Something Interesting to Do for the Holidays

Jonathan Baron

Jonathan Baron

New member
Apart from laying in stores of Night Train (time to economize) to endure the holidays this year, here's something that looks interesting....

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/blue_angels_hold_first_ever_open

Jonathan
 
Night Train will also work in a pinch, Dan :)

Flew down to Tullahoma, TN for the Holiday and, no great shock to most of you, I find myself weathered in. Will have to drive home in a rental car tomorrow (none were available in this metropolis this weekend) but the FBO is charging me a whopping five bucks a day to keep my 'Master indoors. I must have asked the guy the price I don't know how many times, as I frankly didn't believe him. I smacked the side of my head to make sure there weren't any loose wires in my brain and asked him one more time. He persisted with his five dollars a day claim, I will drive home believing that.

I guess Thanksgiving is a big deal around here. Fierce headwinds required me to refuel but I kept finding abandoned FBOs wherever I'd land and no self-serve. So I flew to the nearest Class C airport - Knoxville - and it was soooo busy there they cleared me for a straight-in landing from 20 miles out. Ghosts of previous radios, or perhaps just too many hanging old wires broadcast the outer and middle markers alerts to me as I flew in.

While killing time, and over-staying my welcome with my friends here, I picked up a copy of the latest issue of Sport Aviation, and saw a photo of Lord Ford's freshly recovered 'Master in the "What our members are building/restoring" section. Made a nice break from reading the other magazines lying around nearby - mostly National Geographic - and I now know all sorts of things about ancient Persia (Iran) and the problem of vanishing top soil in places in the world I'll never be able to pronounce, much less find on a map. Good thing I'm not running for Vice President.

Jonathan
 
It was clear & 70F as I found myself in S Florida for the holidays. So I drove up to Venice and spent a nice weekend with my parents. My dad recently purchased a double tailed Bellanca hybrid so I got re-acquainted with a nice flying machine. We flew it over to the east coast to hook up with my brother for some deep sea fishing and returned before dark. Hope I didn't leave a foot print next to the brake!View attachment 1
 
Man Johnathan, you were just 30 minutes from Huntsville by air. Next time c'mon down and I'll spring for dinner :)
BTW, haven't done a damn thing on 392 for a year now. Thinking about selling the project. Reasons?
1) Operating costs- I don't think I can afford it now.
2) Insurance cost- no time in make/ model despite some tailwheel time.
3) Can't rouse any help around here. Turning a wing/ fuselage over by yourself isn't fun.
4) Can't seem to save up for the next step- something always happens (new roof this time).

Yeah- it's whining really, but I am so uninspired it's not funny...
 
Dave,
I will be out and about over the holidays and might like to drop in at Huntsville on my way back from Texas to Clemson home base to see the project. email me leighhd@bellsouth.net if and when you will be around over Christmas and Newyears
David Leigh
 
Dave,
I started to write a long message regarding how you need to stay with the project... I will just say that you have been an inspiration to many of us, and we look forward to seeing your plane flying. I really hope you overcome the frustration.
Obviously project cost ends up being the limiting factor for most of us, but I really do hope you can continue with your project. The one truism is-once you have it flying, you won't be sorry. Look around, others have done it, and considering what you have accomplished so far, you can too! Good luck, and I hope you keep at it!
Larry
 
Even though Insurance is not required Liability is only about $500. Do you have an extra car, Motorcycle, Bicycle or anything in the Garage you can sell. Wives are very expensive and so are kids? :lol: :lol: :lol: Around here if I need some help I go down to the corner pick up a couple of Mexicans pay them $10 an hr and lunch. We can usually get a lot done if you plan ahead.

It would be ashame after all you have put into the project to have to give it up. How much are you lacking to be finished?
 
I have to cover the wings and ailerons, relace the elevator halves (I sucked there) recover the fuselage (not happy with my original covering job at all), replace the headliner (I sucked there too) rib-stitch half a flap, tape and Poly-Brush the Horizontal stabilizer, wings, fuselage, flaps, and ailerons, rebuild the landing gear, powder-coat the mains, straighten the motor mount, run the wires for the wingtip strobes, install the new aileron cables, perform the AD on the inboard flap hinges (no biggie there), finish wiring the new panel, get the AI and the DG overhauled, spray the silver, spray the color, overhaul the 6A4-150-B3, find my yellow tags, get the crank and rods magna-fluxed, find someplace that will let me put the major sections back together (airports around here are persnickety).
Fun things I'd LIKE to do:
1) Add avionics built after 1976 (I have a Narco xpdr and a king KX-170B
2) Add a GPS Com
3) test-fly some air dams of my own design
4) I'd like it if life quit throwing me curves that puts the Cruisair on the back burner all the time
5) Lose 100 lbs
6) Quit grinding my teeth
7) Get out of debt (5 more years?)
Let's face it- you need both adults bringing in income these days to afford any recreation. With Margaret not working (she's doing home health care for her mother- cheaper than a nursing home and far better care IMO), there's just enough money to pay the bills, gas, and groceries. Once I finish paying off my HELOC, there should be enough to finish and fly 392, but until then, all I can pray is the wingspars don't split.

Look -this thread started as something incredibly funny. Imagine- Open try-outs for the Blues? That's a RIOT! :lol:
Jonathan, I apologize for hijacking this thread and for airing my dirty laundry.
 
Hey, Dave,

Saw an interesting possible simple and cheap solution to your fuselage/wing turning problem a while back.

I visited "Smokey" Hill, who was rebuilding a 14-13 in his hangar in Ocean Springs, MS, a few years back. He was working mostly by himself and had built an interesting fuselage turning jig from plywood and 2x4's. Basically, he cut the plywood sheets (3/4", I think) to form a big circle. The 2x4's were used to bolt the plywood sheets together to form a strong jig and to provide greater strength for the fuselage mounting points. The front turning jig was attached to the fuselage using bolts through the engine mount holes of the fuselage. The tail turning jig used a padded clamp on vertical tube on the vertical stabilizer.

The turning jigs were large enough that the fuselage could be rotated 360 degrees by merely rolling the jig across the floor with clearance between the fuselage and the floor. When the fuselage was positioned in the desired angle, wedges were placed on the floor to keep the jig from rolling further.

A similar jig could be used for the wing root.

Sadly, after finishing the project and flying his Cruisair for a couple of years, a hangar fire damaged the Bellanca and another plane in the hangar. I am afraid that Hurricanes Ivan, Katrina, and subsequent storms may have finished off the planes, as the Ocean Springs Airport is very close to the shoreline. Unfortunately, I have not been able to get over to Ocean Springs since then to check with Smokey.

I hope you decide to keep on with your project.

Dave York
 
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