The trip to CA was EZ and quick.  Arrived at 12:05 pm.  Found a great deal on Yahoo for the rental car at $27/day and a room at the Airforce BOQ for $39/night.  This trip is going to be one of the least costly of any I have ever taken!  The rest of Wed was spend in Pat’s dental office.  A quick dinner and I was totally exhausted by 10 pm (1 pm EST).

Thursday, after stopping by to visit  with Pat, I drove up to the Chino airport to see Bill Ortel.  I have never met him, but he is a canard builder/A&P and Pat recommend I see.  A very nice guy that has more canards in his stable than I do (4 of them).    Here is Bill (right) and his son working on a customers Varieze.

We had a great visit, after which I stopped by the airport cafe for lunch.  General airport cafes are small and not to busy.  This place was old (a former miltary building) but the food was terrific  and it was extremely busy.   Chino was an old miltary airfield with lots of old (and new) buildings.  I love going to an old airfield.  There is more junk airplanes and parts here than you can imagine.  I would love to have the time to just pick through the stuff.

One thing that impressed me about Calif  highways (besides the incredible traffic) is the concrete work.  I’ll try to take some more pictures of it.  They mold patterns or pictures into the concrete to break up the monotony of structures.  I have seen a lot of this sort of work in Texas, but not as extensively as here.

The Fort McAurthur  BOQ (Bachelors Officer Quarters) I am staying at back up to the Long Beach harbor.  Quite a beautiful walk in the morning.  I only wish I had more time to check out the sights here.

I had better close.  I am off to have dinner with David Orr (another canard owner).

The second day at SNF was much like the same.   Talk to friends and checking out vendors.  It was a beautiful mild summer day with a nice breeze which was very pleasant.

I spent the afternoon talking to Chrissi (of the Cozy Girls).  She is such an interesting person and as always conversations with her sparks new thoughts and ideas for me to persue

 The promanade was not very crowded.  I think the new parking charges ($5/car), the economy and the high ticket prices seemed affect this year’s attendance.  The number of planes seemed less and I heard some of the venders elected not to show up this year.  I still enjoy the event as it is close to Charleston and I really enjoy my visit with Ed and Sue Richards.

It was nice to return home after a quick 2.2 hr flight from Tampa with all the azaleas in bloom!

The trip from Charleston to Tamp was great and for the first time I had a nice tail wind.  My speed averaged around 160 knot.    Sue met me at her house and the EZ looked really nice sitting in their hangar.

Ed has a absolutely gorgeous Cozy 4 with a forward opening canopy which we took over to the show.   I really want to copy his design when I build my ultimate Cozy 540

Had to stop by and visit my friends at Emag which builds the electronic ignition I have in my bird.  It has been working flawlessly for the last 3 years.

Unfortunately, not a lot of canards showed up today.  3 Cozy’s and 3 LongEZ’s.   This is a nice shot of Vance’s Cozy3, Scott Carters beautiful stretched Cozy 540, and Ed’s Cozy 4.

Ed looking at his next airplane… a HUGE CompAir.

Tomorrow I’ll fly my bird over to the show.  Unfortunately, Ed has to go back to work, so I’ll be flying solo .

Finished work on MY plane today (Tweety) to get ready for my annual pilgramige to Tampa and then the Sun-N-Fun air show in Lakeland, FL.   Every year I stay with the Ed and Sue Richards (they have a Cozy 4).  Ed lives in a fly-in community in a terrific house with a detached hanger.  It is SO NICE to just fly in to his airport, taxi up to the hangar and then kick back in his pool.   I usually just  fly to and from SNF in 15 minutes vice 1.3 hrs by car fighting traffic. 

The battery and a sensor was replaced in Tweety.  I also did some work on the nose strut.  The casting angle  was slightly negative (aft sweep) contributing to an very infrequent front wheel shimmy.  It is amazing how quickly a wheel shimmy can screw your plane up.  

The first time, it broke my nose wheel completely off (I had the old thin casting Brock fork).   Seeing the nose wheel flying past your plane when you touch down  it makes for an interesting, but non-eventful landing.   Had to rent a car for the remainder of my trip.  The funny thing is when the FAA stopped by to check the plane out (a requirement since damage was reported by the tower), the only thing they commented on was my prop.  I had a note to “IMMEDIATELY GROUND THE PLANE” due to a “cracks” on the prop and do not fly with it again until I contacted the manufacturer to see it if was ok for flight….   I wrote them a note back to tell them “I am the manufacturer and it deemed OK for flight”.   Didnt hear anther word from them.  Gotta love experimental aviation!

The second mayor shimmy broken all the AN3 bolts holding it to the strut.  Then while taxing to the ramp the whole wheel assembly fell off. 

The third time, a quick 3 second shimmy rolled the wheel over enough to completely destroy the wheel casting!   I had to drive home from a close by airport to get my spare wheel (isnt it great to have spare parts)!

