Cotton Waiex 191 - N191YX

[WaiexN143NM]

hi bryan, adam.,
looking good . i saw the mounting plate on in the first pics, didnt want to rain on your parade. figured you come around and get them angled correctly. for the big circular hole cut out, we then on the aft side angled the cut out about 45* aft. makes getting on the pants easy .
also, where the pants will crack over time, is the 4 bottom corners of the wheel cut out. and the outside hole where the screw goes in the axle. proactive with a little glass lay up before it gets all muddy, and brake dust inside.

michael

[daleandee]

where the pants will crack over time, is the 4 bottom corners of the wheel cut out. and the outside hole where the screw goes in the axle. proactive with a little glass lay up before it gets all muddy, and brake dust inside.

Agree ... got the T-shirt & the mug! I mostly fly from pavement but there are a few grass strips that I visit. Grass fields seem to be harder on the pants. One trick I used when adding some reinforcing fiberglass was to fiberglass a large flat washer on the inside where the single screw passes through from the outside into the axle.

Dale Williams
N319WF @ 6J2
Myunn - "daughter of Cleanex"
120 HP - 3.0 Corvair
Tail Wheel - Center Stick
Signature Finish 2200 Paint Job
171.9 hours / Status - Flying
Member # 109 - Florida Sonex Association
Latest video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VP7UYEqQ-g

[WaiexN143NM]

hi dale, bryan, all,
yep the alum washer a good idea, ive seen some poprivet a large washer on the outside also, and countersink with
a tinnerman washer & screw. for anyone that breaks off a tap in the axle, dont dispair take it to a machine shop that has edm.(electro discharge machining) like a laser. ask me i know.
i took my axle to a machine shop in san carlos ca.(just south of SF.) when i went to pick it up, the owner of the shop came over and asked me what the axel was for. i was wondering if i should tell him the truth. i finally told him it was for an experimental airplane. his eyes lit up, he said he had a C210 based out of san carlos. i then rattled off some N numbers of C210’s based out of SQL. he was stunned . one of the numbers was his. he was speechless. i finally told him i worked those atc sectors for years. he said i had saved his bacon many times. he refused payment. i took him to lunch. great stuff.

WaiexN143NM
michael

[GordonTurner]

Hi Michael

I had a C-120 at SQL for many years, N89950. After that had a Grob-115 at PAO, N216AR.

Probably talked to you more than a few times, couldn’t have been too many C-120’s departing SQL IFR and having to get climbed over the airport to clear SFO arrivals before heading east.

Cheers, Gordon

[WaiexN143NM]

hi gordon, all,
yep remember those N numbers as well! brings back alot of memories. i worked at Bay Approach when the radar room was at the Oakland airport, then Sacramento when the radar rooom was relocated to the larger combined Norcal Approach. (2002)
hows your sonex build coming? good choice for a reliable engine, the corvair.
lets plan to meet up at Osh18
i’ll bring the name tags again this year to waynes 7th heaven bbq wed nite.
hopefully bryan will have his waiex at oshkosh this year. but we will miss his daily posts.
brings back alot of memories too!

michael

[Darick]

To drill the pilot holes in the wheel....

And two:

Bryan, how much of the axle did you cut off? And could you post a pic of the finished wheel pant cut out?

Thanks

[Bryan Cotton]

Darick, we cut off the axle 1/8" outside of the castle nut. I'll get pictures of the cutout when I can.

It occurred to us we want the wheel pant streamlined when there is no weight on the gear. So, we picked up the nose with our portable Waiex jack.


Next we used plumb bob tech to mark the centerline of the aircraft on the floor, front and rear.


We stretched a string between the marks. We then measured to put our yellow ruler parallel with the aircraft. Initially our wheelpants were toed in.


After some major league hacking, we were able to twist the wheelpant to line up. Here Adam is sinking a couple #40 holes to define alignment between the wheelpant and its mounting plate.


The wheels are twisted slightly WRT the fuselage when the gear is unloaded. The wheelpants are twisted WRT the wheels but true to the fuselage​. Reno, here we come.

[GordonTurner]

Wow. That’s FAST!!!!

[Area 51%]

Are you shimming the pant or the mounting plate?

[Bryan Cotton]

Nope! Was able to twist without shimming.