Author: Eddie Clements

Posted on

Feb 16, 2015 Correspondence

Thank you for your response. we are busy with the build and have not been to concerned with the prop, as we have been busy with everything else. We are currently re-overhauling the engine. I have no real idea what to expect out of this airplane, but here is a letter from a Hawk owner that gives you an idea of performance with a C-90. We have a lot of bush strips around here and am sure our group will be landing on them. (That is why I had the landing gear stress analyzed and designed for this by a structual engineer who worked for scaled composites and now works for ZEE AERO, google- interesting read on the internet). The airport C07 manager, Ladd is one of the main promoters of bush flying and holds several poker fly outs a year. I would like to see a propeller that is halfway between a cruse prop and a climb prop. (This is why at one point, I was looking for a ground adjustable.) We have the funds and are getting close to a trial weigh so the prop would be handy. Since the EAA will not allow us to have a flying airplane in a chapter, we have formed a 501(C)3 called High Country Aviation Workshop for Kids- and go by- Hawk Society.  Now we can take donations, in fact we are in process of having a 601 Zenith kit donated to us with an engine. Hope this kind of answers your questions. This letter was to Tom Marson he is the Hawk guru and built hawk SN-3. The prop will be paid for by EAA chapter 800.

Reply-To: Bryan Swank

As you may recall I added two 12x12x24 inch baggage compartments behind the seat. It was designed to hold 50# but with two people this puts the center of gravity(CG) at the limit of about 19″ behind the leading edge after about an 1 1/2 hr as main fuel tank empties.  Also I am not sure anyone has ever flown a Hawk with the CG this far aft — maybe you did? Anyway I wanted to be careful so I did 8 flights and progressively added gallons of water to the baggage area until I got to 19″. Since I was flying alone to get to 19″ I had to add 75# of water to the baggage area. As the flights progressed, the plane became more pitch sensitive but never seemed or acted tail heavy. I stalled the plane during each flight and it simply dropped the nose. Overall I felt like the plane flew better with an aft CG. It is hard to quantify but it seemed more docile and was easier to land.

So now I am comfortable flying at these aft CG’s. However, with two people at 400#, full fuel, and 50# baggage I am about 32# over the 1320#  Light Sport limit. Although one needs to be cautious I feel the wings are good for that much if not more. I know the factory only says gross weight is 1150# but I think that is really conservative. Kermit had 1250# on his data plate. I don’t remember what you had. In the past I have flown a 300# passenger at a gross weight of 1375# and was comfortable and it didn’t seem overloaded.

I may have mentioned before that I designed door latches so I could fly with the doors open. The magnetic latches would hold.I have flown with both door and windows open. It slows the plane down a lot but is not as turbulent in the cabin as I expected. With only one door open it is really quite. On hot days this is nice

My furthest flight was to Jonesville Virginia. It was a 2 1/2 hour flight and got me into the foothills of the Smokeys. Really pretty but you sure don’t want to have engine problems! I fly the C-90 at 2200 rpm and about 95 mph. At this condition fuel consumption is 5.4 gph.  At  2350 – 2400 rpm it flys at 110-115 mph but fuel consumption goes over 6 gph. Maybe if I just wanted to get somewhere quick it would be worth it in terms of miles per hour but it seem a lot quieter and more pleasant at 2200.

The Hawk now has 400 hours on it. If I had to pick another two place side by side high wing plane to own instead of the Hawk I am not sure what it would be. For my type of flying it is hard to beat.

Anyway I hope you are surviving your northern winter. Or maybe you escaped to the south like Kermit!

Talk to you later.

Bryan Swank

Jake and Joshua in front of Dakota Hawk #28
Two of our build young eagles
Jake and Joshua
in front of Dakota Hawk #28
We have 6 full time kids

The rest of the kids were in Delta getting Glider rides from the Grand Mesa Soaring Society. They are also a non-profit. It is the way to go.

On Mon, Feb 16, 2015 at 6:29 AM, [email protected] wrote:
Hope the project is going well. I sent an e-mail some time ago after the Chapter approved a propeller purchase from us. I need details about the Dakota performance.

Using your 0-200 at 100 hp at 2750 rpm what do you feel will be the full throttle level flight realistic airspeed? This value does not have to be what is capable but what you want the airspeed to be. Also what is the max diameter size? What name do we use for the Invoice?

