Original Posted By: "William C. Beerman"
Pietenpol-List: Archives and Plans Quality
Re: Pietenpol-List: Newbie question: Rudder Bar versus Pedals
Original Posted By: Gene Rambo
Re: Pietenpol-List: Archives and Plans Quality
Original Posted By: Michael D Cuy
On a related note, there is an area on www.aircamper.org that lets builders document any plan errors that they come across. If someone knows of one not listed, add it to the list.JoeSpring, TX>From: Edward Nolan >Has there been any effort on the part of the>Pietenpols to revise and clarify the plans? Given the________________________________________________________________________________Date: Thu, 02 Nov 2000 10:02:30 -0500
On a related note, there is an area on www.aircamper.org that lets builders document any plan errors that they come across. If someone knows of one not listed, add it to the list.JoeSpring, TX>From: Edward Nolan >Has there been any effort on the part of the>Pietenpols to revise and clarify the plans? Given the________________________________________________________________________________Date: Thu, 02 Nov 2000 10:02:30 -0500
Re: Pietenpol-List: Newbie question: Rudder Bar versus Pedals
Original Posted By: Steve Eldredge
Ed, There was a heated discussion about a year ago about the details which the plans lack, and some areas in which the plans are just downright incorrrect. I really struggled with this at first too, but I developed a sort of philosophy about the Pietenpol that I try to embrace when I find a discrepancy, or lack of detail. I'll try to relate my feelings to you. The Pietenpol was designed 71 or 72 years ago by someone who had no formal aviation engineering education, but he did have very strong mechanical aptitude, and was very bright. In his desire to build a machine for himself to fly, he developed a single cockpiut airplane and later developed it into a 2-cockpit bird. He drew out a set of plans he could use, which I don't think he ever really intending to market. His plans got published in a flying related magazine for others to build, and so the legend began.... For me, using these old outdated plans, points up the fact that I obviously do NOT have the skill with tools, nor the plain old horse sense that the early aviation pioneers like Bernard Pietenpol had, and that irks me no end! I know all about computers & geology - the stuff of my trade, and I even have a Commercial/Instrument AND an A&P ticket! I STILL don't know nearly as much as BHP did! BUT I'M LEARNING!! What working through these old plans does for me is to allow me to develop the same skills and airplane smarts as the old timers had. You can look at Rutan, and I'm not 100% sure he knows more about what it takes to make a plane fly than BH Pietenpol did, he just has newer materials to work with that allow greater flexibility in design.So I guess, with the Pietenpol, you have to do the outside bookwork real hard. You'll want to collect Tony Bingelis' seies of books, the FAA 43-13 and just about every other book you can get your hands on about building and maintaining airplanes. That way YOU can figure out what you need to know to complete your Piet. When you're through with all this work, and it IS work and a LOT of it, you'll have one of the slowest, boxiest homebuilt planes in the world today. I also believe that if you make almost all the parts of this plane, then it will truly be YOUR plane, and you'll know more about working wood, metal and fabric than if you built 10 precut, premeasured, step-by-step kits or designs out there today!Building a Piet is not really about building yourself a nice flying nostaglgic plane. It's about developing YOU and YOUR skills with tools, and knowledge of aircraft materials, and the ability to stick to a difficult project for a long time. The payoff is in the end of this total immersion course in aircraft fabrication, you are an extremely knowledgable aircraft craftsman! The side benefit? You ALSO end up with a fine classic airplane! When you're done, and go to flyins, or just hangar flying, you can talk about the decisions you made here and there on YOUR Piet, and you'll know that every single little tiny rib gussett or spruce block in that plane you cut and and put there youself. Ed, embrace the old plans, make the corrections as you find the errors and develop your skills. But honestly, and please don't take this as rude or mean-spirited, but just friendly advice. If you're not wanting to immerse yourself into studying this particular design, and solving LOTS of little problems yourself, then maybe this isn't the project for you. There are tons of plan sets out there that probably are much better executed, and leave nothing to doubt, and are much easier to build, cookbook style. But then they aren't a Pietenpol! So far, I've built my ribs, tailfeathers, and I'm about to join-up my fuselage halves. Sometimes I feel like I'm working in the dark, but I grab a book and a cup of coffee, and try to solve whatever little problem that crops up. Remember, You have a host of knowledgable, helpful, people right at your keyboard! An answer, or at least an opinion isn't far away!Good luck and happy building!Gary Meadows________________________________________________________________________________
