Branson Missouri Fly-In In this issue - Velocity Aircraft · In this issue Branson Fly-in .....1...

Velocity Views11st Quarter 2003

In this issueBranson Fly-in .................1Factory News ...................4

Insurance changes, stolendemo XL, replacement XL

A&P Talk ...........................5Changes made in installa-tion methods to benefitolder kits

Builder Hints & Info .........7Cowling, plenum, ductwork and interiors – newways of doing things

Production News .............8Production update, newdevelopments, and openhouse news

CFI Notams.....................10Check list for a Velocity

Safety Corner .................10Accident & IncidentReports and MaintenanceService Difficulties

Factory KPCs .................11Kit plans changes to keepyour manual up-to-date

Electric Buzz ..................12Avionics & electrical tips

Reflections .....................13Duane shares a lifetime offlying experiences with us

Builder Forum ................18Tips, information & letters

Buy Sell or Trade ...........19Marketplace ....................19

Volume 33

OR THOSE OF YOU WHO ATTENDEDthe Branson Fly-In, it goes with-out saying that "a great time was

had by all." We started with a Fridayafternoon cookout at the airport aswe greeted those who were flying inand those who drove. Weather to thesouth was lousy and many of thosewho were going to fly to the eventjust could not make it. Even so, wehad over 50 by final count that madethe effort and 9 Velocities setting onthe ramp. Saturday morning we allgot together for a group photo and asocial hour followed by a trip on theBranson Belle paddle wheel lunchshow. A Branson trip would not be

complete without an evening at theAndy Williams Theatre with Andyand Glen Campbell doing their thing.From then on, it was everyone forthemselves. Many paired off to seeone or more of the many shows avail-able to those who visit this historicpart of southern Missouri, whilesome used this time to just relax fromtheir grueling schedules.

All in all, this was a fun fly-inwith many things to do and see and amust-do for some future Velocity get-together. We thank Lynn and SueElsner for taking the time to make itall happen.

Branson Missouri Fly-Inby Duane Swing

Nine Velocitys on the ramp during Friday’s welcome cookout at the Branson Fly-in.

F

Velocity Views 2 Volume 33

Photos from Branson MO

Pictured above are Lynn and Sue Elsnerfrom Nebraska, who organized this eventA great big thank you for all their hardwork!

In the photo below, Duane Swing posesalongside his beautiful wife Bonnie.

Becky & Wes Rose (above photo) flew their XL from Michigan. It was a nice surprise tosee the Rose’s in attendance, both still suffering from their recent helicopter accident.The below photo shows Lynn & Jimmy Dallas from Indiana. Jimmy is one of Velocity’sfirst kit builders, and attends many of our events! Jimmy’s great sense of humor andstory-telling ability usually attracts a fun group around cocktail hour.


Insurance Issues

I received a call today fromFalcon Insurance informing me thatfrom now on anyone wantingrenewed coverage for his or her air-plane will have to undergo annual"factory" recurrence training. JohnAllen of Falcon indicated that thisruling was coming down from theunderwriters and included numer-ous higher performance single andtwin-engine airplanes like theBonanza A36 and Cessna 210. I ques-tioned him about the ability of Beechor Cessna to perform "factory" train-ing and he said that, in their case, alocal CFI could perform the training.I suggested that Velocity Inc. couldprepare a checklist for any CFI touse in judging the ability of ourpilots to complete a satisfactory per-formance evaluation by his or herlocal CFI. John thought this was agood idea and passed it on to hisunderwriters. The underwritershave agreed and we are now prepar-ing this information for them.

Once all is approved, a pilotwanting to renew insurance throughFalcon would be required to havecompleted the initial "factory" flighttraining program and an "annual"review by his or her local CFI usingthe checklist we will supply to you.The CFI review can also be coupledto your bi-annual if desired, tolessen the financial burden. Asalways, we here at Velocity can alsoperform the CFI review if this isyour desire.

Let us know when your insur-ance company requests this trainingand we will send the information toyou.

by Duane Swing

Stolen XL RG Velocity

Our demo aircraft, N457M, isgone. The airplane was placed in ahangar on the South LakelandFlorida airport on a Sunday eveningand by Monday morning it wasnowhere to be found. The airportwas host to an EAA fly-in onSaturday and lots of people lookedover the airplane. It is believed thatsomeone from this gathering musthave been responsible for the theft.The FAA, DEA, and the localSheriff's office are conducting theinvestigation. If anyone out therenotices a beautiful XL setting on theramp with tons of Garmin radiogear, give us a call.

Replacement XL RG

Scott and I have been workingovertime to prepare a replacementVelocity for the one stolen. Therewill be many departures from thenormal aircraft, designed to providean even better aircraft than the oneit is replacing. The first thing ofimportance is the engine. We areusing the Continental 310 horse-power IO 550 engine. This is thesame engine used in the Columbia300 and the big engine Cirrus air-craft. We are going one step further,with the addition of the full FADECsystem. This will eliminate the mix-ture control from the panel and provide the optimum mixture andspark advance to achieve the bestpossible fuel economy. It does forthe aircraft engine what the autoengines have been doing for manyyears.

The next big change is in therear seating. We have modified abench type seat with a 60/40 split inthe seat back and moved the wholething forward about 7 inches. This

allows for an easy three across rearseat for smaller people and providesplenty of baggage space. With one ofthe rear split seats backs foldeddown, the baggage area is animpressive 48 inches wide and 50inches front to back, plenty of roomfor three adults and three sets of golfclubs or loads of baggage. If thisworks out OK, we will make it available for any new purchasers ofthe XL.

The third big change is in therudder assembly. We managed tomodify our existing system to makeit work just like your averageCessna. Dual articulating rudderpeddles with toe brakes. This willallow full rudder deflection withoutthe fear of getting onto the brakes.Cross wind take-offs and landingsshould be much easier due to theadditional rudder available. Thedown side is that using the ruddersas speed brakes will no longer bepossible.

If this system proves to be asgood in practice as it appears in the-ory, we will make it standard equip-ment on both the XL and theStandard aircraft in the future. Pilotside toe brakes will be standard withco-pilot toe brakes as an option. Wedesigned the whole thing as a bolt inreplacement for the system you havenow. We have not set a price butexpect something in the $1000 range.It is interesting to note that a muchmore complex system is used in theKorean XL and their system has alist price of $4,600.

The last thing will be the instru-ment panel display. We will beusing two of the Blue Mountain 8" X11" flat screen EFIS systems. Thiswill give our demo customers, whousually ride in the right seat, thesame display the pilot sees. Since weare now dealers for this system, whynot give it a boost?

There are other less obviouschanges that will be incorporatedbut these are incidental to the rest.

••••


A&P Talk

by Brendan O’Riordan, CFII, A&P

Over the last few years we havemade some basic changes to our kitsthat would be beneficial to install inolder Velocities. Most of thesechanges have been in the enginecompartment but there are a few air-frame changes that we have done aswell.

In the Velocity Service Center wehave stopped using standard auto-motive fuel filters. These seem towork fine but they usually are notserviceable so it is hard to open themup to see if you are getting any junkfrom your fuel tanks. We have start-ed using serviceable aircraft fuel fil-ters. The one shown in the picture(above right) is made by AirflowPerformance. It is a maintainable fil-ter with a 125-micron stainless steelscreen. This allows you to clean itevery few hours when first flying.Fuel filters should be installed beforethe fuel pump.

Another item that we have start-ed using on all of our airplanes is afuel shut off valve. This is somethingthat makes maintaining your fuel fil-ter easier. I remember changingautomotive fuel filters and trying notto fill the back of the airplane upwith gas. You will also notice theshut off valve in the picture (to theright middle) is connected to a cable.This cable runs to the front of the air-plane so that, in the case of an emer-gency, you can shut off the fuel feedto the engine. If a fuel shutoff valveis installed without a cable connec-tion it will need to be safety'd in the

Continued on the next page


open position for normal operation.

Another item, which we havetalked about before, is fire sleeveused on all flammable fluid lines inthe engine compartment and on youraileron cables (see bottom photo onthe previous page). The reasons forusing fire sleeve are self-explanatory.If you happen to have an exhaustpipe crack you have temperatures upto 1500 degrees Fahrenheit in theengine compartment, which can meltthe sheathing on your aileron cablesor melt through aluminum lines tooil or fuel.

