Found a Prop!

I have been searching for a prop for the Sky Cycle for some time.  The custom trike with the 340 Kawasaki engine simply did not produce enough thrust with the 58" 2 blade Powerfin prop and 2.5:1 reduction drive.

To increase thrust on the Sky Cycle I had the chassis built as light as possible, while adding a larger h.p. engine and a bigger reduction drive.  The final step was to get a larger prop.

As far as props go, there are a lot of options out there, IVOs, Ultra-Props, Powerfins, Warp Drives, etc.  One needs to decide on not only the brand, but the composition, diameter, and number of blades.  The final decision needs to be factored by the h.p. of the engine, ratio of the reduction drive and clearance between the prop, aircraft and ground. 

I decided to try to find a good used prop as new props with hubs and blades are quite expensive, while good used props can generally be found for 50% or less of new.  After a lot of searching I found a nice 64" 3 blade Warp Drive.  It is currently being shipped to me from Michigan and I should have it in about a week.

Three blades at a 64" diameter is pretty much the largest possible prop that the Kawasaki 440 can throw, given the 2.67:1 reduction drive and ground/aircraft clearance that I currently have.  It is quite possible that the prop may actually be a bit too large for my application.  I will not know until I pitch the blades and run it up.  If I am unable to get the 6200-6600 desired rpm's at wide open throttle I will have to make some adjustments.  I will either need to cut the blades down a bit in diameter, or purchase another hub so that I can run a 2 blade prop.

I am looking forward to testing it out.

Behold the Sky Cycle Trike!

After a bunch of test flying on my custom trike I came to the conclusion that the 340 air cooled engine was not going to cut it in terms of my expectations.  It simply doesn't produce enough thrust for the 17m Manta wing.  This fact, along with other previously mentioned issues prompted me to look for a more powerful engine.

After searching diligently on Barnstormers and Craigslist I found a low hour re-build Kawasaki 440 down in Texas.  The 440 will produce at least 10 more h.p. and is also fan cooled, which will eliminate the cooling issues I had with the 340.  This particular 440 also has a larger reduction drive, 2.67:1, meaning I can throw a larger prop as well.

After purchasing the engine I started thinking again.  Even if I put the 440 on the custom trike, the overall setup is still going to be heavier than I really want for the 17m Manta Wing.  For this wing I need a very light and powerful trike chassis.

So I started shopping for a new chassis as well.  I was hoping to find something used in excellent condition as this would be the most cost effective way to go.  Nothing ever really came up so I started looking at new units.  I finally settled on the Sky Cycle trike.  The Sky Cycle is quite well known and a lot of them have been built.  The builder Michael Theeke at Fly Hard Trikes is very easy to work with and promptly responds to all questions via e-mail or phone.  Mike does quality work and I would definitely recommend him to anyone looking to purchase a new trike.

The photos show the basic unit as it was shipped to me.  I received the chassis a little over a week ago.  So far I have it uncrated and put together with the engine mounted and exhaust and carb installed.  I still need to hook up the electrical, run the fuel lines and add the instrument pod.  By the time I am done it is going to be a very sweet little unit!

20 Test Flights Later

In the last month I have been doing quite a bit of test flying of the trike.  There were, and are a couple of issues that still needed to be sorted out.

First of all was the hang position.  After the first flight I went back to the manufacturer to re-confirm the stock hang position for the Manta 17m.  According to Mark Gibson at GibboGear, the hang collars are originally set so that the back of the hang block (plastic cubes) measure 28 1/4" from the back of the keel.

After setting the block at this position I flew the trike again.  Throughout the flight I continually needed to push out quite a bit to climb, and after leveling off I found the control bar at cruise to be nearly touching my chest.  I concluded pretty quickly that this stock position was too far forward for my trike.  I slowly moved the hang position back at about a 1/4" at a time.  The farthest back I flew was at a measurement of 27" from the keel.  I finally settled on 27 3/8" which seemed to produce the best cruise speed and bar position.  This is 7/8" aft of the stock position.

The next issue is one of power.  With full power I am able to climb at a rate of about 500 feet/minute.  This is definitely not stellar in my opinion but acceptable.  The real issue is at cruise speed.  To maintain level flight I need to pull higher rpm's than I feel I should have to.  Full throttle is at 6600 rpm's and to cruise I need to pull 6000 or more.  I should be able to throttle back a bit more.

This basically boils down to a problem of thrust.  My Kawasaki 340 runs strong, so after doing a bit of research I concluded the following.  The Manta 17m is a low aspect wing and requires quite a bit of energy to keep it airborne.  I am simply not turning a big enough prop to produce the thrust that I need for this wing.  I have a 58" 2 blade prop with a 2.5:1 reduction drive.  The best setup would probably be a 66" prop with a 2.8:1 reduction.

