Go to the beginning of our story.
11/09/2008 The road to recovery has begun in earnest. I'm still splitting time betwee Victor Fox and the basement, but I have decided to go with the GRT EIS engine pod. That will keep me from having to run all of the engine instrument wires back up the electrical conduit after pulling the oil lines outs. To that end, I have pulled all of those instruments out of the Blue Mountain EFIS/1, and pulled the wire back to the cowling, and pulled the hard-tubed (3003) aluminum oil lines out as well, and cleaned up the oil in the nose and cabin. The panel and all of the seats are out, so we're in a good position to make our repairs. I have 2 new oil lines on order, made from SS braided hose, and I've decided not to put any valves in up front. It just ended up being too complicated, so both nose oil coolers will always be in the loop. If the oil gets too cold in the winter, I'll just block the inlet air from the fresh air cooler, and if the nose is too hot in the summer, I'll ventilate the nose. Also, Jerry and Bob kindly helped me get the damaged copilot wing to Jerry's shop, and all of the delaminated skin and damaged foam has been removed back to the spar, and Velocity is making a custom forward wing foam block to replace it with (they wanted it to be one chunk of foam - thanks guys!). So most of the thinking and decision-making is done, and now I'm mostly waiting for the parts. Check out the repairs-page.
10/06/2008 One thing I think I'm going to get to before I repair Victor Fox, since winter is closing in on us is our basement drywall. I'd planned to do it now before the incident, anyway, as I've been putting it off all summer trying to keep the plane flying. I'm a little concerned that the cabinets we've bought for down there will suffer if they're still in the garage when we hit freezing weather. I expect that will take about 2 weeks. In the meantime, I have been playing with Google Maps and Google Earth for our APRS tracking system (now that I've coded my website to pull tracking data from the internet and store it in a mySQL table). Check out my new aprs.velocityxl.com subsite for the latest track. Here's a shot of what's possible with Google Earth, though I haven't quite figured out how to do this with the web browser plug-in yet (though you can select "Earth" view on the map at aprs.velocityxl.com.
10/02/2008 Some folks will tell you that Andy Millin is a good guy. Not me. Andy is the best. Andy, his lovely bride Theresa, and "the girls" stopped by on they're way to Tennessee for a weekend get away to check up on us and share well-wishes up close and personal. And he brought some foam for me to get cracking on that wing repair to boot. What a guy! Check out his website, it's one of the best.
09/30/2008 Thanks to Roger Cummins at Three Feathers Aviation, Victor Fox is back home at Lebanon, and we can begin the process of putting back to rights.
09/27/2008 The Accident Flight. Well, we did launch for Rough River as expected, but we never made it. You'll want to check out our page dedicated to our emergency off-airport landing in Otisco, Indiana. I think it's a pretty good read, and it has some interesting pictures. Also, it was the first day the APRS tracking unit was operational, so we can show you this picture. The last return was where the tracking system lost contact with us. Otisco is where we stopped, right off of Highway 3.
09/24/2008 Wow, is September ever a busy month around the Ferrell home. First update, I did take my Ham exam, though delayed due to the wind storms that ravaged the Buckeye state, and my call sign is KD8JJO! should have my call sign later this week. We've also celebrated both of our birthdays, but that slowed getting the plane back in the air. Elizabeth did fly last night, and will hopefully get some extended time tonight as well, so we're on schedule to fly to Rough River on Friday night. In other news, Beth started school today, and is working on getting a Master's in Education, and a teaching certificate, and I'm proud and excited for her. It was a tough choice, but I think she'll have a long, happy career teaching.
09/16/2008 What a difference a few days makes. We were clipping away at the punchlist, nearly ready to fly again, and then we were visited by Ike. Former Hurricane/Tropical Storm Ike caught a ride on a strong frontal system and strengthened to just below TS levels as it passed Cincinnati, and we had gusts up to nearly 60 mph. Cincinnati isn't built for strong winds because, well, we just don't get them. Needless to say, we shut down work at the airport early on Sunday and now over half of the city is without power (including both of my work locations), and we're hosting friends at the homestead. There is a line from "Liar, Liar", that I will never hear with the same jocularlity - "Hit me again, Ike, and put some stank on it!". Luckily we personally were spared major damage, and still have all of our services, but not everyone even in my neighborhood was so lucky. Here's a little flavor for what we're dealing with.
09/12/2008 We've finished up the majority of fixes and adjustmeants that I wanted to get in this down period, and I'm anxious to get Beth back in the air to keep her currency up. However, in a real lapse of memory, we're over due for for annual condition inspection, so we have to do that as well. Oh, and this weekend features "P&G Day" at Kings Island, so there's a whole day down. But, we did get Andy's alternate air door mechanism tested, and I've got my APRS transmitter ready to go into the plane, so if I pass my test next week, we'll have a neat new feature soon! For those interested, this version isn't available any more, but the new Micro-Trak 8000 FA (8 watt Frequency Agile) version is. I still need to figure out where to mount it, with it's dang 17" antenna.
