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Lynn Matteson

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 2778
Location: Grass Lake, Michigan

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 2:20 pm Post subject: Ski report...flying

I couldn't  stand not flying today, so I sucked it up and went out. I  

was a bit reluctant because I woke up a t 3 am, couldn't get back to  

sleep, and figured by 11 am or so, that I probably was too pooped to  

participate. Got an hours' rest and the pretty clear sky and calming  

winds...only 20 mph at altitude....told me this was my only shot for  

at least 3-4 days, what with below zero coming (yeah, I know, I'm a  

wimp, Leonard) for the next 3 days and a storm promised. I got  

airborne without much of a problem, circled the field and came back  

in. Wind was pretty much down the 27 runway...I cleared the trees to  

the east, landed pretty short, felt it become real normal and slow,   

then powered it up and took right off again, using less than half the  

1700' field for the landing, the roll-out and the takeoff. Flew it  

over to Napoleon Airport (3NP), landed on 33 there...wind was  

favoring that one over there. I went into the restaurant, and seeing  

nobody ready the hang a laurel wreath on me for valor, I left and  

went back up. I saw some snow headed my way on both sides of the  

plane, so figured I'd better beat it back home.

So three landings in the book, the plane works beautifully with these  

skis....I was plowing through the fresh snow at 2100 rpm, much better  

than the old "cheese slicer" models. Boy, the guy who built those  

must've been a damn photographer in another life.



  



I hope these aren't too large...1.9 megs worth...if they bounce, I'll  

separate them....

On Jan 13, 2009, at 1:57 PM, Noel Loveys wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   



 Ski reports on airplanes are hardly off topic....  when do we get  

 to see

 some pics???



 Noel

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_________________
Lynn
Kitfox IV-Jabiru 2200
N369LM

patreilly43(at)hotmail.co
Guest

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 3:10 pm Post subject: Ski report...flying

Lynn C Beautiful set of skis. Did you gas weld them? There are 2 brackets on the front tube. You used 1 for bungees. What is other 1 for? Did you heat the bottoms to curl the edges and the rear kickup? What is the orange piece sticking out of the bearing grease cap? I have bigger bush tires C I guess I could make a taller tower to accommodate them. I will have to have a set of axles made 3" longer so they will stick out the back of the mount. Thanks for the briefing and sorry to ask so many questions C but C again C those are beautiful skis that can be mounted very quickly. Do you have a tail wheel ski?



Pat Reilly

Mod 3 582 Rebuild

Rockford C IL





[quote] From: lynnmatt(at)jps.net

 Subject: Ski report...flying

 Date: Tue C 13 Jan 2009 17:07:11 -0500

 To: kitfox-list(at)matronics.com

 

 I couldn't stand not flying today C so I sucked it up and went out. I 

 was a bit reluctant because I woke up a t 3 am C couldn't get back to 

 sleep C and figured by 11 am or so C that I probably was too pooped to 

 participate. Got an hours' rest and the pretty clear sky and calming 

 winds...only 20 mph at altitude....told me this was my only shot for 

 at least 3-4 days C what with below zero coming (yeah C I know C I'm a 

 wimp C Leonard) for the next 3 days and a storm promised. I got 

 airborne without much of a problem C circled the field and came back 

 in. Wind was pretty much down the 27 runway...I cleared the trees to 

 the east C landed pretty short C felt it become real normal and slow C 

 then powered it up and took right off again C using less than half the 

 1700' field for the landing C the roll-out and the takeoff. Flew it 

 over to Napoleon Airport (3NP) C landed on 33 there...wind was 

 favoring that one over there. I went into the restaurant C and seeing 

 nobody ready the hang a laurel wreath on me for valor C I left and 

 went back up. I saw some snow headed my way on both sides of the 

 plane C so figured I'd better beat it back home.

 So three landings in the book C the plane works beautifully with these 

 skis....I was plowing through the fresh snow at 2100 rpm C much better 

 than the old "cheese slicer" models. Boy C the guy who built those 

 must've been a damn photographer in another life.

 

 

   	  Quote: 	
		  [b]

Paul A. Franz, P.E.

