Mike, I love the technical nature, depth of build detail and the the theory explanations - this is the "why" in your Wilga series. Mate, I drool at the workshop and equipment at your fingertips. Cheers!
Mike Patey, natural engineer, architect, artist, self educating with a 'get 'er done' kind of attitude with all the enthusiasm at starting as when finished. Quit reading and "let's get back to work"! Side note: His twin brother Mark Patey is the same, in all the above except his art. Marks art lives in another great world of art. I see God blessing these guys and all of us in many ways by what they share.
I am just now catching up on your videos after discovering your channel a few days ago. I sit here speechless and in total amazement of your skill and knowledge about aircraft design and construction. Your passion and enthusiasm are infectious. Thank you for taking the time to make these videos! They are a great learning tool.
Hello Mike; Finally found a way to leave a comment. Sorry about Draco!!!! Started watching you last year. Love your video's. So informative! You Sir, are an aviation genius!! Can't wait for Scrppy to fly. Sure would love to be there to see her first flight, but sure that will be a private affair. Really looking forward to video's of you working on Draco again. Wife and I sometimes take I-15 to I-90 to visit family in Spokane and would love to stop and meet you and Mark. After all, you and the Flying Cowboys have made me want to get my license and go flying with a group of great guy's. I know you are a busy man, so, even though I could go on forever, I'll just say Goodbye from Vegas and hope to meet you and Mark soon. Jim Rogers Big Fan!!
Somebody get this man a show on Discovery Channel or Smithsonian Channel please! Discovery network if you see this comment, get this man his own show!! 😁🤘
Mike I love your page and appreciate your hard work. Can I give you a tip about what your doing with the cowling and the huge amount of tape and labor that your dealing with. First of all , I am not a plane builder or a pilot. I am a Luthier with 40 years of experience in the field. Building molds and having to use existing instruments for models I have had the same issue with paper tape etc.... I found the perfect solution a decade ago. I took regular casting wax and bees wax 80/20 is the mixing ratio. I heat up the wax in a double boiler on a simple electric single burner stove. After it is completely melted and HOT, I pour it into my el Cheapo spray gun and spray several coats onto the surface. It creates a perfect copy and the wax will end up @1/8” thick. You can make it thicker if needed. I then mix up my epoxy and go over the project just like you will over your tape. I promise you that the epoxy even with the Exothermic heat it will produce as it kicks, WILL NOT PENETRATE BEYOND THE WAX FINISH. WHEN YOUR DONE: Get a can of spray coolant or anything like that and spray the surface. It will shatter the wax easy bee and and clean up is a breeze. The wax just pops off in chunks or sheets but it comes off easy. Leaving your original in original condition. Give it a try on something small and you will see how great it works. Sorry for the long winded comment😆😆😆 Love your content!! Mike and Mark are good guys and you both look like my good friend Eddy. You guys could be triplets. What’s really strange is: Eddy’s voice is identical to your voice Mike. It’s truly bizarre that your not related to my friend. It’s sort of creepy to think a stranger who lives on Cape Cod could look exactly like you, sound like you and have the same mannerisms. Anyway thanks guys!! Good luck fixing Draco or building Draco 2. Cant wait to see Scrappy fly!!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 EPK🌬✌🏻🇺🇸
It's awesome to see how hands on you are with your projects!! Seems like you could afford to have someone build this but the fact that you are so hands on on this build is awesome! Big fan of the plan and even bigger fan for your drive. Keep it up!!
I just started my 1st company last year and this kind of stuff is highly motivating to grow my business so I can have the time and money to do these kinds of things.
