Brodhead Pietenpol Association

The same happened to NX41CC. I repaired the seat front twice during the time that I owned the plane, and the last time I did that I also added some supplementary framing similar to what you've done to provide more glued surface area to transfer the load from the plywood to the framing. I should also have used heavier plywood for the seat front as long as I was redoing it.

-Oscar

Center seat support glue up.

Interesting detail: the tapered wedges that slope the front seat bottom just a tad. Improves the pax comfort over a flat seat bottom. Was it originally that way, or is that improvement yours?

-Oscar

That is my fix to reading the print wrong and screwing up the pieces when I cut them. The glue lines and fits were so good, I didn't want to tear everything out and start over.

Got it. And if it's any consolation, pretty much anything in or on the passenger's seat is directly on the CG, so it won't affect the balance if you add weight there. In my W&B spreadsheet, I ran what-ifs to test the forward and aft CG limits. With the lightest possible pilot solo in the pilot's seat and a full 16 gal of fuel in the tank (which is upfront in 41CC), the spreadsheet said minimum pilot weight is 106 lbs but in that configuration with the CG at its forward-most limit the plane would be 248 lbs under max gross. If I place a 248 lb pax in the front seat, the plane is at gross but the CG only moves 1/2" aft. Thing is, I doubt whether a 248 lb person could physically get into the front cockpit of 41CC.

-Oscar

Trying to get re-motivated on the repair. So, rough cut out and test fit of the rear seat back.

Roger, three-four kilo papa. Proceed on course.

Oscar Zuniga
Medford OR

Pilots seat bottom cross brace.

Pilots seat back glue up.

Good to see you back at it, Richard. Steady progress wins the day.

-Oscar

Impressive how much those two seat backs stiffen up the structure.

There is much to admire and appreciate about Mr. Pietenpol's Air Camper. Simple but strong; not flashy but still timeless. Affordable, but not "cheap".

-Oscar

Another piece of the rear seat.

Keep that T-88 flowing...

-Oscar

Two vertical pieces gluing into the the rear seat structure.

Makes me want to build one. I've done a lot of work on them, but never built one from scratch. So enjoyable to work on these planes.

-Oscar