Sylvain Papillon and his wife Chantal have built and flown a BushCaddy L-160. They live in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, which is north
of Montreal. Sylvain is a prolific builder and was originally on my "Other BushCaddy Builders" page.
In just a little over a year he built the entire structure, mounted the engine and the wings...as someone who
has been at it three times as long, I consider that to be an amazing feat. Not that this is a race by any means,
but it is an indication of passion and dedication. His plane is powered by an Aerosport Lycoming O-360, with dual P-Mags
and a Prince P-tip prop.
Sylvain has so many good and informative pictures that I decided to create
a page just for his airplane. He has been part of, or has come up with some inventive modifications which in my opinion
make the Bushcaddy a better airplane.
He and Robert Lavigne (BushCaddy owner and pilot) came up with the idea of
adding bushings to the aileron and flap hinge brackets. These are areas of high wear and the addition of these bushings
will make future maintenance much easier.
Sylvain also came up with the great idea of using stainless eye bolts, mounted
from the firewall for the rudder pedals. The exact tension needed can be adjusted by changing the length of the eyebolt.
A C-187 spring is used on the left and a C-191 spring
on the right.
Sylvain, got very inventive when it came to his cowl. He conceived and fabricated
a very streamlined effect, from the air tunnel to the carb to the air exit out of the cowl. He installed a cowl flap
that is controllable from the cabin so that he can have it wide open for takeoff and partially close it down for cruise.
He also fabricated an indicator, mounted in the cabin, that shows him the position of the cowl flap.
These
are are just a few examples of his ingenuity.
When he started out he was looking at my pictures and my construction notes
and now I look at his. Amazing...but this is what it's all about.
In homebuilt aviation
helping each other and learning from each other is part of the joy of building the plane. Sylvain has always gone out
of his way to help me and others...it's a great process.
So..his pics are below, I have been scrutinizing all the firewall
forward pics as I continue to install my Lycoming.
After doing final assembly at the airport, Sylvain started his engine for the first time: You Tube
The airplane is complete and made its maiden flight on November 6, 2009
with no significant issues. What a day!!!
