EAA Experimenter 15
employ it. The HACman mixture control comes from
www.GreenSkyAdventures.com .
T HE OR AT E X C ONNE C T ION
Hal's airplane was displayed at AirVenture at a prime spot
in front of the commercial booth for Oratex fabric. Com-
pany spokesman Lars Gleitsmann noted there were at least
four others at the show covered with Oratex, including
the Valdez STOL champion Lil Cub by Frank Knapp. This
new-technology, prefinished fabric is already flying on 200
airplanes worldwide. Installation is very fast. Glue it on,
shrink it, and go fly. It does not have to be painted but can be
if desired. Color choices are limited. The heat-activated ad-
hesive is nontoxic. The fabric is tough, strong, and certified
for aircraft in Europe. The cost is similar to painted Dacron.
But the covering time required is much less, and the weight
savings can be 15 to 20 pounds on the entire airplane.
Hal decided to replace his stock 9-gallon wing tanks
with new RANS 13-gallon poly fuel tanks, so the wings
needed recovering. Hal doesn't mind covering, but he
doesn't care to paint, so he decided to give Oratex a try. He
said there was a little bit of a learning curve; but he caught
on quickly and covering went very well. Because the fabric
is lighter, the fuel tank upgrade didn't increase the airframe
weight. Learn more about Oratex fabric covering and watch
an interview with Hal Stockman at AirVenture 2014 on the
website
www.BetterAircraftFabric.com .
K I T S AVA IL A BL E A ND MORE C ON V E R S ION S C OMING
The 88-millimeter Big Bore Zipper 1484 kits are available
in 104-hp and 114-hp versions and will work on all Rotax
912 UL and 912 ULS engines. The cost is under $4,500. Hal
personally matches up the components and packages and
ships the kits, which include cylinders, pistons, rings, and
wrist pins. He will install it on your airplane if you fly to his
location. It's a simple bolt-on conversion that requires no
engine modifications. Around 25 kits have been installed
Cylinders (left to right): 92-millimeter Big Big Bore with matching piston,
88-millimeter Zipper 1484, stock Rotax cylinder and piston.
Lightweight door to a cargo compartment that can hold two 5-gallon fuel cans.