There have been a few changeswith airframe items as well. Themost important one is the use of achange in the pulley holder for theRG main gear. Now there is a smallguard that is welded to the back ofthe holder. This guard prevents thecable from coming off the pulleyshould your RG cable go slack. Theholders shown in the picture belowhave their pulleys removed for clarity.

We have also started using AN-111 cable bushings in the rudder sys-tem. For those of you with RG's theAN-111's are used for you main gearcables. The center hole in the AN-111is 1/4". We use a 3/16" bolt with abushing to attach the AN-111. Thebushing around the bolt is slightlytaller than the AN-111. This allowsyou to tighten up the 3/16" bolt andstill allow the AN-111 to turn.Installing your rudder cables thisway allows you to remove the cablefrom the rudders when maintenanceis needed. The connection is also a

ManualsMost of you have seen the new

chapters for the Manual that havebeen posted online. The remainingsections are being added now andthe complete manual should beavailable online after the NewYear. There are only 16 chapters inthe new manual where the old onehad 21 chapters. The chaptershave been rearranged and com-bined to group the informationbetter. This is so the builder doesnot have to hop around the bookas much. There are changesthroughout the new manual thatshows how we are building air-planes at the Velocity ServiceCenter. This manual is current fora Velocity Builder that has justpurchased a kit. If your kit is a little older you may see that there are a few parts that havebeen changed since you boughtyour kit. The article written about upgrading an older Velocity has some of theseupgrades. If there are any ques-tions or corrections concerning the manual please email them [email protected] . Onour builders page will be a listingof the old and new sections sobuilders can see how and wherethe information in the older manu-al can now be found.

A&P TalkContinued from previous page

smoother connection than what youget with a cable thimble passedthrough the hole in the rudder armand crimped (see above photo).

Most of you have already seenthe new door gas spring installation.A longer lighter gas spring is usedwith different mounting points. Thisallows more leverage to help hold the door up. Another bonus to thisinstallation is that the spring putsless load on the fuselage when thedoor is closed so you do not have anybulging of the fuselage with the doorclosed. The gas spring goes over cen-ter when the door is about 8" fromclosing so when the door is down thespring is actually pushing the door in(see photo below).

All of these improvements areeasily retrofitted to flying Velocities.If taken one at a time they are quickeasy weekend projects that in thelong run will give you a better air-plane.

•••


by Scott Swing

A different way of cutting the cowling to fit the wingtrailing edges on the XL's.

This method will help you get avery accurate first cut on your cowl-ing. If your wings are already on,you can support the plane under thespar so it won't change when youremove the wings. Measure the trail-ing edge of the wings about 1" fromthe inboard edge to the floor and puta mark on the floor where the tapemeasure is at. If the wings are off,secure the plane like I mentionedabove and install the cowling, trimoff the flanges, tack them together,duct tape the outside then glass theinside seam all the way to where thewing will intersect the seam. Aftercure, remove the tape, sand, microand glass the outside. Then, make atemplate out of cardboard of thetrailing edge of the wing. Place thistemplate at the proper position alongside the cowling with the front paral-lel with the spar and offset backenough to simulate the actual posi-tion of the wing. Trace around thetemplate onto the cowling. In orderto insure that the position of the tem-plate is correct, measure the trailingedge of your tracing to the floor andmark the floor where the tape mea-sure hits so you can duplicate it later.You can then remove the cowling inone piece. Now when you install thewings, you can measure them as youdid above and see if there is a differ-ence in your dimensions. If there is,you can adjust your template and re-mark your cowling before cuttingyour slot for the wing. After you cutthe hole, you will just sand to fit.When you can get it on, make sureyou sand around the perimeter sothat it does not touch the wing. At

this point you can mark your wingaround the cowling so you can prepthe wing for the flanges. You can alsogo ahead and cut you cowling backat the proper position. I just tried thismethod on the last aircraft and itworked great.

A different way of doing theplenum and duct work onthe big Continental

Fitting the plenum on the engineis not that difficult on the Continentalbut the ductwork can be challenging.Once the plenum is in position, I tapeit to the cylinders on all four corners.In order to get the runners in posi-tion, they are short on the bottomside and you will see this when youare cutting the notches in them to getthe trailing edge of the runner to lieon the plenum top. On the passengerside, I had to trim the inboard side ofthe front of the runner (part thattouches the firewall) in order toswing the rear end over far enoughto lay on the plenum just inboard ofthe side covers. You don't want tocomplicate things by having toremove one thing to remove another.In any case, you only need to leave3/4". On the pilot side, it lined upcorrectly, but, in order to make it parallel with the co-pilot side (sideview), I trimmed the trailing edge ofthe runner and notched it according-ly. You also want to make sure thecowling is going to fit. You willnotice that the sides and bottom ofyour duct does not reach the plenumbut we will take care of that in anoth-er step. I now hot glued the ducts inposition and glassed them directly tothe top of the plenum on three sides.I didn't bother coming down the backside of the plenum since I had not cutthe runners exactly right. After cure,mark the top of the runners parallelto the cowling cut line about 3" aft ofthe firewall. Mark the bottom side ofthe runners about 4" aft of the fire-wall and connect with a slanted linetop to bottom. Cut the runner aparton these lines. The reason for the aftslice cut is for assembly later. Nowremove the plenum with the runnersattached. At this point you can flip

the plenum over and using smallpieces of cardboard, span the holesstaying at the same angle and run-ning on into the plenum. I just hotglued them to the inside of the run-ner and butt them up against theplenum. There is more of a gap onthe passenger side than the pilot sidebut that doesn't matter. I also cut alittle more of the runner away on thebottom of the pilot side since I want-ed to continue the slope and it lookslike the molded section starts tocome back flat. Where the gaps weresmall, I just use tape. I then releasetaped the cardboard so my glasswouldn't stick then glassed the areawith 2 BID with a third layer justover the hole. Since I am working ona FADEC engine, I have lots of wiresto deal with and had to create anindentation in the runner bottomthat I was working on in order tocreate a path for the wire bundle, forthose installing the FADEC, therewill be pictures and instructions forthis. After cure, I opened up the run-ners to the plenum and removed thecardboard and tape to clean up theinstallation. I then re-fit my side cov-ers to fit around the runners that justamounted to a little more trimming.The runners were flanged to the fire-wall as usual but I also taped the topinside of the runner connected to theplenum and the outside bottom ofthe same runner. I then taped thepieces back together on the outsideedge and glassed a flange from theinside upper section of the runner tothe rear and on the bottom back tothe rear. Do not go on the sides ofthe runner with a flange. This givesyou two flanges coming off the smallrunners, one on the outside bottomand the other on the inside top. Theonly other thing that I did differentlywas with the oil filler/checker.Instead of dishing down to it, we justwelded a thin tube to the cap thatwas just barely bigger that the capand was 2.5" long. Then, we cut ahole in the plenum, installed the cap,release taped the tubing, and thenglassed to the tube for a perfect fit.Now there is just a tube coming upthrough the plenum. In order to be

Continued on next page


able to turn the tube, we welded in asmall cross tube to grab onto.

A more finished interior.

The interiors in our aircraft canbe done very nicely but one part ofthe interior that can be improved isthe area around the door pin tubes inthe fuselage. These areas are hard toupholster and typically do not lookvery good. Nate and RhondaGutwein came up with a good fix forthis. I just used their method on theairplane we are doing here and I willdescribe the process.

