VELOCITY XL FG

N478B

CHRONOLOGY

DATE EVENTS

July 2010 The cowling is not clearing my engine on the left side by about an inch. I can’t explain why since I used the factory mount and the clearance on the bottom cowling is not much at all. Actually, I may have to make a blister for the alternator. I don’t know yet. Therefore, I have decided to change the shape of the top cowling on both sides. This is another unexpected project.

After five years or so, Dr Tuky is no longer in my garage. As of July 17, 2010, it is now at the airport. We started around 9:20 AM and everything went as planned. We were all done by 10:45 AM. Click here for details.

I started dismantling my garage shop on July 10, and moving it to the hangar in preparation for the fuselage move the following Saturday.

The website counter recorded 100,000 hits on July 9.

I don’t have much left to be done at home so I set a date to move the fuselage to the hangar, to mount the wings and canard and start working on what is left. Scott Liefeld offered to help and bring a large trailer to which he has access. We set the date for July 17. Friends and relatives are planning to come and help that day. Neighbors have been informed that, for a short while, there may be some traffic disruption in our street that morning.

June 2010 Seems like most builders do toward the end, I do not fly as often as I would like to. Melissa, my daughter, and I went flying for a change. I guess that those of us without an airplane look forward to flying our own and more of ten than not, trade flying time for building time.

I worked on various items. I wired the nav/strobe and landing lights to the strakes’ ends as well as the connectors for the fuel sight gauge lights. I worked on the final bundling and protection of wires inside the keel, those coming in and out of the front keel cover and some troubleshooting in the electrical system with Craig’s help. I installed strake windows for the rear passengers and started working on the remaining filling and sanding of the fuselage and doors.

May 2010 I finished installing the brakes but found out the bolts are short. So I left everything ready for assembly when I get the correct bolts. Because I upgraded my brakes to Cleveland while at the factory, they may have supplied the bolts for the standard brakes. I emailed Scott Swing and he said he would look into it.

Ken Baker, former Velocity employee, paid me a visit on Friday and gave me some very good pointers, as would be expected. It is always a pleasant interaction with Ken. It is a blessing to have Craig, John, Barry and now Ken as local Velocity-knowledgeable resources, let alone Scott Swing at the factory for questions. Also, my son Daniel, and Technical Counselors Scott Liefeld and Steve Irving from EAA Ch 49. No lack of resources to tap on for me.

I finished installing all quick connectors for the pitot/static system and returned the panel to the fuselage. Barry Gibbons showed me an article on testing of the pitot-static system with a manometer. I tested the system and detected no leaks. The Dynon’s reading of the airspeed is accurate per the table provided.

Craig (N541SW) invited me to accompany him to John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County to pick up his mother for Mothers’ Day. A trip in Craig and John’s Velocity is always a blast. As soon as we took off, Craig invited me to take the controls. So I got a hold of the stick from the right seat and he went for the communications. We were instructed by Joshua Approach to maintain 4000 for traffic descending on us from the NE for several minutes as we were climbing southbound. The mountains to the south of our valley get high very fast at the speed of a Velocity, if you do not climb. However, Joshua is familiar with N541SW. So, once the traffic was no longer a “factor”, we climbed at about 800 - 1000 ft/min and were leveled at 9500 in no time. I turned the stick over to Craig on final approach to SNA 19R about 35 minutes later. Coming back, ATC instructed us to level at 4500 but going through 3700 were told not to delay the climb for traffic. Once again, Craig pulled up and N541SW was level at 4500 in no time. Another wonderful trip through an intimidating airspace with my friend and some more Velocity stick time… No problem with me.

I completed testing of the OAT sensor and all engine temperature sensors. The CHT and EGT sensors are all sensing the same temperature, within 2 degrees, and display temperature for the correct cylinders. The oil temperature sensor is functional and sensing within 2 degrees as well. All other sensors seem to be properly connected and functional as they are sensing 0 and no error messages are displayed. The Zaon XRX was configured to display on the AvMap and although I have not been able to detect traffic from my garage, the AvMap shows a “GOOD SIGNAL” flag when the XRX is turned on and a “NO SIGNAL” when turned off. All four intercom headset connections are working properly and we tested the “Play” function of the unit by connecting Alan’s Ipod to it. We tested the microphone switch connections with the meter but have not turned on the SL30 yet to confirm functionality. All individual 12v electrical sockets are functional as well. I will have to remove the panel from the fuselage to install the Quick Connectors on the pitot-static system because I have no space to do it with the panel in place.

April 2010 I installed the pitot-static system. I ordered some laboratory quality quick connectors to install in certain places for easier removal of the panel and units, if necessary. We pulled the panel out of the fuselage to fix the pitot and the dimmer issues. Bob and I have started troubleshooting the electrical system. The pitot tube monitoring LEDs were not turning on. We found that I had mismatched the wire slot assignment in the connector. We tested the pitot’s heating element and all is working fine now. The dimmer was not working. I was not worried too much with the annunciators, as most of them are supposed to be off, unless there is a problem. Some are on for only a short period of time (speed brake, doors, etc). However, it is essential to be able to dim the panel lighting. Seems like the dimmer requires a single ground for all LEDs and that poses a problem with wiring. I decided to use it only to dim the panel lights, which was my initial plan anyway.

I connected the autopilot servos and updated the software in all Dynon devices, per the manufacturer’s instructions. I uploaded my personal checklists to the Dynon system and started configuring it.

