Nothwing Trike is for Sale! $4500 *SOLD*

I have had a lot of great flights in the past months and am reluctantly putting the ATF/Stratus up for sale.  The engine runs great and the wing flies beautifully.  However, as usual I am working on a new project and will eventually need the space.  I will keep flying it until sold.  Come and get it!

Test Flying the Stratus

After the Quicksilver left the hangar I wasted no time putting the new trike together. One issue I had is that the new wing is kingposted and will not clear the hangar door. To resolve this I bought a small dolly. When collapsed, both the control bar and front wheel of the trike sit on the dolly allowing me to easily roll it in and out of the hangar. Works great.

After thoroughly inspecting everything I went to flight testing.  I began with high speed taxis down the runway and quickly progressed to crow hops. Finally, on a low wind early morning I committed to taking her around the pattern.

I am still working on takeoff timing, trying to find the proper mix of wing attitude, thrust, etc., for the perfect transition into the air. However, when the trike finally pops off it climbs like a rocket, and flies and lands very smoothly.

Before I fly the trike again I want to change the oil mix. The previous owner was running a petroleum based oil at a mix of 40:1.  I intend to switch to Amsoil Interceptor synthetic and run it at 50:1. Going from 40:1 to 50:1 will require some rejetting of the carb. At 50:1 the mix will be relatively richer, so I will need to lean out the carb a little for smooth running. Some people make the mistake thinking that more oil is richer and less is leaner. This is not true. When we are discussing lean vrs rich we are talking about air and fuel, not oil and fuel. For instance, adding more oil makes less fuel available for the relative amount of air, making the air to fuel ratio leaner. Decreasing the amount of oil has the opposite effect making the ratio richer.

Wonderful World of Nanolites!

The Quicksilver has been sold to Joseph down in southern Oregon.  He is an experienced pilot with a lot of Rotax experience and is very excited about flying his new plane. It is definitely going to a good home.

For the near future I am going back to flying trikes, specifically soarable nanolites.  I am very attracted to the simplicity, ease of setup and transport of these little airplanes.

I found a nice, older, low hour ATF trike with a Stratus wing up north which I brought back down last weekend.  it has a JPX D320 engine which I have no experience with, but seems to run very well.  The wing is the earlier version of the Northwing Stratus and is in near new condition.

I am looking forward to some fun flying in the very near future.

Sprint Has Sprung!

Finally got the Quicksilver MX Sprint fully assembled at the hangar.  Here she is in all her glory!

Put the wings on, then the tail section, hooked up the control cables and there she was.  Beautiful!  Overall this bird is in great shape.  Nice sails, pod, full instruments, all the usual.  Not that I didn't have to make a few minor adjustments....always do.  For instance, the elevator cables were set up with way too much slack.  The only way to adjust them is at the foot pedals, so I had to remove the windshield and instrument panel to get to the pedals, but no big deal.  All in a day's work.

I have done quite a few engine run ups in the previous weeks and this 447 runs very well.  However, the engine is inverted, so it has the usual starting issues.  Here are a few tips that I have learned over the years for starting inverted engine setups.  Since the plugs are upside down, fuel inevitably drips down into them making them extremely easy to foul.  Tip number 1, always shut off your fuel valve after a run up.  If you don't have a fuel shutoff between the tank and engine, install one.  Tip number 2, use plugs with whatever heat equivalent  you require that have an extended electrode.  This gets the spark away from the fuel pooling area.  Tip number 3, install some sort of primer to prime the cylinders for quick start up.  Here is a trick if you don't have a fuel primer.  Plug one of the carb fuel overflow tubes with a finger, and then blow into the other one.  This blows a puff of air and fuel directly into the cylinders.....instant primer.  It is magic when you try it for the first time!

Trike Fever!

I don't know what it is about trikes....but I always seem to want to get another one. I found a great deal on a Kemmeries Tukan trike plans built chassis and wing down in Northern California.  The chassis has a lot of great features, like double sleeved tubing, an awesome running Rotax 447, dual blade ground adjustable IVO prop, exhaust clamps, quick release 5 gallon tank and a super comfortable cushy seat.

