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Messages - Paul Rule

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31
Maintenance and Repair / Re: Leveling the Cadet
« on: January 31, 2012, 01:42:26 PM »
I have looked a lot but have not seen "THE MARK"!

A few of us have come up with alternate methods of leveling (usually easier).  Next person that has a reason to level your airplane try all 3 and report back!

1)  The door sill should be 2 degrees nose down when the airplane is level.  2 Degrees is equal to a 5/8" block at the end of an 18" straight edge.  Masking-tape a small block of wood 5/8" thick 18" from the end of your level.  Set the level on the door sill (block FWD) and that should read level.

2)  Place a block of wood on the top of the spar inside the cabin to raise the level above the steel tubing and that should be level too.

3) (Added 2/2)   On a review of the LAR-90 TC sheet, it states that the LAR-90 is basicly the same as the PQ-8 which we know to be basicly the same as the LCA / LFA except for the gear.  The Leveling means for the LAR-90 is to remove the wing-fuselage fairing and place a level (vertically) aginst the front face of the spar.  This is effectively the same as #2 above.

32
Aircraft For Sale / Re: Cadet for sale
« on: January 28, 2012, 11:25:20 PM »
Last I talked with him Carl Badgett wanted to sell his s/n 444.  It was in flying comdition, may need annual.

Lives in Schomish, WA

33
Culver General Discussion / Re: Culver Electrics
« on: January 28, 2012, 11:13:07 PM »
Here is a .pdf of my electrical system. 

Note:  I used combination switch / circuit breakers.  In most aircraft they are two separate things.

           Of course, on a wood airplane all the "ground" symbols have to be wired back to the ground buss.

           I mounted a ground buss on the back bulkhead beside the battery box.

34
Documentation / Re: Interesting item from newsletter
« on: January 28, 2012, 11:24:30 AM »
The "tea drinker" coment is interesting... In Paul Harvey's words what about 'the rest of the story'?  I guess we will never know...  but Mooney and Moneshine kind of go together don't they?

35
Parts For Sale / Franklin Engine Parts Source
« on: January 24, 2012, 12:15:42 AM »
My source for Franklin (early type) engine parts:

C & S Enginery Co.
Aircooled Engines and Components

Inquiries/Mailing
Charles J. Sullivan                             Warehouse
P.O. Box 1112                                   500 N. Broadway
Bolingbrook, IL 60440                       Joliet, IL  60435

(630) 759-5775                                 (815)  722-6330


36
Modifications / Re: Aft Fuel Tank
« on: January 22, 2012, 10:26:01 PM »
Brett,   You have not lived until you have rigged the trim tab system through the round hole only !!!!!   :)  PR

37
Culver General Discussion / Re: GEAR FAILURES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
« on: January 22, 2012, 06:03:32 PM »
I got the drawing for the link end converted to a .pdf for anyone who needs it for reference.

It is interesting to note that the factory changed it twice, both times adding strength.  Kind of indicates a problem area.....

38
Modifications / Re: Aft Fuel Tank
« on: January 22, 2012, 05:56:40 PM »
Bill, the Heltons, I think, had about a 18" x 18" inch hatch on the RH side just aft of the bulkhead.  One of my airplanes has a large hatch too.  That's what I was talking about to get the tail cone properly varnished in all the corners.  The tank would go in and out of something like that I think.  Some airplanes mounted battries back there I think.  That hatch would be needed for that too.

39
Modifications / Re: Aft Fuel Tank
« on: January 22, 2012, 10:41:44 AM »
Good pictures Scott.   They started me thinking about my tank.  A few questions;)

I am still not very sure how the factory might have hooked it up.   The 'ticker pump' was not available in 1941 although there were other rotary type electric pumps they might have used.

The aluminum line from the sump going off to the aircraft right is an outside drain valve of some kind I assume.
What is the aluminum line from the 'T' on the pump for?
How ie the supply line going through the bulkhead plumed into the front?  Probably just an inline valve on the LH side and a 'T' into the front tank, right?
Is that front 'T' up or down stream of the main shut-off? It would make a big difference in how the system works. 

If it is up stream you would keep the main tank supplying the engine at all times and just 'refill the main' from the aux as the main tank level went down and have to keep an eye on it so as not to over flow the main.

If it is down stream of the main valve it could operate exactly the same OR someone could shut the main valve when feeding from the aux there by remove the possibility of overflowing the main tank BUT also inviting the possibility of the engine running dry and having to switch back quickly to the main, hopefully not near the ground!

I guess there are no placards or operation instructions in the papers?  Any idea of the added (empty) weight?

The last question.... when would any of us want/need to stay up in a Cadet for 6-8 hours???

40
Documentation / Re: Culver Models
« on: January 21, 2012, 09:32:26 PM »
The Vintage Aircraft Article shows a dataplate for #102 that is like my "DART" dataplate.

41
Documentation / Re: Culver Models
« on: January 21, 2012, 07:36:23 PM »
Bill, Now it seems there may be 3 different data plates ( at least).

Yours says "CULVER CADET" across the top,  mine says "DART MODEL" (but is stamped LCA) .

