Covid 19 Slowing Down...Super Trike Speeding Up!

It looks like the Covid 19 virus lockdown is finally starting to slow down and various states are starting the slow process of reopening.  Thank goodness for that.  In the mean time my trike build is progessing rapidly.

Here is a short list of the recent work:

2.58:1, B gear box mounted on the engine
New hand throttle installed and foot throttle rebuilt
New throttle mixer installed
New foot brake fabricated and installed
Instruments mounted and wired in
Electrical connections and engine probes installed
New fuel primer installed and fuel lines finalized

There are just a few final details that should be wrapped up in the next week or so and then it will be on to testing!

The Covid-19 Trike Build

I will always remember this trike as the one that I was building during the Covid-19 novel virus outbreak.  What a crazy unprecedented time this is, filled with unpredictability, panic and anxiety.  Hopefully, this will soon pass and we will all move on!  In any case, what better way to reduce the current stress than to work on a new airplane?

So the new Northwing Pacer GT has been setup and mounted on the Sabre trike chassis.  The wing is beautiful, 80% double surfaced and streamlined for performance.  It is going to be great to fly.  However, the mast of the Sabre was too short for the new wing so I had to fabricate a 12" mast extension out of 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" telescoping steel which fit snuggly over the 2" x 2" aluminum mast.

After mounting the wing I turned to the engine mount.  It was necessary to fabricate new mounting bars which I made out of 3/8" x 2", 6061 aluminum that I cut, drilled and painted.  It turned out great and the Rotax 503 is now comfortably sitting on the Sabre trike chassis.
To mount the engine I found it necessary to remove the fuel tank.  I took the opportunity to clean the tank inside and out and it is back on again.

Next, I will be moving on to mounting the fuel pump, carbs and running the fuel lines. Need to keep moving forward!

Picking Up The Pace!

Or should I say "Pacer"?  I am building a new Rotax 503 based trike.  It all started when I found a really pristine DCDI 503 down in Medford at a great price. The 503 has historically been my favorite engine for trikes, powerful and reliable. After finding the engine I started looking for a chassis and quickly came up with an engine less Sabre in good condition up near Albany.

The only thing missing was a wing. I wanted a topless wing for sliding into the hangar and also wanted something fast for XC as well. I wasn't able to come up with anything decent on the used market so I ended up buying a brand new Pacer GT from Kamron at Northwing. After a long drive up and back to Chelan, the beautiful wing is now safely back in my hangar. Photos will be posted soon.

Let the magic begin!

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!