passengers, paint and structure.
Unlike external devices, the Gust Buster is safer for the pilot
and passengers because forgetting to remove this device before
flight is highly unlikely.
WD-803
"At least now I know, sooner or later I will have to make something
fit,,,,,but I'll give it an hour or thirty six before I drill."
World
Sunlight Map...with clouds. Watch the sun rise and set all over the world on this real-time,
computer-generated illustration of the earth's patterns of sunlight and
darkness. The clouds are updated every 3 hours with current weather
satellite imagery.
I set the link as a bookmark on my iPhone home page.
Out and about
B-24J seen while driving on Hwy 377 east of 52F. iPhone pic with
the window down.
Wed Mar 27,
2013 N73HR (120332) First flight 25 March
2013
Rob and Haruko Reese's RV-12, N73HR, S/N 120332, had its first
flight yesterday, March 25th, 2013 out of the Georgetown, Texas
airport (KGTU) . My favorite wife Haruko's favorite official
transition training pilot, John Albury (JetGuy) did first flight
honors, with his co-conspirator Colin Richardson (RDOG) in the
chase plane, N1212K, with Haruko riding shotgun. It was flying
so nicely that John's 30-minute first flight extended to about
two hours. A delightful 3 years, 1 month build time (mostly
Saturdays--I'm still gainfully over-employed), with advice and
consent from EAA Chapter 187 Tech Counselors Deene Ogden and
Seth Hancock.
This was the 232nd RV-12 reported to Van's to be flying.
__________________
Rob Reese. RV-12 #332. Austin, TX
RVs and the ME262 replica
Yesterday there was a big capital 'H' parked over N.Texas, not a cloud in
the state and deep, cool blue from horizon to horizon. Taxied out
to let my oil warm up and saw (3) other RVs on the field with the same
idea.
After takeoff a few of us switched over to 122.75 to talk. It was
made aware to us that the Collings Foundation had some hardware at
nearby Denton, TX (9nm
flight - 4min).Spotting deer can wait....let's go look at the planes. We
landed, taxied right up to 'em and shut down.
iPhone camera out. Pretty cool stuff. You'd think seeing a
262 replica was the highlight, but it wasn't. When I was cleared
for takeoff for the return trip, they told me about the Huey on the east
side of the runway paralleling me at about 100' agl. I took off,
then leveled off, and for the briefest of moments flew alongside a
Vietnam era Huey. Doors open and all.
Total engine run time....24mins (most of that on the ground warming up
and waiting to takeoff). The
history of this B-24J was really interesting. Built down the
road in Ft.Worth - returning to the exact same airspace 69 years later.
The pictures I took. Enjoy.
[ed. Used the 99˘ app 'Picashare'
to upload the pics directly to my Picasa site from the iPhone.
From the hangar....dr]
fmi:
ME262
-
B-17G -
P-51
-
B-24J
First Flight: David Oakes
I now have the RV Grinn!!!!!
At 1:40 P.M. on March 22, 2013. First flight went well. The very
next day flew 2 hrs. Now only 38hr more to take Donna. Thanks to
her and others that made it all possible.
Google & Garmin news over 12 hours
I goggled 'Garmin G3X' at 8pm my time last night, around 12 hours
after the latest Garmin announcements. I got the following
screen capture below. Google says
VAF's discussion of the new news got a higher relevance than
on the following sites: EAA, AOPA, Avweb, and even Garmin.com.
85,523 page views in the VAF forums yesterday, says
GoogleAnalytics.
Go RV community!
RV 12 saw horse collapse
Since most everyone has had to park their 12 on sawhorses for the gear
SB, this should provide some caution. I almost did the same,
using old plastic sawhorses, at the last minute I bought some
1000 lb capacity steel ones. This is a friends build, it crashed
when he was not even around it so he was not injured. No big
damage to the airframe was reported either.
Off-field RV-6A Landing
...follow-up in words and images from the keyboard of the guy doing
the flying.