On April 12, Craig and I placed the panel inside the fuselage, connected it and powered it up, while Bob observed. The EFIS, and EMS screens came on and the LED annunciators for the doors, speed brake, alternate air and voltage all started blinking. We then turned on the AvMap and Zaon XRX and both came alive as well. There was an issue with two of the wires on the main, essential and cross feed contactors’ connections. Craig diagnosed my mistake and thankfully, there was no need to untie bundles or replace wires to reconnect them properly. Both the speed brake and the alternate air annunciators were incorrectly on, so I moved one of their connectors to the other blade on the microswitches. We will start troubleshooting now but, what a feeling to see all those devices on the panel lit up inside the fuselage; another milestone…

I renewed my medical certification. While filling the form I realized how little I have been flying lately, at the expense of building. I will need to change that.

On April 11, 2010, friend and fellow Velocity builder/pilot Barry Gibbons came to inspect my engine installation. Barry is based at Rosamond, California and is an authorized Insurance Inspector for Velocity aircraft (661-256-8272). He spent 1.75 hours going over everything on that engine; talk about thoroughness. I did not think one could spend that much time inspecting such a small surface. He gave me some good recommendations, which I will follow, but very minor stuff to address. These should be taken care of in about an hour. I am a happy fellow.

I underwent my flight review with flight instructor Mikeal Smith at Barnes Aviation (KWJF) in Lancaster, California.

Other than running the wing wires (landing lights and strobe/nav lights), we are down to the connectors between the panel and the fuselage. We should be able to power up the system in the next couple of weeks.

March 2010 I have been very busy with work, even on weekends. Bob has been busy as well, and under the weather at times. Therefore, work has been very slow in the last several weeks but we are now down to the installation of connectors between the panel and the fuselage. I believe that, except for the wires that run inside the wings for the landing and nav-strobe lights, all the wires have been run.

Another milestone… the wheels are on. I encountered a problem installing the nose wheel. The fork was not rotating freely and found that the bend on the nose strut went slightly past the flange. I spoke with Scott Swing at the factory and decided to modify the setup recommended in the manual to fix the problem. I believe the new assembly will work better than the original.

February 2010 Bob and I have had some difficulties to continue work in the last several weeks. Therefore, the work on the electrical has been slow lately.

January 2010 Bob had been working on my panel for several months when I realized that he had never seen a completed Velocity. So I asked Craig to let Bob and I know when he would be at the airport so that Bob could take a look at his Velocity. He emailed me to meet at the airport on January 2, 2010 and asked me if I thought Bob would be interested in a ride. I knew that he would gladly accept so, I gave him Bob’s email and told him that he should be the one telling him. I would be at the airport to assist if needed. We met at the airport around 10:00 am, including John Schoorl. Craig had come prepared with four wooden blocks and a framed piece of plywood of about 3’ x 5’. We made a platform about 13 or 14 inches high with them and lifted Bob’s wheelchair next to the airplane. He basically ended up at the copilot’s seat level. From there, Bob transferred himself into the seat. Bob is a man of few words but I know he could not believe that he was going to be able to fly in the same airplane he was helping build; so many years after his accident. Because of the gull wings, this airplane allows entrance in a way that other small airplanes don’t. Once inside, a happy man went flying and brought back proof of the event. In his own words: “It was such a clear day that we could see Catalina Island from the South West end of the Antelope Valley.” Bob did not need the platform to get out of the airplane, he just transferred himself to the wheelchair on the ground; getting in and out of the airplane turned out to be a very easy process with the Velocity.

This year has to be the one N478B becomes airborne…

December 2009 Wires… wires… and more wires… with some intermissions for family and friends.

November 2009 I ordered both the Garmin SL-30 NavComm radio and the GTX-327 Transponder from Stark Avionics. There are no longer empty trays on my panel now.

I made a presentation to give an update on my project at the EAA Chapter 49 meeting this month. With his permission, I used Al Gietzen’s video before the presentation to set the tone and it worked very well. Alan came to the meeting with me and Bob Sumoski also showed up. I believe we accomplished our goal.

October 2009 Late last month I was in Florida and visited the Velocity factory. S. Swing told me that the rubber shock has performed without any issues on the factory trainer, since it was installed. I had the chance to make some take offs and landings on the trainer and felt really smooth taxiing and upon dropping the nose. I found them working on a Rocket Racer, at a fairly advanced construction stage, which had the new rubber shock installed. There are still some units available from the manufacturer but they continue to post a note about discontinuing the part. Scott expressed his concern about lack of availability, which may force them to look for an alternative or go back to the original setup.

Bob (the Panel Man) Sumoski, continues to advance on the panel wiring. Ever since I asked him, he has been coming every weekend and has taken responsibility for the wiring on the panel. The fact that I decided to place the fuses on my panel has allowed him to do a lot of the work outside the airplane from his wheelchair. I continue to work inside the fuselage; essentially, more cables, wires and connectors…

July 2009 I started the electrical wiring work following diagrams drawn by Craig Woolston with the help of another pair of hands and knowledgeable mind, my long-time friend Robert “Bob” Sumoski. Bob became paraplegic after a motorcycle accident back in the seventies. He and I are radio control modelers, have been friends for many years and he has a background in electronics. Together with his wife Anita, he has seen my older children grow and my younger been born. Also, he has observed the building of my Velocity all along. I would let few people work on my airplane and Bob is one of them. I also know that he is the type of person willing to learn and get involved in any project that interests him and I knew this project would; anything aviation gets his attention. So, when it came time to do the electrical, I decided to ask him if he wanted to help me and he was ready to get involved. Wiring will take long months and not only do I value his help but also our chat while we get to work long hours in my garage.

I finalized the instrument panel and got it ready to start wiring its components.

My project underwent its second EAA Technical Inspection by Technical Counselors Scott Liefeld and Steve Irving from EAA Chapter 49 (Lancaster, CA) on 7/11/09. No technical issues were identified for follow up.

