Badland Part 103 Pilots and Builders Forum

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For part 103 where ounces count, I can't imagine the droop tips being much of an option. I do think they'd improve performance at least to some extent, and would likely be worth having if you're going experimental. As for the wing shape, I don't have any data, which is why I'll be interested to see ...

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FWIW, I'm pretty sure you could buy the leading edge strips from Kitfox since they still support the model 4. I don't see them listed in their catalog, but you can't list everything. Since people with the earlier planes probably wanted to try these, I'd be surprised if some other company wasn't also...

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Interesting project. I'll be following your development and testing. Kitfox used a leading edge strip that gave a better shape compared to the large front spar tube. I wonder how much effect that would have? It would of course add weight, which is the enemy of Part 103.
Rusty

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Always enjoy pictures!

Pity the CF ribs are so expensive. When you look at the weight difference between wood and CF, how much more would varnish add to the wood? I'm assuming they do get varnished normally?

Rusty (I hate wood)

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Sorry to hear the tale of woe, but thanks for posting.
Rusty

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The Briggs BSV23 is probably the most successfully used industrial engine from what I can see. That's still far from a bulletproof option though. The Legal Eagle guys are flying them essentially unmodified, and they've been used for almost a decade in Europe with and without a PSRU. I have about 4 h...

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Craig,

Do you have a local EAA chapter you could join? There are usually people with experience that can help, even hands on if needed. That might be the best way to get moving in the right direction.

Rusty

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It's been a few different issues, some related, some isolated, most catastrophic. A few concerns found during inspection; unsafe deck heights, incorrect clocking on piston rings, valve hardware lacking loctite or proper torque values, improper crankcase ventilation, out of round flywheels, damaged ...

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Interesting for sure. I thought they were pushing the 460 too hard if they were getting anywhere near the HP they claimed. I'd also be interested in knowing the failure modes. I could see overheating being a problem.

Rusty

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Rusty (and Craig), were you given a copy of the current manual in the meantime? No, but I didn't really press the issue. Manuals always seem to be the last part that gets finished. I was looking into the Aeropup last year as well, and asked for a manual. The reply I got was almost exactly the same.

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I've wondered how good the assembly manual is. I picked up a Ridge Runner project a few years ago, and the manual was horrid. I have a Kitfox 4 project now, and the manual is better, but still not a substitute for actual plans. I asked Chris for the manual about a month ago, and he said he's revisin...

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I agree that it would be good to bump those in line that haven't the funding in agreement with his business payment practices. Honestly, I'm not sure what that policy is, so he may be doing that. I asked about refunding my deposit when the next buyer sends money, and his reply was that he "can...

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Some points here are, it would be nice to have a list showing build order, so we can see where we're at on the build list, and see planes/kits move off the list. Life changes can adversely affect the purchase or cancelation for long wait times. Todd Hi Todd. Some good points, and perhaps the longes...

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17 months is getting a bit ridiculous IMHO. The reason being that people’s “life” situations can change dramatically in that amount of time. Furthermore, 17 month wait then maybe a year beyond that for assembly. If a manufacturer can’t produce a product in 17 months I’d suggest they need more help....

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I talked to Chris this week over email to get a quote and lead time. He said the current wait time is about 17 months. While that seems like a long wait, I'd say that's actually a good sign he's putting out a quality product. I'm not sure I'd say that's a logical conclusion to a long wait time, BUT...

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I'd be interested in seeing some answers to this as well. I was told 10 months back in May, and Chris says that should still be a good estimate. I don't think I've heard of anyone getting one that quickly, though he DID just add 1.5 employees which is something he didn't have in the past. Of course ...

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Took delivery of my F2 on Wednesday. The quality is unbelievable. I am now in the process of gathering tools to complete the build and advice from other members. I do plan on joining MULA ( Michigan Ultra Lite Association ) very soon but it looks like it will be sometime before I am ready to fly th...