Since this was such an infrequent event, I never really put all the first two events in the same context as the wheel casting issue.    Now it makes sense that they were all related.  A bit of trouble shooting and research was done and I found I had a slight bit of a ‘back’ tilt instead of a ‘forward’ tilt. 

After adjusting the front strut (all I could get was completely vertical orientation), I found I can no longer fully retract the wheel into the wheel well.  The crank mechanism hits the stop before the strut is  fully retracted into the wheel well.    When I return from SNF, I’ll take the wheel assembly off, reset it to a forward tilt angle and re-adjust the retraction travel.  I didnt want to do all this before I left since Murphy’s Law might get me…. “if something can go wrong it will go wrong”.    

Tomorrow I head south with a tail wind (very rare) and a free pass to the show.  Life is good……

I took a quick trip to CA this weekend to see Pat and get some dental work started at his office.   What an outstanding dentist!  Absolutely the best I have been to in 30 years (actually I have only been to one other), but I know good outstanding workmanship when I see and experience it.   He has increadable diagnostic technology and quickly pointed out the necessary treatment.    It ended up 7 crowns needed to be removed due various flaws and issues.    

I think Pat took great joy at using his very cool digital miniaturized camera to wirelessly transmit the pictures to an overhead display monitor.   I wanted him to put on a head camera so I could watch what he was doing too.  Typically crowns can last between 10-25 yrs depending or many factors (type, hygiene, preparation, etc) and mine had reached the end their useful life.   Fortunately, Pat caught all the things my regular (and now formal) dentist never diagnosed (he doesnt have the advanced equipment Pat has).  Time for a complete rebuild!

We took a quick trip to Las Vegas  in a Cessna 172.  Pat is a terrific pilot and the Garmin glass panel was simply breathtaking, but also a bit confusing for me.   I would need more than 3 hrs to even begin to understand all of its features or how the software works.    It would take some study and lots of hanger flying.

Give me steam gages!  I really like the simplicity of an EZ, but I found it interesting that my bird will do as much as the Cessna and has a few extra features the Cessna does not.    Flying in a Cessna is SLOW too, we cruised between 100-110 kts at 9.5 g/h at 10k ft.   With a 24 kt headwind a trip seemed to take forever.   The EZ cruises at 150 kts at 6.5 g/h.  I just love canards!

The what great visiblity in Calif! 

Las Vegas from the air..

While in Vegas, Pat wanted to see Steve at Eureka CNC foam cutting to discuss possibly marketing a blended winglet design I came up with.  It is a very accurately cut blended winlet  which includes the blend and the winglet.    With a CNC cut core, the builder will not have to do any measurements at all to quickly build the winglet.

Here is a picture of the miniture one I made in 1/2 hr to test my foam cutting procedure.  It works great!

Just assemble the foam blocks, micro the blend to the existing (or new wing) glass in the spar, do some foam shaping and glass the skin.    Couldn’t be easier or more accurate since the foam block are engineered to be the support and alignment jigs.   It has cutouts for the spar, wire chases and rudder.   The great thing about my design is it very easy to build. 

The GOOD aspect of my design is the construction process is much easier than building a standard winglet.    The BAD aspect is the foam wire cutting is very complex and requires the extreme accuracy of Steve’s CNC cutter to make it.   VERY complex cutting movement with lots of slicing and dicing of the foam blocks.     Once the engineering/tooling is done, it is quickly repeatable and cheap for the customer.

Pat decided to pass on forming a partnership with Steve which is a very smart business move since the market is so small.  No profit for us in it.    I am sure you’ve heard the old saying about aviation, “If you want to make a little money in aviation, ……Start off with a lot of money”.   So true.

I plan to start working with Steve to get this blended winglet idea off the ground because I am going to build a set pPod.   Afterwords, I’ll definitely be putting blended winglets on my plane (Tweety).  I want to document the build, test fly the winglets, and compare performance data from all my previous test flying (which I have in excel).   Before/after modification performance results…. I like that.  If nothing else it will my my bird look 15 kts faster just sitting on the ground!

After the meeting Steve and having dinner, we went to a few clubs and stayed out very, VERY late.    It will certainly be an night I will never forget….ever.   The much overused phrase, “What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas” could never be truer!   So, dont ask me what happened because I’ll never tell.  Mono e Mono.  

I would have really liked to have seen a stage show, the Blue Man group or just get more sleep (changing time zones is hell on the body).  I was really pooped after our wonder dinner we had a an authentic Japanese restaurant!   Oh, well.    The next time I travel to Vegas, I have been invited to spend the night at Steve’s place and take in some of the great shows, look at casinos, or just walk the strip.  It would be the best trip ever.