Using 1/16" thick aluminum,make 8 plates 3/4" wide by 1 3/4"long. Round off two corners on thelong dimension. These corners willbe the inside corners of the plateswhen they are installed. Once yourclearance has been establishedaround the door you should grinddown your tubes and surroundingsupport so that when your plates areinstalled on top they will be flush orat least no higher than 1/16" abovethe flange. This would require about1/16" material removed. Then setyour plates on top of each hole andremembering the slot that needs tobe left right along the flange for thefuture molding, mark the positionfor the 5/16" hole. This hole shouldbe centered on the 1 3/4" dimensionbut will vary in and out. Drill thehole then lean the drill in the plateuntil when fitted in each location, a5/16" bolt will go through.Remember, only one tube is at rightangles to the door opening so therest will need the hole elongated toallow the plates to sit flat. After all 8plates have been fit; hot glue theplates onto each pin tube locationusing the bolt to insure alignment.Mix up some dry micro, and fillaround the existing mound up to theplates. After cure, sand around theplates down to the surface and makenice smooth transitions. Before youbreak them back off, drill two holesin each plate into the micro. Theseholes should be fairly close to theoutside edges and in the center of

Builder Hints & InfoContinued from previous page

the plate. Don't drill the holes toclose to the edge since you will needto countersink the hole and you don'twant the countersink to spill off theedge. The only problem area is therear upper pin tube location that hasthe biggest angle and when you drill,you will hit the tube. This mayrequire a shorter screw. You can usea #6 or #8 countersink sheet metalscrew. Remove the plates and lightlyround off the edges so the upholsterywill go over the edge. Later whenyou get these upholstered, you willre-install the plates with the screwsto finish off the holes. You could substitute the aluminum with somethin steel.

••••

Production Newsby Scott Baker

Microsoft Flight Simulator fansmight be interested in browsingwww.simviation.com/fs2000props35.htm. This site features severaldownloads for the Velocity XL RG.

“Routine” is the word thatdescribes activities on the factoryfloor this last quarter. Shipmentshave slowed to about 2 orders permonth as we approach the holidayseason. The pace will quicken some-what during January and Februarybased on the volume of new ordersthat are coming in the door.

Our Fastbuild Wing departmenthas “whittled” down the number ofback ordered wings so that we nowhave a 3-month production lead-time. Many thanks go to all who

have been patiently waiting whilewe did our “catching-up”.

From everyone in administrationand the factory – warmest wishes fora happy and productive new year!

Developments

While activity on the factoryfloor is described as “routine” –developments in engines, enginemonitoring systems, avionics, andflight displays are charged withexcitement.

We are looking forward to thefirst flight of the new factory XL-RGdemonstrator, which features aFADEC (Full Authority DigitalEngine Controls) equippedContinental IO-550, 310hp engine.Velocity, Inc. has configured the sys-tem to feature a propeller control tooffer the pilot the ability to vary thepropeller pitch to help with drag(there are also single-lever FADECsystems that automatically controlpropeller pitch). The FADEC system(finally) brings electronic ignitionand mixture control to general avia-tion. Multiple engine sensors moni-tor “what’s going on back there” andsend information to a computer thatin turn, constantly adjusts sparkadvance, duration, and the amountof fuel being injected into each cylin-der. Pretty neat. At least four otherVelocity builders think the samething and have placed orders for thebig Continental with FADEC. I can’twait for the test flights to begin.

ARNAV, the makers of high-tech Integrated Cockpit DisplaySystems for commercial, military,and general aviation was very kindto send Bob Brooks, a senior repre-sentative for the company, to give aproduct demonstration at Velocity’smost recent Open House (seewww.arnav.com). What a system!ARNAV’s large ICDS 2000 PrimaryFlight Display features a pilotfriendly EFIS (Electronic FlightInformation System) along with anEHSI (Electronic HorizontalSituation Indicator). The Attitude


and Heading Reference System(AHRS) is solid state and is TSO’d.There is much more to the system –including pilot warnings for out-of-limit situations affecting air speed,unusual attitudes, and more. TheMoving Map Navigation System hasits own database and shows the air-craft’s position relative to airports,VOR stations, and ATC air space. Italso features a terrain view thatdepicts what’s ahead and offers ter-rain avoidance warning. Velocitybuilder Jack Sheehan from theYorktown area of Virginia has select-ed a twin ICDS 2000 system for hisaircraft … it definitely looks nice!Expect to invest in the mid $40’s fora twin ICDS 2000 system with anEFIS, Navigation display, and engine monitoring.

Blue Mountain Avionics is com-ing on strong in providing EFIS tech-nology for the experimental, home-built aircraft market. Velocity, Inc.has given the nod to Blue MountainAvionics and has elected to feature atwin display EFIS/One system in thenew factory demonstrator (seewww.bluemountainavionics.com).Given the high cost and (relativelypoor) reliability issues surroundingvacuum systems and vacuum drivengyro instruments – the cost of the allelectric Blue Mountain EFIS/Onesystem compares quite favorably.We find more and more buildersmaking the decision to eliminatevacuum instruments. The factorySUV that is based at ComplesysAviation at Brown Field in SanDiego, California, also features aBlue Mountain Avionics EFIS/Onesystem along with an EFIS/Liteindependent backup system. Nice!

We are looking forward to theintroduction of J.P. Instruments’EDM-900, an all-in-one digitalengine monitoring system featuringa bright orange plasma display (seewww.jpinstruments.com). The EDM-900 looks similar in size toVision Micosystem’s VM-1000, however the EDM-900 features colorand a few other “goodies” that theVM-1000 does not. The EDM-900includes a fuel quantity indicator for

2-tanks. It also has a built-in, easyaccess, data port to downloadspecifics of the last 25 hours ofengine operation.

WSI, Weather ServicesInternational, has coordinated with UPSAT to offer in-flight, up-to-the-moment satellite transmit-ted weather information to the MX20Multi-Function Display. WSIInFlight offers complete continentalUS coverage at any altitude – contin-uously updated every 5 seconds.Imagine having NexRad WeatherRadar, METAR’s, TAF’s, and a por-trayal of airports that are currentlyreporting IFR or VFR conditions.Very nice. www.wsi.com

The list of innovative productsgoes on and on. It’s just interestingto see these types of products in gen-eral aviation and available to ushomebuilders. Who would have“thunk it” as little as 15 years ago?

Velocity November OpenHouse Well Attended

Excellent Florida weather greet-ed about 60 guests to the VelocityOpen House on Saturday, November2nd. Velocity CFI Nathan Rigaudwas busy with over a dozen demon-stration rides. Scott Swing hosted ahands-on composite workshopdoing the “wheel chalk thing”. ScottBaker escorted the group through afactory tour – and BrendanO’Riordan and Frank Ware hosted“mini” talks on aircraft preflightinspection procedures and basicwork tools to get you started on yourVelocity building project.

A special thanks is given to BobBrooks from ARNAV, who gave aninformative product talk on EFISsystems and cockpit displays.Velocity builder Jack Sheehanoffered his aircraft as backdrop toARNAV’s presentation. Jack hasinstalled 2-ICDS2000 ARNAV unitsin his Velocity XL-RG.

Thanks go to everyone in the“listening audience” who attendedthe Open House. We appreciateyour coming to visit!

AOPA Expo 2002 – PalmSprings, California

AOPA continues to be a friendlyand inquisitive crowd when it comesto examining Velocity aircraft forpersonal transportation. Each yearthe “AOPA crowd” becomes moreand more familiar with experimen-tal, home-built aircraft – and arewarming up to the notion, “Maybe I can do this”. That feeling was certainly reinforced when it wasexplained that Chris Martin and hissons personally built the beautifulVelocity XL-RG that was on display.Thank you, Chris for allowingVelocity, Inc. the chance to show offyour flying machine!

The AOPA Expo 2003 programmoves to Philadelphia, Pennsylvanianext year. See you there!

••••

April 2-8, 2003Sun n' Fun EAA Fly-in

Lakeland FloridaMark your calendars toattend the Velocity Sun ‘nFun Picnic Dinner on Fridayevening, April 4th. Thisyear’s event will be a littledifferent – more informal –and more accessible toVelocity enthusiasts attend-ing Sun ‘n Fun. The cateredpicnic dinner will be hostedin Activity Tent #2, which islocated near the open-airpavilion in the southwestarea of the grounds. Lots offun – lots of comradeship. -menu and more details to follow … hope to see youthere! Velocity will conducttwo Sun n' Fun forums (inForum Tent #9), both at11:00am on Thursday, April3rd, and again on Sunday,April 6th. See our website fordetails...



