Why I chose the Corvair engine conversion for my Zenith STOL CH 750

Friends,

As a follow-up to "Why I chose the Zenith STOL CH 750," I thought I'd go into some detail about why I chose a Chevrolet Corvair engine conversion for my project. The first part of the video mostly about why I chose the Corvair specifically. The second part of the video is somewhat about the Corvair, but also details a lot about automotive engine conversion considerations. So, if you are interested in my reasoning for the Corvair engine choice, or if you would like more information on what is involved with choosing an automotive engine conversion, check out my videos below:

Why I chose a Corvair engine conversion - Part 1:

Why I chose a Corvair engine conversion - Part 2:

Why I chose the STOL CH 750

Friends,

Almost every aircraft builder is asked at some point why he or she chose a specific design to build. It's certainly a fair question, and one I'm always happy to answer. However, if you're building a Zenith STOL CH 750 nowadays, you'll invariably be asked why you are not building a Zenith 750 Cruzer instead. Further, after maybe giving some additional answers, some folks will even tell you that you should be building a Cruzer instead. I've often found that interesting at best, and annoying at worst. Who decides what airplane is best for me? I do!

If you would like to know more about why I specifically chose the STOL CH 750, and why I would still choose that design if I had to choose today, check out the video:

So many delays, I made a video about dealing with them!

Friends,

As noted in my last blog post, I have experienced more than my fair share of delays and setbacks in the last 12 months. I figure that other builders may experience similar delays over the years it takes for us to finish our projects. Thus, I created a video about how to persevere in the face of such delays, and how I maintain at least some progress when it feels like you're not getting anything done on the project!

Delays, delays and more delays!

Friends,

No exciting content in this update. I just wanted to throw out a quick post about my lack of activity lately. I recently had the flu and one of our household pets was very ill for a few weeks (and ultimately is no longer with us). Shortly after that, my wife had emergency surgery, so I was taking care of her for about a week. In the last month, I only managed a few hours of work on the elevator. In addition, I'm getting our newly acquired travel trailer ready for this year's camping season.

I managed to acquire some new welding accessories and tooling to help with the 4130 frame and fuel tanks. Mainly, I upgraded to a "standard" style foot pedal with some additional tooling. The stock pedal on my AHP AlphaTig 200X left much to be desired. I also added a couple more TIG finger protectors, a clear Furick cup for the torch (this will give more visibility when welding the 4130 in tight places) and a Lagesse Square.

At any rate, I have the elevator skins completely match-drilled to the skeleton, and I'm working on the elevator trim tab attachment (pictures to come soon). 

The last 12 months have been the year of setbacks for sure! I only managed about 250 hours of construction from April 2016 to March 2017....about half of where I should be. All kinds of things just ate up my personal time in the last 12 months, from home improvement/repairs, to injuries, to illnesses, to an unexpectedly very busy holiday season...you name it! I'm hoping things settle down a bit in the coming months, though I may be building a garden shed to free up some room in the garage, and I still having a camper wiring project to complete. At the very least, I hope I don't have to deal with as many illnesses and injuries. 250 hours is a pittance!

Cheers!