The last issue is of cylinder head temperature.  The Kawasaki 340 is air cooled and the rear cylinder generally runs 25 degrees or more hotter than the front cylinder.  Furthermore, the whole engine runs a bit hot.  The engine sits behind my head which blocks air flow to the whole engine, with the rear cylinder being affected the most as it is behind the front cylinder.  Although I am able to keep the CHT's in check by running the engine rich, to maximize horse power I want to try to get the whole system to run cooler at a leaner jetting.

Back to the drawing board.

First Test Flight!

My, my, it has definitely been too long since my last post.  As a quick update I finally got the Kawasaki trike into the air.  After coming back from Hawaii, I had a variety of things to do to make it happen.  I did some rejetting on the engine, put on a new tiny tach, replaced the old re-drive belt, etc.

The first flight was on Sunday the 28th of July, fairly early in the morning.  I like the early morning hours at Creswell Airport as there is little wind and little air traffic as well.  The video was taken by my friend Mark who happened to be at the airport at the time.

I started the trike up and gave it a good warm up.  I had just changed the re-drive belt and found that I was not getting full rpm's at full throttle.  Instead of 6200-6500, I was only getting around 5900.  Instead of re-pitching immediately I decided to go ahead and fly it.  I knew at least that I could not over-rev the engine.

I spent plenty of time warming up the engine, took several taxi runs.....and then finally gave her full throttle and took off!  The first flight on a new setup is definitely exciting.  I would describe it somewhere between "heightened awareness" and full on "terror". 

I flew up to about 500' over and then immediately went on a down wind and base to final approach.  The first approach was not set up quite right, so I did a fly by to go around.  The second approach was set up better and I landed.

My first impressions were that the take off roll took too long, and I did not have as much flare authority on landing as I would like.  I have concluded that this was due to the reduced available rpm's and also the hang position.

I have now re-pitched the prop and have adjusted the hang position slightly for the next flight, which should hopefully be tomorrow morning.

*Mitchell Wing T-10 Kit For Sale* SOLD

Scroll down for details.

To Idaho and Back...Again!

My mission to pick up the new bird started on Friday.  I had not really planned on making this trip so soon, but an enclosed trailer popped up for rent on Craigslist.  I called the owner Donnie and made an appointment to look at it.  The trailer was great, the only problem was that it would not be available the next couple of weekends.  It was however available this weekend.  After calling my Dad to see if I could borrow him and his truck to drag the trailer, I made a quick decision to rent it and make an immediate run to Idaho.

My Dad came down to my house Friday night and we made a plan to get an early start Saturday.  We awoke at the crack of dawn, actually 3-4 hours before the crack of dawn, at 3 am.  After a quick shower we drove to Donnie's house in Eugene to pick up the trailer.  By 4:30 am we were officially on the road.  We basically drove straight through only making short stops for fuel.  Eight hours later,  or about 1:15 pm Idaho time, we arrived at Caldwell Airport, Idaho.  The seller Kim let us in through the locked gate and we arrived at the hangar.

After a quick inspection we started to load the plane.  The wings were already off, the only question was the tail going to have to come off?  The width of the horizontal stabilizer was 7' 6", and the width of the trailer was......7' 6".  Yikes!  Was this going to work or not?  After several different attempts at getting the tail to pass the opening, we realized that we were going to have to break it down.  After assessing the situation, we started the task of removing the necessary bolts, actuating cables, strobe wires etc.  We ended up not only taking the tail off, but removing the vertical stabilizer as well.  With that done all that was left was to load the wings and fuselage and nail it all down.

By 5 pm we were back on the road.  We had initially planned on staying the night in the Caldwell area, but since there was plenty of daylight left we decided to head back towards Oregon.  We drove about 3 hours west until we reached Burns.  We found an inexpensive motel, parked the trailer and had a meal at the nearby Apple Peddler Restaurant.  By about 9:30 we were in the rack and sawing logs.

I had set the alarm for 6 am as I did not want to end up oversleeping.  Guess what?  Promptly at 3 am I awoke completely rested and ready to go.  I guessed that this was going to be my new waking time for a few days.  By 3:30 am we were back on the road again heading home.  After a couple of hours of driving we arrived in Bend, had breakfast at the local McDonald's and moved on.

After leaving Bend we noticed something different with the road.  So far, with the exception of some cold wind, the weather had been completely clear on our trip.  Now we realized that there was now snow on the road.  Not only snow, but a significant amount of snow.  As we headed up hill it only got worse, with heavier and heavier conditions.  After putting the truck into 4 wheel drive we continued on.  Going uphill was a matter of just trying to keep forward momentum.  Downhill was another matter.  We had to be extremely careful as we were dragging a 20' trailer, and the slightest mistake could see our little plane flying past our truck down the road.

Fortunately, we survived the blizzard and after getting out of the pass the sun broke, making the rest of the trip a cool breeze.  We arrived at Creswell airport about 10 am, unloaded the plane, returned the trailer and arrived home about 1 pm.  Must be some sort of record set here.