Yours says "..Civil Aeronautics Board"  and Mine says "...Department of Commerce"

There was no space to stamp the engine type so they stamped CONT A-75 in a black space above the airspeeds.

Yours has spaces to stamp the oil types and mine dosn't.

My other data plates are similar to yours but say Wichita, Kansas at the top.  Yours, dated 12-40 may have been right at the transition... who knows, maybe mostly built in CMH and moved as parts, then delivered from ICT...  I guess anything's possible.

42
Documentation / Re: Culver Models
« on: January 21, 2012, 05:34:28 PM »
A little information from Juptner on the Cadet:

K.K. Culver and Al Mooney were already organized as Culver Aircraft Co. making Darts in CMH.  Type Certificate was issued 9-7-40 and production started in Columbus, OH but moved to Wichita, KS before the end of that year.  I dont know how many "Ohio Cadets" there are but my sn 126 has a Columbus data plate. 

By mid year 1941 there were 130 people working for Culver!  Late in 1941 Culver was bought out by Chas. Yankey and Walter Beech and Mooney stayed with them.  Art Mooney, his brother was production supervisor.  Cadet production ended 10-17-42 with #459 (only 358 airplanes total).  It is interesting that they started with sn-100 as a marketing ploy... thought it would be easier to sell then sn-1!   

Juptner states that Cadets were delivered with all 4 engine options:  A-75-8 or -9 / A-80-8 / 4AC-176 / 4AC-199. 

Wood props and a first aid kit were standard equipment.  (The Franklins had bat, gen & starter but not the Cont.)

Other options were:  Freedman-Burnham adj. prop. / 12v battery /wind driven generator / cabin heater / landing light / fire ext. / perking brake / oil cooler / 15g. aux. fuel & 8qt. oil sump / and last of all a radio!

In 1942 Culver Aircraft was begining to look at the military contract options and (in order to survive and to contribute to the war effort) began developing the LAR-90 -aka- PQ-8.  I don't know if they were ordered to stop civil production or they had to because the materials were all taken up for the war effort.  Amounts to the same thing.

The "V" was developed during the war as it was felt that a safer / more benign machine would sell better after the war to all the 'new' pilots there would be then.

A last note:  Walter Beech was interested enough in this 'new - faster - retractable' design to invest in it.  He watched Jameison develop his 2 place "V" tail Jupter and  it is said that the Swift was somewhat reverse engineered from the Cadet,  so... To what extent is the Cadet the 'father' of the Swift and the Bonanza?


43
Modifications / Re: Need everything
« on: January 21, 2012, 05:09:55 PM »
Lark put a solid block of spruce between the two top longerons in the last (tail end) bay.  They then plated it top and bottom with 3/32" plywood.  It has some fancy cutouts front amd back to clear the elevator pushrods but that's about it.

The 3/16" block of hardwood plywood under the forward bolt hole is glued on last as per the #12 Memorandum.  I think there are planes still out there that never had that done correctly ( and maybe got the struts put on as a stopgap).

I have done it to one airplane and I think Carl Badget did it to 3 or 4 that he did.  It really spreads the loading out well and makes the stab really stiff even out at the tip.  The other thing to do is put larg area washers (AN970-4) between the fuselage and stab on all 4 attach bolts.  They give a little more area then the steel fittings alone.  Of course, all 4 holes in the longerons should have thin wall steel bushings (5/16" od x 1/4" id) in them to prevent crushing.

44
Modifications / Re: Aft Fuel Tank
« on: January 21, 2012, 01:23:53 PM »
I have 2 (not installed) rear tanks.  One is "D" shaped and (I think) made at the factory.  The other is more rectangular and taller, and I am not sure of its history.  Neither has an outside filler cap... both to be filled by tipping the seat back forward.   I have no drawings for plumbing.  I would think the main tank would have to be less then 1/2 full for any fuel to feed forward from tank to tank.  For the aft tank to feed the engine directly it does not have enough head for a climbing attitude so I would expect its 'level flight only'.

The larger oil tank on the engine is a regulatory requirment, I think.  The regs required that you not run out of oil before you run out of gasoline!!!

45
Culver General Discussion / Re: What about rotten wood?
« on: January 21, 2012, 01:13:53 PM »
Bill, I did not intend to divert your thread...    In looking at my ANC-19 (Wood Aircraft Inspection & Fabrication 1951) :

"Lumber with a moisture content of less then 20% will not stain or decay." 

"Fungi will grow in wood only if both air and water are present, and at temperatures between 35 and 100F.  This varies widely with different fungi."

"The temperatures used in kiln drying are usually sufficiently high to kill any organisms that might be present in the wood.  It is difficult to air dry lumber quickly enough to prevent infection."

There are several paragraphs talking of the importance of good drain holes, marine grommets in critical areas, drain holes at the extreme trailing edge (not 1" away), gasket seals on control cables, and boot.  There is also a paragraph that cautions about fungicide treatments because they might later weaken the glue joint by limiting the glue penitration.

Some indications of infestation do not weaken the wood to any degree and others do.  Example:  brown spots on planed sitka spruce are not usually a problem but longer streaks are (other then sap streaks which are different).

The discussion then becomes very technical (14 pages) listing many different infestations and their scientific names. 

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