Safety CornerAccident & Incident Reports,Maintenance & Service Difficulties

Lycoming released an AD (2002-23-06 )a few weeks ago that appliesto all of us that own IO-540's. Itrequires replacing a zinc-plated boltthat retains the crankshaft gear. Ofcourse the bolt that needs to bereplaced is not a simple one that iseasy to get to. They probably hungthis bolt on a piece of string andbuilt the engine around it. Needlessto say the accessory case needs tocome off for the change and in somecases the sump. If the sump needs tocome off the engine has to be pulledfrom the airplane because the twobottom engine mount tabs are partof the sump. The attached pictureshows the crankshaft gear bolt withthe accessory case removed.

••••

CFI Notamsby Nathan Rigaud, CFII

Checklist for theVelocity Aircraft:

When you arrive at the airport,the first thing is to look at is theoverall condition of the airplane.Check for any big parts missing,damage to the plane, and fluidsleaking (oil, fuel, brake fluid). Withchecklist in hand, you will start withthe preflight as stated. The checklistbelow is the one that we use at thefactory for our checkouts. It is a verybasic checklist. We find that themore you look outside during flight,the better you handle the airplane.We like to keep it short and right tothe point, but in the same time, doall checks necessary for safe flight. Ifyou do not have a checklist, feel freeto copy and use this checklist foryour Velocity.

Quick story...

A student and I were out train-ing in the XLRG. About 10 miles outfrom the airport I told the student tolook out the window on his side,and as he looked, I pulled the gearpump breaker. He did not see whatI did and he continued to fly andenter the pattern. We were ondownwind and I told him to do hisdownwind checks at this time. I saidno more. He started with gas, fuelpump on, then gear down. As heselected gear down, he had a puz-zled look on his face. Instead ofworking through the problem of notseeing the correct lights, he proceed-

Preflight

Cockpit:

Mags OffMaster OnPitch Trim CheckSpeed Brake Up and DownWarning Lamps CheckFuel CheckOutside LightsMaster OffCanard Bolts and Nuts under thePanelElevator Bolt and Nut on and tightMixture Idle CutoffStick Free and CorrectRudder Pedal Area Clear and FreeAirworthiness, Registration, FlightManual, W&B

Canard and Nose:

Elevator Hinges and Weights SecureElevator Free and CorrectPitot Tube ClearStatic Ports ClearNose Wheel

ed to the next step of mixture richand prop full forward. On base leg Iasked him if he was sure everythingwas ok with the airplane. He saideverything felt ok. On final I askedhim if he was 100% sure that every-thing was done and he was happywith the plane. He replied that hethought so. As we approached theend of the runway and he started toround out for landing, I took over the controls and did a go-around. He asked why, and I told him that he just made a gear up landing andmade a mess of the plane. I pointedout the breaker that I pulled 10 miles out.

The moral of this story is that ifyou are not 100% sure of anythingduring flight, then you need to ques-tion it. When you are performing thechecklist at any stage, be sure you arefinished with one thing before goingon to the next item.

I’ll have Rick post the followingCheck List to our website’s “BuildersPage”, so you customize it.


Flight Check!Be Safe!

Velocity Service Center Inc. offers flight training forbuilders/pilots to safely learn how to transition into flying aVelocity. Get a Flight Check Out prior to your first flight!Flight training is available from:• Nathan Rigaud, CFII• Brendan O’Riordan, CFII• Scott Baker,CFII

The following Flight Instructors have also been approved byAvemco Insurance:• Sam DaSilva - Seminole FL 727-595-6384• Mike Gunvordahl - Burke SD 605-775-2952• Mack Murphree - Dayton NV 775-246-9364• Manny Lewis - Scotia NY 518-399-8614

Don’t take a chance, get checked out prior to your first flight.Please note that you should be current in some other type of air-craft prior to your Velocity check out. The purpose of the “flightcheck” program is to transition you from flying other aircrafttypes (like a Cessna) to a canard pusher (Velocity).

Factory Authorized Insurance InspectorsPlease make note of these individuals:

Name - Location Home Phone / Work Phone

Brian Gallagher - Murrieta CA 909-461-9990 / 909-696-0160Barry Gibbons - Palmdale CA 661-273-7398Don Pearsall - Owasso OK 918-272-5551 / 918-474-2610Mike Pollock - Sachse TX 972-530-8400 / 972-728-2725Glenn Babcock - Tampa FL 813-677-2543 / 813-604-2637Wes Rose - Grand Rapids MI 616-772-7235 / 616-530-0255Jean Prudhomme - Boca Raton FL 954-559-4988Mack Murphree - Dayton NV 775-246-9364Gary Stull - Tampa FL 813-949-1297(Gary is an airline employee and can travel inexpensively)Mike Watson - Mt. Vernon NY, 914-699-3915 / 201-476-8231

Proper InflationWheel Pants SecureProper Tension on WheelHatch Covers Secure

Right Fuselage and Wing:

Fuel CapsVisually Check Fuel QuantityCheck O-Ring ConditionSecure CapVortilons SecureLeading Edge CheckVertical Fin CheckRudderCheck Free and CorrectReturn Spring SecureHinge PinsAileron Free and CorrectHinge PinsRight MainFairings/Gear Legs ConditionBrake PadsTire inflation and Condition

Left Fuselage and Wing:(Same as Right Fuselage and Wing)

Aft Fuselage and Engine:

Fuel Sump Drain CheckOil Level / Secure Stick and DoorCowling Condition and ScrewsExhaust Tubes SecureAft Cowl Opening Clear of DebrisInlet Ducts Clear of DebrisAlternator Belt CheckPropeller Check for Nicks, Cracks,ErosionEngine Area, No leaks

Engine Start (Cold)

Mixture RichThrottle Open 1/8 inchMaster Switch OnFuel Pump On for 1 SecondMags OnPropeller ClearBrakes OnStarter Engage1000 RPMOil Pressure Check

NOTICENo KPCs this issue...

Kit PlansChanges“KPCs” by Scott Swing

Velocity Check ListContinued from previous page

“Check List” Continued on next page


Electric Buzz...by Wayne Lanza

I’d like to share some ways thatwe have found to save on instru-ment and panel costs. The content isbased on discussion and actualinstallations in Velocity’s and otheraircraft.

I would like to ask that whenshopping for panel accessories thatyou carefully compile the quotesfrom your choice of suppliers includ-ing Velocity. If a sales person doesn’tknow one radio from another or ismore interested in selling you some-thing that you don’t really want –remember that it’s your money…

RADIOS:The price of a new com radio

ranges from about $850 to over$2,000, used radios are availablefrom just about any radio dealer andyou might want to check on factoryrefurbished radios – King has somereally good deals on their equipmentand the refurbs carry FULL warran-ty! One customer bought a KY97with the install kit and tray this wayfor about $800 and the KT76A set for

Engine Start (Hot)

Mixture Idle CutoffMixture Rich as Engine Starts1000 RPMOil Pressure Check

Before Taxi

Seat Belts OnRadio Master On

Before Take Off

Controls Free and CorrectTrim for TakeoffCircuit Breakers In

Engine Run Up

1800 RPMMagneto CheckPropeller CycleEngine Instruments in GreenSuction in GreenThrottle 1000 RPMFlight Instruments SetFuel Pump OnMixture RichProp InSpeed Brake Up (if)Doors LockedFinal Approach Clear

Take Off

Maximum ThrottleRotate 65-70ktsClimb 90ktsPositive rate of ClimbGear Up

500 Ft.

25 inches / 2500 RPMFuel Pump Off/Check Pressure

Cruise

Use you Power SettingsEngine Gauges in the Green

Descent and Landing

Circuit Breakers InSeat Belts

Velocity Check ListContinued from previous page Downwind Check (GUMP)

(G) Fuel Pump On(U) Undercarriage Down and Lockedwith 2 Green (120kts max)(M) Mixture Rich(P) Propeller In

FinalGear Down 2 Green

Clear of Runway

Fuel Pump OffSpeed Brake Up

Shut Down

Avionics OffMixture Idle CutoffMags OffLights OffMaster OffSecure Airplane

Emergency Procedures

Loss of Engine Power:

Fly the AirplaneBest Glide 100ktsMixture RichMags OnCheck Fuel Shutoff

Emergency Landing:

121.50 Radio, 7700 TransponderMaster Off Before TouchdownMags OffFuel Shutoff in the Off PositionFly the Airplane to Landing

Engine Fire:

Mixture Idle CutoffMagsFuel shutoff in the Off PositionLand as soon as possible

In-flight Door Opening:

Fly the AirplaneLand as soon as possible

Wheel Brake Failure:Use the Longest RunwayLand into the Wind if possible

Use the brake only if necessaryMaintain directional control withrudder and good brake

••••



$900 – not bad! When looking for aNAV/COM or transponder, thesame applies.

