New builder in Western Mass

[OtterlyFoolish]

I somehow missed this introduction section before posting in other sections but here you go. I will be 53 next month and officially got back to flying lessons in May of this year. I went up a couple times 20 years ago but life quickly got in the way.

I am in the middle of purchasing a Waiex B quick build kit that has been started but not a lot of work done yet. I am also getting a Aerovee Turbo engine kit, Prince P Propeller, MGL V6 radio, ELT and the heated seats in the deal. It is definitely a bit weird to be building a model that I have not even sat in never mind been up in but from what I have read these can be a lot of fun. In the long run I will most likely want to build a 4 place but this one should be a great time builder and gain me some building experience.

I am pretty mechanically minded and have built some bikes and cars over the years so I am comfortable with most of the construction but it is awesome to have a group like this to fall back on if I get stuck along the way. I like the idea of experimental aircraft so that I can personally know everything about it. Not to mention I am the kind of guy that needs to know how things work. I feel that there is less chance for surprises down the road by doing more preventive maintenance instead of hiring an AP after a problem appears. Any cost savings is more of a bonus than a driving factor for me. I have a small machine shop with some CNC equipment here and will most likely fabricate some items as I go that are not in the critical category.

I would love to hear from any builders in the area and hopefully meet up if they would be willing to share their story and building experiences. I'd be happy to drive a few hours if needed seeing how I do not have my certificate yet.

Thanks for having me,
Marc

[GraemeSmith]

Where in Western MA?

[OtterlyFoolish]

I live in New Ashford and fly out of KGBR in Egrement.

[mike.smith]

I fly out of 6B6, Stow, MA, outside of Boston.

http://www.mykitlog.com/mikesmith
https://www.youtube.com/user/mikesmith208/videos

As for the turbo, let me just say you should find 3 people with successful recent installations and talk to them before you consider it.

[OtterlyFoolish]

As for the turbo, let me just say you should find 3 people with successful recent installations and talk to them before you consider it.

I have read that they turbos rust and stop working if they are not fogged after use. The kit that I am purchasing includes the Aerovee Turbo engine so I will work with what I have. I could probably build a normal 80hp Aerovee from it but I would need to investigate that to know for sure.

You sir are a patient man to scratch build an aircraft. I am going to check out your page and some of your videos now.

[fastj22]

As for the turbo, let me just say you should find 3 people with successful recent installations and talk to them before you consider it.

I have read that they turbos rust and stop working if they are not fogged after use. The kit that I am purchasing includes the Aerovee Turbo engine so I will work with what I have. I could probably build a normal 80hp Aerovee from it but I would need to investigate that to know for sure.

You sir are a patient man to scratch build an aircraft. I am going to check out your page and some of your videos now.

I think if you are leaning towards the aerovee, especially the turbo, you have to (MUST HAVE) a mindset that you LIKE to work on it. These are not set and forget solutions. They require alot of care and feeding from a loving mechanic. Not that the other engines are set and forget, but the Aerovee is demanding. Bigly. And I never owned one, but have many friends who did.

[mike.smith]

... but the Aerovee is demanding.

I have to disagree a little. I've got nearly 500 hours on mine, and it's never been demanding. Yes, you need to tinker a bit, but I've never touched my AeroInjector in 5 years. I've replaced the plugs every 2 years. I change the oil every 25 hours, clean the oil screen every 50 hours, and gap the valves every 50 hours as recommended. Other than that, it's been fire and forget. Others' mileage my vary, but that's been my experience.

[OtterlyFoolish]

I have to disagree a little. I've got nearly 500 hours on mine, and it's never been demanding. Yes, you need to tinker a bit, but I've never touched my AeroInjector in 5 years. I've replaced the plugs every 2 years. I change the oil every 25 hours, clean the oil screen every 50 hours, and gap the valves every 50 hours as recommended. Other than that, it's been fire and forget. Others' mileage my vary, but that's been my experience.

That sounds a lot like the normal maintenance that I would expect. I am guessing that you are not a fan of the turbo and from your videos I see that you did have one in the past. What were the specific issues that you were having that turned you off on them? I do not know a lot about turbos but from what I have read they are great as long as you are not running too high a pressure continually.

[kmacht]

I'm a little south of you in Colchester Ct. My airplane is a scratch built A model. It was flying but is currently in my garage with the wings off and the engine and panel in the middle of an upgrade. There is also a tri-gear sonex over a Windham airport just about to do its first flight. If you make it down this way I would be more than willing to meet up to show you my project, talk Sonex, and can probably get in you touch with the guy at Windham to check out his in the same trip.

I agree with Mike's comments on the aerovee engine. The internals of the engine are pretty bulletproof as long as you pay attention to the details while building it. Many of the issues that give the aerovee its reputation tend to stem from the fuel system and initial carb setup. Once you have those straightened out there isn't a whole lot of tinkering needed other than the regular maintenance items. I also agree that you should talk with some people who have successfully flown behind the turbo setup first before you make a final decision. There have been some teething problems with the turbo setup and you want to make sure you understand what the latest and greatest recommendations are for getting a reliable setup. Should you decide to go back to a normally aspirated engine there are not too many components to swap out (all external to the engine) and the turbo setup can be sold for a decent profit.

Keith
#554

[Onex107]

I agree with Mike Smith. My Aerovee is now at 335 hours on the hobbs and other than the recommended periodic maintenance it's put in 5 gal. of car gas and go fly. In the beginning I had problems with the burps and adjusting the Aeroinjector but that can be fixed and all of us have been through that and there is much advice available here on the builders net. The addition of water cooling to the turbo seems to have eliminated the coking problem and you should contact one of those owners to confirm it.