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Kevin wrote: ↑Sun Sep 08, 2024 7:47 pm Question. Tom Hail has quite a few videos of a Badlands flying with good performance. Does anyone know what engine he is flying behind?

Thanks!

That would be the ThumpAir460 that Badland lists on their engine section.
Rusty

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Rusty, do you by chance have any select links to information about the Briggs? I'm talking with Chris now about using it. Also looking at other options. That rotary is going to have one heck of a reduction isn't it? Todd Hi Todd, I've got a thread running on the Homebuilt Aircraft forum about it. Y...

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Does anyone supply a V-Twin engine package, or a belt reduction setup for a V-Twin? I don't think I've heard of any company supplying v-twin packages at the moment. Ace sells a good belt redrive, but it takes months to get. I've been testing a Briggs model 38 (23HP) like Leonard and others have use...

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I think a potential problem with the half VW may be fuel supply. The Badlands doesn’t easily lend itself to gravity flow from tank to carb like the forward fuselage mounted tank on the Legal Eagle. Most two cycles have vacuum powered fuel pumps. Not so on the VW. An electric pump would add weight. ...

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I love rotary engines, so that's a big part of the benefit to me. I've owned a couple RX-7s, and put a Mazda rotary in an RV-3B. The engine should be very smooth, and lighter than a normal 4-stroke making similar power. I'm all about making legal weight, so being light weight and not 2-stroke is a r...

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UPS brought me a couple of boxes today. I did some quick weighing and came up with 61.5 lbs for everything except coolant. I won't likely do anything with it for some time, since I have other projects ongoing, and the kit won't be here for a long time.

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Sounds good. What climb rates are you getting? Climb and Cruise RPM? I've got a Briggs Vanguard 38 (627cc) v-twin on the test stand now and it's doing well. At 75 lbs I'm getting 38HP at 5500 using a test club. This engine definitely needs to find a plane, but my eventual Badland will almost certain...

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NOT my ad!!!

I saw this on Barnstormers, and it's pretty rare to see one of these come up. Sounds like bad news for the seller, but good news for anyone who wants an F1 but doesn't want to wait a year for it.

https://www.barnstormers.com/classified ... atid=22987

Rusty

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Ordered the AIXRO HP-40 today. It came to about $7700 with some options and spare parts. Should be here in maybe 6 weeks I'm guessing, which will put it about 8 months ahead of the kit

Who knows what it might go on in the mean time...
Rusty

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The Predator was 109 out of the box, but had an almost 10 lb muffler. The Vanguard 23HP was 88 out of the box. Current estimates put the Vanguard more than 20 lbs lighter. Still estimates though. I just sent my first deposit to Chris today, so I've got some time to come up with an engine I like. Rusty

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My Predator 670 project is running well, but as expected it's overweight. With a starter, PSRU, lighter flywheel, and nothing it doesn't need, the weight with oil is about 97 lbs. It should produce plenty of power, but wouldn't make weight. There are others testing direct drive version, and that wou...

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You may get a warning about this site but it looks legit. US distributor Blackhawk Paramotors https://www.helvenco.com/aero1000.htm BitDefender certainly doesn't like that link, but I found plenty of others just searching for the Aero 1000. None of the links I found gave a weight though. Looks like...

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Another forum mentioned this little 4-stroke screamer that I hadn't heard of. No word on TBO, and the price is supposed to be around $4300. 30 HP (3 min limit) and under 40 lbs complete. https://www.eos-engine.com/index.php?lang=1&hID=71 It seems low on power, and overworked, but maybe something...

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On another forum I read some info about the Aixro XP40 rotary from an actual owner. It does seem to be a unique engine with it's own cooling limitations. It might still work well, but so far I haven't been able to contact the two main sites that seem to sell and support it. That's a bad sign when it...

