Virginia Regional Festival of Flight

May 30, 2009

As stated in my previous blog, no work was going to be conducted today as I was attending the EAA Fly-in in Suffolk. Boy, am I glad that I did! Aside from the over 300+ planes, THERE WAS A P-51 PEDAL PLANE!

This will become invaluable in regards to references, as seeing it up close and personal answered some questions that I was having! While this P-51 does not have the propellers and pulley system in it, it's the same plane and plans as mine. There is another P-51 pedal plane plan out there for a folding wing version, which is why I mention that. (I'm adopting the throttle quadrant from that other P-51 plan) There are a few other deviations from the plans in this example seen today that I've noticed, but overall In my humble opinion this is a beautiful example of what the plane should look like.





Some of the pieces that I had cut out seemed out of place, and the plans and construction instructions were rather convoluted as to their specific locations, so actually seeing where they go made everything come together and made sense! As I was getting my research pictures together, an older gentleman was admiring the plane as well, and it turns out he is building one and is experiencing the same questions regarding parts, so it was good to know I'm not the only one out there!

I put some arrows pointing to some of the confusing parts of the plans regarding placement of parts.

The Yellow Arrow: 3/4" Pine former
The Blue Arrows: 2 of the 4 pain in the butt pieces
The Red Arrows: A British RAF formation flying team
HA HA!
Ok, They are fillets that the red arrows are pointing out

The other two's P.I.T.A. to cut piece locations

This older gent and I tried to find the builder, only to find out it was multiple people, and not one was present at the event! Turns out that this specific pedal plane will be raffled off at next years EAA Festival of Flight (2010).

Some of the body doubler's can be seen in these pictures, and some of the other parts as well. One of the best ideas that I got from this plane is the addition of padded seats, I think that would add to the appeal of the occupant as it would make it more comfortable than the hard ply. Also, I'll do my best to screw the molding on symmetrically, which is my only critique of this beautiful plane.

All in all, this was a great fly-in, especially compared to last years mess. They really did a good job this year after revising the awful layout from last year. I also ran into a co-worker that i think very fondly of, and it was great to see him and meet his family! I also saw my Check examiner for my Instrument Check ride, and she somehow remembered me! She's had thousands of check rides, and she remembered me? I'm hoping that is a good thing!


My buddy Rudy mentioned too that this pedal plane was photographed with DD2, which did fly in for a brief appearance. That is making me all the more antsy to get this completed!

I will continue sanding tomorrow with a new found vigor and sense of direction. Monday I will pause construction again to facilitate the instillation of a hot water heater and for the pest control folks to spray my house for the current Earwig infestation.

As I have stated before, one of my goals in creating this blog is to clear up some of the build, as I've now read and hear of other testimonies that the directions and plans are not always clear. Hopefully this will help others out for future builds. It should be known that the instructions are text-only, no pictures to help you along with the process. While there is a non-associated 4 page picture diagram, it still leaves some question at times (in my opinion). I cannot stress that fact enough. Pictures would be VERY helpful in the 24 page construction instructions.