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QuickTalk 8 - LETTERS

"At 20.1 hours, the Onan vibrated apart the left exhaust pipe. QAC replaced both pipes (at no additional charge to me!) with stainless steel units. However, the flange for the right pipe was welded on too crooked to fit the airframe, so I had a local expert welder fabricate a stainless steel flange and weld it to the pipe. As he removed the old flange, he noted that it was just barely welded to the pipe, with little penetration of the bead...

While testing on the ground at 2100 RPM, the engine stopped and for the next 6 or 7 minutes after that did not make a spark at the spark plus when the points were cycled by hand. Since replacing the condenser this has not happened again. I could not get the engine to fail again with the original condenser, but it did sag in RPM's occasionally..."

Christopher Young (#469), Redding , CA


"I received Quicktalk Issue #7 today and enjoyed reading the newsletter. Your "Letters" section contained two letters, which contained criticism of the service provided by our company. I do not doubt that the comments were warranted; from time to time during the past year or so, our shipping time has been longer than our average 5-day turnaround due to various factors. We are currently shipping most orders within that time span, and with the exception of larger or more difficult orders, no extensive delays should be encountered. I want to assure all of the Quickie and Q2 builders that Aircraft Spruce values their business and will continue to strive to provide the best service at the best prices possible. Keep up the good work."

Jim Irwin, President, Aircraft Spruce & Specialty


"...I have developed an allergy to SAFE-T-POXY. I have used several different types of gloves. The gloves I'm now using are made by Playtex. I have not been able to get ANY information from the factory (Allied Plastics) except that it's non-toxic! They dismiss Rutan's survey on the problem as being "only 2 to 5%". It's a very serious problem to that 2 to 5%..."

Robert Bird (#2556), Friendswood, AZ


"...Am currently involved with constructing a Q2, having sold my Quickie (#009). Things are moving along O.K., except for one thing, which bothers me. I seem to have become allergic to the SAFE-T-POXY. My hands itch, burn and develop blisters even with two pairs of surgical gloves with subsequent result of the skin peeling off. This is happening even when I do just a little chore such as mixing up a cup of flox to do 10 minutes of work. Would hope to hear if anyone else is having similar problems and if there's a cure. Had no reaction whatsoever building the Quickie, but guess this is cumulative...Anyway, hope to have this thing going about May or June, sore hands or not. See you at Oshkosh and hope the wind don't blow."

Maurice Condon (#2560), Springfield, MO


"...Three of the four Q2 builders I know in Houston have developed a sensitivity to SAFE-T-POXY. It is clear to me (and to my sometimes inflamed hands) that an SPI of 0 does not mean no precautions need to be taken while working with this (or any other) commercial grade chemical. Builders should note that shop solvents (lacquer thinner, acetone, MEK, etc.,) could increase their vulnerability to the epoxy. I used acetone to clean my shop and now (for the first time in my life) have an allergy. Since these chemicals are very light, their fumes can be present in the air of a shop even when they are not in use. I would suggest they not even be kept in a shop.

Ply 9, which some builders use in lieu of gloves, will wear off during a large layup and should be renewed periodically. Preferably, wear gloves. These are hot and your hands may perspire, but Epo-Clense has something in it which helps the 'prune look' your hands may have when you take the gloves off. Even the 'prune look' for a few minutes is better than the 'raw hamburger look', which you may suffer with for several days. This look is followed by a week or more of extreme sensitivity to touch (everything is covered in needles as far as your hands are concerned). In my case, this stage was followed by a loss of feeling in my fingers, a hardening of the skin and finally a lot of peeling. I now wear gloves and change them often. Surgical gloves are not strong enough to stand up to wear and tear. Other types of plastic or rubber may cause sensitivity problems of their own. Experiment and find some gloves you like..."

Tom Gordy (#2151), Houston, TX


"I would like to pass on some information that has helped me tremendously. For the builders with sensitive skin from epoxy or sanding dust, a doctor friend of mine recommends a daily dose of cod liver oil in capsule or concentrated pill form. After two months of taking the pills, my hands have cured completely. Previously I had peeled nine times. I still take the added precautions."

Bus Schuckler ((#2166), North East, MD


"Our Q2, N73QT was finished July 4th, 1982 and had its last inspection December 19th, 1982. We are located 250 miles by road or 155 miles by air from Phoenix, which is the closest FAA inspector. We see one only every 6 months! The elevation here at Springerville is 7050 feet. We had a density altitude of 9500 feet on the first flight. The first landing we crow-hopped. I installed a reflexer and now tail-first landings are a snap! Our gascolator vapor locked when the fuel flow slowed down at idle. An aluminum baffle and insulation over the gascolator solved the problem..."

Merle Harper (#2073), Springerville, AZ


"I thought I'd take this opportunity to pass on a few of my observation after about 18 months of work on my Q2.

First, I disagree with a lot of the comments about lack of support from QAC and the incompleteness of the building instructions. I have always found them willing to talk and have had only minor delivery problems. True, they are slow on delivery, but have always come through for me. I think their problem is that they are suffering from success!

I have found the instructions really very complete. However, they are lacking in what I call sequencing of operations. What I have found works best is not to glass any parts together until you fit-up subsequent parts. A case in point is the fuel tanks and mag/started box. True, the header tank is easier to glass in place before the top half of the fuselage is mated, but it stiffens up the part so much that mating of the two fuselage halves may be more difficult. Same holds true for the main tank.

I found it very easy to mount the canard with the fuselage jigged upside down and bonded to the shop floor (leveled, of course). The level boards on the canard "don't know" if they are right side up or upside down. They work both ways. I had previously adjusted them for the 1 degree increase in angle of attack.

In order to get a good fit at the fuselage disconnect joint, I first glassed the whole thing together. Then from the inside I installed the pads for the bolted joint, making sure they spanned the future cut line. (Here again sequencing of bulkhead installation is important for access reasons.) Then the aluminum tabs were match drilled through the fuselage and the halves sawed apart. At this point, the joint had a gap equal to the width of the saw. This was filled with flox on each side separated by one thickness of Saran Wrap. The result is an almost perfect joint.

Some other changes I have made and recommend to others is to put a drain in the header tank. Fit it with a shut-off valve and route the discharge to join the main fuel line downstream of the two filters. Then 'Tee' the fuel line downstream of this attachment and install another drain valve like is supplied for the main tank. This should be located in the engine compartment where it is accessible through the cowl flap. With this arrangement, moisture can be drained from the header tank and you have a bypass of the fuel filters if they become plugged in flight causing fuel starvation. (Dirty fuel is better than no fuel!) Others have talked about the second drain in the aft end of the main fuel tank. I have done that also.

The other change I made is to put all position lights, strobe lights, antenna wire and hydraulic lines in conduit so that these components may be accessed if necessary. I used Tygon tubing as conduit.

I am now ready to mount the main tank and instrument panel. Again, sequencing is important if I want the main tank fuel gauge to fit flush in the center console. I must fit those parts before installing the tank gauge.

I plan to size the cockpit armrests and center console to fit the upholstery. I guess if you make your own upholstery, it doesn't matter. I bought the factory stuff, so will be careful to make it fit right.

The only other thing I have done that I find others don't usually do is to use excessive amounts of peel-ply. I find it is a cheap way to make professional looking joints between parts.

I hadn't meant to make this so long, but I get carried away talking about MY Q2!

Art Dalke (#2242), San Jose, CA



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