09/08/2008 Well, it's been a week without an update, and that would leave you with the impression that we hadn't done anything. However, that's only mostly true. While on vacation last week (man I don't want to drive that ever again) I did study for my amatuer radio exam. I plan to take the test next Wednesday night, and I did the required soldering work yesterday while watching football and recovering from the drive home. If I pass, look for tracking data on N44VF to show up here shortly thereafter. For those interested, I found HamTestOnline pretty useful.
08/28/2008 Regular readers here are probably starting to Jones for a fix, so here you go. We're pretty close to finishing up our post-40-hour fixes (pitch trim has been adjusted, the pictch servo and autopilot controller are reinstalled, the doorseals are in but not tested, the air/oil separater is 80% installed, the rudders need readjusting, and the alternate air door needs to be tested). But, we need to packup and get ready to leave Saturday for our Labor Day retreat to the Garden State. I really wanted to fly this one. It would probably work out fine. But flying 435 nautical miles from I68 to KWWD without checking the systems thoroughly is a fool's errand, especially in light of recent events. So, we'll occupy ourselves, probably with a visit to the great white north, and then our Debutante's Ball will be Rough River.
08/22/2008 "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times". I wanted to start this entry with a simple WE DID IT. And we did do it too, or rather she did it. Elizabeth flew the remaining 2+ hours in poor conditions this afternoon (low haze and approaching weather), and I have made the appropriate entry in the aircraft log. She is legal, she can fly anywhere she wants now, with non-participants on board, so to speak. But that is tempered by another tragic loss in the community, as another Velocity is down, this time it's N415MK, with 3 souls lost. It's been a tough year for our community. First Uli was seriously hurt and 3 were killed in March, then Steve Goldman passed away and 2 were lost in an accident in N269VE at St. Augustine in July, Jack's eRacer burnt up in June, and now this. So, as happy as we are, it is metered. More so now that the media are reporting that apparently the owner was not aboard N415MK, that it had only 5 hours, and a 40 year veteran was at the helm. I'm worried that perhaps our friend and mentor Dave Bertram might have been test flying this aircraft. I pray not, though it seems wicked to wish the ill fall upon someone else, but I do with all my heart.
Update: We are hearing now that the pilot was Mack Murphree, a pillar of our community, a 40 year pilot and A&P who's done many first flight for folks, and had a ton of hours in the Velocity. We're shocked and sadden by the news, which is a painful reminder that 'but for the grace of God, there go I'. God be with you, Mack.
08/21/2008 We're getting really close now. Beth took her out and did 1.8 hours tonight, for a total just short of 38. The plan is to go out and finish up our 40 tomorrow and start cleaning up the punchlist repairs and adjustments this weekend. Assuming we can do that, there will be much rejoicing on Friday. It's quite a thing to think about, having built an airplane. I told my buddy Andy recently, and I don't think he can understand yet, how really surprised I am at how commonplace it's beginning to seem to see my plane fly overhead. N44VF has performed so well lately that I don't really worry Beth when she flies her - which is as it should be, but it really seems amazing. Soon my baby will really be free to leave the nest and travel this wonderful country and explore the wider world. To say that I'm ready to accompany her is an understatement. May she always have fair skies and tailwinds.
08/20/2008 No flying yesterday, but to make up for it we got 2.3 in today. Up next on the plan was max gross weight testing. Beth picked up a parachute rigger from our airport and met Jerry and I over at Butler County for the testing (it's runway is 5,500' with a 750' overrun and 100' wide, whereas ours is only 4,500' and 60' wide). We gradually loaded up, and determined to limit the aircraft based on take-off roll, as you need some runway to be able to abort a takeoff. We'll loaded up to 2,800 pounds with a roll of just over 2,600' (2,700 density altitude), and called that enough. The ship clearly would have managed our target 3000 pounds, and would have about half the runway to abort on if need be, but we'll hold off on that until we have the constant-speed propeller.
08/18/2008 Another hour today, and we started ceiling testing. However, poor Elizabeth had to shut down the testing when she got a solid sump fuel level warning (under 5 gallons available). I think this erroneous indication, probably because of the long climb at high power creating turbulence in the top of the tank, but it is really hard to ignore a fuel warning. She did climb to 14,000 before calling it off. We'll be looking at the fuel system to understand better what's going on there.
08/17/2008 We borrowed an oxygen system to do some service ceiling testing, and were going to try that today, but because of cloud cover and a busy Dayton tower, elected to leave that to another day. However, we did do another hour to put us over 32. If we get our new pitch trim spring in today, we'll start a short down window.
