Brodhead Pietenpol Association

Original Posted By: Mark Roberts
Subject: Pietenpol-List: Weight differences between Wood and steel fuse versions

Original Posted By: shad bell

Original Posted By: "Mark Roberts"
MarkOther than to make comments about diet is to add Horsepower. Some of us fly very well at 1250 lb or more. You will need a 100 hp+ engine for that. Consider a Corvair, O-200 or similar.You can build a basic short fuse Piet at 630 lb, that is without brakes or tail wheel. Add 395lb for pilot and pass and 100 lb fuel and you are still at 1175 lb.I had flight tested my A-65 Piet to 1150 lb and it flies fine but not on a 90+ degree day. My 110 hp Piet flies at 1310 lb. but it doesn't like it much. A better weight is 1250 lb.Dick N.----- Original Message -----

Original Posted By: owner-pietenpol-list-server(at)matronics.com
Mark,If you are considering the steel option and would like to give it a try, seeif you can make it to Oshkosh or Sun-N-fun. You can receive lots ofhands-on welding instruction and practice for just the cost of admission tothe show. They say that the airplane welding techniques can be slightlydifferent from the way that most non-airplane people weld these days, so becareful about the instruction that you get from non-airplane people, sinceit may or may not be the best way to deal with the 4130 tubes.In the process of learning about welding, I've found that the term "welding"is a lot like the term "painting." Some people roll latex paint on a walland say that they can paint, but you wouldn't want them to show you how topaint a car. Both terms apply to a very field of processes, each withdifferent requirements and outcomes. The EAA has several other greatresources on the members-only website, including a multi-part series ofarticles that would be great information for the wood-steel decisionprocess. If you are going to decide not to use steel, that's fine, but hopefully yourdecision wouldn't be based on a fear of learning to weld! Even if youaren't comfortable with it now, it will only take a little bit of practiceto change your mind. Several of the people that I've spoken with who arecomfortable with welding say that it is one of the most enjoyable tasks inthe workshop. It challenges your brain just enough to make everything elsedisappear. And just think, you'll also be able to weld all of thosefittings, and who knows what else! Just the other day I assembled 3 littlehooks from the dollar tree so that my wife could hang her little butterflyornaments in the garden.Lastly, I would recommend http://www.tinmantech.com/. Kent is a greatresource to the homebuilding community, and he often does forums at Oshkoshabout metalwork. He also sells a very small torch and hose especially forclose-quarters airplane welding. I have one and though I haven't done awhole fuselage yet, I like it a lot. He also has several videos including a2-disk volume just about oxy-acetylene welding 4130. I've also read the EAAwelding book and found it to be a great value.-----Original Message-----

Original Posted By: helspersew(at)aol.com
There are many homebuilts flying made from ERW tubing. I know of two in VictoriaOne is a Graham Lee Nieuport 11, and the other is an Early Bird Jenny. Theyboth are made from 1.2mm wall, ERW. Pete, the guy that built them, did all themath and structural analysis. I'm building my Pietenpol out of 1.2mm ERW, ButI will pay a 25lb penality for doing so. What you can't do is just swap a .0354130 tube for a .035 1020 ERW tube. Now if I'm not mistaken werent Cubs anda few other factory planes originally built with ERW?CHarleyRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ___Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: Straight Axle gear questionsDate: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:10:06 -0400

Original Posted By: Darrel Jones

Original Posted By: Owen Davies