June 2009 I ended up buying a new AvMap EKP IV and Zaon XRX PCAS from Sarasota Avionics. They make panel installations and sell avionics equipment as well. They gave me a very good deal; $2588 for the two and excellent assistance with my questions, even before buying from them. I was favorably impressed and have added their website to my list of aviation links. After some changes to my initial plan, here is the list of actual equipment that is being installed in my instrument panel:

· Dynon FlightDek 180 and Dynon EFIS 100 (redundant ADAHRS and EMS)

· Dynon HS Expansion Module (HS34)

· Dynon Integrated Autopilot

· Garmin SL30 Comm/Nav Radio.

· Garmin GTX327 Transponder

· SoftComm Stereo Panel Mount Intercom. Model #: ATC-4PS

· AvMap EKP IV

· Zaon XRX Portable Collision Avoidance System

Velocity builder-pilot and friend John Schoorl invited me to the 2009 Golden West Fly In in Marysville, California. We fueled up, met with Paul Rosales (RV6) and departed KWJF in a flight of two. Another RV caught up with us several minutes later, near Rosamond, and continued in a flight of three to our destination. Although we were somewhat delayed by joining the RVs, Paul had XM weather and helped the group avoid some thunderstorms on our way. The flight was very smooth and weather was beautiful. Unfortunately, we experienced some undesirable (read unsafe) maneuvers by another pilot entering the pattern in Marysville, while trying to arrive as three. This forced us to go-around before landing. I had the opportunity to talk and ask questions to the Dynon and AvMap representatives in their respective booths, about equipment, connections and systems capabilities, all favorable and useful. Also, we had a good time chatting at length with Lynn Cook, who was representing Velocity Aircraft. For the return leg, we came by ourselves. Paul and his companion, F. Roncelli, decided to go lunch on their way back and Mercedes in the other RV decided to stay longer for the air show. John and I preferred to make it home early. The flight was faster without the RVs, and as smooth and enjoyable until we crossed the mountain pass into the Antelope Valley. The strong SW winds coming over the mountains shook us pretty hard for a few minutes and we landed at Fox with 27 MPH winds and gusts of 37.

May 2009 I read on the Dynon’s blog that it will likely not release its Next Generation system this year. Therefore, I decided to complete my panel per my initial plan with an AvMap EKP IV Aeronautical Navigator. I will leave the panel space intact so that I can always switch to the NextGen system at a later time. This way, I don’t have to hold the corresponding connections and wiring. My autopilot works with the AvMap and it now displays traffic when a Zaon XRX system is connected. It is also XM Wx-capable, although not simultaneously with the autopilot and the traffic display. The first thing I did was search eBay and found a bid that was taking place on a new (never used) unit. The list price for a new unit is $1499.00 and the lowest I’ve seen a new one offered is $1339.00. I asked my brother to bid for me and he ended up winning it for $944.00, shipping included. The unit turned out to be used and I returned it for a refund.

I designed and built an air filter box with alternate air source for attachment to the firewall. The alternate air source valve will open by itself, should the filter get blocked, but it also may be opened by actuating a T-handle cable from the pilot’s seat.

March 2009 I have focused mainly on the design and manufacturing of the cooling plenum, the instrument panel and the nose access cover opening mechanism in the last several weeks. Getting both the cooling plenum and the instrument panel ready for installation has been time-consuming.

February 2009 I have been increasingly busier at work and this has affected my ability to focus and keeping me from putting as many work hours into the project as I would like during the week. Not only am I working less hours on the project but when I work, I feel that I am not making enough progress. Fellow builders tell me it happens to all, especially when one works by oneself. Ygebor tells me that I enjoy building, that this is part of the experience and that I should continue to enjoy it without thinking too much about it. I know that she is right but we all want to get it in the air, especially me at home. I have started to evaluate quite frequently, which of my ideas do I really want to spend the time on, which can be done after the airplane is in the air and which ones I am not willing to spend the time in. One good thing about fiberglass is that you can always add or improve a part later. I do not intend to think much about it at this point, but I think it is easier to do things later than it is in an aluminum airplane. Lately, I have focused on the panel so that we have components at both ends of wires. However, I continue to work in multiple areas such as, electrical, instruments, structural and finish work, engine installation, etc.. Keeping the website updated now is more time consuming, because of my work in multiple areas at the same time. I spend less time updating the website now, for obvious reasons.

November 2008 I started installation of the electrical system components with Craig Woolston’s guidance. I find myself increasingly working in multiple areas of the building process. Seems like as one gets closer to completion, one has a lot of different smaller things that can be done, one gets better at working on different things at the same time, or both. Currently I am doing electrical, instruments, avionics, structural, engine, mechanical and finish work. I update the website

October 2008 I received the two autopilot servos and their installation kits from Dynon Avionics.

I have not worked on the airplane for the past 5 or 6 weeks due to time spent getting Alan’s airplane and equipment ready for his radio control flying lessons, my recent emergency trip to Venezuela and other catching up upon my return. But now, I have started working on it again.

August 2008 My father-in-law, César, became gravely ill in August. My wife had to rush a trip to Venezuela in mid-August and I followed at the end of the month. He passed on 8/28/2008. Although he did not get to see our Velocity finished, I am happy that he had the chance to see Craig and John’s and get the idea of how it would be like. I also had the opportunity to take him up in his first flight in a small airplane, back in September of 2007. He was a great person and always good to me. I will miss him.

I moved the wing rack with the wings and the canard from my garage to the airport.

I got Alan a radio-controlled electric model for his 10th birthday in July and re-joined Antelope Valley Tailwinds RC Club in Lancaster, CA. He started flying lessons with instructor Peter Carbin. This means I will have to spend time with him flying radio controlled models on weekend mornings, at the expense of Velocity building time. However, I needed to channel his uncontainable drive and interest for aviation in some way, until I get the Velocity in the air.

