Oct 24, 2023     Catto Props: How They're Built Category: Research

  Oct 21, 2023     Inlet Position Category: Research

"The position of the stagnation point varies some with angle of attack and sideslip angle, but for typical piston-engine cowlings the stagnation point is at, or slightly below, the most forward part of the front face of the cowl. This is where the cooling air inlets should be placed for best performance.

There is also a region of high local air pressure just below the spinner, and this is a good location for an induction air inlet or an oil cooler inlet."

https://www.kitplanes.com/cooling-inlets-part-2/

  Oct 19, 2023     "Free Plans" Category: Research

http://www.quickheads.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=815:free-plans&catid=44&Itemid=814
======
Below is a collection of FREE PLANS collected from around the internet. Some of them are incomplete and poor quality, and should be used for information only. But hey, you get what you PAY FOR!

Q1 PLANS PDF (5MB)
Q2 PLANS PDF (6MB)
Q200 PLANS SECTION II (3MB)
LS1 CANARD INSTRUCTIONS TIF (770 KB)
Q2 BELLY BOARD PDF (206 KB)
DUAL SIDE STICK CONTROL SYSTEM
Q2 POH PDF (3.2 MB)
Q2 FRONT HINGED CANOPY PDF (157 KB)
Q2PC19 HYDRAULIC BRAKES PDF (915 KB)
Q2 REFLEXOR PDF (311 KB)
ONLINE QUICKIE Q-1 PLANS
ONLINE Q-2/Q-200 PLANS
QUICKIE PARTS LIST XLS (58 KB)
QuickieSource.com
Q1 PLANS CHANGES ONLINE

  Oct 14, 2023     Engine Theory: Engine Cooling Category: Research

Capable of 1.04 hp/cu. in., the 3350 cylinder has very thin corrugated sheet aluminum stuffed between the usual cast cooling fins to increase surface area. By contrast, a 180-hp O-360 Lycoming makes about 0.50 hp/cu. in. and doesn't come close in sophistication or ability to shed waste heat as the old radials.

https://www.kitplanes.com/engine-theory-engine-cooling-avoiding-meltdown/

  Oct 13, 2023     Vortex Generators for Cooling Category: Research

The design rules for counterrotating VGs are generally accepted to be:

• h = 0.95 * boundary layer height
• D = 10 * h (Distance between set of VGs)
• d = D / 4 (Center distance between a pair of VGs)
• l = 2.5 * h

Thus I designed the VGs for cooling to be:

• h = 2 inches
• l = 5 inches
• D = 20 inches
• d = 5 inches

===============

Once the templates are in position, it's simply a matter of roughening the paint at each VG location with a Scotchbrite pad (or a chisel in the case of the 310's wing-walkarea), and then gluing the VG tab in place using the provided two-part adhesive (Loctite 330).

Here's where proper placement of VGs is critical, Jay chimed in. If they're placed too far forward, they'll hasten the transition from laminar to turbulent flow and therefore increase drag. On the other hand, if they're placed too far aft, their effectiveness will be compromised. The trick is to mount the VGs right at the boundary layer's transition zone from laminar to turbulent flow.

How about icing, I asked? Won't the VGs pick up ice?

Not unless they're tall enough to poke up through the boundary layer, Bob replied.That's one reason why the VGs are sized to a height of about 80% of the boundary layer thickness. The VGs have been tested extensively in icing conditions during FAA certification, and do not pick up ice except possibly when flying in freezing rain or supercooled drizzle drops – conditions in which no portion of the airframe is completely immune from icing.

[1] https://www.kitplanes.com/vortex-generators-for-cooling/
[2] http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19930081705
[3] http://www.avweb.com/news/reviews/182564-1.html

  Oct 07, 2023     Bowlus Maxi Gap Seal Tape Category: Research

  Oct 06, 2023     Cooling Inlets       Category: Research

https://www.kitplanes.com/cooling-inlets/

Assuming 64 HP x 0.35 in2 per HP = 22.4 in2 cooling area
22.4 in2 / 2 Inlets = 11.2 in2
For circular Inlets, A = pi*r2, r = 1.888 in
D = 2r = 3.776 in | 96 mm

  Oct 03, 2023     TERA PUMP TRFA01-XL | Utility Jug Battery Powered Fuel Transfer Pump       Category: Research

