Bill's Aviation Log
RV-7 Hobbs meter: 414 hours (Note: I discovered my Hobbs meter is logging considerably more time than what my GPS says I've actually flown. I think the GPS is correct, so I've revised the time I have on my RV downward).
Well, here we go into 2012. No long cross-countries planned this year. There is a formation clinic in April I'm looking forward to, and probably AirVenture 2012 -- RVs will be a major theme as it is the 40th anniversary of the RV so ve been doing a little bit of everything this December. The weekend weather has been surprisingly good for flying so I tool around for an hour each weekend. Bro-In_Law Bruce and I have been hitting the Xenos project hard, hoping to have it airworthy by the spring. And I've working on the Triplane project, although not as much as I've should. Plus all the Christmas stuff: buying presents, tree, cards, decorations, parties, bowls, playoffs, etc.
There was a very nice article about Essex Skypark in the local newspaper. Check it out -- Link -- and support Essex Skypark! There is also a new "Friends of Essex Skypark " page on Facebook.
- January 7, 2012 - Dragon Flight goes to Cape May
- January 3, 2012 - Triplane project - Spar Table
- December 30, 2011 - Triplane project - Bending Jig
- December 22, 2011 - Triplane project - Rib Jig
- December 18, 2011 - Flying in December
- December 11, 2011 - EAA Chapter 571 Christmas Party
- December 4, 2011 - Massey Aerodrome Winter Fly-In
- December 3, 2011 - Holly Run to Tangier Island
This web page logs the building of my Vans RV-7 kitplane as well as my flying adventures. I started my RV-7 slow-build kit in early 2004. Just a little over five years later I flew it for the first time. My RV-7 has side-by-side seating and a tip-up canopy. It's powered bya Mattituck TMX-360, straight carburator, with one magneto and one Lightspeed electronic ignition. It spins a constant speed Hartzell blended airfoil propeller. The RV is night-VFR capable. The panel is anchored by a Dynon FD-180 which has both flight and engine instruments. I also have an SL-60 GPS/Comm and Garmin GTX-327 transponder. I have a Garmin GPSMap 496 mounted in an Airgizmo panel dock. Finally, I have a TruTrak Pictorial Pilot Wing leveler autopilot. The plane is fast, nimble and aerobatic. An aerial sports car. It is really quite amazing that a regular person can build such a fantastic flying machine from a kit at his house.