old man emu

Rivet layout tool; drills & drill stops

Got a lot of rivetting to do? Here are the tools you'll need:

EVEN RIVET - SPACING TOOL

Large fan spacer has 20 fingers / opens to 38” @ 2”.

Accordion style tool used for layout and marking of equal spacing for rivet hole patterns. Capable of variable adjustment from 1/2” to 2” spacing.

Note: This tool is designed for layout / marking and is not designed nor intended for use as a drill guide. Stainless steel construction.

NUMBERED DRILL BITS

Rivets aren't manufactured with accurate diameters, so if you are using ones with a nominal 1/8" diameter, a regular 1/8" drill bit is likely to produce an undersized hole, and your rivet won't fall into place. That's where Numbered Drill Bits come in. These drills produce a slightly oversized hole that readily accepts your rivet. For example, a 1/8 drill makes a hole 0.125" diameter. The recommended drill bit for a 1/8 rivet is a #30 which makes a hole with a 0.1285" diameter.

The recommended drills for the commonly used rivets are:

3/32" : #40; 1/8" : #30; 5/32" : #21, and 3/16" : #10

DRILL STOPS

Use when drilling in sheet metal to help eliminate drill break- age &surface marks.

Safely keeps drill from going too far through the work.

Drill stops have a coiled spring to cushion the drill breakthrough &prevents the drill chuck from marring the work surface. Color coded for easy identification.

there are 3, 14hr (or thereabouts) non stop sections. He puts a bladder in the back with for high flow filling.

OME

The attached report, copied from Australian Flying December 1967 issue.

I liked the comment from the then Minister for Civil Aviation that "One of the most important matters was the Government plan to continue assistance to the flying training movement ..."

The thought that the Department of Civil Aviation awarded flying scholarships would seem to be heretical to present day CASA.

Old Man Emu

Hoxton 1.pdf

Hoxton 2.pdf

Hoxton 1.pdf

Hoxton 2.pdf

Hoxton 1.pdf

Hoxton 2.pdf

The company I work for has been involved in receiving four or five used aircraft from the US in the past year, as well as several others over the past few years I have been with them.

As with all aircraft purchases, a pre-purcahse inspection by someone trustworthy is absolutely essential. If you are going to spend upwards of $50,000 on purchasing an aircraft in the US, plus the freight costs to get it here, the $2-3000 you'll spend on sending someone from here to go over your prospective purchase will, in most cases, be recouped in savings made in putting a sick airframe back in good order.

Secondly, you must engage someone over there who knows how to pack a dismantled aircraft into a seatainer. We have been lucky so far with teh ones we are dealing with, but just this month a Navion arrived in Sydney from the US and it has been destroyed in transit.

The third thing you have to do is engage someone here in Australia who is experienced in putting aircraft on the Australian Register. It's not a matter of whipping the aircraft out of the box; slapping on the wings and things and taking off into the wide blue yonder. If you are lucky, it will take two to three weeks from float to fly. And don't forget the costs involved in that work. A straightforward assembly and Certificate of Airworthiness for a new aircraft, straight from the factory, will cost around $5000 in labour and documentation.

At the moment the price of used aircraft in the US is low, but you still have to factor in all these other costs. Still, there's no other way of getting your hands on a four seater in good nick.

Old Man Emu

I reckon it's grate.

OME

Books about working Aircraft Sheet Metal

get the clues on forming,riveting and welding aircraft sheet metal

If you have sheet metal work to do for your build, I have for sale several copies of the following books which will be of use:

1. Aircraft Sheet Metal by Nick Bonacci.

An excellent reference book providing information on sheet metal layout; tool use; form block; riveting, and much much more. This is a Jeppenson publication, for sale at $28.00 (+GST)

2. Aircraft Aluminium Gas Welding by Kent White

Covers eyewear; fluxes, joint design, and data on choices of fuel gases; tip sizes; filler metals and gas pressures. Published by TM Technologies (Kent White), for sale at $10 (+GST)

Old Man Emu

If you've seen one catalogue, you've seen them all. That's why I haven't made one up. I don't have anything special, like wigwams for goose's bridles. Just the basics.

