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This presentation explains the most important details of preparing and installing the popular Rotax 912 family of four stroke engines in your experimental homebuilt aircraft.  This reliable, high performance engine will only perform safely if installed properly as specified by the Rotax installation guide.  The important details in this guide are often misunderstood or even ignored completely resulting in catastrophic engine failures and dangerous flying situations. 

This video makes the the installation guide come to life by demonstrating on screen an actual installation while explaining the theory behind the procedures!

Topics explained on screen by the knowledgeable instructor include:

How to configure and install the oil system (cooler, hoses, tank)

How to purge the oil system during the first time fill

How to configure and plumb the cooling system (hoses, radiator, overflow bottle, coolant)

Understanding and wiring the regulator/rectifier (Do I need a big capacitor?)

Generator capacity and hookup to the regulator/rectifier

How to wire the temperature sensors and gauges

Installation of the exhaust system

Carburetor and fuel system theory and hookup (cables for chokes and carbs)

Starter circuit and solenoid wiring

Detailed steps for the very first time startup

Synchronizing the carburetors - manually AND pneumatically!

Most common installation errors that have resulted in engine failures

The inside scoop on what  the issues with fuel and oil selection are

Much, much more!

DVD Running time: 1.5 hours

 We are proud to say that this is the most cost effective investment you can make in your safety and investment whether you are planning or currently involved with an experimental aircraft project that utilizes the 912 or 912S engine.  We have documented and explained an actual engine installation from the beginning to first time runup, including balancing the carbs with vacuum gauges... learn by watching!

You can now watch over the shoulder of an authorized Rotax service technician as he tears down a 2 cycle aircraft engine!

Includes 2 teardowns: air cooled (503/447) AND water cooled (582 bluehead)

If you can't attend a Rotax engine workshop, then owning this DVD is the next best thing!

Alan Laymon, owner of Solo Aviation, an authorized Rotax repair station with 10 years of experience with 2 cycle aircraft engines, explains in clear language at each step of his inspection process as he disassembles an engine. You can now see and understand what procedures are involved with the 150 and 300 hour inspection/rebuild services.  Alan points out the places carbon accumulates, where the common areas of wear occur, and other signs indicating the possibility of potential failures. The specialized Rotax engine tools are demonstrated as to their function in removing various internal components. Installation and maintenance tricks are also demonstrated and explained for the purpose of heading off future engine failures that can lead to disaster.

Some of the areas and functions of the engine that are demonstrated in detail include:

• One of the most detailed carburetor overhauls you have ever seen - with clear explanations at each step!
• What comes in a carb rebuild kit... where do all the pieces go?
• Identification and removal of all carb jets and float adjustment
• Overwhelming evidence of what moisture does inside your engine
• How moisture gets into your engine!
• The proper way to clean and re-oil those air filters
• Where carbon accumulates inside the engine, and what components have to be removed to clean it off!
• Some examples of the impact of using unofficial Rotax parts in an aircraft engine
• How the fan belt is adjusted and removed
• How the cross shaft is removed
• Operation of the specialty tools for component removal and the consequences of not using them
• Common problems to avoid when re-installing heads
• How the throttle cable attaches to the carburetor
• Things to look for when inspecting a used engine
• How to replace the cord on the recoil starter
• What to examine in the B and E gearboxes

Will you really take the plunge and build your first metal aircraft?

Our first presentation, Metalworking 101 with rudder workshop is targeted to the beginning student of pop-riveted metal kit plane construction. The ideal audience for this video is the person who is contemplating the undertaking of a metal kit plane project (for example: Zenith, Sonex, Hummel) and wants to witness the actual skills and procedures necessary for successfully achieving this end.  This very affordable DVD will take you thru the actual construction of a Zenith rudder, from start to finish.  While it can be used to supplement the construction guide supplied by the manufacturer with this rudder (a CH701 or CH601), it is actually intended to demonstrate to the beginning builder just what tasks and skills are required for any similar brand of metal kit plane construction. In addition to the rudder building demonstration,  general metal building procedures are explained and demonstrated.  Topics included in the demonstrations are:

• identifying and cutting standard aircraft aluminum sheet
• drilling and deburring aluminum sheet
• simple and safe corrosion protection
• cleco sizes and procedures
• blind (pop) rivets and riveting demonstrations
• special tools commonly used in metal working for kit planes

Watching the demonstrations and discussions of these topics in this video are clearly the next best thing to attending a live workshop for obtaining his knowledge.

