EAA Sport Aviation - November 2010

DELAWARE AERONCA 11AC ON MAY 2, 2010, after a 19-month restoration, my 1947 Aeronca 11AC Chief, NC3449E, took to the air once again. Under the cowl, a new M20 air oil separator was installed along with new STC’d spring-loaded push rod tubes in an attempt to stem a few oil leaks. The most exasperating task was getting the new engine baffling, nose bowl, top and bottom cowls, and stacks to fit together to my satisfaction. Brand new straight stacks replaced the decaying muffler system. Almost every nut and bolt that was loosened during the process (airframe and engine) was replaced with new AN appropriate hardware, which cost a small fortune. On the first flight, it flew pretty much hands-off. The Superflite System VI looks great! Many new parts will keep it in the air for years to come. Thanks to Tony and Pat Markl for their great fabric work, and Dan O’Donnell for the paint job. Thanks to my friends Bill, Sue, Lauren, Carol, and Patricia, without whom I’d still be putting this together in 2012!

INDIANA FLY BABY MY TANDEM FLY BABY is fitted with all-metal wings I had used on two previous aircraft I built, one being my own design. A 110-hp, six-cylinder Corvair engine powers this aircraft. It is outfitted with all new internal parts except for the crank. I believe this is one of the first all-metal Fly Baby designs. The plane has a glass floor, and the wings have glass inspections covers. I made two major changes from the Bowers plans: Peter Bowers made his landing legs with laminated wood, whereas both of my Fly Babys had 1/4-inch by two inch spring steel landing gear. Also, Bowers’ gas tank was in the nose of the fuselage, whereas I incorporated a 10-gallon gas tank in each wing.

Don Taylor, EAA 680418; Evansville, Indiana; E-mail: don.jen451@insightbb.com

OREGON SPARROW I DESIGNED AND BUILT this Sparrow over a period of three years—one year to design it and two years to build it. It’s the third experimental scratchbuilt/homebuilt design I have completed. (The other two were amphibians.) The Sparrow, a two-place side-by-side with a 28-foot wingspan and a gross weight of 1,550 pounds, was conceived along the lines of a Vagabond, but 18 inches longer. It has a 230-12 airfoil and an O-235 Lycoming engine with a 76-by- 53 inch Sensenich propeller. It indicates about 115 mph at cruise and climbs about 700 fpm at gross weight. I received my airworthiness certificate in May 2007 and have more than 100 hours logged. Special thanks to Zi Shadzada, my longtime friend and authorized inspector, who passed away in December 2008.

Tom Pileggi, EAA 14373; Portland, Oregon; E-mail: sparrow0502@gmail.com

E.C. Connor, EAA 774893; Greenwood, Delaware; E-mail: cconnorrn@gmail.com

INDIANA SONEX

WALT TARR AND I met in the early 1980s while flying radio controlled (R/C) airplanes. We both drifted away from R/C modeling over the years. I had been attending EAA AirVenture Oshkosh for many years as a private pilot, but said I could never build an airplane. In 2003, I walked by the Sonex display, and a pretty yellow bird reached out and grabbed me. When I got home I called Walt and said, “I need help in building an airplane.” He responded, “What scale?” I said, “Full,” and the silence was deafening! We took the Sonex Builder’s Workshop in October 2003 and received the kit that December. We completed the bird and received the FAA sign-off on September 28, 2007, and I made the first flight on October 28, 2007. The engine is a Jabiru 3300L, and the instrumentation is a Stratomaster Enigma by MGL. I would like to thank Walt, Jon Ogle, Lou Owen, and many members of EAA Chapter 67. I would also like to thank my wife, Adele, for putting up with the mess in the garage and aluminum shavings I tracked in the house.