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ShawnM

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Everything posted by ShawnM

  1. Happy New Year everyone, may you all have a great 2022.
  2. I'll bet it's because the two bladed prop was never dynamically balanced. Many people don't have their prop balanced and it will definitely make a huge difference. I used to think my 3 blade Woodcomp was smooth until I had a friend of mine hook it up to his fancy Dynavibe prop balancer. Wow, what a difference a balanced prop makes. I was blown away how much smoother my prop was.
  3. And Bob is the one who turned me on to the Mothers paint care products. I absolutely love the stuff. As I said before I have probably 5 or more coats of the Ceramic CMX coating on the plane. After every flight Ginger gets her sponge bath. I just use a soft terry cloth towel (it's a large bath towel cut in pieces) and clean water to wipe the plane down. I then dry it with another dry part of the same towel I cut up. Maybe every other flight I use the Mothers Instant Detailer. Here's a link to what Bob recommended to me in another post: (this stuff is amazing as well) As for water intrusion, try to minimize it as much as possible. Will you get caught in the rain sometime? Of course, that'll happen but as Bob said when you are cruising at 120 knots most of it will blow off. You see what it did to Bob's fuel senders. There are also two steel pins that hold the horizontal stabilizer in place and need to be lubed every year at your annual condition inspection when you remove it. I've seen those rusted to the point the owner had to pry the stabilizer off. Long story short, keep the plane as dry as possible.
  4. What you see in the wing lockers is normal with time. Yours appear to have not been opened in A LONG TIME either given there's mold growing on the door. Dilute some bleach with water in a spray bottle and spray everything down. As Bob stated (RTK) just clean the old glue off the sides of the wing lockers and re-glue. You can get some 3M Spray 90 at the big box stores and re-glue it. An even better way is to use contact cement. Good as new. I cringed when I saw you taxiing around in the rain, the plane is not weather proof at all and water will get in the wings and other places if you are not careful. There are places in the wings and tail that you don't want to get wet. I have only washed my plane once with a hose right after I bought it 8 years ago and have never washed it with a hose since and never will. Big mistake in my opinion as water will get in places you don't want it and bad things will happen. You have heard of "rust" yes? I can attest to the Mothers Ceramic Coating, that stuff is magic and leaves an amazing shine on the paint. Not sure what it'll do on your vinyl stickers but it's magic on paint. I have about 5 coats on my plane now and the plane is even faster than before.
  5. I was gonna suggest to have them 3D printed but I'm not a fan of how the finished 3D printed parts look but by wrapping them in vinyl that covers up the "look" I'd wanna hide. Turned out great. I'm still shocked that your plane didn't have the flat mounts molded into the wingtip like mine and other legacy SportCruisers. You'll love the new lights and glad you ditched to "old school" Kuntzleman lights. Great upgrade.
  6. Hi Toryn and glad to hear everything is going as planned. I'm still working on the light mounts as they are turning out a bit more difficult that I had thought. Getting the curve of the wingtip into CAD has been tricky but I'm close........I think. I'm not used to machining 3D compound curves but it has been an adventure. How your plane ended up without any flat mount is still a mystery to me.
  7. Awesome news Will and congratulations on the purchase and your safe trip home. Now the fun REALLY begins. Let us know if you have questions on the avionics but first and foremost get started on the E-LSA paperwork with your local DAR. This will make the avionics upgrades hassle free. Feel free to reach out to me anytime if you need any help. Enjoy your new plane!!!
  8. Hi Will, thanks for the pic as it helps. I see a few things that are not factory and are questionable. Look at my pic below, there are 4 circles/ovals on the right side that jump out at me. The items I circled were not done by the factory and need to be investigated. The top one on the right is a 110v A/C plug. If there's any engine heater on the plane it's not authorized. The other wiring is certainly questionable and was not installed by the factory. The small circle on the left is just to point out the the overflow line from the expansion tank to the overflow bottle is pinched pretty good with a wire tie and it needs to be cut off the overflow line. As for SA-SC-012 and SB-SC-048, are there log book entries? The fuel line arrangement can be done with off the shelf parts, you are just adding a Andair check valve to the fuel line arrangement. The firewall stiffener kit was provided free of charge by CSA when it first came out. This is a factory part and can only come from the factory. There may be stock in Utah since they break a lot of NLG's there. Give me a call anytime tomorrow and we can talk if you need to.
  9. Before it was genuine rotax teflon fuel line it was genuine rotax rubber fuel line and that's why the 5 year rubber was invented. If you have a newer 912 they now come with teflon hoses.