08/16/2008 Another big day. We're starting to really get to the end of the flight testing plan. Most of the tests now require more and more weight to try various centers-of-gravity (cg), and testing up to the maximum gross takeoff weight. And, Elizabeth has been harping on me to act as the ballast, for a variety of reasons, some more valid than others (like look at what the EFIS is doing...). So, with a BBQ at Butler County, we loaded up and launched on the short (14 nm) trek to KHAO. I got some video, check it out. Landing at Warren County Departing Butler County Full Flight from Lebanon to Hamilton
08/15/2008 A very cool evening tonight, we met up with of our oldest and dearest friends, the Trenaman's, for dinner. As they happen to live on the other side of our neighborhood, we set up for Elizabeth to taxi the kids out, and then go off and fly around Dayton while John and I picked up dinner. Then, timed to arrive just as we got back to the neighborhood N44VF did a (relatively) low and slow couple of passes over the house. Of course I was unduly nervous, but it was really cool to see Space Ship Fox over the 'hood, and the kids and neighbors seemed suitably impressed. It's just one of those days that you'll remember for a long time. I got some video, check it out! Touch and go and High Speed Low Pass Taxi with the Boys Flying over the TrenaHouse
08/13/2008 Another 1.3 hours, just tooling around. We're closing in on 30 hours (just under 28 now).
08/12/2008 Another day, another 1.2 hours. Beth flew to Piqua today! She dropped in to see her parents, and let her dad see 44VF fly for the first time. Piqua (I17) is a sleepy little airport, but happens to be home of the Hartzell Propeller folks, and she created quite a stir, with the growl of the unmuffled IO540 bringing folks out of all quarters. She got to chat with some of the folks that worked the Hartzell attempt at a prop for the Velocity, and Velocity enthusiasts, and worried me by not being off the ground early enough (though she was back before twilight).
08/11/2008 Beth did our first hard-core speed and cross-country work yesterday, circling Dayton. Check out the picture to see where she went. I'm disappointed with the speeds, even with the rough paint, fit and finish, and no wheel pants. We were only mustering 155-160 kts at about 2500 RPM (and 20 gallons an hour). So, we were definitely at full throttle, but she just can't turn that prop any faster, and we need to be able to run her to 2,700 or 2,750. We're going to do some more testing, at altitude, to see for sure that we don't get greatly different RPMs up there (I don't expect we will, but...) than we do at 7-9k MSL. I'm going to get with Catto, but will probably not have the prop depitched until the cooler weather sets in, because it'll be awhile before we get it back. Along the same vein, we're still collecting a fair number of items that we intend or want to fix/change/adjust, but as they say, you have to "make hay while the sun shines", and the weather right now is just too great to miss. Oh, and we cross the "40 hour" mark on the Hobbs yesterday. And, another big shout at to folks at Dayton Approach for taking care of us.
08/10/2008 Beth did our flutter testing yesterday, with some help from the nice folks at Dayton approach, and checked N44VF up to 205kts IAS! Next we'll be doing some high-speed runs in level flight to see what she tops out (in her primer-covered, no pants incarnation). Also of note, we took her to the pancake breakfast and R/C Flying Circus today, and set her out on display. That was kind of cool in its own right as it was our first chance to really let people look at it and ask questions. Then Beth and Ray (in his Vari EZ, N47VE) went out to do a lap of the field in loose formation. I got some video, but they never really got joined up properly, so it's not quite as cool as it could be. Chaulk that up to an area that needs more work. Check out the video and pictures here.
08/09/2008 Well, this is turning out to be quite the week. I told Elizabeth we had 21 days to fly 21 hours off so we can fly to Jersey for Labor Day weekend, and she got religion! Well, part of it was I realized we had more hours than actual testing to do, so I told to just go out and have fun, and we've really started to rack up the hours. So, I'd slightly mis-remembered how many ours we had before we went to Oshkosh, I was telling everybody 18, but it was really 16. But this week we've logged 7.5 hours (to 23.8)! Outstanding! We've also done our first real cross-country work, flying to Middletown (Hook Field, MWO), Hamilton for the pancake breakfast (Butler County Hoagan Field, HAO), and Dayton Wright Brothers (MGY). We'll need to take some maintenance time along the way, but with a couple of weeks like this we should be OK.
08/04/2008 Back home, charged up, and back in the saddle. Beth put an hour on the plane yesterday, and she and Jerry did .9 today! Outstanding!
08/02/2008 Midnight of the last day. I feel hung-over and beat up, but we had a great week. We spent all day driving, after getting a late start, and I'm just now heading to bed. Wake-up call was at 6 am so I could get over to the awards breakfast and recieve my Chapter Web Editor Award (4th place for EAA974).
We had the usual great Velocity BBQ hosted by Theresa and Andy Millin, but even better, they and Kathy and Dave Spano (along with Liz and Tim Popp) threw us an awesome "wedding reception". I guess some folks just can't take no for an answer, so when we eloped an evil scheme was hatched. They went all out with wedding cake and party favors, and a gratuitous golf cart and scooter, honk-filled, joy-ride around the campsite so they could embarrass us in front of everyone! Then they decorated our car, which caused quite the stir at the campsite all week (they came *here* on their honeymoon?!). Nice work, guys, you're the BEST!
Little did poor Andy know that I'd pulled a sneak of my own, proudly attired in my "My Airplane Flys" shirt at the BBQ, and of course I had a shirt for him as well....
