Comment

Comment by Jim Timm on November 13, 2009 at 4:35pm

I have close to 200 hours of very enjoyable flying in my airplane. Yes, the aileron control is a bit heavy and the pitch is responsive, but it isn't supposed to be an acrobatic airplane. Recognize it's flight characteristics and handle it accordingly. It's a very nice flying airplane the way it is. I do love flying it and I really hate the thought of tearing it apart and possibly screwing up what is now a very nice airplane. Having experience/knowledge of putting the wings on five 601XL airplanes, It will not be possible to add a .062 to the wing spar and get it to fit in the present center spar. Something will have to change, The tail dragger airplanes will have to have some special consideration on how to handle the forward fuselage skin reinforcement.

Comment by Phill Barnes on November 13, 2009 at 4:28am

Hi all
Sebastien asked me to send questions to his email and not to this blog but feel free to leave comments. Fare enough. Mathieu Heintz also has a Q&A forum here http://www.zenith.aero/forum/topics/building-hints-tips-and-tricks and is doing a pretty good job at answering questions thoroughly. Well done Heintz boys. Keep up the pics & vids. We all wanted a stronger plane, now we've got it. So long as we get all the infomation that we need or request, who can really complain.

Regards
Phill

Comment by Richard Simmons on November 12, 2009 at 7:49am

I am curious on the Aileron counter balance. Will this be here for the US and for the Hinge-less surfaces?
Are you putting these on the Demo plane?

Thanks for you efforts!
Rich Simmons

Comment by Mark Hubelbank on November 11, 2009 at 7:43pm

Given that the only "failure" documented in tests was the wing bolts and holes at the ultimate load (I know this is technically allowed) would this be a good time to also use a higher grade bolt and washer with higher torque? I can't see any down side but then I am not an aircraft designer.

Comment by Matt Archer on November 11, 2009 at 6:36pm

Thanks for all the support. Look forward to seeing it progress and getting started. I am also planning on cleaning up some items and making some mods while I have it apart. Looking forward to starting.

Thanks for the continued support.

Cheers

Matt

Comment by Clarence K. Andrews on November 11, 2009 at 4:18pm

Looking forward to getting started on the mod. It will give me an opportunity to add brakes to the passenger side. An omission I regret.

Comment by Mack P. Kreizenbeck on November 11, 2009 at 2:25pm

Sabastien,

Please continue posting the photo updates as you progress through the modifications.

I have been very apprehensive about flying the XL, because all the trash-talking, on the web.

I waited over a year after the DAR signed it off to fly the bird. Even had to due an annual before first flight.

I now have over 5 hours on it, but I'll gladly make the recommended modifications as it will put my mind at ease.

I spent a great amount of time studying all the available LSAs and still feel that I made the correct choice.

Thank you for the updates and postings.

Comment by JG Ginther on November 11, 2009 at 12:16pm

I am with my friend Dr. Moody on this one. The FAA letter in typical bureaucratic double-speak pretty much makes the case for not tearing apart a perfectly good plane. My 2002 is one of the original Czech planes and has 400 trouble free hours. Here is the relevant quote from the FAA:

After the review we made a determination that these accidents did not clearly indicate a single root cause. Instead, it implicated the potential coupling of design and operational aspects of the aircraft.

Having flown my XL for seventy hours now, I think the more fruitful upgrade would be with the "operational aspects" rather than the design.

Comment by Louis Gallego on November 11, 2009 at 11:10am

Thank you for starting this post and these perfect pics. I agree, and am willing to pay for this kit, and really can't wait to get started. Once you get over having to do it, it seems straightforward enough. I think I will have to rebuild my 4' x 12' flat table for this. Keep up the good posts. One question I had was, if you add a doubler to the wing root, won't fitting the root into the center spar be difficult? When I attached my wings, the fit seemed pretty snug, perfect actually. Thanks

Comment by Stephen R. Smith on November 11, 2009 at 10:23am

Sebastien,

Thanks very much for starting this post. I for one would love to see daily updates on the progress you are making. It removes some anxiety and gives us a sense of progress while providing an opportunity to learn what needs to be done. I think it is very constructive. Please continue.

I too will be glad to pay a reasonable fee for the upgrade kit. I will be a happy camper when my wings are back on with the modifications safely done, the sooner, the better. Until then, I will keep on flying conservatively and enjoying my airplane

Steve

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