Joined: 02 Dec 2008
Posts: 280
Location: Bellevue WA

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 3:35 pm Post subject: Ski report...flying

On Tue, January 13, 2009 2:07 pm, Lynn Matteson wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   I hope these aren't too large...1.9 megs worth...if they bounce, I'll

 separate them....


	


These photos are great. I waited hours for them! More photos would be good too.



I've got a suggestion regarding photos. If you use the forum interface to this list it

is a fairly simple matter to post pictures. If you do that, you need not worry about

e-mailing photos that are too large. This is a good thing to do for a couple of

reasons. 1st, when you attach them, everyone on the list gets them via e-mail whether

or not they want to look at them. Secondly, when a photo or any attachment is e-mailed

it has to undergo some type of 7 bit encoding, either uuencoding or MIME base64. That

encoding process adds roughly 50% to the file size. And the other consideration is

that some e-mail servers have limits to the size of an e-mail it will accept. Some are

set to accept a total maximum size of 2 MB, many are limited to 10 MB. That would be

roughly 6.5 MB of actual pre-encoded material. The next consideration is to Matt

Dralle. He has asked politely in numerous locations that people post photos in the

space provided.



It's not very hard and you don't have to make a major project out of doing so either.



I will post a detailed step by step procedure if anyone would find that more useful

than the instructions already on the forum. So if just one person wants that I will do

that so it is as close to fool proof as possible.



-- 

Paul A. Franz

Registration/Aircraft - N14UW/Merlin GT

Engine/Prop - Rotax 914/NSI CAP

Bellevue WA

425.241.1618 Cell

_________________
Paul A. Franz, P.E.
Registration/Aircraft - N14UW/Merlin GT
Engine/Prop - Rotax 914/NSI CAP
Bellevue WA
425.241.1618 Cell
425.440.9505 Office

Lynn Matteson

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 2778
Location: Grass Lake, Michigan

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 3:52 pm Post subject: Ski report...flying

I used my new Miller TIG welder for all welds. The two brackets/tabs  

are both for bungees and the front restraint cables...I just haven't  

installed the redundant bungee/cable set yet. The same goes for the  

rear. And my CFI, Brian, won't see the skis until they are all in  

place...in fact, he won't hear of this flight until the cables are  

all in place. Others have said "they only use one set of cables and  

bungees up north"...well I ain't "up north" and I have to fix my own  

plane, so I'll go with the dual cables/bungees.



I wanted to get a test flight in before the weather locked me out for  

the next 3-4 days, so I went minimal on the cables for this flight.  

Yes, I used a propane torch to heat the 3/16" HDPE material so it  

would bend. The longer side bends were the toughest, as they tended  

to spring back...I would have needed another torch and possibly  

another person to facilitate this bending operation, but the tabs  

along the sides hold it in position, but there are "scallops" visible  

in the surface. The orange thing is a "stand-off" for the wheel  

pants...no point in removing it for the winter, in fact, I'd like to  

make a wheel cover that would bolt to this stand-off and maybe reduce  

the amount of snow that collects inside the wheel dish. No tail wheel  

ski...I heard that they can be a problem with aerodymanics, trying to  

make the tail do strange things, and I figured I didn't need that  

kind of grief.



Lynn Matteson

Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger

Jabiru 2200, #2062, 600.2 hrs

Sensenich 62x46

Electroair direct-fire ignition system

New skis done and flying





On Jan 13, 2009, at 6:08 PM, patrick reilly wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   Lynn, Beautiful set of skis. Did you gas weld them? There are 2  

 brackets on the front tube. You used 1 for bungees. What is other 1  

 for? Did you heat the bottoms to curl the edges and the rear  

 kickup? What is the orange piece sticking out of the bearing grease  

 cap? I have bigger bush tires, I guess I could make a taller tower  

 to accommodate them. I will have to have a set of axles made 3"  

 longer so they will stick out the back of the mount. Thanks for the  

 briefing and sorry to ask so many questions, but, again, those are  

 beautiful skis that can be mounted very quickly. Do you have a tail  

 wheel ski?



