...I am much closer. Flew my homebuilt taildragger for the first time on Oct 10, 2010. 5 Years, 2000 hours, + or - 10,000 rivets, my fingerprints on every one. The reward is great.

You guys have been a great inspiration to me. Thanks. Don....

Crank up the volume: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhgZZY6h3gw

Congratulations and many happy hours in the air!

Hey Don. Really a good job. I found your web site. http://donsbushcaddy.com/index.html You cannot hide these days and that is good cus this was a good site to look through. That is such a great job you did.

You may not be a back country pilot but you are an airplane builder. WOW

Tim

Congratulations on a job well done. Took a look at your website, very interesting. The 54 Chevy's ok too.
Many happy ours in the air!.

Don, Best of luck with your airplane! It is a great feeling to fly something you built!

I smiled quite a bit watching the first time and played it two more times to listen to the music. Very appropriate.

So Don, how's it fly? Is it everything you thought it would be? Anything you wanna change or modify (yet)?

Hotrod:

The plane actually flew perfectly, hands off straight and level. Besides me it has also been flown by a very experienced pilot. He suggested adding more "up" elevator for use in the landing configuration. The specs called for 16 degrees up and I have changed that to 25 degrees after conferring with a couple of other Bushcaddy pilots. It is a simple adjustment of a stop block on the elevator push rod. So far that's it. The airplane is a joy to fly and very stable in the air with nice response to the stick. I have only 150 hours and 15 of taildragger time but I find it to be very easy to land. I can't say enough good things about the kit, I didn't have a problem with one part and factory support was excellent. This is an all aluminum Canadian kit and most of the Bushcaddy's flying are in Quebec on floats...it is very popular there. A Rotax is recommended on my model (R-120) but I installed a Lycoming O-235 L2C. I have the Sensenich 2EK, ground adjustable composite prop currently set up with a 46 pitch (which Sensenich considered a climb pitch) and I am getting 95mph at 2500 RPM. When set up in a cruise configuration I think I will easily be over 100mph which was my goal. It has a nice size cabin and a very large cargo bay. I love it

Don...

Don,

Congratulations on seeing it through and getting it in the air . . . I'm sure you'll enjoy and, like most of us, learn something from every flight. Sad your friend Ray wasn't ab;e to be there for the first one.

Bushcaddy wrote:...I am much closer. Flew my homebuilt taildragger for the first time on Oct 10, 2010. 5 Years, 2000 hours, + or - 10,000 rivets, my fingerprints on every one. The reward is great.

You guys have been a great inspiration to me. Thanks. Don....

Crank up the volume: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhgZZY6h3gw

I've heard good things about them, congradulations!

What is the real world empty weight?

Courierguy:

Empty weight with a Rotax engine, fully isulated cabin etc will be around 950 lbs. My empty weight came in at 1115 lbs. The O-235 is about 100 lbs heavier, I modified my landing gear from bungees to hydraulic struts with die springs, I have leather seats, larger tires etc...all that accounted for about 50 lbs to get me up over 1100.

There is a light sport version, called the R-80, exact dimensions of my plane, just thinner skins etc, with a rotax they are around 850 lbs.

Don...