Introduction

In October, I inspected and bought a Viking Dragonfly built by Walter Triplett and first flown in 1987. The late, Walter Born bought the plane and it was hangered since 1993. In November, I trailered it to Huntsville AL where I am planning to spend 12 to 18 months rebuilding to make it airworthy again. The critical paperwork starts with the aircraft, engine logs, and pilot's handbook:

Past and Current Project Log

Earlier, project logs by month:

2012/01/31 - Weights and forms

The navigation lights are using a custom bulb:




The navigation light is too low so it is partially obscured by the leading edge of the wing that mounts the lense. At a minimum, the light socket will be raised enough to clear the lip. Also, the calking is being attacked by mold but it is still flexible . . . an easy clean-up job.

With Jeff's help, we got a preliminary weight of the wing:

I still have to measure the tar weights: the suspension box, straps, and one set of wing supports.

I sent the aircraft discrepancy log forms to the printer and asked they be ready on Wednesday. Once ready, I'll start the N19WT maintenance log.

We also measured the canard area:

To calculate the area, I treated the wing tip as the width of a rectangle using the length of the maximum thickness length. Then I used the cord at fuselage minus the tip cord as the base of trangle and width as the height of a right triangle.

Using the same approach for the wing area:

So what I'm finding, first measurements: This is about 13 square feet less than the claimed 97 square feet in the N19WT certification and 18 square feet than the Dave Morris FAQ. I've assumed we do not count the wing and canard area covered by the fuselage as part of the lift area.

2012/01/27 - Parts ordered

I've ordered a replacement, right aileron bellcrank, two aileron torque tubes, and four bolts and nuts to replace the ones found on N19WT. I do not want to fly with the right aileron bellcrank and torque tube having an extra hole. As for the extra hardware and shaft, the left torque tube has surface rust. Replacing it means I won't have to "shot peen" clean the left tube. The new bolts and nuts . . . well small price to pay for the sanity of knowing the hardware is new.

I've ordered two, LED lights to replace the incandescent, tip lights. This should reduce the current draw of the current, 16 ohm, lights and improve reliability and reduce heat.

The xenon flash tubes will be removed from the wing tips for either reuse on fuselage mounted locations and/or use of LED anti-collision lights. I'm leaning towards LED replacements and sending the flash tubes to Ebay or use in high-speed photography.

I've ordered a Stanley, racheting torque wrench with certification. This will be used only under A&P supervision when we need to install torque sensitive nuts and bolts . . . like aileron bell cranks.

Next week, I hope to have the A&P come visit my hanger and do a preliminary audit including the wing. I will add some things to make it easier to look at the rest of the project BUT my primary goal is to make sure we have a good 'working relationship.' My thinking is:

If this working relationship works, we will efficiently and SAFELY get N19WT ready for testing and airworthyness.

One last thing, I have not found in my plans the specifications and dimensions for the shoulder harness, steel straps. I will ask the 'list' but I may have to send them to the parts supplier and ask for replacements. Personally, I would like to see 'energy absorbing' should strap, links but this may be more than I have time and energy to spend ... we'll see.

2012/01/23 - Mold diagnosis

While putting the wing on the table, several ounces of water came out of the drain holes that are located to the rear, near the tips on each end. At first, I thought this explains why I was seeing mold spots on the wing when it was stored, leading edge down. During the tow in the rain, water entered via the drain hole, wiring holes and possibly around the navigation light cover joint. The tow happened November 26 and wasn't diagnosed until today, January 22, two months.

The first step is to drain the water. I will reposition the wing so one of the drain holes is at the lowest possible location with a catch basin, say a pie plate. I will try to measure how much more water comes out. The next step will be to througly test for delamination.

As I was 'thump' testing the tips, I realized they are hollow. I did not build the wing but this suggests the wings were built as an assembly and the tips were added later.

The rusted shoulder belt anchors now makes more sense. These four, glassed-in, nutplates are the lowest point of the wing. Any external condensation would flow and collect there, encouraging rust formation. The bolts are long enough they may breach the fiberglass so they may be natural drain holes for any water in the wing.

2012/01/22 - Preliminary wing audit

Before moving the wing, I removed the rusted, shoulder strap anchors:

The shoulder harness straps will be anchored on the fuselage, not the wing. Furthermore, the right, forward lift mount appears to have a nut-plate bolt without enough threads showing.

One end of the wing is moved towards the table with more strap space (aka., wing lower); the table repositioned; the other end moved over table and; laid on the table.

