REFLECTOR: Re: REFLECTOR Competition

Greg Poole gpoole at zeta.org.au
Mon Jul 19 18:24:15 CDT 2004 

Message rec'd thanks Lynn ....standby for construction questions...

Greg in Sydney.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lynn Gallup" <LGallup at mn.rr.com>
To: "Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list" <reflector at tvbf.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 20, 2004 9:01 AM
Subject: REFLECTOR: Re: REFLECTOR Competition


> Greg,
> I think I was about seven years into my Velocity project when I began to
> seriously doubt if I would ever finish it. I then made a few decisions
about
> my approach to the project which I hoped would put the odds in my favor.
One
> of them was to temporarily unsubscribe myself from all aviation internet
> forums (like this one). Another was to end any more thoughts concerning
> "improvements" to the design. A third was to call the factory and speak to
> Scott or Duane Swing after a "reasonable" period of unsuccessfully trying
to
> figure something out for myself (I defined "reasonable" as anything in
> excess of two hours.).
>
> Only after I had flown it about 100 hours did I begin to think of
> improvements or added features. But retrofits are often tough to impliment
> which is a plus for minimizing downtime and maximizing flying hours.
>
> The result? I now have 310 hours flying a really sound airplane in which I
> have the highest confidence. To all I say "Forget the interesting
> competitivness of the Reflector and GET BUILDING!" (It's all in the
> instruction manual anyway.)
> Lynn
> ===========================================
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Greg Poole" <gpoole at zeta.org.au>
> To: <alex157 at direcway.com>; "Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list"
> <reflector at tvbf.org>
> Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2004 4:26 AM
> Subject: REFLECTOR: Re: REFLECTOR Competition
>
>
> > Boy what a competitive lot of builders we have ...IVO vs MT vs Catto,
Mags
> > vs electronic ignition, Lyco power vs Sub vs GM vs rotary.... seems
> > everybody needs to back their own MO!  Sure makes it interesting for us
> > fence sitters!
> >
> > I am also on the BearHawk list (nice place but an entirely different
> mission
> > capability/role and a '60's look) and one of the plan builders there was
> > really letting loose on glass planes by saying how glad he was to be
> flying
> > low and slow and using this as the basis for reasoning that this was the
> > reason he would live a much longer and safer life based on the accident
> > records of fast glass such as Lancairs etc.  I pointed out the lack of
> > objectivity in his analysis and reasoning but he could not be swayed.
> Seems
> > we glass plane builders are far more ready to fly through cloud and
storms
> > trying to outrun the weather to get home first than they that fly STOL
> > types. Didn't occur to him that with a bit more speed, we probably can
> give
> > storm cells a wider berth and get landed and in the hangar than those
> > bumping along at 120kts.
> >
> > To each his own I say....trouble is I love so many mission capabilities
> that
> > I want one of every type!
> >
> > ....I'll finish my Velocity first though!
> >
> > Best,
> >
> > Greg.
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "Alex Balic" <alex157 at direcway.com>
> > To: <Jim_Agnew_2 at yahoo.com>; "Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders
list"
> > <reflector at tvbf.org>
> > Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2004 2:37 PM
> > Subject: RE: REFLECTOR: new electronic ign.
> >
> >
> > > Jim-
> > > That is exactly why mags are used on racing engines, because at high
RPM
> > > they generate a ton of power, more than an electronic unit can...
> problem
> > is
> > > at 2500 rpm, they are pretty weak. I am interested that yours can
throw
> a
> > 1"
> > > spark - I don't have my formula handy, but at sea level, dry air, I
> would
> > > think that it would require several thousand volts- do they use a
> > capacitor
> > > in the high altitude units? I though that they were just better
> insulated
> > to
> > > prevent internal arcing at altitude..... I suppose that if there is
> enough
> > > spring tension on that impulse coupler that it could simulate
> momentarily,
> > > several thousand RPM though........ I have been a grounding source for
a
> > > magneto in the past, it wasn't a fun experience that I want to repeat,
> but
> > > once again, it happened when the coupler tripped, and the speed could
> have
> > > been pretty high....
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org]On
> > > Behalf Of Jim Agnew
> > > Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2004 9:11 PM
> > > To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list
> > > Subject: RE: REFLECTOR: new electronic ign.
> > >
> > >
> > > Scott,
> > >
> > > I have Bendix high altitude mags on my IO-360 and if you
> > > turn the prop by hand the impulse coupled mag will throw a
