September - October - The Recreational Aircraft Association

The wire cutter is usually
mounted in front of the
windshield. It was left of
the restoration as Ed really
isn't planning on doing
any cropdusting. Note the
air intake at the top of the
cabin. Ventilation plus!
had the fuse built without the brackets for the wire
cutter knife and the tail wire because his plans do not
include flying under telephone wires. He plumbed
the bare airframe with the help of Ron Fleet, who is
a resource to the members of
the Hanover RAA Chapter.
Ed made notated drawings
of each and every hose and
keeps these in his builder’s
log. The precover inspection
went without any hitches,
so the next step was to modify the fuselage to fit a
passenger seat, cover with fabric, and assemble the
whole collection of parts into an airplane shape.
The intent was to turn this agplane
into a 2 place aircraft, so the hopper area was fitted
with a birch plywood floor. Four point seat belt
mounts were added, and both the pilot and passenger
seats were modified from Ford Focus items.
Weight was not going to be an issue with this plane,
and Ed wanted comfort. The forward seat retained
its reclining mechanism, but does not adjust fore
and aft because this could have interfered with
the pilot’s rudder pedals. There are no controls in
the forward seat so the accommodations are much
roomier than in a car, with lots of elbow room. There
is plenty of legroom too, and with the seat reclined
it is like first class seating in an airliner. Ed plans to
make leather saddlebags to surround the passenger
seat, and these will act as armrests. He fashioned a
canopy frame from 20 ga. steel and fitted this with
1.5mm lexan sheet as the covering. He went through
This is an agriculture and aviation family.
For Ed Butler, an agplane was a natural choice.
a lot of Bristol board while making and revising patterns
for the canopy. The view forward is limited but
the side vision is excellent. Even with the heavy seats
and the new canopy, enough weight was removed
by deleting the tank and spray equipment that with
Ed and forty gallons of fuel, the passenger compartment
can still carry 512 pounds.
The cockpit is set up for VFR using traditional
gauges. Ed has two venturis for the gyro instruments.
He found what he believes to be a Spitfire
artificial horizon, and it is run from the larger of the
two venturis. The other runs the turn and bank. The
panel has a slot for the radio/intercom and a holder
for the portable GPS, but Ed plans to stay away
from controlled airspace, and to navigate the old
fashioned way as much as possible. Five mounting
points were welded in for the rear seatbelt assembly,
and the Ford Focus seat was mounted. Once all the
mods had been completed, out came everything and
6 Recreational Flyer September - October 2007