Brodhead Pietenpol Association

Original Posted By: "Jack Phillips"
Gene, love reading about your progress, I feel the same way right now aboutthe millions of details before she's finished. I, for one, am just tryingto "touch the project every day" without thinking about Brodhead too much. I too have used your "barebones" photo (not you, your plane) for myscreensaver and am completely confident she'll be a magnificent flyingmachine, especially with that paint job someone (Dan Helsper) stole from you(just kidding Dan!) If you make it this year, great, if next year. great also, plus you'll havemore time to work any bugs out before a big cross country.I have been working away on the new engine installation. It's surprisingwhat a big deal a changeover is, especially as this new one will have asmall electrical system. New engine controls and instruments to mount inwhat I intended to be a super clean and simple cockpit, so I'm trying tofind places to "hide" things yet keeping them handy.The engine is off being rebuilt and converted from an 0200 to a C90 while Ido the wiring and plumbing. The new cowling is about 75% done. Installingcool louvers, sanding, etc, etc, etc.New gear is pretty much finished. Am using 28X3 smooth clinchers withcovered wheels. Just mounted them and they look pretty darn sweet.So, gotta finish all that, varnish new holes, secure all new additions,paint little brackets etc and then cover the fuse and empennage.Oh yeah, and finish enlarging my wing tank to accommodate the thirstier newengine (the jobs really never do seem to end)ALL YOU BUILDERS OUT THERE, KEEP AT IT, TRY TO TOUCH IT EVERY DAY, LOOK ATTHE PROJECT AS A BUNCH OF LITTLE PROJECTS AND ENJOY COMPLETING EACH ONE.DON'T WORRY TOO MUCH ABOUT DEADLINES, JUST KEEP BUILDING AND DON'T STOP ANDONE DAY SHE'LL BE DONE AND YOUR "TO DO" LIST WILL BE COMPLETELY CHECKED OFF.Douwe ________________________________________________________________________________

Original Posted By: owner-pietenpol-list-server(at)matronics.com
Douwe, just a word of appreciation and congratulations on your project. Iknow what you've had to go through, better than most. When I had a forcedlanding in my Pietenpol just a few weeks after its first flight and wasfaced with 8 months of repairs before flying it again I almost sold the pileof scrap and gave up. Building the Pietenpol was fun, rebuilding it was nofun at all, and a lot of unpleasant work. You never even got to fly yourairplane (I had nearly 7 hours on mine when I tore it up), so you don't evenknow what it feels like to fly something you built yourself.Keep at it - you're almost there. And you will be prouder than ever of theresults. You have demonstrated just what kind of drive and determinationyou possess. And you should be very proud.Jack PhillipsNX899JP "Icarus Plummet"Raleigh, NC _____

Original Posted By: "Scott Knowlton "
As builders progress with their projects, and post occasional photos, detailingtheir handiwork, there are always a few that stand out because of the fine levelof craftsmanship that is obviously going into the construction. Those arethe projects that I really look forward to seeing in the completed state. AndGene's and Douwe's planes both fall into that category for me. I am eagerly lookingforward to seeing both of those beauties at Brodhead... whenever they happento make it.Bill C.Read this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... __________

Original Posted By: airlion
Subject: Pietenpol-List: Re: Gene's progress and mineAs builders progress with their projects, and post occasional photos, detailingtheir handiwork, there are always a few that stand out because of the fine levelof craftsmanship that is obviously going into the construction. Those arethe projects that I really look forward to seeing in the completed state. AndGene's and Douwe's planes both fall into that category for me. I am eagerly lookingforward to seeing both of those beauties at Brodhead... whenever they happento make it.Bill C.Read this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ______Date: Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:35:52 -0800 (PST)

Original Posted By: Bill Church
Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: Re: Gene's progress and mineDitto on yours too Bill! Scott Knowlton -----Original Message-----

