Warbird Information Exchange

It's getting cool here, and I don't like to start up the Warner below 10C without pre-heating it.

Being cheap, I made up a pair of simple heat-blowers out of hardware store stuff. They work quite well.



The tall one is blowing through the oil-tank access door onto the tank itself, and the short one is heating the crankcase from in front and below.

They only take a minute to set up, then, while I'm getting ready to go flying (which always takes me a half hour anyway, minimum) the warm nicely. I like the oil temp to be 15C or so before start.

Dave, is Mrs. Hadfield okay with you using her hair dryers?

That's a nice set up. Definitely a necessity when the temperature dips.

Happy flying,

David M

Davey, after 29 years of marriage I've learned that no matter how reasonable it seems, it's unwise to steal stuff from the kitchen or bathroom to further my aviation or sailing activities. (I bought my own.)

The heater is a cheap ($15) blow dryer from Canadian Tire. The aluminum tube is actually a rolled-up sheet of auto-repair metal from the same place.



The pipe clamps attach the roll to the plywood plate behind, which is held to the upright via a carriage-bolt. You can't see the bolt head because it's recessed into the plywood plate.



The upright is a 2 x 4, with a slot carved out of it with a skilsaw. The base is 1 x 4 screwed into place (but not glued in case I need to take-down for transport some time).



Dave

Dave

A great method of pre heating we do the same thing but use B & d paint stripper guns.
They generate more heat that a hair dryer . With approx the same amount of ducting, they are far enough away so as not to cause concern.

_________________
...it was a plane adrift beneath the moon moving serenely thru beams like an angel of the night .....fair as a song ........aloof from mortal dreams

Well a few posts and photos vanished in the Big Re-Boot. But we've been steadily doing small things.

The old Master relay was failing. Sometime 3 or 4 seconds would elapse between selecting the switch ON and hearing the relay "click". So I had to replace that lovely old piece of hardware (probably been on since the 60s) with a modern unit.

Old...





New...



And to help me out, since I had to be on both sides of the firewall at once, was a Wench with a Wrench.



Dave

And the tailwheel had developed a shimmy, bad enough that I stayed on grass for the last several months of the flying season. So, this...



Now looks like this.



When I took things apart, there was quite a bit of play in the trunnion attachment bolts, both at the wheel, where you can see one of the sleeves partly drawn out...



And at the other end of the trunnion where it attaches to the airframe structure, and there are stepped sleeves. Both sets of sleeves have worn, and have allowed "play", and need to be replaced.







Dave

And the tailwheel was looking pretty bad...



So I have a new one coming from Dressler. (At a price that made me wince.) It's a 10.00 SC, and they're hard to find. I could have modified the rim according to a particular Kit, and used a more common profile tire which would be cheaper, but I decided to stay stock.



Then there's a radio. I removed the old Narco 16 which wouldn't tune the quarter-frequencies. Then spent most of a day researching a replacement. I was confused by the TSO requirement, but determined, after quite a bit of consulation, that a private VFR aircraft doesn't need to have a TSO'd radio. Thus, if I can't find a good deal on a King, or possibly a Garmin, I may try an Icom 210.

Anybody have anything to recommend about a VHF? Icom pros and cons? I must confess that since I work as an airline pilot, I try to get away from all that fancy-radio-stuff with my vintage flying. Avionics don't turn me on very much. All I want is a basic comm that works, and can deal with the noise of an old, radial-engined machine. Probably some ignition static from unshielded components.

In fact, I have in mind recessing the new radio (and eventually transponder) well into the panel, and have them covered by a removeable face-plate from a 1940's-period radio. That would look very cool for static display.

Dave

I've had good luck with the Microair vhf com in my Kinner Bird. I suspect the built in VOX intercom probably would work well in your application, but I don't think it can be wired for PTT if you feel you need that. It can be mounted in a 2 1/4" hole and needs about 7 inches behind the panel.

Becker (I think) makes a similar size radio except that it has a remote tuning head. The head is only about 1 1/2 inches deep. It also has a built in intercom, this one can be wired for PTT if desired. I'll try to grab some pictures of an installation in a Mailwing where the comm and transponder heads are mounted on a panel that swings up behind the instrument panel for static display.

