Local T2

Loved watching it fly!

Dale's Teenie Two Wings

Stopped by Dale's hangar and we got the outer wings attached to his plane.

LOOKS AWESOME!

Couldn't wait to get back to the garage and cut some sheet metal!

There's no better inspiration than seeing the real deal...

Thanks Dale!

Aluminum!

I received some aluminum sheet metal from Aircraft Spruce & Specialty. I got a sheet of .020" for the wing ribs and some .040" for the bulkheads. This should allow me to finish up the wing ribs, barring any unforeseen problems. I will also be able to complete the bulkheads but I am holding off doing the tail section bulkheads for now. Those will be done when I do the fuselage skins.

I have quite a bit of .020 yet to buy, in order to do the wing skins. When the wing is complete I will move on the fuselage.

I will probably be building up the wing spar next month and because of the length of the metal required (3 6-ft sections) I will purchase the metal from a local supplier. It is just too costly to ship long packages. The advantage of using a company like Aircraft Spruce is one of price. They are very quick in their response time and called me immediately to let me know that there was going to be a hefty shipping charge for .040 aluminum sheet. That thickness can't be rolled like the .020 so it becomes too expensive to ship.

I highly recommend using Aircraft Spruce & Specialty, they are awesome to deal with!

A Teenie Two Flies!

I went up to Mesa today to hang out with my friend Dale, a fellow Teenie Two enthusiast. Dale's Teenie is nearly ready to fly again, after some maintenance he has done to get it airworthy. It has flown before with previous owners so we know it does fly. With the amount of time on the airframe, I am fairly sure it flies well too. Nobody would spend a lot of time flying an airplane that had bad manners!

I also got to see Dale's friend Dusty actually fly his Teenie Two! Dusty's plane has far fewer hours on it but it looks really cool. It is the first flying Teenie Two that I have seen and it looks like a little rocket zipping around the pattern, despite its actual airspeed. His plane is all blue with white stripes on the wings that make it really stand out when it banks into a turn.

I was impressed and encouraged by the flight and I can't wait for the time when my little bird takes to the air! One thing is certain however, I will have the ability to fly open cockpit. Dusty is pretty hardy to be flying a closed cockpit airplane (no cabin vents) in 100 degree weather! Whew!

Thanks to Dusty for letting me take pictures of his plane and showing it off for me! You rock!