Pietenpol-List: Olds 215 Aluminum V-8

[matronics]

Original Posted By: "Hubbard, Eugene"
Mike, You make a good point about the Olds 215 aluminum V-8; however, at the risk of sounding "picky" I'd like to point out that Steve Wittman used the Olds 215 in one of his Tailwinds, the red one. I saw it and him at the Tullahoma Tennessee EAA fly-in in 1979. The "0&0" Special was a yellow aircraft with a six cylinder engine, an O-470 Continental, I believe. I saw its remains at my home airport after the NTSB concluded their investigation of the crash. It was in a corner of one of the DCU (PRYOR FIELD) hangars under a tarpaulin.I wish now I had asked Mr. Wittman some questions, but I was just a student pilot at the time, and the thought of building an airplane was a distant thought. I doubt if I would have had any meaningful questions to ask him. I do remember thinking this guy must have something on the ball if he has inverted an automobile engine and installed it successfully in an airplane! Best regards, Don Hull Decatur, Alabama________________________________________________________________________________

[matronics]

Original Posted By: Greg Cardinal [mailto:gcardinal(at)startribune.com]
I had to put triangular blocks between the diagonals and uprights at thatpoint to give a flat surface for the though bolts. The bolts have to beabout 3 1/2 inches long to go through the stabilizer spar into my fuselage.While I wouldn't even consider using the #7 wood screws as stated on theplans, the thought does occur to me that they aren't really holdingmuch--all of the stress is on the brace wires.Gene HubbardSan Diego-----Original Message-----