Louis W. Ott
  • Male
  • Mosier, OR
  • United States
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Louis W. Ott's Discussions

Hangar cleanout - Most items gone. Thanks for your interest

Started this discussion. Last reply by Ian Robb Jul 13, 2019. 17 Replies

It has been more than 3 years since I lost my beloved 601XLB in a crash. I have realized that I won't be building an experimental again. I need to bite the bullet and clean out the hangar and shop.…Continue

Fuel level sender interference

Started this discussion. Last reply by Louis W. Ott Mar 17, 2010. 6 Replies

I'm installing the (15 gal) fuel tank in the wing of my 601XL QB kit. The fuel level sender is located on top of the tank. An aluminum cover plate fits on the skin over the top of the sender. The…Continue

 

Louis W. Ott's Page

Latest Activity

Louis W. Ott posted a discussion

Hangar cleanout

It has been more than 3 years since I lost my beloved 601XLB in a crash. I have realized that I won't be building an experimental again. I need to bite the bullet and clean out the hangar and shop. Here are some of the items. I'm located about 70 miles East of Portland, Oregon.Set of seats. Memory foam base. Professionally made. Left and right sides are different thickness to accommodate different heights. Very comfy. I have the side panels too. Can't find the pictures. Free just pay…See More
Jul 4, 2019

Profile Information

Aircraft Model
ZODIAC XL
Project Status
Flying
Building From
Partial kit
Engine installed (or plan to install)
Corvair
Your website (about your aircraft...)
http://www.mykitlog.com/louie928
Building Experience
Have worked on airplanes before
Flying Experience
Commercial / CFI
Home Airport (ie. KMYJ)
KDLS

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Louis W. Ott's Blog

Another 601XL B flying

Posted on January 12, 2013 at 11:00pm 10 Comments

I finally ran out of things that needed done before first flight of my 601 XL B. The next thing to do was fly it.

Engine is a 2700 cc Aeromax Corvair

Engine installation is my own design except motor mount.

Rotec carb, homebrew intake and exhaust system.

Dual Ford EDIS-6 ignition using single Ford 6 cyl coil pack.

Warp drive 68" prop

Cowling is modified fiberglass Aeromax

No problems or difficulty on the first flight other than the…

Continue

Wooden control grip

Posted on June 24, 2011 at 4:40pm 0 Comments

A few weeks ago I came across these neat wooden control grips on Aircraft Spruce.

Pioneer Aircraft control grip

The only problem was that the grips were for right hand only. I had cut the "Y" off my 601XL stick so the control column diameter was about 1.135" diameter. These on ACS were a maximum of 1" diameter. I contacted Guy at Pioneer Aircraft and asked if he could make a grip with…

Continue

Elevator balance spring

Posted on January 10, 2011 at 8:30pm 3 Comments

I installed the horizontal stabilizer, saddle piece, and connected the elevator control cables on my 601 XL B. I immediately noticed a couple things. The effort to raise the elevator to full up position was excessive, to me. It took about 4.6 lbs pressure on the "Y" control stick. Also, the elevator cables tightened considerably as the stick was moved back. The cable tightening happened mostly because the nylon fairlead holes aren't aligned with the cables very well at up elevator position.…

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Received cowling and MM

Posted on December 10, 2010 at 5:30pm 0 Comments

I received my cowling and motor mount for my Corvair powered 601XL-B. I bought them from Aeromax. I liked the shape of the cowling and decided to get this one. The shape is similar to the Jabiru cowling. It is made from lightweight glass over a honeycomb core. No excess resin. It weighs 12 lbs and that without the cutout for the prop hub. The motor mount fits perfectly and the welds look good. It came with all the mounting hardware for the cowling, piano hinge for the top/bottom half, nut…

Continue

Comment Wall (14 comments)

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At 7:36pm on September 16, 2021, Douglas Binder said…

Louis, thank you for replying to my request.  Would it be easier to communicate by email? I'm at eflight2000 @ yahoo.com

At 8:20am on March 16, 2016, Karl Kleimenhagen said…

Louis, let me know if you did not receive the e-mail address I sent you. I look forward to hearing about your fixes for control harmony on the 601. Karl

At 2:22pm on December 14, 2015, Terry D Hobert said…

That is fine Louis, I am interested in any and all aspects of using the Corvair engine.  I will follow the WW school for my first build to learn my engine and have a good base comparison.  Never know what road I will follow once semi-educated.