Left Logan at 4:10 ish KLGU- for a company meeting in SLC U42. No
problems during the flight. Unfortunately They route you pretty low
right over the middle of salt lake as you're passing by the tower- so I
was at 5500 ft as I squawked vfr and set up for a right base for the
field. So problem one- already lower than I like- field elevation is
4600. make my turn to final- pull the power back a bit more to get under
100 mph for flaps-- put the first notch of flaps in, and run through
landing check again- somewhere amidst this I go to add power because my
glide path is a little low- This is the tricky part. I still don't know
exactly how long my engine was out before i figured it out. You have to
understand- smooth airplane (I've had compliments on the smoothness and
quietness from other rv owners) power is supposed to be at idle anyway-
and the prop didn't stop, its windmilling. Lightspeed Zulu? not much to
hear. Anyway, so eventually pumping the throttle i realize that i am
engineless. This is how high? maybe 750 ft high? at that point my glide
dropped far below the runway and i am suddenly super concerned that i am
right on the edge of making the soccer field. I put my flaps back up as
this glide thing is going through my mind. I have maybe 10 more seconds
to try anything to get the motor going- put the mixture richer, confirm
carb heat, boost pump, fuel selector- pump pump pump throttle. Nothing.
No time. No more time. Fly the airplane. (south valley traffic 00Z going
down in a park just south of the runway) I am not going to make the
field. i do an intermediate level off to clear the building south of the
park, but only enough to clear (actually split the buildings that's how
close it was) and then pitch back down to try to maintain the rest of my
airspeed as possible for the flare. Flare- happened so fast, obviously
didn't have much airspeed left because i went full rear stick fast- was
hard but good enough- next problem. Trees. had one or two seconds- hard
rudder input, whack, (split trees but hit park sign) and go up a hill to
a level off where i jamb the breaks and keep elevator back of course.
wow i stopped fast. I stop just before the second sidewalk and a second
set of trees. I am alive! I am ridiculously lucky i made that field. I
didn't flip! I hit my wing.... I am ALIVE! GET OUT! gas is coming out of
my right wing- flip everything off and jump out. (continue)
Fri Mar 22,
2013 Wishing you and yours a happy, safe and RV-filled weekend.
dr
iPad photo from the couch at
theVanCave.
Just after washing - click for larger image. dr
Welcome Adaptive Interfaces
"Adaptive Interfaces is a new company, based in Colorado,
offering a line of 2-1/4 inch digital instruments for home built
and experimental airplanes. We currently have 5 products: an
Altimeter / Encoder, a Mode C Decoder, an Electrical Monitor, an
Oil Temperature / Pressure gauge and an Engine Temperature
Monitor. Adaptive Interfaces wants to support the RV community
in any way it can. Please feel free to contact us at our web
site,
www.adaptint.com , with questions or issues you have with
our products as they relate to RV aircraft or any
other technical questions. We want to be involved and to help."
GLO Custom Paint Slot Openings
(from Grady) We wanted to let the RV builders know that GLO CUSTOM
has openings for the months May
and June for anyone who is
ready for paint give us a call at 817-430-2078.
fmi:
www.glocustom.com
Exhaust blow-by ...RV-12 I'm in the process of performing my second condition inspection. I
found that there has been some significant leakage of exhaust
gases from the right rear exhaust pipe muffler joint. See photo.
I will have to remove the muffler and investigate of course, but
wondering if anyone else has seen this?
Semi off topic
....watching my son fly r/c in the backyard yesterday evening.
This is the first time he went out by himself - no help. I
shot this image through the window.
Regret and the 'no go' decision
...Bob Collins Sometimes, I think I'm too risk-averse to be a pilot.
For the past six weeks, I've been planning a trip to Arizona with my
youngest (25) son. We're both big Cleveland Indians fans and
wanted to spend a couple of days watching the Tribe. My friend,
Darwin Barrie, offered to put the RV-7A up at his airpark and
give us his truck for the week to use.
And so began weeks of planning for the trip, which -- for me -- consists
of six weeks of worrying, playing "what if?". I pored over the
charts and established the best route. I consulted with Darwin
on the best approach into Phoenix' airspace. I'd go to sleep at
night thinking of the approach and memorizing every mile of the
route, the fuel stops, and the time. (continue)
Update to the hangar lift idea: Magenta
line is a steel channel that runs back to the tailwheel, bolted to the
car lift. Gray
square is a concrete counterweight that can be moved fore/aft and bolted
into place.
