With several new guys joining our group recently I often wonder where they are from. I could have a Mini-max builder a few miles away from me and I may never know it. Why don't we introduce ourselves and state where we are from and what stage of planning/building or flying we are at. Include what ever info you are comfortable with. I'll start.
Dick Rake from near Tyler, Texas. 903-852-2109. rrake@cox.net. Have a plans built Mini-max with a Hirth 2704.
Next!

   Larry Vetter, Manson, Iowa

Box stock original miniMAX Rotax 277, built by my brother Dennis and I back in 1988.

Lynn Winter - Uniontown, MO which is about 1 1/2 Hr south of St Louis, MO.

I'm scratch building a 1100R with 1030 wings and the light tail. Power will be a 277 Rotax.

I'm a snappy dresser, a good dancer and all of the ladies think I'm hot!

That last sentence is all a lie 8)

Lynn

Dennis Baker, Chugwater, WY (near Cheyenne)
In the process of buying a Mini Max/Hi Max.  From what I can tell, it cost less to buy the finished product than to build.  

Tom Sheppard. Minimax 91 (1600r) 447 reflexed flaperons. Currently being mended. Based Bournemouth England.

Monte pace, san Angelo,texas, I fly the first 1030f mini-max from the original Team Aircraft company. Rotax 277

Ronnie Corbin
Middle Tennesse
Hi-Max with a Rotax 447
Mini Max Rotax 447.

Jon Ferguson
Coastal Virginia
Hi-VMax under construction, leaning towards full V/W for power plant.

Arthur Withy  Minimax 1500R rotax 447..completely standard.

Adelaide, South Australia

Ken Ragan, Lizella, Ga.
Soon to start construction on a Tandem Air Bike

Hi all,

Matt Ellison, St. Peters Missouri (St. Louis Area), Airbike with a Rotax 447.

I'm putting on the fabric.  Shooting for first flight by fall.

Minimax 1100, Rotax 447, Millinocket, Maine. :)

Merl Manning, Eldora, IA.
Mini-Max 100R with Hirth 2702

Jim Thompson 1650R EROS under construction with Rotax 503DCDI Ocala, FL. (north central FL.)  #352-558-4892 working on engine install.
Plumbing Contractor.

Sean Winship in Ashland City, TN (30 minutes west of Nashville).
1999 Mini-Max 1600R with Rotax 447 - about 55 hours on it. I am about to have the engine rebuilt and I need to build a new empennage, then I will be able to begin flying it again.
Area code 615, then 423, then 18...45 is my cell.

Bill Bailey   X-MiniMax flyer and current Taylorcraft flyer in Wichita Ks

Roger D Gunderson Tucson AZ, took about 6 years to build, test flew at their age of 62.

Dale Karger Industry, PA ( NW of Pittsburgh )  V-max being refurbished.  
this thread ought to be pinned as a directory of members....just my opinion...

Peter Koszegi,  Hungary, Europe
ICP Bingo STOL Simonini Victor 2, Himax Hirth 2702, Himax 4a084, Minimax 582  air worthy, flying ones.
Himax 447 (under rebuilt)

Steve Owen

Lake Station Indiana
Hi max builder
Live between Michigan and Gary indiana

Ricardo Cavallari, Campinas, Brazil.
Former EAA Tech Counselor. Actually the same for two brazilian associations (Abraex and Abul). Restorer of many old birds (Aeronca, Cessna, Stinson, CAP-4, J-3, etc).
Builder of Tsuru, 3 Airbikes , 90% of a modified Minimax, structures of 2 Stolkings, 1 Starlet a few ultralights and some others  :)

Tom Spindler Greenbush Mn.  Fly out of Roseau Mn. KROX airport that is 10 miles south of the Canada border.  My plane is a a narrow body org. Mini Max with a Rotax 277. The plane flew for the first time last year and was my first solo at the same time!

Tom

John Riley
Bedford, UK
Built a Minimax in 1989 G-MWFD
Built an AirBike in 2012 G-ISON

Brian Lloyd. Dracut. Mass building a V-max from a complete kit. I have a 4 cylinder hummell VW to put in her when done! I have an active build thread here on this forium

Steve Cooper Big Bear lake Ca. plane flys out of Big bear City airport L-35 field elevation 6750, 909 260 7261 I am a general contractor and co- owner of a solar pv company.

Joe Weber,  50 miles north of Kansas City, Ks.  1100r that I hope I can finish

Harold Acheson, Plano, TX. Minimax 1600R. Have flown all over N. Texas the past 14 years (with a 4 year "visit" to Georgia a few years back)..

Ted Burkey
Davis, California
Currently rebuilding a 1200 Z, all original, no modifications.  Hope to test next Spring.

Everybody's profile has a place for location, contacts, plus signature, use it
Anyway building this Himax launched my aviation carrier in 1992

Paul D. Fiebich
Derby, Kansas
AirBike Single plans built 1998 Experimental category
503 engine 980 TT Hours on the airframe
Hangar at Selby Aerodrome 35KS (5 miles south of Wichita, Kansas)

Jake Erwin

DeMotte, IN (45 minutes south of Gary)
Minimax 1100R 377 Rotax (Needs some cosmetic work but flyable)

Just waiting to get back to fly it.

Charlie Radford, Lansing, KS  (20 m nw of Kansas City)

Built an Airbike in 1998 and flew it for several years

Currently flying a Sonex from Hoelting airport at Basehor, KS

phil Jackson

minimax sport 91

rotax 447

north wales

uk

Bob Nafe  24 miles south of Raleigh, NC, USA.  MiniMax 1030 with Rotax 277.
Still enjoy flying and doing modifications.

Bud Bradley Sacramento CA.  

I started out building the 103 mini but have to decided to go with a hi-max.  Bad knees may make it somewhat difficult getting in an out of mini max....