  Sep 26, 2023     Logging vs. Being PIC Category: Research

  Sep 26, 2023     ARP Ultra-Torque Fastener Assembly Lubricant Category: Research

  Aug 11, 2023     HVX Magazine Article - (0.1 hour) Category: Research

"The HVX Volkwagen Aero Engine" by Mike Shave
Recreational Flyer magazine
November - December 2014

https://www.raa.ca/magazine_pdf/Nov-Dec-14%20proof%20REV.pdf

  Mar 13, 2023     Heat Wrap - (0.1 hour)       Category: Research

  Feb 16, 2023     Alterations - (0.1 hour) Category: Research

  Feb 15, 2023     Engine Fasteners - (0.1 hour) Category: Research

That's why both Continental and Lycoming specify that cylinder deck studs and through bolts should be torqued “wet” (by applying lubricant to the fasteners) to reduce these frictional losses and increase the preload achieved by torqueing to a specified value.

Obstacles to proper preload

Roger Fuchs identified five obstacles to achieving proper fastener preload when performing cylinder installation on an engine mounted in the airplane:

1. The fasteners aren't new. When an engine is initially assembled at the factory (or by a first-rate overhaul shop), the through bolts, deck studs, and cylinder hold-down nuts are all brand-new with cadmium-plated threads in perfect condition. The cad plating is very slippery (helping to reduce friction) but very thin (typically 8 microns thick, one-tenth the thickness of a human hair) and relatively soft, making it easy to damage.

2. Fasteners may not be adequately lubricated. Both Continental and Lycoming specify that cylinder fasteners are to be torqued wet. Continental calls for using 50-weight engine oil, while Lycoming suggests using a 90/10 mixture of engine oil and STP additive. To achieve proper preload, the lubricant needs to be slathered onto both the fastener threads and the nut face area.

3. The lubricant itself is rather poor. Fuchs also pointed out that plain 50-weight engine oil (e.g., Aeroshell W100) is a lousy thread lubricant because it lacks synthetics and anti-wear additives that would make it much slipperier. Add this to the likely loss of slippery cad plating from the worn fastener threads, not to mention the possibility of thread damage, and it's anybody's guess whether proper torque will result in proper preload.

4. Wrench access is limited. Both Continental and Lycoming call for a two-phase tightening procedure where all the cylinder hold-down nuts are first torqued to 50 percent of their final torque in a specified tightening sequence, and then they are torqued to 100 percent of their final torque following the same sequence.

5. Manufacturer instructions are incomplete. The published guidance from Continental and Lycoming leaves a lot to be desired. For example, Continental's overhaul manuals emphasize that when a cylinder is replaced, the nuts on both ends of each through bolt must be torqued. Many mechanics ignore this and don't bother with torqueing the nut on the opposite side of the engine. But even if they do, there's nothing in Continental's guidance suggesting that the opposite-side nut should be removed and the nut and threads be lubricated, nor that the opposite-side threads should be cleaned and the opposite-side nut be replaced with a new one. It's dubious that following Continental's published guidance will accomplish anything useful regarding torqueing the opposite-side nut—which is probably why so many mechanics don't even bother with it unless they're also replacing the opposite-side cylinder.

https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2020/march/pilot/savvy-maintenance-risky-business

  Feb 13, 2023     Oil Pressure Relief - (0.1 hour) Category: Research

"The pressure relief valve is what regulates engine oil pressure. It's a simple device consisting of a spring-loaded plunger that is designed to open when oil pressure reaches a certain level (typically about 50 psi for Continentals and 70 psi for Lycomings) to bypass excess pressure from the pump."

https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2019/december/pilot/savvy-maintenance-hostage-situation

  Dec 03, 2022     Propeller Bolt Belleville Washer Retention System - (0.1 hour) Category: Research

  Nov 04, 2022     Engine Case Sealant - (0.3 hour) Category: Research

Ordered some Curil T2 following this recommendation and some from yesterday's forum:
https://vwparts.aircooled.net/Curil-T2-Engine-Sealant-Tube-p/curil-t2.htm
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/archive/index.php/o-t--t-174439--.html

Amazon link:
Elring Curil T2 Liquid Gasket non-hardening, temperature-resistant sealing compound 60ml
https://a.co/d/2q2XDc1