 Pat Reilly

 Mod 3 582 Rebuild

 Rockford, IL

_________________
Lynn
Kitfox IV-Jabiru 2200
N369LM

Float Flyr

Joined: 19 Jul 2006
Posts: 2704
Location: Campbellton, Newfoundland

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 3:53 pm Post subject: Ski report...flying

A real nice job Lynn.  How about a couple of close ups of the inside and

outside of the attach points.  Next year a look at the axles would be

appreciated too.



Noel



--

_________________
Noel Loveys
Kitfox III-A
Aerocet 1100 Floats

Lynn Matteson

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 2778
Location: Grass Lake, Michigan

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 4:04 pm Post subject: Ski report...flying

I'd appreciate the step-by-step, Paul. It's a pain for me to send  

photos because I'm on dial-up and the going is slow. I haven't gone  

to the forum interface, so it's possible I don't know how easy it is.  

I've got more photos, so easier posting would be a big help. And I'd  

rather not post the photos directly for those that are NOT members of  

my "fan club"  (ha, ha)...and to those of you out there that are not,  

why the hell not? : )

Lynn Matteson

Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger

Jabiru 2200, #2062, 600.2 hrs

Sensenich 62x46

Electroair direct-fire ignition system

New skis done and flying

do not archive

On Jan 13, 2009, at 6:35 PM, Paul Franz - Merlin GT wrote:

 	  Quote: 	

 <paul(at)eucleides.com>

 On Tue, January 13, 2009 2:07 pm, Lynn Matteson wrote:

> I hope these aren't too large...1.9 megs worth...if they bounce, I'll

> separate them....

 These photos are great. I waited hours for them! More photos would  

 be good too.

 I've got a suggestion regarding photos. If you use the forum  

 interface to this list it

 is a fairly simple matter to post pictures. If you do that, you  

 need not worry about

 e-mailing photos that are too large. This is a good thing to do for  

 a couple of

 reasons. 1st, when you attach them, everyone on the list gets them  

 via e-mail whether

 or not they want to look at them. Secondly, when a photo or any  

 attachment is e-mailed

 it has to undergo some type of 7 bit encoding, either uuencoding or  

 MIME base64. That

 encoding process adds roughly 50% to the file size. And the other  

 consideration is

 that some e-mail servers have limits to the size of an e-mail it  

 will accept. Some are

 set to accept a total maximum size of 2 MB, many are limited to 10  

 MB. That would be

 roughly 6.5 MB of actual pre-encoded material. The next  

 consideration is to Matt

 Dralle. He has asked politely in numerous locations that people  

 post photos in the

 space provided.

 It's not very hard and you don't have to make a major project out  

 of doing so either.

 I will post a detailed step by step procedure if anyone would find  

 that more useful

 than the instructions already on the forum. So if just one person  

 wants that I will do

 that so it is as close to fool proof as possible.

 -- 

 Paul A. Franz

 Registration/Aircraft - N14UW/Merlin GT

 Engine/Prop - Rotax 914/NSI CAP

 Bellevue WA

 425.241.1618 Cell

_________________
Lynn
Kitfox IV-Jabiru 2200
N369LM

gary.algate(at)sandvik.co
Guest

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 4:07 pm Post subject: Ski report...flying

Lynn 

When I flew up in N.Ontario everybody used a secondary bungee with a restraint cable front and back. I know its important because I landed with one broken as it evidently got damaged when I was taxiing thru a strong snow crust on take off. 

I also had a tail ski and although it made a fair difference to manoeuvring performance on snow I never noticed any issues in flight. Mine wasn't really "engineered" just an aluminum frame and a piece of teflon. Hell, my balls never in the centre anyway !!!!!! 

Gary

 Gary Algate

 Classic 4 jab 2200

 Office Phone: +61 8 8276 7655

 This e-mail is confidential and it is intended only for the addressees. Any review, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, kindly notify us immediately by telephone or e-mail and delete the message from your system. The sender does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this message which may arise as a result of the e-mail transmission.

 “This year, instead of sending you a Christmas card in the mail, we have made a contribution to [url=Arial]UNICEF Australia[/url]. We wish you a safe and happy Christmas". 

