QuickTalk 15 - QUICKIE HINTS

From Harold Little, #147:

1. (Page 17-4) The rubber mounting bushings selected by QAC are Continental mounts for the 65-75-85 HP engines. When installing these rubbers on a Continental, the mount bolt nut is tightened to 40-50 inch-pounds with the engine hanging from a support in correct alignment with the engine mount. This allows the rubbers to be loaded only by the bolt and nut, not by the hung weight of the engine. For the Onan installation, the rubber compresses a very slight amount. In fact, it is to be just that amount which will ensure full rubber-to-mount contact that will prevent the rotation of the installed rubbers. This will eliminate any relative motion between the rubber bushing and the engine, precluding wear to the rubber. This also allows the rubbers to be under the least compression so that they retain the greatest resiliency to do the best vibration damping possible.


From Robert Davis, #2654:

1. With so many reports of broken tailwheel springs and the thought of tearing a finished tail apart to remove a bonded in spring, I elected to bond in a 1" x .035" tube with 3/4" Delrin bushings to accommodate a filament wound glass tailspring. The tube should be stronger and removable if it breaks.


From Jim Masal, #457:

1. (Page 17-3) Several Quickie builders have commented that vibration problems are occurring due to the improper length of the engine mount spacers (ESM1-1). Thus far, you might get the impression that this length is "top secret" data since no one, QAC included, has revealed it. The best advice you will get is to "cut and fit". It seems that all Quickie firewalls built per plans have to be the same thickness within a millimeter, so why the mystery? Gene Sheehan was asked at the Kerrville Fly-In and he said spacers should be 1.82" - 1.84". Bill Adams from Louisiana used 1.78" on his flying Quickie and mine looked right at 1.80". So, the secret's out. The important point in spacer length is that when the engine mount bolt is tightened down fully against the spacer, the engine mount rubbers should be just BARELY compressed. Too much compression will cause the rubber to "set" or harden which will transmit, rather than dampen out, vibrations.

2. "OOPS!"...that's what you will say when you try to put your plane in flight level position to do weight and balance calculations and discover you've painted over your level line, WL15. If you were careful when mounting your armrest consoles, the top is parallel to WL 15 and you can set your spirit level right on the armrest. You can permanently bond one or more cheap bubble levels to the armrests or any other convenient visible location.


From Norman Howell, #486:

1. (Page 7-12) Do NOT contour the outside of the fuselage sides to a sharp point along the top edge as shown in the STA 89.0 cross-section. Instead contour that edge (from STA 78.0 to 110.0) to about 0.3" thick to preclude a stress concentration for the wing along the edge where it sits on the fuselage. Also, the Aft Fuselage Cover is easier to install on a 0.3" thick edge than on a knife edge.

2. (Page 9-2) I did not have any trouble drilling and tapping the shoulder harness plates as another QBA builder apparently did. However, be sure your thread-cutting oil does not eat a large hole in your foam cores.

3. (Page 9-8) I agree that the UNI wing skin dimensions are not accurate. Roll the skins directly off the roll onto the wing cores when you do the layup.

4. (Page 9-12) You may have to shave some material off the top of the CS-7 phenolic piece to line up the CSA-4/CS-5 combination with the aileron pivot on the left wing.

5. (Page 12-2) For the fuel float dowel, I used some fiberglass rod that was part of a bicycle flag.

6. (Page 13-3) The easiest way to accomplish Chapter 13 is to turn the fuselage upside down and mount the canard first, laying up only those tapes which are not going to be pulled off by gravity when you walk away. After they cure, turn the airplane back over and layup the ones you didn't get before. The plans are not specific on this, but I think there should be tapes along every joining surface between the canard and the fuselage.

7. (Page 13-1) After the accomplishment of the previous tip, you can mount the wing per plans. With the canard on, it is easy to jig up the fuselage so it is level in pitch and roll. Again, layup only those tapes that will not be pulled off by gravity. After these cure, flip the airplane again and layup the tapes that are inside the fuselage while the plane is upside down. Do NOT attempt to flip your airplane over single-handed in a typical Oklahoma breeze.


From William Adams, #528:

1. I recently decided to do as recommended by QAC and install a second fuel filter. Since I could not obtain a duplicate of the original locally, I decided to install a regular typical automotive inline filter. The engine started and ran fine, but quit on me as I reached the runway for takeoff. Lucky for me, I couldn't get it started again until the next day, when it again quit while taxiing. It turns out that the second fuel filter had too much volume (for the position it was in) and the engine fuel pump could not keep up. Upon removal of the second filter, the engine ran fine and has continued to do so. I would recommend that people desiring a second filter stick to the original type, and thoroughly ground test before flight.


From Richard Grosvenor, #213:

1. I put in a small door in the cowling to enable me to check the oil easily. It has the regular Cessna turn fasteners on the top. The bottom fits into a small envelope of fiberglass that I fitted to the cowl.

2. Since the top of the oil stick cover unsnapped in flight one day (drenching the engine with oil), I added a pivoted "L-shaped" piece of steel which I rotate over the oil cover before I take off.



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