Pat introduced me to a great guy he has known for a 20+ years … Kayto (Japanese).  We had dinner with him the night before and after spending a few hours with him I got used to his thick accent.  He was really cool!   It was interesting to hear his perspective on living in the USA.    Kayto let Pat take his Lotus Elise on a a 45 minute test drive.  Pat loved it! 

The cool thing is this go kart for the road sells for between $15,000-$35,000 on the used market.  Talk about fast and fun to drive!

When we made it to the airport at 2 PM to leave, the winds were blowing at 28 gusts to 40 kts.  Fortunately, it was blowing right down the runway.  I couldn’t believe how the wind was beating the plane up on the ground.   Pat made the take off  look amazingly simple for such a windy day.

The flight back to LA was uneventful and very pleasant.  The view of the desert country from the air is just incredibly beautiful.   A quick 2.8 hrs later and Pat shot an expert ILS approach into LA. 

I cant wait until I can get back to Calif  in a EZ to fly low and fast over this wonder desolate country side.

This morning was spent putting a new (old) stereo in Sherman.  I had replace the original in the car for a new one which failed after two years.  I had saved the old one so it went back into the car.  This time I fabricated a 12 pin connector for the car wiring harness.  It will make it really easy replace this radio for a new HD radio with iPod input and Blue Tooth capability easier to do.  Eventually, I want to move up to more modern electronics.

Panels, panels, panels.   Today was a fund day of installing a bunch of panels in the plane.    My goal is to make this plane look close to a car!  I think new cars are a work of art.  Take a good look at a Volkswagen.  Their interiors are beautifully functional, efficient and crisp!    I love the refined, elegant and  luxurious nature of a Lexus.   

When you look at most canards they are wonderfully simple, very light weight, easy to build but unfortunately very basic.  Whenever I get into a nice car, I think why does my costly and major cool looking air plane look so utilitarian and well clunky on the inside.  Uncomfortable, cold, the rain drips comes in, hot, drafty.  Alas, the secret is out.  Tweety has a great looking body, but sort of plane a Jane on the inside (were it counts).    

Mygoal with pPod is to use wasted space and to transform her into something closer to the look and feel of a  ….well… and old 1981 Mercedes SD300 Turbo.  What a remarkable idea!   If it is good enough for Sherman, then it is should be good enough for pPod.   To do so I need cover panels….lots of them.

This is the back panel for the rear head rest and cover for the aft (main) battery.

This is the Starboard panel.  At the top will be the eyeball vent followed by the electronics input panel.  I will make a cover for the rear stick so when carrying baggage in the back seat there will be no possibility of interferingwith the flight control system.   Add a nice arm rest panel for a bit of elegance!

This is the Port panel.   A 12v dc outlet and a pocket (accessible from the front seat) will be installed for maps or possibly a new ebook reader.   Pat talked me into making a foot panel and cover for the electric actuator for the belly board.  The foot panels will also have some built in storage.

For those who dont know An eBook reader is you should check them out at Wikipedia.    Even a basic one could easily contain all the approach plates for the entire USA and Canada and plenty of extra room for other reading material.   One wouldnt have to carry so many books and weight for a LONG cross county trip (such as Charleston to Los Angles)  and ereaders are much easier to use.    You can get the approach files at NACOmatic.com .   What a great resource and are FREE and current!

 The only reason I dont buy an eBook reader right now is that in the next 3 months a whole slew of new eReaders are going to being released.  EBooksare the “new” must have technology.   Hell with the Apple iPhone, iTouch you NEED an eBook reader.      Amazon,  Barnes & Noble, Sony,  Freescale, PaperLogic and a host of others are all getting on the etrain and bringing out new and innovative ereaders.   The choices right now are slim and most lack even basic Internet capabilities.   The cost range will be about $150-$400.  A few standouts (Paper Logic) will be about $550 or so due to ‘advanced’ features.  

I am looking for something that will be close in size to a standard approach plate, has WiFi and can interact with the web (so I can do flight planing).  Has to have an SD card slot and support standard .pdf files.    By January 2010, all the first generation choices (black and white) will have been released to market place and a decision can be made.    I’ll have a new toy and the bird will lose a few pounds. 

Here are nine new ereader which will be coming out shortely.

I predict in a few years, ebook readers will morf into a ebook ereader netbook with full Internet capabilities using a color touch screen.  The main difference between an ebook and a computer will be the inability to load programs to create content independent of the web.   The ebook will be able to open and read any format document (with appropriate plug-ins), annotate documents (pdf markup touch screen), display static color pictures (since the electronic ink does not easily change states) and finally get on line (WiFi) and interact with on line programs.  This will reduce the processing power needed on netbook ereader since all the processing and storage will be done on the web (Cloud Computing).     Technology is changing once again to something new and exciting!

