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DaveG601XL
Joined: 27 Oct 2006
Posts: 351
Location: Cincinnati, Oh
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 Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 7:51 pm Post subject: Airworthiness Certification Is In hand!! |
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July 16, 2008 was a big day for my Zodiac 601XL. N554SG was granted it’s Special Airworthiness Certificate and made a very brief disassociation with the surly bonds of earth. But let’s back up a little bit. At Oshkosh 2006, I finally affirmed my much-delayed decision to build an experimental airplane. It was my 29th trip to Oshkosh and was about time to get the show on the road. I had a fairly complex decision tree based upon type of construction, seating arrangement, projected build times, flight envelope, company support, etc. The final arrangement was basically all metal, side-by-side, and meets the LSA specifications. I would have preferred a high wing, but the only one that even came close to my specifications was the CH701 and it was off on enough other specifications to miss the cut. The only two left were the Sonex and Zodiac 601XL. The RANS S-19 and RV-12 could have been contenders were not out yet at that time. Sitting in the Sonex was not very comfortable for me, plus the wife nixed it on looks alone. Although the 601XL is not the sexiest airplane alive, it seemed to fit me pretty well (not an easy task at 6’00”, 240LB) and had a decent useful load with the right engine and equipment. On September 16, 2006 I went to a rudder workshop in Mexico, MO and got a demo ride with Nick. I was hooked and came home with the rest of the tail kit. I cleaned out the 2-car garage and began in earnest.
22 months and 780 logged labor hours later N554SG is considered to be airworthy by the FAA. It is unpainted, but has a basic polished finish with several passes of Nuvite F9. It is by no means a ‘show’ polish, but will do for now. Fiberglass painting and some trim paint will come later. It is powered by a Jabiru 3300 and has in the panel a Dynon D180 EFIS/EMS, Garmin 296 GPS, ICOM IC-A200 comm, Garmin GTX327 transponder and a PSE PM-501 intercom. The empty weight came in at 749 pounds.
The registration took about 2 weeks from submission to the 8050-3 form in the mailbox. I live fairly close to my FSDO so I hand carried the certification application paperwork. An Inspector called me about 2 hours later and we scheduled an appointment six days out. The Inspector’s visit lasted just about an hour. He spent about 20+ minutes going over the airplane itself. There were three deficiencies during his inspection. The trim power connection decided to act up and was erratic so I needed to fix this. The ELT battery expiration dates were not labeled on the outside of the unit. I had labeled the remote unit battery expirations on it, but not the ELT batteries themselves. The third finding bothered me. I had made one of my elevator cables three times until I got it right. After all that, I forgot to put a cotter key on the clevis end castle nut. It troubled me because it was a stupid thing to have missed.
The rest of the time was spent going over paperwork. He read over my operating limitations document word-for-word. After each paragraph we discussed it’s intent. All was pretty straight forward, but there was one surprise. The exact wording of one paragraph is “During the flight testing phase, no person may be carried in this aircraft during flight unless that person is essential to the purpose of that flight.” On this and other forums, I have read the discussions that the overall consensus of various FAA Inspectors is a hard line opinion that no one other than the pilot is essential for any flights in the test period. None, Nada, end of story. My FSDO Inspector has a different view on this. For gross weight flights, he feels that sandbags have their own inherent dangers, including falling loose and jamming controls. He recommended that I consider a person in the passenger seat for those flights. He spelled out that if I chose that route, the purpose of the flight must be clear and that the person be briefed and understands that their purpose on that flight is as essential ballast and nothing more. Not a pleasure joy ride and not flight instruction.
It was a very pleasant and informative visit. Afterwards I buttoned up the inspection ports and put the cowling back on. It was a blistering 96 humid degrees out but I decided to put a few more taxi tests under my belt. All tests up to now were limited to around 40 MPH or so and with full nose down elevator. The first taxi was up to around 45 MPH and after I cut power, I neutralized the elevators to let the nose get a little light. The second was up to 50 MPH and I pulled nose wheel off the ground for a few seconds. The third and last taxi test was up to around 55 MPH and when I chopped to idle and pulled up a bit, I was a little startled by a quick liftoff to about three feet. It bounced a couple of times on the way back down and decided it was time to call it a day and tuck the airplane back in the hanger. I was getting a little overheated and not mentally ready for a purposeful first flight anyway. That will happen sometime in the next week, hopefully before I head up to Oshkosh with the camper.
