My Aircraft Restoration

[Ed Haywood]

I have a thread on this in the maintenance forum, but figured I would share with a wider PoA audience here.

19 months ago my 1978 Super Decathlon began making metal. I pulled the engine off for overhaul.

Once I had the engine off, I decided to restore the fuselage while I waited on the engine. So I stripped the fuselage and tail surfaces bare, had them powder coated, and began the process of rebuilding the aircraft. Virtually every part was replaced, down to the last nut and bolt. New wood, cables, pulleys, hardware, wiring, etc etc etc.

By the iron law of such projects, it wound up taking 3 times as long as expected and costing twice as much. In addition to new fabric and paint, the aircraft received a partial panel makeover and new interior.

I am NOT an A&P. What made this all possible is that I am co-located with a shop that specializes in restoration of vintage aircraft. The owner/operator/A&P/IA is a very good friend. He supervised me at every step of the way, but I did 99% of the work myself.

Today, we finished the logs and I flew the aircraft for the first time.

 

[Ed Haywood]

The test flight was pretty intense. I was calm during, but elated after.

I've always wanted to build an EAB. I think I scratched that itch enough. While not quite the same as first flight in an aircraft you can built from scratch, the sensation must be similar. The difference is no 40 hours for me ... I can XC anywhere I want. I plan to enter an aerobatic contest next month.

Grainy video from the ground crew.

 

[RyanShort1]

Congrats! Always good to get a plane back from MX and get some air under the wings followed by a safe landing.

 

[odie451]

I am NOT an A&P. What made this all possible is that I am co-located with a shop that specializes in restoration of vintage aircraft. The owner/operator/A&P/IA is a very good friend. He supervised me at every step of the way, but I did 99% of the work myself.

Did you consider documenting the experience you learned in rebuilding your aircraft, to allow for getting an A&P yourself.

 

[Ed Haywood]

Did you consider documenting the experience you learned in rebuilding your aircraft, to allow for getting an A&P yourself.

Yup, that's the plan.

Once I recuperate and build up spousal tolerance, gonna start doing stuff like this in my spare time to fill in the blanks on the experience checklist.

 

[Gary Ward]

Congratulations!!

 

[Daleandee]

Your airplane looks great! I saw it before the rebuild when you were at Jekyll for the Commander fly-in and thought it looked good then ...

 

[SFDukie]

That awesome, Ed. Love this!

 

[Sam D]

19 months…amazing. That’s how long it’s taking me to just cover and paint!

 

[455 Bravo Uniform]

Congratulations! A trusting A&P demands a trusty wrench. Loved watching this in the other thread.

 

[Velocity173]

Great job! Like a brand new aircraft now.

 

[AlleyCat67]

Fantastic. Out of curiosity did you uncover any “hidden” issues along the way that made you glad to have done such a complete tear down?

 

[Half Fast]

Terrific! I foresee a new business for you...

 

[Bell206]

Yup, that's the plan.

I'd put together a letter with your mechanic now and take some pictures with you and see if you can get your test tickets with your current experience. What have you got to lose?

 

[Ed Haywood]

Terrific! I foresee a new business for you...

No thanks, old rule about making your money elsewhere and spending it in aviation still holds true. This just helps me spend money more efficiently.

 

[Ed Haywood]

Fantastic. Out of curiosity did you uncover any “hidden” issues along the way that made you glad to have done such a complete tear down?

Yes. 45 years is past the life expectancy of the paint used on the steel tube frame. Numerous bare tubes and areas of flaking paint on the lower longerons, especially in the battery area, which is quite common for this type. No serious rusting problems requiring structural repair, but another few years and replacement of numerous tubes would have been necessary.

General wisdom with an aerobatic T&F aircraft is they really need to have the cover off every 20 or 30 years to have a look at the frame. IMO my experience confirms that.

Hoping the powdercoat will be more durable in that application.

 

[Ed Haywood]

I'd put together a letter with your mechanic now and take some pictures with you and see if you can get your test tickets with your current experience. What have you got to lose?

I'll send you a PM. You'll laugh.

 

[Lndwarrior]

This is just awesome - and a heck of an achievement.

If you haven't built your own aircraft its hard to imagine the amount of time, effort, money, and stress that such a project entails.

Congrats on the effort and for your beautiful airplane that will now live on long after you are gone!

 

[Ed Haywood]

I have put 20 hours on the new engine in the 30 days since first flight. Last 10 were an XC trip, including 2 hours of night flight. Oil burn has stabilized.

Now I have started the process of easing into acro. I started with some steep turns to 3.5G and some dives into the yellow arc to test for flutter. I did not go all the way to Vne. Will do that later.

Today I did some loops, rolls, and inverted flight. Main objective was to confirm proper operation of the inverted fuel and oil systems. I flew upside down for 30 seconds without any hint of hesitation from engine. Oil pressure dropped but stayed within specs.

After each flight I carefully inspect the airframe for signs of stress.

 

[iamtheari]

No way has it been 30 days since your first flight. That was last week. :-/

More importantly, congratulations on a successful restoration. I’m glad to know your plane is getting back where it belongs: in the air and freely moving in all dimensions.

