Category: Fun Stuff

Sep 17 2020

Handy Wire Marker

I am in the middle of wiring the com system on the cozy and thought I would share a easy to make wire marker. It is big help when using all white wire such as the shield wire which comes in white, white or white..

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It was made from a piece of scrap delron I had in the bin. This tool is similar to the one sold on line but is DIY: Bogert Aviation

Just machine a large hole in the center of the round stock for the marker, and drill a smaller hole to allow the tip of the marker to extend into the wire area.

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Then machine a cross slot for the wire to ride in and your done.
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Use a standard marker in your selected color. The tip of the marker will contact the white wire sliding in the slot and leave a nice stripe on it.
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The stripe is a big help when using shielded wire which is always white.
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Here you can see the green and red stripes on my com wires.

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Enjoy…..

Nov 22 2019

The Journey has begun

Back in August I purchased a beautiful Cozy 4 from Ed Richards in Tampa. I have know Ed for years, have flown in his plane and have always been impressed with his attention to detail building this bird.

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The plane had all the physical modifications I was interested in, so I decided to buy it instead of completing the Cozy 3 I was working on.

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I know it would take me many years to complete the cozy3 and quite frankly, I am tired of building. It was sold to Spencer in October 2019.

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As much as I am impressed with the Cozy4, the one area I am very particular about is wiring and wiring documentation which incidentally is one area I am very passionate about. Wiring is the KEY to a good flying trouble free plane. After getting further into the ownership of Ed’s plane, I decided I needed to upgrade the wiring and while at it upgrade the panel to fully understand and be able to repair the electrical system and to improve the flight experience.

I enjoy using the Grand Rapids Technology system in my LongEZ,

IMG_7192-2018-11-23-10-39.jpg My current LongEZ, GRT installation.

BUT, the technology is dated and this equipment is a major PITA to install. It is very typical of most avionics wiring.

For the Cozy I decided to go to the what I consider a higher level of design and simplicity and install a Dynon avionics package in the plane which will simplify the installation, reduce the wiring requirement, give me better customer support, and provide improved functionality over the GRT system.

This is the current panel installed in the cozy. Its a mix of older (some very old), equipment which while completely functional and state of the art 20 years ago, is not up to what I want in a plane at this point in time where the technology has vastly improved over the years.

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This is the panel I intend to create for the Cozy, It looks simpler and will have vastly improved functionality over the original equipment in the plane.
http://nickugolini.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/PLT59d4.tmp-2018-11-23-10-39.pdf

Beyond the wiring I will be installing a fire suppression system, fuel injection, a new heat system, and a host of other things.

This will be my LAST plane project. After completing this upgrade I am done working on any more planes. Period.

I’ll be heavily documenting all the work that is done on this plane. Mainly the documentation will help me remember what the hell I have done and help others who follow building their planes. I hope it will be of help to the reader.

Nov 25 2018

Sweet Nutty Kale Salad

Personally, I never really liked any kale salad until tried this recipe at thanksgiving. I asked the cook for the basics of what was in it and came up with my own variation. It is simple and easy to make. A mix of kale, nuts and cheese with a sweet sugar free vinegar/oil dressing. Hope you like it.

Sweet Nutty Kale by Nick

This is truly a “put as much as you want” anything goes types of recipes. Add whatever in any amount. The exception is the oil/vinegar ratio in the dressing which is fixed in the chemistry of cooking. Its always a ration of 1:3. 1 part vinegar and 3 parts oil. Boom…

Kale Mix
1/2 Bag (16 oz) of chopped kale from the store Recommend chopping the kale up some as there may be some big pieces in it.
..starting amount.. 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds
..starting amount.. 1/4 cup of pumpkin seed
..starting amount.. 1/8 cup of slivered almonds
..starting amount.. 1/3 cup Cranraisins (chopped)
..starting amount.. 1/4 cup Feta Cheese

Dressing… (basically just a balsamic type dressing)

In a mixing jar add the following….

– 3/4 Cup olive oil
– Dash of dijon mustard if you have any for a bit of tartness (it also helps bring the oil/vinegar together)
– 1/4 cup of vinegar. A mix of balsamic / apple cider / rice vinegar (my favorite) to taste.
***My mix is mostly balsamic and a little rice vinegar. Each one of these vinegars add a different character to the dressing.

Add to taste:
-Sugar free maple syrup.. whatever amount tickles your sweet tooth.
-Salt, pepper, garlic powder, or whatever spices you like

Shake the dressing jar vigorously and put as much as you want on the kale mix (start with 1/2 cup). Toss the salad and put in the refrigerator for a few hours to let the favors blend.

The leftover dressing does not need to be refrigerated and is perfect for your next salad.

Mar 21 2016

Building Tips: Epoxy Brushes

Here is a building tip for your epoxy brush.

I use a cheap Harbor Freight brush and just throw it away when done. Gone are the days of trying to clean a brush.

