New Spark Plugs In troubleshooting a bad magneto check, I have found at least one thing that certainly needed to be addressed – my spark plugs. After watching a webinar on the subject over at EAA.org – link here, I learned some interested things about spark plug and their health. After a couple of easy tests,…
I want to build another airplane It seems like around this time each year I get the craving to build another airplane. It must have something to do with the long winters up here in Ohio. This affliction even affected me during the last winter of building my RV. In spite of the fact I…
RV-8 cockpit tour The video below is a basic cockpit tour of my RV-8. This airplane has an IO-360 200hp engine with inverted fuel/oil and a Hartzell constant-speed prop. It first flew August 13, 2011. It is equipped with an Advanced AFS3500EE EFIS, Garmin 696 moving map GPS, GNC-300XL IFR GPS/Comm, GTX 327 transponder, and…
Buying a used homebuilt In this economy there is no question it’s a buyers market. This is the same for the used homebuilt market, there are plenty of good deals out there. But do you really know what you’re buying? Lets examine some key questions and provide some answers from my point of view.
RV-10 In Progress A good friend of mine, Bob Leffler, is nearing completion of his beautiful RV-10. I have seen this airplane materialize over the years and it is really going to be a nice ship. As he is starting to get into the firewall forward parts of the build he asked for some assistance…
First Flight: Flight Testing your Experimental Aircraft Flight testing your homebuilt aircraft for the first time is statistically proven to be a riskier proposition than normal flight operations. Of course this makes sense; the first time a bundle of parts are assembled into an airplane and take flight there are going to be opportunities for…
Cory Bird’s Symmetry One of the most beautiful light airplanes I have ever seen is Cory Bird’s one-of-a-kind homebuilt called Symmetry. Cory designed and built this aircraft over 14 years and 15,000 man-hours. Powered by a 200hp, IO-360. It first flew in April 2003 and everywhere it goes, it draws a crowd.
Naming Contrary Mary How did my RV-8 come to be called ‘Contrary Mary’? Early in the construction of my RV-8 I needed to decide on a paint scheme. I wanted something that would pop, the traditional white base with some kind of accent strip(s) wasn’t going to cut it. Lots of RV-8 has pseudo-military paint schemes so…
What would I buy….Kolb This is the first installment in a new series of articles based on a hypothetical set of airplane ownership criteria. Note: This information is strictly the opinion of the author. Your mileage may vary. The goal will be to spend less than $10,000 for a light sport eligible, single-seater, with cheap…
EAA Leadership Transition Monday the EAA announced the ‘resignation’ of their President/CEO, Rod Hightower. I met Rod a few years ago when our local EAA chapter hosted him on one of his grass-roots tour stops his first year. While I don’t think he’s a bad guy, his reputation among the constituents has gone from bad…