July 2008 Dynon Avionics announced introduction of their next generation glass-cockpit EFIS technology at Oshkosh AirVenture 2008. The system is schedule to be released in phases starting 2009. It will offer complete panel integration with the additions of GPS-based-moving map and forward-looking synthetic vision with Highway In The Sky (HITS) terrain depiction, among other features. This will change my instrument panel plans again.

On June 28, I received a call from the Gen. William J. Fox Airfield administrator, informing me that a hangar was available and I was next on the waiting list. Effective July 1, T-hangar 606 at KWJF is the official home of Dr. Tuky (N478B). This works out great as pretty soon I will need to mount both wings to finish the rudder and aileron cable controls, as well as the cowling-wing transitions and I can’t mount both wings simultaneously at home.

June 2008 On June 21, I completed another milestone on my project. I mounted the engine on the fuselage.

On June 14, friends and fellow Velocity builders Craig Woolston and John Schoorl helped me transport the engine home from their hangar and attach the engine mount to it, leaving it ready to mount on the fuselage. What a present for Fathers’ Day!

May 2008 I contacted Gen. William J. Fox Airfield to check on my place in the hangar list and was given the good news that I am finally third on the list for a hangar. Everything continues to fall in place.

After several months of slow building, the fuselage is back on its gear with the help of friends John Schoorl, Craig Woolston, Juan Carrillo and Glen Kadohr.

April 2008 Rocket Racing Composite Corporation, a subsidiary of the Rocket Racing League, announced the acquisition of Velocity Aircraft of Sebastian, Florida.

March 2008 Introduction of the Dynon Autopilot was announced just before Sun & Fun 2008. Dynon has included a double axis autopilot in their EFIS systems so that one only needs to add the servos. Since I already have redundant Dynon panels, this is now the obvious choice for my installation, in place of the planned Trio Avionics or TruTrak Systems autopilots. The servos will come in 30, 40 and 50 lbs in of torque. Although nothing else is necessary, Dynon is offering optional interface modules that facilitate and separate the autopilot controls from the EFIS panels. Delivery is scheduled to begin in mid-summer. Unfortunately, no Dynon GPS yet but I am happy the autopilot is out.

Although I started with a Fast Build kit, the kit didn’t come to me truly white. In addition, after three years of building, the primed parts that come from the factory end up showing very different shades and colors. For the first time in late March, I started priming the underside of the fuselage and the canard. What a feeling and sight it was! It continues to look more and more as an airplane, and less like a collection of parts.

The propeller arrived home on March 12, 2008. Alan wanted to open the box so I let him experience the task. Here is how it looked upon arrival.

February 2008 I started asking for quotes for a new MT Propeller and, in the process, came across a used one that was being sold by his original owner. He had replaced it with a carbon fiber Aerocomposites Propeller. After 400 hours of use on his Velocity XL / Lycoming IO540D (260hp) combination, he had it overhauled to “same as new” condition. The blades had been rebuilt, the hub overhauled, and the unit assembled and certified as “0” hours per manufacturer’s specifications. He was selling it at a reasonable price, together with the original spinner in good condition. After coming to an agreement, I bought the propeller/spinner package, seen here ready for shipment.

After much research and consultation with my son Daniel (aerospace engineer), I resolved the common nose gear rubber shock problem (slop and shimmy) by making a modification that replaces the original rubber shock with one that has a metal plate only on one side. I got the replacement part from an industrial supplier for vertical installation with the rubber side in contact with the shaft. It was tested successfully by both Kevin Steiner and Bruce Topp. Velocity Aircraft intends to install one in one of the factory demo aircrafts for further testing.

I passed my first Biennial Flight Review, which was almost 2 months past due. I know it is not advisable but I am spending most of my time building. I got that out of the way though.

January 2008 Alan, my youngest, craves knowledge and loves everything to do with aviation. He is always around me and picks up things that interest him like a little vacuum cleaner. He had discovered, a couple of days before, that he could make videos with my digital camera. So, I was working inside the cabin one night and he took the tripod and set it up to make a video of me working on the airplane. However, he got tired of waiting for me to get out of the cabin and do some work outside. So, he decided to do his own thing. Before going to bed that night, he told me that he had made a video of himself. The next day, I uploaded the video to my computer and almost fell of my chair laughing when I watched it. Here is the result. Enjoy five minutes of VELOCITY EXPLAINED BY A NINE- YEAR OLD.

December 2007 After receiving the screens and with the low winter temperatures, especially in the early morning hours, I find myself spending many hours figuring out the location of the instruments in the panel. I drew the panel to shape in an MS Word document and the instruments that I plan to install to scale, so that I could move them around for planning. It took long hours and so far, 18 drafts to come up with the one I believe to be final. This exercise involving research, measurement, downloading images of screens and instruments, scaling them and moving them around, is an example of the estimated 30% additional time I spend working on the airplane that I do not log as building time. It is exciting to play around with the panel set up, and hard to believe that I am at this stage of construction.

Getting closer to mounting the engine, I decided to place my first order for instruments. As I had in mind, I ordered two large Dynon screens; one FlightDek 180 and EFIS 100 for redundant ADAHRS and graphical EMS; HIS Expansion Module (HS34), fuel flow sensor, OAT probe and the corresponding, custom length, engine sensor main and EGT/CHT wire harnesses from SteinAir. This is another big step, at least in my building project.

I logged my 1,000th hour of work on my project at 8:15 PM on November 10, 2007, as I was sanding the leading edge of the left strake in preparation for glassing and filling.