2-post 9,000 pound car lift is $1,300-$1,600 and has all the modern
locking safety features. Channel removable w/a wheel
on the 'concrete end' for rolling around the hangar (for when you need to lift a
car for maintenance. Move the weight to the 'RV position' in the
summer and 'Cub position' in the winter. Thoughts?
Jerry Turner: Pink Slip 9A
Today after 7yrs we have an airplane, thanks to so many for the help.
I now have to get myself tuned-up before I begin the flying
adventures of the new GreenPlane.
Tue Mar 19,
2013 Sorry for the 3 hour delay on the front page today.
Verizon's fiber optic threw up on itself (again) and I couldn't connect
to the interweb from the house for a bit. dr
Hello ...Prince Edward Island, Canada
Just wanted to say hello to all the users of this forum. I've been
lurking for a while but recently took the plunge and joined the
ranks of home builders. I purchased a -4 empennage and wing kit
from the fine folks of Chapter 105. I now have the kits in hand
and I'm getting organized to start building. I'm sure this will
be the first post of many in the years to come. I may be naive
but I hope to have this project completed in 5 years with a test
flight on my 40th birthday. I currently live on Prince Edward
Island, a small island in Atlantic Canada north of Maine but I
grew up in Alberta. I earned my Private license last summer in a
Piper Cherokee PA28-140. Previous to that I made it to OSH '11
with a friend who acted as PIC. Looking forward to starting this
amazing journey.
Aero Friedrichshafen...factory FB page.
Attention European customers! Van´s Aircraft is sending their
two most senior employees this year to Germany's Aero
Friedrichshafen, April 24-27. Dick VanGrunsven (aka "Van"
himself), along with Daryl Sahnow will be manning the booth,
assisted by local builders Stefan Schroter and Klaus-Peter
Morhard. If you're interested in RVs and in the neighborhood,
this is a great chance to talk with people who know the
airplanes as well as any can. Feel free to stop by and visit,
maybe get your picture taken with Van, and talk to Daryl about
kits, ordering, and get your questions answered...
You will find us in booth space B4-219
RV-8 stick force gradient when landing
In a recent thread on landing the RV-8, Ironflight observed that "it has
been shown that with the CG well after, the stick force gradient
goes negative as you slow down below about 65 knots (+/-). A
pilot needs to be ready and aware of this or they can over-flare
with a passenger." I have noticed the same in my RV-8, but I am
at a loss to explain aerodynamically why this occurs. This seems
only to occur when near the aft CG. Trimmed for landing with a
little forward pressure on the stick, as you slow and approach
flare the stick pressure goes to neutral and I find at touchdown
I am actually pushing forward to maintain the appropriate angle
of attack. Any thoughts about why are appreciated.
Upgraded RV-8 Panel ...N208ET I flew behind steam gauges for 300 hours and just
finished my upgrade. There is going to be a learning curve but I
have a couple hours flying behind this and am really liking it.
Factory Hobbs Meter
As of March 12, 2013 8,068 RV aircraft have been completed and
flown!
The National Transportation Safety Board adopted a set of
five “safety alerts” for GA pilots,
focusing on common causes that all have aeronautical
decision-making at their roots.
First Flight: RV-6A. 17yrs building. ...jpowell13
(Baton Rouge, LA)
Nice Wheel Pant Patch ...Aryana I've set less than 50 rivets my whole life, and I had a flush patch I
needed to get done on the wheel pant for my Cessna 170B.
Luckily, I have my buddy next door who built a beautiful -10 and he was
kind enough to bring his tools over and took the time to get me
up to speed with using the hand and pneumatic squeezer.
Countersinking, dimpling...I didn't want the fun to stop!
Anyways, my wheel pant is all fixed up and I am REALLY dying to
get my hands on an emp kit for a -8 now
.