I was amazed while watching the news last night about a little boy in a flying saucer shaped balloon.   What was flabbergasted me is how the United Sates military, news organizations and public were so easily duped by the absurd fantasy of the story.  A little boy craws into a flying saucer shaped balloon and is whisked away into space!  Heartbreaking!  Let’s call out the military.   Two hours of the national news spotlighted the tragic event.

 Within seconds of seeing the lead-in story on NBC it was easily apparent the “balloon” was way too small to support any significant weight let alone that of a six year old.  Nor did it have a rigid structure necessary to hold a saucer shape while supporting a payload (otherwise it would have folded up and looked like a balloon instead of a saucer shape).

 Here is a quick calculation.  An average six year old weighs 40-50 lbs.  Lift capacity of helium is 15.85 ft3 per lb.   The circular disk had an approximately 12 dia by 4 feet high (roughly the shape of the saucer on TV) has a volume of 452 ft3.  Lets assume it weighed 5 lbs for the Mylar envelope (no ridge structure).   Therefore the reserve lift capacity was at most: (452 ft3 / 15 lb/ft3) – 5 lb = 23 lbs

 Now understand, I am being VERY generous with the size of the helium envelope since I assumed a disk shape with no taper on the circumference like a real flying saucer nor a ridge structure.    I doubt the saucer balloon could have supported 10 lbs let alone the weight of a 40+ lb child.

 Was it a slow news day?  Did not someone realize the absurdity of the new story and decided put it on national TV as a joke?  Was the military so easily fooled that it sent a helicopter to follow the ballon and was preparing a rescue mission?

 One has to wonder…..

Today David asked me to go fishing with him.  I haven’t fished for years (for very good reasons too)!  I thought it would be a great time on the water, a day spent with friends and the hope of MAYBE catching a fish or two.  I also had a chance to learn how to throw a cast net. 

Debbi caught a few bait fish and shrimp from the dock before we left my boat landing.

What a great day to be on the water!  I love getting up early and getting out while it is still a cool part of the day.

A whole day fishing and all that was caught by five aggressive and motivated fishermen was two sting rays…. I didn’t have one bite!  Now you see why I haven’t fished for years. 

The motley crew.  We actually had the best time fishing and messing around on the dock on the Folly River (behind Folly Island, SC)

This is how I like to do my fishing…. at Walmart.  No fishing licence, no getting up at the crack of dawn, no sunburn.   Fish in a bag!  What a revolutionary idea.

 I have just returned home from an enjoyable 2 hr flight from Tampa to Charleston, SC.   190 mph at 6.3 GPH at 11,000 ft.  You really have to love these canards! 

I flew down to Tampa on Friday to spend the weekend with Jerry Schneider and witness the birth of his new canard, “Web Slinger”.    

What a great experience.   Jerry’s cozy has some very unusual and interesting features.    It uses an Aero Canard turtle back which significantly increases the headroom (front/back seats) and extended strakes.    The belly NACA scoop feeds large tubes which provides air to a down draft cooled engine, oil cooler and the FI system.  It has an IO320 with a controllable MT prop, a motorized forward opening canopy, electric nose lift, etc.  Overall Web Slinger is a very unique and interesting plane.

Vance was kind enough to fly out from Houston for the test flight.  A smart move by Jerry as for the last few years he has spent all his time building.   We stood around watched and cheered.   A couple of bottles of champagne were opened to commemorate the occasion.

Web Slinger flew very well but ran a bit hot which is a problem that plagues a lot of new planes.   Jerry, welcome to the Hot Engine Club.   Your new trouble shooting membership will only last for a year or two so have fun while you can!

Vance and I spent the weekend with Jerry and Debbi and I can tell you Jerry was one happy and certifiably crazy guy.   Is Elvis alive well?  YES, he lives at Debbi’s house!   Debbi loves Elvis Presley and she has a well outfitted Elvis Room, so Vance had the pleasure of sleeping with a life sized Elvis watching over him this weekend.   Jerry loves Spider Man and wore his SM shirt all weekend (or should that be his S&M shirt?).  He hardly had any sleep this past week because he was so jacked up about Saturday’s flight.   He told me this morning, he finally had a good nights sleep (which I guess is either the relief of a great first flight or a direct result of all the beer we drank at the Oktoberfest).    Thanks Jerry for a great weekend!   Folks, if Jerry and Debbi ever offers to visit you, take them up on it!  You’ll be in for a crazy good time.

Vance showed me a new free website he is using for flight planning.  It is called Nav Monster  ( www.navmonster.com ).  What a great find!  I fly a lot and usually rely on lots of different websites to gather information.  By far, this is the best one I have every visited.  It actually gathers info from my favorite websites, organizes the data and presents it all on one page.    I thought it would be good to share something new with the group.  You too might find it useful.    Thanks Vance.

 Congratulations Jerry!!   Your hard work has crafted a unique and different kind of canard.  Looking forward to seeing you again at the next fly-in with your new bird.