After I determine the propeller size we will provide the invoice.

www.princeaircraft.com
Lonnie Prince
CEO/President
6774 Providence Street
Whitehouse, Ohio 43571
Tel. 419-877-5557
Fax 419-877-5564
[email protected]
Veteran Owned Company
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Posted on

Jan 7, 2015 Build Report

We are moving along. We are installing the engine controls, but have hit a snag in that the carburetor we have is a Marvel Schebler MA3-A and we need an MA3SPA the difference is the MA3SPA has an accelerator pump, and the MA3-A does not. The MA3SPA is the carb on a Cessna 150 and using it we can get by without a Manuel primer. [It requires] Just a couple of jabs on the throttle.

The engine has its own set of problems, in that we need to have the cam reground and the lifters rebuilt. [It was rebuilt using] a lot of regular hardware bolts and nuts, plus [the rebuilder] did not rebush and T and C the rods. I hope Weststar will MAGNAFLUX all the steel parts. We will have to get new rod bolts. I bet we put at least $1000.00+ in the engine before we get it running what with the carb and parts issues. Now its back to scrounging parts. Don C brought a VCR tape in on how to overhaul a O-200.

Pat, Bill and Jake are working on the dual brakes. This has been a real head scratchier. But they have the geometry figured out and it will have working brakes soon. They used my Cessna 150 parts manual. Between it and Jerry’s 150 they figured out how to rig them so the rudder pedal stays the same (vertical) throughout their full for and aft positions. Lowell Mannery flew in from Delta and gave us some valuable input on brakes. Thanks Lowell (He was more than surprised about what we have accomplished with the build).

This Saturday most of the kids went to Delta to get free glider rides. they have been invited by the Grand Mesa Soaring Society. So our work session was only adults. Boy were the kids missed. They came back all smiles and the adults that went also got rides. This has been more than a build. It is an educational experience for all. I will say this, all the participants in this project can hardly wait for Saturday to roll around. Me included. This has become more than a build, it is a social club, and you never know what will transpire. Each week is different.

We had a HAWK society directors meeting after the work session and went over the paperwork so we can present it to HAWK Society members to be voted on after the normal February EAA meeting. This meeting is important as it is to start setting policies, dues and other things for the HAWK SOCIETY. Brian and John Caldwell submitted the paper work for the 501C3 apparently if we do not give out more than $50,000 in donation receipts and do not have over $250,000 in assets we can file for a smaller filing fee of $400.00 versus the $800.00 that we were originally looking at. After 3 years the restrictions are lifted. Or we can pay the difference and have unlimited donations at any time. The only problem is the time frame it takes to get a Non Profit status out of our Government. Apparently Congress has cut funding for Obamacare, and the Lois Learner fiasco has not helped so the IRS is making everyone wait a long time for non-profit status. The Grand Mesa Soaring society apparently waited 9 months for their non-profit to be born.

It is funny how things keep coming out of the woodwork. We need a light weight alternator and in talking to one of the chapter members, he thinks he has one for an 0-200 that he is not going to use. [He] also [has] an engine monitor, and lifters for the engine. Lowell offered us some hardware and a carb airbox, if it will fit. It is really amazing what is available by just asking. Also I just got word from Brian that Ralph Mulford has offered to oversee our rod T@C, if he can get help as he is getting up in age. (Did I say Ralph is one of the best engine machinists I know of. He still has his shop – Precision Machine, in his back yard. But only does what he wants, He used to do all the aircraft engine machine work for Wegner Aircraft, and Monach Aviation- Now West star. He also did all the machine work and balanced most of the best racing engines around including mine back in the day. I never had an engine problem, As a side light, he was one of the original founders of Air Methods, the Helicopter ambulance company used by hospitals all over the US. Ralph a very accomplished pilot in his own right and has owned various airplanes. A true gentleman).
And the build continues.
*****
A quick note about Don Wegner!

Wegner Aircraft was owned by Don Wegner. I started working for him in 1965 and it is where I got my A/P- IA. Don was absolutely the best mechanic I ever saw. He had lots of STC’s and could fix anything.
In WWII he was a Sea Bee in the Pacific and repaired pilots wrist watches flown in to him from all over the war theater. He was proud of the fact he never failed to get the watch back to the correct person. He used Benzene which is a known brain cancer causing agent and he knew it. He died from a brain tumor. He would not work on anything with benzene if anyone was around.

The man was totally amazing but his family life was a mess, and he stayed at the airport all day and late into the night. His boy was as good a mechanic and was really talented but experimented with all drugs and spent most of his life in prison, he passed away in prison. I wish I had learned more from Don. I learned to TIG weld fixing boat props from him, and sheet metal repairing wrecked airplanes for him. I also rebuilt engine accessories for him. He made all his own special tooling and equipment. Our shop was a hoot. OSHA would have had a fit. Nothing had guards on it and we all survived..