REFLECTOR: The redesigned Velocityxl.com website

[Brett Ferrell]

I wanted to announce our newly renovated Velocityxl.com
<http://www.velocityxl.com> (and n44vf.com) website.  I hope to make it
the ultimate resource for Velocity builders, owners, and fliers (outside
of the factory site), and I think there are a bunch of features that
folks will be interested in, including more non-building content and a
greatly improved navigation system.  If you have suggestions for
additional content, please let me know!  Here are some highlights of the
new features:


_*Databases*_
I've created a *_Velocity owners and Airplanes database_* from a variety
of publicly available sources (FAA database, Sport Aviation and
Kitplanes Completions entries, Velocity Views, etc.) including owner
name, address, email, builder's name, model, gear type, airworthiness
date, engine, prop, and _*pictures*_ of airplanes and pilots, and other
data where available.  NOTE:  Although this information is all publicly
available, I've decided to require a login (email me for this) for the
database functionality to protect folk's privacy.  I simply ask that you
provide me with updated information on your kit/aircraft to help improve
the data quality to gain this access.

The database search page also displays current Velocity fleet
information, such as total number of sold kits, flying aircraft, number
in construction, and number destroyed or de-registered.  There is also a
"mobile <http://mobile.n44vf.com/>" version available for
small-screen-formats, so you can lookup N-numbers on your phone or PDA,
and contact the owner from the flight-line!

Also, there's a searchable _*KPC database*_ so you can quickly find the
KPC #'s relevant to your particular kit, and a text overview of the
change (you should still see the factory site for the complete KPC with
drawings, etc.). 


_*Publications*_
I have pulled together a large collection of articles and publications
related to the Velocity for folk's enjoyment, including the articles
announcing the XL, the XL-5, and Turbo Charlie as well as pieces
covering the solution to the Deep Stall issue and development of the 173
wing.  Note that copyrighted content is also only available after
logging in for obvious reasons.

    * Velocity Views    - The _complete_ and searchable PDF collection,
      courteous of Rick Lavoie
    * Sport Aviation    - 23 articles from 1985-2006
    * Kitplanes         - 17 articles from 1991-2007 (NOTE: Reprints are
      no longer available from Kitplanes!)
    * Custom Planes    - February 2000
    * Air Progress     - April 1988 "Pilot Report"
    * Flyways          - 2003 Article about Kevin and Brooke Stiener's
      'Deception'
    * Grass Field Tips - From "Waiter", and experienced Long-ez pilot
    * Canard Pusher    - Deep Stall article
    * IFR Requirements - EAA's thoughts on IFR requirements
    * Buffalo Forge    - Article on exhaust augmentation


_*Forum*_
Check our forums <http://forums.velocityxl.com/>, which offer all of the
Reflector messages online and searchable, displayed by conversation
thread, and with new-messages-since-last-visit shown first for quick
browsing.  Now you can check the reflector from anywhere-the house,
work, the FBO, your phone, or while you travel.  Quickly find those old
topics you know were covered, but can't easily find in your email.  Just
click on _Reflector_ on the main menu!


_*Pictures and Videos*_
I've collected all of my pictures, as well as many of my and other's
Velocity videos, including the recent RRL test flight and press
announcements, "World's most Extreme Homes" on Ricardo's cool home, as
well as coverage of our test flights, engine runs, and 'building
montage' slideshow.  Some of the sets of pictures provided are:

    * Airventure                   - 2005 Cup Race Kickoff and 2006
      convention pics
    * Velocity Barnstorming Tour   - Houston 2005 stop
    * Rough River Fly-in           - 2003 Fly-in near Louisville
    * EAM RC Velocity              - Check out our RC Velocity from
      Experimental Aircraft Models <http://www.rchomebuilts.com/>
    * Bill Stockman                - Check out Bill's Thunderbird paint
      scheme!
    * Chuck Jenson                 - Chuck visits Ohio
    * Al Gietzen                   - Beautiful aircraft!
    * Rich Guerra                  - Rich takes great pictures on his
      travels
    * Antonia Espinal              - Jet powered Velocity!
    * Rocket Racing                - Some pictures of the RRL trainer
    * Jack Morrison                - Supercharged e-Racer!



_*History*_
I've been compiling, and will continue to refine, the "Unofficial
History of Velocity Aircraft", and an easy-to-browse Timeline
presentation.  I find it interesting to learn more about the people and
events that brought this great design to us!

    * UnOfficial History
      <http://n44vf.velocityxl.com/velocity_history.php>   -
      http://n44vf.velocityxl.com/velocity_history.php
    * Timeline <http://n44vf.velocityxl.com/timeline/timeline2.htm>     
                  - http://n44vf.velocityxl.com/timeline/timeline2.htm
    * Venky! <http://n44vf.velocityxl.com/venky/index.html>            
           - A great historical builder website that many us loved,
      replicated here: http://n44vf.velocityxl.com/venky/index.html
    * Classic Ads!           - Check out the classic Velocity ads on the
      homepage



_*Accident Information*_
I've collected an extensive collection of accident and incident data,
presented by date and by incident aircraft, with links to the relevant
NTSB reports.  I will also be creating an analysis with accidents by
Year, Model, Gear Type, Engine, % of Fleet, Flight Hour, % in First 40
Hours, etc.  Also, I've gathered a large collection of images to show
just how well our aircraft perform in these extreme situations.  I do
want to stress that I don't present this data to embarrass anyone, but
to improve safety and confidence in the Velocity's design, and I try to
be sensitive to the fact that folks will want this data to be as
objective as possible.


_*Maintenance Documents*_
I've included as many documents as I can thus far to help folks who are
completing their aircraft and doing 'on-going' maintenance, such as:

    * Checklists
    * Flight Test Plan
    * Condition Inspection Checklist
    * My Blue Mountain Avionics Calibration Tables
    * My Weight and Balance Spreadsheet
    * My Electrical Diagrams
    * Koch Chart
    * Bill-of-Sale
    * Pilot's Operating Handbook (must be a member)
    * Instrument Manuals - Garmin, Blue Mountain, Lightspeed
      Engineering, Honeywell, PS Engineering, RSA
    * Grass Field Tips - From "Waiter"
    * Buffalo Forge    - Article on exhaust augmentation

Brett
www.velocityxl.com
www.n44vf.com
VelocityXL Logo <http://www.velocityxl.com>




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