Just thought you might like to know the results of our mod 37. and my two
penny worth into the bargain!
I pushed our Europa into the workshop first thing Monday morning, by the
end of the day it was all stripped down and suspended over the inspection
pit. Day two started with a through paint stripping and filing session and
constructing some heat shields from polished stainless steel, to make sure
every thing was ready for the welding. Pete Evans did the welding for me -
thanks Graham for the recommendation, and a I have to say he did an
excellent job in difficult circumstances, although having the plane over
the pit made life very much easier. We had no problems with the bearings,
no distortions and no bonfires, even the paint on the inside of the tunnel
was only sooted slightly, and I even got Pete to weld a nut in place for a
grease nipple.By this time it was well into the evening and I was already
late for a night out with 'er indoors'.
The rebuild was straight forward and I was grateful that I had modified
Grahams Fire Wall, to make it removable and therefore reuseable. I towed
the plane back to the airfield Friday, got the final inspection completed
and log book duly signed by our inspector, then rigged ready for a test
flight.
Our Europa has been flying since April and has now clocked up about 130
hours, the undercarriage has been in and out so many times now that I am
considering designing a quick release system for it!
So I can say I have had considerable experience of all the different
developments, both in the fitting and flying sense, and I have to say that
I think it is now finally sorted. It could, and indeed has been argued
that the aircraft should have been more sorted before being released, but
there was also the possibility of it never being finished, if the delays
became uneconomic.
The reality is that we now have a unique aircraft that performs superbly,
and now thanks to Ivan and Co. can with the correct procedure and plenty of
practice be launched and landed safely, even in difficult circumstances.
The field where Mike Smith, my partner, and I fly from is at Bidford near
Stratford on Avon. It is a grass strip with a fair mixture of surface
conditions, a point I had not really noticed up until our first flights in
the Europa! The development of the undercarriage, especially the
hydraulic dampers, had given us the illusion that all the bumps and ramps
that felt like hitting the nearby Malvern hills, had been squashed to a
mere ploughed field texture. The latest rubber block supplied with the mod
37 kit has now improved that situation to the point where I am beginning to
wonder wether someone has re-surfaced the runway over night.
My first landing after completing mod. 37, was in a very gusty cross wind,
I was solo and light on fuel with no luggage, a condition we have found
that always makes a greaser a little more difficult!!
So my eventual contact with the ground was a drop from about 2ft., the
undercarriage soaked it up like blotting paper, I was so impressed I
decided to go round and do it again, after all, there's not to much fear of
an undercarriage collapse now is there?, but I chickend out and made a very
respectable landing this time. So, I for one can say that mod. 37 is not
that bad lads, quite a lot of work if your aircraft is finished, but
worthwhile for peace of mind if nothing else. Most of the moans I've heard
have come from people who have not completed their Europas, I can
understand the frustration, believe me, being one of the early builders
(No. 39) we had more than our fair share of set backs, (the out riggers
were moded at least 4 times before it left the workshop) but making
alterations at an early stage is a lot easier than when it is finished. At
the end of the day we are all helping to develop a superior product,
something that can only be completed with feedback from the field. Those
of us who are flying it are probably now contributing the most, being
inconvenienced the most, but moaning the least, could this be because we
are reaping the rewards of flying it!
Jim Naylor
Jim Naylor No 39
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