Eagle Sport Plane - Journal

Happy New Year!

A while back, we started the RAM 115 engine for the first time on Eagle #2, N701EW. This engine is so quiet that in our closed hangar we were able to hold a normal conversation while standing right next to it, with the cowling off. At 4000 crankshaft RPM (5,800 redline) the engine did not exceed 98 decibels. We will conduct more precise tests once we get the aircraft outside. We were pleasantly surprised at how quiet a water-cooled motor with a muffler is. Check out this video of the first run!

701EW is complete and ready for final inspection and certification. We are itching to roll it out of the hangar and put it in the air!

We are ramping up production, with 3 aircraft under concurrent construction, and one airframe on its way to our headquarters. This airframe that will be arriving soon will be used for instruction and rental.

New Instrument Panel

The instrument panel for the first RAM 115-powered Eagle is coming along nicely. The panel includes:

The AvMap mount is designed for easy removal so that when you're finished flying you can pop it out and use it in your car for ground navigation. The directional gyro and the artificial horizon are electronic, which eliminates the vacuum system.

We're rapidly approaching completion of the electronics and engine plumbing. Our goal is to be test-flying in less than 3 weeks.

Two New Airframes Have Arrived!

Last week we received an exciting package from Colombia: two beautiful frames from which the third and fourth Eagles will be hatched.

These units arrived at Eagle Aviation headquarters with no significant damage, despite their long journey of more than 3,500 miles.

IBIS, our parts producer, has done a great job fulfilling our design requests, so we don't have to spend as much time modifying the parts that we receive.

Exterior and Systems Update

For the past couple of weeks we've been hard at work on the exterior of the airplanes and on systems. The radiator installation is finalized, and we are completing the layout of all the components on the firewall and ready to begin plumbing and wiring.

Click on the links below for details.

Cowling Modification

We're working on modifying the cowling for the RAM 115 installation. These pictures show the beginnings of the mold we're making for the radiator air inlet scoop.
Landing Light Lenses

We created molded acrylic covers for the landing lights that fit great.
Wing Roots

We've sealed off the wing roots so that the cabin stays warm even in Wisconsin winters.
Seatbelts

We've begun the process of installing the seatbelts. The new seatbelt design and engineering is complete and we're awaiting the arrival of production parts for installation in airframe serial number 2. These seatbelts are automotive style and convenience, including an inertia reel. Pictured right is the external inertia reel reinforcing mounting plate. More photos to follow when the installation is complete.

Engine Mount Load Test

We recently put our engine mount design to the test, and we're pleased to report that it passed with flying colors. The mighty mount exceeded our expectations, holding a staggaring 1,645 lbs. When attached to the Eagle EA-100, the mount will withstand 8.5 Gs, though we don't recommend performing the manuever to produce that kind of force.

The photos below show how we affixed the mount to a strong beam in the hangar, constructed a platform to hold the weight, and piled sand bags (and the brave Frank Friedman) on top of it all. Click on a photo below to see the larger version.

Engine Mount

Eagle Aviation has made some incredible progress over the past couple of months. We have sold more planes, hired employees, and made headway on the construction of the two planes in the hangar.

Here you can see the new engine mount for the RAM 115. The engine fits beautifully atop this quality piece of metalwork, but we still have to make some modifications to accommodate the radiator and exhaust system.

We'll be doing some load testing on this mount to make sure that it can handle up to 7 G. We'll keep adding more and more weight to reach our design limits.

We've also installed the wheels and brakes in both planes and made modifications to the fuselage to accommodate the new seatbelt design.

Hello all. Boy has it been busy! There are lots of new things going on. Construction of N701EW and N702EW are well underway. We received the frames from Colombia the other day. Now the rest of the process is underway. These airplanes are headed out to Berkshire Aviation, our New England dealer. They are getting a real snazzy paint job similar to the rah rah America paint job on our show plane. After that come the next 4.
Eagle Aviation has now have gone international! Yes that�s right. We now will begin exporting the EA-100 to our new dealer, Aero Lipangue Aviation in Santiago Chile. So if you happen to be done in beautiful Chile, stop in on say hi. We also just signed on and will export to Hangar 1 LTD in Australia. So, if you happen to be in the land of down under, stop in for a bit mate.
We have also joined up with Ram Engines. They are the engine manufacturing company I have been talking about forever. We already have the engines for our airplanes but we will formally be introducing the RAM 115 S-LSA ASTM Certified engine at Oshkosh 2008 convention. Ram will continue to supply the experimental world these fine engines and Eagle Aviation will supply the certified version for those who are building sport planes. I can�t tell you enough about these engines. They will simply knock your socks off. O, did I forget to tell you that you can run these engines on E-85? More on subject that later.
We are very proud to become an OEM supplier of the new Grand Rapids Technology Horizon HX synthetic EFIS. GRT has a great product that we are no offering in our glass version. Dual screen, moving map GPS, XM weather, graphical engine monitoring and more. All very clean and very pro and NOT a ton of money!
If this is not enough we are working on and will be offer the fine autopilots from Tru Track. Up to 3 axis control with Yaw damping and auto rudder and pitch trim systems.
There is nothing short of excitement around here. Well, yours truly just checked out 135 in a Piper Chieftan. The opportunity came up to do a little charter flying so I nabbed it. I am excited here to get back in the saddle of commercial aviation.
Show wise we just were up in the Northwood�s of Wisconsin. The Land o� Lakes sport aircraft fly-in to be exact. Had a good time but was very windy. Next week we will be at Eagle River showing off the EA-100. After that we will be getting ready for the big show and continuing daily progress.
Well, that�s it for now. I need to go and do my 3 night bounces to keep night qualification up to speed.
Good evening from OSH
Paul

