Sonja Englert Engineering 
News
April 2013
Here is another trip report on my visit to
the world’s largest motorglider,
before its flight across the
Solar Impulse.pdf and a link to a video is
on the ‘Video’ page.
February 2013
Some jobs are a lot of fun, especially when they allow me to fly there in my
homebuilt Pulsar from Bend, Oregon to Corona, California with a stop in
Here is my trip report with a lot of pictures:
Aircraft Homebuilders Books Other Books
Tips
and Tricks for Aircraft Homebuilders Oswald Boelcke
Building Metal Airplanes Trailblazers
Homebuilt Aerodynamics and Flight Testing
Efficient Powerplant Installation
Tips and Tricks for
Aircraft Homebuilders
132 pages, over 250 illustrations,
by Sonja Englert (ISBN 0-9752984-8-8)
This book is available in electronic format, see "How to Order"
Aircraft
homebuilders are sharing their secrets to success. Many
homebuilders have discovered ways to build a part quicker, for less money or
with better quality while working on their project. Many of them are eager to
share what they have learned with other builders and help them avoid mistakes.
This book is a collection of the experiences of many builders. No matter what
type of airplane you are building or what materials it is made from, there are
a lot of useful tips on these pages. They cover the range from setting up a
shop, tools and jigs to assembling the structure, systems installation,
customizations, finishing and flight testing, many of them with step-by-step
instructions. With this book, you can benefit from the experiments and years of
accumulated knowledge from others. Illustrated with more than 250 pictures,
everything is well explained and easy to understand.
Click on the link to view the index: Tips and Tricks Table of Contents
Building Metal
Airplanes
125 pages, 129 illustrations, by
Sonja Englert (ISBN 0-9752984-3-7)
This book is available in
electronic format, see "How to Order"
This book is for anyone who is
fabricating metal components, although it has the most benefit for those
building a sheet metal or welded tube structure airplane. It covers materials,
measuring, basic metal working skills such as drilling, bending, forming,
cutting, welding of tube structures and riveting, but also includes
instructions on how to use a lathe and a milling machine. There are tables of
bolts, rivets and standard aircraft fittings. For those designing an airplane
or modifying an existing design, information about material properties and
strength of fasteners is listed. It is described how to design and build for
better fatigue strength, important things about corrosion protection and
bonding metal. Simple repairs of metal structures are described. An airplane
builder will have to integrate systems in his airplane, so one chapter is
dedicated to present many examples and helpful hints. This book also covers how
to weld fuel tanks, how to seal integral tanks and how to make fuel or hydraulic
lines by cutting, bending and flaring tubes. For those setting up their shop
are many descriptions of tools and equipment needed for working with metal. All
airplanes have some metal components, so this book is useful even for those
people building wood or composite airplanes.
Click on the link to view the
index: Building Metal
Airplanes Index
Click on the link to view a sample
chapter: Building Metal
Airplanes Sample Chapter
Homebuilt Aerodynamics and Flight Testing
Second
Edition, 126 pages, over 60 illustrations, by Sonja Englert (ISBN
0-9752984-2-9)
This book is available in
electronic format, see "How to Order"
Your airplane
is nearing its first flight and you have decided to perform the flight testing
yourself. But you have never done this before. If that is the case, you should
read this book. It is a step-by-step guide from the initial test flight with
many tips and guidance how to safely perform your own flight testing. It will
help you to get to know your airplane much better and fly it safely throughout
its envelope. It will improve your understanding of the basic concepts of
aerodynamics and flight characteristics. It also offers many suggestions for
fixing problems you might encounter. Good stall characteristics are important
for safe slow flight handling and one extensive chapter is dedicated to help
you identify and resolve issues with stalls and spin recovery. Sample test
cards are provided for each test, from performance tests to system checks to
handling qualities. The book covers gliders, singles and twins with piston
engines.
Click on
the link to view the index: Aerodynamics
& Flight Testing Index
Click on
the link to view a sample chapter: Aerodynamics & Flight Testing Sample Chapter
Efficient Powerplant Installation
Second Edition, 113 pages, over 85
illustrations, by Sonja Englert (ISBN 0-9752984-1-0)
This book is available in
electronic format, see "How to Order"
This book is a must for everyone
involved in engine installations. Whether you are installing an overhauled engine
on a production airframe or design and maintain your own engine installation
for a homebuilt airplane, this book covers every component and system firewall
forward. Most kits or planes built airplanes do not include very detailed
instructions on how to handle the engine installation. This book is intended to
fill the gap. Learn about engine mounts, firewall layout, fuel systems, engine
cooling optimization for aircooled and liquid cooled engines, cooling drag
reduction, cowling design, engine controls, exhaust and induction systems,
engine instrumentation, different ignition systems, advantages and
disadvantages, propeller selection, oil systems and cabin heat, up to the first
engine run. Make sure your engine works well and runs safely from the first
start. Everything is well explained and easy to understand, whether you are an
A&P or have never touched an engine before.
Click on the link to view the
index: Powerplant Installation
Index
Click on the link to view a sample chapter:
Powerplant Installation
Sample Chapter
Composite Facts
Design,
Manufacturing, Repair
124 pages, over 80 illustrations,
by Sonja Englert (ISBN 0-9752984-0-2)
This book is available in electronic
format, see "How to Order"
If you consider building or
maintaining a composite airplane, or are simply interested working and
designing with composite materials, this is the book to read. It is not geared
towards a specific airplane, but includes all the techniques you are likely to
encounter when building one. It takes you from the first mixing of resin to
what you need to know to build a structurally safe composite airplane. The
properties of different materials like glass, carbon, aramid and spectra fibers
are explained, and where they are best used. Become familiar with different
manufacturing techniques like wet layup and vacuum bagging, working with foam
and honeycomb cores, preparation for bonding, learn which tools are needed, how
to build simple molds, how resin is cured and what is necessary to achieve the
full strength of a part. One chapter is dedicated to recognizing and repairing
damaged composite structures. It is explained how properly design load transfers
into composite, with many examples. You will find basic stress analysis for
composite materials and comparison with metal, what influence the direction of
fibers has on laminate strength and properties, what is fiber volume content,
how can it be determined and how does it influence the weight of an airplane.
This book was written for beginners, but it also contains a lot of useful
information for any engineer who is getting involved with composites.
Click on the link to view the
index: Composite Facts Index
Click on the link to view a sample
chapter: Composite Facts
Sample Chapter
A photograph captures a moment of life, but a painting can tell a whole story. In this sense, this book should be regarded as a painting.
Here is a link to a review of the Boelcke book by an editor of
the “Cross and Cockade” magazine
Trailblazers
Test Pilots in Action
by Christopher Hounsfield
Found in: Aviation History Books
Type: Hardback
ISBN: 9781844157488
Flight testing
experimental and new aircraft is one of the world's most hazardous occupations.
A test pilot requires the skills of a flying ace whilst maintaining the self-control
and mental discipline of a scientist. They are a rare breed, carefully selected
for their experience and intelligence - let alone their bravery.
This book contains a series of anecdotes written by some of the world's best,
flying iconic aircraft during the extensive experimental flights that must take
place before a type can enter service. Each story is a unique insight into
these modern day technological explorers.
Sonja Englert
contributed one of the anecdotes in this book.
This book is available from Pen and Sword publisher: http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/?product_id=1779
E-Lert Electric Tricycle Plans
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