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I exchanged a bunch of emails with Chris a while back about the F23, and it's just too close to call. Basically he said it would be an interesting challenge :-) The total weight of the engine (no prop) was around 82 lbs if I recall correctly. I'm looking at 80 lbs as the upper limit. As for the chut...

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The F23 from Hirth runs in the $7,000 to $9,000 range (OUCH!) based on options like fuel injection, oil injection...etc. The big advantage to it is you'll most likly never have to rebuild the engine. It has a 1,000 hour TBO! Todd I have a quote for the F23 from Feb 2023. For the engine, basic exhau...

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Excellent. Thanks Tom

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Good to hear a first hand report Tom. It certainly looks and sounds good. Can you share any numbers, RPM for climb and cruise, prop size, climb rate, etc?

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The rotary that's on the Badland site is crazy expensive. The Aixro XP40 is around $7k US. https://www.aixro.co.uk/aixro-xp40-data/ I fear 38HP for an extended duration on the 460cc ThumpAir may never have a long life. We won't know until there's more data though. I may be able to get the 670 down t...

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Greetings, It looks like I'll have a year to come up with an engine, and I'm really only considering 4-strokes, or rotary engines. The obvious option is the ThumpAir, but I don't think many are flying yet. By the time I need one, there should be a lot more known about it. I have one of the Predator ...

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Appreciate all the pics!
Rusty

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I really appreciate the measurements Barry! How thick is the bottom seat cushion? I imagine compression of the cushion might buy another inch or more on those measurements, but it's not exactly sounding spacious. I'm 6'1" but my seated height is 38.5". To have plenty of headroom at 6'2&quo...

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Thanks Barry. I'll be interested in any measurements you can provide. From how bent your knees are in those pics, I'm betting your more leg than torso. I never have issues with legroom, only headroom. As for the Ultracruiser, it does have fairly easily removable outer wing panels. There's one guy in...

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The Ultracruiser and Legal Eagle are also on my list, but neither has the cool folding wing option.

So I'm assuming there isn't any room to lower the seat, or possibly recline it a bit more?

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Thanks for measurements and picture. Unless there's room to lower the seat a few inches, it sounds like I can scratch the Badlands from my wish list along with all the other early Avids, Kitfoxes, etc.

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Yes, that would help. I don't need a picture against the wall, just the height measurement. The cockpit picture will give me a good idea when I know the measurement. Some of the Kitfoxes and others have had bubble skylights that gave extra headroom, but that seems pointless to me because if you're h...

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I'd still like to find one of these closer to east TN than the Badlands facility. I can't even seriously consider one of these without sitting in one to make sure there's headroom. If anyone does have one of these, could you take a picture of the headroom you have when sitting in it, and also provid...

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Thanks for the info. It does sound promising, but I'll have to prove it before I could actually consider building one. Fortunately I have plenty of other project, so no great hurry.

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Greetings, I'm still trying to track down a Badlands plane to sit in, so I can see if fit. I'm 6-1 185 lbs, but my giraffe like neck causes problems with headroom. Chris sent an image that shows a map of owners, and there was one that appears to be east of Nashville. There was another north of Pensa...

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It would probably be better to start a Smart Carb thread for all this.
Rusty

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Rusty, if you are ever in WVa, I have a SkyRaider 1, which is basically the same fuselage as the Badland, and you are welcome to sit in it and try it on for size. I have it on Barnstormers for sale right now, so as long as its still here you are welcome. I saw that ad, and we actually met once. I b...

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I did hear back from Chris that he won't be at the Midwest LSA expo next week. I'm sure his time is better spent building kits and planes. I'll keep looking for one to sit in near East TN. I'll also watch for aircraft specific testing on the SC2.

Cheers,
Rusty

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The enduro bike is about as far from our actual use as you can get. Maybe there's a test out there with a boat, or jet ski. I would actually guess that a high power cruise setting would make less of a difference, but I'd want to see that proven. A good test would be to run the same engine with each ...

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