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Lightning- Canopy // Going Topless

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cdewey6969(at)yahoo.com
Guest

Posted: Mon May 28, 2007 8:34 pm Post subject: Lightning- Canopy // Going Topless

Buzz, or anyone else out there: is it possible to fly

the Lightning without the Canopy? Just curious, as I

thought it might be fun to get some wind on the noggin

for a quick spin around the pasture!  Charles

--- N1BZRich(at)aol.com wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   Jim,

     I have two GRTs in my airplane, so I am biased,

 but  I have flown two 

 airplanes with the Dynon - one was the small version

  and the other was the large 

 EFIS.  I have about ten hours behind the large 

 screen EFIS, as it is in the 

 Zenith Zodiac XL that our EAA chapter built and I 

 put the first ten hours on 

 that airplane.  Having said that, the large  screen

 Dynon does not seem 

 sluggish in the air as the smaller one  did.  So

 that is a good thing.  (Note, none 

 of the four or so  airplanes I have flown with the

 GRTs have ever seemed 

 sluggish.)   

 Here is a run down on my thoughts on the two:

 -The two Dynons that I flew behind do not seem to

 have near the bright  

 colors (and not as many colors) that I see on the

 GRTs.  

 -The GRTs don't seem to fade in bright sun near as

 much as the Dynon.  

 -When looking cross cockpit, it is easy to see the

 GRT, not so the Dynon -  

 it is kind of faded.  However, one person that flew

 in my airplane had a  hard 

 time seeing the screens.  We later found out he had

 strong UV  sunglasses.  

 Did that make a difference?  I don't know, but of

 the 75  plus people that I 

 have flown in 31BZ, he is the only one that said he

 had a  hard time seeing the 

 GRT displays.

 -The Dynon does not have near the "fun things" that

 my GRTs do - built  in 

 GPS, constant wind information hi-way in the sky

 steering to a synthetic  

 approach (that one is super), terrain and tower

 warning, color coded terrain  map, 

 density altitude, G meter, OAT, TAS, ground speed,

 it talks to the auto  pilot 

 for steering to a way point, etc. etc.  The ability

 to display all  engine 

 numbers graphically.  The ability to split screen

 with flight  instruments and 

 several different map modes or engine numbers.  Etc.

  etc.

 -For an extra $1500 you can also get XM weather and

 radio on the GRT - so  

 you don't need to buy a Garmin 396 or 496 for

 something over $2000.  And  the 

 GRT has a bigger screen than the Garmin.

 -The Dynon I have been using does have TAS, OAT, G

 meter and density  

 altitude, but you can not display all at the same

 time.  Either  that or I don't know 

 how to get all the info to display at the same 

 time.  

 -The Dynon does have lots of other things that I

 think is basically  

 "useless".  But then maybe some people want their

 EFIS to tell them the  phonetic 

 alphabet, or what the tower light signals mean, etc.

   

     As to the Advanced Flight Systems, I have only

 seen  it in 

 advertisements.  It sounds good.  However, I know

 nothing about  the company and how long 

 they have  been around.  

     Please forgive me if it seems that I am running 

 down the Dynon, but I am 

 just calling it like I see it.  I know the GRT 

 costs more, but you get so 

 much more.  Also, there is now the Sport version  of

 the GRT which is less.  So, 

 read up on what is available, what each  system

 costs, fly behind both if you 

 can, and look at each at OSH.  Decide  on what

 features are important and do 

 your cost analysis.  That is what I  did, and

 decided on the GRT.  Your 

 mileage may vary.

 Blue Skies,

 Buz

 

 

 

 ************************************** See what's

 free at http://www.aol.com.

 


	


       

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N1BZRich(at)AOL.COM
Guest

Posted: Mon May 28, 2007 9:13 pm Post subject: Lightning- Canopy // Going Topless

In a message dated 5/29/2007 12:35:33 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  cdewey6969(at)yahoo.com writes:

  	  Quote: 	
		  is it    possible to fly

the Lightning without the Canopy? 	


 

 Hi Charles,

     Possible?  Maybe, but certainly not  practicable.  And I would not want to be the one to try it.  The  Lightning has a one piece "molded to shape" canopy meaning it is the windscreen  and the blended shape that completes the low drag  fuselage.  Without it in place the drag curve would be tremendous and the  baggage compartment would act like a drag chute.  I suppose one could  fashion the canopy with an opening over your head to get that "open cockpit"  feeling, but you would have to make the rest of the canopy shape much thicker in  order to retain the rigidity.  You would lose lots of speed.  Some  really fast ocean race boats use canopies off of  F-16s and some of those  have openings above the crews heads to aid egress in case of roll overs.   But remember these boats generally run around 100 or less during a race.   If you are looking for the "open cockpit" experience, there are lots of other  experimental and store bought airplanes out there to chose from.  I had an  open cockpit single seat Pitts Special (N1BZ) for 29 years and it was one of the  most fun airplanes I have ever flown.  Just sold it a year ago this  month.  After finishing N31BZ, the Pitts just wasn't getting used  as much as it should have been, so I sold it.  But I sure do miss it.

 Blue Skies,

 Buz

     

  



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