Badland Part 103 Pilots and Builders Forum

13brv3

Man, if Bruce takes a break from building, we can just shut the forum down

Anyone else get a kit? Anyone else waiting for a kit? I'll be bugging Chris soon since my 10 month ETA is here, and I haven't had any update in months.

Rusty

13brv3

The good is, it's getting there and the frame is either getting paint shortly or already has. My sister and I will be driving up from Florida to pick up the kit when ready. That's about the same as your trip will be. Hopefully your trip will be around the end of March. There's no possible way mine ...

13brv3

I'm guessing he did it just to show off

Of course if you had a truck with an 8 ft bed, and one of those trailer hitch extenders...

13brv3

Isn't there a video of Chris putting a plane in the back of a truck

Rusty

13brv3

I like the truck transport. Man, I hate pulling a trailer, and I've tried just about everything but that for transporting long items. Eventually I'll have to decide if it's worth the 15 hr drive to pick up the kit. By that time shipping cost will probably make it worthwhile. Sounds like you're in th...

13brv3

Hi Barry, Thanks for those numbers. How many years has he been making these? I know he was a one man show for the majority of that, so that doesn't help the numbers much. I'm more of a builder than a pilot, so I get really impatient when I don't have a project to work on. Fortunately, my Onex is pre...

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Greetings, Someone asked me how many Badland planes are flying and how many kits have been shipped. I have a hard time even guessing the answer to that. I did ask Chris in an email weeks ago, but didn't get a reply. Aside from Bruce, it's pretty quiet. Any guess how many are flying, and how many kit...

13brv3

FWIW, I did receive the Oratex exactly as advertised, so that should be a vote of confidence in dealing with the seller if anyone is considering his engine.

13brv3

Greetings, If anyone is looking for a Polini Thor 303 and maybe a prop, this might be a good deal. https://www.barnstormers.com/classified-1941459-0-hour-Polini-Thor-303-engine.html This is NOT my ad. I only saw it because I have a daily search for Oratex that he also had for sale. I already sent hi...

13brv3

The old price of the F1 was $16,105, and the new price is $13,090. The list of included items looks almost identical, so it just seems like a $3k price reduction. Good on him for lowing the price if that's what happened, but if there's no significant change in what's included, I won't be happy about...

13brv3

Congrats on getting closer. The new website looks good, and has a nice collection of links for videos and such. One thing I noticed immediately is what appears to be a big price reduction for the kit I ordered. I couldn't find the nice order form that listed what items were included in each kit, so ...

13brv3

The Badland (Kitfox Lite variants) and Merlin Lite are probably the closest you can get to a "real" airplane and still be legal for part 103. While I'm not a big fan of bugs in the teeth, I wouldn't mind having a Truelite with some sort of windscreen. That's probably the most compact and e...

13brv3

Badland-F5 Pilot wrote: ↑Thu Jan 16, 2025 12:58 am
I'm really terrible at being able to use manuals.

I have a hard time doing what I'm told, but that's a whole different issue

Rusty

13brv3

It was reported on the FB group (horrible format) that his last flight didn't make it over 300 ft. He made an excellent dead stick off airport landing with a broken valve. His ThumpAir is no more. Plane and pilot are safely home and shopping for a new engine.

13brv3

There have been multiple builders complete their build without a single technical question. I take pride in the manual I've written. I've had several people help with editing, hopefully making it more understandable. Everyone has a different way they learn. I've written the manual the way I learn, ...

13brv3

LA F2 Flyer wrote: ↑Tue Jan 14, 2025 9:44 am Nice looking setup! And those welds look pretty good to me!

Low res photos are your friend. Eventually thick powder coating helps too

Thanks for the comments though.

13brv3

My slow and questionable TIG welding has finally finished the AIXRO mount. It fits the engine, so hopefully it will fit the firewall too. I'll mount the engine on my test stand in a couple months when it warms up. No hurry I imagine

Rusty

13brv3

I'd worry way more about the wood than the aluminum. I'll leave the 6061 aluminum bare to save weight, and it will last a lot longer than I will. Steel needs to be protected, and powder coat rules. If I have to paint it, my go-to is a two part epoxy. It tends to play well with other paints and it's ...

13brv3

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 ...

13brv3

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...

13brv3

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

13brv3

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)

13brv3

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...

13brv3

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

13brv3

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 ...

13brv3

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

13brv3

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.

13brv3

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...

13brv3

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...

13brv3

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...

13brv3

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....

13brv3

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...

13brv3

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 ...

13brv3

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...

13brv3

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

13brv3

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...

13brv3

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...

13brv3

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. ...

13brv3

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...

13brv3

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.

13brv3

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...

13brv3

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

13brv3

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

13brv3

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

13brv3

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...

13brv3

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...

13brv3

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...

13brv3

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...

13brv3

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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