Ishmael Fuentes
Fixed-Pitch Props
Choosing a prop for your homebuilt is always a compromise that involves consideration of cost, performance, how you'll fly and more. Still, sometimes the simplest solution is the best one.
Engine Mounts
Many factors go into designing and building good engine mounts, including consideration of the engines thrust line and gyroscopic precession effects. They deserve our respect.
Hose Protection
Ishmael Fuentes shows you how to protect and cool the hoses in your engine compartment by making a firesleeve.
Shop Talk: V-Block Drill Jig from Scrap
Having problems drilling a precise hole in a tube? Ishmael Fuentes has the perfect-and inexpensive-solution with this nifty, easy-to-make V-block drill jig.
You and the Tube
For some builders, the prospect of flaring hard-line tubing is daunting. Ishmael Fuentes demystifies the process, and shows you how to get good results every time.
Cable-Exit Fairings
Don't let unsightly cable-exit holes spoil the look or performance of your aircraft.
Flying in the Ford World
Sage philosopher and aviation nut Uncle Ishmael explains how, for about the price of a 4-year-old Ford pickup truck, you can own a serviceable homebuilt aircraft. Youll probably have to forgo anything certified, and hone your scrounging skills, but when all is said and done, isn't getting up in the air flying better than sitting on the ground dreaming?
In Case You Missed It
Down to Earth
When pilot/builder Amy Laboda planted the seed in her husband's mind that the most suitable next airplane for them would be a glass-panel RV-10, the suggestion was met with something akin to a sneer-despite her sincere offer to help with the build. Still, the project has turned out to be a joint effort, complete with all the give and take one would anticipate in such an endeavor.
Laminar- vs. Turbulent-Flow Airfoils
Airfoils break down into two general classes based on the behavior of the boundary layer.
Fire in the Hole
Were all used to the standard red canister fire extinguisher, often encased behind glass, that we've grown up with at school, work and at home. But the need to put out flames in racecars has brought about a new generation of extinguishers, suitable for aircraft, which offers effective protection in a small and attractive package.
Experimotive
Ben Haass STOL Zenith 801, featuring a Ford V-8 auto conversion, made quite a first impression at AirVenture 09. This month, he tells Rick Lindstrom what makes it all work.