Alex Peterson

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=120 BGCOLOR="#0000FF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I><B><IMG SRC="310a3640.gif" border=0 width="163" height="100" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="5" VSPACE="0"></B></I><FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Britannic Bold" ><I><B>Van's Air Force - Minnesota Wing</B></I></FONT></div> <div> <I><B>The Twin Cities RV Builder's Group</B></I></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=20% BGCOLOR="#FFFBF0" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <B>*  *  *  *  *</B></div> <div> <A HREF="default.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="_"><U><B>Home Page</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="About.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Us"><U><B>About Us</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Events"><U><B>Events</B></U></A><B> </B><A HREF="JoinEmail.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Email Group"><U><I><B><IMG SRC="1641f0c0.gif" border=0 width="31" height="12" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="RVator.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="RVator Log"><U><B>The "RVator's Log"</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="MList.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Member List"><U><B>Member List</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Member Project"><U><B>Member Projects</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Completed aircraft"><U><B>Completed Aircraft</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="First flights"><U><B>1st</B></U></A><A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="First flights"><U><B> Flights</B></U></A><A HREF="JoinEmail.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Email Group"><U><I><B><IMG SRC="1641f0c0.gif" border=0 width="31" height="12" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="Techs.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tech counselors"><U><B>Tech Counselors and DARs</B></U></A><B> </B><A HREF="JoinEmail.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Email Group"><U><I><B><IMG SRC="1641f0c0.gif" border=0 width="31" height="12" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="Trans.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Transition training"><U><B>Transition Training</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="Tips.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Builder Tips"><U><B>Building Tips</B></U></A><B> </B></div> <div> <A HREF="ForSale.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="For Sale"><U><B>For Sale</B></U></A><B> </B><A HREF="JoinEmail.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Email Group"><U><I><B><IMG SRC="1641f0c0.gif" border=0 width="31" height="12" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="Links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Rec Links"><U><B>Recommended Links</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="Vendors.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Rec Vendors"><U><B>Recommended Vendors</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="Join.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Join Wing"><U><B>Join the MN Wing</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="JoinEmail.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Email Group"><U><B>Join MN Wing Email Group </B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="Contact.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U><B>Contact Us</B></U></A></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>*  *  *  *  *</B></div> <div> <A HREF="Homecoming.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Vans Homecoming"><U><B>2003 Van's Homecoming</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="VansTrip.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Trip to Vans"><U><I><B>A Trip to Van's </B></I></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=360 BGCOLOR="#FFFBF0" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <B>First Flight - Alex Peterson, Maple Grove, MN</B></div> <bR> <div> September 9, 2001</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Alex Peterson realized many hours of hard work with the successful first flight of his RV-6A on September 9, 2001.  Test pilot for the first flight was Tom Irlbeck.</div> <bR> <div> Alex's comments as of September 9th:</div> <bR> <div> "My 6A is officially an airplane as of today!  The first flight was completed by Tom Irlbeck, an accomplished pilot and RV8 builder/owner. A total of 4.2 flight hours were logged today.  My face hurts from the smiling. Stick with it, it is worth it.  Performance data to follow, but the equipment list is:  Aerosport O360 with Airflow Perf. fuel injection, C/S prop, Lasar ignition, RMI engine monitor, Garmin 340 audio panel, Garmin 327 trans., Garmin 430, King Ky97 com, Century 2000 fully coupled two axis autopilot w/HSI, inverted fuel/oil, leather, stereo, Hooker harnesses.  Painted outside and primed inside, 1174 calibrated three scale empty weight.   A really unbelievable feeling!! </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="137f4770.jpg" border=0 width="500" height="375" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div>  *  *  *  *</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Update as of November 8, 2001</B></div> <bR> <div> Having just completed the 40 hours on my -6A, I thought it might be helpful and/or interesting to share a few things with the list.  First, these planes are waaaayyy cool, those of you building keep chugging along, it can't be</div> <div> repeated enough that it is worth it.</div> <bR> <div> At 8 hours I took the exhaust off, and Larry V. reworked them to try to get a little more clearance in the cowl exit area. I did this during the class B grounding, so no time was lost.  Also, the left ball joint was at a funny angle, which caused it to be at the limit of its travel. Several adjustments have been made to the pipe supports.