Ricardo Alayza
Cañete, Peru.  South America

Phil C. Vergara
Ozamiz City
Philippines

Maiden
https://youtu.be/lyt8J0FGNMc

Andy Garrett
Haysville, Kansas (suburb of Wichita)
I hangar at the legendary Selby Aerodrome
I fly the very Airbike that Charlie Radford build and pictured above (5th owner). It is one of the best examples of the type that I've ever seen. N447AB
Rotax 447

Recent photo:

Tom Hall. Sylvia, Ks.
Pipeline and underground gas storage operator, welder, farmer.
Have a V-max, purchased from the one and only, Mr Bill Bailey, a member of this board.
Also have a Z-max 1300 under reconstruction.
And a new still in the box 1100-R with a 447 Rotax.
Also have an old original Bengston Gismo Gyroplane under restoration, for static display only.
Also own and fly a Cessna 150.
All hangered at the old Roberts airfeild north east of Sylvia, Ks.
Humm,,, I think I need a bigger bird cage,,!

Hey all my name is Caleb Schmidt I am currently building a 1550 with a full vw the project is from '92 and I bought it in 2011. I live in Cincinnati Ohio and fly a Cessna 150 I am soloing as a student pilot.

Caleb: You're not too far from Bill See I think. You should check him out for some tailwheel time once you get thru with that C-150.

Quoted from PUFF

Caleb: You're not too far from Bill See I think. You should check him out for some tailwheel time once you get thru with that C-150.

Thanks puff. I definitely will be getting my taildraggers endorsement as soon as I can. I'll try to contact bill to see where he is.

Hello from New Mexico, I love this thread and wish it was a sticky. It is a good way to get too know people. I do not have a aircraft project at this time, but am building the bench. I hope to built a 1550V with VW power. I have 2 street rod projects at this time so work will be slow.
David Sword 575 437 8344 swordeandd@hughes.net

Thank you very much. :) Maybe someday I can post a picture of Max.

Darrel Watson - living and building my AeroMax at an air park just west of Elbert, CO.  I'm sure that there are other Lonesome Buzzards in Colorado - we need to get together and check on progress.

Jeff from colorado No plane yet but looking at getting one this summer once I get my house finished.

Curt, Athens, Tn.

Multiple business owner.

I have my own hanger and runway on my property. Hoping to lengthen my runway to 1k2 feet this summer and build more hangers to rent in the next two years.

Between my father and I we own several planes:

PA-17 Vagabond
7AC Champ
Kolb SlingShot 582 mod 90
FlightStar IISC 582 mod 90
(2) Quicksilver MX's 447's
(2) Quicksilver Sprints 447 and a 503
Quicksilver Sprint II 582 mod 99
(2) Quicksilver Sport II's 582's mod 99

I might have more, I can't remember. LOL

I'm starting my Airbike II and two Quicksilver Supers this summer.

We also experiment with different two cycle oils, 670's, converting Ducati to Nippondenso, Chain redrives, Mikuni carbs and converting single plug heads to duel.

HARLESS GREEAR .........Coeburn, Va.

Retired

N1208W...Experimental...1400 Himax built in 1996.. put 1200 hours on a Zenoah engine and now have converted to a V-max using a 4A084-3... Total time on plane 1400+ hoours..

Curt, I worked at Watts Barr in the early 90's, were you flying then??

Quoted from Harless Greear

Curt, I worked at Watts Barr in the early 90's, were you flying then??

I was taking lessons at McMinn in the early 90's. I sure do miss Nancy the airport manager. In the mid to late 80's I was a teenager and would ride my bicycle to the airport from North Athens just to be where the action was. If anyone was washing anything, I would politely ask to help in hopes of getting a ride while they were knocking the water back off. Most didn't, but some did and I never forgot the ones that did even tho many of them are gone now. Nancy took care of me like I was one of her own and every now and then she would let me take a ride in an open seat, especially if she noticed I had worked hard to no avail. She knew I didn't even have money for a coke back then but I always seemed to get one and a ride around her. Unfortunately, Nancy passed in bad weather over the mountains. To this day I don't miss an opportunity to give back and give a ride or two. (Sometimes all day long at fly-ins.) I know what it meant to me and I like to think it means the same to others that have received a ride from me.

Sorry to get so far off the subject.

No sorry chaindrive, what a nice story. Now when you give a ride to someone, you enjoy twice as much as anyone else.
I also enjoyed during my early years walking to a dirt runway where crazy pilots flew stearman cropdusters.
Later that practice dissapeared when crops changed, but the seed was already planted on me. Many years later I was able to realize my dream when a small UL club was created near LIma, the capital. Private flying in Peru is as rare as riddings camels in the US... and I'm not kidding you.

Sent back Harless.

Thanks Ricardo, That's a great story and picture. Maybe we should start a "Your first aviation experience story?"

[quote=30]HARLESS GREEAR .........Coeburn, Va.

Retired

N1208W...Experimental...1400 Himax built in 1996.. put 1200 hours on a Zenoah engine and now have converted to a V-max using a 4A084-3... Total time on plane 1400+ hoours..

Dang Harless, You're another hero I need to bow too. First Charles Lindbergh, Then Paul and now you. Send a picture and I'll see if the Postal Service will make a commemorative stamp in your honor.
Dick

Bert Shivers
Hull, TX
Tandem Air Bike w/HKS - purchased
Trying to get ready to fly off the 40 hr. at Kountze, TX - Hardin County Airport

Flying it some now, Feb & March 2015.

Jessie Meeks
Tiplersville, MS
Building a 1100R

BobN (Bob Nafe) Duncan Junction, NC (central NC) Fly out of Sawyer's Field in Erwin, NC.  MiniMax 103  #228 with lots of mods due to rough landing and rebuild. Engine is 277.

Ed Woerle here, from Memphis ( the home of Elvis, the Blues, the pyramid and unbeleivable barbeque). Also the birthplace of the supermarket I'm a UFO (Ugly, Fat, Old), regularly flying my '65 Cessna T-41A or my '60 Piper PA-23-160 Apache. Started my AirBike in '99 but got sidetracked. Now am in process of buying the almost completed 'Bike of a deceased friend. I am an A&P/IA/DME.

