C-GMLQ ready to fly again

[SMO]

Thought I would post a couple pics - my Rocket is ready to fly again, has been ready for the last couple weeks but just waiting for the right weather. Today was tempting but there was a lot of low cloud around and the approach to the active runway was obscured at times, so I wait...............maybe tomorrow. The story of why it has not been flying since June is here: http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...d.php?t=126587

Major repairs included a new prop, engine teardown and inspection, new gear leg, new motor mount, new skins on the outer portion of the right wing, and fiberglass repairs. Here is a picture taken today:



While it was out of service and I was waiting for parts I decided to replace some obsolete items in the panel as well as make it a better IFR panel (however I could not bear to part with the VP-200 so it remains):



Now have a G3X Touch and GRT Mini, along with the 430W, SL30, GTX330, and PMA8000B I had before.

[hydroguy2]

congrats on the repairs.

that is one Sexy beast!

[Snowflake]

Nice! Has that got the Evo wing?

[SMO]

Originally Posted by Snowflake

Nice! Has that got the Evo wing?

Yes, this has the tapered EVO wing.

[vlittle]

I head a rumour that the EVO wing is faster than the straight wing and that the F1 is faster than the HR-II. You are hereby challenged to prove it.

Anytime you want to compare aircraft, you are welcome to fly to YYJ or even neutral territory for a head-to-head. Perhaps we can make the finish line overhead YNJ at the big fly-in this June. That would be cool.

Heck, maybe we can get the other local Rocketeers to join in.

Vern

[flyboy1963]

....see, I TOLD you most of that would just buff right out!

sorry it ended up being so much work, my bird is in the shop this morning also for some minor metal massaging......and the weather continues to be typical Okanagan sludge this time of year.

hope you get some nicer skies up north, and get that thing airborne again!

best wishes from all us Rocket wannabees!

[Tom Martin]

Vern
I have owned two Harmon's, and two F1's, one of them my current EVO, the other was a standard/sport wing.
On average a standard F1 wing will be 3 to 5 knots faster then a HRII.
The only thing that "the air" sees different in the two aircraft is that the lower fuselage on the HRII is about 2" narrower on each side. This makes a bit of a coke bottle shape where the gear legs enter the cowling. I can only assume that this rather pleasing to the eye, shape causes some drag.
Low to the ground there is not much difference between an standard F1 and the EVO wing. This starts to change, at an increasing amount above 5 or 6 thousand feet. At 13,000' it would take my buddy, in a very clean, fast F1 with the standard wing about 25% more fuel to keep up with me.
The EVO rolls slower then the standard wing, but still peppy enough for what we do.
The big benefit, for me, with the tapered EVO wing is that it is much more stable in roll and this has allowed my motion sensitive wife to fly with me on many trips that would not have been possible with the standard RV type wing.

[SMO]

Originally Posted by vlittle

I head a rumour that the EVO wing is faster than the straight wing and that the F1 is faster than the HR-II.

According to Mark Frederick's testing the EVO wing is about 10 knots faster than the straight wing, and also stalls slightly slower. Couldn't prove it by me, I don't get the numbers that others are getting. However there is a lot more to speed than the difference in wing shape. I don't have the speed slope windshield installed, I have the stock 260 horsepower, my ship is 90# heavier than the spec, mine cools very well so probably getting excess cooling drag, my ASI is accurate, and of course I have internal primer which probably knocks 10 knots off right there .

[Av8torTom]

Gorgeous airplane!!! - congratulations on getting her back in the air