These presentations are produced by a professional instructor and homebuilder, and actors are used only for the humorous content - which place these productions in a very special category... you will enjoy them!

Do you feel uncomfortable at the thought of wiring your homebuilt ?
 

Then Electrical Wiring101 for your Homebuilt Aircraft was created just for you!

You don't need to be an expert to handle the electrical wiring for a homebuilt aircraft.  But the correct basic information is critical to make your construction safe and reliable. This presentation will simplify and demystify the fundamentals needed for performing the wiring of your homebuilt aircraft.  Your on-screen instructor will demonstrate the basic procedures, tools and methods needed to tackle this critical part of homebuilding. Learn by watching is our fundamental teaching technique with this video.

The following aspects of homebuilt aircraft wiring will be demonstrated by your friendly, knowledgeable video instructor:

• electrical design -- how to get started!
   
• wiring objectives: safety/reliability/affordability
   
• tools: which are needed to do the job right
   
• wire - what kind and how to choose the right size
   
• fuses & circuit breakers:  what size and how many
   
• how to attach those connectors: crimping demonstration! (solder?)
   
• switches, meters, solenoids
   
• battery cables & terminations - soldering those big lugs!
   
• ignition switch and starter circuit
   

This video will provide you with the understanding of the types of skills, tools and components that are required for basic wiring of a homebuilt. You can then decide whether this is something you wish to tackle yourself.  This presentation is designed for the beginner who is contemplating wiring their homebuilt aircraft. As with all forms of learning, knowledge is power -  and with the basics under your belt, you will be confident to research more complicated matters using the resources we list onscreen. Total playng time 1Hour and 20 minutes.

Completing a homebuilt requires you to calculate and document the weight & balance figures for your plane and present them to the inspector...and for many homebuilders this task is confusing and complicated -- however, we have a video to make this task simple and easy to understand.

This DVD is specifically designed to teach the experimental aircraft homebuilder who is not comfortable with weight & balance concepts how to perform the required weight & balance calculations for their aircraft. We make it easy for you to understand the concepts required to perform your own weight and balance analysis on your aircraft and then document the findings for the inspection process.  The video begins by presenting the big picture of the importance of weight & balance for safe aircraft flight, and then progresses through each step using video 'chapters' with detailed explanations. More experienced builders can skip through the chapters to find the information they need. The weight & balance worksheets that are required for your inspection process are displayed on screen, and the instructor explains what they mean and how to fill them out.  Some of the highlights of this DVD include:

Target audience: those builders who are new or uncomfortable with weight & balance issues as they apply to a new homebuilt

A great refresher course for those who have previously worked with weight  & balance as part of pilot training

Explains WHAT weight & balance is and WHY it is so important

What the dangerous effects of overweight or out of balance conditions have on aircraft performance

How often do weight and balance calculations have to be performed

How to weigh your homebuilt aircraft

How to determine the center of gravity (CG) location on your homebuilt

What calculations and mathematical formulas are required

Demonstrations of weight & balance calculations for a typical homebuilt

How to understand and fill out weight & balance worksheets for your inspection process

Typical loading scenarios that your inspector wants to see documented

What documentation has to be carried in your aircraft at all times

Computer spreadsheet demonstration for 'what if' loading scenarios

Methods for calculating the adjustments of your load to achieve proper balance

Questions and answers from students regarding common weight & balance issues

This affordable DVD video is approximately 90 minutes in length and is divided into 9 'chapters' to make navigation and review of desired sections fast and easy. It is certainly a great way to save time and aggravation towards completing the required weight & balance procedures for your homebuilt project while preparing for a safe, first flight.