I've installed 1/4" bolts and right-angle hardware on the four mounts so if someone pushes the wing, the table moves. We don't want the wing to fall off the table.

The following photos reveal these problems:

Right side aileron:

The control arm has an extra hole drilled through it 90 degrees to the mounting bolt and nut.

Left side aileron:

I felt no 'slop' in the alerons and operation was smooth.

My to-do list before the A&P comes in:

I had a clear view of the canard:

The rudder pedals were mounted very close to the drag spar. It may be possible to just move them forward to near the lift bulkhead mount and gain enough leg room. This needs to be carefully tested in the fuselage.

2012/01/20 - Updates on shed, wing, and Ellison

Here are more details about the Ellison:


The shed is ready for airplane work:

Notice the table is on rollers so it can move to work on the other side of the part.

Now the wing is where the shoulder harness mounts and the anchor straps are badly rusted:

I really don't like this anchor point because it provides very little vertical support as it is behind, not below, the shoulders. Also, the wing is one of the sacrificial structures and I don't want it to rip off the fuselage mounts and take the pilot and passengers too. Furthermore, I'm remembering Mark Felling's accident July 2, 2003 from "Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie, Minnesota."

Mark suffered a spinal injury when the plane crashed inverted and his head crashed into the canopy. There is not a lot of space between the head and canopy so I want the shoulder harness to keep from compressing the neck and spine. It looks like Hooker Harness may have the hardware needed.

2012/01/19 - Reworked canard dolly, ordered CONTACT

I've reworked the canard dolly by using a single board to mount the wheels. I need to replace some too long, wood screws and/or drill them in at an angle. I also need to re-weight it and it will be ready to remount on the fuselage. This will let 'explorers' sit in the plane without risking wheel collapse.

There has been a lot of work on non-traditional aircraft engines and it appears the magazine, CONTACT, has been following developments. It is much easier to 'borrow' an idea than to do re-invent what might have already been tried.

One lesson learned is reliability needs to be a top priority along with extensive testing and analysis. In particular, testing needs to be done in the safest possible area BUT it doesn't stop when the plane is certified. Every flight is a "test" and needs to be treated with the same care and respect as the first flight.

I started looking at the NTSB accident reports on the Dragonfly. I think it makes sense to analyze what happened and use this as the road-map to making sure N19WT is as safe as possible. Yes, it is easy to fall in the trap of finding human faults such as flying into IFR weather or not having time in type. These are important but should never be used to ignore potential hardware issues.

I announced an "Open Hangar" at the work-shed, Monday, February 20, 2012, at 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. By then, I should have the wing on the bench and well into the rework.

2012/01/15 - Completed table, house-keeping

The table leg, cross-pieces are completed and the table raised to fit on a pair of funiture movers. Now everything can be be moved as needed. The table and floor are now clean and construction sawdust put in the dust bin. The various straps are now hanging in the rear. Non-aircraft, hardware and parts are in a plastic box labeled, "NOT aircraft hardware." However, I need to add one more set of lights and move the supplies from home to the shed.

The engine and aircraft logs are updated and on the now easily accessable bookshelf. All documentation including the plans and newsletters are available but I need to rig up some sort of plastic enclosure to keep dust and dirt off of them.

The boxes of engine parts are by the HAPI. This includes Ellison EFS-2 throttle injector manual.

Although the throttle plate moves with only a little 'stiction', Ellison will rebuild the throttle body. 

EFSOFFICE@aol.com 	 Tue, Dec 27, 2011 at 11:30 AM
To: bwilson4web@gmail.com

Dear Mr. Wilson;
 
We do still service the EFS-2 if the serial number is 1150 or higher.  Lower serial 
numbers are obsolete units.  

We currently have a two week turn-around time.  All work done in our shop is on a time 
plus material basis at $45 per hour.  The overhaul would probably be around $300, 
depending on the condition.
 
As the new owner of this unit, we will need you to register it with us.  I am 
attaching a copy of the required Purchase Agreement/Liability Waiver for your convenience.  
Please sign and return it to us with the serial number of your EFS-2 and your contact 
information.
 
Sincerely,
ELLISON FLUID SYSTEMS, INC.

The FAA sent a follow-up document, the official registration form. I need to complete my part and send it with an envelope to Peggy Born. Once she completes her part and forwards it the FAA, they will change the registration and N19WT will be in my name.

