Matronics Email Lists Forum Index Matronics Email Lists
Web Forum Interface to the Matronics Email Lists
 
 Get Email Distribution Too!Get Email Distribution Too!    FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Europa-List Digest: 7 Msgs - 12/20/18

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Matronics Email Lists Forum Index -> Europa-List
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Gary.Leinberger(at)miller
Guest





PostPosted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 3:27 am    Post subject: Europa-List Digest: 7 Msgs - 12/20/18 Reply with quote

I have a trigear high top and when we (Bud Yerly and I) built mine, we spent nearly two days getting the canoe and top piece aligned. We made our own kit for the high top. We worked off a concrete floor covered with linoleum and made sure that the entire canoe was perfectly square and aligned. The floor was not completely level. Much of the time was building supports and then shimming it to absolute level. This process required a great deal of just looking and dropping plumb lines. Then we bondo-ed all the supports and the landing gear to the floor. I was surprised at the time how long it took to line up. But the end result is a plane flies great - no wandering, very true and hands off when trimmed out. I find it is a better IFR platform than the 1968 Mooney I also fly. The two axis auto pilot helps a lot, especially when ATC decides to change your routing. You can work hands-off while (or whilst for our English friends) changing the Garmin.

All of this leads up to making sure when you get to gluing on the top of the canoe, take your time and do it in a place where you can firmly secure the canoe, and have enough space to walk around and look from a distance to get everything exactly correct. A most critical part is getting the horizontal tail-plane piece (can't remember the technical term for the tail-plane support piece that turns with the tailplane) exactly correct and level. This is the most tricky part of the build IMHO, both in terms of positioning and tightness, while avoiding gluing the rotating parts. It also will be a major handhold as you move the plane through your window to a larger space to glue on the top. If moving the canoe without the top I would reinforce the horizontal tail-plane piece after installation to the canoe by running a ratcheting tie-down around the bottom of the canoe and to the ends of the tail-plane.

It was amazing to me how gluing these two floppy pieces together made for such a rigid structure.

I also reinforced the bottom part of the area around the gear with several layers of fiberglass from under the seats to about two feet behind the gear legs. It added a few pounds but a friend building one didn't, and he ended up with cracks around the gear in the bottom of the canoe. He did have one very hard landing that bent one gear leg. Not sure if my reinforcement really helps or I just haven't had a hard enough landing yet. (Once I learned to land at 48 - 50 rather than 70 or so landings became a piece of cake.)

Also, regarding the comment on being careful about breaking the canoe. By that time you are ready to move it, you are talking about some serious weight in the plane. You will probably need a half dozen people to move it safely through the window. It will be very floppy. Have a special support for the rear end of the plane, behind the tail-plane piece. A well designed cradle, made with the movement through the window in mind will be necessary. Since you are building the mono supporting it will be even more critical as you won't have the gear legs for support.

If you go with the trigear, the gear legs come off after completing the x braces for the landing gear, although having them and wheels on, if there is room, makes moving it so much easier. (I don't know how people make the conversion from mono to trigear after the top is on - they will probably need major back surgery).

Also, have you checked on insurance for a mono. In the states when I went to get insurance in 2012, the first question was "Is it a mono?". They said they wouldn't insure a mono. This may have changed since then. (I don't want to get into an argument about mono versus tri-gear - but you should check.) My only comment is that my trigear is pussycat in crosswinds, handling far greater winds with no sweat than the Mooney.

Good luck on your build. It is worth the time and energy.

Gary Leinberger
Lancaster, Pa. USA
High top Trigear, 375 hours
________________________________________
From: owner-europa-list-server(at)matronics.com [owner-europa-list-server(at)matronics.com] on behalf of Europa-List Digest Server [europa-list(at)matronics.com]
Sent: Friday, December 21, 2018 2:34 AM
To: Europa-List Digest List
Subject: Europa-List Digest: 7 Msgs - 12/20/18

*

==================================================
Online Versions of Today's List Digest Archive
==================================================

Today's complete Europa-List Digest can also be found in either of the
two Web Links listed below. The .html file includes the Digest formatted
in HTML for viewing with a web browser and features Hyperlinked Indexes
and Message Navigation. The .txt file includes the plain ASCII version
of the Europa-List Digest and can be viewed with a generic text editor
such as Notepad or with a web browser.

HTML Version:

http://www.matronics.com/digest/digestview.php?Style=82701&View=html&Chapter 18-12-20&Archive=Europa

Text Version:

http://www.matronics.com/digest/digestview.php?Style=82701&View=txt&Chapter 18-12-20&Archive=Europa
================================================
EMail Version of Today's List Digest Archive
================================================
----------------------------------------------------------
Europa-List Digest Archive
---
Total Messages Posted Thu 12/20/18: 7
----------------------------------------------------------
Today's Message Index:
----------------------

1. 12:35 AM - Re: Europa Club Safety Advice: Cracked U/C Frame (Hitchflight)
2. 12:59 AM - Re: Re: Europa Club Safety Advice: Cracked U/C Frame (Peter Jeffers)
3. 02:28 AM - Re: Building: Fitting the fuselage through the window? (Simon)
4. 07:29 AM - Re: Building: Fitting the fuselage through the window? (Fred Klein)
5. 08:18 AM - Re: Building: Fitting the fuselage through the window? (GTH)
6. 09:04 AM - Re: Building: Fitting the fuselage through the window? (William Daniell)
7. 09:45 AM - =?utf-8?Q?Re:__Building:_Fitting_the_fuselage_through_the_win?= =?utf-8?Q?dow=3F? ()

________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________
Time: 12:35:38 AM PST US
Subject: Re: Europa Club Safety Advice: Cracked U/C Frame
From: "Hitchflight" <bobhitchcock(at)icloud.com>
Hi Rick

At this time. We do not have enough information to decide.

News on the Europa website and in the Europa Flyer when more emerges.
Bob
Read this topic online here:

http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=486452#486452
________________________________ Message 2 _____________________________________
Time: 12:59:05 AM PST US
From: "Peter Jeffers" <pjeffers(at)talktalk.net>
Subject: RE: Re: Europa Club Safety Advice: Cracked U/C Frame
Hi Rick,
Yes I totally agree with your last sentence. The trouble is that at this
time we do not know for sure which aircraft these cracks may occur in.
Please remember that some Tri gears were Mono's when first flown. To answer
another of your questions the offending frame is the same on both mono and
trigear.
Please therefore carry out the checks as requested and submit your answers
to the questionnaire to my email address on The Europa Club web site or
magazine. When we have a reasonable no of answers we will then be able to
decide which a/c are most at risk so that if the LAA/CAA want to issue any
mandatory inspections they will be better informed about which a/c to be
targeted.
Pete Jeffers (LAA Inspector to the Europa Club)
--


- The Matronics Europa-List Email Forum -
 

Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:

http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Europa-List
Back to top
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Matronics Email Lists Forum Index -> Europa-List All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group