The
Plane Newsletter
A
publication of Chapter 1111 Experimental Aircraft Association
From the President
KEEP THE FIRE
WHERE IT BELONGS
Almost all aircraft that we fly will carry fuel,
create extremely hot exhaust gases and have an electrical system. The
electrical system, fuel system, and exhaust system, need to be routed so as to
minimize the risk of a fire. In this newsletter I will discuss the electrical.
ELECTRICAL
Fuses and circuit breakers are very important in
“popping” a circuit so as to avoid heat build up and electrical
fire.
Speaking from experience of what not to do in an
airplane, I ran a light duty wire from the positive side of the battery to an
insulated terminal that I could put a jack plug into. The purpose of all of this was to allow a
trickle charger to be connected to the battery, by-passing the master solenoid.
The battery is buried under the radio console, and is not quickly accessible,
therefore the need for a simplified way of getting a charger to it. Recently I hooked up the charger and
inadvertently let the “positive” charger clip touch the side of the
radio console while the charger clip was in contact with the jack plug. The result
was a direct short and lots and lots of smoke. The wire was aircraft grade, but
molten wire burnt the insulation completely off in a fraction of a second. Now
I have a fuse in a lead wire that is only 4 inches long. There are no short
cuts!
Where should the master solenoid be? Put it as close
to the battery as possible. This will reduce the length of continuously live
conductor when the master is shut off.
The quality of electrical wire is also important.
Use only the aircraft grade. The auto, hardware store and electronics shop
electrical wiring is usually not as durable, and can giver off a deadly smoke
due to the type of insulation.
If you are building a kit or plans built plane that
will have an electrical system, hopefully the designer offers some guidance.
Usually it is left up to the builder. EAA
books by Tony Binglis have some excellent articles on
electrical systems. FAA manuals on
maintenance alteration and repairs have much valuable information. Before you
start on that electrical system, take a look at some under construction and
check out our EAA library.
An excellent resource is the FAA manual AC-43.13.
Here is the web reference. Chapter 11 covers electrical.
http://www.faa.gov/certification/aircraft/av-info/dst/43-13/default.htm
Plane Thoughts
This is a neat web site from the EAA Hotline that offers a builders construction log. It will track work on various components or
systems, and total the cost and time. http://www.expercraft.com/
Evergreen Paint in
Longview is hosting a paint clinic Thurs Dec 9th at 7pm. They will
be going over the latest Dupont paints including their "HOT
HUES". The doors open at 6pm. They usually have discounts for any purchases
on the nights for their clinics too. --CR
Builder Updates
Minutes/Notes From Last Meeting
A quick chapter
meeting was held before dinner to take care of the official business:
A card
for Jim was available for signatures and words of sympathy as he recently lost
his wife. Jim was not able to be
present at the dinner. Our hearts go out
to him and his family during this difficult time.
A
motion was made to accept the slate of nominations. Motion was seconded, all ayes and the new
officers are ready to take charge.
New
officers are as follows:
Charlie Rosenzweig - President
Paul Brown - Vice President
Fernando Cuglievan - Treasurer
Jerry Sorrell - Secretary / Newsletter Editor
Bob Taylor - Webmaster
Steve Steinhoff - Board Member at
Large
A
motion was made and properly seconded to roll over the CD and move it up to
$14,000. All ayes, no nays.
Dinner
was very good and the presentation of the museum at Pearson field was very
informative.
Calendar of events
Next Board Meeting: Thursday
December 2nd, 6:00 pm at the Kelso FBO
Next Club Meeting: Thursday
December 2nd, 7:00 pm at the Kelso FBO
All incoming officers
need to attend the board meeting. We
will also be reviewing the web site and making corrections where needed (maybe
the editor will finally update the fly-out phone list!!).
Program: The discussion / presentation will be about Dwight Irby's latest purchase; a factory built, certified Pitts S-1. Following an update on Dwight's training and taxi work, we will look over the S-1 in the hangar. As of this writing, Dwight is still doing high speed taxi work to become acquainted with the short coupled quick response this tail dragger exhibits. It is a good plan for all of us to approach something new or unfamiliar with caution.
Classifieds
Please Note!!!
All classifieds will start to bear a date. After they have been in the
newsletter for 3 publications, they will be moved to the classifieds section of
the EAA 1111 web page. Thank you in advance for alerting the editor when and if
your ad can be removed.
Flight Funnies
A farmer and his wife went to a fair. The farmer, who had never been on an
airplane, was fascinated by a stunt plane and asked the pilot how much a ride
would cost. "$20 for 3 minutes" the pilot replied. "That's too
much" said the farmer. The pilot thought for a second and then said,
"I'll make you a deal. If you and
your wife ride for 3 minutes without uttering a sound, the ride will be free.
But if you make any sound at all, you'll have to pay me the $20." The
farmer and his wife agreed and went for a thrilling ride. After they landed,
the pilot said to the farmer, "I want to congratulate you for not making a
sound. You are a brave man." "Maybe so" said the farmer, "but
I gotta tell ya, I almost screamed
when my wife fell out."
Officers and Committee
Chairpersons
|
President
& Tech Counselor |
Jerry
Sorrell |
263-1532 |
|
|
V.
President |
Mark
Edwards |
225-8821 |
|
|
Treasurer |
Al Drewry |
274-6115 |
|
|
Secretary
& Newsletter Editor |
Eric
Hoppe |
263-6691 |
|
|
Tech.
Counselor |
Jay
Tabor |
425-6278 |
|
|
Member
at Large |
Mike
Lewis |
274-8860 |
|
|
Historian |
Terry
Creamer |
556-1670 |
|
|
Hospitality
Chairperson |
Bob
Taylor |
576-3806 |
|
|
Young
Eagles Coordinator |
Sam and
Sandi Archer |
425-7777 |
|
|
Fly
Out Director |
|
|
|