October 2007 I decided to buy a Velocity kit three years ago mainly because of the characteristics of the airplane. However, the second reason was Velocity’s reputation on builder support. I recently attended the Velocity University in Sebastian, Florida (October 25 – 28), an educational event organized by Velocity Aircraft for builders, owners and possible future members of the Velocity family. The event exceeded my expectations with regard to the quality of the information, the organization and the meeting facilities. Once again, I confirmed the Velocity Aircraft employees’ high commitment to service and to supporting their product, as well as the Velocity owners in their building journey. The camaraderie among the Velocity community members was also evident. Even though there was not much idle time left to socialize, everyone seemed to enjoy sharing their experience and meeting personally many of those with whom we had interacted by electronic means in the past, as well as with some attendees who were planning to join the Velocity family in the future. It was a great event.

We flipped the airplane upside down on October 14, 2007 to start finishing the bottom surface of the airplane. For this, I got help from my brothers Javier and Ed, and friends Russ Christopher (RV-8 builder), John Schoorl and Craig Woolston (Velocity owners) and his brother in law, Mick Bruce. I also secured the services of a great photographer for the event, my 9-year old son Alan. More pictures and an explanation of the process can be found on number 14 in the Related Project / Ideas section of the Construction page.

July 2007 After much thinking, this is what I am planning for my instrument panel:

· HIS Expansion Module (HS34)

· AvMap EKP IV permanently installed in the panel.

· Garmin SL30 Comm/Nav radio.

· Garmin GTX330 Transponder.

· PS Engineering PM1000 II intercom

· Dynon Integrated Autopilot after its introduction in March 2008.

June 2007 Three years ago, on June 25, 2004, I placed the order for a Fast Build Velocity XL FG kit. June 25 is a very special date for me, not because of this, but for very different reasons. I spent two weeks in the Head Start Program at the Service Center, early in November/2004. The kit was delivered home in Jan / 2005 and I made the first entry in my building log on February 5. I hope to fly sometime next year.

I closed my second fuel strake. The assembled fuselage parts are now symmetrical and starting to look like an airplane.

May 2007 My son Frank earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communication at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio on May 20, 2007.

My oldest son Daniel earned his Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida on May 7, 2007.

On my way back to Daytona Beach from a four day business trip in Florida, I stopped at the Velocity factory in Sebastian. I had a chance to see both Scott S and B, Duane, Paul, Chad, and Jim again. I had not talked with them since my two weeks at the Service Center, back in late 2004. Everyone was as cordial and helpful as usual. Although somewhat early for any formal transition training, I had made arrangements to go up in the factory’s trainer on May 11, 2007. I wanted to experience the Velocity’s flying characteristics from the left seat. Scott Swing went up with me. Although the weather was marginal (low overcast), it still gave us a chance to fly locally. I felt very comfortable flying the airplane and using constant speed propeller controls for the first time. I did not find it difficult to fly the airplane; just different from the Cessnas I normally fly. Everything just happens faster and one has to get used to it. After a couple of short flying sessions and four landings, Scott told me I would not have problems transitioning and flying my XL. It was quite an experience to fly a Velocity for the first time. I also brought with me a list of building questions and was able to go over them with Scott. I got clarification and all kinds of good building tips from him. I enjoyed my visit very much and consider it was very productive.

March 2007 MT Propellers confirmed that the overhauled Hartzell propeller governor that came with my engine can be used with their propeller.

February 2007 I received the IO540 Lycoming Engine Installation kit, as well as the Front and Rear Oil Cooler kits from the factory. The powder coating of the engine mount was damaged in transit so I had it removed, had its weldments inspected for integrity and powder coated again for installation.

December 2006 After it started to get cold, I have been avoiding doing any strake or structural lay ups. The last ones I did I had to apply heat and I was satisfied neither with the consistency and flow of the epoxy nor with its cloth-soaking characteristics. Therefore, I will spend time doing work that does not involve epoxy or is non structural until it starts to warm up.

November 2006 Scott Liefeld, Technical Counselor of EAA Chapter 49 (Lancaster, CA) came to check my building project for the first time. Chapter member Craig Wooston accompanied him to assist with the evaluation as an experienced Velocity builder and pilot. Once again, I had the opportunity to tap into a lot of experience, as we discussed several building topics. At the end, my whole family was happy to hear that both considered my project to be of “very good” quality, as it was entered in the paperwork. Until the next one, some more building to be done…

October 2006 The engine was delivered to Craig’s and John’s hangar at Gen. William J. Fox Airfield on October 27, 2006. As usual, Alan is the official photographer of these events and is always with me. This is how the engine looks.

I was invited to see the building project of my newfound friend, Russ Christopher, just a few minutes from home in Leona Valley. He is building a Vans RV8 kit. Although I know nothing about metal building, I have seen many manufactured and homebuilt metal airplanes on the ramp. This gives me a good comparison baseline and I will say that the quality of his workmanship (1) (2) is impressive, both inside and outside. I get highly motivated when I see the quality of projects and airplanes like those of Craig Woolston/John Schoorl, Kevin Steiner, Barry Gibbons, Paul Rosales and Russ. I am humbled when I realize how much knowledge, skills and experience they have offered to me and most of all, am thankful for their friendship. Since Russ and I are the two still building, we are going to have to help each other keep ourselves focused to finish our projects as soon as possible. I truly look forward to go flying with this group.

I had reserved an airplane to practice some landings over the weekend. However, my folks came to visit and I decided to take Mom on a short flight for breakfast to a nearby airport (California City) instead. It was the first time for her in a small airplane. We encountered minor turbulence on our way back but not enough to make her uncomfortable. It is my old man’s turn next time.