Original Posted By: gboothe5(at)comcast.net
Hello all you good people!!!!! (and I really mean that)Yes, it is really good to hear of Douwe and Gene's progress, being so close to showing-up at Brodhead for the first time. There is nothing like it for us types.......Thank you to Ryan and Jess Meuller for recording that arrival. I have watched it about a thousand times!!!As a matter of fact, Gene called me the other day with a few incidental questions and requests concerning such mundane things as motor mount springs, Stewart System glue, and the like,........ but I could tell the real underlying reason for his call was to try to get me to reveal some more detailes about my black-and-yellow paint-job. I know deep-down, he is still sore about the whole thing................He actually thinks I stole HIS paint job....HA!!!!Dan HelsperPuryear, TN.________________________________________________________________________________Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: Gene's progress and mine

Original Posted By: "K5YAC"
I should have done some research before posting, it appears that these springsare a Model T part (shoulda known!). Here's a listing and picture from the Snyderssite:http://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/searc ... &x=0&y=0Is anyone else using these springs to hold their Ford down?Brett PhillipsStrasburg, VANX311GPRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ___Subject: Pietenpol-List: Re: Gene's progress and mine

Original Posted By: "Jack Phillips"
Yeah, way to go Gardiner. --------Mark ChouinardWings, Center Section and Empannage framed up - Working on FuselageRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... __________

Original Posted By: owner-pietenpol-list-server(at)matronics.com
Nope. Stainless steel wool in the carb heat muff got loose and got suckedinto the carburetor. It was a cold (29=B0) humid morning, flying over a lake.I started getting carb ice and pulled on full carb heat and full throttle,trying to keep up with a Husky for a photo shoot. Even a trusty, reliableContinental can=92t run with its carburetor throat full of steel wool.Not my happiest day=85Jack PhillipsNX899JP =93Icarus Plummet=94Raleigh, NC _____

Original Posted By: owner-pietenpol-list-server(at)matronics.com
So Dan, are you flying yours up from Tennessee this year?Jack PhillipsNX899JP "Icarus Plummet"Raleigh, NC-----Original Message-----

Original Posted By: "kevinpurtee"
Hey allI have been very busy getting ready for SNF. I have steel fittings from Chet Peek and a Data plate from Oscar Zuniga plywood from Wicks Aircraft, wood from Dave Aldrich and a Model A Ford engine from Gene Rambo. Now we are all going to build a Fuselage which will be a long model. For anyone who is planning to build a Piet in the near future and wants a good start on a project, this fuselage will be FOR SALE at Brodhead. Stop in at the Wood Workshop. This is a benefit for the Brodhead Airport new visitors Center.Also at the Wood Workshop we will again be running Mike Cuys video again if you want to check that out.We normally have a great turnout of Piet people, so stop by and check us out.Dick N.________________________________________________________________________________Subject: Pietenpol-List: Re: Gene's progress and mine

Original Posted By: "Jack Phillips"
Jack - Not your happiest day but you pulled it off. And because you're a goodguy you shared your experience with me after my landing gear debacle. You alsotold me that you rebuilt the airplane, though that process was very unpleasant,and that you've flown the tar out of it since. Not sure if I thanked youfor your kindness at the time but I really appreciate it.Kevin--------Kevin "Axel" PurteeNX899KPAustin/Georgetown, TXRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... __________

Original Posted By: owner-pietenpol-list-server(at)matronics.com
Thanks, Kevin.Seeing your Pietenpol foundered on the field at Brodhead brought up allkinds of unpleasant memories. My broken axle was due to a pickup truckbeing right where I needed to land, and I had to pull the nose up to slowdown and let it get out of the way. Then in keeping the plane fromstalling, I had to nose down so far I literally flew it into the ground andbroke the axle (unknown to me). I recovered from the bounce and made adecent 3-point landing and was congratulating myself when the right wingbegan to drop and full left rudder, left aileron and left brake couldn'tkeep it straight and it went into the ditch and groundlooped.One good thing that came out of my "Incident" was that when I called Karenand told her I tore up the airplane (we were not married and had only beendating for about a year), she immediately came out and gave me a hug, thentook charge of acquiring a flatbed trailer and supervised the disassemblyand loading of the airplane on the trailer (she had helped me move it to theairport only 2 months before), while I was talking with the Highway Patrol,the FAA and the NTSB (that's what happens when you land on a highway, butin this part of the country there is little other choice - either highway orforest, hence my desire for a dependable engine).Anyway, that night I was lying awake at about 3:00 in the morning, playingit over and over in my mind, trying to determine what went wrong. As I laythere, I realized that in all of that, Karen never once said "I wish you'dstop flying." So I rolled over and woke her up and asked her to marry me.Her response was "Can it wait till morning?" She's been the perfect wifeever since.Jack PhillipsNX899JP "Icarus Plummet"Raleigh, NC-----Original Message-----