Lynn Matteson <lynnmatt(at)jps.net> 

Sent by: owner-kitfox-list-server(at)matronics.com 

14/01/2009 10:00 AM 

Please respond to

 kitfox-list(at)matronics.com     To

 kitfox-list(at)matronics.com   cc

    Subject

 Re: Ski report...flying 

--> Kitfox-List message posted by: Lynn Matteson <lynnmatt(at)jps.net>

 I used my new Miller TIG welder for all welds. The two brackets/tabs  

 are both for bungees and the front restraint cables...I just haven't  

 installed the redundant bungee/cable set yet. The same goes for the  

 rear. And my CFI, Brian, won't see the skis until they are all in  

 place...in fact, he won't hear of this flight until the cables are  

 all in place. Others have said "they only use one set of cables and  

 bungees up north"...well I ain't "up north" and I have to fix my own  

 plane, so I'll go with the dual cables/bungees.

 I wanted to get a test flight in before the weather locked me out for  

 the next 3-4 days, so I went minimal on the cables for this flight.  

 Yes, I used a propane torch to heat the 3/16" HDPE material so it  

 would bend. The longer side bends were the toughest, as they tended  

 to spring back...I would have needed another torch and possibly  

 another person to facilitate this bending operation, but the tabs  

 along the sides hold it in position, but there are "scallops" visible  

 in the surface. The orange thing is a "stand-off" for the wheel  

 pants...no point in removing it for the winter, in fact, I'd like to  

 make a wheel cover that would bolt to this stand-off and maybe reduce  

 the amount of snow that collects inside the wheel dish. No tail wheel  

 ski...I heard that they can be a problem with aerodymanics, trying to  

 make the tail do strange things, and I figured I didn't need that  

 kind of grief.

 Lynn Matteson

 Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger

 Jabiru 2200, #2062, 600.2 hrs

 Sensenich 62x46

 Electroair direct-fire ignition system

 New skis done and flying

 On Jan 13, 2009, at 6:08 PM, patrick reilly wrote:

 > Lynn, Beautiful set of skis. Did you gas weld them? There are 2  

 > brackets on the front tube. You used 1 for bungees. What is other 1  

 > for? Did you heat the bottoms to curl the edges and the rear  

 > kickup? What is the orange piece sticking out of the bearing grease  

 > cap? I have bigger bush tires, I guess I could make a taller tower  

 > to accommodate them. I will have to have a set of axles made 3"  

 > longer so they will stick out the back of the mount. Thanks for the  

 > briefing and sorry to ask so many questions, but, again, those are  

 > beautiful skis that can be mounted very quickly. Do you have a tail  

 > wheel ski?

 >

 > Pat Reilly

 > Mod 3 582 Rebuild

 > Rockford, IL

 >

 >

 >

 >

Lynn Matteson

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 2778
Location: Grass Lake, Michigan

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 4:22 pm Post subject: Ski report...flying

Not sure what you mean by the "inside and outside of the attach  

points", Noel...you mean the stub "axle" where the ski pivots? or the  

cable attach points?



Lynn Matteson

Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger

Jabiru 2200, #2062, 600.2 hrs

Sensenich 62x46

Electroair direct-fire ignition system

New skis done and flying

do not archive



On Jan 13, 2009, at 6:53 PM, Noel Loveys wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   



 A real nice job Lynn.  How about a couple of close ups of the  

 inside and

 outside of the attach points.  Next year a look at the axles would be

 appreciated too.



 Noel

_________________
Lynn
Kitfox IV-Jabiru 2200
N369LM

Lynn Matteson

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 2778
Location: Grass Lake, Michigan

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 4:28 pm Post subject: Ski report...flying

That's the exact reason that my CFI strongly suggested the second set.

I may try building a tail ski....if it's not too large, it probably  

wouldn't wreak havoc with the flight characteristics, I guess. It's  

worth a try.

Mine are dead center of the left-hand seat. : )

Lynn Matteson

Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger

Jabiru 2200, #2062, 600.2 hrs

Sensenich 62x46

Electroair direct-fire ignition system

New skis done and flying

On Jan 13, 2009, at 7:06 PM, gary.algate(at)sandvik.com wrote:

 	  Quote: 	

 Lynn

 When I flew up in N.Ontario everybody used a secondary bungee with  

 a restraint cable front and back. I know its important because I  

 landed with one broken as it evidently got damaged when I was  

 taxiing thru a strong snow crust on take off.

