Carb Heat!
ScaleBirds has been a dealer for Verner Motor for a good part of a year now. We have been finishing up our install on my Fisher Aero Avenger V which I am renaming the Avenger R. We will be running this engine shortly and will video the whole thing. This has taken a very long time – me bad. First the winter got in the way – the hanger gets very cold and I do not like cold! The propane heater worked pretty-good for a lot of the evenings and weekend work sessions. But I didn’t go when it was real cold. I know – whimp. A long time ago I spent two winters in North Dakota when I was in the Air Force – it ruined me. I don’t care to see another snowflake – ever! Then, my helpers all had too much going on and we split our time between the engine install, designing/modeling and making airplane parts. So both projects moved forward, just not quickly for either. Then, just as the weather is finally getting awesome, I got a wicked chest cold that would not go away for almost a month. Just getting over it. I could piddle around on stuff sometimes but mostly sat on my couch coughing after work. I took the worst days off but had to go in to work. So some good drugs and lots of caffeine kept me going. Anyway, progress is being made and here is a photo of the Avenger R install.
Getting closer to running the Scarlett 5Si
We have finally gotten some images of customer installations! Thanks Melvin Reed! Melvin is from PA and he is installing a Scarlett 5Si on his Kitfox III. It originally had a Rotax 582 and it flew well. Then, to go 4 stroke, Melvin built a Subaru and installed that. Not as impressive as he was hoping. Weight was way up and going with direct drive the hp was not very good. He had a couple hundred hours flying on that and then jumped on the Verner when it was available. He guessed he is a whole lot lighter with more power – It will be a serious machine! We are very excited to see his images and progress! Keep at it! I’m looking forward to getting a ride in that Kitfox R!
The P40/36 is progressing and we have finished the Horizontal stab. I painted the front of the frame the interior green we are looking for and painted the inside surfaces of all the fuselage skins. Didn’t help my cold one-bit! Scott is putting the finishing touches on the redesigned gun-deck and cowling models so we can make the front-end look like the P36 with the Verner. I will make those pieces and make a new canopy bow and front end – the P-36 and early P-40 had a slightly raked-back canopy bow and totally different shape to the windscreen and forward bracing. We decided to make it an early model even though I had made a late model canopy frame earlier. So that is next and then the fuselage will start to get buttoned-up. The wing modeling is done and being checked. That will allow us to start building the spars and center-section. The goal is to have it up on gear for showing in the rough at the Replica Fighters Association area at Air Venture 2017 in a few months. Tall order but we intend to “get ‘er done!”.
