Registering a Warbird with the FAA (Experimental Operating Limitations)

I'm sorry to hear that.

"Orval Fairbairn" wrote in message
news

I had the misfortune of seeing a friend (and his son-in-law) die in one.
We were in a flight of five (P-3 leading) when he suddenly got oil all
over his windshield. The engine had thrown a rod. Two of his wingmen
stayed with him to help guide him to a safe emergency landing, but he
hit an oak tree, which cartwheeled him into the ground. Remarkably, the
fuselage stayed intact, but neither occupant survived.

I had flown with him previously -- the plane is very heavy and needs all
the power it can get, but the controls are light and well-balanced.

The GO 435 and GO-480 Lycomings need someone who knows them well to work
on them and take some care in flying them.

I'm sorry to hear that.

"Orval Fairbairn" wrote in message
news

I had the misfortune of seeing a friend (and his son-in-law) die in one.
We were in a flight of five (P-3 leading) when he suddenly got oil all
over his windshield. The engine had thrown a rod. Two of his wingmen
stayed with him to help guide him to a safe emergency landing, but he
hit an oak tree, which cartwheeled him into the ground. Remarkably, the
fuselage stayed intact, but neither occupant survived.

I had flown with him previously -- the plane is very heavy and needs all
the power it can get, but the controls are light and well-balanced.

The GO 435 and GO-480 Lycomings need someone who knows them well to work
on them and take some care in flying them.

I had heard about that unfortunate accident with the P-3 that threw a
rod. That was a bad situation all around, I'm sure it was awful to
watch in person.

There is an FBO locally that has been doing maintenance on another P-3
for several years, and I plan on having the heavy maintenance done in
NC by the shop that works on probably half of the P-3s based in the US.
Its true that there aren't that many places that either know what the
plane is or who have worked on that engine/prop combination.

The good side about the plane being heavy is that the airframe is built
like a tank, of course the bad side is that the glide performance is
very poor (much different than the Grob 103 glider I used to fly).

Eric

"Bret Ludwig" wrote in message
oups.com...

Juan Jimenez wrote:
You should only have to apply for a change to the operating limitations
if
the old ones specify an airport from which you have to operate. If that's
the case, all you should have to do is contact your local FSDO and
request
amended operating limitations to reflect new base airport, radius and
whatever aspects apply locally. I am assuming that you already meet the
requirements to fly the a/c, which vary quite a bit depending on the
aircraft.

The categories are I through IV and they apply to all experimental
exhibition aircraft, not just warbirds. Category IV is the most
restrictive.

Not all warbirds are Experimental Exhibition either. I take it you are
buying a vodka rocket?

I suppose that needs to be pointed out, of course. Few people know, for
example, that some P-51's operate under standard airworthiness certificates,
for example.

I'm not buying anything, I'm trying to get my BD-5J's airworthiness
certificate issued. FAA is not exactly very cooperative, and there are no
DAR's here. I'm getting it sorted out, plane's been ready for the final
condition inspection for weeks now, but lack of a place where I can take it
to get it inspected, and lack of cooperation from the weather, keeps putting
things off.

I'm not buying anything, I'm trying to get my BD-5J's airworthiness
certificate issued. FAA is not exactly very cooperative, and there are no
DAR's here. I'm getting it sorted out, plane's been ready for the final
condition inspection for weeks now, but lack of a place where I can take it
to get it inspected, and lack of cooperation from the weather, keeps putting
things off.

Juan, you're in PR!
The only federal agency you need to avoid when you fly is Customs and
Border Patrol! :-))
The end of hurricane season is only another month and a half away.

"john smith" wrote in message
...
I'm not buying anything, I'm trying to get my BD-5J's airworthiness
certificate issued. FAA is not exactly very cooperative, and there are no
DAR's here. I'm getting it sorted out, plane's been ready for the final
condition inspection for weeks now, but lack of a place where I can take
it
to get it inspected, and lack of cooperation from the weather, keeps
putting
things off.

Juan, you're in PR!
The only federal agency you need to avoid when you fly is Customs and
Border Patrol! :-))
The end of hurricane season is only another month and a half away.

You have no idea what it's like not being able to hire someone local who
owns a brain to do the airworthiness inspection. I wish I had the money to
bring a DAR from the mainland. Save myself a ton of grief.

Juan Jimenez wrote:
"Bret Ludwig" wrote in message


I suppose that needs to be pointed out, of course. Few people know, for
example, that some P-51's operate under standard airworthiness certificates,
for example.

I'm not buying anything, I'm trying to get my BD-5J's airworthiness
certificate issued. FAA is not exactly very cooperative, and there are no
DAR's here. I'm getting it sorted out, plane's been ready for the final
condition inspection for weeks now, but lack of a place where I can take it
to get it inspected, and lack of cooperation from the weather, keeps putting
things off.

Yes, thanks to Cavalier. It's a shame that all the beautiful work they
did has been obliterated so every old guy with a big wallet and a small
you-know-what can have a fake "authentic" wartime Mustang. I always
hoped SOMEONE would preserve a full-tilt Cavalier Mustang in all its
JFK/MM era glory.

Is a -5J treated differently than a recip or turboprop (evidently,
there are...)5? Forgive my ignorance, I've been out of school a long
time.

"Bret Ludwig" wrote in message
oups.com...

Is a -5J treated differently than a recip or turboprop (evidently,
there are...)5? Forgive my ignorance, I've been out of school a long
time.

In this case it is because it was started in Australia, more than 51% was
done there, the builder is a well known CASA technical advisor but he never
kept logs or pics. Hence, the FAA does not want to consider giving me
amateur-built, even though that is the way it was registered in Australia
(VH-JRQ). So I'm stuck in Exp/Exhibition, and category IV, to boot, the
catch-all category. It wouldn't be so bad except that I picked the one place
in the US where I should not have done this.