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N44VY · 5 November 2009, 04:54 AM

Vet and the Gang:

Three on top and bevel the elevator spar is just the ticket. Thanks. I found hinges as you described - fairly heavy brass with extruded pin tangs vice the hardware store rolled tang variety. The pins appear to be steel or stainless - shiny instead of brass colored - but I will still punch them out and use something like small clevis pins to lock things together.

As you know, I am building this Ely-Curtiss Model D for the US Navy Centennial of Naval Aviation Celebrations in 2011. So far the planning committee has announced over 20 events and airshows all over the US ofA, beginning in March, 2011 and ending in November. There are plans for about an additional 10 shows which are in works. When I look over the scheduling dates, I see at least 7 shows that I can potentially fly to, participate in and then fly to the next in time to appear. Based on distances and 50 mph groundspeed, it will take a little under 100 flight hours, over 75 enroute stops, and will entail crossing the Appalachians twice. This covers events spanning six months. If I can't find a flyable route over the mountains, I'll lose half the shows. We'll have a van chase car, two to three pilots to swap off and van drivers as we can get volunteers. I expect the van to beat the Pusher to each gas stop, so we should always have a ground crew standing by.

The thing I need to build is a caster system for the nose wheel, but I haven't thought this through yet. Replica flyers would taxi straight, stop, pick up the nose wheel to turn, taxi some more, pick and turn some more, then strap in and take off (or forget to strap in and take off!). I'd like to have a small caster system that I could land, stop, slide in place and taxi to the ramp using rudder blast and minimal braking to steer. For take off, I'd caster to the runway, remove the caster, clip it to the rails and launch. Got any design ideas for this? Any suggestions appreciated!

You know, though, that this is just dreaming right now. I may wreck it during flight tests, for goodness sakes. Or we may end up in the trees over Ernie Gann's "Hell Stretch". Still - fliers were born to dream big! Bob C.

5 November 2009, 04:54 AM	#29 (permalink)
N44VY Observer Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Shenandoah Valley Posts: 58	Stab/Elevator Set-up Vet and the Gang: Three on top and bevel the elevator spar is just the ticket. Thanks. I found hinges as you described - fairly heavy brass with extruded pin tangs vice the hardware store rolled tang variety. The pins appear to be steel or stainless - shiny instead of brass colored - but I will still punch them out and use something like small clevis pins to lock things together. As you know, I am building this Ely-Curtiss Model D for the US Navy Centennial of Naval Aviation Celebrations in 2011. So far the planning committee has announced over 20 events and airshows all over the US ofA, beginning in March, 2011 and ending in November. There are plans for about an additional 10 shows which are in works. When I look over the scheduling dates, I see at least 7 shows that I can potentially fly to, participate in and then fly to the next in time to appear. Based on distances and 50 mph groundspeed, it will take a little under 100 flight hours, over 75 enroute stops, and will entail crossing the Appalachians twice. This covers events spanning six months. If I can't find a flyable route over the mountains, I'll lose half the shows. We'll have a van chase car, two to three pilots to swap off and van drivers as we can get volunteers. I expect the van to beat the Pusher to each gas stop, so we should always have a ground crew standing by. The thing I need to build is a caster system for the nose wheel, but I haven't thought this through yet. Replica flyers would taxi straight, stop, pick up the nose wheel to turn, taxi some more, pick and turn some more, then strap in and take off (or forget to strap in and take off!). I'd like to have a small caster system that I could land, stop, slide in place and taxi to the ramp using rudder blast and minimal braking to steer. For take off, I'd caster to the runway, remove the caster, clip it to the rails and launch. Got any design ideas for this? Any suggestions appreciated! You know, though, that this is just dreaming right now. I may wreck it during flight tests, for goodness sakes. Or we may end up in the trees over Ernie Gann's "Hell Stretch". Still - fliers were born to dream big! Bob C.