Pietenpol-List: Should I

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Pietenpol-List: Should I

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Original Posted By: Craig Lawler
Subject: Pietenpol-List: Should I>Hello list,>>I hate to be a pest but I asked for some advise a week ago and I only heard>from one person. Here is my delima. I can purchase a 93 Piet with a Cont>65-8 (with 69hrs smoh). The gent wants 10.5K for it and it looks realgood.> I will go for a flight in a couple weeks or so to see for my self what it>is like. The owner says it will do 60mph in level flight. I am not>familiar with the plane. I know I like the way it looks and its slow speed>performance. Does this seem like a good buy. What should I be looking for>when I eye ball the plane. Any help would be greatly appreciated.>>Ron Beasley>Yorktown, VA>>>>________________________________________________________________________________
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Pietenpol-List: Should I

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Original Posted By: Earl Myers
Hello list,I hate to be a pest but I asked for some advise a week ago and I only heard from one person. Here is my delima. I can purchase a 93 Piet with a Cont 65-8 (with 69hrs smoh). The gent wants 10.5K for it and it looks real good. I will go for a flight in a couple weeks or so to see for my self what it is like. The owner says it will do 60mph in level flight. I am not familiar with the plane. I know I like the way it looks and its slow speed performance. Does this seem like a good buy. What should I be looking for when I eye ball the plane. Any help would be greatly appreciated.Ron BeasleyYorktown, VA________________________________________________________________________________
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Pietenpol-List: Re: Should I

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Original Posted By: Ron Beasley
IF YOU WANT IT< GO FOR IT! Only time will tell if it is a good deal. Thereare a lot of variables to look at to come up with a price, however, aroundhere, that is the going price for a fairly new, good Piet with a goodengine.Earl Myers-----Original Message-----
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Pietenpol-List: Re: Should I

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Original Posted By: Mike Bell
Ron,Okay, Okay... my usual list of flippant comments, but you asked!1. Nowdays nything that can get you off the ground is worth at least $5k.2. Anything that can get you off the ground and back down again is worth atleast $10k.3. It's getting unusual for sellers to let you fly before buying, be sure to doso with the seller in the front seat.4. 60mph does not seem to swift for 65hp. Check the engine and the A/C'sweight.5. You should look for quality workmanship and potential problems, but youshould also have your favorite A&P along to look for reasons not to buy it.If the 60mph thing is due to setup, prop or some other problem and the rest ofthe airplane holds up I'd say it would sound pretty good to me. But checkBernie's specs on the A and Corvair against what weights and speeds you get andthe opinion of your A&P.LLNRon Beasley wrote:> Hello list,>> I hate to be a pest but I asked for some advise a week ago and I only heard> from one person. Here is my delima. I can purchase a 93 Piet with a Cont> 65-8 (with 69hrs smoh). The gent wants 10.5K for it and it looks real good.> I will go for a flight in a couple weeks or so to see for my self what it> is like. The owner says it will do 60mph in level flight. I am not> familiar with the plane. I know I like the way it looks and its slow speed> performance. Does this seem like a good buy. What should I be looking for> when I eye ball the plane. Any help would be greatly appreciated.>> Ron Beasley> Yorktown, VA>________________________________________________________________________________
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Pietenpol-List: Re: Should I

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Original Posted By: dannymac
x-mac-creator="4D4F5353"Ron,I have a C-65 Peit up in Pa. It's a blast to fly. Is the one yourlooking at a Piet or Grega? What kind of wheels are on it and what doesit weigh? Do you have a mechanic that will work on the plane for you? Orone that will sign off work?Craig________________________________________________________________________________
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Pietenpol-List: Re: Should I

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Original Posted By: DonanClara(at)aol.com
Subject: Pietenpol-List: Re: Should ISorry to be going on and on. I have alot of questions to get answered>before I invest 10K in such a project. Thanks for your input.>>Ron Beasley>Yorktown, VA>>________________________________________________________________________________
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Pietenpol-List: Re: Should I

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Original Posted By: Warren Shoun
Subject: Pietenpol-List: Re: Should IYou Bet!! Buy it Ron!! You'll be able to sell it for at least that or morelater if you don't like it. If you don't get it, let me know where it is,and I'll buy it :O)I may get to go out and do some bug slicing this evening in fact. I thinkthe happiest I am is when my GN-1 loses contact with the earth!!Robert Hensarling GN-1 N83887>The other aspects of the plane sound pretty good. It will be>a fun plane I'm sure......just ask new owner Robert Hensarling>with his GN-1. He sure has killed lots of bugs since buying that thing !>Mike C.>>________________________________________________________________________________
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> Re: Should I