The wing is an Apco Sabre trike wing.  It is pretty old but still in really good shape.  Apparently Mark Gibson (R.I.P) did some work on the wing to beef it up, including sleeving the keel and doubling the flying wires.

With just a little love I think I will be flying it soon!

Time to Sprint!

Picked up a pretty nice Quicksilver MX Sprint ultralight from Jodi in Sweethome.  This bird is fully 3 axis, has a nice running Rotax 447, new wood prop, full instruments, sweet pod, steerable nose wheel, hydraulic brakes and is basically ready to fly. Just need to get a little help to put on the wings and I am ready to Sprint!

R.T. Stole Over $5000 From Me!

R.T. is well known as a pioneer in the Oregon flying scene.  He is considered an exceptional pilot, famous or infamous depending on who you talk to.  I was a loyal friend of his for over 30 years. No more, and here is why.

About 4 years ago R.T. had just fired D.L., his only employee in his electrical contracting business.  R.T. needed someone quickly to replace him and called me. 

Within 2 days of his call I started working for him in Portland.  To work in Portland I had to rent a room on a monthly basis and make the commute up and down from Eugene twice a week.  The overall expense of this was around $800 per month.  This seemed fine as R.T. was going to pay me well for the work I did for him.

I worked for R.T. for about a year.  I always showed up on time, worked hard and never missed a day.  Unfortunately, R.T. is a rageaholic in all aspects of his life.  Whether driving, working or for that matter doing anything, he is constantly fuming, swearing and abusing everyone around him.  On a daily basis he called me names, made fun of my appearance, swore at me, hid my personal possessions, took money from me and emotionally abused me in every manner that you could conceive.

I told R.T. on multiple occasions that I would not continue to work for him if he was not willing or able to change his behavior.  After a while D.L. was hired back again, and just like me he was subjected to the same type of daily torment.

Long story short, there finally came the day that I was no longer willing to be treated in this manner and I quit.  At the time of my separation R.T. owed me back wages totaling well over $5000.  Over the past 3 years I have attempted to collect the money owed to me in every possible and amicable manner.  He has told me over and over that he is going to pay me the money, but has yet to pay me a dime.  Part of the money that he owes me is for medical bills.  I was almost electrocuted working for him on one of his jobs and suffered permanent nerve and tissue damage to my hand.  R.T.'s electrical contracting business was basically illegal, no contractors license and no electrical license.  At the time of my accident he implored me not to inform the Urgent Care Facility that this was a job related accident, and swore that he would pay my medical deductible.  Of course he never did.

For the last six months I have tried to reach R.T. through every possible avenue.  I have called him, texted him, and e-mailed him....without any response whatsoever.  I have good information that he sold his house in Portland and has moved to Palm Desert to live happily ever after with his accomplice L.G.  The last time I spoke to him in October of 2017 he told me that he would come down to Eugene and pay me the money he owed me.  Of course, just another lie in a long list of lies.

This is not the first time that R.T. has stolen money from me.  In multiple endeavors over the years he has not paid money owed to me, and I have always forgiven him.  I have always been a loyal friend and responded to him when ever he needed my help.  Never again.

It is clear that R.T. and L.G. have no intention of ever paying back the money which they have stolen from my wife and I.  Not only did I not get paid for probably 3 months of work, but I had the privilege of paying out $2400 of my own money to work for free. As far as I am concerned our 30 year friendship is over and never again will I have anything to do with him.

In the end, this is a cautionary tale.  Beware of doing business with or having anything to do with this person. If you have been wronged by him in a similar manner I would welcome your comments.

For years I thought that R.T. was one of my best friends...but in reality...he is actually the worst enemy I have ever had.  My new mission in life is to let every pilot in Oregon and Hawaii know exactly what kind of liar, thief, narcissist and coward he is.

Unfortunately, great pilots are not always good people.