There is a warning is in all the books to NOT use RTV to seal aircooled VW case halves EVER, at least according to the instructions on the bottle. Typically, when applied in an amount big enough to make a "bead", what squeezes out of the gap *inside* the case comes off and gets in the bearings, oil pump, and lots of other places like this:
https://youtu.be/cySXe8a62a0?t=710

The engine in the link below shows the other reasons why - it dries HARD (whilst the case wants to shift a miniscule bit during every heat cycle) and does not typically CRUSH thin enough for the case to retain the main bearings:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5055180#5055180

One user reports an "expert" method to make RTV work, if you so choose:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=691163

  Oct 21, 2022     E-Mag Info - (0.1 hour)       Category: Research

I was told last year that an E-mag was not available for the VW engine. A member of the Thatcher list on groups.io shared their success with me at https://groups.io/g/thatcher-aircraft/topic/magneto_drive_on_great_plains/94002510

Original post excerpt:

...But hey, this is experimental aviation and I had a back up ignition (that needed some work too).
The E-Mag does not come with drive lugs on the tapered shaft. So I had made a steel magneto drive lug which extends far enough into the bell housing to allow the use of Steve's 1/2 inch puck which is well clear of the wall and where the drive lugs almost overlap each other. The E-Mag's right angle ignition cable boots clear the firewall by 1/4 inch. I have not yet finished the installation...
P
=============
P,

Can you share your E-mag story? I was strongly considering one to replace my Bendix dual magneto and was told that they 1) do not come in VW rotation 2) do not have the proper drive lug.
==========
E-Mag say I am their first VW customer. They set my unit up for the correct rotation and increased the over speed cut out to 3800rpm. I am not sure if the advance curve will be optimum for our wider speed range, but they sent me PC software to shift it, if required.

They no longer make drive couplings, so it just comes with a tapered shaft with castle nut and cotter pin. So I designed a coupler with drive lugs. But to get the exact spacing for the puck, it took a lot of trial fitting onto the taper before it was correct. See photo. E-Mag are developing a dual mag version at the moment. My secondary ignition is off the distributer drive. It works well, but GP did not tell you to take the cover off and apply some friction onto the rotor when you time it. Otherwise when the engine runs, the advance falls back from 28deg to about 22, due a tiny amount of back lash in the drive up to the rotor.
Regards,
P
CX4
South Africa
==========
Glad to hear they finally created a VW version. Do you have a coupler you could sell me? Or some drawings or CAD files I can use to make my own? Even knowing what material you used and the degrees taper of the shaft would be a big help.

==========

E-mag adaption:
I used the 4 cylinder Lycoming model. The taper on the shaft is apparently the same as on a Slick magneto, but I don't have dimensions for the taper.
Every different VW conversion will require its own special coupler. The dimensions will vary each time. If your engine has lug coupling on the flywheel, then you can employ a 1/2 inch puck which Great Plains sells, and then develop the dimensions of the e-mag coupler. I used the rear surface of the Diel bell housing as the reference point, since this is where the e-mag mounts.
I have a sketch with dimensions, which I gave to the machinist, but he had to trial fit the coupling onto the taper many times, until its drive lug was the correct distance from the e-mag mounting flange. It was made from mild steel. 6061-T6 would have been lighter, but unavailable in my part of the world.
Limbach uses a different type of coupling made of an elastomer. Grob's engines used another type of coupling, but they would need replacing every couple of hundred hours due to wear, which made the ignition firing point shift. My puck is made from what is trade marked Tufnol.

  Oct 09, 2022     Engine Assembly Tips for the Type 1 VW - (1 hour)       Category: Research

Webinar: https://www.eaa.org/videos/2117083972001
Notes: This is a great webinar available to EAA members. There is much more information given during the video than contained in the slides. Hence, the slides serve more as an "index" on what is in the webinar itself. The attached slides are in PDF to preserve the order.

  Aug 20, 2022     Wing Tips - (0.1 hour) Category: Research

As we can see from the preceding discussion, a good tip geometry is an advancing tip with a sharpened outer edge. The cross section of the tip should progress from rounded near the leading edge as it transitions off the nose of the airfoil to sharp farther aft. The sharpened portion of the outer edge should be highly swept so that once the sweep of the tip planform exceeds 45�o 60�the transition from round to sharp cross section should be complete. The aft portion of the outer edge should remain sharp all the way back to the trailing edge of the wing.

https://www.kitplanes.com/design-process-wingtips/

  Aug 19, 2022     VGs - (0.1 hour) Category: Research

https://www.kitplanes.com/design-process-droops-and-vgs/

...Vortex generators used to increase maximum lift are not placed at the extreme leading edge of the wing, but they are usually well forward of 25% chord. The proper position is a compromise between maximum lift and cruise drag. Moving the VGs forward increases maximum lift, but also increases cruise drag. The optimum VG position is the farthest aft location that produces the needed improvement in stall characteristics...

