tail heavy trainer
07-25-2002 | 09:37 AM
#1
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tail heavy trainer
See if you can move the engine forward on the engine mount. 
If you need more than 2 ounce of lead... try using a brass "acorn" prop nut. This puts the weight as far forward as possible... meaning you need less weight.
ANYTHING you can drop in around the fuel tank and pack in with foam will work for ballast.... I've used dead alkaline AA cells, nuts, bolts.... even small rocks picked up at the flying field. BB's mixed with epoxy do really well too.
If you need more than 2 ounce of lead... try using a brass "acorn" prop nut. This puts the weight as far forward as possible... meaning you need less weight.
ANYTHING you can drop in around the fuel tank and pack in with foam will work for ballast.... I've used dead alkaline AA cells, nuts, bolts.... even small rocks picked up at the flying field.
BB's mixed with epoxy do really well too.
07-27-2002 | 04:29 AM
#2
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tail heavy trainer
I needed a big slug of weight for a project that I made. I added my weight to the firewall between the motor mounts on (I use the Sig 2-piece motor mounts and didn't have room inside the tank compartment to mount it).
First, I figured out how much weight that I needed, and the shape that it had to be. Then, I melted the lead into a form that I had made up using tinfoil. Make the form about 1/8" smaller all around than you need. The foil pattern isn't perfect, and the sides will spread on you. This gives it q little wiggle room to still fit. It's OK to use a little more lead than you need. Some will stay behind in the melting pan, and you will lose a little when you drill out the holes for the mounting screws.
After the lead had cooled, I drilled two 5/32" holes through the lead (make sure there is no interference behind the firewall). Hint: Drill the lead as SLOWLY as you can. It's very gummy to drill through. Make two mating holes in the firewall. Dry fit everything and rebalance. Add or remove weight as needed. You can melt a few drops of lead onto the existing piece if you only need a small amount of extra.
Lead takes quite a while to cool, and you can get burned badly, so be careful! Warning: You can be burned badly. Make sure that whatever mold you pour the lead into is clean and dry. If there are any impurities in the mold (water, oil, etc.) they will boil and flash, sending molten lead all over you.
If you set the foil on a piece of wood to pour the lead, you will see charring on the wood and smell the wood burning. That's how hot it gets. Use a flat brick or flagstone.
I used a stainless steel measuring cup to melt the lead in. It'll be useless when you are done, except for melting lead again, so be a sport and buy your wife a new set of them....
I epoxied the slug to the firewall. After the epoxy cured, I drilled through the firewall and finished the job. The 6-32 screws acted as a clamp. If you can mount the weight to the inside of the firewall, so much the better. This way, if it comes loose, it's still inside the airplane.
If you only use epoxy, you risk losing the nose weight in flight, then you're flying a tail-heavy aircraft...
Hope this helps.
Bob
First, I figured out how much weight that I needed, and the shape that it had to be. Then, I melted the lead into a form that I had made up using tinfoil. Make the form about 1/8" smaller all around than you need. The foil pattern isn't perfect, and the sides will spread on you. This gives it q little wiggle room to still fit. It's OK to use a little more lead than you need. Some will stay behind in the melting pan, and you will lose a little when you drill out the holes for the mounting screws.
After the lead had cooled, I drilled two 5/32" holes through the lead (make sure there is no interference behind the firewall). Hint: Drill the lead as SLOWLY as you can. It's very gummy to drill through. Make two mating holes in the firewall. Dry fit everything and rebalance. Add or remove weight as needed. You can melt a few drops of lead onto the existing piece if you only need a small amount of extra.
Lead takes quite a while to cool, and you can get burned badly, so be careful! Warning: You can be burned badly. Make sure that whatever mold you pour the lead into is clean and dry. If there are any impurities in the mold (water, oil, etc.) they will boil and flash, sending molten lead all over you.
If you set the foil on a piece of wood to pour the lead, you will see charring on the wood and smell the wood burning. That's how hot it gets. Use a flat brick or flagstone.
I used a stainless steel measuring cup to melt the lead in. It'll be useless when you are done, except for melting lead again, so be a sport and buy your wife a new set of them....
I epoxied the slug to the firewall. After the epoxy cured, I drilled through the firewall and finished the job. The 6-32 screws acted as a clamp. If you can mount the weight to the inside of the firewall, so much the better. This way, if it comes loose, it's still inside the airplane.
If you only use epoxy, you risk losing the nose weight in flight, then you're flying a tail-heavy aircraft...
Hope this helps.
Bob