Welcome to the Board Ed!  You have quite a background in aviation, glad to learn that you are resurectig the AirBike project you started long ago. Git 'er done, we gotta keep 'em flying!

Paul D. Fiebich
a.k.a. AirBike Ace

Bret from Northern California. I have a hanger in Elverta / Roseville, Ca area called Freedom Field. (flyfreedomfield.com) {I'm working on the website. It's in Re-Construcion mode but some of the pages do work.} The field has two grass runways. I have a Himax 1700R built in the 90's. I have acquired it in the last year and have converted from Rotax 277 to Rotax 447 with a GPL starter. New parts that were missing and fresh Lexon. I plan to do the turtle deck and front deck and cowl for better looks and a full instrument panel.

Marshall Lowry- I am in no the Florida split  between TLH and SGJ.  building a 1550 V-max.  Shooting for first flight late summer / early fall.

Denis Therrien
Burlington, On, Canada
aka: Great White North

Just ordered plans for Jordan Lake Aero for LS Airbike, can't wait to Get started.
I plan on using a Scott Cassler 45hp 1/2 VW engine on it and it will be painted in Canadian Cessna L19 Birdog Scheme.
I would love to talk to any body who is currently building or already flying with a 1/2 VW in there Airbike.
This is a great Forum, keep up the good work.

Thanks

Denis

Dave Hill, here in Elk City, OK.  I like Team MiniMax.  I going to build something but I can't make up my mind between Eros & V-Max.

I was one of the original guys who paid $400 deposit for Epic plans for the Epic drawing.  I decided the Epic will be my 2nd project and went ahead and pulled trigger on V-Max Printed Plans and Empennage kit.  Check went in the mail today. I've been farting around looking at kits for years and probably own about 1/2 dozen plans and 2 dozen info packs.  What made me make a decision today?  I'm a CFI and I can fly just about anytime I want so I'm not building to fly.  I've concluded that I'm building to learn how to build.

Eric Blevins, Whitehall Ohio, south of CMH

Picked up my 1030 kit in Feb. 2014, hope to have it completed before fall of 2015.
I like tricycles and believe I'm the first person to receive the newly designed nose wheel option.

My build is documented here: http://ulbuilder.wordpress.com where you will find tons of pictures that I hope are helpful to future builders.

Eric, I looked at your pictures and I'm wondering why I didn't see any lock nuts...............

Quoted from Harless Greear

Eric, I looked at your pictures and I'm wondering why I didn't see any lock nuts...............

Thats on purpose, lock nuts will be installed on final assembly.
I never reuse lock nuts and most things need to come back apart to varnish and/or cover. Some things I've put together and taken apart numerous times for one reason or another.

whew.....  :D  Good Idea.

Bret  8) 8)

Hi Everyone

This is my first post. I live in the UK, where I fly microlights. I want to build a Minimax, so I am here to immerse myself in the subject....learn from those of you who are already doing what I dream of.

Thanks for having me on board.
Peter

Welcome to the site Peter. There are a lot of helpful knowledgeable folks on this web site. Please ask questions, and do not worry cause all of use were at your stage at one time. :) I did live in England as a young man long ago. Wells Next the Sea in Norfolk, and Mildenhall in Suffolk, and Hexham in Northumberland.

Quoted from aeronut

Welcome to the site Peter. There are a lot of helpful knowledgeable folks on this web site. Please ask questions, and do not worry cause all of use were at your stage at one time. :) I did live in England as a young man long ago. Wells Next the Sea in Norfolk, and Mildenhall in Suffolk, and Hexham in Northumberland.

Thanks for the welcome, Aeronaut. I am not far from Mildenhall. Were you in the airforce there? Before 9/11 they used to do a big airshow there every year.

I was in High School at the time (1963 THRU 1968). My dad was in the Air Force and my mom was from Northumberland. They met during WWII. He was station at RAF Sculthorp (1958 thru 1961). I have great memories of those times; Wells Next The Sea was a great place for an 11 year old to grow up in. Yes Mildenhall used to host what we called back then an Open House display once a year with aircraft on display and the Thunderbird's  display team. :)

oh sorry, aeroNUT! England says hi again. Glad you enjoyed growing up here.

My favourite Mildenhall display was by an Italian twin engined transport plane, like a slightly smaller c-130, which went straight from take off into an inside loop. Extraordinary!

Chad from Iowa

still researching airplanes but will likely go with the 1100R

Jim here from southern AZ. My Dad was a private pilot for many years and he approached me about buying a minimax. We got an awesome deal on a nearly completed one, So I immediately starting taking sport pilot lessons.

My Dad is in his spry 80's and this will be something for us to do together.

My name is Richard Westfall. Currently residing in Pennsylvania and will be flying out of KIDI most of the time.

I just purchased a MinMax with a 2A042 engine.

It seems most people know the plane as "Kevin's from WV".

I have not had a chance to fly it yet, but I am looking forward to that day soon.

I am self employed which means you don't get a day off if the phone rings.

Here is a pic of the plane.

That is a great looking canopy that you have there. Welcome to the website. Want to hear more about your airplane as time goes on. :)

Hello all

I just became the Owner of a Minimax 1100R that has been upgraded to a 1500 with all the trimmings and only 4.1 hours on the Bird.
Superstoked about getting her in the Air next weekend.
I am a collector or "weird" Aircrafts and also own my own Airport, so life is good.
Anyone looking for a place to go in Canada, we are CEF6 Forestburg Airport in Alberta.
Here a list of what I fly:
Challenger Special clipped Wing with Rotax 447
Chinook WT11 with Rotax 277
Quicky 2 with Revmaster 2100
Ragwing 11 (Ragabond) with Simonini Victor 2
Aces High Cubby 2 with Rotax 503
Spectrum Beaver RX550 with Rotax 503
Lazair twin engine Rotax 232
Raf 2000 Gyrocopter with Subaru EA82
AirCommand Gyrocopter with Rotax 582
Powered Para Glider with a Rotary Compact 100
Stinson 108 with franklin 150 and off course
Minimax with Rotax 447

In the works I have also a few more

Hope to have a great time with the Minimax ;)

I have G-CBIN, fully enclosed cockpit with lowered enclosed 503 engine, aerofoil struts and axle

It's hangared near Nottingham in the UK and really enjoy it.

http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/001048006.html

I'm working out in Lincoln Nebraska for another year or so.

