Gary Welch
  • Groveland, CA
  • United States
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Gary Welch's Discussions

My Experience with EarthX Batteries

Started this discussion. Last reply by Kathy Nicoson on Friday. 6 Replies

I posted the following on the Purple Board but thought I would also post here for those that may not follow that forum. This is just my personal experience and not an attempt to bash EarthX. Overall,…Continue

Aircraft Polishing - My 7 year update, plus my original post

Started this discussion. Last reply by Gary Welch Aug 3. 5 Replies

After 7 years I wanted to post an update on my experience polishing my aircraft. You might want to first read the original post copied and pasted below "Here is my original post from 2017". Then come…Continue

Fiberglass cowl repair help

Started this discussion. Last reply by Gary Welch Jun 22. 4 Replies

I have an old fiberglass cowl on my 601XLB. It's actually off of the very first 601XL. This weekend a wind gust caught the top section and literally ripped the fiberglass where two screws were…Continue

Is Zenith charging enough for their kits?

Started this discussion. Last reply by Peter Chapman Jul 6. 11 Replies

Probably not going to get a real answer but the current situation with Vans Aircraft has me wondering.If you haven't been following, Vans has filed for restructuring under Chapter 11 bankruptcy…Continue

 

Gary Welch's Page

Latest Activity

Gary Welch posted a discussion

My Experience with EarthX Batteries

I posted the following on the Purple Board but thought I would also post here for those that may not follow that forum. This is just my personal experience and not an attempt to bash EarthX. Overall, they are a good company that continues to support home builders.I finished building my Zenith CH601 XLB eight years ago. I chose EarthX for my plane due to weight. I have a heavy engine (Lyc. O-235-C1) and wanted to do everything possible to reduce weight. Since my first flight in 2016 I have gone…See More
Oct 20
Gary Welch posted a discussion

Aircraft Polishing - My 7 year update, plus my original post

After 7 years I wanted to post an update on my experience polishing my aircraft. You might want to first read the original post copied and pasted below "Here is my original post from 2017". Then come back and read this update to understand the sequence of events.Also, an update to my original post below. I did buy a cyclo polisher and it made a HUGE difference when using Nuvite S (compared to the 7" polisher). Every reference said it would make a difference but I was skeptical. They were right…See More
Jul 12
Gary Welch posted a discussion

Fiberglass cowl repair help

I have an old fiberglass cowl on my 601XLB. It's actually off of the very first 601XL. This weekend a wind gust caught the top section and literally ripped the fiberglass where two screws were holding it on. My cowl is attached with #8-32 AN screws. Stainless tinnerman washers are bonded intothe cowl fiberglass. The cowl is screwed into nutplates in the forward glareshield.The wind gust ripped two of the tinnermens right out of the fiberglass.I need to patch and replace these tinnermens but…See More
Jun 18
A discussion started by Gary Welch was featured

Is Zenith charging enough for their kits?

Probably not going to get a real answer but the current situation with Vans Aircraft has me wondering.If you haven't been following, Vans has filed for restructuring under Chapter 11 bankruptcy laws.I understand Vans has a slightly different sales model than Zenith which has  lot to do with their current situation. In short, Vans takes cash deposits in order to get in line for a partial kit/full kit / engine order. After receiving the money a customer gets their kit 6 months or more down the…See More
Dec 7, 2023
Gary Welch posted a discussion

Source for pre-fab inspection panels/doors?

Mykitairplane.com is temporarily not taking orders. Also, I think they changed their name to Experimental Aircraft Accessories.Is there another source for pre-made inspection panels?See More
Feb 28, 2022
Gary Welch posted a discussion

Got my LODA today - about a week after applying for it

I sent my LODA (letter of deviation) request to the FAA about a week ago and received the LODA today.It says I am now legal to receive flight training in my experimental aircraft. This is limited to after the Phase 1 is complete.Surprisingly it does NOT state that I cannot receive primary flight training which I understood from the original documents. Perhaps it doesn't say it because it is covered elsewhere.The LODA also says a flight instructor is authorized to exercise the privileges of this…See More
Jul 13, 2021
Gary Welch posted a discussion

FAA: Experimental Aircraft cannot be used for primary flight training, among other things...