  10. Welcome WhiskyPapa and congrats on the plane. I hope all goes well with it. Sounds like the plane is almost in order, there are a few SB's that will need addressing that came after May of 2017. First, as FlyAgain stated, VISUALLY VERIFY the return line is actually there and don't go by serial numbers. Make sure the log entry is there as well. There other little things are changes to the POH and CG that need to be in your logbook and there are SB's for them. As Mel stated LSA's have never been "airworthy" and don't let any A&P write that in your logbook. Find a LSRM who knows how to write logbook entries for light sport aircraft. That said, here's my 2¢.....get a current condition inspection and immediately do the E-LSA conversion. The closer the two are together the easier it'll be according to two different DAR's I've used here in Florida. Here's what I think you'll need: of course you'll need a new rocket, the chute is good for now and will pass an inspection. Worry about it next October. You do not need ADS-B to pass a condition inspection, leave the current transponder as-is, you can use it later with many ADS-B options after you are E-LSA you will need to get the transponder inspected as this is required every two years. You local avionics shop can do this for about $125, put the certification sticker they give you in the aircraft logbook The Rotax TBO, not an issue, you go "on condition" at 2000 hours or 15 years, you are not required to overhaul the engine. When you are ready to upgrade the panel, you can fit Dynon HDX 10" screens in the legacy, shorter instrument panels. I've personally made a set of panels for this. You don't need to worry about parts or lead times to get the plane ready to pass a condition inspection. You are almost there. Have a look at the publications page for the SportCruiser and you can see the list of SA's and SB's that apply to your aircraft. Here's a link: https://cruiseraircraft.cz/tech-publications/?tp=1 Most of them wont apply, if you need help sorting through them let me know, I'll be glad to help you navigate them. There are 2 AD's that actually effect your aircraft, typically AD's are for certified, GA aircraft but there is equipment on your LSA that is affected. One is the ignition switch, which is probably already in compliance. A simple check of the back of the ignition switch will tell you. CSA issued a SB for this in October of 2019 and the details are in the SB. The other is the ELT if you have the Ameriking AK-450. If it'll pass an ELT inspection you can still use it but it'll be something you'll want to consider upgrading in the future. Do the bare minimum to get the condition inspection completed and then get the paperwork ready for the E-LSA conversion. The plane has to be in the same configuration it came from the factory to have the DAR sign off on the E-LSA conversion and have a current condition inspection. Not every DAR can do the conversion so you'll need to find one in your area who can do this. I can help you with this also. Hope this info that I and others has helped and let us know if you need any more help or have other questions.
  11. My bad, I was recommending 6061 if you were just replacing the end of the tank. In my opinion that's not a tight radius on the nose of the tank but if you are worried then another common option is 5052 as it may be easier to find than 5053. I use 5052 on instrument panels when I have to bend a 90 in the material as a stiffener at the bottom. 6061 will crack if you bend a tight radius or a 90 in it. Either way I'm sure you could source it locally rather than waiting on Spruce. Just use a steel pipe as the mandrel that has the same radius as the tank and form it over that for the radius. The rest is easy. This comment must have been meant for another member. ???
  12. There are several metal suppliers in the Greenville area, just call one of them and order a sheet locally. You'll have it tomorrow. 6061 is very common.
  13. Since you are experimental I'd strongly suggest fabricating your own tank. There's no telling how long you'd wait for a tank and you'll need a second mortgage to pay their exorbitant price for one. Where are the pin holes? In the welds at the ends? Cut off the end of the tank squarely just past the welds and fabricate a new end plate and weld it on fresh. Just my 2¢
  14. Good luck with that. The office in Florida has been closed for months if not a year now. Some parts come out of Utah and if they don’t have it you’ll wait many months for it to come from the factory in the Czech Republic. I don’t have the contact info for the folks in Utah but hopefully someone else will chime in here and share it. What exactly are you looking for? Not all parts are SportCruiser specific.
  15. I certainly understand your being hesitant as it's a large purchase of something unfamiliar. This is why I cant stress enough to have someone look at it who knows the plane and what to look for. Starting with the log books will at least give you a go/no head start. My guess is he tried to sell and had no takers and pulled it from the market. Now the ad says "must sell, health reason". The seller is in his mid 70's and may need to move on now. He was asking $62K for it just about a year ago so the price has barely changed. Depending on the damage history I'd say this price is very negotiable in my opinion if he really "needs" to sell. Again, start with the log books and go from there. Good luck.
  16. Did YOU contact the owner? Ask to see a copy of the logbooks. As noted in this topic it has damage history but without seeing the logbooks it's hard to know what work was done and by whom. The accident report states "substantial damage" but what exactly was damaged? That said it's a well outfitted legacy SportCruiser. It's hard to believe that it only has 175 hours on it. The ad also states that it was "changed to E-LSA" but the FAA still lists it as S-LSA so I'd ask for some paperwork on this as well and explain to the seller that the FAA still has it listed as a S-LSA. I wouldn't think it's a lemon as every plane has it's own issues. With 175 hours it's barely broken it and has a lot of life left depending on the damage history. If you are considering it just do your homework and have it looked at by someone who knows SportCruisers, not just anyone. I'd be glad to look over the logbooks with you if you get them. I'd have a lot of questions for the seller.