GPS:Where do we start here? So

many to consider.… We have hadgood luck with the UPS systems, butI’m sure that the King and Garminunits work fine. The real thing toconsider with a GPS is not the initialcost but how much will it set youback to update the data base! If youare flying hard core IFR and needthe monthly updates with all thebells and whistles, expect to spendmore on updates than the GPS in afairly short period of time. But if youuse the GPS for information only orstrictly VFR then you’ll be OK withthe basic 120 day updates. Pleasegive this issue careful consideration.If you will be adding a moving mapto you panel now or in the future,make sure that the output of the GPSwill be future compatible with thedisplay. The panel mounted movingmaps range in price from about$2,000 to over $8,000, this plus thecost of the GPS and (don’t forget) the wiring can really put a dent inyour wallet.

AUDIO PANELS:Do you really need one? Most

have the marker beacon built in; ifyou will need the MB then the audiopanel is a justified item. Audio pan-els run any where from about $1,000to $1,500, they offer a lot of functionfor the money and are a presumedrequirement for most aircraft. BUT ifyou are building a fairly simplepanel it may not be a necessity, anyradio shop can wire a simpleCom1/2 switch for a fraction of thecost of an audio panel. Look careful-ly at intercoms, some offer simpleswitching and are inexpensive.

RADIO SHOPS:The big name radio shops are

well known and especially remem-bered by clients when they havebeen revived in the cardiac wardafter seeing the bill… Any decentradio shop will serve your needs, get quotes from at least 4 or 5 shopsand decide. They will need a

COMPLETE list of the parts for yourpanel before they can give you anaccurate quote – leave anything outand you will pay!

ENGINE INSTRUMENTS:This is another area that can add

up fast. Write down a list of requiredinstruments and then objectivelyconsider what you listed. Compre-hensive engine instrumentation cancost as little as $1,000 and exceed$4,500 if you are really out toimpress your peers. For example, wehave installed a full set of Mitchellgauges in an SUV for about $850.There were only single EGT & CHTprobes but a lot of airplanes don’teven have EGT or CHT gauges! Thenagain this airplane could have hadall four EGT/CHT’s and the selectorswitches for about $200 more.Another example to consider wouldbe our installations using the JPISlim Line gauges and the EDM700,the same four cylinder SUV wouldhave about $2,800 in gauges butwould also have the benefit ofengine monitor/analyzer that woulduse less panel space.

INSRTUMENT PANELPREPARATION:

Save money here by preparingthe panel before it goes to the radioshop, cutting, sanding & painting aremajor cost items. We prepare severalpanels per month and I can tell youthat the $2,000+ that we get to prep apanel for the shop is well earned. Butthere is a big caveat with panel prep,especially if you put a lot of stuff init – you will need to have every thingon hand to verify that every thingwill fit! I am offering this advice toyou so that you can learn from ourmistakes, at our expense… Refer tthe January 2001 issue of the viewsfor more advice to consider when itcomes panel building time.

••••


ReflectionsPart III

by Duane Swing

This is a continuation of an article start-ed in Velocity Views 30 & 31 and arethe highlights of my life as a pilot.

By March of 1980 I purchased anoth-er used Twin Comanche. This was a1972 CR model that I flew all overthe country on business and personaltrips. I had the N number changed toN707UP and I used the 7UP termi-nology for all my radio call ups toour local controllers and tower. Mycompany name was UniversalProducts so you can see the connec-tion. I see a trip in July 1980 that tookour family through the MonumentValley area, down into the GrandCanyon and on to Los Vegas, LosAngles, San Francisco, and then onto Oshkosh for the 1980 convention. Iremember the trip well as we flewthe entire 27 hours and never seen acloud. Part of the trip I was using aroad map to see if we could find afamous Indian Reservation. Flyingalong at 1,000 feet above groundlevel, I accidentally flew right acrossa silo based inter-continental ballisticmissile launch site. I was sure Iwould find a police escort readywhen we landed at Provo UT for thenight, but luck was with us, no feds.

I also remember a rather unusualflight to the radio shop for someradio repair. It seemed only rightthat I pull the radio out of the panelon the way so as to save a coupleminutes of time. The problem withthe Comanche was that the rightcontrol yoke was directly in the wayof the radio stack and in order toremove the radio the yoke needed tobe set in a left turn position. Noproblem on the ground but whatabout in flight? The radio needingremoved was an old Mark 12 and ithad an 8" pig tail on the rear of theradio that was plugged into a matingcable. This was used instead of thenow customary case plug-in. I made

Visitthe Factory’s

Official Web Site:velocityaircraft.com


ReflectionsContinued from previous page


a couple trial runs by turning into ahard right turn followed by the nec-essary left turn so I could remove theradio between the rams horn of theyoke. The trials were successful so itis now time for the real thing. A rightturn was completed followed by theleft turn and I pulled the radio rightthrough the horn until the 8" pig tailcaught on the back side of the radiocase and the radio stuck half in andhalf out and right in the middle ofthe yoke horn totally preventing mefrom returning to level flight. I wastrying to turn the airplane back tolevel and the pressure on the radioprevented me from shoving theradio back in. The airplane complet-ed one complete roll until I couldneutralize the pressure on the yokeand slide the radio back into place.What some people won't do to save acouple minutes.

I had heard a lot about the "Q" tippropeller modifications used on acouple airplanes at the time and sub-mitted my plans to the FAA for anSTC for the Twin Comanche. Thismod bent the final 1" of the propback 90 degrees and made the air-plane much quieter and slightlyfaster. I did obtain the STC and soldthe mod to many Comanche driversfor many years after. Two years ago Igave the STC to Hartzell who stillsell the modified propeller to theTwin Comanche tribe.

I kept the Twin Comanche untilOctober 1983 and had logged bynow over 5300 hours, with over halfthis time in twins and over 800 hoursactual instruments.

About this time a friend of mine whoowned an Ercoupe called me to see ifI could fly over to Louisville withhim to pick up his newly purchasedAlon A2A. This was another versionof the Ercoupe with the 100 horseContinental engine and a couplekids' seats in the back. My deviousmind went to work as I was going to

fly his new A2A back and he wouldfly in the old 85 horsepower totallyworn out Ercoupe. He departed firstwith me right behind in the A2A.Soon after departure we switchedover to the flight communication fre-quency and I told him that for somereason the A2A was just not as fastas his old coupe and he would haveto slow down for me to catch up. Hestarted asking questions as to howhis new 100 horsepower airplanewould be slower than the old 85 andI just said I didn't know, but it was.All the while I was flying very lowand off to his right side doing about30 mph more than he. He never seenme as I pulled further and furtheraway from him. After a few moreminutes, I again announced that hewas still pulling away from me andhe would have to slow down evenmore. By now he was flying about 75mph and I was wide open doingabout 120. As more time passed, Itold him that I didn't know what wasgoing on but he was still pullingaway from me and would need toslow down even more for me tocatch up. After a few minutes he askhow I was doing as he was nowdown to 60 miles per hour. I said itlooked OK and I would be able tokeep him in sight until we got home.It was difficult talking to him on theradio for fear I would explode inlaughter any minute. He was on theradio several times more just notbelieving his new airplane wouldonly go 60 miles per hour. I arrivedhome in the A2A, put the airplane inthe hangar, had lunch and was tak-ing a nap when he finely landed.You could probably have heard himyelling his displeasure at me a mileaway when he found out what I haddone to him.

As I tell these stories, I am remindedof even more funny things I doneover the years. I remember a trip toIndiana in the Aerostar following mypartner who was flying the Aztec.After about 10 minutes in the air Ijokingly told him I was having trou-ble flying so slowly. We often talkedabout the speed differences of thetwo airplanes and he loved the Aztec

so much he would not fly theAerostar. I slowly climbed to about2000 feet above him and with fullthrottle nosed the Aerostar over intoa dive. When I was down to his alti-tude I feathered the right engine andpassed about 50 feet off his left sidedoing about 100 knots more than theAztec with one engine feathered. Hiscomments on the air to air frequencyare not repeatable.