...An important exception to this is if the wing has an airfoil designed to have significant laminar flow. The vortex generators will trip the boundary layer from laminar to turbulent, and no laminar flow will exist aft of the vortex generators. This is important because in order to significantly delay the stall, the vortex generators must be well forward on the wing while a good low-drag laminar flow airfoil will be designed to have laminar flow to at least 40% to 50% of the chord. The vortex generators will trip that flow well forward of that and dramatically reduce the amount of laminar flow on the wing. If this happens the drag penalty of the vortex generator installation will be quite large because the loss of laminar flow will increase the drag of the wing itself quite significantly.

  May 18, 2022     HVX MODS: Pulling the Plug - (0.5 hour) Category: Research

Here is a collection of all Bob Hoover's articles on pulling the factory plugs in a VW crankcase and replacing them with NPT plugs.

https://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/2006/11/av-oil-temps-sensor-locations.html
https://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/2006/11/av-more-vw-oil-temps.html
https://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/2007/06/help-more-on-plugs.html
http://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/2006/12/vw-pulling-plug.html
https://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/av-pulling-plug-ii.html
https://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/2007/06/av-pulling-plug-iii.html
https://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/av-crankcase-basics.html

  May 04, 2022     Revmaster/AeroVW Shortcomings - (0.5 hour)       Category: Research

The original post with hyperlinks is at https://q-list.groups.io/g/main/message/54501


For reference, my engine is S/N A-2605 delivered on July 9, 1985 with all options, minus a turbo.

1) First and foremost, a major cause of issues with the original QAC Revmaster was a compression ratio (CR) that was far too high. My original booklet show this clearly, with listed CRs of 9.3 to 9.4 (9.35 to be exact).





At "some point" Revmaster did "some thing" to reduce the CR as shown in the latter manuals but I have no idea what.



The latest Sonex AeroVee 2.1 Assembly and Installation Manual and Great Plains manuals recommend 7.0 for mogas and 8.0 for 100LL for increased longevity. Your engine builder can help you with this. Combinations of various cylinders, heads, and shims can get you there using a calculator like this: CB Performance Engine Calculator

2) The original "75 HP" Revmaster heads just...aren't. To make matters even worse, you need to carefully check that the cooling passages aren't blocked off by casting flash. Highly recommend Mark Langford's page on the subject.

3) The magnesium engine case is now known to age harden and develop cracks. Various fixes such as "deep studding cylinder 3" and "welding in behind cylinder 3" do help at our high continuous power settings but the real issue is the age hardening. The ultimate solution is a new aluminum case that does not suffer from this problem. Unfortunately, the special machining for the Revmaster propeller hub means you can't just buy a stock VW case. If you decide to reuse the case (like I did) then expect a 250-400 hour TBO until it inevitably cracks. As John Monnett says, that's realistically a couple years (at least) of flying though. Note that a high(er)-aluminum content (AS21) magnesium case is different than an all-aluminum case.

Here are some additional videos/articles, in no particular order:
1) Engine Assembly Tips for the Type 1 VW with Steve Bennett (EAA Webinar)
2) Q-talk 117 - The Little Engine that Could
3) Q-Talk 163 - Revmaster Cracked Case Repair
4) Engine Rebuild in 2013 (Calvin Thorne's blog)
5) Q-talk 153 - Kuhlman & Dirks Q2
6) History of Prop Hubs (Bob Hoover's blog)
7) Aero VW Cooling Limitations (Bob Hoover's blog)
8) The VW Aircraft Engine for DragonFly/Q-Bird with Steve Bennett (YouTube)
9) AeroVee Engine History: SuperVee to AeroVee (YouTube)

Personally, I am proceeding with 92mm "thick wall" cylinders (92mm base / 94mm top) to help with cylinder to head sealing and 68cc Panchito heads which purport to have better cooling as documented on my build log. This should yield a bolt together, no shim CR of 7.38 while reusing my original case.

