Subject: Pietenpol-List: Congratulations, JerryJerry, that's a great feeling the first time your Piet moves under its own power. It isn't flying yet but it's getting close. Have you gotten the tail up yet? I ended up having to go the DAR route myself. Didn't like spending the money but it was worth it to get the airworthiness certificate. I don't know how you did your static system. I copied Mike Cuy and just drilled 1/16 holes in the plastic plugs plugging the static system side of the airspeed and altimeter. I haven't had any problem. Not sure if that affects the accuracy of the instruments but since indicated airspeed is what you're using as a reference for stall speed, approach, climb and cruise, the numbers you get during your test period are what matter and what you'll use. I use a non-sensitive alitmeter so a few feet off doesn't affect that either. I'm assuming you have the pitot tube far enough outboard on the wing not to be affected by the prop blast. Even with the pitot outboard of the wing strut attach point on my Piet, I get a bobble of 5-7 mph on my airspeed when I do a static runup. Now if you can get it certified in the next week or so, you can conceivably fly off the test period and make it to Brodhead this year..
Matt PaxtonI taxied my Piet over the weekend........life is good. I am going to have toget a DAR ($500)to do the certification. FSDO in Birmingham just flat toldme they were not doing it. Excuse was don't have the money for gas! I am onslow burn right now.I have an issue....static I think. When I run the engine up some say 1500rpm the airspeed shows about 20 mph sitting still. I did not run a staticline, just vented inside the panel. Reckon I could run a line out the bottomof the panel into the cockpit and solve the problem? That is the only issueI had.The airplane taxied great. The engine ran fine. I got a 2300 rpm staticfrom the Cloudcars 76 X 44 prop.--------Jerry Dotson59 Daniel Johnson RdBaker, FL 32531________________________________________________________________________________