It's amazing, really, every year we spend more time at Oshkosh, and do less and less "show" stuff. We've met so many wonderful, amazing, and entertaining folks that we simply must visit this one week every year that the demands quickly outstrip the time available. Old friends we visited included those mentioned above, Carlos (Thunder Chicken, 2 time World Champ, ask him what happened in 2002), the Cozy Girrrls, Terry Schubert (CSA lead-man), Rich and Ricardo Guerra (Race 24!), The Tvedte Clan, Burrell Sanders (FreeFlight Composite), and many, many more, and new friends galore - Mark and Nancy Riley (we're GOING to the Bahamas!), Sue and Ed Richards (Cozy N826ER folks), Joe Ramsey (down the shore), among a lot of others.
Check out our Oshkosh 2008 picture gallery!
07/25/2008 Well, we're firmly ensconced in Camp Schoeller whiling the morning away. Oshkosh, baby, 2008 edition!
07/23/2008 Interesting article in this month's Kitplane's Magazine about using short-wave HAM radio to track your aircraft online. SWEET! Where do I sign up? Seriously, this sort of thing is right in my wheelhouse. Here's a good website describing how it works, but I've ordered the hardware and will be setting this up as soon as I can pass the Ham operator test. Here are a couple of pictures of the possibilites. The first is the tracker module, hooked to a GPS antenna, it broadcasts your position to HAM iGate repeaters, where (as in the second and third pictures) anyone can see your current position, or total trip, speed, etc. on google maps. AWESOME! Click for large versions of the pictures.
APRS Transmitter
Google Map 3d
Google Map
07/22/2008 I've recently been notified that one of my other big committments, the website for my EAA Chapter (974) has been nominated and won a Web Editor's Award. We won't know until Airventure closes (Saturday a week) where we placed, but it's nice to be recognized.
07/21/2008 OK, some good news for a change. The fixes and changes are finally completed, and we (Beth) flew tonight. It's been a long two week outage, and we're getting ready to depart to Osh Kosh on Friday, so it was particulary sweet to see her back in the air. So, how'd it go? Well, sort of a mixed bag, Beth didn't like the feel of the rudders in flight, like they required too much pressure to deploy. We'll look into that. Otherwise, things were great. The new nose gear shock absorber seems to be the cat's meow (thanks Andy and Jorge!), and the factory trim was very stable, and the new toe brakes were great - better control and total braking force. We probalby won't get any more time before Airventure, so we'll see everybody there!
07/17/2008 OMG. Could this take any longer? Seriously. We started putting things together last night, and BINGO, the factory trim spring blasts the back of the radio. I guess my idea of "slightly left of center" and the factory's don't match up very well. This brings up a point that I reflect on more and more lately.
It's the point of "changes" to the plans. Don't do it. Sure I was given that advice by more than one well-meaning person, and I cheerfully ignored it. I thought, "hey, I'm smart, I'm an engineer, and it's my plane, I want it the way I want it...". Rrrriiigggghhhttt. Here's the thing. None of that matters. It's the Law of Unintended Consequences meets the Law of Tight Spaces. You simply will not see all of the dependencies of any change (or simple imprecision) will generate.
OK, so there are places this clearly isn't true, do whatever you want with the overhead lights. You've got a LOT of lattitude on panel design. All I'm saying is, if I had $1USD for everytime I went to install something only to find "Oh d@mn... that won't go together", I'd be a rich man.
07/14/2008 Well, we've been down a week now, and we're still not ready to fly. We're adjusting the new toe-brake system, and still have some work on the factory trim system, and then we can start putting things back together. Hopefully another couple of days will finish it up. We'll see.
07/13/2008 Sometimes you gotta look back and see where you've been. Today is the 1 year anniversary of our Airworthiness Certificate. Feels like the ink is still wet on that sucker...
07/12/2008 I've caputured and put up a copy of Steve Goldman's builder's website up on our website, based on a request from our buddy Andy Millin. It was a great idea to capture the spirit of Steve's project forever, and is a happy homage to the hobby and a community that he loved and enriched. We're happy to be able to provide this legacy, see it at goldman.velocityxl.com
07/10/2008 It now seems quite likely that we'll not have the time flown off for Oshkosh. Bummer. The brake change is just taking too long, and while we've got the canard and panel out, we're changing out the nose gear shock (see the wiki). This is leading to a bunch of non-safety related fixes/changes that may be convenient to do now, but doom getting the 40 hours in by Airventure. If I had to do it over I might've held off on the brakes and disallowed take-offs and landings from the copilot side, but looking back is not constructive. There's always Rough River.
07/06/2008 Hope everybody had a great Independence Day weekend. We got some good flying in over the long weekend, and got Jerry some time in the right seat. That's the good news. The bad news is, since he was doing well, Beth decide to let him land. Well, the landing went OK, but we knew that the braking from the copilot side was imperfect (Dave Bertram had noticed this flying with Beth). Well, not only was the braking weak (probably from the pedal frame flexing), but somehow he was able to lock the system to the point that Beth couldn't generate much braking or steering control. The end result (everybody is fine, and no equipment got bent) was an overrun of the end of the runway. They went right between the red lamps and the big control box and into that grass, and then back to the ramp. So, although Jerry was probably nearly ready to transition into the left seat, and everything is good from that side, we're taking a few down days to change to the newer "toe-brake" system.