Good morning all. It is a beautiful day here in WI. Sun is full bright and no wind. Great weekend for getting some yard work done, hangin with the kids and of course the Monday BBQ. First off��I wish to personally thank all our veterans and active service members for their service. Your service to this great country will never be taken lightly around here! THANK YOU!
Kim and I had a great trip. Beaches were simply incredible. Miles and miles of sugar sand and warm waters. We did a few �excursions� including ATV�ing, sailing and diving (with sharks!!!!) It was good to be gone and relax but also good to be home. Thanks for all your support out there.
Yesterday was fun as I got to fly to dinner with Nathan. Over the years I have flown to CWA for dinner at the airport. They have great cheese curds and the typical Wisconsin fish fry, (well what did you expect; it is a law in WI for Friday fish fries!) Visibility was great and a good flight. Of course�.. now Holly wants to go on a date, which I told her that she is next. She is so sweet!
Airplanes and interest continues to cook along. N701EW and N702EW are now official on the FAA. We will be receiving the frames and wings hopefully next week and begin/finish the process. These 2 airplanes are bound for our dealer, Berkshire Aviation. After we finish those 2 we will be building 4 more, N703EW, N704EW, N705EW and N706EW. These airplanes will be scattered about the country. After that we will build a minimum of 2 per month, maybe more depending on the demand. Very likely we will be building at a faster rate than that as word about this great airplane continues to travel.
Site wise I have many pictures up. Check it out. More will be coming soon including a calendar of events at Eagle and more cool things.
We will have a nice write up of our company in Kit Planes and Midwest Flyer magazines soon. This is exciting! I will release details as I received them.
That�s all for now,
Good morning from WI, Paul

Hi all. Lots of cool things going on here. Right now I am writing to you in the terminal at MKE on the way to the Caribbean for our anniversary. Marty is keeping things going while we are out.
More is posted on the web and more will be coming. Our trip to Stafford was a blast. We met a great group of people and had the opportunity to perform an air to air photo shoot of the EA-100. Those pictures are now posted on the site. Check them out. We also got some in-flight video footage which we are processing right now and getting it ready to post on the site and also You Tube. The trip to VA and back was rather un-eventful other than there was moderate turbulence thought out the whole trip. That made it long but as usual the EA-100 performed very well. We gave many demo rides and all were impresses with the handling qualities, hearing comments like �it is just like my 182� of �very stable�. Well of course we already know that!!
Again we wish to thank all those who hosted us and put out a lot to make the event happen.
We have many local events coming up. Fly ins, air shows, etc. I will be posting the times soon.
Currently we are in the process of building up the next 6 airplanes. They should all be done and out the door to our customers by late summer 2008. We will then begin a steady production rate of 2 airplanes per month and then continuing as the demand grows.
Well, I started writing this in MKE, now we are in ATL waiting for the next airplane to take us south. That�s all for now thanks for all your interest!
Good morning from Atlanta,
Paul

Well guess what? I woke up this morning to discover SNOW! Yeah! Do you know that it is only 7 months out to the greatest season created? Yes, you guessed it, winter! (Am I warped here?!?!)
Marty and I were planning on flying to Stafford VA today to meet with our new rep for the mid-Atlantic area and also to demo the airplane to several people. However since we don�t have the de-iced version yet (ha ha) we will wait until tomorrow as the weather looks great.
Can you believe April is almost over!?! Wow��..where did the month go? What a great month around here. So far we have sold 3 airplanes. May promises more. Wow again. Thanks to all who have helped to build a great company.
Yesterday was a fun family flying day as I got to fly again with Holly and Aaron. Weather was clear and crisp. I wanted to take Nathan up but he decided to work on his computer game at the hangar. Oh well. Holly can�t wait until I take her on a flying date for dinner. There is a nice airport restaurant at CWA which is always a good time. They have great cheese curds. I highly recommend you stop by and try them. (The restaurant is on the second floor of the terminal building at CWA.) I should have a little time in May so this will become a reality. She is very excited.
May is shaping up to be a great month. Of course the real reason is that I get to celebrate 15 years with the love of my life!!!! Cool thing is Mom and Dad are going to stay with the kids so Kim and I can �disappear� for a week. Down south is the destination, exotic, ocean, lots of sand��.you get the picture. Where you ask? Yea right, I�m not telling! It will be nice to get away as we have been very busy with the company, kids, etc. Marty will hold the fort down while we are gone.
Today is a fun day as 2 frames and wings will be shipped to us from our southern partners. We should receive them in a month +/-. These planes are bound for the Great Barrington Airport, which are for our rep out there, Berkshire Aviation. Our southern contractors are now producing 4 more frames and wings which we will bring in and complete at a rate of 4 per every six weeks. We are on the way to achieving the goal. The plan here is to continue to produce airplanes as the popularity continues to grow. The airplane flies like an airplane and those fortunate enough to purchase them will be very happy.
The website should have more updates and pictures this week. I will let you know when that happens.
I have something really special that I am working on right now. Just a tease here but I will let you all know in a big way when this happens. It is pretty cool.
That�s all for now,
Good morning from OSH, Paul