Post by matronics »

Original Posted By: DonanClara(at)aol.com
The one I am looking at is a Piet. It has 8" tires and the owner believes it weighs a little over 700lbs. The present owner has only flown it 3 or 4 times since he bought it in 97. He is 80 years old and has a tough time getting in and out of her. He has a friend fly it from time to time. I talked to his friend, who is a mutual friend of mine come to find out, and he says that it flys great. Has no bad habits and cruises at 60mph. I was surprised to hear that it was so slow. I would have thought that it would fly in the middle 70s range. There is a mechanic at a near by airport that has been performing all the required maintenance on the plane. I will continue to use this gents skills until such time I (we) move (wife is still in the Air Force).I have to go back and look it over again. I saw the log books but did not have the time to pick through them like I wanted to. It has a new prop (don't remember the brand/size) 69hrs on rebuilt engine and carb. Covers look great. Cabin looks great. It also has hydrolic brakes in the rear seat. 12 gal tank in the wing and an optional 5 gal for the header (I guess for cross country flying). I guess the only difference between this and an ultralight is the weight and engine.Since the owner has not flown her much perhaps you can tell me what the VnE is and what is the normal cruise. Can a C-85 be put on the plane to increase performance.Sorry to be going on and on. I have alot of questions to get answered before I invest 10K in such a project. Thanks for your input.Ron BeasleyYorktown, VA>From: Craig Lawler >Reply-To: Pietenpol Discussion >To: Pietenpol Discussion >Subject: Re: Should I>Date: Mon, 14 Jun 1999 22:42:17 -0500>>Ron,>>I have a C-65 Peit up in Pa. It's a blast to fly. Is the one your>looking at a Piet or Grega? What kind of wheels are on it and what does>it weigh? Do you have a mechanic that will work on the plane for you? Or>one that will sign off work?>>Craig>>________________________________________________________________________________
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Pietenpol-List: Re: Should I

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Original Posted By: Greg Yotz
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Pietenpol-List: Re: Should I

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Original Posted By: Ron Beasley
Sounds like it's worth 10.5K to me. Without looking at it direct.I have seen several Piets, GN-1s etc. for sale with aircraft engines onthem and they all were asking and I think got 10K - 12.5K.Of course depending on the engine.GY-----Original Message-----
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Pietenpol-List: Re: Should I

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Original Posted By: Michael D Cuy
Ron Beasley and groupSorry I may have goofed trying to reply and sent a useless message adding clutter to your mail. I'll try to do it right this time.Ron, I have read the replies to your question on buying the Piet with interest. All of the advice is good. Perhaps my scrounging skills need honing or I could be more frugal but I have over 10 G in my 'A' powered Piet and still have fabric and paint to go. All you have to do to see what is happening to a/c prices is read the latest Trade-A-Plane. You can't live in the past. Who would have dreamed that a J-3 would sell for the megabucks they do today. All planes will continue to go up in price for the foreseeable future. The gang is right...if the plane you mention is in good flying condition a price of 10.5 is not unreasonable. Good Luck!Don Hicks________________________________________________________________________________
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Pietenpol-List: Re: Should I

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Original Posted By: Craig Lawler
Ron- I'm wondering if that 60 cruise speed might be a calibration error or real. You should get about 75 mph outof a healthy, well rigged, straight Pietenpol w/ a 65 Continental.The other aspects of the plane sound pretty good. It will bea fun plane I'm sure......just ask new owner Robert Hensarlingwith his GN-1. He sure has killed lots of bugs since buying that thing !Mike C. ________________________________________________________________________________
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Pietenpol-List: Re: Should I

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Original Posted By: Howard Wilkinson
x-mac-creator="4D4F5353"Ron,Sounds like a nice plane. I'm getting about 65 mph out of my C-65 at1900 rpm. Empty weight is 635. Performance isn't a big issue if theystuck to the plans. Could just need a different prop. $$$$ Interestingthat the guy isn't more precise about weight & balance. Kind of animportant item to be casual about. How is the workmanship? How come theowner isn't doing his own maintenance? Must not be the builder? I'd havea long talk with the mechanic about continuing to sign logs for workthat you do. I've run into a couple people where this was a majorproblem. Liability I guess.Craig________________________________________________________________________________
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Pietenpol-List: Re: Should I

