William Wynne

What's New March 31, 2006 FlyCorvair Hangar Update If you have a cable modem, you can click the photo above to download a 2 minute movie about Phil Maxson's 601XL, including a lot of flying scenes. This aircraft will be in the Zenith booth at Sun 'N Fun. Sun 'N Fun is at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Florida April 4 to 10. This is America's second largest air show. We will be there all week. The easiest place to find us is at the Zenith booth. I will also be giving forums at noon Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This will be my 18th consecutive year at Sun 'N Fun. This year, we're planning on flying in four Corvair powered airplanes from our shop. We've spoken with seven other Corvair Flyers who intend to be there with their airplanes. This is an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in Corvair power to come out and meet builders of these fine aircraft, and share the time with other builders working toward the same goal. Above, Merrill Skymanta Isaacson preps his video equipment as Bill Clapp taxis out in his KR-2S. Merrill shot extensive air to air photos and video of the four Corvair powered airplanes based at our shop. The movie here was also his handiwork. Certainly there will be more to follow. A special thanks goes to our neighbor, aerobatic pilot Jason Newburg of InvertedUS.com for flying his Legend Cub as the photo ship. Above, Bill Clapp completes a low pass in front of the cameras. Bill has worked out of our shop for most of the past month, and made a huge contribution to Phil's airplane turning out as spectacularly as it has. After Gus did all the initial test flights, Gus, Grace and Bill teamed up to fly off the hours on the plane. Bill and his airplane will be at Sun 'N Fun all week. His KR won best wood homebuilt at the show last year. Above, Gus and Dave working to fine tune Dave's Wagabond. Sharp eyes will notice that we had Sensenich make a 64x35 prop for us to test on Dave's plane. We had been flying it on a 66" Warp Drive. Dave is partial to wood props, so Gus and I selected this design for his plane. Well meaning but unfounded old wives' tales suggest that a prop of this size would have a hard time working on a full size plane like Dave's. As engineering experience and now flight testing show, this prop is an awesome performer on Dave's plane. It turned 2,900+ static, and Gus had it turning near 3,500rpm on a low level 135mph ias pass. The next time someone wants to tell you some ridiculous tale or theoretical requirement for a 72" prop on a particular airframe, consider that Dave's 100hp Corvair turning a 64" prop on a two-place side-by-side aircraft could easily outrun the photo plane, a brand new Legend Cub with a brand new 100hp Continental and, of course, the much touted 72" prop. Testing trumps old wives once again. Above, Dave The Bear's Wagabond out over the coast. This airplane will be at Sun 'N Fun all week. There's a traditional parking area on the north end of the field of homebuilts for auto engined aircraft. As soon as we fly the first planes over, we'll have a quick post to let everyone know where they're parked. I had asked the Sun 'N Fun staff for a parking row for Corvair powered airplanes, but the request was unusual and did not receive a response from the powers that be. We'll do our best to reserve a row with the guys who park the planes. If you're coming to the airshow, just stop by the Zenith booth. We'll let everyone know where the Corvair planes are, and get all the pilots together for a Saturday morning group photo. As we recover from our computer crash, it's been slow going to e-mail, retrieve phone messages, check online orders, print Conversion Manuals, etc. The system's up and running, but not yet 100%. We'll be printing this weekend, and will fill all the Manual and Video backorders before we leave for Sun 'N Fun. Thank you all for your patience. A skeleton crew will remain at the hangar during the show, and they'll be concentrating on engine assembly. Please note the machine will be answering phone calls while we're gone. We'll have cell phones with us, but their coverage at the air show is hit or miss. We'll resume normal communications after April 10th. March 16, 2006 Monster Hangar Update Here's a big update from our hangar. Last night is the first night we've had our computer back in action in three weeks. We've never previously had serious computer difficulties. It has been returned from Dell with a major rework. If you've sent an e-mail and we didn't respond, give us 10 days to get caught up and please resend it. Grace and I both thank Corvair builder Dave Poirier, who used his computer expertise to save the vast majority of the data on our hard drive. Hats off to Dave. We owe you one. What it's all about ... Gus takes to the air in the first flight of Phil Maxson's 601XL. Phil brought the plane to us at Corvair College #9. We did the engine installation, wiring and finish work. We've had a lot of stuff going on, and the plane didn't get our full attention until recently. Gus has already logged three long flights in the plane. He reports that it flys beautifully. This aircraft will be on display in the Zenith booth at Sun 'N Fun next month. In spite of computer problems, R&D, Sun 'N Fun prep, customer service associated with crank nitriding, and working on Phil's plane, regular parts production is ongoing at a very high tempo. Here, I'm Tig welding a stainless steel exhaust stub on our handmade