[bwilson4web]

Ten days ago, I learned about this:

http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/dragonfly/dragonfly.html

The $4,500 was the right price but I needed to see it in person. So this past weekend, I drove to Canton Il:

http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/dragonfl...nspection.html

So Tuesday, I took a personal day and after some fact-finding, mailed the check. It will take a couple of weeks before I can bring the plane from Canton to Huntsville but either by November 11 weekend or over Thanksgiving, that plane will be home in Alabama.

In 1976, I bought a Cherokee 140 and hired a flight instructor. I also bought a motorcycle since if it is safe to fly it is safe to ride a motorcycle. But in 1980, I had to choose between the wife and the plane and we are still married.

I looked long and hard at different aircraft and decided the Dragonfly was the right plane for me. It has high aspect wings with low wing loading. The designer, Bob Walters, did it right and in 1996, I bought the plans hoping to find time and space to build it. Then 10 days ago, I learned this plane was available.

My Prius studies often generating detailed if somewhat confusing to some, performance charts. This is how we do things in aviation. It is not opinion but physics and careful measurements, often expressed in charts and graphs, that we gain insights to fly safely.

Aviation also teaches us that safety has to be addressed and discussed openly and without rancor. Nobody likes the FAA regulations be we all recognize they were written in blood. We choose to follow them because they also conform to how we like to fly today and tomorrow too.

Finally, flying requires absolute honesty, especially with ourselves. The are old and there are bold pilots but there are no old and bold pilots. That also means sometimes admitting you've made a mistake and if you search for 'bwilson4web' and 'apology', you'll get hits.

It isn't that I'm giving up on my Prius studies but this evening, I learned about a better way to mount the engine in my Dragonfly. So I'm already planning how I will retrofit this modification on my plane that is still in Canton Il.

It is more accurate to say if I have some Dragonfly stuff to do, it will be done first. As for Prius stuff, it won't have as much of my time as it had in the past. Not because I don't like my Prius and hybrids in general but if I screw up the Dragonfly, I and/or my wife might die . . . the infrequent Prius accidents are survivable.

So don't read anything into my reduced participation other than I might be distracted with my new airplane!

Thanks,
Bob Wilson

ps. I will continue moderating this forum . . . like the SPAM that came in today.

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Congrats on the plane Bob, it looks like a nice ride....

Don't worry about the Prius studies and missing time here as I am almost in the same boat. Between storm damage and the new 3 car garage I'm building, I haven't had as much time on the net either. While you are out flying around, keep an eye out for a 40 or 41 Ford truck, 53 Ford truck or a nice, restorable 67 to 69 Mustang Fastback.

I have to have something to keep the hybrid honest:

By the way, what are the performance numbers on the Dragonfly? Top speed, ceiling limit, stall speed, etc.

[bwilson4web]

GeorgiaHybrid said:

. . .
By the way, what are the performance numbers on the Dragonfly? Top speed, ceiling limit, stall speed, etc.

Sad to say, homebuilt Dragonfly performance specs vary due to everything from builder skills through engine. So here is my understanding in particular for this airplane:

value	description
675 lbs	empty weight, as built, 1835 cc HAPI engine(*)
1,150 lbs	gross weight, certification
100 lbs	15 gallons fuel and 2.5 quarts oil
375 lbs	payload with full fuel
102 sq ft	wing and canard area, fuselage lifts too
14.5 to 1	glide ratio
50 mph	expected stall speed, canard only
140 mph	expected cruise speed
1835 cc	VW engine, replacing HAPI with Great Plains
180 mph	VNE (tested to 200 mph)

* - I am replacing HAPI with Great Plains, 1835 engine
Source: http://www.davemorris.com/Dave/dfly-faq.html

I know a lot of folks have gone with larger engines but this adds weight. I'm going after a light-weight plane, more like a motor glider than the typical commercial plane. It won't climb fast but it won't sink fast either. Most of all, I want minimum landing speed and that means weight is the enemy.

One design issue I'm mulling is whether to change the engine mount from the current, aluminum-to-longeron to a re-enforced firewall (adds weight) and heavier engine mount. It will depend upon what I find when we take the existing engine off. If I find elongated holes or evidence of excessive wear, I'll go with the re-enforced, heavier engine mount. But if it looks good, I'm going with the original, lighter weight mounts.

As for the engine, I am going with everything that makes it lighter and thinking about alternates to an electric starter. I appreciate the safety of not having to 'prop' the plane but weight is the enemy. Without a starter, the battery gets lighter and the total weight savings adds up.

The hydraulic brakes are likely to go away for lighter, cable operated parking brakes. One reason is the current brakes leaked on a non-load bearing part of the canard. Replacing the brakes also reduces weight and are not needed for landing a two-wheel, main landing gear. After all, strong braking tends to drive the nose and rotating propeller down and the only counter is to pull back on the stick which offloads the wheels leading to wheels skidding . . . I love problems like this!

Bob Wilson

[jdenenberg]

bwilson4web said:

I know a lot of folks have gone with larger engines but this adds weight. I'm going after a light-weight plane, more like a motor glider than the typical commercial plane. It won't climb fast but it won't sink fast either. Most of all, I want minimum landing speed and that means weight is the enemy.

So are you going on a diet?

JeffD

[bwilson4web]

jdenenberg said:

So are you going on a diet?

Already started and my target is a pound per week. In a year, I'll be around 220 lbs. <grins>

When I met my wife 34 years ago, she thought I'd just escaped from a POW camp . . . I weighted 185 lbs. So she insisted more than just eating what was on my plate but also having 2nds . . . "Don't you like steak?" Well sometimes the wise husband . . . but before I met her, sometimes I'd forget to eat.

I figure a year to year and a half to get everything done and ready to fly-off the restrictions. Then YIPPIEE!

Bob Wilson

[jdenenberg]

My wife thinks that I need to lose weight at 175 lbs.

I weighed 172 lbs when we were married a few years ago

JeffD