</div> <bR> <div> At around 15 hours, I removed the nose gear to replace the standard AN bolt with a close tolerance AN bolt. I didn't like the "clicking" I would hear when the plane was rocked side to side on the ground. At the same time, I</div> <div> noticed that the fiberglass nose gear fairing was a little too long, and was beginning to crack just above where it is clamped to the nose gear. The fix was to grind a little off the aft/top end. Apparently, during flexing, the gear effectively gets shorter, jamming the fairing.</div> <bR> <div> Several adjustments have been made to the idle mixture on the Airflow Performance FI system, still need to lean it a little more - symptom:  afterfiring on throttle reductions and loping idle.</div> <bR> <div> Leaning tests show that I can reduce fuel consumption by about .5 gph by tuning the injectors. This test is where EGT peak is compared to fuel flow for each cylinder, and I got a span of about .5 gph. I lean based on the cylinder which leans at the highest fuel flow.</div> <bR> <div> Cut one jumper wire that I missed during installation on the Century 2000 autopilot, which uncoupled the heading bug from the radio pointer. That is truly a nice piece of equipment.</div> <bR> <div> I went through the engine area, and put blobs of RTV everwhere it looked liked something might be chafing, or thinking about it. Mainly this was SCAT tubing.</div> <bR> <div> No adjustments made to any flight controls, the elevator at cruise rides maybe 1/8" down, trim neutral.</div> <bR> <div> A balsa wood rudder trim was guessed correctly the first try, pure luck.</div> <bR> <div> Next time spinner is off, I will dial down max RPM hard stop about 50 rpm or so.</div> <bR> <div> Brake reservoir slopped some juice out during inverted flight, need to put some sort of condom on it (hmmmm?? ...ed.) </div> <bR> <div> Speed run made at 7500MSL, full throttle, full RPM, 4 directions showed a TAS of 180.7 knots, or about 208 mph (this speed was calculated from the four ground speeds recorded using vector equations). I have two boarding</div> <div> steps, two Comant bent whips, transponder and GPS antennae hanging out, so this speed is nicely surprising.</div> <bR> <div> About 100 landings so far, the 6A's are really a dream to land, only about one crummy landing so far (my excuse was strong crosswinds).</div> <bR> <div> I'm really looking forward to giving my patient wife a ride this weekend, kids are right behind her!</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Update as of December 31, 2001</B></div> <bR> <div> After flying about 70 hours in my 6A in the past 10 weeks or so, I thought I might share what I hope will be inspiration to those who will follow, and entertainment to those who've been there. </div> <bR> <div> Amazement might be one of the best words to describe the overall feeling. Some of my amazement is that I actually own an airplane, one that is always waiting only for me. However, I believe most of the feeling is due to having created a flying machine with my own two hands, and the overwhelming feeling of freedom associated with hopping in it and going flying.  Somewhere. Anywhere. It really doesn't matter.</div> <bR> <div> And then there is this detail of just HOW these planes fly. I will never forget the feeling of acceleration the first time I opened the throttle for takeoff - holy s*** might have been my response.  I</div> <bR> <div> An interesting paradox with these planes is how fast they are (a good thing); however, it reduces one's flying time to get somewhere (a bad thing). At least we have a choice. Need to work in more vertical time to drag out short trips. I haven't thought to look at the GPS to see if it really goes to zero when going straight up.... Let's see, when I am</div> <div> inverted, what does the autopilot do (just kidding, about the autopilot).</div> <bR> <div> Then there was the first sustained max power climb (during the first 8 or 10 hours the engine would get too hot if I held full power/rpm) after the engine was broken in - 2500 agl in a little over one minute from a standstill. The mouth on the PA28/160 pilot I had just talked to about RVs (he had never seen one) is probably still hanging open after seeing that</div> <div> climb out.</div> <bR> <div> I had a very bittersweet moment in early December when our group here in Minnesota lost a fellow RV builder to cancer - this gentleman gave me my first ride in a C/S 180 RV. That ride cost me the price of one constant</div> <div> speed prop. Anyway, I was honored to fly in a missing man formation with three other local RV's to pay our last respects to this great man. No one had dry eyes. I was able to share that experience with my wife, something</div> <div> neither of us will ever forget.</div> <bR> <div> I have found myself whooping to myself in the car on the drive to the airport (I try not to do this when others are along). These things just happen.</div> <bR> <div> Yesterday morning I scraped snow off from the ramp, and managed to drag my plane out in the 6 degree F wind. Fell plumb backwards when my sneakers hit some ice.  Can't believe I didn't bust something. Had to get to some</div> <div> pancakes waiting about 90 miles away. One the way back home, I put in the new CD I got for Christmas - the soundtrack from the movie Top Gun.  More whooping (and a few rolls, not the dinner kind). I had to scrounge up some</div> <div> help to push it back into the hanger - imagine that, the person I flagged down just finished an RV4. I didn't have time to talk, but I'm sure we'll cross paths again.</div> <bR> <div> Yes, the RV grin goes way beyond being in the airplane - people at work who ask how it is going are quick to point out that I am smiling when I talk about any aspect of the plane.</div> <bR> <div> Keep hammering those rivets - you simply won't believe it until you experience it. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="1638f6f0.gif" border=0 width="911" height="623" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>