07/01/2008 Back in the saddle. Elizabeth got some work in yesterday, on the other runway (1). I'm not sure if I've mentioned it, but Lebanon (I68) is a little unusual in that all traffic is on the east side of the airport. That means that RWY 1 uses a right traffic pattern and 19 uses left traffic, so it's a bit odd when you move from one side to the other as the airport is on other side of the airplane. She did well, though was touching down a little long. She did an hour, and then today did over an hour of stall testing, and then took her mom up for some stall testing near the forward CG limit. Stall near aft is a gentle sink at 60 kts, and loaded forward is a light pitch-buck near 70 kts. Notch 3 more hours on the test plan.
06/30/2008 Well I spent the whole weekend (OK, not the whole thing, we saw Get Smart last night, but damn near 10-9 on Saturday) working on the plane. The good folks at the Lebanon Airpot Maintenence shop got the plane back to us, and I busily tried to get it ready to fly. First we found the mag check failed (I wired my key switches to teh new LSE ignition interconect cable backwards-which shouldn't matter, but does), then she ran rough on the left mag. Obeying Stockman's Law of Aircraft Problems (thanks Bill), I replaced the plug lead to thb bottom #6, where I'd just installed a Tiny Tach back-up tachometer. Bill's law states that the last thing touched is thing that's broken, and it's true 90%+ of the time. So, we got everything squared away, but had 20 knot direct crosswinds with gusts to 29. Hopefully we'll fly today.
06/23/2008 I just heard that Jack Morrison has had an accidnent in his e-Racer, N345JM, and it has been lost (Jack's recap-News Report). Happily Jack was able, in quite extreme circumstances to get her back to the runway, and was essentially unharmed. Jack's plane was beautiful, and he's always been so gracious to us, that it is a very sad day for all of us. We hope he'll rebuild, and that we can help Jack get back into the air somehow.
06/19/2008 I blew my top today at the airport. It doesn't happen very often, and I'm not proud of it. We'd been assured that our local shop had all of the parts they needed to put our fuel system back together today, and I'd done all of the work I needed to do in the evenings this week to get us back into the air, and now I find out that the shop didn't have the parts. Another weekend without flying. Sigh. These are the times that try men's souls.
06/15/2008 So, we're washing the fuel tanks to make sure we've gotten any debris out of them, as we keep having issues with junk getting to the fuel injectors. So, we filled one tank at a time and pumped it dry - into 5 gallon drums - and then strained the fuel through coffee filters. There was some debris in there, and on the scale of a 30 gallon tank, it wasn't that bad. On the other hand, if you're a tiny fuel injector, it was Not Good. We ran fuel through the pilot side 4 times before it ran clear, hte copilot only needed 2 rinses. We're also getting the spider valve and injectors cleaned professionally, and I'm pulling the fuel filter and servo filters and cleaning them in an ultrasonic jewelery cleaner. We probably won't be able to fly again for another couple of days when our parts come back from the shop. In the meantime, I'm cleaning up some odds and ends. Airventure is just around the corner.
06/10/2008 Different day, different story. This time, we got the prop in operational order, went out for some testing, and after 2 passes plugged an injector. Now, I have to give huge props to my lady - Elizabeth handled it like a champ. I was on the ramp monitoring the frequency, and as she turned crosswind the engine went from full song to a muffled rumble. She called downwind with engine trouble, and I {Mr. Obvious} advised her not to get too far from the airport. She brought her around and put her down right on the numbers. She was shaken a bit, but did a great job.
06/08/2008 Well, well, well. The ups and downs life brings to you are THOROUGHLY on display today. The highest of highs the last two days, and today just the opposite. We were going to take 44VF out and stretch her legs, and we've found a good-sized slice in our prop, about midway in the length. No fly-y today. ;-( I need to get with Craig Catto and see what needs to be done. In other news, we did get to fly to breakfast in Dan Reagan's cherry Lancair... Thanks, Dan, for the pick-me-up... Check it out here
06/07/2008 Three more laps around the pattern today for Ms. Elizabeth and my other baby, three more quality landings on a rain-drenched Saturday. "In other News", Bob Buls has finally arrived in town, setting up shop with our friends the Brainards, so we'll be helping him out some (and his baby-puke-biege wings will be living in our hangar for awhile). Nothing like unloading a plane from a trailer in a steady rain for a few hours to set a man up. ;-) Look for pictures over at Linda and Jerry's website
06/06/2008 I took my first ride today, and it was awesome - one of those days you'll remember forever. We climbed out over nearby by Waynesville and the lake, and I made a lazy circle about Ceasar's Creek State Park, and then we brought her back. It was only about a 30 minute flight, but it was the culmination of almost exactly 6 years of hard work. Thanks Dave!
