Oshkosh 2003 Redux

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message news:b0yXa.64573$Ho3.9416@sccrnsc03...
What I want to know is what he said about fixing the quality control and
design problems?

Lightspeed appears to have re-designed almost everything. The headband is
different, so it won't break. The battery box is completely re-designed,
and now comes with a little plastic "holster" that can be clipped (or
permanently mounted) to the side panel. .....

All true. The 30-3G is a redesign.

However, judging from Peter R's experience with sending back
3 different headsets, and judging from my experience having
a battery box which shorted out less than a month after receiving
the headset, the QC issues could still use some work.

The point of my other post was, it is nice that the President of
Lightspeed offered you a free headset. It will be nice for you
if he comes through.

But there are plenty of other folks out there who spent comparable
amounts of money on Lightspeed Headsets to you and Mary (ourselves
amoung them, we own 3) and who are having recurrant problems, and
what are they doing for us?

I have to say it, and if you'll send me the guy's name and address
I'll say it to him: we're very concerned that we've spent more than
$1000 on comfortable headsets which we enjoy very much, but which
are going to keep breaking, and that the great service and support
to fix them will only be around as long as the company is.

If they don't fix their QC issues and do *something* for their
(current crop of) loyal customers who keep having to send in their
headsets for repair, how long is that going to be?

IMHO they need to do something beyond "supply the occasional free
headset to a guy in the right place at the right time". They need
to come up with (at least an attempt) at a retrograde fix for the
20K, 20XL, and 25XL design problems.

Cheers,
Sydney

We had a lot of hail around those boomers, some as big as golf balls, and some leaving 2" of pea sized on the ground.
Gotta watch those temps aloft...

--
Dan D.



..
"Jay Honeck" wrote in message news:swtXa.62680$uu5.6087@sccrnsc04...
With all of the rain and t-storms there, you were able to leave VFR? I
was
watching the weather closely the last few days and noticed line after line
of storms in the area of Oshkosh.

Yep -- it rained every day we were there!

We departed yesterday knowing (from our North 40 FAA weather briefing) that
there was a line of showers/storms stretching North/South down the state
about 60 miles west of OSH. The radar was your typical summer shot of
popcorn -- showers appearing and building out of no where, and then
dissipating just as quickly. They weren't moving east much, just kind of
developing in place.

We launched figuring we'd be able to slide down the east side of the line,
and eventually pick our way west in between the cells. In the Midwest, in
summer, when faced with a disorganized line of storms (and with a good
ceiling of at least 2500 feet), this is quite doable.

Of course we called Flight Service in the air, who immediately advised us to
"land in Madison for a weather briefing, as things look tough ahead for
you". We were just east of Madison at that time, could see one big cell
bearing down on Madison, with clear all around. We thanked him very much,
bid him adieu, and simply flew around the cell.

With one or two more minor diversions, we were home free. Didn't see another
cloud until we arrived at Iowa City, where there was yet ANOTHER summer
storm cell sitting over the airport. It moved on just in time for Mary to
land on the wet runway.

Typical August flying around here.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Thanks. Hopefully we'll have more participants next year!!

Yeah, it did seems a bit "thin" this year for Mustangs -- but those who flew
were great!

BTW: Whatever happened to the Mustang that was "venting coolant" on Friday?
(Or was it Saturday?) This was the guy who was supposed to be in the
"missing man" formation, but had to land instead. (I was listening on the
hand held, and heard the whole incident -- but not the end result.)

The Air Boss sure cleared the runway for him to land without delay!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:

Mary and I just returned from six glorious days camped next to Atlas on the
field in Oshkosh! We're tired, sunburned, our feet hurt -- and damn, if
we didn't want to stay another week or three...

Yup.

I hadn't been back for years, and it was good to bring my kids. A lot
of highlights, but I guess it was good to cap it all off at Sunday's
session with Burt Rutan. Iconoclastic as ever, he offered a persuasive
argument contrasting the space program's historic trajectory with that
of aviation in its early days. The R&D timeline's empty space to the
right of the shuttle and Soyuz in his power point presentation was the
coup de grace, IMO.

We'd never camped at OSH, so it was fun to get a spot on 56th, a
stone's throw from vintage and conveniently near the Farm. What
fortune -- in contrast with the misfortune of waking up in a tent
floating westward past 35th on Wed. night. Heck, that meant we had to
dash a quarter mile back just to get to our ark for the night (5
people in a ford minivan). [no, not even my exaggeration tops your
story; are you sure your tent wasn't just trying to qualify for use as
a parafoil at the Farm?]

- Almost saw a disaster, though, when a Mustang taxied out in front of
landing traffic on RWY 27. Amazingly, the Mustang driver simply firewalled
it and actually OUT-accelerated the Cessna (that was trying land OVER him),
and took off in front of him. Boy, it was close, though...

There was one more. I believe it was Julie Clark whose Saturday flight
scared the crap out of me. Coming down just in front of us a couple
hundred yards left of center, she disappeared below the runway
(heading north), apparently clipping the grass on its east side. I
couldn't see even a piece of her for a moment. Everything got real
quiet for a bit, and no one wanted to say much for a while.