Cheeky question: Will anyone let me loose in an Airbike????

Hello everyboby...

I'm Stephane From France, and i'm the best happy owner of a 1600 Minimax. I'm a learning pilot of Ultra Light Plane in France and i hope to make my first fly in 2016...

For the moment i have 8 hours of school flying on a Airmax... you can see my club here http://www.ulm25.com

You can see on the pics that a Rotax 447 was mounted on the plane but like i'm not sure of is hours, i buy a Simoni Victor 1 with 80 hours...

The work to mount is for this winter...

Here you can see the las owner of the Minimax, it was the day of his first fly  https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jF4KNAzO5iM

Have a good day

I'm happy to join you, and sorry for my bad english....

Hi

some pics about my machine....transport to my home....

Welcome and a nice bird you have.

Nick Keith here from peoria illinois. I purchased a mini max 1500R from a guy in Champaign illinois and was told he flew it over 300 hours! Well come to find out this aircraft had never flown and i was left with a bunch of rework on my hands and do all of the flight testing. Fabric was NOT done correctly and he used a roller to paint it!! At least he used dope to paint it with so thats a plus. Had to install a pitot system and a static system. However i did get two hours of flying in before the weather soured. :) Now i am going to recover it and install pushrod tubes for all controls using castellated nuts and safeties.

Sorry to hear about your troubles, but if you have a couple hours on the tach then the airplane must fly pretty well. Welcome to the world of the MiniMax. Please let us know how the recover goes along. :)

It flies like a dream...lol a slow lazy care free dream. HAHA. I will keep you posted!

Hi,
I have a set of single seat Airbike plans.  Have ordered a set of Tandem plans.  Trying to decide which plane to build.  I will be ordering the welded airframe for whichever one I decide.

Brisbane, Australia
110hrs PPL (just a newbie)

Regards,
Duncan

Hello,

Just bought a Max-103 with a Hirth F-33 that was built in 2008 and as 11 Hr. on the tach. I brought it home and am in the process of fixing some wiring that was not up to my standards and I do not seem to have any spark so that will need to be sorted out.

I am located in southern Indiana, have a PPL and A&P but have been out of the hobby for a couple of years and just want something to putter around the airport with.

Ben

Anyone in the North Texas area have a minimax? I'd love to come by and see what they look like in person!

Thanks

Matt

Quoted from canad1an

Anyone in the North Texas area have a minimax? I'd love to come by and see what they look like in person!

Thanks

Matt

Matt,   I have my Mini-max hangared at the Wills Point, Texas airport (76F) East of Dallas about 70 miles and just north of I-20. I would be glad to link up with you anytime you would like. 602-999-3715

Hello - I'm in Austin, Texas and interested in building a V-Max.

Quoted from 392

Hello - I'm in Austin, Texas and interested in building a V-Max.

Kevin,  
Welcome to the group. If you haven't seen a Mini-max up close and would like too, I have my Mini-max hangared at the Wills Point, Texas airport (76F). It's East of Dallas about 70 miles and just north of I-20. I would be glad to link up with you anytime you would like. 602-999-3715
Dick

Welcome Duncan...Im in South Australia.

cheers Arthur

New member here. Live in the desert of Southern CA between San Diego and Yuma AZ, Imperial Valley. Just started a Hi Max build. I am new to aviation and this is my first aircraft project so get ready for some what may seem like elementary questions for most of you!

Welcome to the board Tom. I did that route many years ago from S. Diego to Yuma. Great memories!

Bring it on Tom, I'm not a builder but will give you moral support.

Monte

Thanks for the welcome. Hope I don't bother everyone too with all my dumb questions!

There are NO dumb questions; welcome to a great website.  :)

Just joined a few days ago. Have two projects working on , one 1030 max and a 1100 to be N numbered. Anyone around Parkersburg WV. ? Bill Smith , Hales Landing ,Elizabeth WV.  (2WV3).

Welcome to the group Bill. Don't hesitate to ask question.
Dick

Duncan
Brisbane
Australia

Getting cash together to purchase welded Airbike airframe.  Plan to use Valley Engineering Big Bad Twin because I already own the engine.  116lbs/50hp/2gall/hr.

I plan to build a three-piece composite wing, with a fixed central section, and folding outer sections.  Flaps and ailerons.

Duncan

Flying this in Ireland at the moment as soon as I retire and get the space to build it, I'm eyeing up a 1600R

I just acquired a project the guy started in 1985, he was going to make it a HiMax, had it done through partial boat stage, I am going to do a mid wing, he was going to do a 447 and I want to do my Global engine, so I have to change the front end mount section.  I am in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire
Kim Brown

Duncan Meyer
Brisbane
Queensland
Australia

Building a box-standard AeroMax

Hello All,

I'm John from Smyrna, GA. I'm an A&P mechanic, Private Pilot, and I used to fix big planes, but love little planes. I normally fly an friend's AA-1A out of lovely Cartersville Airport. We have an arrangement - I help him fix it, he let's me fly it. But I still want my own plane, and I have wanted to build one for a long time.

I have a Hirth 2702 and would like to attach it to a Hi-Max. I think a High Wing would be best for ground reference navigation, and for the occasional slow flight over beaches in the summer  ;)

I already have a project plane (CGS Hawk), but I'm not looking forward to the FAA adventure I'll go through to get it all registered and legal. I really like the Hi-Max, and the fact that TEAM is in Niles, MI is pretty cool (I grew up in MI). I figure I'll do the unexpected and start with ribs. I'll build a small table, watch Star Trek, and crank out the ribs for my wings.

Anything ya'll might care to tell me would be great --- other than "get lost", I guess...

Thanks!