 I also had a tail ski and although it made a fair difference to  

 manoeuvring performance on snow I never noticed any issues in  

 flight. Mine wasn't really "engineered" just an aluminum frame and  

 a piece of teflon. Hell, my balls never in the centre anyway !!!!!!

 Gary

 Gary Algate

 Classic 4 jab 2200

 Office Phone: +61 8 8276 7655

 This e-mail is confidential and it is intended only for the  

 addressees. Any review, dissemination, distribution, or copying of  

 this message by persons or entities other than the intended  

 recipient is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error,  

 kindly notify us immediately by telephone or e-mail and delete the  

 message from your system. The sender does not accept liability for  

 any errors or omissions in the contents of this message which may  

 arise as a result of the e-mail transmission.

 “This year, instead of sending you a Christmas card in the mail, we  

 have made a contribution to UNICEF Australia. We wish you a safe  

 and happy Christmas".

 Lynn Matteson <lynnmatt(at)jps.net>

 Sent by: owner-kitfox-list-server(at)matronics.com

 14/01/2009 10:00 AM

 Please respond to

 kitfox-list(at)matronics.com

 To

 kitfox-list(at)matronics.com

 cc

 Subject

 Re: Ski report...flying

 I used my new Miller TIG welder for all welds. The two brackets/tabs

 are both for bungees and the front restraint cables...I just haven't

 installed the redundant bungee/cable set yet. The same goes for the

 rear. And my CFI, Brian, won't see the skis until they are all in

 place...in fact, he won't hear of this flight until the cables are

 all in place. Others have said "they only use one set of cables and

 bungees up north"...well I ain't "up north" and I have to fix my own

 plane, so I'll go with the dual cables/bungees.

 I wanted to get a test flight in before the weather locked me out for

 the next 3-4 days, so I went minimal on the cables for this flight.

 Yes, I used a propane torch to heat the 3/16" HDPE material so it

 would bend. The longer side bends were the toughest, as they tended

 to spring back...I would have needed another torch and possibly

 another person to facilitate this bending operation, but the tabs

 along the sides hold it in position, but there are "scallops" visible

 in the surface. The orange thing is a "stand-off" for the wheel

 pants...no point in removing it for the winter, in fact, I'd like to

 make a wheel cover that would bolt to this stand-off and maybe reduce

 the amount of snow that collects inside the wheel dish. No tail wheel

 ski...I heard that they can be a problem with aerodymanics, trying to

 make the tail do strange things, and I figured I didn't need that

 kind of grief.

 Lynn Matteson

 Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger

 Jabiru 2200, #2062, 600.2 hrs

 Sensenich 62x46

 Electroair direct-fire ignition system

 New skis done and flying

 On Jan 13, 2009, at 6:08 PM, patrick reilly wrote:

 > Lynn, Beautiful set of skis. Did you gas weld them? There are 2

 > brackets on the front tube. You used 1 for bungees. What is other 1

 > for? Did you heat the bottoms to curl the edges and the rear

 > kickup? What is the orange piece sticking out of the bearing grease

 > cap? I have bigger bush tires, I guess I could make a taller tower

 > to accommodate them. I will have to have a set of axles made 3"

 > longer so they will stick out the back of the mount. Thanks for the

 > briefing and sorry to ask so many questions, but, again, those are

 > beautiful skis that can be mounted very quickly. Do you have a tail

 > wheel ski?

 >

 > Pat Reilly

 > Mod 3 582 Rebuild

 > Rockford, IL

 >

 >

 >

 >

 www.matronics.com/contribution _- 

 ============================================================

_________________
Lynn
Kitfox IV-Jabiru 2200
N369LM

lcfitt(at)sbcglobal.net
Guest

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 5:00 pm Post subject: Ski report...flying

Lynn,



My old gone airplane had hubcaps.  That is the only thing I still have as I 

found that they didn't measurably affect performance and they were just in 

the way when I  needed to top up the air pressure so I took them off.  I 

still have them if you want them.  I attached them by gluing an aliminum 

flange over the wheel hub and putting three nutplates in the appropriate 

position around the hub.  come to think of it, it was the flange that was a 

pain when trying to check pressures.  If you want to make your own, I used 

one of my wife's frying pan lids as a female mold.  A little bit of PVA 

release agent sprayed on them and presto a very nice moon type hubcap.  My 

advice to those who's wife doesn't leave the house for days at a time for 

work, get permission or be real careful you don't get caught or you may get 

"the look" or worse.