Also, on the last flight of the night, as the winds began to calm, Elizabeth really got into the groove, and was approved by Dave to fly the plane solo! So, Dave hopped out, and he and I watched pensively as she made three great take-offs and landings. Congratulations, Sweetie!
06/05/2008 Fly the plane, break the plane. Fly the plane, break the plane. Or, as we in the shampoo business like to say, Lather, Rinse, Repeat. Or, as Mr. Lennon put it, "Mama never told me there'd be days like these". The last couple of days I've worked a {nearly} full day at the office, and then work all night getting N44VF back in fighting shape for the next flight. Punchlist items are coming fast and furious, and it's hot, and I've been eating late and going to bed later. I'm beat. But I'm getting a stinkin' ride in my baby before Dave leaves this time (as essential ballast)!
06/04/2008 N44VF took her 4th and 5th flights today, and what makes it a banner day is that that second trip included Elizabeth at the helm! Now, Dave Bertram (our test-pilot extraordinaire) was along to coach her, but we hope that today or tomorrow she'll get up to speed and solo.
05/16/2008 N44VF took her third flight today, though it won't impress anybody. However, it was the first time we landed out! She's now at Dayton Wright Brothers Airport (MGY) for a check-up from the folks at Magnum Engine. Thanks Dave and Gene (and the folks from Commander Aero, for letting Gene borrow their shop to look at my motor)!
05/10/2008 Check out the Wiki, we've added a fair amount of content, including nearly 100 pictures of completed and flying Velocity airplanes (good for those considering paint schemes). See it here. Special thanks to Andy Millin for helping with the construction pages!
05/06/2008 I've got the Wiki up and running now, check it out here. Fellow builders should check it out, create a login, add a bio or your builder's tips and tricks!
05/04/2008 We've had a great reaction to the new website. In the first week after announcing it, we've had 80 builder/owner requests for logins to restricted areas of the website (nearly 1 in 5 kit owners)!
05/02/2008 We've got it confirmed, Magnum will be looking at our motor at Commander Aero's shop at Wright Brothers Airport (MGY) over an upcoming weekend, and Dave will be flying her up there for me (hopefully next week).
04/27/2008 Welcome one and all to the new VelocityXL.com. How do I know you guys made the switch? Because the old site is officially gonzo, baby....
04/25/2008 OK, our request is in with Stan at the Cincinnati FAA FSDO, so hopefully we'll get our ferry permit next week. Also of note, Elizabeth is in Dallas this week, and over the last couple of days has gotten some time in Dave Bertram's XL/RG (V8 power!), which is especially cool since he has a Blue Mountain EFIS as well.
04/22/2008 Well, I think I'm officially fed up with not getting the engine fixed on my own, so we're trying to get a ferry permit to take our baby back to Magnum up at Fort Wayne to get our RPM issues squared away.
04/17/2008 We ran the engine again last night, after checking the new fuel flow meter for calibration (it was pretty close), and hoped to check the timing. After reexamining the E/1 calibration, I think that we're getting erroneous readings. I'm not sure that's the whole problem, but it is a problem. We'll try to check the timing over the weekend, and I received today another fuel servo (Thanks Andy!) to try out as well. I expect to see the same readings with it as mine, and expect the timing will be within 1-2 degrees. I'll correct the E/1 "standard" calibaration with my optical prop tach when it comes in. Beth is in Dallas next week visiting family, and our test pilot Dave Bertram, so he's not availble to fly for at least that period. Hopefully my glass swan with spread her wings again soon.
04/16/2008 We ran the engine last night after cleaning the plugs and injectors, and at 2150 at full rich, 2250 RPM leaned out (the intake runner was off as well). The new floscan 231 fuel flow sensor does at least read all of the time, but it looks like the readings are high, so we'll have to check the calibration next.
4/16/08 30.09"Hg | DYNO 29.92"Hg
RPM gph MP | RPM #/hr (gph) MP
800 3.5 17 | 1523 28.1 ( 4.67) 13.46
2150 21 30 | 2100 58.9 ( 9.78) 20.06
2250 18.5 30 | 2200 65.2 (10.83) 20.70
| 2300 95.1 (15.80) 22.78
04/14/2008 Stop me if you've heard this one before. Seriously, though, it seems that my beloved Velocity Aircraft has been purchased. This time, by the Rocket Racing League, check out the announcement here, and a demo video of the prototype here. I have to say that this worries me. Perhaps it's unfair, but the RRL seems destined for the junk heap to me. I don't think that anyone will watch it (does the Red Bull series make money?), and it seems it would have to dilute the focus away from the kit building business. I hope I'm wrong, and I wish Duane the very best in his retirement.
