David Gallagher

Male

Pleasant Plain, OH

United States

Profile Information:

Aircraft Model
ZODIAC XL
Project Status
Flying
Building From
Kit
Engine installed (or plan to install)
Jabiru
Building Experience
Have worked on airplanes before
Flying Experience
Private Pilot
Building and Flying Info / Your Profession / Other Background Info
Project Manager for Jet Engine Testing at a large jet engine company.
A&P Mechanic License
Home Airport (ie. KMYJ)
I68

Comment Wall:

  • Sebastien Heintz

    David: Thanks for sharing your great photos! They make for good slide show. It's nice to see your family involved in your project.

    Feb 12, 2009

  • Larry Edson

    Great video Dave. I enjoyed watching you land her at I68. So how many hours do you have on her now?

    Mar 23, 2009

  • Larry Edson

    It's great to see that your flying it. Hopefully one of these weekends I'll be able to come down and see it. I really want to look at your autopilot install to get any pointers that I can.

    Mar 23, 2009

  • John Cange

    David,
    It's a small world, or so they say. I went to SIUC in the early 70's and got my PP license and A&P there.. and also had a great time. I didn't build my Zodiac, but I have fun flying it. I work at Boeing, STL.. I need to take a short cross country from KSET to MDH as soon as we get some decent weather.

    Mar 24, 2009

  • John Cange

    Dick Cannon!! Wow, the first instructor that I had down there and he taught weight and balance. Always seemed to have a smile and get along with others. What a fun program that was. I had a chance to fly down to Marion last year, to visit some friends. I saw MDH from the air, but needed to get back to KSET before it got too hot.

    Mar 25, 2009

  • Dr. Edward M. Moody II

    Howdy Buckeyes. The guy from the Baton Rouge FSDO says he'll be calling right after Easter to set up the inspection appointment. It half past time to kick the tires and light the fires. Happy EAster,

    Ed

    Apr 9, 2009

  • Dr. Edward M. Moody II

    Okee Dokee then. What are the possible LeGros (3R2) alternate waypoint dates? I will indeed be checking out and doing a couple additional hours of transition training on April 18th at Tallulah, LA (TVR). On almost any other day your visit would be most welcome.
    After that bit of flying, I will have something like seven hours time in type and an actual CFI endorsed check out... not to mention my instinctive aeronautical intuition and cat-like reflexes.

    I have contacted Jim Stewart at falcon regarding first flight insurance.

    Ed

    Apr 9, 2009

  • Dr. Edward M. Moody II

    You have the sectionals so look up the controlling authorities and phone them to see if they can predict whether or not the MOAs will be "hot". Most exercises are scheduled well in advance. If there is a major training exercise you may find that more than one MOA is active. If not, you will probably be waved through without a hitch. I've been cleared through restricted areas as well as the nearby Warrior MOA. It all depends on what's happeneing that day. Just clue me in as to whether you are headed this way or not. My cell phone is 337-298-0276.

    Ed

    Apr 9, 2009

  • Dr. Edward M. Moody II

    Also, it dawns on me that flying here from Lakeland you should hug the coast instead of going inland. If you have to, along the coast you can go KOE with the beach as a bail out option all the way. The MOAs usually have a hard deck at 900 - 1,200 AGL.

    Ed

    Apr 9, 2009

  • Stephen R. Smith

    Hi David,

    I not so sure staying home was a bad idea.

    On the way home I sure encountered weather I would rather not have flown in. When I set out on the journey the forecasts looked good for the trip to Florida - no information was available at that time for the return trip home. They say, that which does not kill you will make you strong. All well and good; still, its a tough way to learn.

    I just looked at all the pictures on your page. Nice plane and crew you have there!

    Be safe and have fun!

    Steve

    May 6, 2009

  • Larry Whitlow

    Hi David

    I've got all of the sensors wired now. Thanks for the offer!!! It really was just a matter of getting my head wrapped around what needed to go where.

    My last wiring task is the AP servos I should have that done this weekend

    Larry

    Sep 6, 2009

  • Dr. Edward M. Moody II

    Passed your BFR? Danger! Danger! The FAA is allowing yet another Buckeye to endanger us all. That does it, I'm buying a boat.

    Ed

    Sep 14, 2009

  • Dr. Edward M. Moody II

    I forgot to ask how your brother's Pober Ace repairs are going.

    I advanced my total time to 34.42 yesterday afternoon when the rain left the area for a while. That was lucky timing because it poured at 4 this morning, complete with lots of lightning and thunder.

    I'm still putzing around with my Becker transponder. It looks like I'll have to send it to the factory to have the error message threshold adjusted. Because of the timing issues with amateur built airplanes, the unit was bought in 2007 but has fewer about 25 hours on it. They may charge as much as $150 to adjust the error parameters on this unit which exhibited the problem from the very first flight. I told the tech on the phone that a fee like that would not produce much in the way of good PR at fly-ins. He said to write a letter explaining the purchase vs. use timing and his supervisor would "work something out" for me. I certainly hope so.

    Ed

    Sep 14, 2009

  • Dr. Edward M. Moody II

    Did you mean to write, "Wright" over Patterson AFB? That must have been a very unusal situation.