My overall impressions of the 601XL and the Jabiru engine are very positive. The airframe build was very straightforward and factory support from Nick, Roger, Caleb or Shirley was prompt. There are some design aspects that I have had issues with, primarily the canopy. None are serious and are more on the aggravating side as far as trying to build and perfect. Pete, Mark, Dana and the rest of the team at Jabiru USA have been very helpful with their FWF class and continued support. My check ride in the CAMS Flight S-LSA 601XL verified honest flight characteristics. Of course its light wing loading shows every bump in the air, but is not out of line for this class of airplane. I am surprised with the ‘twitchiness’ of the nose wheel steering on the runway in my airplane. The CAMS 601XL was sensitive, but mine seems more so. Maybe it is because I am by myself and lightly loaded. Every time I look down at an instrument, it seems as though I am pointed towards the grass when I look back up. I find myself dancing on the pedals more than when I am landing a tail wheel Champ in a crosswind.
Pardon the long discourse, but I am pretty pumped. First flight will be soon.
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David Gallagher
Cincinnati, OH area |
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LHusky
Joined: 19 Jun 2008
Posts: 86
Location: Madras, Oregon
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| Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 8:02 pm Post subject: Airworthiness Certification Is In hand!! |
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Congrats Dave!!! I am hoping to be behind you within the next year. Keep us informed on the first flight!
Larry Husky
Madras, Oregon
In a message dated 7/16/2008 8:51:52 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, david.m.gallagher(at)ge.com writes:
| Quote: | --> Zenith601-List message posted by: "DaveG601XL" <david.m.gallagher(at)ge.com>
July 16, 2008 was a big day for my Zodiac 601XL. N554SG was granted it’s Special Airworthiness Certificate and made a very brief disassociation with the surly bonds of earth. But let’s back up a little bit. At Oshkosh 2006, I finally affirmed my much-delayed decision to build an experimental airplane. It was my 29th trip to Oshkosh and was about time to get the show on the road. I had a fairly complex decision tree based upon type of construction, seating arrangement, projected build times, flight envelope, company support, etc. The final arrangement was basically all metal, side-by-side, and meets the LSA specifications. I would have preferred a high wing, but the only one that even came close to my specifications was the CH701 and it was off on enough other specifications to miss the cut. The only two left were the Sonex and Zodiac 601XL. The RANS S-19 and RV-12 could have been contenders were not out yet at that time. Sitting in the Sonex was not very comfortable for me, plus the wife nixed it on looks alone. Although the 601XL is not the sexiest airplane alive, it seemed to fit me pretty well (not an easy task at 6’00â€, 240LB) and had a decent useful load with the right engine and equipment. On September 16, 2006 I went to a rudder workshop in Mexico, MO and got a demo ride with Nick. I was hooked and came home with the rest of the tail kit. I cleaned out the 2-car garage and began in earnest.
22 months and 780 logged labor hours later N554SG is considered to be airworthy by the FAA. It is unpainted, but has a basic polished finish with several passes of Nuvite F9. It is by no means a ‘show’ polish, but will do for now. Fiberglass painting and some trim paint will come later. It is powered by a Jabiru 3300 and has in the panel a Dynon D180 EFIS/EMS, Garmin 296 GPS, ICOM IC-A200 comm, Garmin GTX327 transponder and a PSE PM-501 intercom. The empty weight came in at 749 pounds.
The registration took about 2 weeks from submission to the 8050-3 form in the mailbox. I live fairly close to my FSDO so I hand carried the certification application paperwork. An Inspector called me about 2 hours later and we scheduled an appointment six days out. The Inspector’s visit lasted just about an hour. He spent about 20+ minutes going over the airplane itself. There were three deficiencies during his inspection. The trim power connection decided to act up and was erratic so I needed to fix this. The ELT battery expiration dates were not labeled on the outside of the unit. I had labeled the remote unit battery expirations on it, but not the ELT batteries themselves. The third finding bothered me. I had made one of my elevator cables three times until I got it right. After all that, I forgot to put a cotter key on the clevis end castle nut. It troubled me because it was a stupid thing to have missed.
The rest of the time was spent going over paperwork. He read over my operating limitations document word-for-word. After each paragraph we discussed it’s intent. All was pretty straight forward, but there was one surprise. The exact wording of one paragraph is “During the flight testing phase, no person may be carried in this aircraft during flight unless that person is essential to the purpose of that flight.†On this and other forums, I have read the discussions that the overall consensus of various FAA Inspectors is a hard line opinion that no one other than the pilot is essential for any flights in the test period. None, Nada, end of story. My FSDO Inspector has a different view on this. For gross weight flights, he feels that sandbags have their own inherent dangers, including falling loose and jamming controls. He recommended that I consider a person in the passenger seat for those flights. He spelled out that if I chose that route, the purpose of the flight must be clear and that the person be briefed and understands that their purpose on that flight is as essential ballast and nothing more. Not a pleasure joy ride and not flight instruction.