Welcome John.
Feel free to asked questions. I think everyone in this group is willing to help or at least give it a try so clear the bench an get started.
From your avatar picture I take it that you worked on the OV-1's.
Dick

Welcome John...Live long and prosper :P...


looking forward to some "klingon" banter..... :P

cheers  Arthur    Adelaide ,South Australia.

Quoted from Dick Rake

Welcome John.
...
From your avatar picture I take it that you worked on the OV-1's.
Dick

Yes I did. 224 MI in Savannah, GA, and 3rd MI in Anjong-ri, Korea.

You?

Hi John and welcome to the world of low and slow aircraft. Plenty of guys here to help.

Monte

Quoted from Arthur Withy

Welcome John...Live long and prosper :P...


looking forward to some "klingon" banter..... :P

cheers  Arthur    Adelaide ,South Australia.

Thank-you, Arthur. My Klingon is not nearly fluent, I'm still waiting for Duolingo to release the Klingon module.

"wa'logh puv SoH tera' yIt SoH je mIn tlhe' chal, pa' SoH 'ej pa' tIq SoH chegh" - Unknown Klingon aviator.

-John

OHHHH that means....

You fly first, you walk the Earth and heaven and Earth are turned, you there, you are the heart and return

OHHHH that means....

You fly first, you walk the Earth and heaven and Earth are turned, you there, you are the heart and return

Yeah... The BING translator is not so great - and I am no where near fluent (I lost my old Klingon language tapes about a decade ago).

"Once you have tasted flight, you shall forever walk the Earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you shall long to return." - Leonardo DaVinci

Also, it's not a complete language yet. I heard about a Klingon language baseball game. As it turns out no one had come up with the Klingon word for "OUT" (as in out of play), so the umpire would shout "He is DEAD!". Which I find oddly appropriate for Klingon baseball.

but maybe we are devolving into a different thread...

Leonardo said something else that seems to apply to the Min-Max and Hi-Max:
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"

Abraham Cardenas III
Del Rio, Texas
Mini-Max 1600R, built by the late Harold Acheson (see reply #26 on page 1 of this thread)

This ship and its Rotax 447 are taking me to school. I have a passion for the Golden Age of Aviation and the Golden Age of Piracy. The Max is airworthy, but needs TLC to make me more confident.

Quoted from 437

Yes I did. 224 MI in Savannah, GA, and 3rd MI in Anjong-ri, Korea.

You?

John,
I was with the 55th Avn Company at K-16 in 1975 and 76. We had OV-1's, UH-1's, Oh-58's and U21's. I flew the U-21 and Huey. I had a good friend killed in a Mohawk during his transition training at Rucker.
Dick

For those who don't know, the Grumman OV-1 Mohawk was an Army observation plane. It was used for Photo recon (day and night), IR imaging (at night... at 300 feet AGL), Ground scanning Radar (SLAR) for finding vehicles on the ground or upon the water. A variant, the RV-1 was used to pinpoint radar transmitters, like those used for AAA or SAM sites. The plane had two 1,400 HP Lycoming turbine engines, each driving a 10' dia Hamilton Standard propeller. Total wingspan on the "long wing" "B" and "D" models was 48 feet (20 of that was covered by the props), and weighed in at 9 tons. It had a two man crew in a bubble cockpit with EXCELLENT visibility.

It was an really great plane - when everything went well, but every airplane is a series of compromises. On compromise was a wing loading of 50 lb/sq foot. Another was all that of torque form those engines. I worked on these planes for four years, and we had a few accidents and incidents, but no loss of life (thankfully).
We had a plane lose an engine on take-off at max gross weight. The checklist says to eject all wing-mounted stores, but that would have dropped 600 gallons of JP-4 on the Savannah, GA Toys-R-Us. The pilot managed to bring the plane back to the runway and land without further incident. The engine locked so hard that it actually twisted the propeller shaft. He said the plane tried to roll over on him, and I believe him. It was the only time I ever saw that pilot smoke.

Another plane lost an engine on landing. The turbine blades exited the engine, went through the cowl, over the top of the plane, and set the grass next to the runway on fire.

A plane on a ferry flight across the Atlantic lost the elevator trim tab, unfortunately the bonding jumper held on for a few seconds, sending the plane into an inverted flat spin. After the tab finally departed, the pilot was able to right the plane, after falling about 5,000 feet.

Aircraft 68-15938 (mine) suffered a hydraulic line failure and lost all of it's hydraulic fluid. On final approach to Osan Airbase, the pilot pulled the Emergency Stores Release instead of the identical Emergency Gear Extension, thus dropping approximately 200 gallons of JP-4 into a rice paddy. He managed to get the gear down and land safely. I was sent to fix the plane (took me a half hour, then another hour to clean up all the fluid). The plane was dubbed the "Osan Valdez".

One of our planes got shot up over Guatemala. Lost one engine due to a freakishly lucky shot. The pilot turned around and made a photo run so he would know who jacked up his plane before returning to base. The plane was ferried back to Savannah where it was repaired and returned to service after a couple of weeks.

We lost two planes in Desert Storm. Both on the same day, both due to the oil field fires. Smoke had obscured the runway. One plane had a hard landing when the pilot tried to land blind, the crew was injured and the plane destroyed. After that, the crew of the other plane (too low on fuel to divert) ejected.

The Mohawk was a very tough, rugged plane. It was a lot of fun to fly, and all of our pilots liked it. It was also, however, a very unforgiving plane, and it was certainly no Cessna. Add that to the missions it flew, and you can see the risk. Still, some of my best flying memories are from the right seat (no controls, sadly) of a Mohawk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWRBBhwH32A

But then, we're getting into the whole "Off Topic" category here.

Jody miller
villa rica, Georgia
owner/builder of "project sawdust"

Rob Novey    Blairsville / Cleveland GA

I'm currently flying a Fisher Classic Biplane that I enjoyed building so much that I'm starting a MM Eros (just finished rib #1, LOL). Would love to connect with some MM builders/flyers in my area.

Greg Thomas, Frederick, MD. I own a fastback Hi-Max tricycle gear. Currently in the process of inspecting and soon to be building the wings.