This affects every experimental aircraft owner. It can also be very onerous for CFI's who are currently instructing in experimental aircraft.You cannot receive add-on flight training (Flight reviews, IFR, general flight instruction) in your own experimental unless you have an "exemption" from the FAA. The exemption requires filing for a LODA. It is quite easy to do so but there will be a log jam of applications. The sooner you get yours in the better. …See More
Jul 9, 2021
Gary Welch posted a discussion

Hard Landing & Lesson Learned

I had a hard landing a couple of months ago. It was a combination of low vis and target fixation. The nose wheel came down hard.I pulled the cowl the and checked mounts, puck system and anything else I could think of. I lifted the nose and spun the tire. Everything looked fine and I counted myself lucky. I was soon to find out it wasn't.Since then I had 3 or 4 flights with no issues. This past weekend my nose tire had lost air - it was noticeably low. There was obviously something wrong because…See More
Jan 28, 2021
Gary Welch posted a discussion

Size of Allen key on donut clamps?

Lost the allen key for my donut clamp system. Anyone know the size?I did check and it's not listed in the install instructions. See More
Dec 3, 2020
Gary Welch posted a discussion

12v Turn Coordinator and Westach Outside Air Temperature Gauge

3-1/8" Electric Gyro Corp turn coordinator, 12 volt, recently removed and working fine (replaced with Garmin G5). Asking $85.2-1/4" Westach Outside Air Temperature Gauge and sensor. Also recently removed and working fine. About a year and a half old. Asking $45. Prices are plus shipping. 30 day warranty return for full refund if not happy.…See More
May 8, 2020
Gary Welch posted a discussion

Zenith Donut Install - Great in the air, stiff on the ground

Had my first flight today after the donut install on my 601 XL.Taxiing was, uncomfortable to say the least. It felt like it was very stiff and sticky. I tried to do a take off and freaked about 1/4 way down the runway an aborted. I understand this is a new system and I may not be used to it which may be a part of the problem. After I aborted the takeoff I, I did 4 more high speed taxi tests and could not really get used to the steering. Finally I just figured it might just take time to get used…See More
Mar 4, 2020
Gary Welch posted a discussion

Help getting comfortable flying down low

I have been flying for 30 years and have my IFR ticket.However, during my private pilot training I was exposed to an abnormal number of flying deaths of people I knew (7 dead in 6 accidents over a period of a year and a half). Those accidents stay with me to this day. That series of horrific experiences over such a short period of time led me to develop a very low risk tolerance. It was etched into my brain that unless I flew every flight as safely as possible - I was going to die in a plane…See More
Dec 24, 2019
Gary Welch posted a discussion

Jan's use of forum members posts

Not sure how i feel about this.I was taking a look at the Viking Engine website and was surprised to see my quote, with my name attached, from a post I made recently on the Zenith Forum.There were also other quotes from other members on this forum.Dont know about others but Jan never asked if he could use my name on his website. Not sure I appreciate it.Also, I am not a Viking customer. He is using my quote to demonstrate the superiority of the Viking engine over the one in my plane, from a…See More
Jun 28, 2019
Gary Welch posted a discussion

Fun day - landed at 15 airports without refueling

I was looking for some small adventure, that would be inexpensive, to take my Zenith CH601 XLB on.I saw the recent thread about a guy who landed at 13 airports in one day.I decided to figure out how many could I land at on a single fill up and still make it back to my home airport?After much planning and calculating it seemed like 15 airports would be possible.My plane has 12 gallons a side, 24 total with 23 usable. I figured if I throttled back to between 2300 to 2400 rpm, and stayed down…See More
Jun 21, 2019
Gary Welch posted a discussion

My Condition Inspection

I suspect I may be more anal about my aircraft (601XLB) than others might be.I fly a lot and I'm always expecting something to go wrong. It's why I pull my cowl every 10 hours or so and inspect the engine compartment. It's also why, even 2-1/2 years after first flight (and 300 hours), I still spend hours every week fixing, tweaking, upgrading or cleaning my plane. So, when it comes to my condition inspection I have a 45 page checklist that has been modified from an original AMD first flight…See More
Jun 19, 2019
Gary Welch posted a discussion

Bungee Tool for sale

This bungee installation tool allows you to install or replace nose gear bungee.No need to remove the engine, you can install the bungee with the engine in place. Works on CH750, CH650, CH701, CH801, 601HD, HDS and XL planes.Used once.Asking $45 plus shipping.GarySee More
Jun 14, 2019

Profile Information

Aircraft Model
ZODIAC XL
Project Status
Flying
Building From
Partial kit
Engine installed (or plan to install)
Lycoming
Building Experience
No Experience
Flying Experience
Private Pilot
Home Airport (ie. KMYJ)
E46

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Comment Wall (9 comments)

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At 4:24am on January 11, 2018, Gordon Edgar Burgess said…

Hi Gary. Thanks for your info I will try your tecknea and see what happens, I have a 3300 jabiru engine which is lighter than yours.

As I said I am new to the site and in future I will post on the blog.