 

[Warlock]

Keep bringing the updates…just really cool stuff…

 

[Ed Haywood]

 

[Ed Haywood]

Felt confident enough to give it a good aerobatic workout today. About 20 maneuvers, most of the sportsman figures. Stayed a bit higher than normal, just in case I needed to get out.

 

[Ed Haywood]

Did the complete sportsman known sequence for the first time today.

 

[455 Bravo Uniform]

Does it fly or feel differently?

How much of it is confidence and trust in the machinery, before and after?

 

[Ed Haywood]

Does it fly or feel differently?

How much of it is confidence and trust in the machinery, before and after?

I think it handles better, because we re-rigged the controls. Engine is smoother and more powerful.

Right now I have less trust in the machinery, because I can't shake the feeling that I did something wrong. But OTOH I know my plane so much better now, so my preflights are more effective and I think I would catch a problem way earlier. So I think my confidence will grow.

 

[iamtheari]

But OTOH I know my plane so much better now, so my preflights are more effective and I think I would catch a problem way earlier. So I think my confidence will grow.

I only have to preflight one rivet in my RV-14. Because I know which one I did the worst job on, and if that little guy is still holding on then the rest of the plane is solid for sure.

Is there much of an adjustment in the aerobatic sequence? Like more power and less drag means you can maintain more energy through each maneuver? Or is it not noticeable in that way?

 

[Pugs]

As soon as I saw that D-18 I thought “I know that field” and the video cinched it. Right down the street from my parents although I usually fly into 48X when I’ve flown down to see them. Congrats on the PMCF!

 

[Ed Haywood]

Is there much of an adjustment in the aerobatic sequence? Like more power and less drag means you can maintain more energy through each maneuver? Or is it not noticeable in that way?

I'm too much out of practice and flying too sloppy to notice anything concrete yet. The most noticable impact of power would be time to climb. My plane definitely climbs well, but it always did. I held 1200 fpm at cruise climb airspeed up to practice altitude (4K AGL) yesterday.

1800 lbs max gross with 180hp yields power loading of 10. Engine shop tells me IO-360's put out more than rated power when fresh, maybe 200-210, and I keep my acro practice weight under 1700, so my power loading could have been around 8.5.

When I say it flies better, mostly I am referring to hands off flight with controls centered. That is mostly a result of going through the proper rigging procedure when installing new cables and turnbuckles. But you could do that with any plane. Now that I've seen the results, I'm not sure why I didn't do it earlier.

 

[Ed Haywood]

Yep, FD77 in Wimauma. You are welcome anytime. The new operator has made significant improvements over the last new years, including cheap fuel. It's a cool place with cool planes and cool people. The turf at 48X is nicer though.

 

[iamtheari]

When I say it flies better, mostly I am referring to hands off flight with controls centered. That is mostly a result of going through the proper rigging procedure when installing new cables and turnbuckles. But you could do that with any plane. Now that I've seen the results, I'm not sure why I didn't do it earlier.

I was thinking about rigging, too. In cars, you can improve your horsepower-to-weight ratio by adding expensive horsepower or by removing weight for free. In airplanes, it’s similar. Thrust-to-drag can be adjusted on either side of the ratio, although I think in aerobatics (other than down-lines) you’d notice thrust more and in cruise you’d notice drag more.

 

[Ed Haywood]

I was thinking about rigging, too. In cars, you can improve your horsepower-to-weight ratio by adding expensive horsepower or by removing weight for free. In airplanes, it’s similar. Thrust-to-drag can be adjusted on either side of the ratio, although I think in aerobatics (other than down-lines) you’d notice thrust more and in cruise you’d notice drag more.

That makes sense. I’m not super obsessive about performance numbers though, so I don’t collect enough data to objectively evaluate anything. I’m a stick and rudder guy. If the plane feels smooth, balanced, and responsive, I’m happy.

For competitive acro, the main goal of performance is to be able to finish your sequence in the box without breaking to climb. Pilots obsess about HP to that end, but to me it is more a matter of sequence design and good technique. Go into the box with plenty of energy, and don’t waste it with sloppy flying. I would assume car racing principles are similar.

 

[Ed Haywood]

I was thinking about rigging, too. In cars, you can improve your horsepower-to-weight ratio by adding expensive horsepower or by removing weight for free. In airplanes, it’s similar. Thrust-to-drag can be adjusted on either side of the ratio, although I think in aerobatics (other than down-lines) you’d notice thrust more and in cruise you’d notice drag more.

To your point on drag, I do notice the airplane flies better in cruise. I’m no longer dropping a wing and crabbing across the sky. I would expect to see a difference in speed and fuel burn over time, were I inclined to gather data.
A much more noticeable factor is the addition of a vernier mixture control and engine monitor with fuel flow. Wow, how did I live without that?!

 

[Ed Haywood]

My IA and I declared my break in successful after 35 hours. We flew 7 hours to Montgomery AL and back last weekend. Oil consumption was so low that it was not measurable.