  17. Welcome to the forum Doc and a big thank you for your service to our country. And welcome "back" to aviation. I see you bought a plane from "West Texas" in your other post, were you fortunate enough to buy Steve's 2008 SportCruiser? Whichever one you bought you're gonna love the plane and it's a joy to get out and fly. She's gonna feel a lot more "sporty" than aircraft you've flown in the past. Good luck and enjoy and if you ever have any questions we are all here to help you.
  18. Are you talking about the RV-12 or maybe the Evektor Sportstar? There are a few and I know exactly what you are thinking.
  19. Exactly, who cares how long it takes, you're flying the journey, right? I sort of agree with you on the last comment, I don't like the look of the nose of the Bristell, the SportCruiser is way sexier. Milan was on the right path and they say imitation is the best form of flattery. (he got close enough)
  20. Welcome Trc1969. I do hope you get to fly and if it's LSA then so be it. My SportCruiser fits my mission perfectly flying around Florida. Your mission sounds a little different than than mine so you'll have to determine if a LSA fits the mission. Flying from eastern Kentucky to Florida is certainly doable in a LSA....it'll just take a bit longer than if you were in a SR22.
  21. Thanks for the kind words Mike, just trying to pay it forward where I can. With SNF back on let me know if you decide to come down again for the show.
  22. I know Connie had a legacy SportCruiser and then traded that in a few years ago for a newer one. I can't remember what year she has now but it's newer. I don't know the other person with the PiperSport. Yup, the GDL-88 ADS-B out could easily be removed, leaving the wiring and then you could convert to E-LSA and then just plug it back in. Not a big deal. I've only seen pics of the plane and have a copy of the log books for review. As for the price, I would offer less than they are asking given the hours on the plane. Both DAR's I know are in the Central Florida area so that'll make the conversion very easy.
  23. Hi Stan, I've been to your airport a few times and know a few residents there. Great grass stip, one of the nicest around. There was a SportCruiser based there, maybe she sold it. I'll reach out to her. I know the PiperSport you are looking at. I just went over it with another possible buyer. It has A LOT of hours on it so price in a new or overhauled engine in 3-5 years (depending on how much you fly). The plane is still an S-LSA and the ADS-B out is not legal as there was no LOA issued for it. It was installed by a local avionics shop who didn't know any better. Not a big deal but just know it's not legal. Converting to E-LSA is a piece of cake and I have 2 DAR's here in Florida to help you with it. Not to worry. The firewall reinforcement kit is good to have and if you are going to operate it mostly at Leeward then a stronger NLG might be a worthy investment. This covid stuff is a pain and I would love to fly in one day to meet up and show you my plane and go for a flight.
  24. Hi Stan and welcome. The PiperSport and SportCruiser (it's the exact same plane only badged differently) are wonderful planes to own and fly. My recommendation is to convert the plane you purchase to E-LSA right from the start. It'll save you many headaches in the long run. Support is basically non existent from the factory. Not that you really need it anyway. All manuals and documents can be found on their website. When Cruiser Aircraft was here in Florida they did a pretty good job getting parts but it took time if they didn't stock it. "Slow boat to China" mean anything? They have moved parts to Utah and the only knowledge I have of their operation is from those who I have talked with that have tried to order parts. It was slow going during the transition but I hear they are doing a little better know. You may want to call them and talk with the parts department and see if they are running at 100% now. This is the second bankruptcy now for CZAW/CSA/CA and since they are a foreign company who really knows how stable the foundation is. New sales have been very, very slow since about 2016. The used market is doing pretty good as the planes are popular. I love mine. It's a solid plane, very fun to own and fly and I don't even think twice about the factory or parts. The worst case scenario is you'll need a NLG one day , hopefully not. All the consumables are easy to source as none of them come from CSA. Brakes, tires, tubes, engine parts and engine consumables are very easy to source. As for the Rotax 912, parts and service are a short flight away in Sebring at Lockwood. Never a worry. Leaving your Archer and stepping into a SportCruiser will be night and day. They will probably fly similar but the SportCruiser will be like flying a sportscar compared to a jalopy. Not sure how fast an Archer is but you can expect 110-120 knots from the SportCruiser sipping 5 gallons and hour. The avionics, well I don't need to go there. Have you ever flown behind the legacy Dynon glass? Still great avionics. Have you flown a SportCruiser yet? Where are you in "Central Florida"? If you ever make it to the greater Tampa area there are several of them in the area and we are all members of the forum. I'm sure a demo flight from any of us will be a non issue. We even have a CFI on here. If you ever find yourself over in the greater Tampa area let me know.
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