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Original Posted By: Michael D Cuy
-----Original Message-----
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> > Re: Should I

Post by matronics »

Original Posted By: "Conrad, Bart D"
Ron: you bet you can put a C-85 on it. Should use the same mount as theC-65. If you don't buy it let me know, I will.Best of luckJohn Duprey> The one I am looking at is a Piet. It has 8" tires and the owner believes> it weighs a little over 700lbs. The present owner has only flown it 3 or4 > times since he bought it in 97. He is 80 years old and has a tough time > getting in and out of her. He has a friend fly it from time to time. I > talked to his friend, who is a mutual friend of mine come to find out, and> he says that it flys great. Has no bad habits and cruises at 60mph. Iwas > surprised to hear that it was so slow. I would have thought that it would> fly in the middle 70s range. There is a mechanic at a near by airportthat > has been performing all the required maintenance on the plane. I will > continue to use this gents skills until such time I (we) move (wife isstill > in the Air Force).> I have to go back and look it over again. I saw the log books but did not> have the time to pick through them like I wanted to. It has a new prop > (don't remember the brand/size) 69hrs on rebuilt engine and carb. Covers> look great. Cabin looks great. It also has hydrolic brakes in the rear > seat. 12 gal tank in the wing and an optional 5 gal for the header (Iguess > for cross country flying). I guess the only difference between this andan > ultralight is the weight and engine.> Since the owner has not flown her much perhaps you can tell me what theVnE > is and what is the normal cruise. Can a C-85 be put on the plane to > increase performance.> Sorry to be going on and on. I have alot of questions to get answered > before I invest 10K in such a project. Thanks for your input.> > Ron Beasley> Yorktown, VA> > > >From: Craig Lawler > >Reply-To: Pietenpol Discussion > >To: Pietenpol Discussion > >Subject: Re: Should I> >Date: Mon, 14 Jun 1999 22:42:17 -0500> >> >Ron,> >> >I have a C-65 Peit up in Pa. It's a blast to fly. Is the one your> >looking at a Piet or Grega? What kind of wheels are on it and what does> >it weigh? Do you have a mechanic that will work on the plane for you? Or> >one that will sign off work?> >> >Craig> >> >> > "the Ox is slow, but the Earth is patient"________________________________________________________________________________
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Pietenpol-List: Re: Should I

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Original Posted By: Larry Ragan
Ron,All the advice you have gotten so far is valid and sound. I would expect close to 75 mph cruise with an A65 turning2150 rpm. A Pietenpol should cruise slightly faster than aPiper J-3 with the Continental A65. A lot depends on the propeller being used. I have flown four different Piets with A65 engines using the following propellers:Sensenich 72CK42 and 72CK44; Flottorp 72A46 and 72A48; Colin Walker 72/43; Sensenich 74FK43; Lewis70/43, and a homebrew one we made (72/43). All were wooden propellersand the best all-around performance was obtained from theSensenich 72CK42, the Flottorp 72A48, the Colin Walker andour homebrew prop. Our elevation is approximately 2400 feetabove sea level, so you may want to take that into account whenchoosing a propeller. For best results, you should be able to getnot less than 2150 rpm static, no wind, and cruise at 2150 rpm.You should be able to get the rated rpm of 2300 in level flight atfull throttle. If you can achieve these numbers, the compromiseone is faced with when using fixed-pitch propellers is about as good as it gets. The Pietenpol is a "draggy" airplane and will notgo very fast in any case; hence the propeller will not unload as muchas it will with a cleaner airplane using the same engine(eg. a Lus-combe 8A which has static rpm limits down around 1900 rpm, yetcruises close to 100 mph at about 2150 rpm). I flew my Piet for about 115 hrs. with an A65 and switched to a C85which improved the climb and provided some reserve power. I havetried all of the above propellers with the C85 with good results, exceptfor the Sensenich 74FK43 which loads the engine too much for it todevelop its rated power. With the Colin Walker presently installed, itcruises at about 85 mph at 2300 rpm. So there is a precedent for usinga C85 in a Pietenpol; in fact, quite a few have them.I'll not reiterate what others have suggested, but only suggest that youcheck the propeller situation with that airplane and see if an incorrectpropeller is installed. A check of static revs. would be a good indicator,provided, of course, the engine is "up to snuff".Cheers,Graham________________________________________________________________________________
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Pietenpol-List: Re: Should I