Lowell

---

Float Flyr

Joined: 19 Jul 2006
Posts: 2704
Location: Campbellton, Newfoundland

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 5:04 pm Post subject: Ski report...flying

That's the ones.

BTW what do you use to manipulate your photos?  Trying to remember the Apple

equivalent in I-Life.  It is possible to reduce the size of the pictures

without cropping to make them easier to zap out on phone lines.

Noel



--

_________________
Noel Loveys
Kitfox III-A
Aerocet 1100 Floats

akflyer

Joined: 07 May 2007
Posts: 574
Location: Soldotna AK

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 5:05 pm Post subject: Re: Ski report...flying

[quote="Lynn Matteson"]That's the exact reason that my CFI strongly suggested the second set.

I may try building a tail ski....if it's not too large, it probably  

wouldn't wreak havoc with the flight characteristics, I guess. It's  

worth a try.

Mine are dead center of the left-hand seat. : )



Lynn Matteson

Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger

Jabiru 2200, #2062, 600.2 hrs

Sensenich 62x46

Electroair direct-fire ignition system

New skis done and flying





On Jan 13, 2009, at 7:06 PM, gary.algate(at)sandvik.com wrote:



[quote]

 



Several of the ski manufactures had a second cable on the front that they called a "crust cutter" to keep the ice from popping the main cable, but I have not seen a redundant set of bungees or springs.

_________________
DO NOT ARCHIVE
Leonard Perry aka SNAKE
Soldotna AK
Avid "C" / Mk IV
582 (147 hrs and counting on the rebuild)
IVO IFA
Full Lotus 1450
#1 snake oil salesman since 1-22-2009

I would rather die trying to live, than to live trying not to die....

Lynn Matteson

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 2778
Location: Grass Lake, Michigan

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 6:21 pm Post subject: Ski report...flying

I think that I might be able to form a Baby Moon-type cover out of  

aluminum or maybe this is a job for my "next-to-aquire" vacuum- 

bagging skills and fiberglass. Maybe there's something out there that  

I could adapt. I was thinking of using the wheel pant stand-off  

because it's already there. One bolt would remove it, but it would be  

stationary, and would have to clear the wheel. I'm not sure if this  

would keep the snow out or not. Then there is the sprint car trick of  

stuffing a foam donut into the wheel cavity to keep the dirt/mud out  

of the wheel.



Hey, that fry pan lid mold idea sounds great...might give that a try.



Lynn Matteson

Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger

Jabiru 2200, #2062, 600.2 hrs

Sensenich 62x46

Electroair direct-fire ignition system

New skis done and flying





On Jan 13, 2009, at 7:55 PM, Lowell Fitt wrote:



[quote] 

 <lcfitt(at)sbcglobal.net>



 Lynn,



 My old gone airplane had hubcaps.  That is the only thing I still  

 have as I found that they didn't measurably affect performance and  

 they were just in the way when I  needed to top up the air pressure  

 so I took them off.  I still have them if you want them.  I  

 attached them by gluing an aliminum flange over the wheel hub and  

 putting three nutplates in the appropriate position around the  

 hub.  come to think of it, it was the flange that was a pain when  

 trying to check pressures.  If you want to make your own, I used  

 one of my wife's frying pan lids as a female mold.  A little bit of  

 PVA release agent sprayed on them and presto a very nice moon type  

 hubcap.  My advice to those who's wife doesn't leave the house for  

 days at a time for work, get permission or be real careful you  

 don't get caught or you may get "the look" or worse.



 Lowell

 ---

_________________
Lynn
Kitfox IV-Jabiru 2200
N369LM

Lynn Matteson

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 2778
Location: Grass Lake, Michigan

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 6:39 pm Post subject: Ski report...flying

I just drag them into the email and see how big the file is, then hit  

"large", "medium", or "small" if they are too large. I also have  

Photoshop Elements, but that's a longer process.