If you need something, just ask for it. If I don't have it immediately, I'll chase around for it for you.

An on-line store needs an e-payment system and all sort of extra work. As it stands, I can run QED Hardware sales and my other job functions concurrently.

However, if lots of people start buying stuff from me, I could give the other functions the flick and concentrate on QED

Old Man Emu

If you are thinking about building an airframe from chromemoly tubing, please take the time to check out my post in teh Suppliers & Services section.

(Link removed - may have been better posted in the suppliers section- moderator)

Old Man Emu

Hey you RV builders!

IDENTIFICATION PLATE FOR RV AIRCRAFT

You are going to need some sort of identification plate for you aircraft when you get around to registering it. QED Aircraft Parts and Hardware has these ID plates available at $33 (incl GST).

4130 Chromemoly Airframe Construction 2 DVD Set

New from TM Technologies is this 2 DVD set which will show you all the tricks and tips you'll need to construct an airframe from 4130 Chromemoly tubing.

The DVDs feature "The Tin Man", Kent White a renowned craftsman who works with steel and aluminium. Kent has often held seminars at Oshkosh, and runs courses in metal working at his ranch in the mountains of San Juan, California. You can check out what he does at www.tinmantech.com

The set is available for $92.00 (incl GST). Sure it's pricey, but it would cost you thousands to get the information in person.

The attitude of Bega Valley Shire Council towards Merimbula Airport appear at first glance to be worthy of three hearty cheers.

Here's a local council which is prepared to spend money on vital local infrastructure to enable improvements to the RPT service to its District, and as a consequence can only improve facilities for GA and RAA operations in general.

I await replies from local users of Merimbula to confirm or discount my opinion.

Old Man Emu

Old Koreelah,

It is going to be cheaper, and quicker for you to pull the instrument out an send it to Spriteah to check out (if he has the correct equipment). If he has the credentials, he'll do the equivalent of an Instrument 8/9 insection on it and send you back a certification.

I don't mean to be rude, but from reading your posts, I wonder if you have studied the theory of airspeed measurement and have considered the differences between IAS, CAS and TAS?

Also NEVER blow air into a pressure instrument. I have an ASI on display that has been blown to smithereens by someone who tried to clear a blocked pitot line with workshop air. The damage was so bad that even the face glass was blown out.

Old Man Emu

I've gone off the idea of hiring the Clecos as it could become a managerial nightmare. My original idea was that homebuilders would be working in sections and only using 20 - 30 Clecos at a time - not like in a factory where they pin whole fuselages at once. I was thinking of charging something like $5 per month for 50 Clecos, but then I considered how long these builds are taking, and realised that after 10-12 months, the hirer would have paid more than the actual cost of the Clecos.

If someone bought 50 5/32's and 50 1/8's, at the end of the build they could either keep them, or sell them off. They don't really devalue. You either lose them, or break the odd one.

Old Man Emu

Mechanics Toolbox for Apple Mac O/S

MECHANIC'S TOOLBOX for APPLE MAC

The MT is available in Apple Mac format as a dowload. Because it is not a physical thing, it is a little cheaper than the PC version, and there's no postage.

The Apple Mac version costs $29.95 plus GST.

To order the Apple Mac version, email your details to me at [email protected] and I'll arrange for a download to be forwarded to you.

I will invoice you for the purchase within a couple of days of receiving your email.

Old Man Emu

What is the freight like for a couple of hundred clecosPeter

There is a $US13.50 box which is about the size of a video casette. The next size up is about $US45.

A bag of 100 Clecos is about the size of 500gms of frozen peas, so you'd get 200 Clecos into a $45 box.

When you order, specify delivery by Global Direct, and you can expect delivery within 7 - 10 days.

Don't forget to also buy a pair of Cleco pliers if you don't have any, otherwise you can't use the Clecos.