A good opportunity presented and I ended up buying the engine for my project, a little earlier than expected. It is a Lycoming IO540-K1A5 (300 hp) with 0 hours since major overhaul (SMOH) by Firewall Forward in Colorado. The Velocity factory stated that this was a good engine model for the XL. It came with alternator, starter, fuel servo, fuel pump, vacuum pump, overhauled Hartzell propeller governor, one magneto and one new Light Speed Plasma III electronic ignition installed. I consider this a crucial step in the homebuilder’s experience. I believe that buying the engine denotes true and formal determination to completing the project. It is difficult to spend that much money if there is any doubt; and a lot harder to let the kit and the engine sit after such an expense. Craig and John offered to keep it at their hangar until I finish the second strake and now am ready to attack the engine installation.

September 2006 I went flying with my brother Ed, on September 24, 2006, and logged my 100th hour of flying time and 23rd of cross-country flying right before landing between two firefighting tankers.

On my way back from a business trip to the East Coast I responded to an invitation from friend Kevin Steiner to stay over the weekend with him in Phoenix and go flying in his Velocity ”Deception“ of course, he really had to pressure me for that... From his base at Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (DVT) we flew to Sedona (SEZ) and to Payson (PAN). Early morning flights with great weather, stunning Arizona scenery and two rather interesting airports. Therefore, on September 16, 2006, I had the chance to log time in a Velocity for the first time and appreciate its fine flying qualities as a pilot. Been able to do it in such a fine aircraft was a highlight. We talked plenty about Velocity and as always, I received some good building tips and suggestions.

I also had the chance to meet Matt Bucko. A new and obviously excited Velocity kit owner, and with a great sense of humor I might add, undergoing remodeling of his “facilities” before taking the building plunge. We had a great time over some coal-baked pizza and a rather unappealing type of soft drink for Matt (Passion Fruit Iced Tea).

After a few fast taxi sessions and some final adjustments during August, friends and fellow builders John Schoorl and Craig Woolston saw their Velocity XL5 taxi at Gen. William J. Fox Airfield (KWJF) in Lancaster, California, for its maiden flight. At 9:35 AM on September 3, 2006, N541SW flew for the first time with test pilot Michael Sizoo at the controls. The aircraft was taken to an altitude of 9000 and a speed of 145 knots during the 30-minute flight. The test pilot reported the airplane to fly very smoothly and the flight as uneventful. Both owners and their families were pleased and extremely happy, to say the least. Formal flight testing is scheduled for the next several weeks.

August 2006 On August 17, 2006, I took Daniel, my oldest son, on our first trip together. He came for a short visit after completing an internship at Aerosat Avionics in New Hampshire and before starting his senior year of Aerospace Engineering at Embry-Riddle University in Florida. It was a great day to fly. We departed WJF to the north and flew over Rosamond before heading south to avoid restricted areas and turning east. We spent some good time together both before and after our $100 breakfast.

July 2006 On July 15, 2006, Craig Woolston and John Schoorl start their engine for the first time.

I logged my 500^th hour of work on my project at 11:45 AM on July 8, 2006, as I was glassing the sheet of foam to be used for the strake bulkheads.

On July 2, 2006, got my check ride on a Cessna 172.

June 2006 On June 24, 2006, a wing is mounted for the first time on the fuselage. With Craig Woolston’s help, we mounted the right wing to proceed with fuel strake’s construction. The assembly takes the width of my three-car garage with little space on both sides to walk around. The garage door does not clear the winglet tip so; it is going to be a long hot summer.

My former flight instructor, Dr. Stephen Corda, was awarded the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal for helping get the Space Shuttle back in flight. It was presented by Rex Geveden, NASA’s Associate Administrator, and Kevin Petersen, Center Director for the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, on June 6 during the 2006 NASA Agency Honor Awards ceremony at Edwards Air Force Base in California. This medal is granted for a significant, specific accomplishment or substantial improvement in operations, efficiency, service, financial savings, science, or technology that contributes to NASA’s mission. His citation reads: “For exceptional leadership and management of the F-15B Lifting Foam Trajectory Flight Research Team, in support of the Shuttle return to flight program.” (Details)

May 2006 On May 28, 2006, I helped friends and fellow Velocity builders Craig Woolston and John Schoorl take their wings to their hangar at William J. Fox Airport (WJF) and bolt them to the fuselage. They are getting closer.

On May 23, 2006, I took Frank, my second oldest son on our first $100 “breakfast.” He just finished his junior year of a communications major at John Carroll University in Ohio and was visiting for part of the summer. Great day for flying after a rather stormy and windy couple of days. We took off from WJF just before 8:00AM and landed at APV for breakfast. He took quite a few pictures, asked a lot of questions and enjoyed the flight.

April 2006 On April 30, 2006, my wife and I went for an early morning flight. We rented a 152 and took off from WJF to fly over the Tehachapi Mountains on our way for breakfast, if possible. However, the weather was not good for VFR over the mountains and went directly to the California City Airport. We had not been there but we knew there was a little airport restaurant. Upon landing, we had a Fouga Magister jet land behind us We found out that two of them are based there, and that a third one was coming that week. We chatted with the jet pilots and our nice $100 breakfast followed. We later enjoyed some flying around the valley before heading back to the airport. It was a great way to spend the early morning hours of our 29th wedding anniversary.