Which are the "ones"? ....both the axle, and the cable attach points?  

The square block here bolts to the inside/backside of the Grove  

landing gear. I'm not really sure what you wanted to see.



Lynn Matteson

Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger

Jabiru 2200, #2062, 600.2 hrs

Sensenich 62x46

Electroair direct-fire ignition system

New skis done and flying

do not archive



On Jan 13, 2009, at 8:04 PM, Noel Loveys wrote:



[quote] 



 That's the ones.

 BTW what do you use to manipulate your photos?  Trying to remember  

 the Apple

 equivalent in I-Life.  It is possible to reduce the size of the  

 pictures

 without cropping to make them easier to zap out on phone lines.

 Noel



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_________________
Lynn
Kitfox IV-Jabiru 2200
N369LM

Lynn Matteson

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 2778
Location: Grass Lake, Michigan

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 7:00 pm Post subject: Ski report...flying

I used my main restraint cable on the front as a crust cutter, by  

bringing it down to the front tube of the ski, then doubling it back  

up about 9", installing a thimble and nicopress sleeve for the bungee  

to connect to. When I get to it, I'll make up the second, redundant,  

cable/bungee and install it, so it will be just like the previous  

skis I made, pictured here. These are connected to separate 3-hole  

tangs bolted to the float brackets on the Kitfox IV. So there is  

complete redundancy, unless the bolt fails and that is pretty  

unlikely, I think. The rear restraint cables...also two of them  

(although this picture shows only one rear at the time) will connect  

to two separate 2-hole tangs, bolted to two separate float  

brackets....about as separately redundant as I can make it.



Lynn Matteson

Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger

Jabiru 2200, #2062, 600.2 hrs

Sensenich 62x46

Electroair direct-fire ignition system

New skis done and flying

do not archive



On Jan 13, 2009, at 8:05 PM, akflyer wrote:



[quote] 



 [quote="Lynn Matteson"]That's the exact reason that my CFI strongly  

 suggested the second set.

 I may try building a tail ski....if it's not too large, it probably

 wouldn't wreak havoc with the flight characteristics, I guess. It's

 worth a try.

 Mine are dead center of the left-hand seat. : )



 Lynn Matteson

 Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger

 Jabiru 2200, #2062, 600.2 hrs

 Sensenich 62x46

 Electroair direct-fire ignition system

 New skis done and flying





 On Jan 13, 2009, at 7:06 PM, gary.algate(at)sandvik.com wrote:



  	  Quote: 	
		  

 Several of the ski manufactures had a second cable on the front  

 that they called a "crust cutter" to keep the ice from popping the  

 main cable, but I have not seen a redundant set of bungees or springs.



 --------

 DO NOT ARCHIVE

 Leonard Perry

 Soldotna AK

 Avid &quot;C&quot; / Mk IV

 582 IVO IFA

 Full Lotus 1260

 As done as any plane will ever be.... cause now the tinkeritis  

 takes over.



 hander outer of humorless darwin awards





 Read this topic online here:



 http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p 24630#224630

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_________________
Lynn
Kitfox IV-Jabiru 2200
N369LM

Float Flyr

Joined: 19 Jul 2006
Posts: 2704
Location: Campbellton, Newfoundland

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 8:17 pm Post subject: Ski report...flying

Making out of composite w/ vacuum bagging will give reproducible light

weight covers...  but composites require sealing to keep them from absorbing

water.  The first thing you will have to do is build a nice small autoclave

with vacuum outlets inside it.



Noel



--

_________________
Noel Loveys
Kitfox III-A
Aerocet 1100 Floats

Float Flyr

Joined: 19 Jul 2006
Posts: 2704
Location: Campbellton, Newfoundland

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 8:26 pm Post subject: Ski report...flying

I thought you used a Mac....  



The pics I wanted to see was the ski attach points behind the wheel.  I have

to take my whells off to put the skis on.  Did it once.  It's quite a

process because the brakes have to be disassembled than everything has to be

re assembled.  Changing out the axels (stubs) would be a lot easier and

faster.  I was also wondering about putting a set of the narrow wheels on

the straight skis I now have.  Of course then I would be flying without

brakes.



