- National EAA 

- Contact Webmaster 

 

Features: 
  Subaru conversion by Stratus, Inc. 
  Dual Ignition 
  Dual Fuel Tanks 
  3-Blade Warp Drive Ground-Adjustable Prop 
  Mode C Transponder 
  Intercom 
  ELT 
  Whelen Strobes and Nav Lights 
  Stainless Steel Muffler 
  Aluminum Radiator (mounted on belly) 
 
Great Condition! 
  360 Hours Total Time 
  Built in 1996 
  Always hangared 

Great fun! 
  Sightsee at 3.5 gph 
  Cruise at 115 mph 
  A very affordable flyer! 

Reduced to $21,000 
  John Oglesby 
  850-654-1051 
  Destin, Florida 

To see how John uses his plane to spot sea turtle nests, click here. 

John Oglesby's Avid Mark IV STOL (from the June, 1999 newsletter) 

John's Avid is one of the few planes in Chapter 108 to ever float on water.  Of course, the Mark IV is not a float plane, but it did float around John's house quite a bit when Hurricane Opal struck in 1995.  In spite of the storm damage, John was able to complete his little flyer in 1996 after about three and one half years of work. 
 

 

John was first attracted to the Avid planes because they were slightly stronger than the similar Kitfox models.  John chose the Mark IV with the longer STOL wing so that he could use a Subaru engine.  The wings have full-span flaperons and fold by removing a single bolt at the leading edge of each wing.  Flight controls are moved completely by pushrods except for the rudder that uses a cable. 
 

 

The Subaru engine is an EA-81 converted by Stratus Inc.  The engine is rated at 100 hp and turns a 3-blade Warp Drive ground adjustable composite prop.  The radiator for the water-cooled Subaru is mounted under the cockpit and in over 320 hours of flying, John has never had to add any water.  The engine spark is provided by dual ignition systems.  Both systems power a single set of spark plugs and a switch allows the pilot to choose which ignition system to use.  John says one system starts better and the other gives a higher RPM so he uses one system for startup and the other for flying.  Air for the engine is supplied by two Bing altitude-compensating carburetors resulting in a plane with no mixture knob!  For those of you that haven't heard this engine, it's really smooooooth and only took about one blade to start.  Cruise at 4000 rpm is about 105-110 knots and consumes 3.5 gph. 

Aside from the engine, this Mark IV is fairly standard.  John only mentioned two other changes from the plans. 
John had planned original style doors with the lower half aluminum and the upper half plexiglass.  However, the original doors were damaged in the flood and John replaced them with full bubble doors that add about six inches of shoulder width.  The other change was placing the battery in the rear of the airframe to offset the additional weight of the Subaru engine. 

Recently John has begun construction on an RV-8.  He says that right now he has airplane parts stored in every nook of his house.  We'll try to get a story on the RV-8 in a future newsletter.  Due to changes at his current hangar, John is also looking for a new home for his Avid.  If anyone knows of a little extra hangar space, please let John know. 

Back to Projects and Planes...