Pete Zutrauen sent in this photo with this explanation: “My bucket list — #Osh15 Hummelbird arrival — what a great 650 nm trip!”
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Thx for your kind comments! The trip was a blast! The performance of the 1/2vw is ‘adequate’. Of note is that I discovered a burnt exhaust valve upon my return (from a mfg defect – once which I did not inspect for during head installation – lesson learned). That valve may have impacted my performance slightly. The vibration that is inherent in the 1/2VW is significant due to the engine’s ‘rocking couple’ and restricts engine RPM ranges avoiding 1300-2100 rpm. At the cruise 3200rpm, and a full tank, the vibration isn’t significant. The vibration is evident on my hard mounted cameras (which sometimes go into resonance) in my Osh15 trip video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl9Q9TB0Ovk Cheers and blue skies, Pete
I saw this airplane parked at OSH 15, and it was beautiful. But a 650 mile journey is unbelievable. Great job, and thanks for bringing it, Pete. Wish I could read an article about it, especially the performance of the 2-cyl VW engine. How is the airplane for vibration?
Others, check it out if you see it.