Experimenter

May 2013

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.

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Greg LePine (lef) and Ron Wright congratulate one another on completing the restoration of the PL-4A. 1. The original VHF/VOR indicators never worked properly and were replaced by a vintage Terra 960 TXN unit that passed its bench tests with flying colors. 2. With a lot of hard work, Greg was able to resurrect the original windscreen and canopy assembly and make them better than new. 3. The original 40-hp VW conversion engine with a multi-sheave V-belt redrive had to be replaced with a new 65-hp Great Plains 1915-cc VW conversion engine with a 1.6-to-1 belted redrive cogged-belt reduction unit. The original engine was assembled from a collection of parts obtained from local auto salvage yards. An often-heard comment from pilots who originally flew this aircraft was that the engine was underpowered. 4. The accessory case was reworked to hold an aircraft-style Slick magneto and a starter ringgear. The ring-gear attachment rivets always gave this engine problems and had to be repaired on numerous occasions. A five-belt Huggins prop redrive system with a 2.25-to-1 ratio was part of the original engine package, which allowed the use of a longer prop turning at a slower speed to produce greater thrust. The original prop was a two-bladed wood Hendrickson, with a 68-inch pitch and 72inch diameter. 5. The original Hurst-Airheart hydraulic brake units were rebuilt with new parts from the same company. 6. New main gear tires and tubes were easily located that fit the original small go-kart 3.5/4-by-6 wheels. 7. We wanted to apply a completely new paint job from the ground up, maintaining the original paint colors and distinctive white-over-orange scheme. Friends of the PL-4A Come Out of the Woodwork The paint was problematic because neither of us are painters. At first, we thought that we might be able to rejuvenate the original external paint but quickly came to the conclusion that the original paint needed to be completely removed and the entire aircraft repainted to its original configuration. The challenge was to find a shop that had the talent and the interest to take on that process for a reasonable fee. After interviewing three shops that really didn't want to take on the stripping, priming, and repainting tasks, Greg remembered a locally owned shop with which his company had done business in the past. We made contact with that owner, George Wall of Midwest Production and Restoration in Glasford, Illinois, and presented our dilemma. He wouldn't let us leave his office until we promised that he would get the job; and he quoted a price that brought tears to our eyes because it was so good! George became another cosponsor on the spot. All of these restoration processes take time and money. Greg and I are both retired, so we had the time. It was the money that would determine our rate of progress EAA Experimenter 15

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