04/14/2008 OK. So we're fighting with the motor. My buddy Andy Millin has kindly offered us the use of his fuel servo, 1 magneto, and prop to do some testing with, and we will likely take him up on it. First, though, I'm going to check our LSE timing. Interestingly, I've just posted our dyno information (fax, Excel curves), and it turns out my EGT's are not out of line for the power we're generating. This puts the whole situation back under mystery, as I'd thought the low EGTs pointed towards the ignition being too advanced, and it now seems just as likely (again) that it's a fuel flow issue.
04/10/2008 We've been fighting RPMs on our engine forever. On our second flight performance was good, but the static was about 2150 RPM, and best in flight was 2335 RPM. This is complicated by the fact that the HIGHEST EGT was 1083, which is just too low (they ought to be at least 1280 F, I'm told by Magnum Engine). Also, from talking with Craig Catto, we should be getting at least 500 RPM difference from static to in-flight, though to be fair, Dave was holding the speed down because we haven't done high speed or flutter testing yet. Net, we've got an issue we're working here, because Gene at Magnum is concerned that we'll glaze the cylinders if we don't get more RPM. Craig can depitch the prop, he tells me, by adding material to the back of the blades (which could be removed later, after the engine is broken in), but I'm looking for a shorter prop to play with for now. Also, since the EGT's are so low, we're going to send our fuel servo and injectors back to Airflow to have it recalibrated, as it seems we're probably way off on mixture. Related to this, we're trying to our Floscan 231 to work properly so we know how much fuel we're really using.
04/04/2008 Elizabeth and I ran off and got married today (4th) like impetuous kids (4/4/08... n44vf...)! Check it out here.
04/02/2008 We've finished moving the battery to the sump area (under the baggage shelf, and the ground power to the side wall above the gear bow, and the contactors underneath the bow. With much anticipation we reweighed the airplane, and found the nose weight had dropped to 113 lbs. This puts the empty arm at 138 1/4", and is slightly better than I'd expected. This most excellent result means we can now carry four 200 lbs folks in the airplane, and if/when we get a CS prop our W&B will be pretty close to ideal.
03/18/2008 OK, well, we need to work on our weight and balance a bit before we can fly with Dave (to do our transition). We knew we were a bit forward of "typical", but didn't think it was that bad. This was partly because we originally planned on getting little, 130 lbs, John Abrahams to come up and do the test flying and transition, and flying with him wouldn't have been an issue. So, a couple of nuggets. The XL empty CG should be way aft of the flight box (near 139 or even 140"), and the nose weight needs to be near 100 lbs. A "good" nose weight would be 60 lbs, and as much as 120 lbs is workable with two 200 pounders up front. While the plane is down for maintenance (I'm moving the battery to the back), we're clearing up a few odds and ends on the punchlist (and, since Dave's going to Sun-n-Fun next week....).
03/14/2008 Our baby took her second flight today, again with Dave Bertram at the helm, and another beautiful take-off, flight, and landing. Check out some high-quality pictures here, taken by our friend and Lebanon airport bum Al Wolfson, or the slideshow here.
03/01/2008 A sad day. A friend of ours, Uli Christen, was involved in a serious accident today and is in serious condition. Elizabeth got to know Uli while she was getting her transition training at the factory a couple of weeks ago, and this is quite a shock. We want to extend our thoughts and prayers to all involved.
02/14/2008 Congratulations are in order, as Elizabeth has gotten her factory sign-off, and is thereby qualified to fly the Velocity! Way to go, Sweetie! Now we just need to get some decent weather for a couple of days, and Dave up here. Another hour or so of flying by him, and a little transition with Beth and she's good to go.
02/04/2008 Since Elizabeth already has here PPL, she's in Sebastian this week getting factory transition training with John Abrahms. Look for a full report, and hopefully some nice pictures and video soon. Once she gets back, we'll try to get Dave back to do a bit of test flying, and transition Beth into our plane (the factory trainer is an SE with steam gauges).
01/05/2008 While we're waiting for good weather to get our test flight program fired up in earnst (with Dave flying at least a couple of more hours), I'm looking to get my PPL finally with a new instructor, and I've started a new project. It's a EFIS (PFD) project, just because it interests me. We'll see what comes of it, but I'm reading Dr. James Hauser's Book Building and Programming a Synthetic Vision Information System (SVIS) Grand Rapids Avionics. Here's a online test I wrote as an example of the techniques and algorythms.
12/29/2007 I've installed our backup flight display (PFD). It's a Grand Rapids Avionics Sport, and you can see the installation pictures here. A big thanks to my buddy Carlos (building an Aerocanard/Cozy) for helping me get it in a hurry, and answering all of my questions.
12/26/2007 I'm working out some stats and interesting details from our first flight. Here is a google map image of the first flight patter (only the first few minutes got saved on the EFIS, sdaly). N44VF 1st Flight Box - I68 The stray mark off to the south west is my house. And here is a spreadsheet with the EFIS data. Some interesting facts based on the data that was captured, 0-74 kts flying speed, 15 seconds and 1,800' (41% of runway length). Highest Altitude 3,680' or 2,780' AGL, Greatest Climb rate 1,138 fpm, Highest airspeed 155 kts (166 TAS).