It was a very pleasant and informative visit. Afterwards I buttoned up the inspection ports and put the cowling back on. It was a blistering 96 humid degrees out but I decided to put a few more taxi tests under my belt. All tests up to now were limited to around 40 MPH or so and with full nose down elevator. The first taxi was up to around 45 MPH and after I cut power, I neutralized the elevators to let the nose get a little light. The second was up to 50 MPH and I pulled nose wheel off the ground for a few seconds. The third and last taxi test was up to around 55 MPH and when I chopped to idle and pulled up a bit, I was a little startled by a quick liftoff to about three feet. It bounced a couple of times on the way back down and decided it was time to call it a day and tuck the airplane back in the hanger. I was getting a little overheated and not mentally ready for a purposeful first flight anyway. That will happen sometime in the next week, hopefully before I head up to Oshkosh with the camper.
My overall impressions of the 601XL and the Jabiru engine are very positive. The airframe build was very straightforward and factory support from Nick, Roger, Caleb or Shirley was prompt. There are some design aspects that I have had issues with, primarily the canopy. None are serious and are more on the aggravating side as far as trying to build and perfect. Pete, Mark, Dana and the rest of the team at Jabiru USA have been very helpful with their FWF class and continued support. My check ride in the CAMS Flight S-LSA 601XL verified honest flight characteristics. Of course its light wing loading shows every bump in the air, but is not out of line for this class of airplane. I am surprised with the ‘twitchiness’ of the nose wheel steering on the runway in my airplane. The CAMS 601XL was sensitive, but mine seems more so. Maybe it is because I am by myself and lightly loaded. Every time I look down at an instrument, it seems as though I am pointed towards the grass when I look back up. I find myself dancing on the pedals more than when I am landing a tail wheel Champ in a crosswind.
Pardon the long discourse, but I am pretty pumped. First flight will be soon.
--------
David Gallagher
601 XL, ready to fly.
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Gig Giacona
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 1416
Location: El Dorado Arkansas USA
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| Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 5:47 am Post subject: Re: Airworthiness Certification Is In hand!! |
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Congratulations Dave!!!
Thanks for the in-depth report. As I begin to see the light at the end of this tunnel I've been in since 2002 I realize that the inspection process is the one thing I haven't spent that much time thinking about.
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W.R. "Gig" Giacona
601XL Under Construction
See my progress at www.peoamerica.net/N601WR |
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Ron Lendon
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 685
Location: Clinton Twp., MI
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| Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 4:33 pm Post subject: Re: Airworthiness Certification Is In hand!! |
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Congratulations Dave!
I think I like the logic of your Inspector.
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Ron Lendon
WW Corvair with Roy's Garage 5th bearing
CH 601 XLB
N601LT - Flying
http://www.mykitlog.com/rlendon
Corvair Engine Prints:
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kmccune
Joined: 22 Sep 2007
Posts: 577
Location: Wisconsin, USA
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| Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 6:44 pm Post subject: Re: Airworthiness Certification Is In hand!! |
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SWEET!
Tail winds!
Kevin
do not archive!
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“Always do what you are afraid to do.”
R.W. Emerson (1803-1882)
"Real freedom is the sustained act of being an individual." WW - 2009
"Life is a good deal...it's worth it" Feb 1969
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cookwithgas
Joined: 06 Nov 2007
Posts: 159
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| Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 4:44 am Post subject: Re: Airworthiness Certification Is In hand!! |
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Dave:
Well done. Flying the 601XL by yourself is a great experience but very different from when you have a passenger. After I land by myself, I have to slow down quickly or take-off right away because it wants to fishtail and wander on the runway - I suspect because we are so light just the plane and me. When I have a passenger, it doesn't want to do this. I guess it has never been safe to drive a three-wheeler at 60 MPH or so. I do my base and final at 80 mph and let her settle at about 60 then cut power and apply brakes a little. I can lock up the tires if I'm not careful.
On takeoff I pull back on the yoke ever so slightly at 60 MPH, then push back a little forward after becoming airborne because she will try to point straight up if I don't. I've hit the tail once and don't want to do that again.
Your airplane looks great - congratulations!
Scott Laughlin, PE, PMP, PIC!
601XL/Corvair
Omaha, Nebraska
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DaveG601XL
Joined: 27 Oct 2006
Posts: 351
Location: Cincinnati, Oh
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| Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 5:50 am Post subject: Re: Airworthiness Certification Is In hand!! |
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Scott,
Thanks for the tips. One question, is your pattern and landing with flaps down or up??
