Brodhead Pietenpol Association

Richard Roller

Hey Oscar. How'd you like those fancy reservoirs? Just for grins I weighed the master cylinder assemblies. Everything including hardware (no fluid) is 1 lb. 2 oz. each side.

Richard Roller

Still plugging along.

Richard Roller

N34KP is standing on two new main wheel and brake assemblies now. Master cylinders and plumbing next.

Richard Roller

Nice!

Richard Roller

Left main on the ground. It looks so strange with a 6:00 x 6 tire instead of the 8:00 x 6 that was on it! I may have to go back to the old tires. Time will tell.
I haven't ran the hydraulic tubes yet, or installed the master cylinders.

Richard Roller

Richard Roller

Richard Roller

After paint. It doesn't look it, but it's a dark green.

Richard Roller

Way back when, Ken decided he wanted aviation (18MM) plugs in the Model A. So he machined a set of bushings for the head. He made them round. We had problems from day one taking the plugs out without the bushings coming with them. So we used slip joint pliers to hold the bushings when removing the p...

Richard Roller

Which engine? (Ford I hope

)

Richard Roller

A test fitting.

The new axles and wheels in place. They are not drilled and bolted yet. The axle stub is the existing 1-1/2" axle after being trimmed.

Richard Roller

Pictures of the brake pedals and the finished axles for the Matco wheels and brakes. I will drill the axle attach bolt holes when in place.

Richard Roller

Snowballing has been known to happen! Like right now. Still working on the brakes when able, the radiator was removed for a clean out and a polish (still off). I'm considering an ignition change and a change in the engine breather, but those will wait until its flyable again. I'll pre-construct thos...

Richard Roller

Oscar. That's quite the story!

Richard Roller

Torque plates for the Piets new brakes.

Richard Roller

I was going to post pictures of the brake pedals, but I just realized I didn't take pictures of them. So here is a photo of the adaptors for the brake torque plates. They will bolt over the trimmed 1-1/2" axles and the 1-1/4" axles will slide inside.

Richard Roller

I've cut out all the pieces for the actuators foot pedals. I also have hooked up my tig welder. So...., after I get some practice welds in I'll try assembling the pieces. Wish me luck.

Richard Roller

Jim. I lack 3 years to 70, but I'll tell you what I have. I'm in the Kansas City area, N34KP is hangered at K34, Gardner, KS. Through Falcon insurance I pay about $450 per year, liability only. That includes the airport requirements for them, in case I burn the hanger down. I've been involved with P...

Richard Roller

Just for grins, because it’s very cold outside and I can’t work on the Piet, I’ve decided to investigate N34KP’s weight and balance if Ken had decided to slope the wing back instead of moving the engine forward. See the post I did on 11-10-2017 on the weight and balance problems of 34KP. I’ve had to...

Richard Roller

I looked at 34KP. It looks like Ken built it to the plans in reference to the seat cutout. I set in it and the stick hits my legs before it hits the cutout. There is no sign of the tube hitting the cutout.

Richard Roller

N34KP's jury struts are 3/8" x 9/16" steel streamlined tubes. I don't know where Ken found them. He told me once he'd bought them 20 years, or so, ago when he was buying stuff for his Great Lakes project. jury strut.jpg A.E.D. metal products have odd size and small streamlined tubes in dif...

Richard Roller

It's my understanding that the plywood floor does resist drag loads in the center section. The one piece wing has no drag/anti-drug wires in the center section and the cabanes will not react the loads.

Maybe Oscar will weigh in on this, he has the background to explain it.

Richard Roller

Very true.

Richard Roller

I made a set of brackets for the master cylinders. The piece of 1" key stock is the drill guide from the tail longeron repair. I added an extra hole to match the hole spacing for these brackets. It'll be clamped in place and the holes back drilled through the station diagonal.

Richard Roller

I emailed an article last night.

Richard Roller

The tube fuselage is shown on the Pietenpol family plans. Just substitute 4130 tubing.

Richard Roller

You referenced Ken Perkins. I have the a/c (N34KP) that he was building when you visited, as Oscar noted. I meet Ken about 1994, when we both worked for TWA at the Kansas City overhaul base. I had worked on small a/c before being at the base and Ken needed someone who could get all the way into the ...