March 2006 On March 26, 2006, I took the little ones up. A beautiful day but rather windy (variable direction from 020 and 070 and speeds between 7 and 14 knots with gusts) and bumpy. I took the same approach to the first flight as with my wife; takeoff followed by immediate touch and go to get the anticipation out of the way. I had explained the reasons for possible airplane movements and Melissa seemed not to care much about the bumpiness. We flew locally for about 35 to 40 minutes. I landed and took Alan up. Winds had increased by then. We completed the touch and go and departed to the north. I could tell that as opposed to Melissa, Alan was a little apprehensive and getting tense with some of the bumps. So I decided to cut his flight short. I continued to reassure and explain things to him, as well as point areas and objects on the ground, to keep his mind away from the conditions as we headed back to the airport. His flight was less than 25 minutes. At the end, both were very happy and planning for the next flight. They ended up the adventure with a couple of cheeseburgers and fries at Foxy’s Restaurant as they enjoyed the airport activity and shared their respective experiences.

I took up my first passenger on March 23, 2006, my wife Ygebor. We dropped Melissa and Alan at school and headed for the airport (WJF) in Lancaster, CA. The weather was incredible with some scattered clouds and no wind, which is rather unusual in our area. She seemed to be very calm and observed the C-152’s preflight with great interest, asking some questions here and there. I took the picture as we waited for the fueling truck. We boarded and taxied for the run up. It was rather busy for such an early weekday morning. We took off shortly after 8:00 am and returned for an immediate touch and go. I felt that by making a landing right away, I would eliminate the anticipation for the landing during the flight and make it more relaxed for her. We departed to the south and flew over areas of West Palmdale familiar to her, including our house, the nearby golf course, aqueduct, etc. We then headed northwest to less populated areas to enjoy the view. We ran into some traffic maneuvering (RV-8?) in the practice area and decided to head northeast toward Rosamond. I pointed to her the dry lakebed and Edwards AFB, explaining nearby MOAs and restricted areas on the chart surrounding the base. We flew over Rosamond and clearly distinguished Mojave (north) , Edwards (east) and the windmills in the Tehachapi Mountains farther north. We decided to return and headed south toward the airport. A few miles out heard of an inbound Cessna Citation seven miles away. We were instructed to land #2 behind it. Instead of entering right base straight, I turned southeast for a longer final to delay my landing behind the just “slightly” faster ship ahead of me. We saw it on downwind. As the jet was turning base I was entering mine about a mile or so farther east. I avoided possible turbulence with a high approach and landing after the jet’s touchdown point. We taxied to park at Barnes Aviation. By the time I shut down with .9 on the HOBBS, she said that she was ready for the next one. I still have the little ones to take up. Hopefully the weather will be as good with them as it was with her.

I decided to write my own pilot’s prayer to express the joy I felt flying, after so many years, and one that I could pray to God before every flight. Once final, I posted the prayer on my website for other pilots to copy and distribute.

Granted Statement of Demonstrated Ability (SODA) by FAA Inspector Steve Kline, for 3rd Class Medical Certificate, upon successful completion of FAA Special Vision Medical Flight Test at WJF on March 2, 2006 at 10:50 AM. So, I am done with the requirements! I need to start learning now.

Peculiar wind conditions during flight.

Preflight 9:56AM Wind: Calm (ATIS and Weather Underground History )

Takeoff 10:20AM Wind: 23009KT (Wind Advisory Tower Update with clearance)

Landing 10:50AM Wind: 23018G25 (Wind Advisory Tower Update on final)

16G21 (Weather Underground History: 10:47AM)

January 2006 After much thought decided to change my reserved number to N478B. Since all the numbers I wanted were already taken or unavailable, and the one I had picked up was rather long, I went for a shorter one ending with B.

December 2005 Earned Private Pilot Certificate from examiner George Prewitt on December 17, 2005. Still need to pass FAA Vision Special Medical Flight Test due to 20/50 corrected vision in left eye.

November 2005 † Florencio (Flo) Hernandez Diaz (RIP), a good father, husband and friend but most importantly, an extraordinary human being. He was killed the night before Thanksgiving by an irresponsible driver running a stop at high speed. Flo was very skilled and experienced, but a humble professional. He moved from finishing fiberglass race cars to composite aircraft and was a long-time employee of Scaled Composites (15 years) working on aircraft such as the Voyager, the White Knight and SpaceShip One.

You finished my wings Flo… I will finish the airplane in your memory. We’ll get to fly together then my friend….

September 2005 Passed the Private Pilot Airplane Knowledge Test on September 5, 2005.

June 2005 I asked my youngest children, Melissa (11) and Alan (6) to find a name for our airplane. They came up with two possibilities but all four of us immediately agreed on which one we liked best. For some unknown reason, Alan was nicknamed “Tuky” by his brother Daniel when he was a baby, after the George of the Jungle movie character. Our airplane was formally baptized as “Dr. Tuky”on June 25, 2005.

After much delay due to rain and wind, completed Long Solo Cross-Country Flight requirement from Lancaster (WJF) to Bakersfield Municipal (L45) to Inyokern (IYK) through the Tehachapi Mountains and back to Lancaster (WJF) California through Mojave (190 miles).

May 2005 First Solo Cross-Country Flight from Lancaster (WJF) - Apple Valley (APV) - Lancaster (WJF), California (104 miles). A lot of studying and not much building since March.

March 2005 I noticed that to fly and study to earn Private Pilot certification while trying to build the airplane is very inefficient. I have decided to earn certification first. Then, I can dedicate my weekends to just building the airplane and log hours around the building schedule.

February 2005 Earned solo certificate in the morning of February 5, 2005 and started building the kit at home that afternoon.

January 2005 Wings were delivered on January 25, 2005. I built a mobile rack with wood recycled from the crate so I can move them around in the garage.

Finished the parts inventory on January 9, 2005 and it is now in the garage.

Fast Build XL FG kit SFG029 was delivered on January 7, 2005. My friends Tim Hampton, Lou Tellez and Barry Gibbons showed up to help. John Schoorl and Craig Woolston came after work to participate in the event.

