Earthstar Forums

OK, time to set the record straight. Yes, Mark and I both competed in the
STOL competition on 8/18/19. Since we were the only electric aircraft on
the field, one of us was bound to win the "electric" category. Both our
eGulls showed how quick we could get off the ground (I had an advantage
with my stronger motor), but Mark beat me on the landings. On my second
attempt, I ballooned just a bit too much (good headwind), then did not dare
to dial in too much power and dropped from about 4 feet. Normally, the gear
would have easily taken that, but I hit with the nose wheel first. Both
struts in the fork broke and the wheel came off. I was able to push the
Quark off the runway quickly, and the disruption was minimal, but how
embarrassing, in front of a crowd, no less! This was clearly a case of
pilot error, and I take full blame. I think the organizers felt sorry for
me and gave me the first prize trophy for the category as a consolation
price. Thanks, Mark! I'll keep it as a reminder to chose safety over
competition and target fixation. I talked with one of the STOL pros
afterwards - he had seen it all, gave me some invaluable pointers, and it
was good therapy.

Fortunately, Mark was on his way home and did not need his nose fork any
longer, so we swapped forks right there on the field. We had to ask for a
few tools, but had most of what we needed. I flew home the next morning,
and have been flying since; no residual issues. It will take some time this
winter to repair the fiberglass damage under the belly, but no structural
parts are affected. Mark will repair my old fork and use it on the factory
plane. It was a bit more difficult to load and secure the factory eGull on
the trailer without a nose fork.

I hope this incidence does not hurt Mark's sales (as in "Ultralights are
flimsy!"). I know he talked with a lot of interested pilots, and I promoted
eGulls and electric flight all weekend, and the response was usually very
encouraging. I think we can shape the message more like this:

Ultralights are safe, due to their low inertia and stall speed (only my ego
was hurt). Repairs are usually affordable and can be done by the builder.
No red tape!

And another take-away: STOL is tough on airplanes, especially if they have
not been built or equipped for that purpose (tundra tires?). But you need
to practice, so you know how to behave in an emergency.

Other than that, the fly-in was another big success. Organization was
smooth, food was pretty good (except breakfast for us vegans), and the
keynote speaker (from NASA: unmanned space exploration, Jupiter mission)
was informative and entertaining. I got to stay with a different family in
the airpark this year. I like the way the airpark residents step up and
provide rooms for anyone flying in. We always have lots to talk about
(without even getting into politics). I also checked in on Dave Ullman's
eSTOL concept. He has 4 ducted electric fans mounted on the wing of his
Jabiru test vehicle (not enough to sustain flight), and is in the process
of installing sensors and instrumentation. Slow but steady progress. Next
year should be interesting.

This year's star: a fully functional DH.1 replica, powered by a VW engine,
built right there. Much of the shape stems from having to make room for
that big prop. Turnbuckles and wires alone account for about 100 lbs.
[image: image.png]
The Facetmobile in the EAA hangar is also making progress. If you thought
the airframe was unusual, you should see the flight controls in action!
[image: image.png]

But our eGulls were definitely a hit, and we heard lots of intelligent
comments. I think this is the first time we had two eGulls operating from
the same field. Two electric planes on the same field may even be a NW
first. Sign of the times?

Mark, Mike, how was Arlington in comparison? Sure glad you made it to
Independence on Saturday!

Martin & the Quark

Think a laser altimeter may help, like that 4’ balloon landing case? Once read of a glider pilot build a microwave altimeter with a couple of plates like antenna tucked the seat that looked down. His instrument bank was cute, half a dozen little homemade boxes (diamond ring sized) with 2-3 digit large lcds mounted high. (DH sounds so like the Simpsons, hard to believe scout cadets or trainee pilots in india dint even get to that in eight decades, or even after retiring. just big jumps to cessnas and onto jets.)

This was a niice read, now we have to add a fork in the list of onboard spares too? Is there a list of spares to carry onboard in the gull manual, for a long trip where’s there’s no one around in a days walk?

My 4 ft drop was due to running out of airspeed. Yes, Mark's planes sit
really low, but after 400 landings I have a pretty good idea how close to
the ground I am. Going around at that point is not a sure thing, though.
The flaps are already at 20%, but you have to dial in the power judiciously
- too little, and you are not going to climb, and too much, and you may
push the nose down too much and make contact at higher forward speed. Not
easy to practice, either: you have to be in ground effect to get the real
behavior. This is one scenario where a tractor prop might have an
advantage. (but then, if you do crunch your nose wheel, you might have to
replace your prop and maybe your crankshaft...)

Got thinking about the wing and fuselage boundary last night, especially where there is a seperate piece that overlaps the front lexan and over the D-cell for a few inches. With round chromoly as the structure, and lexan, fibreglass and aluminium sheets, with plenty wind lateral loads, it seems complex to maintain a clean sealed boundary while ensuring the ability to stow the wing after unbolting.

Hybrid masonry (steel frame, brick or block wall, concrete roof, any combinations of wood) also solves it on another scale, albiet static. They tuck foam tubes in expansion joints in walls and then a sealant. with steel, perimeter I-beams tend have a wider webs to handle torsion and facade attachments, called a spandrel beam. A custom slimmer beam can be shop welded that looks like a hollow rectangular beam with regular flanges like an H-beam. and then they have slotted holes to take care of things shifting a bit or not aligning exactly. Still a ways to go before it looks seamless without have to clad or overlay it. masonry&steel have have this stage they call ‘detailing’. In autos, a Benz would have hermetically sealed windows, with complex looking door&window seals. guess they pressurise the cabin from inside even when switched off.

Since i can’t see the (e)Gull’s detailing from this distance, will limit this conversation to here for now. do you think facets would be a nice idea for the fairing on the sides of the fuselage?