Both manufacturers make a transponder with the same form factors. I would think that with either manufacturer these units mounted side by side would be very easy to hide with a dummy front, probably more so than a standard "rack sized" radio.

_________________
Steve
www.eaglesmereairmuseum.org
www.net2nite.com

Thanks for the updates, very interesting!

_________________
Cheers,
Kurt Maurer
League City, Texas

PIC, Ford 6600 pulling Rhino batwing up and down the runway

Dave,

I had good luck with the Icom A200 on my previous plane. Granted that was not a round engined bird, just an ordinary old flat four Lycoming.

Terry

Thanks, guys. Yeah, it's the shielding issue I'm worried about. My little hand-held Icom crackles like you wouldn't believe. I simply can't stand to have the radio on for any lengthy period. If it's loud enough to hear the voices, it's painful to the ear.

Hey, I'm scheduled to fly a Tiger Moth this weekend, landing on the ice of the Ottawa River if that surface is suitable. I'll try to get some photos up.

Dave

Dave

Is the T/Moth on skis ?
I recall some talk at VWC that it was going to operate on skis at a few winter events.
Hope it is as it's been a long time since anyone has flown one that way.
Have fun and stay off the thin ice

Cam

_________________
...it was a plane adrift beneath the moon moving serenely thru beams like an angel of the night .....fair as a song ........aloof from mortal dreams

Cam, it was going to be, but there were problems with the ski certification, as certified parts. So no, we'll be on wheels.

This dump of snow we're having might cancel my on-wheels landing there... we'll see.

I just want a taste of what you had in the Finch last week!

Dave

Too bad about the skis issue . That would have been fun.
Hopefully you can eventually sort the issue out at some point.

As for winter biplane flying. Yes definitely lots of fun even if you have to bundle up.
I felt very Canadian out there in the snow preheating etc . And the flying .... well you know there is something about a yellow airplane , snowy white fields, helmet and goggles , not to mention incredible performance.
It all just felt right

I am feeling a bit inspired by you guys down in Gat. Maybe I will have to restore my skis and the finch on them some day>
FYI If you guys are ever in need ;I have tons of ski fittings for various installations not to mention skis for"
JN4 Canuck + tail ski
8 set Federal 1500 various bottom sizes
1930 Heath skis
1928 Waco 10 skis made by Leavens
1920's Fairchild skis
2 sets of 1940's Cub Aircraft (Hamilton) skis
T/Moth skis + about 5 tail skis
Spare pedestals for Cub Aircraft , T Moth and Federal skis
I also have approx 10 sets of unidentifiable skis

_________________
...it was a plane adrift beneath the moon moving serenely thru beams like an angel of the night .....fair as a song ........aloof from mortal dreams

Well we got the Tiger Moth airborne on a perfect winter day. Inside the greenhouse canopy in the bright sunshine it was... well not warm exactly, but certainly not cold. It's easy to see why they went this route during WWII with the Tiger for BCATP training in Canada.

Started first pull, and then upon taxiing discovered there was no right brake. (A bit awkward on pavement, with snowbanks along the edges.) But fortunately the DH 82C brakes are adjustable by turning a simple slot in the hub, which you can do with a plain screwdriver (or swiss army knife or whatever). My friend Blake, who also flies this thing, was on hand to tweak it, and off we went, braking nearly symmetrically.

Departed from Gatineau, did a couple of circuits to wake myself up and make sure the engine (just completed its Annual) was up to snuff, then tootled down the Ottawa River to land on the ice at the Challenger Ultra-light fly in at Montebello, Quebec.

Unfortunately there was slush on the ice, visible from above, so I couldn't land out in the open of the river.



I had to line up on the snowmobile tracks, in front of the lodge, a bit close to the crowd and the airplanes. I had my doubts until I saw a C-185 on wheels there, and then thought, "Well if HE can do it..." So I set up and made a few approaches...



But each time either the roughness of the track, or wandering people and sno-machines led me to do a go-around.