Brodhead Pietenpol Association

Original Posted By: "Ed G."
For those of you who built your Piet with a Corvair or Continental: How didyou fashion your firewall? Did you use 1/8 or 1/4 plywood? The ash cross beam,left on or taken off? Also the tray, did you build it in, or leave it off? Theplans are a bit ambiguous on this part of the fuselage. Thanks.PaulRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... __________

Original Posted By: "Paul N. Peckham"
Regarding airspeeds=2C and to more directly answer Corky's question about what cruise airspeed he can expect from his L-3 lookalike=2C this page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeronca_L-3 shows a cruise speed of 79 MPH with the A65-8 but who knows if that's a real number or not. The airplane that Corky built himself=2C NX41CC=2C will cruise all day at 70 MPH indicated airspeed with cruise RPM set on the A65. It is also very easy to hit redline in the airplane by dropping the nose=2C but equally easy to scrub off that airspeed by raising the nose or pulling power. I have not tried any spot landing contests but it would seem to me that the Piet would be very responsive in that kind of contest=2C more so than Cubs or other airplanes with more wing and more tendency to float in ground effect. The Piet is not much of a floater if you nail the airspeed.I really learned a great deal from Mike Cuy's analysis of airspeed control and maybe he will re-post what he said about approach airspeed before. Something like 57 is too hot=2C 55 is about right=2C and 50 will put you right on the numbers but you'd better hold that airspeed perfectly or you'll mush it in and bounce or else not make the threshold. When I first started flying my Piet I was using 60 as a final approach speed due to all of the warnings about the power-off sink rate=2C but now that I know the airplane I use the brick-like sink rate to my advantage and I like the ability to make short=2C slow landings fully controlled.Oscar ZunigaAir Camper NX41CCSan Antonio=2C TXmailto: taildrags(at)hotmail.comwebsite at http://www.flysquirrel.net________________________________________________________________________________Subject: Pietenpol-List: Firewall Construction

Original Posted By: Ben Charvet
For those of you who built your Piet with a Corvair or Continental: How did youfashion your firewall? Did you use 1/8 or 1/4 plywood? The ash cross beam,left on or taken off? Also the tray, did you build it in, or leave it off? The plans are a bit ambiguous on this part of the fuselage. Thanks.PaulRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ______Date: Wed, 29 Apr 2009 07:55:59 -0700 (PDT)

Original Posted By: bcharvet(at)bellsouth.net
I built a corvair style bed mount for my Franklin and did the same as Ben. 1/8" ply with the ash crossmember and no tray. The ash crossmember seems to add a lot of strength to the front of the fuselage but I'm not sure that the guys building for a Continental put one in. Ed G.Date: Wed=2C 29 Apr 2009 07:55:59 -0700

Original Posted By: "Paul N. Peckham"
Paul,Built right to plans, with the ash and tray. Put a 14 gallon fuel tank in there.What you may want to think of , is I cut a round hole in the front plywood, in the lower section to be able to reach into the nose to add hardware,fuel fittings, etc.There is no way to reach from the fwd cockpit.see pic.Hole off to the left is where cabin heat duct goes.And holes below is gascolator mount screw holes.The metal firewall covers it all.Think minimum thickness is .018"NO aluminumwalt evansNX140DL----- Original Message -----

Original Posted By: Rick Holland
Man, you guys are a hoot! Let's see now.........we've gone from firewall constructionto ash trays. Now the ash tray must be where you put the smoke systemon a Piet??!! That's what makes this list so great. You get answers to yourquestions and then some. Thanks guys.PaulRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ______Date: Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:59:11 -0600Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: Firewall Construction

Original Posted By: Oscar Zuniga
Paul=3BYou can see a couple of pix of how the firewall and framing are constructed on 41CC here:http://www.flysquirrel.net/piets/repairs/P4070001.JPG andhttp://www.flysquirrel.net/piets/repairs/P3070009.JPGOn the backside of the stainless firewall=2C only the curved upper portion has plywood behind it. Also note that the firewall is constructed in two pieces=2C which allows removing the lower section for access to the front rudder pedals and other things in the front cockpit. Just don't do what I did and forget that the lower engine mount points bolt through the firewall and trap the section of firewall that is supposed to be removable =3Bo)No ashtrays in 41CC but the front cockpit has an outside air temp gauge.Oscar ZunigaAir Camper NX41CCSan Antonio=2C TXmailto: taildrags(at)hotmail.comwebsite at http://www.flysquirrel.net________________________________________________________________________________

Original Posted By: Rick Holland
PS to that last post=2C I learned another lesson while rebuilding the firewall and front framing on 41CC. If you have your fuel tank up in the front=2C make sure you route any cables=2C controls=2C and wiring close enough to the fuselage sides to get them past the fuel tank. Working up in the wide-open front area without the fuel tank installed=2C I thought I had a huge luxurious open space available to route wires and cables to the engine compartment=2C forgetting about the fuel tank.Tach cables in particular do not like to flex sharply.Oscar ZunigaAir Camper NX41CCSan Antonio=2C TXmailto: taildrags(at)hotmail.comwebsite at http://www.flysquirrel.net________________________________________________________________________________Date: Thu, 30 Apr 2009 07:34:05 -0600Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: Firewall Construction

Original Posted By: Rick Holland
Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: Firewall Construction

Original Posted By: Oscar Zuniga
No fiberfrax behind the stainless on my firewall.Oscar ZunigaAir Camper NX41CCSan Antonio=2C TXmailto: taildrags(at)hotmail.comwebsite at http://www.flysquirrel.net________________________________________________________________________________

Original Posted By: shad bell
No fiberfrax behind the stainless on my firewall.Oscar ZunigaAir Camper NX41CCSan Antonio=2C TXmailto: taildrags(at)hotmail.comwebsite at http://www.flysquirrel.net________________________________________________________________________________Date: Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:08:42 -0700 (PDT)

Original Posted By: "Cuy, Michael D. (GRC-RXD0)[ASRC Aerospace Corporation]"
For those of you who built your Piet with a Corvair or Continental: How didyou fashion your firewall? Did you use 1/8 or 1/4 plywood? The ash cross beam=2Cleft on or taken off? Also the tray=2C did you build it in=2C or leave it off? Theplans are a bit ambiguous on this part of the fuselage. Thanks.PaulRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ___Windows Live=99 SkyDrive=99: Get 25 GB of free online storage. http://windowslive.com/online/skydrive? ... __________