On October 20, 1983 I flew our exper-imental Q2 for the first time. If youremember, the Q2 was a two-placecomposite equal span canard kit soldby Quickie Aircraft Company. I pur-chased the kit with engine, prop andnecessary VFR flight and engineinstruments for under $7,995. Believeit or not, this was the list price. Scottwas working on his master's degreeat the time and in our spare time webuilt the airplane in my basementand garage. Total building time tofirst flight was about 6 months. Wewon several awards with the air-plane at both Sun-N-Fun and atOshkosh and when Scott completedhis masters degree, he was ask tobring the airplane to Mojave CA andwork for the Quickie Company.

Bonnie will never forget one trip wemade in the Q2. We flew down toFlorida for a vacation (why wouldanyone do that with so many air-planes to choose from?) and on theway back got into a lot of rain in KY.(Can you imagine flying IFR in a lit-tle two-seat VW powered home-built?) I had filed an IFR flight planfrom Macon GA to Dayton OH andabout 50 miles from Lexington therain got so heavy that I couldn't holdaltitude any longer. My speed wasdecaying and I continued to descendeven though I now was running atfull power. It soon became apparentthat I would not have enough fuel oraltitude to go any further thanCincinnati and I altered my flightplan and requested an IFR "R" navapproach "direct" to the airport. Yes,the Q2 had an IFR approved King



KLN 80 system. No approach here atall, just direct to the center of the air-port. As soon as the tail came downafter landing, the engine quit for lackof fuel. Upon further examination,the propeller looked like a toothpick.The leading edge was totally erodedaway by the constant beating of therain and was soft like balsa wood.(Now you know why Bonnie doesnot like to fly with me) Scott and Ilater converted to the new stylecanard and Continental engine. It isinteresting to note that Scott and Istill do the annual on this airplanefor the present owner and it has nowclose to 1000 hours flying time. Scottand I had other interesting trips inthe Q2 but I'll let him tell his story inhis own words.

In March of 1984 I purchased yetanother Twin Comanche N7902Y.This was also a 1972 CR model andwas, at the time, one of six airplanesmy two partners and I owned. TwoTwin Comanche's, Dutchess, straighttail Arrow, T tailed Arrow, and theSkybolt. In addition, I was ferrying alarge variety of airplanes for an air-craft sales company and I see entriesfor trips in two different Bonanzas,Cessna 210, Cessna 310, CardinalRG, Skymaster, Mooney 201,Mooney 231, Mooney Mite, MooneyMustan, (the first pressurized gener-al aviation single), three differentBarons, a Travelair and a couplehomebuilt. In early 1985 I sold theTwin Comanche and bought aCessna 310 and yet another TwinComanche. The Twin Comanche wasone of the last built and was fully de-iced, rather rare for this airplane. Thelast Twin Comanche was going to beanother STC airplane for me as I con-tracted with Beryl DeShannon tobuild a sloping windshield for betteraerodynamics. Beryl never finishedthe project and I sold this airplane toLeo Laudenslater. Leo was a seven-time world aerobatic champion andwas later killed in a motorcycle acci-dent. This particular TwinComanche came from England and

the aircraft logs and other paperworkconsumed four rather large boxes.Every flight the airplane made waslogged along with the requirementfor all the radios to be removed atcertain time periods for a full benchcheck and log book entries.

By 1987 I was flying just about everykind of airplane the aircraft dealercould buy and I see trips in severalBarons, Mooneys, Senecas, Cessna206 and others. I remember the 206trip well and Bonnie remembers ittoo. We had flown commercially toDallas to visit our daughter Kellyand drove over to a small grass stripin northeast Dallas to pick up the 206for our return trip to Dayton OH.When we arrived at the small grassstrip, it was quite apparent the grasshad not been mowed for a long time.Weeds three feet high everywhere.The 206 was, in its previous life, usedas a skydiver plane and was absentthe right door, all the interior, threeseats and holes in the instrumentpanel which once held instruments.The owner/seller assured me hecould find the seats and door some-place in the attic but suggestedstrongly I stay above the airport for aconsiderable amount of time, as theairplane had not flown in over fouryears. He did mow me a departurepath and away we went. The onlyradio in the plane was inoperativeand 20 minutes into the flight thealternator quit. We (I) decided tocontinue to our first fuel stop to seehow things would work out. Afterfuel and a couple quarts of oil we justgot the engine started before the bat-tery was completely dead. We nowhad another four hours of flight timeahead and either we would have toland in Dayton after dark with nolights or make a stop someplacebefore dark and try to get the enginestarted the next day. We (I) decidedto forge ahead and land after dark.Once arriving in Dayton, I remem-bered the runway lights at this smallairport were activated by the air-plane radio, which I didn't have. Themoon was bright so a night landingwas made anyway with no runwaylights and no aircraft lights. (Now

you know why Bonnie doesn't flywith me anymore)

It was also during this time I boughtand built a Glasair. I was the thirdowner and the only thing done priorto my purchase was the wheel pantswere glassed together. I purchasedthe RG option and proceeded tobuild the airplane. With most of thework done, a friend stopped in andoffered me more money for the air-plane than it was worth and sudden-ly it was gone. Our first Velocity wasstarted soon after.

I was also flying part time for afriend who owned a Cessna 414 anda Turbo 210. His company had a con-tract with Bob Evans to build restau-rants in the eastern US and he wasnot a pilot. What's interesting here isthat he was a lay minister in theMennonite church and all his work-ers were also Mennonites. Theywould arrive for a trip all dressed inthe traditional black pants with sus-penders, long sleeve white shirts,beards and the big black widebrimmed hats. I remember pickingup seven of these workers from themain terminal building in LouisvilleKY and you can just imagine thelooks and comments we got walkingthrough the terminal and on outthrough the "general aviation ramp"in single file on our way to the air-plane.

One of my Baron trips was also quiteinteresting. My aircraft broker friendcalled me to see if I could fly toAbilene TX to pick up this "super"aircraft. He said it had one enginewith 43 hours and the other with 156hours all since major overhaul andnumerous mods including superlong-range tanks. After checking outthe airplane I flew non-stop toDayton OH with a tail wind in about5 1/2 hours. The next day themechanic called me to ask if I hadstopped enroute. When I told him Ihad not, he said that the right engineshowed NO oil on the dipstick andthe left engine was down to 4 quarts.




At first we just assumed improperbrake-in. Later we found out that theseller (who had went bankrupt) hadsold the good engines and replacedthem with two run-out engines andswapped the data plates to agreewith the logbooks.

Another unusual trip in February1988 was a trip from Brownsville TXto Dayton in a Cessna 185 onamphibian floats. This was anotherone of my aircraft dealer "deals."When I got to the airport, themechanic told me he had been run-ning "Milk Oil" in the engine for thepast couple days because all thevalves were sticking. (I don't to thisday know what Milk Oil is) He saidthe airplane had been sitting outsidefor a couple of years and not onlyhad the valves been sticking but theretract system for the gear wasfrozen into the down and lockedposition. He, too, suggested I stayclose to the airport after take-off "justin case." He then proceeded to tellme that the nose wheel casting onone of the floats had broken off fromthe last flight and that it had beenwelded back together by the localmechanic. He suggested I be verycareful in selecting runways andtaxiways that were smooth. (As if wecan tell from a map) This airplanehad a cruise speed of 100 knots on a300 horse Continental engine and afuel burn of 18 gallons per hour witha maximum of 48 gallons usable. 21/2 hour legs were about all I couldplan on and the trip took forever.