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Original Posted By: Greg Yotz
As with any homebuilt purchase, the workmanship of the builder is the mostimportant item. When looking at a Piet, the condition of the wood, glue jointsand fabric are important considerations. Empty weight is also important sincethe lighter the airplane is the better the performance will be. Most buildersseem to overbuild Piet's and as a result they have an airplane that won'tperform. Check to see how close to the plans the airplane was built and thequality of the materials. I looked at a Piet several years ago with the intentto purchase it. The plywood used was paneling from the local building center.You don't have to buy the first airplane that comes along.If you are unsure of what you are looking at, find another Piet builder to lookwith you. If you can't find a Piet builder, find an A&P with experiance in woodto look at the airplane. In short get an unbiased opinion. A good prepurchaseinspection can save you a lot down the road. Many people get emotional overaircraft purchases. DON"T. It's the best way to buy an airplane that you reallydidn't want and end up with a lot of headaches. Look at the airplane beingoffered, determine what expenses you will have to bring it up to your standards,determine what you want to have invested in that type airplane, do the math andmake an offer.Good Luck.DavidRon Beasley wrote:> Hello list,>> I hate to be a pest but I asked for some advise a week ago and I only heard> from one person. Here is my delima. I can purchase a 93 Piet with a Cont> 65-8 (with 69hrs smoh). The gent wants 10.5K for it and it looks real good.> I will go for a flight in a couple weeks or so to see for my self what it> is like. The owner says it will do 60mph in level flight. I am not> familiar with the plane. I know I like the way it looks and its slow speed> performance. Does this seem like a good buy. What should I be looking for> when I eye ball the plane. Any help would be greatly appreciated.>> Ron Beasley> Yorktown, VA>--David B.Schober, CPEInstructor, Aviation MaintenanceFairmont State CollegeNational Aerospace Education Center1050 East Benedum Industrial DriveBridgeport, WV 26330-9503(304) 842-8300________________________________________________________________________________
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Pietenpol-List: Re: Should I

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Original Posted By: steve(at)byu.edu
Interesting!Remember that each one will take off, but one may land better than theother. One thing for sure is that if it takes off, you are guaranteed toland. $10,000 seems inexpensive to me ($can. He may be letting it go ata discounted labour rate.________________________________________________________________________________
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Pietenpol-List: Re: Should I

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Original Posted By:> Ian Holland
There is an A-65 powered Piet here in Alberta,very low time for $11900Canadian,in the COPA paper. Doug
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Pietenpol-List: Re: Should I

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Original Posted By:> > Ian Holland
Keep in mind that it is generally not possible to register a Canadianregistered experimental plane in the US or vice versa. There are noexemptions in the rules to register an experimental plane or obtain aflight permit for same in either country. Therefore, you would have totear the plane back down to allow for pre-cover and pre-flightinspections. Given the trouble in doing that, it's generally accepted thatit's not possible to sell across the border. Of course, there is an exemption to allow Canadisn registeredexperimentals to FLY in the US, as long as it remains Canadian registeredand the proper permission is obtained. The reverse is also possible.Ken On Wed, 16 Jun 1999, Doug wrote:> There is an A-65 powered Piet here in Alberta,very low time for $11900> Canadian,in the COPA paper.> Doug> > ----------
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> Re: Should I

Post by matronics »

Original Posted By: Duane
> > Interesting!> Remember that each one will take off, but one may land better than the> other. One thing for sure is that if it takes off, you are guaranteed to> land. $10,000 seems inexpensive to me ($can. He may be letting it go at> a discounted labour rate.> > ________________________________________________________________________________
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> > Re: Should I

Post by matronics »

Original Posted By: John Greenlee
> > > > Interesting!> > Remember that each one will take off, but one may land better than the> > other. One thing for sure is that if it takes off, you are guaranteed to> > land. $10,000 seems inexpensive to me ($can. He may be letting it go at> > a discounted labour rate.> > > > ________________________________________________________________________________
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