Landing Light Operational

Wade sent me the linked video of the V-77 landing light now functioning.  He has combined parts from the incorrect light that came with the plane (electric motor) and two correct V-77 lights found on EBay.  I purchased one of the lights on EBay.   What I did not know was Wade had found and secretly purchased the other as a Christmas gift for me so we would have enough parts to get one good light.  What a neat surprise.

We have enough parts left over to have a second light in the other wing for a taxi light, though we need to figure out why the motor doesn’t work even though there is continuity.  That would be pretty cool having a retractable light in each wing!  So, we now have a period correct light with a later model motor, and an easier to get lamp.  A perfect solution!

V-77 Landing Light

Fuel tank access cover

Wade sent a few pictures today of some recent activity on the right wing.  The wood strips in the aileron well previously mentioned in the December 9 post are now complete.  Wade has also started attaching some material on the lower wing to attach a metal fuel tank cover to.  Normally the fuel tank area is covered with fabric.  We have seen several airplanes modified to have a metal cover that can easily be removed should the tank need to come out.....beats having to cut your fabric!

Wade also picked up some 8 inch wheels for the engine stands we are going to re-fashion into wing stands.  That should make it much easier to move them around.

If you zoom in, you can see how the material is fastened 

Reverse angle

View of aileron well

Jetting along

I took my friend Josh and his son Jet for a Stinson ride this afternoon.  Jet will be 5 around Memorial Day, so just about 6 weeks older than the twins.  The weather was great with temperatures near 60.  Of course, everyone else thought flying would be a good idea too, so the ADS-B traffic really paid off.

Jet really enjoyed the flight.  I let him fly and he seemed to pick it up pretty quickly, not just roll but also pitch.  He was a blast to take up.  Jet was my 131st passenger.  I have managed to fly 10.3 hours since coming home in mid-December!

Stearman biplane in the pattern

Jet at the controls....the smile tells it all!

Dad (Josh) took the back seat

Happy New Year

The weather was finally nice today so I decided to get the first flight of 2019 in the books.  I waited until late morning and it finally hit 25 degrees F, so off I went.  One nice thing about cold temperatures is the airplane really performs due to the denser air.  For example, the rate of climb was almost 1300 ft/min.  In the summer, by comparison, I usually see about 1000 ft/min at comparable weights.  It always puts a smile on your face!

View out the window climbing away from Stearman

Rate of climb indicator on right

Happy pilot