Original Posted By: airlion

Original Posted By: owner-pietenpol-list-server(at)matronics.com
Gardiner, on that landing I flew over one set of power lines and underanother, and never saw either one. Good help from Above, for sure.I was at 800' AGL when the trouble started. The engine didn't quit until Iclosed the throttle to land, when it obligingly stopped with the prop nearlyhorizontal so I didn't have a prop strike, but it was only putting out about1200 RPM - not enough to keep the plane in the air. I was coming down at400 fpm according to the VSI, so I had a little less than 2 minutes to finda place to land it. I was trying to make it to Deck Field, a 1300' airstripalong US Highway 64, but I was still over a mile away when I was down to200' and decided the highway was the best chance I had.The FAA was very good about it, and there was no problem from them with melanding on the highway (since nobody got hurt). They checked my paperworksince I was still in Phase I (first flight had only been a few weeks before)but everything was legal. They asked for a report once I determined thecause of the partial power failure, and once I filed that I was free tocontinue flying it after repairs were made. It was listed as an "incident"with the NTSB since no one was hurt and no major damage occurred. Ofcourse, once I got it home I discovered a lot more damage than was evidentat the scene - the worst damage was a crack in the right lower longeronwhere the tailwheel got torn off in the groundloop. I also had to build anew horizontal stabilizer (the spar was broken in 3 places), repair onebroken rib in the wing and repair the right aileron. In addition, I built anew axle from thicker material (after doing a stress analysis anddetermining that the original axle was very marginal in strength) and sentthe new axle to Rex Heat Treating in Pennsylvania to be heat-treated tonearly double the strength of normalized 4130 chromoly.This happened in November 2004 and I got all the repairs done in time to flyit to Brodhead 2005, and then on to Oshkosh.As for the B&B, we've got the hangar built but we need to sell our house inRaleigh before we can afford to build the Bed & Breakfast at Smith MountainLake. The house has been on the market for 2 years, with no takers.Jack PhillipsNX899JP "Icarus Plummet"Raleigh, NC-----Original Message-----

Original Posted By: "Jack Phillips"
Jack, what you should have done was slow the plane to the same speed as the pickup truck and then land in the bed of his truck. How would that have been? You probably wouldn't have had any damage -- if you could have gotten the truck driver to stop before the next overpass. I've seen pictures of a J3 landing on a platform built on top of a vehicle -- why not the bed of a truck?Please don't archive----- Original Message -----

Original Posted By: rhatkinson(at)comcast.net
Great story Jack. Thanks for sharing......... Looks like you had a ground loopfollowed by throwing your wife (girlfriend at the time) for a loop..........(ha!)--------Jake Schultz - curator,Newport Way Air Museum (OK, it's just my home)Read this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ______Date: Sat, 12 Mar 2011 22:32:54 +0000 (UTC)

Original Posted By: rhatkinson(at)comcast.net
I think you will discover that that is a Model A Ford engine MOUNT. He wrote once to correct that. From what I read, don't count on an engine!!! ----- Original Message -----

Original Posted By: rhatkinson(at)comcast.net
I think you will discover that that is a Model A Ford engine MOUNT. He wrote once to correct that. From what I read, don't count on an engine!!! ----- Original Message -----

Original Posted By: airlion

Original Posted By: owner-pietenpol-list-server(at)matronics.com
With my luck, if I had tried that, just as I was about to touch down in thebed of the truck, he would see me in the rear view mirror and slam on hisbrakes.Jack PhillipsNX899JP "Icarus Plummet"Raleigh,NC-----Original Message-----