· Preparation and Weather

· Forklift Delivery

· Delivery Truck Arrival

· Pulling the Crate

· Crate at Ground Level and Up the Driveway

· Crate Size and Unpacking

· Receiving Crew

December 2004 Kit delivery scheduled for January 7, 2005.

Both kits are loaded for shipment at the factory on December 22, 2004.

Fast Aircraft Transportation postpones kit’s delivery until second week of January 2005. Rob Greiner secures a much better transportation deal with Solistics.

Velocity Inc. has scheduled loading/shipment of kit (SFG029) for December 15, 2004.

November 2004 Upon my return from Sebastian, I started working on a website to document my building experience and catalog my photos.

After much delay due to several hurricanes affecting the Florida area, I finally got to the Velocity factory on November 1, 2004 and was able to start working on my kit. This allowed me to meet the Velocity crew and tap into their expertise, as well as meet other fellow builders. Two weeks in the Head Start program gave me great knowledge and experience about tools, materials and building techniques. I had a great time and highly recommend going through this program before starting to build a kit.

● Arrival at Factory

● Kit Delivery

● Beginning Head Start Program

As I drove away from the hangar at the end of my last day at the factory, I saw this. I realized it was the first one I had seen since my arrival at Sebastian and made me feel my project was looked upon with eyes of approval. I certainly look forward to the future. Delivery of my kit in California is now tentatively scheduled for mid-December.

October 2004 Notified by Velocity that my kit will be ready by month’s end. Scheduled to begin my two weeks of Head Start Program on November 1.

September 2004 Hurricane Jeanne, the fourth to make land fall in Florida in six weeks, hit Sebastian very hard. The Velocity Service Center hangar was destroyed with several customer projects inside. The building projects are repairable. It may take weeks before power and services are restored in the area. Delivery of my FB kit is delayed further .

Hurricane Frances devastates Florida, especially the Central Eastern coast. There was no major damage at the Velocity factory in Sebastian but there is a delay of several weeks in their production schedule. Delivery of my FB kit is delayed to probably some time in November.

August 2004 Started flying lessons on August 14, 2004 at Barnes Aviation in William J. Fox (WJF) Airport (Lancaster, CA) on Cessna 152 N68961 with recommended test and aerobatic pilot, Stephen Corda.

July 2004 Factory scheduled to complete kit (SN: SFG029) by the end of September. Delivery expected some time in October after two weeks of Head Start Program building at the Velocity Service Center.

Received FAA Third Class / Student Pilot Medical Certificate.

June 2004 Sent order for a Fast Build Velocity XL FG. (June 25, 2004).

After much research on my part, there is unanimous family consensus to buy a Velocity XL. I have chosen the fixed gear model for the following reasons:

1. There is no doubt that a retractable gear looks better…. but only when looked at by others from the air. On the ground or close to it, which is from where it is going to be seen, and from where I will be seeing it; it looks a lot better with wheel pants.

2. With regard to the retractable gear’s 10% speed pick up (in paper) from an already high cruise speed, I did not feel the impact on the type of flying I intend to make was going to be significant enough to warrant the additional expense on training/certification, hardware, maintenance, insurance and other risks such as malfunction or forgetting to lower it (the most frequent incident cause). I will be flying exclusively for fun and the 10% or so lower speed only means that I will spend an additional 6 or 7 minutes flying, hopefully more, for every hour of flight. As opposed to a penalty, I will find this very rewarding. That’s why I am getting into this after all… to fly as much as I can and for as long as I can.

Invited by local builder/pilot Paul Rosales (RV6A) for a detailed look at an aluminum airplane, as part of the RV10 research. Great information from an experienced builder and pilot, and great flying with several hours of formation flying practice.

Submitted ophthalmologist’s evaluation to FAA Regional Flight Surgeon.

May 2004 Started reorganizing garage at home for still an undetermined kit.

Underwent FAA Medical Certification Exam and did not pass visual requirements on left eye. Required to submit ophthalmologist’s evaluation to FAA Regional Flight Surgeon for further consideration.

Visited Velocity plant in Florida with my son Daniel, (Aerospace Engineering student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) to test SE’s cabin size with different configurations. SE cabin still felt tight.

March - April 2004 Continued research on homebuilt aircraft issues and talked with local Velocity and RV owner/pilots. Met John Schoorl, Velocity builder/owner partner of Craig Woolston.

February 2004 Performance and specifications’ differences between Velocity SE and XL did not seem significant to me, except for luggage space and cabin comfort. Velocity representatives introduced me to Velocity builder/owner Kevin Steiner in Phoenix, AZ to look into cabin size. I went to AZ with my family and with my brother Ed. on another business and took the opportunity to connect with him. I got my first ride on Kevin’s Velocity. Great guy, beautiful looking and flying machine but the cabin felt small for me. If I buy a Velocity, I will probably buy the XL.

January 2004 Reserved aircraft number N625TT for a future kit. The number is for June 25, a very significant date for our family, and for a very special person (TT) in our lives.

Attended EAA Chapter 49 meeting at W. J. Fox Airport in Lancaster, CA . Met Paul Rosales who welcomed and introduced me to several members. After expressing my interest in building a Velocity kit, I was introduced to local Velocity builders Craig Woolston and Barry Gibbons. Both invited me to see their building projects.

I realized that building an airplane at home is possible for me.

December 2003 Attended a Glastar Fly In in Corona (CA). I flew in a GlaStar and saw the Sportsman. Nice flying but the Sportsman is not a true 4-seater.

October 2003 Sportsman, RV-10 and Velocity caught my attention.

September 2003 Started researching the possibility of getting a Private Pilot’s License and building an experimental aircraft at home.

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