Noel



--

_________________
Noel Loveys
Kitfox III-A
Aerocet 1100 Floats

Lynn Matteson

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 2778
Location: Grass Lake, Michigan

Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 12:49 am Post subject: Ski report...flying

I do use a Mac. It's an eMac that I bought in about 2001 or 2002. I  

got Photoshop Elements for it about a year later.



Did the pictures help you figure out the mounting of the skis? I can  

take more pics if you need them...in fact, I'll bet I could pull the  

large cotter pin, remove the nut and slide the ski off the stub axle  

without even undoing the cables, or jacking up the plane. In fact,  

after the plane was initially jacked up to install the stub axles, I  

did not have to move the plane in any way to install the skis. This  

is the only way to fly, if you'll pardon the expression, around here  

where the snow comes and goes so frequently. I just can't get over  

how easily these skis install, and in fact if I were to substitute  

the present cotter pins for those safety pins, it'd cut the install/ 

remove time by a couple of minutes....hey, now there's a topic for a  

U-tube video...nah, I guess not.



Let me know if you want more pics, Noel.



Lynn Matteson (who woke up early again when the temp hit 9 below F.  

just now)

Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger

Jabiru 2200, #2062, 600.2 hrs

Sensenich 62x46

Electroair direct-fire ignition system

New skis done and flying





On Jan 13, 2009, at 11:25 PM, Noel Loveys wrote:



[quote] 



 I thought you used a Mac....



 The pics I wanted to see was the ski attach points behind the  

 wheel.  I have

 to take my whells off to put the skis on.  Did it once.  It's quite a

 process because the brakes have to be disassembled than everything  

 has to be

 re assembled.  Changing out the axels (stubs) would be a lot easier  

 and

 faster.  I was also wondering about putting a set of the narrow  

 wheels on

 the straight skis I now have.  Of course then I would be flying  

 without

 brakes.



 Noel



 --

_________________
Lynn
Kitfox IV-Jabiru 2200
N369LM

Paul A. Franz, P.E.

Joined: 02 Dec 2008
Posts: 280
Location: Bellevue WA

Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 1:29 am Post subject: Using the Matronics forum to post pictures and messages

 	  Lynn Matteson wrote: 	
		  I'd appreciate the step-by-step, Paul. It's a pain for me to send  photos because I'm on dial-up and the going is slow. I haven't gone  to the forum interface, so it's possible I don't know how easy it is.  

I've got more photos, so easier posting would be a big help. And I'd  

rather not post the photos directly for those that are NOT members of  

my "fan club"  (ha, ha)...and to those of you out there that are not,  

why the hell not? : )

	
 



Well you probably will prefer to use the Forum once you get the hang of it. Your messages will always be there so you don't have to clutter up your computer getting messages e-mailed to you. Of course you have that option if you want it.



I posted the instructions. In brief format they are:

1) register (once only good to post in any Forum too)

2) login (not required just to read messages)

3) post a new topic or reply to an existing one. Click "add an attachment" then browse for it on your own computer, fill in the descriptive information then click "add attachment". You can then preview your post before submitting it just to make sure it looks right.



People that want a very easy and free program to resize photos, make albums, post web presentations of them and write text on the photo try Google's Picasa. It also will find and make viewing all the photos on your 'confuser' easy.



[http://picasa.google.com/]



It is available for Windows XP and Vista as well as for Mac OS X and Linux



Here's a YouTube video showing off Picasa. You're bound to like this program. The price can't be beat (free).



[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rskC6c_5L1M]

_________________
Paul A. Franz, P.E.
Registration/Aircraft - N14UW/Merlin GT
Engine/Prop - Rotax 914/NSI CAP
Bellevue WA
425.241.1618 Cell
425.440.9505 Office

Fox5flyer
Guest

Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:39 am Post subject: Ski report...flying

Lynn, great job on the skis!  I really do like the way you designed them and 

they appear to be plenty strong, yet light, for your airplane.  You're a 

"real" experimenter.  Kudos.

Deke Morisse

Mikado Michigan

S5/Subaru/CAP 402+ TT

"The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress."

- Joseph Joubert

do not archive



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