Brodhead Pietenpol Association

jeffreyK

You absolutely should not be able to peel those laminates apart. Plywood gets its strength from the laminations glued together in different directions. You have an inferior product if you can peel it.

jeffreyK

I'm a long time (>40 yrs) hobby woodworker and if you are going to keep the wood I would favor steaming and holding it in a vice to dry before the glue up. Depending on how much twist is there, if you glue up by forcing them together, tension will always be present after the epoxy sets. That tension...

jeffreyK

I like how you've done that. One of the nice things about the Usher gascolator is it mounts directly to the firewall without brackets. Moving it off the wall would defeat that and bring in much more fuel line in front of the firewall. The position of my Rotec Carb almost dictates throttle to come th...

jeffreyK

Thank you for the replies. I can't have the gascolator up high because with my corvair and carb I need the gasolator to be much lower and then the foot pedals become an issue. Oscar, I was thinking that is what I have to do. I was also thinking of some L-bar next to it just to add some protection fr...

jeffreyK

I have purchased an Usher Gascolator 6 which mounts like many of the others with the fuel line passing through the firewall. I have seen this on other Piets near the side but don't know how they routed the fuel lines considering the rudder pedals are on the sides. I'm thinking about nearer the cente...

jeffreyK

I am in the process of building my firewall. It was suggested to me that I should reinforce the firewall box with a horizontal steel tube between the two upper and lower engine mount brackets (Corvair mount). The basis for the statement is that the lower horizontal wooden strut is cut at the ends to...

jeffreyK

Brian, Jack Phillips widened the center section of his Piet. He reworked the fittings for the wing mounting brackets. He lives near me and I have seen his beautiful plane. It did result in a wider wingspan. After considering different options I personally went with the hump similar to Kevin Purtee's...

jeffreyK

I had looked at the MGL instruments however, W Wynne warned me that the tach pickup used on the Corvair doesn't work well with MGL. I have no personal experience to say good or bad product but since I have a Corvair engine I couldn't ignore information from the Corvair expert.

jeffreyK

I have been thinking about the GRT Avionics 7" unit. Take a look at the VFR screen in that unit. My center section will be going on in the next few weeks and then I will be able to tell exactly where the aileron cables will go and how much clearance I'll have behind the unit. I have checked out...

jeffreyK

Jim, Glad I'm not the only one going digital. I was going to go no electronics however my Corvair engine has dual ignition thus requiring an alternator. That changed everything with regards to instruments. I can install a single screen that takes the place of all engine and nav instruments saving me...

jeffreyK

I believe different builders took different approaches to this issue. I took a lot of time, made a jig to guide the saw and used a Ryoba razorsaw to make the scarf joints. This epoxied together nicely with a large glued surface. Because it tapers there are two new issues. A filler strip is needed to...

jeffreyK

Mine has fabric on it and measuring from the leading edge to the base is 68 degrees. I'm sure you know that's the inside angle. The diagram that shows 67 degrees has the arrows on the outside which would actually be 113 degrees. Good luck with your project.

jeffreyK

Thank you all. I appreciate it.
Jeffrey K

jeffreyK

Inter-rib bracing before covering the wings is not mentioned in the plans. AC43-13 talks of the need but defers the number of braces and location to the manufacturer. Is there a standard for where they should be placed on the Piet? Any information on where to locate the bracing is appreciated.

jeffreyK

John, In reference to your statement about 3/4" spar and ribs built around 1"; The spars are 1" and routed 1/8" off each side for a 3/4" center leaving 1" at the upper and lower ends of the spars. The spars are also left at 1" where all the hardware goes on. The ri...

jeffreyK

The plans show no filler for the routed area of the spars. In the written manual there are specific notes about the importance of the 'wedge' between the top of the spar and the rib. There are no notes about adding a filler strip. I personally didn't add any filler and over the last two years of bui...

jeffreyK

I helped restore a L-3 for the D-Day memorial and we used the Stewart system. I have nothing bad to say about this system and it was the one I was going to use myself particularly because it is water based and can be applied in my garage without worrying about the volatile vapors. It was also very f...

jeffreyK

John, I recently completed my gear and I also had many questions and challenges regarding the build. I have been to Brodhead twice and have many pictures of the gear on multiple Piets. There is a fair amount of variation which didn't help me too much in deciding what to do. I had initially planned o...

jeffreyK

John, I'm not a engineer or mechanic so take this with a grain of salt or two. I had purchased the builders 1-1/2 inch axles from ASS. I had a lot of trouble finding wheels and brakes that weren't expensive and overkill for the Kinetic Energy and Torque requirements for the plane. I spoke with a tec...

jeffreyK

John, I am in the same position as you regarding which wheels to buy. I have the same axle. I noticed Matco has a formula online for determining just how much brake you need. You supply gross weight and landing speed and go from there. Even after getting the data the list of options is too big for m...

jeffreyK

Thank you very much for the discussion. An in-depth review in the newsletter would be great. I can't believe it has been a month since I asked about this. I went backpacking and then became ill with a tic disease. Time flies but I'm now back to the build.