I left the patch in primer because I didn't want to hide it. I'm actually
proud of my work and wish it was on the outboard side where it
would be more visible
.
Thu Mar 14,
2013
If you'll this permit this proud papa.... Yesterday afternoon our daughter's high school varsity treble choir
performed at the
Morton H.
Meyerson Symphony Center in downtown Dallas. This beautiful,
talented child. This gift from God. The 'AR' in my N-number.
The figure in the front row, right side, in the pic upper right is my
angel singing a solo on the stage of the hot dang Meyerson. Son and wife in
the row in front of me. You can imagine the size of our smiles.
We walked out afterwards to the ringing bells next door at
Cathedral Guadalupe -
news of the new Pope had reached us. A wonderful day.
An hour later Audrey called and said the bus got back to the high
school, and that just as she was about to start her car, the truck next
to her pulled out...turned a little sharp....and tore off her front
bumper. One of her choir mates driving the truck. I'll take that call
any day with a smile. Off to the Honda dealership tomorrow with
no worries. Time to shine, State Farm Auto. Audrey's in the
'ol Ford Ranger for a week or so, driving back to the high
school now as I type this - another performance today at the
AT&T Performing Arts Center (Winspear).
She can fly our RV pretty good, too.
Thanks for letting me brag about my
soon-to-have-a-fresh-bumper, amazing daughter. She raises my game,
and makes me a better person.
OK, back to RVs, and have a nice Thursday.
A notable day in the history of Van’s Aircraft....by
Van's Aircraft Inc.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013 may prove to be a notable day in the history of
Van’s Aircraft, Inc. An e-mail with a description, ordering
directions and an order form went out to all those who had expressed
interest in acquiring an S-LSA RV-12. About 10 minutes later the
fax machine whirred quietly and dispensed the first-ever order for a
fly-away-from-the-factory RV. We don’t know if Boeing or Cessna
are aware of the threat yet...(continue)
First flights after import from US to Europe
...Heinz in Muenster, Germany (RV-3) Today I have got the RV-3A home from Hamm (EDLH) to it´s homebase
Muenster-Telgte (EDLT); a 7 mins cummute. Conditions were all
right just before more snow will kick in: wind 5-10 kts from the
left and -2°C / 28°F (yes, the white stuff in the video is snow
indeed). Did 3 flights (with the ´must have´ low pass - at ca.
50 ft though).
Still need work, will relocate
...our friend Jim Pappas
"....I would like something in the South.
Prefer the Carolinas, Charleston SC area is my first choice, but
keeping my options open. Any help would be greatly
appreciated..."
Mon Mar 11,
2013
Paul Gray 7A...fresh from paint shop Here's a picture of my freshly painted airplane. I
can now truly say it's completely finished! It was painted By Rodney
Clay at select aircraft painting in Gulf Shores Alabama. Rodney's
expertise and craftsmanship is outstanding! I like it even better
than I thought I would. I hope this picture motivates others to keep
on pressing those rivets because in the end, It's truly worth it.
Fri Mar 8,
2013 It's going to be wet around DFW this weekend - hoping better
weather where you are. Wishing you and yours a happy, safe and
RV-filled weekend. dr
Years of RV Enjoyment (Proof in Pictures)
Over the years it seems that more and more photos of RVs in a pristine
state are appearing online. I thought I would take a stab at
spotlighting, with the help of others, images that convey years
and years of RV enjoyment. The more worn the better.
Add your 'beat up 'ol truck' RV photo...a new
sticky thread. dr
Years of RV Enjoyment (Proof in Pictures)
Over the years it seems that more and more photos of RVs in a pristine
state are appearing online. I thought I would take a stab at
spotlighting, with the help of others, images that convey years and
years of RV enjoyment. The more worn the better. dr
Add your 'beat up 'ol truck' RV photo...a new
sticky thread.
