Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.
Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/307497
16 Vol.3 No.5 / May 2014 BREEZ Y AT THE HALF-CENTURY MARK Since every single joint in the fuselage is totally visible, Jon and Mike knew they were go- ing to expose themselves to lots of comments if something was less than perfect. This included the many dozens of tubing joints. Jon said, "To make the joints as tight as possible so each weld bead could be uniform and the right size, we used a joint jigger with a Kool Mist attachment to cut the tubing to the right curvature. The mist attachment greatly extended the life of the hole saws used. I also used slipover templates made of paper to lay out a joint shape and then ground it on a good old- fashioned bench grinder." Being a bare bones (literally) airframe, Breezy is ready-made for a builder to express his own ideas and change things to his own taste. Jon and Mike, however, resisted the temptation to change something just for the sake of change. Jon said, "We made as few changes from the plans as possible. For instance, many builders use J-3 landing gear. But we elected to build exactly to the plans because any changes always create delays through a ripple effect. Use a J-3 gear and it forces you to make other changes, which not only adds time but also weight; and weight is the primary enemy of the homebuilder." Although the backseat of Breezy has been made in any number of varieties, including three fannies wide, Jon and Mike decided to keep their Breezy a two-place machine. That was another move to keep it light, but they elected to farm out the seat covering. I'll confess that I had both seats covered by a friend who does corporate jet interiors," Jon said. The flight deck/cockpit is like the rest of the airplane: functional in the extreme. Jon added, "Only what is needed is there, including a cable-driven tach with a 90-degree adapter. All instruments are nonelectric, but eventually we'll have a battery-operated intercom. And one concession we have made is a trim tab on the elevator that is driven by a Ray Allen servo with a small battery." When it came to certificating the airplane, Jon said, "Even though FAA inspectors often do not understand amateur-built or light-sport aircraft (LSA), they were very cooperative in doing the Breezy." The way they powered the airplane fits right in with their desire to keep the airplane simple and light. The engine, too, was scratchbuilt. Jon explained, "I have considerable experience building engines, so nothing about building the O-200 Continental was particularly difficult. I bought parts and assembled it using a new crankshaft and new-style cylinders. We found a first-run crankcase and a used carb that I had a repair station go through, and I made the stainless exhaust and Looking down at the instruments from the pilot's seat. The hub caps leave no doubt as to what kind of airplane this is. Photography courtesy of Jon Ross E A A E X P _ M a y 1 4 . i n d d 1 6 EAAEXP_May14.indd 16 5 / 5 / 1 4 3 : 1 6 P M 5/5/14 3:16 PM