Welcome

*****Skyote #88 gets Bronze Lindy for "Airventure-Oshkosh 2016 Plans Built Champion"******


October, 2007

Welcome to "Skyotelog", the build record of Skyote #88. I assume that you are familar with the Skyote biplane. If not, you should visit http://www.skyote.org/ for a complete introduction to this unique but elusive biplane.

The posts are presented in reverse chronological order (newest first). Or you can click on one of the "Labels" to see all of the posts concerning a specific topic. Click on any photo for a larger image.

All my building experience is limited to Van's RV's so I have no experience with building tube and fabric or "plans building". I have much to learn so take everything I write with a grain of salt and reasonable skepticisim.


I do not intend to follow a "traditional" path for the construction of #88. I intend to employ low level technology and $ to reduce the construction time and difficulty where possible and practical. By low level technology I am referring to CAD, laser, waterjet, CNC. For example:

  • I have purchased a complete wing spar kit from Jerry Kerr.
  • A rib kit from Mr. Bartoe.
  • Brunton Flying Wires and Drag wires from Harvey Swack.
  • CNC profiled tube kits for the fuselage, tail feathers and landing gear from VR3.

In addition I have converted all of the wing fittings, brackets, links, lugs etc. to CAD and had them cut by water jet. I have designed a laser cut wing spar drill template/jig which positions the five spar components so that all of the holes can be drilled in a complete spar as an assembly. I plan to continue converting as many parts as I can to CAD so that I can reduce the "hand-made" components to a minimum.

Note: As of June 2015 I have over 100 CAD files which provide 600+ water jet cut parts for the Skyote.


While it takes a little time, converting the design to CAD is a great way to truly understand the drawings. plus a huge amount of information has been extracted from the rather complex drawings. This can be a great help to others in understanding and interpreting the design.


The Skyote is uniquely suited for conversion to CAD in that a "computer" was used in it's original design. I have read that Mr. Bartoe used a HP calculator to "compute" the design and dimensions of the Skyote. The plans show all of the critical dimensions to three decimal places for X,Y and Z axes.


Amazingly, when I put the design into CAD the resulting 3D models agree with Mr. Bartoe's thee decimal place dimensions about 99.9% of the time. I have found one discrepancy but less than 0.030"!


If you want to build your Skyote as cheaply as possible, or if you enjoy handcrafting the same parts over and over again then my approach to building is not for you!


If you want to build your Skyote in the minimum possible time with highly accurate parts then this approach may be the answer. I personally get a lot of satisfaction out of organizing the project so that it can be produced accurately. Hopefully some of this work will prove useful to others in the future.


Comments are welcome. I will respond as time permits

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Thursday, April 10, 2008

Modified Rudder Pedals

I have previously mentioned the possibility of incorporating RV rudder/brake pedals in the Skyote. I went so far as to buy a set of RV4 pedal weldments from Van's. What I like about Van's design is the location of the master cylinder on the pilot's side of the pedal assembly. Also the master cylinder is an integral part of the pedal assembly making for easy adjustment of the pedal assembly in the fore and aft direction.











After laying everything out in CAD, It appears that I can move the pedals forward maybe 1.5" using the modified design. The plan is to build the pedals per the modified design, then adjust them as far forward as practical at assembly.



If I make the vertical dimension the same as the pedals in my RV7A, (which work very well), then there appears to be sufficient space above the pedals for a 2+ gal. reserve fuel tank. The RV pedals are 8.5" tall while the Skyote pedals are 13" tall leaving 4.5" of space above the pedals. A 14"x14" by 3" deep tank would have 588 cubic inches or 2.5 gallons capacity. I won't decide on the reserve tank until the pedals are actually in the airframe.




In the end, I decided to make my own pedals, using some of the Skyote design, some of Van's geometry and some of my own. The CAD images show two options, one with plate type pedal and one with a pedal constructed from tubing. The Skyote drawings show similar options. The images are for a left pedal. In both variations I have used non-lubricated "plastic" bushings for the overhead pivot as well as the pivot at the base of the pedal. These bushing are readily available in many material variations. One easy source is http://www.mscdirect.com/.






I was originally enamored of the tube style brake pedals but have lately come around to liking the plate style pedals better.
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