Message-ID: <20000102015608.13533.qmail@web108.yahoomail.com>
Date: Sat, 1 Jan 2000 17:56:08 -0800 (PST)
From: BILL HANNAHAN <wfhannahan@yahoo.com>
Subject: kevlar @ antennas
To: MAIL LANCAIR <lancair.list@olsusa.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0

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Building my 360 I heard those crinkling noises when my
heels were on the floor just forward of the main spar.
 These sections are definitely structural, they carry
the lower engine mount compression loads through the
center of the fuselage. 

I layed in a ply of Kevlar on the exposed areas
between the footrest and spar, the noises stopped. I
installed a 6” diameter piece of Kevlar on the top
surface of the lower wing skin under the fuel filler
opening to keep careless lineboys from punching holes
in the lower skin with fuel nozzles.

I also added a few patches of Kevlar on the belly skin
under the dihedral bends of the main spar in hopes of
avoiding grinding into the carbon spar caps should I
forget the wheels some day. The Kevlar is on the outer
surface so that the core material provides a bit of
cushion against impact damage. Micro fairs it in for
finishing.

Regarding antennas, I have a dipole in the fin that
generally works great, however the engine and prop
sometimes generate shielding or interference dead
ahead. On straight in descents I sometimes get “8WH
your transmissions are garbled, please try another
radio”. I only have one radio but a 25-30 degree
heading change usually illicits the desired “That
radio sounds much better”. If I get another radio I
would like to try an antenna on the bottom of the
engine with the element following the inner surface of
the lower cowl down to the lowest point on the
aircraft in flight. 

The transponder antenna groundplane is a small plate
at the bottom of the firewall in the plane of the
fuselage belly skin, just right of the nose gear
cutout. The antenna element extends down into the
cooling air outlet duct, and works well. 

=====
BILL HANNAHAN
WFHANNAHAN@YAHOO.COM

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Please send your photos and drawings to marvkaye@olsusa.com.
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