Numerous other trips were madeduring this time frame for both mybusiness and for my friends aircraftsales business. One in particular willbe a lasting memory. My aircraftsales friend called me in February of1988 to see if I could go to Boston topick up a Cessna 310 for him. Themorning of my return was very coldbut clear skies all the way back toDayton. In pre-flighting the 310 Inoticed the cabin heater resting inthe baggage compartment not

hooked up to anything. The ownertold me he had told the buyer thatthe heater was in-operative and hadbeen removed for repair. I took offfor Dayton knowing this was goingto be a cold trip. Outside air temper-ature was right on 0 degrees at 8,500feet as I headed west. To say I wascold is an understatement at best. Ihad put my feet on top of the glareshield to try to get some sun to myfrozen feet and then I realized withabout two hours to go that my blad-der would not last the whole trip.The only thing I could find in the air-plane for relief was a burp bagbehind the co-pilot seat. I lifted up inthe pilot seat and proceeded to takecare of my problem and OOH what arelief it was. As I started to seal upthe bag, I noticed it was totallyempty. It had a hole in the bottomand had saturated the seat I was sus-pended only inches above. I slippedinto the co-pilots seat and completedthe trip to Dayton. I arrived late inthe day and parked the airplane onthe ramp and noticed the left seat tobe frozen solid. Three days later Iventured to the airport about twohours after the mechanics had pulledthe airplane from the frozen tundrainto the hangar for the annualinspection. The airplane had beenfrozen from the time I landed untilnow. The mechanic ask me how Icould stand flying the airplane all theway from Boston with that despica-ble smell in the cockpit. It's times likethis that saying nothing and walkingaway with a huge grin on my facewas my best response.

By now my log book is showing over6200 hours and over a hundred dif-ferent airplane types. So many, infact, that I was no longer logging allmy flight time by type and wouldskip weeks of entries to save me thetime of logging them independently.During this time period Scott and Ibuilt our first Velocity, which wascompleted sometime in late 1988. Wedesigned the retract system from thisfirst Velocity and the entire airplanewas destroyed only days from firstflight by a fire in the building whichwe were building in. This was an

emotional set-back for us as we haddone all the work over a period ofabout 15 months and all went up insmoke. We had no insurance on theairplane and didn't feel ready to starton another. We did, however, due topressure from Velocity builders whowanted the RG system, build oursecond Velocity and in August of1989 flew N125V for the first time.This would be the first flying RGVelocity. It took Scott workingalmost full time and me workingpart time about 7 months to buildthe second one. Remember, therewere no molded bulkheads, no pre-build options, no videos and prettysketchy instructions. This airplanehad the older narrow cord wingsand was FAST. We could get over200 knots true air speed at 7500 feet.I noticed one entry on a trip Scottand I made to Miami. IFR at 7000feet we started picking up ice overthe mountains and had to climb to10,000 feet to get above the icinglevel. What we found was an unusu-al ice accumulation. The windshielddid not pick up any rime ice andremained clear throughout the flight.The hang-down canard tips had icebuilding up on the inside of the tipsat right angles to the airflow. Reallyodd looking and is why we re-designed the canard tips to the up-sweep. The rest of the flying surfaceshad the normal ice build up on theleading edge and we lost probably15 knots of flying speed with the ice.At 10,000 feet the sun was shinningand the ice simply eroded away overthe next couple hours.

It became apparent there were a lotof Velocity people out there whowanted someone to help them buildtheir airplanes so Scott and I startedlooking for a place where we couldset up our own builder assist pro-gram. Our search ended by buyingan airport in Philipsburg Ohio. Thisis a suburb of Dayton and about 7miles west of Dayton International.This airport was home to about 60hangared airplanes and had an aban-doned building on site that was pre-




viously used by the Civil Air Patrol.This building became our newhome. My aircraft sales friend wenttogether with Scott and me in thepurchase of the airport. Scott hired acouple helpers and was working fulltime by now on the assist program. Iwas working part time and still trav-eling all over the country in my busi-ness interests. We could build 3 air-planes at the same time in heatedand air-conditioned comfort andcompleted seven Velocity modelsbefore we made the move toSebastian.

Other airplanes I flew during thistime were the A36 Bonanza, aWACO, Piper Clipper, BeechSkipper, Cessna 172 XP, turbo TwinComanche and all the Velocities wecompleted in the new facilities.

One particular Velocity had anunusual history. After the restric-tions were flown off, I delivered theairplane to the new owner in Ft.Lauderdale FL in May of 1992. Later,he had us install the first SubaruSVX engine in the airplane and laterthe Franklin 220. He then sold theairplane to a new owner who toldme he was a farmer and needed theairplane to fly back and forthbetween Melbourne and Lakelandwhere he was buying a berry farm.A couple weeks later I was watchingthe news and this Velocity was a fea-ture on national TV. The airplanehad crossed the border of Mexiconear El Paso quite low and rightover a Park Ranger station. The ParkRanger notified the DEA who imme-diately set up a chase that lasted allthe way to Detroit Michigan wherethe owner ran out of gas and madean emergency landing in a city park.He slid into a cement park benchand was killed instantly. The resi-dents appeared at the crash almostimmediately and proceeded to filltheir pockets with as much marijua-na as they could handle until thepolice arrived. The pilot had flownover 1500 miles on the 85 gallons of

usable fuel with a cockpit stuffed fullof pot. This was an average of over17 miles per gallon at a ground speedof almost 175 miles per hour. Thisfact did not go un-noticed by thedrug trade.

The turbo Twin Comanche wasanother unusual story. My aircraftbroker friend called me about thistime and ask if I could pick up thisairplane he had just purchased. Theairplane had been hangared in a dirtfloor building for several years andhad not been flown for the last cou-ple years. Out of annual, full of dirtand grime, dead battery, flakingpaint, no fuel, -- just a miserable air-plane. After filing for a ferry permit,pumping 50 gallons of fuel into theairplane and washing enough dirt offthe windshield to see out, I departedfor Dayton Ohio. It was a cold fallday so I cranked on some heat. Acouple minutes later I'm looking outthe windshield and a big black snakestuck his head out through thedefroster duct, looking me right inthe eyes. It then began inching his (orher) way out the duct directlytoward my face. Yelling, "get back"and waving my hands did nothing toslow his progress. I immediately shutoff the heater and prayed he wouldgo back into his hole. (I hate snakes)After what seemed like an hour, heslowly backed his way into thedefroster duct and was gone. Nosooner had he retracted than I felt ashake in the airplane. The rightengine sputtered a couple times andquit. I had made it a point to practicesingle engine procedures on a regu-lar basis and it was not a problemsecuring the engine and proceedingon to Dayton. Scott and I would latertake this same airplane on a crosscountry trip and experienced twomore engine failures enroute. In bothcases, we were able to re-start theengine and continue our trip.

It is now late June/early July of 1992and Dan Maher wants to know ifScott and I would be interested inbuying Velocity. Dan was havinghealth problems and needed to sellthe business. For most of you, this is

where our story starts. For Scott andmyself, we needed to sell an airport,sell two other businesses and get ridof two homes. This was all done in areasonably short time and I arrivedfull time in Sebastian around themiddle of July. My logbook at thattime showed just over 7,000 flighthours; 3700 of which were singleengine and the rest twin. Since thattime I have added an additional 1300flight hours give or take a few hun-dred. I have crossed the US certainlyover a dozen times and made numer-ous trips to Oshkosh and other airshows destinations. Flying hasalways been one of the most enjoy-able activities imaginable. When thebug hit, it hit hard for me and theresult has been a lifetime of aviation.It's strange, perhaps, to some of you,but I remember often filling an IFRflight plan for a 30 minute flight in orabove the muck, common in Ohio,just to go to lunch in Cincinnati, orMuncie Indiana, or some of the otherairport restaurants around the area.For those of you who haven't pro-gressed this far, let me tell you thereis nothing as thrilling or satisfying asan IFR trip with an instrumentapproach to minimums and to breakout at the missed approach point andsee the runway centerline only aquarter mile away.

As I said a few months ago, it is timefor a change. I need to stop and visitsome of the places I have flown overfor the past 38 years. My life in avia-tion has been about as complete asone could imagine. Some of theabove stories certainly point this out.As to flying, I don't think I will evergive it up as long as my health is OK.I have totally enjoyed my involve-ment in aviation and with the manyof you who I can honestly call myfriends. God bless you all for makingour lives more meaningful and morefulfilling.