Thankyou John for the cool video on the Mohawk...living in Australia Ive never seen one before and I love almost all aircraft...LOL..and the Mohawk is on the good side of the line...LOL



cheers Arthur

Scott Robison - 1600R - East Central Illinois.

Welcome Scott to the low and slow forum.

Monte

Hi, I'm from Cornwall, UK. Sold my Taylorcraft BC12-D after 24 years and many many adventures last year. I've also just today sold my Jodel Bebe D9 Project to fund a Minimax to fly under the UK SSDR rules (Part of pensioner flying economics!). I have two in my sights right now so I should soon be flying again  8)

I hope to get up to speed with your guys!

Nigel

Welcome to the site Nigel. I hope your search is short and fruitful. Cornwall is kinda on the south end of the U.K. as I recall. Hope your back in the air soon. :)

Hello everyone! New member here from Alberta. I just purchased a Minimax 1600r on floats and wheels (custom muktuk floats) with the MZ 201 engine. I am not the builder but it needs minimal restoration work before being up in the air. Hope to be flying it this summer. Brief background info on me.
First ultralight I own. I have zero time in UL and zero time in tail draggers and zero time on floats. Will look at UL training experience before flying of course and will get my float endorsement before trying the floats. I am a low time PPL holder and own a Piper Warrior. Alot of my flying is mountainous. Ive always been interested in UL or aviation things in general, so I kinda impulse bought the Minimax! Im here to learn as much as possible before working/flying the Minimax so dont mind my endless questions. We have a very strong EAA group here that I will lean on as well. Married, two kids, and work in the construction industry. So hello Lonesome Buzzard gang! 😀

Welcome to the site, there are lots of knowledgeable people around here so fire away with the questions. I hope you post a picture of your Minimax. :)

Welcome flycanadianguy.

I bet flying a Max on floats will be lots of fun. I hope you will post some videos when you get up flying. I have the MZ202 engine, which performs very well. Handy for you having Leon building them in Canada: I've found him very helpful.

Good luck with your restoration work, there's lots of help here if you come across any problems.

Bruce

Being new to the UL way of things, he was one of the first guys I called about his engine. His help and knowledge over the phone is worth its weight in gold. He will literally walk you through a tear down step by step over the phone or skype etc. Try getting that kind of service from Rotax or any other competitor. Plus the power to weight ratio is IMO unmatched. Cant wait to fly! 😀

Jeff Tensfeldt in Westford, MA
Built Airbike kit #39 as Experimental in 1999-2000 with Rotax 447 originally; just finished engine change to Hirth F23 50hp.
Next plane will be the Switchblade.  8)

WOW a sunburst. Very nice! Welcome to the site.

Any mini-max builders or flyers around Houston or within 150 miles with a 3000 ft airport? Thanks.

Hello everybody, I just got home with my new to me 1030. By the plans it is serial #72 Built by a fellow named Poppeliers. It has a hirth F33 with electric start. I live in McClellanville SC near Charleston. Although it is low time, I need to thoroughly inspect it before I fly and also take some refresher lessons. I also need to lose 25lbs! Does anyone know the difficulties of getting a ultralight an N#? Or do I want/need to do that?
Kieran

Hey everyone.  My name is Chris Saunders and I'm from Blue Ridge, VA(Just outside of Roanoke).  I came here to learn and research the best project for me after I was drawn to the Minimax 103 but I believe my direction has changed with intentions of acquiring a sport certificate at the least.  I'm wanting to do this so I have instructed flight time, as to not jeopardize my life or lives of others.  Lucky for me the Roanoke Valley is completely surrounded by mountains which I've been told makes learning to fly more difficult due to the constant varying winds, which will hopefully make me a more proficient and safer pilot.  
I've already learned a great deal from some of you and am looking forward to being a part of this community and eventually being able to help other newcomers!

Steve 1650R Mooresville, Indiana.

Joe Scalet - Gardner KS (K34). I have the original AirBike prototype. Just about to fly it.

Tallahassee, Fl  (70J)
Tandem Airbike 90% complete, HKS 700 4 stroke using OO Wilsons engine mount design, power fin prop
Poster since 2007, abandon the project for a couple of years, now retired and ready to complete and fly.
It's good to know this forum is still alive and well.

Hi All,

New to aviation (very new, just starting), but an admirer for a long time. The stage of life I'm in finds me in a place where I need an epic project to do with my two boys who are entering their teens. I have decided that a tandem Airbike will be a good project, hopefully it will fly before the boys leave home!

We're in Perth, Australia and hope you folks don't mind me leaning on you all for your knowledge.

Regards

Dave

Hi Everyone!
My name is Andrew. I live near Olympia, WA. I am formerly a US Navy aircraft maintainer (F-14 and F/A-18 ) and currently a US Army Blackhawk Pilot (UH-60). I am looking to build a Tandem Airbike beginni g this summer. I look forward to reading about everyone's experiences and advice.

-Andrew

Hi from Spring Hill, TN
My name is Doug Green and I live inSpring Hill, TN. I have been flying RC since I was about 10. Back in the early 90’s I started building a MiniMax. About the time I completed the ribs a friend called me to tell me about a very nice HiMax that was for sale. My brother and I went in together and purchased the Himax. Flew it for a few years and wound up selling it to persu other interest. Then marriage and kids and life. I have always stayed active in rc and just recently started getting the bug to build that MiniMax I started 25 years ago. So, here I am looking and dreaming again and trying to decide which MiniMax to build.
Doug

Welcome Doug,
You and I must have started building Mini-max's about the same time. I've always been an avid r/c guy and when I made up my mind to build my Mini-max I told the gang at the r/c field that I would need to stay away from the flying field until I got my max finished. I knew that if I went to the r/c field and saw whatever the latest and greatest model was that I'd be tempted to start a model project and lose ground on my Mini-max. I lost 2 1/2 years of modeling but got my airplane done. I still get a lot of satisfaction designing, building and flying models. Something you might consider in your decision as to which model to build is the fact that if you have a forced landing in a rough field you might end up upside down and could be trapped. There was a guy in Arizona several years ago that dead stick a Longezee and spent something like 12 hours trapped upside down before he was rescued. That scares the hell out of me but hasn't kept me from flying. You being a long time model guy should have no problems building a nice airplane so make up your mind and get on!
Dick

A friend of mine wound up upside down in his MiniMax. It was not a forced landing, just a bad landing. I can’t remember exactly what caused him to flip over but he was on the grass runway. It doesn’t have to be rough terrain to get upside down. He was able to get out and was ok.