jeffreyK

All of the welds on my plane are TIG welds. I apprecieate the concerns about weld integrity however my question is really about whether the forward gear bracket has any real potential to be ripped off the plane with its longeron attachment if using the shock arrangement with a crossover as seen with...

jeffreyK

I am designing my gear and have noticed multiple Pietenpols have their shock springs constructed using a central crossover similar to the Piper cub. From each gear leg the shock strut terminates on a centrally located crossover. From there a new piece of tubing extends to both sides of the fuselage ...

jeffreyK

Just to let you know, I am buying some Aluminum at onlinemetals dot com and noticed they have .25" 4130 in stock. I took many pictures at Broadhead this last year and notice multiple Piets have not used .25" in this location. Just saying. Some planes I noticed have installed bearings on on...

jeffreyK

Yes I've been to W Coast Piet. I have seen many pictures and knew something inside had to be done to allow the tube movement. I appreciate the diagram. It answers all my questions so I can proceed.
Many thanks.
JeffreyK

jeffreyK

I have decided to build the Die spring shock struts with exposed springs that I have seen on quite a few Piets. I've seen all sorts of finished pictures and even some video of them in action but have not been able to find any plans. There are several discussions about them in the forum but no plans....

jeffreyK

I am planning on the gear to be per the manual 0.5" from the leading edge. I have a Corvair engine in parts in my garage. Do you have WW weight and balance manual? It's an eye opener.
JefffreyK

jeffreyK

I have been learning to work metal for this plane and I am not an expert. Having said that, when I've had to flatten one side or both such as for the gear tangs or the elevator bellcrank, I have been heating the end with an acetylene torch to red hot then putting it in a vise. I put pieces of steel ...

jeffreyK

This is all very helpful. I was able to look up Richard Roller's writeup converting his brakes. This gives me better direction. Thank you.
Jeffrey K

jeffreyK

Oscar
That would be greatly appreciated. I will send you a short email so you have my address in case you no longer have it.
thank you.
Jeffrey KJ

jeffreyK

I am drawing out and ordering front gear tubing and axle parts. I am looking at a 600 X 6 weld on axle. The plans didn't accommodate brakes. My question is what to use for the inside collar that has to be welded on and will accept the wheel/brake assembly.

jeffreyK

Good question. I will aslo soon be done with my gear brackets and have been studying that steel brace. I agree it looks like the steel strap is in line with the brackets and a cover plate is welded to both at the joint. That said; in the WW blog is a write up on some gear brackets that were made whi...

jeffreyK

Yes, that is a welding rod (not a brazing rod) you can use on 4130. I have been TIG welding and there are areas I can't reach with that technique. Gas welding wouldn't be a problem reaching those areas though my gas welding skills are limited. Brazing is called for in some of the joints along the co...

jeffreyK

I have been TIG welding my parts but several call for brazing and the orientation would be very hard for me to do with TIG. I am having trouble finding out what brazing rod and flux to use. EAA suggests Eutectic 16 but I can't find them to buy. I have found references to brazing in the forum but no ...

jeffreyK

If you are going to use a water based covering such as Stewarts System then spar varnish works well and is what I'm using. Woodworking is my hobby and the preference for spar varnish in this application is that it doesn't dry as hard as other varnishes. That means that as temperature and humidity ch...

jeffreyK

I have finished the sides of the fuselage and now having issues with where to put all the cross members. Looking at Diagram #1 and #4 there are measurements but not for the "long" fuselage. I do notice markings for the wheel crossmembers and the dual control diagram shows where they will b...

jeffreyK

Thanks for the added knowledge. I am aware of the blocks and the gussets and I have been thinking about seat belts. I appreciate getting the clarification.

jeffreyK

The plans for the fuselage show spar wedges only placed between spars 2-3, 4-5, and 5-6. Is that it? I don't see any reference to put spar wedges on any of the others nor between the longerons and the spars. I realize this area carries a lot of weight and stress so maybe they are the only spars to b...

jeffreyK

I was informed when helping to skin an L-3 for the D-Day museum that there was some problem with delamination if not doing the diluted Ekobond step first. I don't know how true that is but I do plan to add this step when I get to that point on my Piet.

jeffreyK

Thanks for the tips. I do plan on inspection panels however would not want to put one at every bracket site. Several strategically placed would allow inspection throughout the wing visually and with the flexible scopes now available. I recently helped restore an L-3 for the D-Day museum and there we...

jeffreyK

I am starting to order bolts and nuts for the wing. I have seen locknuts on many homebuilts including the Piet on display at OSH last year. In the wing it would seem castle nuts and pins would be a better choice for control cable and cable stay hardware where fabric will be covering the hardware and...

jeffreyK

Thank you all for the input. I am moving forward.
JeffreyK

jeffreyK

I have completed the wood work on the empennage and have started on the metal fittings while waiting for the wing kit. I notice the full size template for the control horns in the plans are asymmetric. The rudder horn is 1/8" longer on one side and the elevator horn is 1/16" longer. Is thi...

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