    I will eventually fly up to Shreveport, LA to see my cancer surgeons which requires threading the needle between Shreveport commercial air traffic at the big airport on the west side and the B-52s operating from Barksdale AFB on the east to get into the downtown airport. That's enough complication for me.

    Ed

    Sep 14, 2009

  • Dr. Edward M. Moody II

    Now that you got all "BFRed up" again, what's the latest in your flying saga? I'm at 38.5 but the wetaher has been ultra sucky lately. The only things flying ar ethe mosquitos.

    Ed

    Sep 24, 2009

  • Dr. Edward M. Moody II

    I don't have the stall and climb numbers committed to memeory but I'll try to jot them down to email them to you soon.

    Ed

    Sep 24, 2009

  • Dr. Edward M. Moody II

    These are the V speeds for the Goose as best I have been able to pin them down (solo w/ full tanks)
    Vs1 = 49 mph
    Vso = 43 mph
    Vx = 78 mph
    Vy = 72 mph

    I got all the oak branch pruning done this morning and cut the grass at the hangar this afternoon. I might sneak out early tomorrow to fly; the last few mornings have been foggy.

    Ed

    Sep 26, 2009

  • Dr. Edward M. Moody II

    My climb rate really drops if I raise the nose very much (maybe due to higher weight?). As pull a higher AOA, the climb initially looks better but is not sustainable and will begin to decay. All these speeds are approximate due the limitations of me as test pilot and the increasing inaccuracy of the ASI as the AOA increases. I have attempted to compensate by doing reverse tracks and averaging the ground speed, but I know that brings in even more pilot error.

    Ed

    Sep 28, 2009

  • Dr. Edward M. Moody II

    They are a series of low dikes (levees) that are being used to try to encourage plant growth / soil accumulation to reverse the soil erosion that has been going on with every landfalling tropical storm. Louisiana has been losing acreage along most of our coast and several projects are underway to deal with the problem. West and a bit south of that area there are a system of staggered jetties in the gulf to perserve some of the beach front there.

    Ed

    Oct 8, 2009

  • Robert Hathaway

    Hi David
    I saw your interview at Oshkosh and am interested in repositioning the horizontal stabilizer.
    I have a 601xl first flew in august 07. Jabiru 3300A.
    Have always had to use too much elevator trim in level flight.
    Do you know the number of degrees that you now have as compared to the longeron being level? Thanks David Bob Hathaway- rhath34@digitalpath.net

    Oct 17, 2009

  • Dr. Edward M. Moody II

    I finished the forty hours today and I'm looking forward to fly-ins, airshows, and pancake breakfasts around the state. I also hope to visit some builders who are in neighboring states within reach. Rest assured, vigilance and continued tweaking are still on the agenda. I don't have a flight agenda as aggressive as yours but I will be doing some shorter XCs soon.

    Ed

    Oct 18, 2009

  • Dr. Edward M. Moody II

    Thanks Dave, I'll try to stay vigilant. Yesterday was the first time I ever had to use the choke to start up. Temp was in the 40s and the airplane had not been runn in almost a month due to my personal and family schedule. I had to let it idle on full choke for about a minute or two before I could advance the throttle.

    Ed

    Oct 19, 2009

  • Robert Hathaway

    Thanks for the info David !
    I just the other day found that my Jabiru 3300a was sagging to almost 1/2 inch.Thought that correcting this might take care of some of the elevator trim. Only helped a little.
    Bob H

    Oct 19, 2009

  • Geoffrey W Eather

    Hey Dave G Hi
    Having the same problem with the fuel filler neck. How did you actually "scrap" it. I'm quite prepared to destroy it but like you would like to preserve the tank!!
    Geoff E

    Nov 22, 2009

  • Matt Archer

    Yea, I have a wing off and am polishing it first. Actually compounding it. I decided to polish rather than paint. Save some weight. Going ok. Haven't yet opened up the wing. But that doesn't concern me as much as pulling the center spar. Well it will be a while till we fly again. I guess we have something to do this winter. I hope I am flying again by summer.

    Cheers
    Matt

    Nov 23, 2009

  • Geoffrey W Eather

    David

    Finally got the caps out - what a job!! The first one fought me ALL the way. Needed a 2 1/2 foot breaker bar and a second person. Even then it was tough going. Problem was not so much the Proseal but "galling" of the threads. Totally destroyed the filler neck thread, hope I can salvage the tank. The second one, although difficult, came out OK with no damage to the threads.

    Suspect there will be a lot more "minor" problems before this little number is over!!

    Cheers

    Geoff Eather

    Nov 24, 2009

  • Matt Archer

    I am using nuvite. Not going too bad. I figure it will save some weight. I figure I will polish them up while waiting for the kit. I will probably pull the skins next. The center wing is going to be a lot to remove. I am checking my documentation to see what wiring I will need to deal with. Once I get it out it should not be too bad. I guess I will learn to shoot some solid rivets. I have a couple of friends that will help.

    Cheers.

    Nov 24, 2009

  • Matt Archer

    Wow you are progressing well. How tough was the center spar. This has me concerned with all the wires I have going through the hole.

