N1BZRich(at)AOL.COM Guest
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 7:39 am Post subject: A New Lightning Owner and SNF thoughts. |
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Jim,
Good to hear you persisted in your quest for the Lightning and it paid off. I kind of felt that the newest seat design would work for you. Hope that John Williams finds out the same thing.
You are on the right track to be studying the build manual while waiting for you build start date. It will get you familiar with the way things go together and probably save some time in the long run as you will understand what the Green Landings team is having you do and the order that things need to be done. I understand you will be doing your own panel, but it is certainly not to early to be thinking about your panel layout. There is a web site you can use to help with that: http://www.epanelbuilder.com/
It allows you to pick instruments and avionics and move them around on your panel outline to see what looks and works best for you. It used to be free, but I think there is a minor charge now. And while you are at it, get one of the three view Lightning line drawings, a box or colored pencils (or crayons from your kids) and start working on your paint scheme and colors. That is always a fun rainy day project. It is also not too early to go to the FAA web site and reserve an N number for your kit. It only cost ten dollars a year to reserve and you can request a special number and the site will tell you if that number is available. Also, any and all time that you spend doing the above type of stuff can be logged as part of your build time. Kit Log Pro is a program developed by an EAA'er that helps keep track of all of this and when you are done, just hit the print button on your computer and you have your builders log to show to the FAA as documentation for your Repairman's certificate.
Sun-N-Fun was great. I got home yesterday after 5.2 hours of flying time - once again with a head wind. I made a fuel / rest stop in Lumberton, NC. Saw the massive fires burning near Waycross, GA. My block to block speeds were down because of the head winds so I only averaged 158 mph. Could not go above about 7,500 due to heaver winds, so my fuel burn was high at 6.0 GPH. But is was a beautiful day fly flying. I normally like to cruise higher to improve the TAS and fuel burn.
From all the people I met and talked to at Lakeland, it seems like the Lightning team is going to get busy. I think we can expect several new Lightnings to fly soon and probably many more to begin construction. I am already looking forward to Oshkosh.
Blue Skies,
Buz Rich
N31BZ
See what's free at AOL.com.
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