Richard Roller

Varmint. A case of needless information, I apologize. As Oscar noted the "L'/p" reference is to slenderness ratios and how that works with the column loads. And the "equivalent round tube" is a reference to the round tube (same wall thickness) that would react the same as the str...

Richard Roller

Ken Perkins Piet, N34KP, has the following sizes of lift/cabane struts. All struts are SAE 4130 steel streamline tubes. forward and aft lift struts: 2.023" x .857", .049 wall thickness, ERT* 1.5 & 1.0 cabane struts: 1.685" x .714", .049 wall thickness, ERT 1.25 & .75 caba...

Richard Roller

Regular old 4130 struts are used, as in 34KP
A lot of people are using the extruded aluminum struts from Carlsons, they work well and save some weight.

The struts in the plans are not available anymore.

Richard Roller

Yes. While I was still working on large a/c we always used the aviation equivalent to your polysulfides, patches, hardware, etc. When I worked small a/c you didn't see it much, except in fuel tank areas.

Personally, I think it would be a good idea on a wood a/c.

Richard Roller

I'm sure you noticed, but Ken didn't use the steel straps from side to side (fitting to fitting) shown on the plans. He didn't think them necessary. This last spring while I was finishing the repair to the tail longeron, I pulled the landing gear/lift strut attach fitting bolts out, one at a time. T...

Richard Roller

Phone photos. When clicked on they will be upright. This is the right side, forward strut attach point.

Richard Roller

My mistake! Yes, you DO want your strut tabs lined up with the strut angle! N34KP has it's strut tabs on the fuselage bent to line up with the actual strut angle. I was just looking at my set of plans and I don't see any angle noted. Ken bent his to the angle needed to be in line with the struts, as...

Richard Roller

N34KP has the strut attach fittings as drawn on the plans, with plywood strips on either side of them, That is how Ken Perkins built it. It's worked fine for 20+ years now. Personally, when I built one I will attach them inline with the struts.

Richard Roller

John, I'm sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I've been through the digital pictures I have of Brodhead and have found none that would help you. I know I've taken some, but they must be on film and I have no idea where they might be. I did find some on the West Coast Piet site just by browsi...

Richard Roller

Good deal!

Richard Roller

A good time of the year to enjoy nature. Nice looking a/c!

Richard Roller

Lots of variations in Piet construction. N34KP (built from Pietenpol plans, short, wood fuselage) has tail wheel steering working off the rudder, with a wooden rudder structure.

Pat, the picture is upside down again, can you fix it?

**This is FIXED. I blame the Russians. -pjw

Richard Roller

Thanks Ken. I have done something similar in the past on another project for a friend. We just used a steel fitting (brass would work) out of the master cylinder, soldered shut, then drilled a hole through with a #50 drill.

Richard Roller

I'm ordering extrusions for the brake installation. I have considered putting restrictions in the brake lines, to slow down the application time a little. The reason is that I don't plan on reworking the landing gear V's at this time and N34KP is built to the plans. Which means the wheels are to far...

Richard Roller

Yes Oscar. I'm curious about that tail myself.

Richard Roller

I have seen several Piets with 3 ft center sections. Personally, that is what I plan for my project. Which, I admit, has not been started.

Richard Roller

Is it a Pietenpol or a Grega?

Richard Roller

I fly N34KP, which has been flying since 2000. I've never had any problems with vertical stab flutter or vibration. I am curious about your statement where you are considering moving one set of wires forward. I'm curious if the airframe is built to the plans in that respect. Do the forward set of wi...

Richard Roller

I've seen several installations with the washer pump. I'll look ar my pictures and see if I have any of the washer pump installed.

Richard Roller

We seem to vary from .5" to 1.0" between what you measured and what I drew. The drawing is of the Piet plans. I did put my wife in the rear cockpit to get the measurements that I used. I'm sure it will work out okay.

Richard Roller

Thanks Oscar. I appreciate the help.

Richard Roller

I would appreciate the help Oscar. It is better to measure twice and drill once!

Richard Roller

wood piet brake master installation.jpg This is what I've come up with for the brake master cylinders. These are Cleveland masters that I happened to have, model #10-55. I bought these back in the 80's, for another project that never came off. I got my wife into the rear cockpit and had her put her...

Search found 244 matches