    Cheers

    Nov 28, 2009

  • Andy Elliott

    I have the dual stick set-up so I moved down the hole on the inter-stick arm by 1" = 20%. If you were going to move the holes in the elevator bellcrank, you could move them closer to the pivot by the same 20%.

    Feb 25, 2010

  • Dr. Edward M. Moody II

    Wow! There went a nice big chunk of your useful weight allowance. Okay.... attention everybody, we're all on a diet as of right now. The savings on the grocery bill will be spent on the extra fuel burn ;-)

    Mar 16, 2010

  • Dr. Edward M. Moody II

    Just thank God you don't live down here in LA. We are kinda food central around this neck of the woods.

    Mar 16, 2010

  • Jake Reyna

    Dave, the DAR, Jim Gilchirst showed my my Airwothiness, he was more optimistic. As I mentioned, I'm real close. What a relief. The final piece of information is Empty Weight. I was hoping for 700 pounds, now I'm thinking 730.

    Jake

    Apr 12, 2010

  • Dr. Edward M. Moody II

    While I was in the USAF in Great Falls MT I never saw a C5 in the three years I served. We were a missile base... I could tell you what the Minuteman Mod 3 were like but I'd have to kill you afterward. I did see a C5 parked at Keesler AFB back many years ago and at first glance I thought it was a building. It's such a complicated airplane from what I have read; it rarely takes off on a mission with more than 90 - 95% of it systems functioning fully. It takes 90 man hours of maintenance for every flight hour.What a monster!

    Ed

    Apr 12, 2010

  • Phill Barnes

    Hi Dave
    Thanks for commenting on my photo.
    I am pretty sure that what you are talking about is the gull wing deflectors that sit between the cylinders. If so, then the answer is yes but I will be fitting mine underneath the barrels like other air cooled aero engines. This has been done by another builder and with success so part of the guessing work has been done for me and also acknowledged as a good idea from the Jab factory.

    Thanks again

    Phill

    Sep 9, 2010

  • Doug Dalstrom

    Hi Dave, Yes it was me that you met at MERFI. Thanks for sharing your insights on the upgrade experience.
    I looked over some of the pictures you posted on your website and they are very motivating for me to get my project back in gear again. Hope you made it back in time for the presentation you wanted to attend. If I get stuck on some of the technical issues of my upgrade I'll be in touch. Look forward to seeing you at other events around Ohio and have a safe trip next week.

    Doug Dalstrom

    Sep 14, 2010

  • Joe Hopwood

    Thanks Dave.  I was just concerned of mounting it and then finding out either the elevator or rudder did not have full travel due to me putting it in the wrong place.

    Jan 13, 2011

  • Timothy Finley

    Thanx.  Flew it a second time and I am really going to enjoy flying it!

    Feb 14, 2011

  • Mike Miller

    David,

    Appreciate your comments on my panel.  Was just looking at your write-up from Oct.15,2008 on Matronics re: Dual throttle and things you did to make it smoother.

    Have been trying to ease up the "resistance" in the throt. controls for couple days now.

    Have tried a number of the items to refer to, but still not happy with the friction.

    Thanks again,

    Mike

    Mar 3, 2011

  • Dennis Hutchinson

    Dave,

    I enjoyed meeting you at Sporty's and looking forward to seeing you again at Oshkosh. The flight home was a bit choppy, but nothing significant. Typical light airplane bounce mostly. Did get a 15 mph boost in groundspeed with that westbound breeze. Took 1.3 going home, 1.6 to arrive. There is probably about .5 hours of taxi time in that 2.9 hours.

     

    Safe flying and see you later,

    Dennis Hutchinson

    Mar 26, 2011

  • Mike Miller

    Dave,

    fyi, I posted a pic that shows my solution to the "sticking throttle problem with dual throttles"   Very similar to Mac's solution, works smooth now...

     

    Mike

    Apr 21, 2011

  • Larry Hursh

    Hi Dave. You have a nice looking aircraft there!   I hope mine turns out 1/2 as nice as yours is!  I'm building a CH650 from kit.  I have her up on her landing gear.  The wings are done and so is all the "upgrades".  I'm going to be using a 2700cc Corvair for my power plant.  I'm at the point of doing the first engine run.  After that, all I have left to do is the nose bowl, cowling kit, canopy (I dread this part) and installing the instruments.  Hopefully if all goes well, my wife and I will be attending OSH in the near future!  I'll see you there I'm sure!

    Feb 7, 2012

  • Patrick Hoyt

    Hi David - It's getting closer and closer.  I'm looking forward to the day when I'll be able to park it at Oshkosh next to yours and the others....

    You mentioned you met Dick Navratil.  He's a good friend of mine.  A bunch of us local guys up here have been building a Pietenpol in his hanger.

    - Pat

    Apr 4, 2012

  • GENE MAYO

    Hello David: You posted a comment on the matronics web about the new aileron

    bellcrank. I would like to send you a comment and ask you a question off line if you don't

    mind. I have the new bellcrank installed. Would you please send me you e-mail address?

    Thanks GENE MAYO mayo_g@comcast.net

    60XLB JAB3300

    May 13, 2012