Buzzard Trike Restoration

[eastmeg2]

Got the wing up to Airborne this morning, as planned . . .

 

Good News up front is that the sail passed the Bettsometer test :thumb_up:which was done first up in the short time I was there.

 

Bad News is what it's gonna cost to replace the left side leading edge spar and a few wires but at least she'll be ship-shape:DevilDog:.

 

Cheers,

 

Glen

 

 

[eastmeg2]

Towed Buzzard #2 trike base down to Goulburn on Friday night and Saturday morning reversed the trailer into the hangar under the chain block and proceeded to disassemble the crate from around the trike, stand the mast up, lift the trike off the base off the crate, remove trailer and reassemble undercarriage and finally lower it back onto the ground, 3,000km south of where it last touched ground.

 

Naturally I did a hang test on Buzzard #2 and was very curious to see that the base tube was angled slightly down towards the front just like Buzzard #1 did and the nose wheel was at the same level as the rear wheels. The main difference is Buzzard #2 still has it's original undercarriage with it's short front forks and that Buzzard #1 has Tundra tyres all around with long tundra forks, about 75mm longer.

 

I also have photo's o Buzzard #2 doing a low pass in level flight with the front wheel 200mm higher than the rear wheels. 23rd August post I think. It points back to an earlier theory I had about the lift vector of the wing being tilted slightly backwards due to the induced drag component.

 

Anyone reading this post is probably aslepp by this point so I'll get to the point.

 

The conclusion was that if I wanted to keep the Tundra forks and tyre on the nose then the mast had to be tilted forward (On ground) or base tube tilted up at the front (Hang test & flight attitude).

 

I wanted, so I did.:stirring pot: That took a few hours of very careful measuring and cutting. I'm happy with my workmanship but didn't have time for another hang test this afternoon - Oh well, next weekend.

 

Oh, and Quicksilver Ultralights now has the fuel tank I've been chasing so I'll be picking that up too when I go to get the Wizard wing back from Airborne this week.

 

Cheers,

 

Glen

 

 

[eastmeg2]

Got the Wizard wing back from Airborne and got the new fuel tank from Quicksilver yesterday.

 

So on Saturday I'll be fitting the new fuel tank, test flying the Wizard wing on our Edge-X 582 Classic trike and doing some more hang tests to check the ranges of angles of movement for the control bar between pilots back rest and front brace tube.

 

Will try to get some more photo's.

 

Cheers,

 

Glen

 

 

[eastmeg2]

Took the Wizard Wing for some fast taxi tests on our Edge-X 582 trike base this morning and to Airborne's credit (They overhauled the wing for me last week), the wing felt better even in the few seconds the trike was in the air before I put it down again.

 

I'm very happy with the improved feel of the wing.

 

I wasn't in the air long enough to turn my head and check for any trailing edge flutter but my observing other trike pilot didn't notice any flutter and commented that the wing looked solid in its brief flight.

 

Hang testing yesterday provided very good results with the front wheel now lifting off first and giving figures very close to the factory built edge-X trike base - see my scribbles amongst the photo's below. You may also notice the new fuel tank in front of the trike, I fitted and plumbed it last thing this afternoon.

 

I finally fitted the hand levers to the sides of the seat frame for the choke and hand throttle since the seat is now in it's final state. Actually the whole trike base is now pretty much in a basic state of being ready for L2 inspection for airworthiness once I bolt the new prop on next weekend and tidy up the cabling behind the pilots seat and stick on a few limitations stickers.

 

Cheers,

 

Glen

 

 

 

 

 

 

[eastmeg2]

Approved

 

It's been a LONG weekend, having taken today off work. Yesterday the Buzzard passed it's inspection by a Trike L2/CFI. Now I just need to follow up with the HGFA on the paperwork.

 

I could probably sound more excited but am just too tired from all the driving.

 

What was left to do to get it up to standard this weekend was to tidy up the wiring loom with spiral wrap, tidy up/shorten the fuel plumbing a bit and fit and pitch the new Bolly BOS3-68 prop (That's a 3-bladed 68 inch Bolly prop), arriving at max static revs of 6,450rpm on the R503.

 

It also lands just like any Airborne factory built 2-stroke trike I've flown.:ilmostro:

 

Very definitely the tail wheels are reaching the ground first.:encore::thumb_up:

 

Cheers,

 

Glen

 

 

[slartibartfast]

Congrats Glen. Now to fly it to Cowra this weekend.