> > > 3/4-1" spark so I doubt if .035" would bother them.
> > >
> > > On AA Fuel dragsters the cylinders are filled with an
> > > almost liquid mixture and they use mags to fire it!! and at
> > > 10K+ RPM.  The problem with mags is their lack of automatic
> > > spark advance that gives the electronic ignitions an
> > > advantage.  They solved this in cars in the 40s so this
> > > isn't exactly a new development.
> > >
> > > BTW it is said that the mags on those dragsters at top RPMs
> > > produce a spark of 42 AMPS so if you think that mags have a
> > > weak spark at high rpms you are wrong.  The mag output is
> > > weak at low rpms and increases as rpms increase.
> > >
> > > Jim
> > >
> > > --- Scott Derrick <scott at tnstaafl.net> wrote:
> > > > WHile there may be mags with a good spark, you won't find
> > > > one on an
> > > > airplane.   THe spark is absolutly lousy.
> > > >
> > > > I gap the plugs on my one slick mag at 18, I gap my plugs
> > > > on my lightspeed
> > > > at 35.  Hmmm.. WHy?  Reason is the mags are so weak any
> > > > larger gap will
> > > > just arc across the points in the mag instead of the
> > > > plug.  The lightspeed
> > > > on the other hand has a very hot spark that can jum the
> > > > 35 gap with ease.
> > > >
> > > > I can run my engine on one mag and loose, minimum 25%
> > > > power, closer to
> > > > 35%, I can run on the lightspeed and loose at the most
> > > > 10%, probably
> > > > closer to 5%.
> > > >
> > > > WHen I do a mag check I drop 75 rpm when running on the
> > > > mag, I drop less
> > > > than 10 rpm when shutting the mag off.
> > > >
> > > > Mags suck in all respects except one, they don't need any
> > > > external power.
> > > >
> > > > Mags fail all the time and have very short lives. The TBF
> > > > for a well
> > > > designd EI is longer than the life of the plane.
> > > >
> > > > Scott
> > > >
> > > > > Mags do not have a lousy spark. They need two spark
> > > > plugs per cylinder
> > > > > because it is too big to combust properly with only one
> > > > ignition point,
> > > > > especially a 540. And you need two ignition units
> > > > because anything can
> > > > > and will eventually fail. Electronic units fail
> > > > instantly instead of
> > > > > running rough like an old style mag.  bg
> > > > >
> > > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > > From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org
> > > > [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
> > > > > Behalf Of Scott Derrick
> > > > > Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2004 10:15 AM
> > > > > To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list
> > > > > Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: new electronic ign.
> > > > >
> > > > >> Try and remember: you do not have two mags because
> > > > they give better
> > > > >> ignition that way - they give lousy ignition the day
> > > > you install them,
> > > > >> and go downhill from there. You have two mags because
> > > > one of them is
> > > > >> *certain* to fail. One electronic unit provides better
> > > > ignition (saves
> > > > > a
> > > > >
> > > > > While I agree that mags are much more failure prone
> > > > than an EI and that
> > > > > one of the reasons for two is redundency in case of
> > > > failure.
> > > > >
> > > > > Mags have a lousy spark and you will not get full power
> > > > with just one.
> > > > > two are required.  Even with EI's two plugs will
> > > > provide a more complete
> > > > > burn and more power than one.
> > > > >
> > > > > Scott
> > > > >
> > > > > _______________________________________________
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> > > > >
> > > > > _______________________________________________
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> > > >
> > > > _______________________________________________
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> > > >
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> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > =====
> > > James F. Agnew
> > > Jim_Agnew_2 at Yahoo.Com
> > > Tampa, FL
> > > Velocity 173 Elite Aircraft Completed & Flying
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > To change your email address, visit
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> > >
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> > > Check old archives:
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> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > To change your email address, visit
> > http://www.tvbf.org/mailman/listinfo/reflector
> > >
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> > > Check old archives:
http://www.tvbf.org/archives/velocity/maillist.html
> > >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> http://www.tvbf.org/mailman/listinfo/reflector
> >
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>
> _______________________________________________
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>
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