••••

Editor’s NOTICEI have posted Duane’s entire story onvelocityaircraft.com on the “Builders

Page” for those who may not have Volumes 30 + 31


BuildersForum

Builders Forum is full of tips, information and letters (“material”) supplied toVelocity Views Newsletter from individuals that are Velocity builders (or want to bebuilders). It is provided as “USE AT YOUR OWN RISK” material. NeitherVelocity Inc. (The Velocity Factory) nor Velocity Views Newsletter (Lavoie Graphics& Rick Lavoie) have endorsed this material, and disclaim any liability for the use ofthis material. Individuals who use this material for the operation, maintenance, orconstruction of their homebuilt aircraft do so at their own discretion and at theirown risk. Any variance from the builders manual is high risk.

Navy Weekend... NoEnlistment Required

By John & Rose Ward

N120RJ wasinvited to show-case the YoungEagles Programat theNovember 2002Blue AnglesHomecomingAir Show. Amajor concern was the paper workassociated with getting permissionto fly to a military airfield whichturned out to be no problem. FAL-CON Insurance to the rescue. Withinfive minutes of my phone call theyhad faxed Department of Defenseform DD-2400 to the Naval FacilitiesEngineering Command inWashington D.C. and the appropri-ate military office at NavyPensacola. This grants permission toland at U.S. military fields for a yearif one has a reason to be there.

We were assigned a PPR num-ber and a ten-minute window forarrival at the airfield. We must havebeen the first show plane on theschedule. Pensacola Approach said,"Remain clear of Class 'C' airspaceand say again your destination."After several "standbys", the PPRnumber to Pensacola Approach, asimilar call from a Chinese YAK anda U.S. T-28 got us switched toSherman Tower. No problem withrunway length here but my depthperception gets a little confusedwhen comparing our 80' by 2,600'runway with a 200' by 8,000'. A reas-suring comment from the tower wasa report that the arresting gear hadbeen removed from the approachend of the runway. Okay for tailhooks but little Velocity nose geartires and overrun arresting gear

don't mix too well. No slouchy FBOto help with parking at ShermanField. After clearing the runway wewere told to follow the "Follow Me"truck. Big lighted sign in the back ofthe truck was about as fancy as myavionics package. Knowing where topark was no problem.

It wasn't long until an audienceshowed up, military guys, (and theshow is not until tomorrow) to lookat an airplane that fit right in withthe futuristic look and style of manymilitary aircraft. They wanted to trythe +12/-9G loading! Since the planeis in primer and not upholstered theinterior looked military - except forthe CD player. The Velocity wasparked between a Chinese YAK andNavy F-14. Navy and Air Force had

about thirty aircraft on display and Ithink we were the smallest and theAir Force G-5 Galaxy the largest. Inaddition to the "Follow Me" truckthey had a school bus for crew trans-portation. We got more attentionthan most - well okay - the BlueAngles got a little more attentionthan the Velocity.

The two-day event, with severalair show performances, surprisedthe EAA by all the Velocity atten-tion. Interested parties with childrenwere siphoned off to the YoungEagles for future free introductoryflights. The Blue Angles, along withother performances, military fly-bysand static displays made a great AirShow Weekend.

••••


Buy Sell or TradeVelocity parts, tools, kits, flying

Velocitys: Free and exclusive to Velocity Views Subscribers.

P l a c e your ad here... FREE to allcurrent subscribers. Individualsselling parts, tools, kits, & flyingVelocitys. Your ad will run once persubmission. See last page fordeadlines. Please do not type textin all caps!

Factory Information

Velocity Inc.Factory & Home Office:

200 W Airport RdSebastian FL 32958 USA

Ph: 561-589-1860Builders Hot Line:

561-589-0309Fax: 561-589-1893

Builders HOT LINEPlease remember that on weekendsand after hours, we do not answerthe 561-589-1860 phone number.Our unlisted builders hot line is561-589-0309 and, if we are here,this is the only number we willanswer.

Internet web site:http://velocityaircraft.com

e-mail addresses:[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@velocityaircraft.com

Builder assistance:[email protected] e-mail addresses:[email protected]@[email protected]

Velocity Service Center Inc.:f l i g h t t r a i n i n g @ v e l o c i t y a i r c r a f t . c o [email protected]@velocityaircraft.com

We Service Terra Radios

Velocity 1996 Standard Elite RGReady for Paint, Interior, Engineand Instruments/wire. Manyextras like big hatch, Elbow exten-sions in doors, OverHead air ductsystem. What˙s left to do? Maingear doors need to be finalized andfinished, minor sanding and finishwork. Some manipulation of doorsfor better fit. Lot˙s of extra thoughand work on many areas.See more at:www.pc-c.com\velocity.htm$47500 contact [email protected] 543 2396

We need your inputfor this newsletter tobe a success!

• Builder Forum Input• First Flight Photos• First Flight Stories• Velocity Flying Adventures• Velocity Fly-in Suggestions

PLEASE!Send your photos / stories toRick Lavoie for the nextnewsletter!

Velocity Viewsis published Quarterly by:

Lavoie Graphics26 Marshview Dr

St. Augustine, FL 32080-5873Rick Lavoie,Editor904-461-3146 (fax)

e-mail: [email protected]

Velocity Views newsletter ispublished by Rick Lavoie / LavoieGraphics as an agent for VelocityInc. (the factory). Prior to printing,the factory reviews each volumepublished for accuracy.

Velocity Views newsletter mate-rial has been supplied voluntarilyfrom the Velocity Factory,Builders, & Vendors. This materialis printed for informational pur-poses only. Opinions expressed arethose of the author. LavoieGraphics & Rick Lavoie do notendorse and are not liable for thecontents of such material. Use ofthis material is at your own risk.Any variance from the factoryplans is a high risk endeavor. Anycontemplated modificationsshould be reviewed and approvedby Velocity Inc.

Velocity Views is a Trademark ofLavoie Graphics

Copyright © 1994 - 2003 LavoieGraphics All Rights Reserved.

No part may be reproduced or trans-lated, stored in a database or retrievalsystem, or transmitted in any form byelectronic, mechanical, photocopying,recording, or other means, except asexpressly permitted by the publisher.

Rick Lavoie, Newsletter Editor26 Marshview DrSt. Augustine FL USA 32080-5873 FORWARD & ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

FIRST CLASS

• 2003 Calendar YearSubscription (Volumes 33-36):The annual cost is $45.00 for mail-ing addresses within the UnitedStates. For all other mailingaddresses, the cost is $50.00 in USfunds (covers Air Mail & specialhandling).

All subscriptions are sold on acalendar year basis. New sub-scribers joining mid year will beprovided with back issues forthat calender year.• Back Issues 1995 thru 2002 areavailable for sale at $35.00 percalendar year in US funds.Specify the year(s) you wantwhen ordering back issues.• “Paid thru Vol” on your mail-ing label indicates the final vol-ume your subscription covers.

lavoiegraphics.com

Subscriptions

Listed below are 4 options forsubmitting your text. Do not typeyour text in all caps. Please send usphotos and drawings too!1) Send it on a 3-1/2” disk, a CD, ora Zip 100. This saves us from re-typ-ing all that text. Don’t format yourtext, just give us raw text, with nounderlining, bold, or any other typeof formats.2) E-Mail your text file to me:[email protected] and pleasedon’t type in all caps.3) If you don’t have access to a com-puter, then we can scan in yourtyped page.4) If you print neatly so we can readit clearly, we’ll type it on our com-puter for you!Note: If you need your photos &materials returned, please include aself addressed envelop.

• Renewal Discount$35.00 for renewals only ifyou mail a check to RickLavoie by Dec 15th and payby check in US funds.Otherwise, you will becharged at the normal sub-scription rates of $45 or $50(see above). Also, you canpre-pay as many future yearsas you choose at the $35 rate.

Delivery DatesQuarter: Mailed by:1st January 15th2nd April 15th3rd July 15th4th October 15th

Submission DeadlinesQuarter: Mail Date:1st December 1st2nd March 1st3rd June 1st4th September 1st

Branson Missouri Fly-In In this issue - Velocity Aircraft · In this issue Branson Fly-in .....1...

Documents

Transcript of Branson Missouri Fly-In In this issue - Velocity Aircraft · In this issue Branson Fly-in .....1...