I am Jim Swacker.  Just bought 25 acres near Somerville, TN.  Two grass strips and a 50 X 50 shop/hangar.  I purchased a V-Max in December 2017.  I am currently working on making it airworthy and getting flying lessons.

Hey Jim, I am in Memphis 50% of the time. Are you a member of the EAA chapter there?
There is another guy in our chapter building a Himax.

Mostly a lurker here for a couple years but recently ramping up my work on the empennage of a 1650R Eros.  I'm a new builder overall with not much experience.  Work and life has, like many others, drove my project to the back seat though I only made small progress a couple years ago.  The things I don't know are someone intimidating but I did recently complete the vertical stabilizer and nearly completed with the rudder.  It ain't a pretty as some around these parts but it's a series of small steps...eating an elephant is one bite at a time, as they say.  Before I put my head back down for the next CFA exam, i hope to make some good headway.  If all goes well that gives me until November of this year then I'll need to take a break for the first 6 months of 2019 to study.  

Live NE of San Antonio, work as a Portfolio Manager at a firm near Boerne.

Daniel Werbin
Hackettstown, NJ

Just bought a mostly completed but never flown 1030R(i think) and look forward to finishing it and getting into the sky!

Dwight Briley "Skyblazer"

  Portland ,TN. Plane based at 1M5 Portland. 1300 Z Max with Hirth F23. I haven't flown it it at least 5 years. Replacing fuel line and fuel pump getting her ready to fly and/or possibly sell.

Doug Green, Are you still out there. I tried answering your PM but I never heard back from you.
I'm still in Smyrna. My Max is temporarily "down", but hope to have it back one more time this
year before it has to go into hibernation!  

Hello everyone. This is Mick from sunny Perth Western Australia. I just recently purchased a half share in a Himax 1400R Birdog replica which is about 90% built. The main job left to do is finish one wing and aileron.

I'm new to the aeroplane building thing but keen to finish this project and take it up flying. I've made a start with the wing and attached the nose ribs and stringer. Next will be the leading edge ply, the thought of which I'm finding a bit daunting but will just have to give it a go.

Would be interested to hear if there are many/any other builder/flyers over this side of Australia.

Cheers, Mick

Thanks for posting Mick. I hope the Bird dog fly's as good as it looks. Welcome to the site.

Beautiful bird Mick!
Always wanted to visit Western Australia.

Travis Weide
29 years on the ground. Can't wait to leave.
Cloverdale CA (2hrs North of San Francisco)
MiniMax 1100 full kit. Hope to complete by 2020
Heating and Air Tech

Quoted from tdweide

Travis Weide
29 years on the ground. Can't wait to leave.
Cloverdale CA (2hrs North of San Francisco)
MiniMax 1100 full kit. Hope to complete by 2020
Heating and Air Tech

Welcome Travis. I hope your build goes well and don't hesitate to asked questions. Based on your occupation I would advise you not to add air conditioning or heating to your Minimax.

James Glass (East TN)  , I am building a VMax with add on plans of Isons 1650 Eros closed canopy and rear turtle, VW power. Purchased kit and plans that had been started and the owner lost motivation before any kind of progress so I basically started fresh. Will add pics

Some progress.

Welcome to the site. I am looking forward to your build. If you have questions don't hesitate to ask . There are lots of people that are very knowledgeable. Hope you enjoy your journey through the build and flying. :)

From Decatur, TX.    I'm building a HiMax.    The fuselage , minus the gear and cabin structure is built, and the empennage is built.  Wing ribs are almost finished. Control stick is made. I have a Kawasaki 440C engine. But I really don't have any idea what engine I will use. I do plan to use a fuselage tank of my own fabrication since I want about 7 gallons of gas.

Rocky Frees
North Muskegon, MI
A full VW, Hi-Max builder. Considered a 1550Vmax with Hi-Max option.
Plans built.
If anyone else has worked on this configuration, please contact me.
Kind regards

Greg Carr
Mt. Shasta, CA


Am building a Himax with the Vmax wings and heavy tail. Have the empennage finished, all but one rib finished and am going to start assembling the wings in the spring after my busy season in the office is over.
I have a 4A084-4 that I am planning to use for power.  I have been watching the forum for awhile and this is by far the best forum I've ever joined. It will take me a little bit of fiddling to figure out how to post pictures correctly, but will work on it.
Thanks in advance for the help this group is so good about.
Greg

Burgess Howell, Harvest, Alabama, just north of Huntsville, about 15 miles south of Tennessee.

I've mostly lurked here for years. Plan to build a HiMax from kit. Hope to start next year. I'm a big guy. She'll be heavy.

John Cronin in Northeast PA near Allentown (ABE). I'm teaching 12 kids how to build an airplane. I selected the Minimax 1650 EROS. We started late Marc 2019. We recently finished the vertical stabilizer and rudder.

Scott Johnson - house in Ocala, Florida and house in Tampa, Florida  813-600-0857 scottjohnsontampa@hotmail.com   I have built a vans RV6A and RV8A. I want something now for fun that goes slow and low, so will be ordering a minimax (probably HiMax model) shortly. Anybody who is currently building a minimax or has one completed within about 200 miles of Tampa, I would be happy to fly out to and let you fly my RV6A in trade for showing me your project or completed plane. thanks

Jeff Higgins from Fairfield Ohio. I'm a licensed gunsmith and machinist for a living who's taking flying lessons to get my sport license. Also building a minimax 1030.