 

 

[eastmeg2]

Congrats Glen. Now to fly it to Cowra this weekend.

Thanks Ross, But if the weather is ok for it next weekend I'll pick the XT-912 over the Buzzard for the 100Nm flight each way to Cowra and back. Sundays forecast:pope: will have a bigger bearing on my decision.

 

Cheers,

 

Glen

 

 

[Tracktop]

:thumb_up:

 

:thumb_up:

 

:thumb_up:

 

 

[eastmeg2]

Now, my baby's home.

 

Saturday was a complete blow-out, but this morning provided a weather window and full advantage was taken to get the Buzzard out for some local flying.

 

She has now been christened, and by that I mean flown through a light rain shower as a curtain of rain passed over the area.

 

Cheers,

 

Glen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[skeptic36]

Looks like a lot of fun Glenn.

 

Well done. :thumb_up:

 

Regards Bill

 

 

[winsor68]

Thanks for this great thread over the last few months Glen...This has been the most entertaining and informative thread I have read on these forums...It is a real credit to you that you took the time to keep this forum updated so competently...

 

Thanks mate!

 

 

[jsg022]

hi glen great job on the buzzard followed you through with it i also have one stored away but afraid i havent got the drive you had a real credit to you hope you have a long and safe affair with it :thumb_up::thumb_up: safe skys john.

 

 

[eastmeg2]

Thanks Guys,

 

It really is a fun machine. It's able to fly circuits completely within the bounds of our 100 acres (400m x 1000m), unlike the XT.

 

I've fitted a landing light and the old battery from my Honda road motorcycle. It could no longer start the 900cc bike but still has plenty to run a Landing light, GPS & Radio on the trike. I still have to work out how to mount the GPS and radio properly as I'm still carrying the radio in my top pocket, connected to my headset, though I've got ideas to mount it on the dash panel. The GPS will probably have to be something slim I can slide into my knee board.

 

I've also fitted the side-saddle bags that Airborne make for the Redback & Outback trikes which are a tidy fit under the sides of the seat frame to give about 10 litres of baggage space on each side, which is very handy for taking drinks, snacks and tie-down kits etc along for the ride.

 

I took the Buzzard for its first "Cross Country" on Sunday, if you could call it that since it was only 20Nm each way it's not technically an XC flight, but it was 40 minutes each way.

 

The 1.5 hrs of engine time for the round trip only seemed to use 15 litres of fuel which is good for a 503 which now has only 7 hrs on the clock.

 

Will try to get some updated photo's soon.

 

Cheers,

 

Glen

 

 

[eastmeg2]

Hi All,

 

Just putting out a feeler to see if there would be any interest if I were to put this trike up for sale in the classifieds section, HGFA & RAAus mags.

 

Not that I need the money in the foreseeable future, but that with some changes coming along at the end of the year I may not own so much of my own time after that and 3 trikes may become one too many mistresses. Besides the Buzzard has lost its tinkering value as it's got pretty much everything you could have in a single seat, open podless, pull-start trike.

 

I wouldn't expect to recoup all the $k's I put into it, but maybe around what the major new components would be worth ~ $15k.

 

Rotax-503 with C-Type gearbox (2009) TTIS approx 20hrs

 

Bolly BOS-3 68 inch prop (2009) TTIS approx 20hrs

 

Wizard-3 wing TTIS approx 80 hrs

 

Tundra undercarriage.

 

ASI, ALT(2 needle), dual EGT's, dual CHT's, Tacho, hour meter, 12v accessory power outlet. All new 2009.

 

Microair M760 fitted in dash, bar mount PTT.

 

Current HGFA Rego to March 2013.

 

Cheers,

 

Glen

 

 

[eastmeg2]

I just noticed that I don't have any up-to-date photo's of this trike in this thread.

 

None with the newer Red & White Wizard-3 wing, versus the older Blue & White Wizard-2 wing.

 

None with the pannier bags fitted - these really tidy up the side view.

 

None with the Microair radio fitted in the dash.

 

Will get these posted early next week . . .

 

 

[eastmeg2]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ajwat_sound]

Hi 

 

i need detail of buzzard. anyone have Plaeas sent to me 

 

                              Thanks