Bill,
Congrats!
Anything you would do different?
Have you learned to master the "hard to fly" 9? It takes a real pro!
I miss the -9A I had.
![Frown :( :(](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
Made me look like I knew what I was doing.
Thanks, and other's please chime in.
You are right, Van's kept telling me the -9 was the most difficult of the tail draggers to fly. Most of that centered around the wing, the thing just doesn't want to quit flying. Once you get used to that, it is not a problem. I three point it w/ full stall landings almost 100% of the time. I found that when wheel landing it, if I put the tail down to quickly it will pop off the runway but with the tail up, it will coast of the end of my 2300' runway. Three point it and I can turn around at midfield w/o touching the brakes.
As for what I would do differently...
I do like the O-290 but Craig Catto mis-cut my prop because he had never cut one for a -9 with this engine. The result is a really good climb prop but it limits my cruise speed to 165 MPH TAS. I need to do some speed runs and have him cut me another one based on the results of those runs. At 8,000' DA I can only run 64% power or I will over speed the engine.
Other than that, I'm happy with how it performs, the options I put in the plane and the things I left off in an effort to keep it light.
My interior is nothing but paint. I did insulate and carpet the floor but there is nothing on the firewall, nor do I feel it is needed.
I'm particually happy with my FWF installation. I used a LOT of Adel clamps to hold my wires from moving around (There are pictures on my web site.) and as I work on my condition inspection nothing has moved or worn out FWF.
Down the fuselage, I found I should have put zip-tie pads every 6" rather than every 12" to keep the wires from rubbing on the skins. (All zip-tie pads had the sticky tape removed and were glued down with Goop automotive trim adhesive.)
I did not paint first and still hope to get that done soon. This was a good move as I must have had the cowling off a million times in the past year, which would have chipped the paint. Now I feel it is ready for paint.
The plane is a simple day/night VFR ship and I didn't go for fancy things such as flap position sensors, wig-wag flashers, etc. for reasons of my own. (I don't wish to start a debate on the benefits of such things on this thread. If you want my opinion, shoot me an email and I'll give you my thoughts)
Every item installed in the plane was scrutinized for future maintenance issues and installed in such a way as to make that future maintenance easier. One of these things was the use of the Affordable Panels modular panel coupled with a tip-up canopy. 8-32 cap screws were used in place of the pan head screws where that made sense as they can be easily removed when access is limited such as the tank access plate and up under the panel.
The throttle quadrant from Dayton was worth every dime and doesn't cut into leg room and I love flying with it!
There are so many little things that I did when building the plane that it would take pages to list them all. As other builders follow, the only advice I can give is to think through every change and option you put in the plane and then figure out if you really need/want it. Then simply build the plane you want, not the plane others want you to build.
One thing I would have done differently would be to glue the canopy in place rathern than hold it in place with screws.
The TW vs. NW question was never an issue for me as the plane is one of the easiest tail draggers I have ever flown. In fact, I gave up building a -6 when Van's announced the -9A hoping they would introduce a -9. Shortly after that introduction I ordered my tail kit and sold the -6 kit.