Welcome to the site. Have you chosen a engine yet? :)

Quoted from aeronut

Welcome to the site. Have you chosen a engine yet? :)

I actually have a 275cc twin cylinder Suzuki engine from a snowmobile that I plan to use. I can't remember the number but it's pretty lightweight and I can squeeze about 30hp from it.

Ronald (Ron) Donner. Northfield MN. Just bought an Airbike project. Getting my shop organized and ready to go at it. I'd like to met some other AB builders and flyers in the area.

I started a Tandem AirBike project a while ago but I'm only starting to do serious work on it now (I can still lift all the parts I've made comfortably with one hand). I'm building in Madison, WI, USA.

Fort Wayne, IN  USA
Mostly a plans collector these days.  

Hello Buzzards;
I earned my private pilot licence almost 25 years ago when my kids were small. Owned and operated a C-150 for a time. Always wanted to build an airplane and attended the EAA Arlington numerous times and even flew in twice. But career, kids, and time all held me back. Now that I'm retired, I should have the time, at least in theory....

I have always liked the Mini Max line and while I have not committed to building one yet, it is on the short list.  I don't have any tailwheel time so that is a potential barrier, but I'm sure not insurmountable.

I especially like the Hi-Max but would prefer the VW engine option and would love to hear from any builders or owners that have taken that route. Or for that matter any Mini Max owners or builders on the west coast, especially the Vancouver Island area.

Thanks in advance!
David
Quadra Island, BC Canada
On the beautiful west coast of Canada

Hello ETLB,

Appreciate very much being admitted to the group.  After following MiniMax planes for almost 30 years, and dreaming of building one, at long last I'm in a position to get started.  I have the space and a job that allows me some at-home time.  I recently purchased an 1100 kit from the family of a gentleman who had started it but who lost interest at some point and unfortunately passed away about a year ago.  He had built all the wing ribs, empennage, and fuselage sides, and looks like was beginning to work on building out the aileron separation from the ribs (at least on a couple of them).  

The kit appears to be mostly complete and still in the factory shipping crates other than what's already been built.  I will have to do a full inventory to see what's missing, and plan to buy anything not there directly from the company by way of support, especially since I didn't buy the kit from them.

I've off-and-on read the boards for years, and so have a bit of an understanding of just how much experience is here.  I apologize for any forthcoming dumb questions, as I know I'll have them.  I have built RC from plans and kits, and was blessed to have a father who had a love of working in wood.  I also have around 35 hours, combined between a 152 and Remos G3, but never completed my ticket.  I live in Santa Fe, TX, about halfway between Houston and Galveston.  If there are any other max builders or owners in the SE Texas area would love to meet you.

Noble Zimmerman
ntzman28@yahoo.com

Hello everyone and thank you all the info and inspiration you are sharing on this terrific site.
I live in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia and I've just started building my 1600R MiniMax.
Korale (HiMax Build – Melbourne) has been particularly kind and helpful to get me started.
I've ordered a kit from David Cooper, with the exclusion of the wood that I am substituting with Hoop Pine sourced locally.  I've started cutting the bits for the tail, as I wait for the kit to arrive.
My only comparative advantage is that as a surveyor and a draftsman I'm good with 3D CAD, so I'm building everything on the computer before I do it on the workshop.  I find this very helpful for understanding the plans in all the details and hopefully to avoid mistakes. It also allows me to print all my templates accurately from the CAD model.  The CAD model is not completed yet, but I'll try to post a screenshot.  Once it is done I'll be happy to share it, as my little contribution, provided it is O.K. With David Cooper.

Giacomo

Greetings,

I am Antoinette, my friends and I fly three Hirth F-33 powered ultralights, a Woodhopper, Cloudster, and Zing; and a Rotax 277 powered FP-505 from our irregular oval-- a sand bar that is roughly 200 m (650 ft) along the mostly north side, 60 m along the mostly west side, and 150 m along the mostly south side. These sides abut water. The fourth side-- 120 m (400 ft)-- abuts rising terrain with foliage. There is a 447 powered FP-202 that I have never flown based here as well.

I do not live in the USA, but our regulations are close to FAR 14 Part 103. To obtain an "exempt" stamp the owner of a craft must demonstrate it weighs less than 120 kG (264 lb) and is incapable of attaining more than 120 kMpH (74.5 sMpH) which is done flying two ways on a measured course. Fuel capacity and stall speed do not matter.

So, since flying is the most fun you can have with your pants on, maybe even the most fun of all human existence, I have decided to build myself an airplane... I mean if you knew my good friends you would understand that most people of ordinary abilities are capable of building an airplane... I just bought 1030F plans from David, so I am leaning that way. On the other hand, quality wood is not inexpensive, and oxy A welding is a useful skill... maybe I'll learn it over the winter and build an AirBike instead. Who knows?

Antoinette

Hi all,

Chris Anderson, Middle TN - 60 miles south of Nashville.  Completed my Legal Eagle XL Project this summer and am in the process of learning to fly it.  

Legal Eagle is configured with 1/2 VW engine - standard build.  

I actually have it back in the garage right now doing an update giving it a folding tail configuration right now.  I store/haul my LE in a 16ft trailer and found with the standard tail configuration assembly process was taking too long and was a tedious process.

Kalazzrx. Let me guess. Are you in Tullahoma? I'm in Smyrna.

Quoted from Greg Doe

Kalazzrx. Let me guess. Are you in Tullahoma? I'm in Smyrna.

Manchester actually but fly out of Tullahoma :)

Murfreesboro here.....
@ Greg Doe. Skip Little's bird just hit Facebook Marketplace. I heard he died.

Puff, I hadn't heard about Skip. I'm going to try to make the Murfreesboro EAA meeting this evening (8-11-22). I might learn more then?

Harold "Skip" Little is alive and well, at 88 years young. A couple of years ago George Williams of Lebanon, TN bought Skip's Mini Max,
but George never flew it. I will check with George to find out if he has put it up for sale.

glad to know about Skip!

Hi All
Glad to hear Skip is ok. Great guy to know. His plane is advertised in Facebook market place.
Bob

Because I don't do Facebook I got my wife to help. After some searching we found it. Thanks for the heads-up.