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David Gallagher
Cincinnati, OH area |
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cookwithgas
Joined: 06 Nov 2007
Posts: 159
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| Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 11:11 am Post subject: Re: Airworthiness Certification Is In hand!! |
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Dave:
At the numbers on downwind, I slow to 80 MPH with pitch and reduce throttle for a 500fpm decent approximately. At this time I add two seconds of flaps or 1/3 travel and trim up for relaxed yoke pressure - carb heat is on at this time. Corvair RPM is around 1800 to 2000.
I maintain 80 MPH until flare. I turn base at 45 deg. off the corner and add two more seconds of flaps and more up-trim. On final I put in the last two seconds of flaps for full flaps and maintain 80 MPH over the numbers with pitch. At this time I am in full up elevator trim.
I use the throttle to control altitude and pitch to hold 80 MPH. Flaps come up after touching down and elevator trim is cleaned up and carb heat is removed. If I decide to keep going I go to full throttle, hard left rudder and pull back slightly at 60 MPH and I'm in the air again. I get a kick out of it every time I do this.
I hope this helps,
Scott Laughlin
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ter_turn(at)yahoo.com
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| Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 12:17 pm Post subject: Airworthiness Certification Is In hand!! |
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Scott, are you using your LRI and if so, is it calibrated? Just curious.
Terry Turnquist
cookwithgas <cookwithgas(at)hotmail.com> wrote:[quote] --> Zenith601-List message posted by: "cookwithgas"
Dave:
At the numbers on downwind, I slow to 80 MPH with pitch and reduce throttle for a 500fpm decent approximately. At this time I add two seconds of flaps or 1/3 travel and trim up for relaxed yoke pressure - carb heat is on at this time. Corvair RPM is around 1800 to 2000.
I maintain 80 MPH until flare. I turn base at 45 deg. off the corner and add two more seconds of flaps and more up-trim. On final I put in the last two seconds of flaps for full flaps and maintain 80 MPH over the numbers with pitch. At this time I am in full up elevator trim.
I use the throttle to control [quote][b]
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fderfler(at)gmail.com
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| Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 4:07 am Post subject: Airworthiness Certification Is In hand!! |
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Scott's description below is exactly how it works in the AMD-made version with the Lycoming.
I'd like to say that I'm a little slower over the numbers, but I'm probably not unless it's a short field.
I've taken it into X01, Everglades City, many times. X01 is 2400' by 50' and been comfortable as soon as I got over my own "width perception" problem. (Did the downwind in way too close)
Frank Derfler
Florida Keys
See my new Novel, "A Glint in Time" at http://GreatGuyBooks.com.
See my discussion of All the Guy Toys that aren't (clearly) illegal or (blatantly) immoral at http://mostlyflying.com
Pilots: See me at www.flyinflorida.com
Guys: See www.greatguybooks.com -------------------------------------------------------
At the numbers on downwind, I slow to 80 MPH with pitch and reduce throttle for
a 500fpm decent approximately. At this time I add two seconds of flaps or 1/3
travel and trim up for relaxed yoke pressure - carb heat is on at this time.
Corvair RPM is around 1800 to 2000.
I maintain 80 MPH until flare. I turn base at 45 deg. off the corner and add two
more seconds of flaps and more up-trim. On final I put in the last two seconds
of flaps for full flaps and maintain 80 MPH over the numbers with pitch.
At this time I am in full up elevator trim.
I use the throttle to control altitude and pitch to hold 80 MPH. Flaps come up
after touching down and elevator trim is cleaned up and carb heat is removed.
If I decide to keep going I go to full throttle, hard left rudder and pull
back slightly at 60 MPH and I'm in the air again. I get a kick out of it every
time I do this.
I hope this helps,
Scott Laughlin
--
[quote][b]
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cookwithgas
Joined: 06 Nov 2007
Posts: 159
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| Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 3:17 am Post subject: Re: Airworthiness Certification Is In hand!! |
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Terry:
The LRI works great. I installed it with approximately a 45 deg angle and the printed gauge face was an approximate also. Luckily it worked the first time out without adjustment. I have heard the same from others so the calibration does not need to be exact I'm guessing for it to give good readings. The thing works great. I use it mostly on climb out so I can feel safe that I'm not about to stall when climbing steep. Every time I practiced stalls, I watched the LRI so I'd know when I was about to break over. I even used it on my SP practical exam flight.
Today I'm going to take my wife and daughters up in the airplane for the first time. Also my neighbor who watched me build the entire airplane and helped me many times. Another long-awaited day has arrived. The weather is perfect with a light wind right down the runway at 200. Let's go flying!
Scott.
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