turntable. The brass tube is pumping inert gas inside simultaneously. Note the handle on the hold down clamp is a Corvair rocker arm. We've knocked out an enormous amount of back orders, and the lead times have dropped to their shortest time in the past 12 months. We've now upgraded more than a dozen engines with nitrided crankshafts. Seen here is Gordon Alexander's 3,100cc case. He brought the engine into the shop to exchange the crankshaft and rework a number of small details. His Pegzair is nearly done, and will fly on this engine this year. Above, Gordon's case is aligned using our case alignment tool. My call for crankshaft nitriding met with a lot of discussion, but it has not been a major impediment to serious builders. We're expecting perhaps 10 Corvair powered aircraft at Sun 'N Fun, and virtually every one of them will have a nitrided crankshaft. R&D is continuous. Our customers are rewarded with ever improving systems and products. In my hand above is a 93/100 Dual Ignition Distributor. Each one comes with paperwork and test notes. It is externally identified by the A-5 rivet above my thumb. This distributor is curved and advanced to allow it to use 93 octane or 100 low lead fuel interchangeably. We've flown this for more than 100 hours in our own airplane. Tests on the dynamometer indicate that very little or no horsepower is sacrificed. These distributors are purpose built units and have extensive internal modifications. Please note that the rest of your fuel system has to be set up for auto fuel, as discussed in the Conversion Manual, and I specifically call for 93 octane, not "auto fuel." Those terms are not interchangeable. I'm known for advocating simplicity in aircraft engines. This recommendation comes from my experience on the opposite end of aircraft powerplants. Here, our friend Arnold Holmes and I stand behind the engine installation on a V-8 powered Lancair IV-P. This is an EngineAir package that I helped develop from 1993 to '98. It's 450hp, geared, injected, intercooled and turboed, and features air conditioning. This is complication. Eventually, about a dozen of these took to the air. They were stunning performers. I flew from Oshkosh to Daytona Beach in three hours and five minutes in our first airplane. The development of this engine took the work of many clever, dedicated people, and one guy with cubic yards of money, Jim Rahm. It worked, but taught me that homebuilders at all levels tremendously underestimate the effects of complication, primarily its delays and expenses. Whenever I read discussions about electronic injection or computer controlled engines, I can tell in an instant who has no practical experience with attempting to prepare these systems for flight. Today, Arnold specializes in Lancair work, and is preparing the above aircraft for flight. Get a good look at the size of the 5-blade MT propeller. Gordon Alexander in our shop at a serious moment. Actually, he spends much more time smiling and laughing. He is first class company with an enormous range of life experience. A former infantry officer, he's prepared to discuss strategy from the second Peloponisian War, or sing you his favorite obscure reggae song. The kind of guy who makes a long evening in the hangar entertaining and productive. Cleanex creator Dan Weseman with his case, above, newly equipped with a nitrided crankshaft. The engine is now completely reassembled and installed on his plane. Look for it at Sun 'N Fun. Phil's plane during painting. Phil left the finish up to us, asking only if could have some yellow in it. Gus designed the paint scheme and Bill Clapp flew in to do all the polishing and painting in an eight day, 16 hour a day marathon. At the end, Phil flew in to assist Bill and have the aircraft inspected. Above, Phil gets his airworthiness certificate from legendary DAR Johnny Murphy. Johnny, from Merrit Island, Fla., has the distinction of building a copy of every Burt Rutan homebuilt design, with the exception of the Solitaire. He is very well known in Florida, and respected for his long term experience with homebuilts. He found only a single minor squawk on Phil's airplane. Here Arnold conducts a vibration survey on Bill Clapp's KR. We changed Bill's prop to a 54x52 Sensenich we had on hand and cut the vibration levels in half. Arnold earns part of his living performing this service on high end homebuilts. The data he gathers can be e-mailed back to the equipment manufacturer for further analysis. His system is worth more than $8,000. There's been some talk by amateurs on the potential use of this equipment on Corvair engines. But here at the hangar, we already have knowledgeable professionals using the best equipment. Phil revels in the true satisfaction of a builder at the end of a long journey. Everyone with a project in their garage deserves to have this day. We're working hard to make this possible for as many people who are willing to put in the work and display the persistance. Anyone who's completed a plane can tell you these are the sole requisite qualities. Our test pilot Gus at the controls of Phil's 601XL on its first taxi test. After the first flight, Bill added this smile to Phil's cowl. It's a reflection of the upbeat mood as we head into the beginning of the flying season, and a new year for everyone to make this their year in aviation. Look again at the smile on Phil's face and on his airplane and vow to yourself that this will be your year. 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