12/20/2007 Our test pilot is up and about after his knee surgery, and suggested that we bring the ship to Dallas to test and transition ourselves into her, so we're working with the FAA to get a ferry permit and new test flight box down there. In the meantime, I've ordered a GRT Sport EFIS as a backup flight instrument from Grand Rapids Avionics. This is partly because it's a good idea for the long cross-country (we'd always planned a backup unit, just hadn't purchased it), and partly because Dave's Blue Mountain recently locked up on him in flight (YIKES!).
12/08/2007 A fellow Velocity builder was featured on "World's Most Extreme Homes". Check it out here.
09/07/2007 A good friend of mine is fond of saying Shazam when something exciting happens. Shazam indeed. Our first flight happened this evening with Dave Bertram at the helm. I wish I could describe the wrenching self-doubt I experienced as he taxied to the end of the runway, or the elation of watching him lift off smartly within 1/3 of the runway length, or the concern that I felt when, after 30 minutes of predictable easy flight the engine began to run roughly (again), but I can't do it justice. It's an overpowering emotional experience that words cannot adequately describe. I can say that I'm not a particularly religious person, yet I said a prayer for Dave before he took off though (I didn't even think to ask that the plane come back unharmed), and tears welled up in my eyes as she leapt from the tarmac - obviously answering the helm in the brisk and gusty breeze we had last night. And the calm, content feeling that I had when on long final I could tell he would surely make the runway, and awe of watching Dave grease her onto the runway like she was an often-used bicycle of his. What a day. Check it out here.
08/23/2007 Well, what a week! We were visited by Dave Bertram, a Velocity test pilot with thousands of flight hours and his own Velocity. He was in town for a personal function, and looked the plane over. He would have flown her, but we've been having some issues with the motor running rough and not generating enough RPM. Well, tested the flow through the injectors and found uneven flow. Once we pulled the injectors we found some debris in them, though the fuel filter was clean. After cleaning, she seems to be running quite well! Ready for first flight?
07/18/2007 We've registered the new domain N44VF.com, to go along with our recent achievement. There will be a major website rework coming in the fall, as the site has dated badly while building has consumed my time.
07/13/2007 Very scary! OK, so having your air-worthiness inspection on Friday the 13th doesn't sound all that smart, but it worked out and N44VF is officially an airplane - a tangible asset with value - not a project, a kit, a time or money hole. I know because I got this pink sheet of paper from the government. First, let me say that Stan Faske is a class guy, and made the process very easy when it could be pretty stressful. Second, as I take stock and end one phase of this incredible journey and begin another, thanks to all of the folks along the way that have had a positive effect on this project. The list is too long to include here, but you folks know who you are, and I thank you more than you will ever know. Now we fly, but not until after Oshkosh, by gosh...
07/10/2007 FAA inspection is scheduled for Friday the 13... is that bad? Wish us luck.
06/24/2007 FAA paperwork is mailed off to Stan Faske in the Cincinnati Flight Standards District Office (FSDO). We removed the whiskey compass (too much interference, it'll probably move overhead), moved the BMA EFIS/One's magnetometer to the strake, added bumpouts on the keel for the Strong Pitch Trim system (it was limiting aileron deflection slightly), installed trailing edge fences, recalibrated the fuel gauges, continued work on the cowling, and started working on the inner door panels. 44VF Ready to Run.
06/05/2007 The homestretch is here. Installed the rear seat belts, compass installed, data plate installed, parking brake handle completed, cowling center flange, and cowling augmentation finishing work.
05/19/2007 Well, we've been back at it for a few weeks now, trying to tie up all of the loose ends, do the W&B, and complete a condition inspection. The W&B went fine (see the downloads section), and we're working on priming everything that's still bare, checking all bolts and screws for proper tightening, lacing abrasion protection around the wiring, installing the parking brake, splitting the cooling plenum for maintenance, installing the radio tray rear bracket, Decals, installing fuel shut-off valves in each strake feed line, vortilons, sparrow strainer, landing light lens, glareshield, etc. in preparation for our FAA inspection and first flight.
12/23/2006 Merry Christmas! Well, here we are at the holiday break, and I didn't get the inspection done before it. Oh well, she looks sweet though, with some fresh primer, and the registration on the winglet (44VF). I've got to a condition inspection and get Stan from the FAA out here, there's just been so much going on. But, to tide you over, here are a set of pictures of Victor Fox in her war paint.
12/13/2006 Ah, a brief respite from the cold temps! Today we got the engine's mixture and throttle settings squared away, and she ran s-w-e-e-t. Thanks to Jerry for doing the dangerous, adjust stuff next to a whirling prop thing. She starts on the first blade, idles at 700, and develops about 2150 RPM static, and the brakes hold, so life's good. Also, we did the first W&B yesterday in preparation for the FAA visit. She came in at a chunky 1768 pounds, but you couldn't call her obese, which I had my concerns about.
12/02/2006 Well, winter is here again, and it and life are slowing progress. Beth's mother has