Panel decals - typeface, capitalization, hyphenation
Arial Rounded MT Bold in Autocad. Used 0.125 height for all major
notations like titles and 0.100 for minor notations (like
off/on). Sent files to Stein and purchased 2 sheets of
waterslide decals
Engine mount to terminal clearance It's not what I envisioned when I put the anl/shunt on the firewall,
but before I make anymore wires I wanted to check with VAF. The
anl/ shunt is on the right (copilot) side of the firewall about
halfway top to bottom. The top nut of the shunt is 1/8 inch from
the engine mount tube. The wires and terminals 1/4 inch away.
Why wait til' spring- We're building a plane here ...Paul
Tuttle
We transported my fuselage to the airport last September 16th and I was
hoping to make some progress before Our Canadian winter set in.
I ended up working nearly every day off through the winter ( I
only work 8 days a month
)
taking a break at Christmas and for a few other obligations.
There were days when it was -20 C inside the less then airtight
hangar. We have a little building that we could warm up in and
grab a coffee, but I ain't gonna lie to ya, it was cold. A lot
of people told me I was nuts, but I already knew that.
As I step back and look at what was accomplished over the winter months,
I'm glad I kept at it. There's not a lot left to do and it's
nearly ready for the MDRA inspection. Had I waited until spring,
I sure it would be mid summer before it was ready to go. I'm
feeling pretty good about the whole thing.
Atlanta Airspace Change ...Kyle B.
Effective today, the airspace around Atanta has changed
significantly. Several layers of the Class B have been lowered,
widened, or otherwise changed. If you are used to working around
the edges of the old airspace, odds are, those routes will be
through the new airspace.
Wed Mar 6,
2013 I'm going to try to make Wednesday 'safety day' here,
with a big chunk of the news focused on just that. V/r, dr
Old School RV-6 Floorboard. Randy Richmond Aircraft.
Picking a Probable Cause at Random
# WPR09LA218 (RV-6)
The pilot reported that the airplane's canopy opened on the takeoff roll
prior to liftoff. Noting that there was not enough remaining
runway to land safely, he continued the climb to 1,000 feet
where he attempted to close the canopy. He was able to partially
lock the canopy, and returned to the pattern to make a
precautionary landing. The pilot reported that while in the
landing flare the canopy opened again, obscuring his forward
view. A witness reported that the airplane bounced on touchdown,
became airborne, and then touched down again on the runway.
After touching down, the right wing dropped and the airplane
veered to the right. The airplane then made a rapid 90-degree
left turn and went up on its nose, resulting in substantial
damage. The pilot reported that the accident could have been
prevented had he used his pre-takeoff checklist and ensured that
the canopy had been completely closed prior to takeoff. Both the
pilot and a witness reported a quartering headwind with about a
15-knot crosswind.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s)
of this accident to be: The pilot's failure to follow the
pre-takeoff checklist that resulted in the canopy opening during
takeoff, which created a distraction, and his failure to
maintain aircraft control during landing.
Related:
My pre-takeoff verbal checklist. I spell the words 'Gift
STP' out loud while touching each item, then say "canopy canopy,
belt, belt, controls, fire extinguisher." My transition
trainer, Alex DeDominics taught me this ten years ago, and it
has saved me from taking off with no seat belt on and with the
canopy open.
Gas (selector on fullest tank) Instruments
(baro set, ammeter showing voltage,
oil pressure) Flaps for takeoff Trim for takeoff
Strobes ON Transponder ON Pump ON (fuel)
Canopy Canopy
(tapping both handles with finger) Belt Belt (tapping both clasps with finger) Controls (free and correct) Fire Extinguisher
(secured / gauge in green)
Took my first RV ride
Hi all, well I finally got to take a ride in an RV courtesy of that
legendary Russian Vlad and I had a blast! Gotta say I was
impressed that a guy my size could ride in a 9. Now I am
hitting the books for real (I bought the Jeppesen private pilot
course)
Juan
Safety Mindset:
You don't have to wait for the latest accident to give it some thought. Here
is a PDF document with
(524)
RV Probable Causes going back to 1978, all waiting for you to
reflect upon, discuss online and learn from.
Don't think it can happen to you? Getting complacent? How's a
one in sixteen
chance you'll end up in an RV NTSB report grab ya? 524 listings divided by 8,050 completed
RVs is roughly 1 in 16.
