Hi Tim,

My inspection is scheduled for tomorrow at 2PM. It's been three years and over 1,000 hours and yesterday when my dad and I were doing high speed taxi tests, the look on his face alone was worth the effort and expense.

When the inspection is done, a friend and I are driving about 4 hours to Tallulah, LA where there is a flight school with one of those deadly AMD 601XLs. I'm going to try to dodge rainshowers and get checked out in the plane. If the weather permits I'll rent it for some extra transition training time but right now the forecast looks pretty dismal.

So if I don't get killed by all that lethal flutter that's been going around, I expect to have some fun flying the "Papa Goose" at last. Check out the photos when you have some time.

Optimistic as always,

Ed

Will do Tim. I am trying to be open to any improvement as well. I've been over this in my mind a lot even before the current storm. I would like to have a mass balanced and aerodynamically balanced spade cantilevered off the bottom of the ailerons like high performance planes have. Do we need them... probably not. Would they make the ailerons work better... they probably would. Now what would be the effect on the hingeless aileron having more than double the weight being suspended from the "hinge" area? I don't know. And until someone answers that question, I am going with the "we probably don't really need them" option. Staying open minded has never robbed me of an opinion, and that is mine.

Ed

Tim, I'm sorry to have to tell you that the ZBAGers have screwed my pooch for the time being. The FAA has decided not to issue any airworthiness certificates on 601XLs until this mess is sorted out. Realistic estimates would range from a couple of months to never. I cannot express how angry I am at having busybody types save me from an imaginary demon against my will. My inspector called this morning with the news that his superiors told him to call off the inspection indefinitely.

Now here is the insanity of the situation... if the inspection had been done yesterday or the day before, my plane would be legal to fly. That same plane today is in some beaurocratic limbo that may prohibit its flight for many months. Go ahead and try to convince me that this would have happened anyway if the ZBAGers had simply minded their own business. I truly don't mind that their paranoia moves them to investigate and explore options and mods on their own planes... that is well within their rights. What I object to is the fact that while they carry on this pissing contest, all our shoes are getting wet.

Sorry for the rant but I am a responsible, self reliant sort of person who resents being nannied to death.

Ed

Well Tim, things have been progressing rapidly since we last communicated. The German ground vibration tests results have been announced by Zenith and appear to show (A) no tendancy for aileron flutter with proper cable tension and (B) the airframe appears to have the capacity to recover from aileron flutter even if the cables are below recommended tension. Zenith also said that wind tunnel tests are upcoming regarding the aileron flutter issue.

My guess is that if the ground vibration and computer model analysis don't show a flutter tendancy, the wind tunnel probably won't either. If that proves true, I would be very surprised if Zenith actually designs and offers an aileron mass balance mod and/or retrofit. Anything is possible but it would seem odd to go to all this effort and expense to prove that aileron flutter is a non-problem then do more work to mitigate the non-problem. I guess they could do it and say that they wanted their cutomers to have that extra margin of safety. That would work from the PR standpoint.

In digging through the NTSB crash reports they cited six crashes of which two were factory built and four were amature built but the reports don't state the aileron hinge types employed by the aircraft. I was told that when questioned on that issue, a ZBAG member confirmed that all six crashed planes had the piano hinge ailerons. I have asked Sebastien for confirmation or correction of that notion but have not heard back from him yet. Interesting if true, huh?

Ed

Well thanks for the compliment. Yep, I guess I can see Zenith offering mass balance as an option. It would be good PR at the least. I just don't want to put more weight on when the airplane obviously does not need it. That's just a personal decision on my part. With a couple of 200 pound guys and 30 gallons of fuel, the LSA max gross of 1320 doesn't allow me any baggage. Thank God I dropped down to 185 and my wife weighs only 128. I'm looking forward to some weekend jaunts. I have been am still am convinced that the plane will be safe as I will maintain and fly it. I just can't take the rest of the world "to raise" as the expression goes.

Ed

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.

Ed

Planning on doing just that. The end of the year gets crowded schedule-wise but I'll shoehorn in an adventure or two anyway.

Ed

Hello Tim

What is your ideas on the manatory update? I think there are a lot of good flying planes out there with no problem with pilots that know how to fly the 601. But on the other hand stronger is better in my mind. So I guess I will do almost anything to make my plane better. Besides my plane is where the updates is no big thing. I still have not installed the upper skin on either wing. The fues is still open also, so it is not a big thing for me...

Good to hear from you.

Gary

Tim, the seat bottom modification works great if you want to use 2 piece cushions. I haven't secured the bottom in place, it doesn't slide out. Some sticky back velcro would be enough to hold in place, same with the back cushion.

Over the years I've seen builders making custom shaped seat bottoms to work with the curved piece, seems like a lot of work.

FWIW, I ordered seat foam from Rochford Supply and made my own cushions. They are more comfortable than my truck or car seats. I didn't use memory foam, good seat foam is all that is required. I have more info on that if you're interested, might even do a blog.

Jake