The problem is: A paint brush makes for a louse epoxy brush. Many times you are left to pick up the brush bristles which come off and it is not very good for stippling the fiberglass to wet it out. This is mainly due to the bristles be designed for painting not epoxy work.

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The tip is to just cut off the tip for a square end!

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The shorter the bristles are near the handle the stiffer the brush is for epoxy work. The added benefit is I rarely find orphan bristles on my work.

Feb 19 2015

Ice Art

We had a very cold night last night and apparently my neighbor had run his sprinkler in his garden for some perfectly logical but mystifying reason. It made for some interesting ice pictures.

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I even had one hanging off my deck. So Cool!!

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Sep 15 2013

Pictures of Charleston

Today I mostly spent time with my camera taking pictures of Charleston. I wanted to try out a few different camera lenses and playing.

This is an enormous Citadel class ring at the campus of the Citadel. It is the neighborhood of 5 feet tall.

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They must have the boys out there every day shining this puppy.

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Established in 1680, St. Philip’s Church, the mother church of Anglicanism in the Carolinas, is the oldest Anglican congregation south of Virginia

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The market street area a great place for horse tours.

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Circular Congregational Church of Charleston, SC was founded in 1681 and is one of the oldest continuously worshipping congregations in the South.

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Washington Square, located at the corner of Broad and Meeting streets, is one of the city’s premiere parks. This historic location is home to Charleston City Hall, renovated within the last few years.
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Me….

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Apr 19 2013

Test drive of a Tesla electric car

Today I had an opportunity to drive a Tesla electric car. It is incredibly beautiful, can go 250 miles on a charge. This car is changing the worlds attitude on the future of electric cars.

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The interior and features are amazing. It has a 17” display in the center console to monitor all function of the car.

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I really enjoyed the experience. I found the car to have terrific acceleration, really quiet but with just a slight whine. Overall, a nice experience.

I told the sales lady I wanted to buy one (the current price is about $110,000). She got really excited and asked me when I would like to pick it up. I said, “in about 10-15 years”. She wasn’t as excited then…

A new Tesla is unaffordable for me, and I can’t justify the price when my current car gets 41 mph on the highway. The payback period would be …well, I couldn’t live that long. I love my Benz, it is almost as quite, and has lots more features then the Tesla. I would still give the Benz up if it was a smart move, but alas it is not.

My plan is to wait 10-15 years and when the battery pack wears out on a nice car, buy it then. No one with the resources to buy a new Tesla would every replace the battery pack of a 10 year old car to get another 10 years of driving out of it. THey would just buy a new one and sell the car.

I’ll be able to buy a used one one very cheaply, replace the battery pack myself (about $10-14,000) and get the car of my dreams at a price I can live with.

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I sure would look good in one, but now now!

Apr 07 2013

Family Circle Cup

A friend of mine invited me to take photographs of the Family Circle cup Tennis Tournament. Although I am not really into tennis I thought it would be fun to take pictures with an expert and learn the best way to photograph a tennis event. This was the last day of the tournament and finals for doubles and singles.

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The woman’s finals came down to

Jelena Jankovic

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My favorite action shot of her…

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and Serena Williams. Serena had beaten her sister Venus the day yesterday.

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This is my favorite picture of Serena

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Her award cup.

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The mayor of Charleston, Joseph Riley.

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What a great time taking pictures today. I really enjoyed the experience.

Apr 06 2013

Bored in Charleston

If you are ever board in Charleston, it is because you want to be. Take for example this weekend. There is a choice of:

The Cooper River Bridge Run …estimated 39,000 people running/walking
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The Lowcountry Cajun Festival …. Zydeco music and Cajun/Creole Foods

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The Flowertown Festival in Summerville …arts and crafts
The Family Circle Cup …Women’s Tennis Association Tournament
Wings and Wheels … A car show/air show in Walterboro

Hum, what to do. I wish I could do everything, but will go with the air show, Flowertown and tennis.

Today started with a 8 min flight to Walterboro with Frank a C-17 pilot and a good friend to check out Wings and Wheels.

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This is a most unusual color for a Velocity XL. The owner had flown from Jacksonville FL to attend the show.

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I would guess maybe 50 planes showed up. Frank and I stayed for about 2 hours and we left just before the airshow started as they close the field and I didn’t want to get stuck there for a few hours.

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After flying around Charleston for about 1.5 hrs working on my IFR recertification, we had lunch and headed up to the Flowertown Festival.

What a crowd! I heard 200,000 people attend the festival over it’s 3 day run.

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We spent a few hours there checking out the music and stuff the artisans were selling and headed home.

Mar 16 2013

Bridge Photos

Today I went bike riding across the Ravenel bridge again.

It is quite a lovely structure.

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What is cool about this fishing pier is that is built on the foundation supports of the old bridge. They just cut them off and reused them. What a great way to create a new park and save money on removal of the old structure.

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