I'm darned glad that Velocity was the only real incident -- but I
didn't know it was a Velocity till you posted that. Figures. I'm an
inactive pilot with a hankerin' -- someday when I can afford it -- to
build that plane.

Till then, maybe I'll strap one of those fans on my back, like I saw
up at the Farm. I can probably afford that once I have my daughter
past college, following her brothers. Let's see, she's 5 now...

- Scott

Buy her an old used set of encyclopedias (1950's - 1980's) at a garage sale.
Sure, most of the African countries have new names, here in the 21st
century.

The point is, Daddy wants to fly ...now!! Let her get her own darn
scholarship. :-)

--
Montblack

("Scott Marquardt" wrote)
Till then, maybe I'll strap one of those fans on my back, like I saw
up at the Farm. I can probably afford that once I have my daughter
past college, following her brothers. Let's see, she's 5 now...

There was one more. I believe it was Julie Clark whose Saturday flight
scared the crap out of me. Coming down just in front of us a couple
hundred yards left of center, she disappeared below the runway
(heading north), apparently clipping the grass on its east side. I
couldn't see even a piece of her for a moment. Everything got real
quiet for a bit, and no one wanted to say much for a while.

Hey, we saw that too! My son and I were walking along the flight line,
kinda half-watching the show (I've seen Clark fly, like, a jillion times),
when I saw her pull up WAY late.

I, too, thought she was going to belly in, but she made it -- somehow. I
figured it must've been an optical illusion, cuz it looked like she couldn't
have been more than a foot or two off the grass.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:

Mary and I just returned from six glorious days camped next to Atlas
on the field in Oshkosh! We're tired, sunburned, our feet hurt --
and damn, if we didn't want to stay another week or three...

Just got back too. Third time there, but first time working a booth as a
paid employee (of the US Navy, Hanger B). I'd volunteered once, and been
a tourist the other.

Thoughts:

Segway - I was bummed they were charging you to ride it, because I wanted
to. I had a great idea for a new sport. Segway jousting. Each party has
ten foot poles with a pillow on the end. If the Segway gyros are too
quick to ever let you fall, make it Segway Chicken Fight Jousting.

Rocket Powered Waco - I love that thing. The best airshow I saw was the
Masters of Disaster, when the three biplanes just flew around in a big
furball. It was the only show I saw that made me want to jump in an
airplane and join them.

Storms - Never mind the tornadoes, I thought a hurricane was coming that
one night (Tuesday night?) at zero-dark-thirty. I tied myself to a tree
and sacrificed a squirrel to the weather gods, averting disaster.

Planes - The pulse detonation engine and the fuel cell powered planes
were cool ideas. Some really nice Skybolts completed this year. A Hatz
again finished in the money (reserve grand champion plans built). Cool.

Food - costs too damn much.

Museum - Very nice!

I had a great time and was exhausted by the end. Can't wait for next
year!

**************

Mike

nafod40 wrote:

Segway - I was bummed they were charging you to ride it, because I wanted
to. I had a great idea for a new sport. Segway jousting. Each party has
ten foot poles with a pillow on the end. If the Segway gyros are too
quick to ever let you fall, make it Segway Chicken Fight Jousting.

Mike -- you should write the company and suggest this. Sales would
skyrocket. People are always willing to pay more for their fun. Look
at that weekend-warrior paintball stuff.

Best,
Sydney

mlenoch

Didn't see the venting but:

'51 normally vented on TO if run started with too high a coolant
temperature (taxied out with doors closed). Rule was that if you
popped off, you returned and landed (even if venting stopped) as there
was no way to tell how much you vented and with low coolant, engine
could overheat.

If bird continued to vent around the pattern then the coolant was low
and running hot and at a high enough pressure to keep the 'pop off'
valve open or valve not closing after opening (spring loaded valve).
Pressure to unseat valve and open was greater than pressure to keep
open.

Or. If bird 'popped off', then the valve could stick open since there
was not anyway we could check it on a routine basis. Never heard of a
pop off with engine coolant temperature in the operating range. Valve
had a fixed pressure setting that could not be adjusted by crew chief.

It was a low maintenance item on bird.

I saw a few 'pop offs' in my three year in the Sq but never saw or
heard of one that stuck open.

With the age of the birds today however and an original 'pop off'
valve, it well could stick open after popping off. Like a PRV on a
water heater in your house. Don't leak unless it opens to relieve
pressure and then does not fully close due to build up on seat.

Bottom line is glad he made it around and back on ground OK. It is
enough of a potential emergency to warrant landing priority.

Big John
650 hrs in '51


On 05 Aug 2003 04:08:05 GMT, (MLenoch) wrote:

BTW: Whatever happened to the Mustang that was "venting coolant" on Friday?
(Or was it Saturday?)

Saturday. He was indeed venting. His pressure relief valve let go too soon
(at too low a pressure). A simple fix to get a new valve, gasket or do a
repair. He may be home by now.
VL

Respectfully disagree. The Vertex/Yaesu got one of our "BEST OF SHOW" awards
this year for doing things the Icom can only dream of.

Jim



"Jay Honeck"
shared these priceless pearls of wisdom:

-
-- The ICOM A-5 handheld com radio is the best portable com available. (It's
-actually smaller and lighter than just the BATTERY of my old A-21!) I bought
-one, even though it meant busting my budget...


Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com