Old Man Emu

Adrian,

The ball is in your court. PM me so we can discuss the issue.

Old Man Emu

Adrian,

See my post in the Workshop - Tools, Prep thread.

Old Man Emu

Facthunter is right on the ball (What a Kewell expression )

Rule No 1 for buying any aircraft:

The owner of an aircraft is responsible for ensuring that all ADs etc have been carried out. Therefore, research the ADs and Service Bulletins appliable to the aircraft, the prop and the engine. Also make yourself aware of any time-limited components used in the aircraft.

Rule No 2

Have a reputable, independent of the sale, LAME or LSA equivalent inspect the aircraft AND thoroughly examine the log books and provide a written report. It is even better if the person doing the inspection is experienced in servicing the aircraft type.

Rule No 3

Obtain an estimate of the cost to attend to outstanding ADs and Service Bulletins so you can haggle the purchase price of the aircraft.

Bear in mind that the inspection may miss some defects that are hidden in the bowels of the airframe or engine, and will only become apparent during a full annual or periodic service.

I wouldn't be taken in by any mention of "Fresh 100 Hourly" in a For Sale ad. If the aircraft passed the pre-Purchase inspection, then any time left on the M/R is yours to use anyway.

If you've had the pre-purchase done, and completed your research on ADs and Service Bulletins, then you are better prepared to discuss an estimated cost of a Periodic.

Let's look at the costs involved.

You can expect something like 8-10 man hours for a straight forward Periodic.

Next you'll need an oil filter and oil. Costs for these depend on engine type (Lycoming -v- Jabiru/Rotax), and maybe a fuel filter.

Spark plugs usually last a few hundred hours in Lycomings, but usually get changed every periodic in Jabs and Rotaxes. However, a full set of plugs for a Jab is about the price of one plug for a Lycoming.

The next most common replacement parts are brake pads. For the aircraft that is only flown by its owner, or doesn't do a lot of circuit work, brake pads will last over a couple of periodics. The more work the brakes get, then obviously the quicker they will need replacement.

Based on the above, I'd say that you should budget about $1000 - $1200 for a periodic.

REMEMBER: Your engineer has to earn a living from his labours. Expect him to charge the same hourly rate at least as the mechanic who services your car. If you are offered a periodic for less than about $600 on your average LSA of small GA aircraft you are either:

1. Sleeping with your LAME, or

2. Being screwed by your LAME.

Old Man Emu

Ron,

Aircraft Spruce & Speciality sell a small slip indicator. From memory, they are under $50, but check for yourself.

I reckon it would be something Ian's shop would sell. My shop doesn't.

Old Man Emu

Oops!

Sorry, my fingers were doing the walking and went walkabout.

The email address is:

[email protected]

Old Man Emu

RAA Technical Manager endorses Mechanics Toolbox

In the June 2010 issue of Recreational Aviaton Australia, Steve Bell, Technical Manager for the RAA, endorsed and recommended the Mechanics Toolbox to "anyone who is contemplating building and (sic) aircraft or maintaining one."

Need I say more?

Old Man Emu

Ken,

I'm haven't worked out the details yet, but keep tuned in

Old Man Emu

I was wondering if anyone would be interested in being able to hire Clecos while they were building their aircraft, and then returning them when they were no longer needed?

Old Man Emu

They've arrived. Get yours quick!

Just arrived:

THE MECHANIC'S TOOLBOX

The most comprehensive reference source for aircraft engineers, builders and operators.

Reference Charts; Part Number Cross Reference data; Engine Troubleshooting, Properties of Metals and Plastics used in aircraft.

Web Links provide for continuous updating of the material contained in this CD.

This CD is an absolute treasure chest.

$39.95 + P/H + GST

Email your Name, Address and Phone Number to [email protected] for delivery by the first post.

Old Man Emu

PS

The CD will be accompanied by an invoice. If you don't pay within 30 days. I'll come around to your house and kick your dunny down.

He was just giving one of them Eye Rackie jet jockies the slip.

OME