  Apr 07, 2022     Oil Choices - (0.1 hour)       Category: Research

  Mar 26, 2022     Fuel System Audit - (4.1 hours)       Category: Research

Today's latest EZGZ video ( https://youtu.be/00LOxGD0PJA ) prompted me to spend some time reviewing the fuel system chapter of the Q2 plans (all three pages of it):

http://quickheads.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=139:q2-plans-chapter-17-page-17-01

http://quickheads.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=139:q2-plans-chapter-17-page-17-02

http://quickheads.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=139:q2-plans-chapter-17-page-17-03

I believe I've come up with a shopping list that will mitigate the shortcomings identified in various builder tips over the years. Unfortunately, this will all be wasted if I end up choosing electronic ignition to solve my Bendix D-3000 woes...the extra work to add electronic fuel injection at that point is negligible.

  Mar 04, 2022     More Research on Sparrow Strainers - (0.5 hour) Category: Research

Latest research:
https://q-list.groups.io/g/main/message/53937

Full thread:
https://q-list.groups.io/g/main/topic/preliminary_analysis_of/89439857

  Feb 20, 2022     Sparrow Strainers - (0.4 hour) Category: Research

The Q2 and Q200 are both known to "tuck" at speeds above and below approximately 150 mph. This condition is tied to the trim speeds and attitudes of the aircraft when the elevators "float" trailing edge up, causing the nose to pitch down. While fixed aerodynamic tabs on the elevator (colloquially known as "sparrow strainers") were called out in the QAC plans for the LS1 canard, no such change was ever factory recommended for the earlier GU canard. Both David Smith ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHrDOafL2j0&t=925s ) and Peter Mazsaros claim the addition of sparrow strainer(s) is also beneficial on the earlier canard ( https://youtu.be/LCPd4h4ElV0?t=792 - Note that after 15m38s Peter says "sparrow strainers" when he means "vortex generators"). Further research is needed to see if the aileron reflexor addresses this issue or not.

NOTE: Elevator float is a known issue with the early laminar flow airfoils due to the aft pressure loading such airfoils rely on to obtain their laminar flow. This behavior is no issue on a fixed wing. However, when such an airfoil is used on part of the wing with an elevator or aileron this aft portion of the airfloil is no longer fixed and the air can "push" the trailing edge up. Modern laminar flow airfoils are designed to account for this phenomenon.

  Feb 18, 2022     3D Cowling Scan - (6.8 hours)       Category: Research

A 3D scan of the cowling was made to support research into the possible future installation of alternative engines such as the Aeromomentum AM13 or Flywheel-drive VW. This required the first ever installation of the cowlings since I purchased the kit. This consumed about half the total time since each of the 38 fasteners is individually numbered with different grip lengths - a fact we did not discover until after temporarily mounting the upper and lower halves!

Next came scans of the cowling and forward fuselage followed by the firewall itself, in order to pick up the existing engine mount locations and firewall dimensions. The attempt to scan the firewall by hand ended in a registration failure about halfway through. We started over with fixed scans from the tripod with much better results.

  Feb 12, 2022     Q-Tour - Matthew Curcio's Well Traveled Q-200 - (1.3 hours) Category: Research

Had a great time during the monthly builders group meeting. Check it out!

https://youtu.be/xQJnos8_UHU

  Jan 28, 2022     Q2 Plans Package - (.2 hour) Category: Research

I needed to check the dimensions of the firewall and all of my plans' paper templates were consumed in the construction of the project before I purchased it. I also wanted a set of the original airfoil templates to support some aerodynamic modeling. I went ahead and purchased the "Q2/Q200 Ultimate Information Package" that way I have all of the metal and foam templates I should ever need in the future.

https://www.canardzone.com/store/product/3-ultimate-quickie-q2q200-information-package/

  Feb 21, 2015     Project Information Category: Research

Airframe:
Quickie Aircraft Corporation Q2
S/N 2827
Ordered on ?
Delivered on ?
Purchased on February 21, 2015

Engine:
Revmaster R-2100D
S/N A-2605
Ordered on April 24, 1985
Test Run on June 28, 1985
Delivered on July 9, 1985
Single oil relief case
Options: "75 HP" heads, vacuum pump, starter, alternator