Ed, There was a heated discussion about a year ago about the details which the plans lack, and some areas in which the plans are just downright incorrrect. I really struggled with this at first too, but I developed a sort of philosophy about the Pietenpol that I try to embrace when I find a discrepancy, or lack of detail. I'll try to relate my feelings to you. The Pietenpol was designed 71 or 72 years ago by someone who had no formal aviation engineering education, but he did have very strong mechanical aptitude, and was very bright. In his desire to build a machine for himself to fly, he developed a single cockpiut airplane and later developed it into a 2-cockpit bird. He drew out a set of plans he could use, which I don't think he ever really intending to market. His plans got published in a flying related magazine for others to build, and so the legend began.... For me, using these old outdated plans, points up the fact that I obviously do NOT have the skill with tools, nor the plain old horse sense that the early aviation pioneers like Bernard Pietenpol had, and that irks me no end! I know all about computers & geology - the stuff of my trade, and I even have a Commercial/Instrument AND an A&P ticket! I STILL don't know nearly as much as BHP did! BUT I'M LEARNING!! What working through these old plans does for me is to allow me to develop the same skills and airplane smarts as the old timers had. You can look at Rutan, and I'm not 100% sure he knows more about what it takes to make a plane fly than BH Pietenpol did, he just has newer materials to work with that allow greater flexibility in design.So I guess, with the Pietenpol, you have to do the outside bookwork real hard. You'll want to collect Tony Bingelis' seies of books, the FAA 43-13 and just about every other book you can get your hands on about building and maintaining airplanes. That way YOU can figure out what you need to know to complete your Piet. When you're through with all this work, and it IS work and a LOT of it, you'll have one of the slowest, boxiest homebuilt planes in the world today. I also believe that if you make almost all the parts of this plane, then it will truly be YOUR plane, and you'll know more about working wood, metal and fabric than if you built 10 precut, premeasured, step-by-step kits or designs out there today!Building a Piet is not really about building yourself a nice flying nostaglgic plane. It's about developing YOU and YOUR skills with tools, and knowledge of aircraft materials, and the ability to stick to a difficult project for a long time. The payoff is in the end of this total immersion course in aircraft fabrication, you are an extremely knowledgable aircraft craftsman! The side benefit? You ALSO end up with a fine classic airplane! When you're done, and go to flyins, or just hangar flying, you can talk about the decisions you made here and there on YOUR Piet, and you'll know that every single little tiny rib gussett or spruce block in that plane you cut and and put there youself. Ed, embrace the old plans, make the corrections as you find the errors and develop your skills. But honestly, and please don't take this as rude or mean-spirited, but just friendly advice. If you're not wanting to immerse yourself into studying this particular design, and solving LOTS of little problems yourself, then maybe this isn't the project for you. There are tons of plan sets out there that probably are much better executed, and leave nothing to doubt, and are much easier to build, cookbook style. But then they aren't a Pietenpol! So far, I've built my ribs, tailfeathers, and I'm about to join-up my fuselage halves. Sometimes I feel like I'm working in the dark, but I grab a book and a cup of coffee, and try to solve whatever little problem that crops up. Remember, You have a host of knowledgable, helpful, people right at your keyboard! An answer, or at least an opinion isn't far away!Good luck and happy building!Gary Meadows________________________________________________________________________________
RE: Pietenpol-List: Newbie question: Rudder Bar versus Pedals
Original Posted By: owner-pietenpol-list-server(at)matronics.com
Well said Gary, Sounds like FAQ material!SteveE-----Original Message-----
Well said Gary, Sounds like FAQ material!SteveE-----Original Message-----
Re: Pietenpol-List: Newbie question: Rudder Bar versus Pedals
Original Posted By: "Builder's Bookstore"
Re: Pietenpol-List: Archives and Plans Quality
Original Posted By: Michael D Cuy
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Re: Pietenpol-List: Newbie question: Rudder Bar versus Pedals
Original Posted By: Edward Nolan
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RE: Pietenpol-List: Archives and Plans Quality
Original Posted By: owner-pietenpol-list-server(at)matronics.com
I agree with that, you open a Bingelis book looking for one solution andyou close it with a bunch of ideas for your plane. Fun to read even whenyour not looking for an answer to a problem.Carl-----Original Message-----
I agree with that, you open a Bingelis book looking for one solution andyou close it with a bunch of ideas for your plane. Fun to read even whenyour not looking for an answer to a problem.Carl-----Original Message-----