Thanks again Gordon

At 1:04pm on January 23, 2017, Don Hodges said…

Mine is a 601XLB LYC 235 L2C

At 9:02am on October 23, 2016, Stephen R. Smith said…

Hello Gray,

Anxiety could be tough. I would keep in mind that the plane itself is very unlikely to let you down.  The 601 is very simple and since the wing upgrade, they don't ever fail.  The most important component in an airplane is the engine and the most important thing to keep the engine running is fuel.  You don't need the miles of wire and gauges to work.  They are not needed. A running engine is all you need.

However in a Zenith 601 you often don't absolutely need the engine, because they touch down at a reasonable speed you can dead-stick it in, not that there is often any need to do that - hasn't happened yet in my 2,000 hours.  Its just that the survival rate in off-field landings in slow airplanes is much better than fast ones.

Its good to have a plan for engine failure and when you become comfortable with the plane, you might want to practice dead-stick landings.  No need to turn off the engine, just idle it back, come up with a plan and see how it works out.  Do this over and over until you understand what works and what does not.

Steve

At 5:20pm on March 20, 2016, David Krakowsky said…
Hi Gary
I am happy with the warp drive, the sensinich 68x57 factory supplied
Prop was too much pitch for a 0-200
My climb is better, much less vibration, top end about the same.
Three blades look better too.
Daryl at warp drive is great, terrific customer service.
Give him a call with your needs and he will tell you what he suggests for your application.
The spinners are made by a Canadian outfit, quality not up to the same as the warp drive prop in my opinion.
Dave
At 3:43pm on February 6, 2016, Steven Mogg said…
Yes I have been thinking about it for two year. It was good to see the ideas materials over a couple of days. I would like to see the final product also. As usual waiting on parts :)
At 3:47am on February 6, 2016, Steven Mogg said…

Thanks Gary,

Yes I can. I have some sketches I did along the way. Things changed along the way and I have the latch coming in a couple of weeks. When I have it finished I will draw up some better sketches for it and send them to you.
Not sure if I mentioned ti on the kit log but I am also including an external release pin. Once I get the latch I can setup the release pin and include that in the sketch. So another couple of weeks if you have time and I can have a more complete sketch of the secondary latch.
Steven
At 6:38pm on October 23, 2015, John A. Heiser said…

Hi Gary,

I'll pull the prop out of the shipping box tomorrow and get you a weight. 

At 8:28pm on July 3, 2015, Louis W. Ott said…

Hi Gary,

You asked a question about connectors and now I can't find the question. Was it about the 90 deg crimp on connectors? I may have to go down to the airport hangar where I have them to find that out. Most of the other electrical pieces and parts is from BandC.

http://www.bandc.biz/electrical-supplies.aspx

Including their crimp tool. The 90 deg connectors take a different jaw insert for the tool than the straight crimp ons.

I see you are from Cloverdale. Nice place. We bought the kit from Doug there and have been back several times. Once for the fly-in open house.

At 3:18pm on January 26, 2015, Zenith.Aero said…

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Gary Welch's Videos

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Gary Welch's Blog

100 Hours and Counting

Posted on May 9, 2017 at 9:03am 0 Comments

This past weekend the Hobbs turned 100 hours. First flight was last September. Plane is flying great though it seems there is always one more thing to do.

My experience with dangers of haze

Posted on March 4, 2017 at 12:00pm 2 Comments

One area of flying that has very little written about is "haze".There's a lot of stories about flight into IMC that usually center around flying into clouds, rain storms or black hole night experiences. 

However I have learned that haze can be a subtle and deadly situation. The real problem is that aviation weather reports do a very poor job of identifying and reporting on it.

Yesterday was a classic example. I was flying home from Pine Mountain Lake in Northern…

Continue

Dealing with the anxiety of the flight test phase?

Posted on October 20, 2016 at 2:41pm 5 Comments

I am 6 hours into my flight test phase and am definitely struggling with the anxiety of everything that could go wrong.

For background - I have been flying for 25 years, have a little over 500 hours in Cessnas and have an instrument rating (though not current).

So far nothing really scary has happened with possible exception of finding a small engine compartment fuel leak AFTER a recent flight test. 

Yesterday I flew for about an hour - at…

Continue

Mobility Cart Tug - and Keeping the Wife Involved

Posted on October 20, 2016 at 10:40am 4 Comments

I bought a $40 non-working mobility cart at a yard sale. I got lucky and, although the wiring was all screwed up , the 24 volt motor still worked. 

When I bought it I told my wife this was HER aircraft tug. It was a way of getting her partially involved in the plane. Of course now the pressure was on me to actually make it work.

I ripped all of the wiring out and put a toggle switch on/off control on the mini-panel. I quickly learned that I would need a motor…

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