Print this (6) page PDF file and
copy/paste any accident # into
this site
if you would like more detailed info.
Greatest hobby in the world, but don't think for a second it won't kill
you if you fail to give it the respect it deserves.
related:
my
thoughts on safety
Logo on any item you want
Here it is on a mesh cap for hot months - in a brown/tan configuration.
Click to enlarge.
fmi:
here's the
logo
Mon Mar 4,
2013 Good morning! Hope you
had a nice weekend. This might already be out
there, but if not, I have a need
for an app. I like to count deer, and turkeys, and coyotes and
such while I fly. Where they are, when, how many. I could
really use a dirt simple way to track where I've flown,
while notating with a single letter on my track line what it was (mock up at right of
proposed interface). D for deer, T for turkey, C
for Coyote and so on. An app I can use as a reference later when I
have access to larger maps/computers.
Here's a typical RV/Cub flight for me (below): 20 minutes, 5 deer spread
out in 4 locations, 16 turkeys same, 10 buzzards waiting for thermals, a
partially submerged rowboat in the creek, 2 beavers, 1 dead cow that
might need to be reported to a rancher, a stretch
of
curvy road that might be fun in the car, and so on. Last summer I
counted 32 deer in 34 minutes - that would have been a cool map! I
enjoy recording
the number of animals seen in my logbook and keep a mental image of where to
look during certain times of the year. Tough for me to keep track of
when following the curves of a creek for any length of time. In a
turn about 95% of the time, hard to use a pencil.
Take a moment to click on the image at left if you feel like it. It's yesterday morning's 20min
flight - three partial screen captures joined in Photoshop later. I'm using a free app
here called RunKeeper
(exercise app) that does a good job of using the phone's GPS to show
where I've flown. The North Face makes a
tracking app that is similar (and free). If I could tap a big letter once and have it put
that letter on the track line (like I've Photoshopped in above), I'd be
able to get an better count of what got my attention during a particular
flight (or car ride, or jog, or trip down a river, etc.).
A user could use whatever letter they wanted - whatever would remind them
later: G=Geologic feature you want to look up on a map later, S=Sinkhole,
V=Vehicle (abandoned), A=Airport not on sectional, F=Fishing spot you want to try (possible), X=Something you would like to research later (like a possible home
location). After you've landed you can pull up the map with its
track line, notated with letters.
Anywho, if there was some $0.99 app that did this, I'd
buy it. I'd pay double. iPhone strapped to thigh - would use it on pretty much every
flight.
I'd write it myself but, you know, I'm kinda dumb. I could
contract a developer to do it, but life is complicated enough. You
write it, you ought to get 100% of the profit.
Code like the wind...or not. Either way, have a nice Monday. ;^)
In the spirit of lessons
There has been some interesting discussions on accidents, accident
prevention and safety in general. So in the spirit of “I learned
from that”…
snip....My story – My daughter and son-in-law live in San Antonio and we
live in the Atlanta area. (continue)
Brake grease? ...Bob Collins Q: In his excellent EAA homebuilder video on brake pads (I'm
replacing mine), Dick Kohler said the two studs on which the
lining plate moves should be lightly greased with a "high
temperature silicon grease." I'm unfamiliar with this. Does
anyone have a particular recommendation?
Also, it seems like greasing these is inviting contamination and crud to
get up in there and mess up the works.
A:
- I used Never-Seeze on mine.
- Clean the bores and the pins with a good solvent, polish out
any rust or roughness, lube lightly, and you'll be fine
till next annual.
- I use Permatex® Ultra Disc Brake Caliper Lube
- I use a dry moly spray, greases tend to collect dirt and brake
dust.
I would like present a video I made in my RV-12 to show the glide
characteristics in an actual engine out situation.
I started out at 6,300' MSL about 5 miles SW of my 1,500'MSL
airport. Winds were 120 degrees @ 15 gusts to 23 mph, Runway 17. I
weight about 210 and half 1/2 fuel, no baggage, no passenger.