Want to know what it takes to build a plane from plans? (scratch build, that is!)

What planned adventure in life can top that of building your own airplane from scratch – -- using just raw materials, common tools and a set of plans?

It requires a builder with special skills, knowledge, and an attitude complete with persistence and imagination. Not all of us are cut out for a project like this… although most of us can appreciate the rewards that will result!

The purpose of this video presentation is to expose you to the world of building a metal plane from plans, demonstrated by one of the most considerate pair of builders you will find anywhere. You will witness the type of skills, materials, tools and commitment that is required to accomplish this feat. These two gentlemen, Mark Townsend and David Barth (owners of Can-Zac Aviation Ltd  the Canadian distributor for Zenith Aircraft Company) donated their time and expertise in making this video so that we could share their passion for this hobby.

This 2 disk DVD video (over 3.5 hrs runtime) is divided into the following chapters for easy navigation:

From Plans to Form Blocks

Creating Cutting Blocks and Form Blocks

Producing the Metal Rib Blanks

Deburring and Polishing Techniques

Forming Ribs

Fabricating the Rudder Spar

Fabricating the Rudder Horn

Fabricating the Rudder Skins

Creating a Full Size Wing Rib

Tips, Tricks and Techniques

Building a Glass Panel for Homebuilt Aircraft is now an affordable reality!

In just the last 5 years technology has advanced to the point that a homebuilder can now create a sophisticated instrument panel that was once only available on certified aircraft.  These electronic display panels used to cost as much as our homebuilt aircraft. Today, the cost has dropped to the point that makes them competitive with the standard 'steam' gauges that we traditionally use.  New functionality and greater safety in aircraft travel result from using these new instruments.

The purpose of this DVD is to demonstrate the skills and planning process required in building a glass panel for a homebuilt.  Mark Townsend of Can-Zac Aviation, leads the viewer, step by step from the planning stages through the actual fabrication procedures and wiring for a combination glass/conventional instrument panel to be used on one of his experimental aircraft.  He explains each step of the process clearly with over the shoulder demonstrations. The start of the video begins with an uncut metal instrument panel and ends with a completed, functioning electronic glass panel which includes a moving map and flight instruments.

This DVD video (1hr 20 min runtime) discusses and demonstrates the following topics:

Design/Layout Considerations

How to choose what and where instruments and controls should be placed on the panel. Will they all fit?  Can you reach every knob and control.

Electronic vs. Conventional Gauges

What is the cost of the new glass display panels?  What new functionality is possible over conventional?

How to Cut Openings

Observe step by step techniques for creating the circular openings for the conventional gauges - and the large rectangular openings for the display panels. Use of punches, knifes, files and nibblers for professional results is demonstrated.

Wiring and plumbing instruments

Wiring of the electronic panels is easy if pre-wired plugs are used. Demonstrations of wiring the pins on these plugs is shown.  A pre-wired terminal/breaker/switch bus sub-panel is used to make things fast and easy. Even the new glass panels need air/static pressure lines for airspeed, altitude, etc and these are discussed and installed.

Functionality and Redundancy

This panel uses conventional gauges to 'back up' the functionality of the electronic panels.. however, keep in mind that the electronic panels already have their own internal batteries to protect against power failure... many things to consider when choosing the instruments to include in your panel.

 

There is no one best way to design an instrument panel - every pilot/designer has their own best way.  But by observing the steps and procedures that were taken to create the panel in this video, you will gain the knowledge and confidence to consider building one of your own. The intimidation factor is removed once you see what is involved from start to finish.  If you always wanted to build one of these for your aircraft, this DVD will allow you to decide whether to tackle the job yourself - or leave it to the pros.  The more knowledge and ideas you can gain prior to tackling this job will help you to avoid mistakes on your own panel. Knowledge is power!

This affordable  DVD video is approximately 1 hour 20 minutes in length and is divided into 5 video chapters to make navigation and review of desired sections fast and easy