"I will never, ever, ever make another trip to retrieve an airplane!" (until the next one)

The Last Crusade!

"This will be the last one."  I say that every time that I drive miles and miles to bring an aircraft back home from some far off location.  Furthermore, after every trip I swear to myself, "I will never, ever, ever do that again".  I have taken too many trips, driven too far, spent too much money and time, endured all the slings of outrageous fortune, etc., etc.

But guess what?  Here I go again.  Looks like I am making another trip.  I purchased a very nice Minimax 1550 V-Max from Kim in Idaho.  It is a great little plane with a 1747 cc flat four, 4 cycle air cooled VW engine, with tons of nice options.

The aircraft is N-numbered, but has not been inspected for several years, so it cannot be flown back.  I have tried to get a regular aircraft transport company to bring it over, but they are all booked up getting ready for Fun & Sun.

Oh well....surely, "this will be the last one."

Mitchell Wing T-10D Kit for Sale!

I have a Mitchell Wing T-10D 2 place kit for sale.  I purchased this kit directly from Ameriplanes in Truo, Iowa back in 2004 when they were still in business.  In one exhausting week I made the trek from Medford, Oregon to Iowa and back.....yikes!

The kit is exactly as I received it from Ameriplanes.  It includes the main wing section, the two outboard wing sections, stabilators, wing tips, chassis parts, pod forward and exterior, Rotax 503 motor mount, etc, etc.  All wing sections are still covered in the factory plastic, just as I received them.  All that needs to be added is engine, prop and instruments.

This two place kit can be built experimental and legally flown under light sport rules.  It could also qualify and be registered as a motor glider.  It may be the only existing such kit still in existence!

Open to all reasonable and unreasonable offers!

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow!

David from Portland showed up right on time today to pick up the A-10D, which is now officially SOLD!

I have to admit it was somewhat bitter sweet to see my little bird driving away.  I take solace in the fact that David is a very motivated and capable individual, assuring that the A-10 will be up and flying soon!

*Aircraft Update*

There is a pending sale on the Mitchell Wing A-10.  David from Portland came down today to inspect the aircraft.  He made a deposit and will pick up the aircraft within the next week.  Congratulations David on your new airplane.  I look forward to seeing it flying!

Still up for sale are the Mitchell Wing T-10 kit and the custom 340 Kawasaki trike, 17m Manta wing and trailer.  Get them quick while they are still available!

Eureka!!!! Scored a Hangar!!

Finally....after waiting for about 4 1/2 years I  scored a hangar at Creswell airport!

To me this means so many great things.  First of all, I will have a place for all my flying aircraft and projects.  One of the biggest roadblocks to making progress on my various flying machines has been not having a comfortable, enclosed space to work.  The new hangar is a completely enclosed T-hangar with plenty of well lit and dry working space.

Secondly, I will be able to keep my trike setup and ready to go during the flying season.   The convenience of being able to motor straight to the runway is more than I can really comprehend right now.

Moving in tomorrow!  I think I am going to pass out.....

*AIRCRAFT UPDATE*

The Jetwing trike and Moyes GTR have been SOLD!  Brian from Salem purchased both. He is really motivated and will probably make short work of getting this project flying.

All Aircraft Are For Sale!

I have made a decision to put up all of my aircraft for sale.

I am offering for sale a complete single place A10D Mitchell Wing on trailer, a two place T-10D Mitchell Wing kit, a Kawasaki 340 trike with Manta Wing and trailer, and a JetWing trike chassis with modified Moyes GTR wing.

This is not a fire sale, in that I do not necessarily need to sell any of them.  My intent
is to free my time up so that I can concentrate on one or two projects and I can spend more time flying.

Please contact me with any interest.  All offers considered.

Dreaming of Flying

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful Oregon day.  Still a little cold, as it is the middle of February, but one of those days that makes you dream of flying.  Although flying season won't be on us for several months, a day like yesterday definitely gets the wheels turning.

Of all my projects, one is finally ready to go.  The last step for the Kawasaki trike was to build a trailer for transport.  It is now finished and also functions as a mobile hangar.  The trailer has a large ramp door which makes it very easy to move the trike in and out, with standing headroom so you don't have to stoop over. 

Within the last couple of months I also made a few improvements to the chassis.  I wanted to add a dual CHT, as when I purchased it there was only a dual EGT.  This will definitely be important for monitoring engine performance.  There was also a slight twist in the mast that I was not comfortable with.  I had Bill Larson at Oregon Aircraft Design do the work which turned out really well.  I have had a lot of good experiences with Bill and would definitely recommend him.

The only thing really left to do is test fly the trike.  It has been a little while since I have flown one....so I will definitely be taking it nice and easy.  Won't be for a few months, so I guess I will have to be satisfied with dreaming for the moment!