There is a fly-in for canard airplanes planed for: 

Gulf Coast Canard Fly-In 
March 24th / 25th 
2R5 St Elmo Alabama

La Quinta Inn & Suites Mobile - Tillman's Corner  
5170 Motel Ct, Mobile, AL
(251) 661-9978
11 miles from airport

Now to do some serious planning:

2012/01/12 - Met with A&P

I had a chance to go over my plans with the A&P to get N19WT refurbished. Little did I realize how much becoming an A&P would be interesting, training and follows the pattern of how I became a pilot.

In 1976, I bought a plane and hired a flight intructor. Buying a plane and hiring someone to teach me A&P skills using N19WT follows the same pattern.

Becoming an A&P has an extensive apprentiship and rigorous testing. Reading the FAA guide and regulations on becoming an A&Ps, it like piloting, involves applied, quality engineering. Sad to say, the nearest FAA approved schools are over a hundred miles away but the FAA proscribes how an A&P apprenticeship works.

2012/01/10 - Note

There is no requirement for 337's on Experimental Aircraft also you need to
let the A&P do your maintenance since you were not the primary builder 51%
of N19WT. And any maintenance performed should be recorded in the log
books. If you change engine or prop models this would require an amendment
and you need to submit to the FAA Form 8130-6 to the FSDO. We would also
have to amend your Operating Limitations and Airworthiness Certificate.

Thanks

George B. Castleberry
Principal Maintenance Inspector GA/AW
Alabama/Northwest Florida FSDO
1500 Urban Center Drive Suite 250
Vestavia Hills, AL 35242

2012/01/08 - Work Table Standing


Still need to add at least one diagonal piece to increase laternal stiffening. Ideally, two pieces in an "X" would be perfect.

2012/01/06 - Work Table

So this is the bottom, box structure layout:

Here you see the dobs of Gorillia glue along the dampened top:

The two side rails are joined together using a joining plate with Gorillia glue and second, shortie plate:

Unfortunately, the left rail is upside down so the wooden backing is on the outside but this is not a problem. The backing piece is there to increase the joint strength and with the 2" overhang around the edge, it won't get in the way.


There was a slight twist to the box after the 0.25" sheeting was glued and screwed. So weights are used to make the box as square as possible while the glue sets. If it doesn't wind up 'square,' wires and turnbuckles will flatten the table.

2012/01/05 - FAA Training Documents

Reading the aircraft log revealed the annual maintenance is covered under Part 43. Found and downloaded a training set of PowerPoint charts and finally begin to understand: The web page entries are being organized to support easier reading and review. It makes sense to either combine the facing pages of the aircraft log or rescan them and rotate.

I found the FAA Flight Manual looks to be a complete outline of what N19WT needs for a "Pilot's Operating Manual." By making a web outline of this manual, I have a structure, a frame work, to collect all details specific to the Dragonfly and N19WT.

2012/01/04 - Digitized Logs

Crude, the paper logs are available.

A better table build is to build it 'up-side down.' The boards are cut and the adheasive, Gorillia, bought. So I'll tack the pieces together and then when the temperature gets to 40F or higher, I'll 'wet' the surfaces, add Gorillia glue, and screw everything together. Then two - four hours later, I'll put it right side up to measure and attach the legs and funiture movers.

Found a photo of N19WT in newsletter #28.

2012/01/02 - Table and Web Page

The shed is too small to easily turn the wing or canard around and the 16" wide table, too awkward to reach over. To solve this problem, Harbor Freight furnature moving skids will be used as the base. This allows the table to move as needed to work on different sides of the part.

Bob Walters shows a symetrical, top and bottom, table using 0.5" fiberboard with 1" x 4" boards around the edge. This would be a solid part but to save weight the bottom board will be 0.25" plywood. The parts list:

Assembly will follow this general outline:

2012/01/01 - Wing Ladder Working!

The wing ladder is a light weight, pair of "A" frames that have a span of rug liner and padding between the apex, "A".

The cross pieces at the bottom are sized to allow the hydraulic lift platform to fit under them. The wing or canard is put in the apex web and the lift platform rises to whatever height is needed.

Here the wing is lifted and moved adjacent to the canard:

One pair of bottom cross pieces is held with wing-nut secured bolts so the two "A" frames collapse like a folding ladder, for storage. Now I can move anything in the workshed to where ever it needs to go at any time.

The work shed, left side is free for a 16" by 24' work table:


The hydraulic lift table is a dandy bench seat. Adding the blue pads makes it almost a recliner. Also, you'll notice the lights are now mounted facing down where the table will go to improve evening productivity.

Here we see the Prius that powers the lights and hand tools:
I still need to figure out how I'll store 'stuff' and in particular, nuts, bolts and various hardware bits. But now I have a trash can, broom and pan . . . the key to making a place to work.