Moderate traffic dictated that I maintained a "normal" pattern
rather than a straight in approach for 35 without declairing an
actual emergency. Touch down point was the middle of the runway and
I came in short around the numbers after slipping hard with full
flaps.
My hope in presenting this video is that others may see how much
time you have before touch down to look for an airport, road, open
field, ect. IMHO it is panic and inattention to airspeed that is
your enemy, not the loss of the engine. If you need to panic do it
in a bar with a stiff drink a couple hours after landing.
A -12 has a glide ratio of about 13-1 which gives good glide range,
and the low stall speed gives good survivability.
Enjoy! About 8 minutes long
Fri Mar 1,
2013 Wishing you and yours a happy, safe and RV-filled weekend.
dr
(525) Probable Causes Sorted by Phase
I went to the NTSB
site and asked it to show me accidents that had been
investigated (probable cause document published). These
are listings with 'RV' in the model field. Just playing
with pie chart (right), confirming for myself what I've already been
told, that the two most dangerous portions are takeoff and
landing.
You can look at the same data I can by doing a search and clicking on the
'Download XML' button at the bottom. Most
spreadsheet programs read that format.
Note: My search criteria on the
NTSB
site are noted in yellow in this screen grab:
Left Logan at 4:10 ish KLGU- for a company meeting in SLC U42. No
problems during the flight. Unfortunately They route you pretty low
right over the middle of salt lake as you're passing by the tower- so I
was at 5500 ft as I squawked vfr and set up for a right base for the
field. So problem one- already lower than I like- field elevation is
4600. make my turn to final- pull the power back a bit more to get under
100 mph for flaps-- put the first notch of flaps in, and run through
landing check again- somewhere amidst this I go to add power because my
glide path is a little low- This is the tricky part. I still don't know
exactly how long my engine was out before i figured it out. You have to
understand- smooth airplane (I've had compliments on the smoothness and
quietness from other rv owners) power is supposed to be at idle anyway-
and the prop didn't stop, its windmilling. Lightspeed Zulu? not much to
hear. Anyway, so eventually pumping the throttle i realize that i am
engineless. This is how high? maybe 750 ft high? at that point my glide
dropped far below the runway and i am suddenly super concerned that i am
right on the edge of making the soccer field. I put my flaps back up as
this glide thing is going through my mind. I have maybe 10 more seconds
to try anything to get the motor going- put the mixture richer, confirm
carb heat, boost pump, fuel selector- pump pump pump throttle. Nothing.
No time. No more time. Fly the airplane. (south valley traffic 00Z going
down in a park just south of the runway) I am not going to make the
field. i do an intermediate level off to clear the building south of the
park, but only enough to clear (actually split the buildings that's how
close it was) and then pitch back down to try to maintain the rest of my
airspeed as possible for the flare. Flare- happened so fast, obviously
didn't have much airspeed left because i went full rear stick fast- was
hard but good enough- next problem. Trees. had one or two seconds- hard
rudder input, whack, (split trees but hit park sign) and go up a hill to
a level off where i jamb the breaks and keep elevator back of course.
wow i stopped fast. I stop just before the second sidewalk and a second
set of trees. I am alive! I am ridiculously lucky i made that field. I
didn't flip! I hit my wing.... I am ALIVE! GET OUT! gas is coming out of
my right wing- flip everything off and jump out. (
Attention European customers! Van´s Aircraft is sending their
two most senior employees this year to Germany's Aero
Friedrichshafen, April 24-27. Dick VanGrunsven (aka "Van"
himself), along with Daryl Sahnow will be manning the booth,
assisted by local builders Stefan Schroter and Klaus-Peter
Morhard. If you're interested in RVs and in the neighborhood,
this is a great chance to talk with people who know the
airplanes as well as any can. Feel free to stop by and visit,
maybe get your picture taken with Van, and talk to Daryl about
kits, ordering, and get your questions answered... 
.
.
)
taking a break at Christmas and for a few other obligations.
There were days when it was -20 C inside the less then airtight
hangar. We have a little building that we could warm up in and
grab a coffee, but I ain't gonna lie to ya, it was cold. A lot
of people told me I was nuts, but I already knew that.
