Chuck Posted October 15, 2023 Report Share Posted October 15, 2023 So for the last couple years I've been goofing around with a project with a pilot buddy who worked for Waymo for a long time and is a whiz with electronics. We set out to come up with a self-contained scoring device that would allow pilots to basically run their own STOL competition anytime, anywhere. We tried a lot of different approaches, and eventually settled on our current setup (check out www.STOLmate.com). The development was really fun, and partway through the process I bought my CTSW which made me realize that in addition to scoring STOL competitions, this thing is really just a great training tool when you need to learn a new airplane or hone your skills with an existing plane. I recently did the LSRM class offered by Blue Ridge Community College (mixed thoughts, happy to elaborate if others are curious) and through an introduction from another forum member who took the class as well (thanks Mike!) I've gotten some interest and sold some units to some of the competitors in the National STOL series. It's looking like this might turn into a real thing, so I went ahead and filed a patent and started a company to commercialize the device. Just wanted to get the word out to the Flight Designs community - I can confirm first-hand that the device works well with our airplanes (fly with it nearly every week) and I'd love to get some more out there in the CT fleet. I think it would be super interesting to get some takeoff data before and after a prop switch from a Neuform to an E-prop, which is a switch I'm considering. I recently switched over to doing sales through the website instead of just through personal email - take a look and reach out with any questions. Moderators, if this is too salesy or out of line just let me know and I'll retract. -Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldog Posted October 23, 2023 Report Share Posted October 23, 2023 This is really cool! Nice work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madhatter Posted October 23, 2023 Report Share Posted October 23, 2023 E-Prop makes a huge difference. My VG application makes takeoff and landing really short. I judge my distance by runway light spacing now. Would be nice to use another method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tevbax Posted October 31, 2023 Report Share Posted October 31, 2023 @Chuck, you are welcome! I'm still going to pick one up as I would like to compare my landing data to the other guys in our partnership. One thing I learned in this plane is to never stop practicing and never stop trying to improve. We're down for MX at the moment - get to flex some of those LSRM-A skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Posted November 6, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 On 10/31/2023 at 5:51 PM, tevbax said: One thing I learned in this plane is to never stop practicing and never stop trying to improve Couldn't agree more. To that end I've been cooking up a homemade device for judging AoA that works off the same principle as this Lift Reserve Indicator system that Spruce sells. My Dynon system has the AoA indication, but some combination of me not being able to properly calibrate it or inherent lag due to the signal processing makes the info from it not super helpful in my experience - I've been really disappointed. The instrument I'm working on uses the same 2 pressure ports on the pitot probe but just directly displays the delta between them with no processing. I've been flying with it for a couple weeks and really like the fact that it isn't affected by aircraft weight, bank angle g-loading, temperature, etc. but gives a very direct visual indication of proximity to the stall. I find it super helpful when judging my descent to landing to arrive with the right amount of energy at the flare. Once I get the temporary install all cleaned up and looking good I'll do a writeup in a separate post in case anyone else wants to implement it. -Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted January 14 Report Share Posted January 14 Hey Chuck, this looks neat. What are you selling these for? I have a 2004 CTSW with Neuform **EDIT** Saw your site has a buy now button, sorry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Posted January 21 Author Report Share Posted January 21 Vic, Mine is a 2006 CTSW with a Neuform, although it's on my short list to switch it over to an E-prop. Yeah I finally sat down and took the time to figure out how to set up a real website for the STOLmate and do sales through that instead of just my inbox. Response has been strong so far, and just with word of mouth. I'm just about to start trying a little advertising through Facebook and Reddit, so we'll see how that goes. Recently I've been putting time into streamlining the assembly process: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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