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Pietenpol Aircraft Construction and Corvair Conversion
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What is a Pietenpol?
• All wood aircraft.
• Three engine choices.
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What is a Pietenpol?
• Designed by Bernard Pietenpol in the 1930s
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What is a Pietenpol
• Some of Bernard Pietenpol’s early experimental designs
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What Is a Pietenpol?
• Has met with great success with homebuilders for over 80 years
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How I Chose a Pietenpol
• First heard about it in an article in EAA Sport Aviation
• Seemed like a simple plane to build
• I was somewhat familiar with wood working
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How I Chose a Pietenpol
• After building several pedal planes I began to look more seriously at the Pietenpol
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How I Chose a Pietenpol
• Contacted Bernard Pietenpol’s grandson, Andrew
• Ordered the plans
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Construction
• I began with the fuselage
• I am building the longer fuselage for a lighter engine
• The two fuselage sides are built separately
• Ordered wood and began jigging up the longerons
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Fuselage Construction
• Mitered and fit the cross braces
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Fuselage Construction
• Began gluing in the uprights and cross braces
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Fuselage Construction
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Fuselage Construction
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More Fuselage Construction
• Began adding gussets
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More Fuselage Construction
• Added ply fuselage side
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More Fuselage Construction
• Gluing on side
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More Fuselage Construction
• Getting ready to join the two sides
• Began gluing in cross braces
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Joining Fuselage Sides
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Joining Fuselage Sides
• Glued up tail post
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• Added gussets on top of cross members
• Put plywood braces on fuselage top
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Turtleback
• Cut a slotted spruce block for the stringers
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Turtleback
• Added a sloted piece of plywood on the back of the fuselage former to hold stringers
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Turtleback
• Made plywood formers
to hold stringers
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Turtleback
• Glued in stringers
• Added gusset on front
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Tail Surfaces
• Same method of construction
• I started with the vertical fin
• “T” shaped wood cut on a table saw
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Tail Surfaces
• Glued up structure
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Tail Surfaces
• Added ribs and gussets
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Tail Surfaces
• Horizontal stabilizer rudder and elevators constructed in the same way
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Tail Surfaces
• Cut mortises for hinges in horizontal stabilizer
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Tail Surfaces
• Elevators
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Tail Surfaces
• Rudder
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Corvair Engine
• Six cylinder horizontally opposed
• Air cooled
• 100 horsepower
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History of Corvair Engine as an Aircraft Engine
• Was first used as an aircraft engine by Bernard Pietenpol
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• The last two aircraft Bernard Pietenpol built used Corvair engines
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Why I Chose a Corvair
• We heard William Wynne talk about Corvairs at Brodhead
• It seemed like a good powerful engine
• Learning experience of working on the engine
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Corvair Conversion
• Several modifications
• Crankshaft threading
• Fifth bearing
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Our Corvair
• Partially completed project
• Major modifications done by Roy’s Garage
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Corvair College
• Put on by William Wynne
• Three day builder assist
• First one we went to was the first weekend in March in San Marcos, TX
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Corvair College 28
• At Corvair College 28 we were learning what we had for an engine
• Put on top cover, oil filter housing, prop hub and ring gear, and valve rotators
• Purchased the rest of the parts we needed to run it
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Corvair College 29
• Last weekend in March in Leesburg, FL
• We were hoping to run the engine
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Corvair College 29
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Corvair College 29
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The Corvair Smile