EAA 650

Good Monday Morning to All Saturday was a big day for the Taylorcraft refurb project. After 4 turns of the prop with the mags off, the mag switch was turned to both and then Richard gave it one more turn and the engine started right up. A sign of relief could be heard by all members attending the event. I was in the cockpit and allowed the engine to warm up for about 5 minutes before running the RPM up to 1700 for a mag check which was nearly perfect. 0 RPM drop on the R. mag and only 20 RPM drop on the left mag. After the mag check we were getting ready to do a short  taxi to see how the brakes worked then the engine stopped running. Numerous attempts to restart were unsuccessful. After pushing the aircraft back into the hangar we tried to figure out why the engine stopped. Our best guess at this point is fuel contamination from particles in  the wing fuel tank which drained into the main tank then onto the engine. Looks like the carburetor will have to

Some of you are aware that we were attempting to do some Young Eagle flights  tomorrow morning. That fell through since the organization we were working with had a change of heart, so it will be business as usual for the EAA 650 Saturday morning hangar flying session at the club house.  For those of you who were weren't aware Jerry received his Wright Brothers Master Pilot award given by the FAA for pilots who have flown for over 50 years of accident/incident free flying.  This was a surprise ceremony following Jerry's presentation on flying in Vietnam complete with training aids! Jerry also prepard a breakfast casserole as well as a birthday cake with ice cream since it was just a few days past his birthday. Here is a press release I sent out to the local papers. If there is a slow news day Jerry will be added as filler right before the want adds! Jerry Harkin EAA 650 Club president was recently surprised by a visit from the FAA. Jer

 Pre Staged the Taylorcraft for going to the paint booth. Due to an equipment issue at the painting facility there is a delay in getting the T-Craft painted. Apparently the type of paint used to paint the aircraft requires a specific type of mask the painter must use and they do not have one. The mask has been ordered and will be here next week. Our hope is that we can move the aircraft to the paint shop late next Thursday or early on Friday. The aircraft is loaded on the trailer and ready to go so once we get the OK from the paint shop we will deliver the aircraft. The painter has agreed to paint the wings and the fuselage on the same weekend so we can get everything painted at the same time. All the small pieces along with the paint supplies have been delivered to the paint shop so there should not be any further delays.

Gold Morning to Everyone As most of you know we have moved the wings for our Taylorcraft from the clubhouse to the hangar to prepare the wings, along with the fuselage, to be painted. The move was pretty easy as you can see from the photo. The problem is that as the wings were being sanded and prepared for paint we found many areas that needed to be patched and discovered that the nav light wiring was never connected in the wing. The wing was rewired and the patches are complete and the fuselage has been sanded, the new seat installed and the engine cowlings are installed and look great. We are on schedule for paint in August at the aircraft paint shop.   Another surprise was the price of paint and the associated materials that go along with painting a fabric airplane. Unfortunately we do not have enough in our account to cover the cost of buying paint and paying the painter so I am again asking for a donation from the Chapter members to help us complete the restoration

 Taylorcraft Update Good Morning to Everyone Good progress is being made on the refurbishment of the Taylorcraft. The new slick magnetos and wiring harness has been installed as well as the completion of the new seat frame installation. The current project focus is a replacement of the engine cowling, both top and bottom. This came about because of the poor condition of the original cowl and the decision that it would be easier to replace the cowling in lieu of trying to repair the original one. Fortunately we have two very good sheet metal fabricators to do the work. The exterior fuselage has been sanded down and is getting close to being in shape for repainting. Still have to refine the steps needed to paint a fabric airplane but I think we have a plan. Once all the cowling and engine work is completed it will be time to start the new engine and see what happens, hopefully that will be sometime next month.  After we are satisfied that all is well with

Episode 2 video To Everyone who has worked on the Taylorcraft and other interested Chapter members. Bibrak has finished his second video of the rebuilding of the Taylorcraft and done an outstanding job. Not everyone who has worked on the aircraft is included in the video but some of you are becoming a rock star. ENJOY  Here is the video: https://youtu.be/9bwlkH75tmI Jerry

  MY PLANE IS CERTIFIED! Subject: April Chapter Update   Good Afternoon to All Wanted to pass along a few items that are currently underway with the Chapter. The progress with the Taylorcaft has slowed somewhat while we were waiting on parts. The new mags and wiring harness have arrived so that should be on the short list for installation. The design and fabrication of the new seat is complete, Mike did a great job in designing the seat structure. The new engine cowlings are next on the agenda for fit and installation. Once engine items are complete we should be read for our first engine runs, that will be a big day for us. If all goes well with the runs than we should be off to the paint shop for fuselage painting. After that will be interior installation, then the wings fo back on and we can finally get the aircraft up for sale after a few flights by some of our members. With any luck we may have it ready to sell be the

Subject: Taylorcraft Update 2/26/21  Good Morning to All Just a short note to let everyone know where we stand on the Taylorcraft refurb. The prop is on the new motor and most of the fluid lines are connected to the engine. The new air inlet delivery system is installed on the carburetor and all the spark plugs have been cleaned and tested and are ready for installation. The next project on the engine is installation of the baffling and connection of the linkages for throttle and carb heat. We are about to order some overhauled Slick mags and new wiring harnesses. Once we have those items installed the engine will be pretty much complete. It won't be long before we will be ready to start it up. The interior has been ordered from AirTex. Amazingly they have all the items needed to replace the interior on a 74 year old airplane. The headliner will be the biggest challenge to install. We are modifying the seat from the original sling design to

 

 More work was accomplished, cleaning the wing, and inspecting the interior for the Aileron workings and other mechanicals. These pictures came from Richard and Jim's hangar, where multiple areas were advanced. Note the fresh motor is now hanging on the airplane. Richard worked up the firewall to a shiny happy state, and the Mike and helpers got the engine installed.   This had happened since my last visit. Mike and Richard and helpers worked to get the gascolator installed.  You can see Mike working on the connection at the lower part of the firewall here. Russ made up a cover for the tail linkage, after Rich and he worked over the linkage so it was contained.  It had been proud of the space, as you can see by the arc on the inside of the cover. Gerry has been working to get the interior disassembled so the parts can be chased down to get the seating and cockpit back to fine order. Tim, Al and Steve worked on de-riveting sheet metal for the cowl area.  Some of the parts will be ne