Q-talk 104 - Mar/Apr 2004 - index

Quickie Builders Association
Together we build better planes!


Mar/Apr. 2004
Issue Number 104



After years of Sunday being the opening day of the Sun 'n Fun fly-in held in Lakeland, FL, promoters moved the opener to Wednesday last year and to Tuesday this year. Cold and windy weather during the first two days of the show meant early birds had great access to the vendors but fewer planes to gawk. Susie and I hit the field on Thursday morning, avoiding the objectionable temps and winds. In fact, while we were there, the humidity and temperature balance made the days warm, but not sticky. The nights were cool and favorable for sleeping. After hearing "There's nothing new" from a few grizzled Sun 'n Fun veterans, I became a man on a mission to find something fresh this year.

Last year's debut of the Margaritaville "pub" outside building A lead to some major expansion this year. No longer relegated to the triangle of grass where the old Sea Dart proudly sat for years, the large "cafeteria" sported a new Tiki motif, constant Jimmy Buffett music and a bar. Even the venerable corn roast got into the Margaritaville action with a DJ, karaoke singing and a bar.

While not exactly new, I have never seen an airplane hoist in full splendor like the one shown by ARM Aerospace called Aero-Lift. Ever increasing hangar rents may make this a very practical solution for some. They offer 2,000 and 2,500 lb models for tail dragger and nose dragger configurations. You can learn more about these space saving wonders at www.ARMAeroSpace.com

Two new Q's had their flight line debut this year. The first, Roy Shannon, flew his beautiful single-place Quickie from the east coast of Florida. Roy's building partner hauled the Q trailer, designed and built by Roy, to the show and several QBA'ers had an opportunity to marvel at his ingenuity. Roy's hangar is his garage at home. He uses his trailer for every flight and has found it very functional, especially i when servicing his I plane. While he has removed the plane from the trailer in a record time of eight minutes, Roy said his I typical time from start i to the air was more like 15 to 20 minutes. It depended on the number of questions from the inevitable crowd that would gather.

The second Q bird at Sun 'n Fun belonged to Larry Covey. He transported his Tri-Q200 from the Miami area on his custom-built trailer. He incorporated a unique asymmetrical design, with torsion suspension for low ground clearance and a very smooth ride. Look for pictorial spreads on both of these trailers in the upcoming issues of Q-Talk.

Jerry and Nancy Marstall were Sun 'n Fun volunteers for the first this year. They helped with the massive effort of parking the homebuilt aircraft. Nancy also worked in the aircraft registration booth. After attending several prior Sun 'n Fun's, the Marstalls felt this was a great opportunity to be part of the event and get front-row seats for all the arriving and departing aircraft. For those who might be interested in being part of this special work force next year, they highly recommended the job. They thought it was a lot of fun.

We had a chance to visit with several other Q enthusiasts during our time at the show. We ran into Doug Humble and saw pictures of his newly installed, soon to be tested, VW Type IV SCAT crankshaft. Previous Q-Talk editor, Tom Moore, traveled from the Dallas area in his new, beautifully built, RV 7A. This was his first major cross-country flight since flight-testing. Bob and Jean Malechek (former premier Q200 builder and driver) were scouring the vendors for treasures to complete their new RV 7A project. Quid pro quo at its best, Tom is now answering Bob's building questions when years ago, the reverse was true regarding the Q200's.

Hummel Aviation displayed a new VW cylinder sleeve made from aluminum. They claimed it saved 3 pounds per cylinder. The costs are high yet, but this is something to monitor in the future.

p>We had several new members among the 30 people at the QBA forum. We had two hours of questions and updates from builders and pilots alike. Mike Bergen treated the group to an update on structural epoxies. Mark Greenwood reported that while he could provide wheel pants for the newest Tri-Q nose gear, he was no longer involved in marketing the Tri-Q kit. He suggested contacting Scott Swing directly at Velocity for Tri-Q information.

About twenty-five people attended our hot dog roast on Saturday night. After the food was consumed and the Q building stories were told, the event was topped off by viewing the spectacular nighttime air show from our campsite near the runway. Bob Barron was ready to set off some fireworks himself in celebration of great news from his wife, Dottie. She had learned earlier that day that her cancer was in remission. That was certainly an answer to countless prayers and a cause for rejoicing.

Perhaps those grizzled Sun 'n Fun veterans could not find anything new this year but I was able to uncover several new things and felt lucky to be there.


Articles from this issue:

A Perfect Q Headset? - by Dave Richardson
First Flight - by Dave Davies
Electronic Ignition Troubleshooting - by Terrence O'Neill
G-KUTU?The Homecoming - by Robin Nash
Weight and Balance - by Dave Richardson
Fit to be Tied - by Doug Humble


A current QBA member may have one free ad per issue. It may be a maximum of five lines of type and will be edited to fit space available. Items advertised must be owned by the QBA member. The ad contact must be a member name. Ads will be run for two issues and then the ad must be resubmitted. [EDITOR'S NOTE: Please note that these ads may no longer be valid. They are included here only as part of the online archive.]

FOR SALE: 0-200 key start engine 1523 SMOH; 3992 TT. Pulled from Q-200 after 1032 hours. Still ran well when it was removed. Includes 2 Slick Mags, Starter (needs new starter clutch) Asking $3,500. Contact Paul Fisher? This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (319) 798-2282

WANTED: Engine mounts for Q200 and complete cowling Continental 0200 engine. Contact A1 Bromann, 9186 Island Rd. Harshaw, WI 54529 (800)746-3963. (10)

WANTED: Canopy for Q-l. Also, I need an Onan engine in good condition. Please contact Nathan Peck, Marthas-ville, Missouri. Call collect: (636) 433-3633 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

FOR SALE: Completed Q2 N393JT with LSI canaid less engine and some instruments. Includes hydraulic disc brakes, reflexor, belly board, sliding canopy and sharp paint job. Flown for 12 hrs TT. John Touchet, fL (863)294-8540 or cat52 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (8)

FOR SALE: Various Q items. Jon Finley

http://www.finleyweb.net/default.asp?id=144

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (4)


2004 Sun 'n Fun's Q-Corner included Roy Shannon's Quickie and Larry Covey's Tri-Q200 in the background. Note the graphic on the side of Roy's plane. He designed this as a stylized representation of a Quickie. Larry's turquoise, magenta and purple flowing accents on his Tri-Q200 were an obvious crowd pleaser.


You can order a printed copy of Q-talk #104 by using the Q-talk Back Issue Order Page.