I appreciate being able to watch and learn from all points of view.

Thanks So!

Ter

At 2:15pm on September 27, 2015, joseph aloof said…

hi louis. if your still on the site i have some questions about the gurney flap  and some other items  thx joe

At 6:57pm on August 31, 2014, Frederick Schutt said…

Mr. Ott

Hate to bother you but a couple questions-

Are you satisfied with the aeromax opposed to a WW engine

I have a short block from WW but it seems that he has elected to stop sending my parts paid for- waiting 5 months for distributor

I sent an email to Azaleaavaition-Bill Clapp- and got a prompt reply.  He has in stock dual point dist.with new ball bearing design, ss exhaust, alumn. intake- all parts that I need.  Wondering if you are familiar with these items.

 

Thanks-Fred Schutt

At 12:41am on June 24, 2013, Mark Gravatt said…

Oh, and I liked the Navion/Mustang-ish tail mod.... 

At 12:36am on June 24, 2013, Mark Gravatt said…

Seems like I spent the whole day building with you... by reading your builder's log.  I love reading these, it may make my build so much longer, but it gives me ideas of the pitfalls that lie ahead, and some great ideas.  Thanks for sharing!   And BTW, I love the Navion, I friend's dad had one that was converted to a twin when I was growing up.  They love it so much that they still have it in the family.

At 2:54pm on August 2, 2011, Andy Elliott said…

It is hard to measure performance improvements when a plane is as slow as the 601. ;)  But it certianly seals beatter ans leask less and is a lot easier to work because of the cross-bar at the rear bow.  Yes, they are the Grove gear, gun-drilled.  -15# compared to the Zenith gear and much more forgiving.

Andy

At 7:47am on February 27, 2011, Jake Reyna said…
Louie, it will be a struggle to deal with the weather in Bend ;-)
At 10:28am on May 1, 2010, Terry Phillips said…
Hi Louie

Your progress is awesome. Are you sure that you're not an Aussie? Those guys really push their planes out the door! I had to take a break from upgrading to get after my spring chores. When I bought this place 5 years ago, I hadn't thought out the consequences of having to care for 10 acres. Now, after a month of chores, I'm about to start upgrading again.

I'm awaiting delivery of some 1/4 inch lock nuts and washers from Spruce. I ordered AN4 bolts to replace the AN3's to attach the spar root doubler. The 3/16" rivet holes are too big for my comfort zone with AN3's, so with Zenair concurrence I'm using AN4's.

I was going to send you a message about the SS rivets. I was thinking that I'd post a message to Matronics. I'd like ~250 myself, though I'm willing to buy 500. 1000 seems a bit much. I want to use them in high stress locations (or what looks like high stress to my amateur eye.) Folks have had smoke problems with the original Avex's in the wing nose skin joints with the top and bottom rear skins near the wing root. I'm sure that problem will be reduced as a result of the upgrade, but I'd like to use the SS rivets in those locations any way.

The AS-5's supplied by Zenair have too long a grip length for thin joints. The AS-5 rivet bulbs do not seat on the base metal. I'm sure they work just fine in the joints specified by Zenair, just not in thin joints.

So, if you're still in, I'll post a message on Matronics and see if I get any interest. We might end up having to split 1000 between us, but I can think of a few folks who I can contact directly if I do not get a response from the Matronics post.

Terry
 
 
 

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