This is the 3rd time I watched the Draco upgrade series of videos and this time, it was after watching Mike make Scrappy. What struck me was how much changed between the two series and how much didn't. Perhaps the biggest change was a profound increase in safety gear and equipment, safety awareness, safety discipline and overall attention to safety (both showing a dramatic increase in safety consciousness and talking about safety). What didn't change: Mike's drive; positive-attitude; ability to work for 20 hours in a day (or more); Mike's obsession with quality of work and final "product" or perhaps a better description: results; creativity; willingness to accept help (often unseen during the Draco series); ability to wear many hats and mastery of those hats (frankly bizarre number of hats and excellence demonstrated with most of them)......perhaps more I am not recalling. What did change: Safety as noted above; more testing; more computer work done by Mike (at least showing it or talking about it, but I think also doing it); more resources (dedicated inflatable paint room, water cutter from new Best Tug factory, etc.); greater visibility on-camera of those helping, greater visibility of those working around him on other projects.....perhaps more I am not recalling. .
Pre impregnated carbon fibre is amazing as is your work. I worked with regular carbon fibre and epoxy resin and it's always a pain to accurately soak the fibres without having too much or not enough resin. Pre impregnated fixes that. Just need to be careful about storage conditions. Great job by the way. I saw your plane in one of Trent Palmer's VLOG's and it's a thing of beauty.
Be honest, you also made the ring to balance that beautiful Pratt and Whitney while she was hung up.🤓 beautiful build! I can't wait to start mine! I'm excited!
fw1421 I can't believe I always see high IQ people always neglecting their health when doing projects. this guy cut without a respirator then put on a dust mask not a respirator then doesn't use a v o c respirator when dealing with the resin voc....eyes skin and proper lung protection people....
You should look up his name, he's done a couple of speeches. Just watched one at UVU (Utah Valley University) and read an article. He's got a pretty cool story.
Have a look at A&P Qiso triaxial, very cool fabric. You don't need to alternate orientation, each layer is isotropic. You can get it from Soller Composites for a fair price. Plus il looks cool.
I can't believe I always see high IQ people always neglecting their health when doing projects. this guy cut without a respirator then put on a dust mask not a respirator then doesn't use a v o c respirator when dealing with the resin voc....eyes skin and proper lung protection people....this guy is extremely talented....I do the same kind of stuff and it's a pleasure watching this guy work....
I would LOVE to come see your shop and the AMAZING aircraft you have my friend!! I'm currently in A&P School and watching these video's are truly awe inspiring to see. If you ever come down to Oklahoma City, I'd love to meet up with you!! Keep up the great work and God bless.
I would recommend looking into an airsaw back when I was a tooler for seapro we used those things for everything so much more precise for trimming molds
wow dude... you'd be LUCKY to make a buck an hour! but seriously - that plane is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. saying good job would be a pathetic understatement.
Very cool Mike, wish I coulda watched you make ‘turbulence ‘ with this amount of detail. Maybe you can do a walkthrough of your mods, unless it is trade secret!
What state are you from? Your accent reminds me of Nebraska but I can’t tell. Thanks for documenting your build process so well, it’s very entertaining and educational. I’m studying as a software programmer, but I really want to be a pilot. I might join the military, but I’m still looking at my options. Some advice, maybe a little sound eq when you’re using power tools so it isn’t so harsh on the ears but otherwise great quality, especially for being in a hanger!
No body uses Kevlar much? Better for flex, vibration , clamping and non conductive.... instead of all the tape why not the PVA release? Keep sharing the dream! Love the stories.
Hi @Mike Patey, I have been watching your videos, love them, I want to suggest you to get PTFE film, self-adhesive, Teflon coated multi-use release film for lamination or simply curved moulds, It will definitly save you a huge amount of time ;)
I love it all but one tip for your health and safety. Cutting carbon fiber is hazardous. In fact, it is in the same class as asbestos. Don't let that dust loose in your hangar. Epoxy is bad enough as is.
Hey, look at exactly 13:24 ... Wilga Draco was a cool idea for a name but that new cowling looks very much like a feral hog's snot and landing gear looks like trotters. Wouldn't it look cool if it was actually painted like one? (or hey, why not match a photo of a hog onto it)? WIlga Hog?
This video is very helpful to me as I am making a custom cowling for a Onex with a Rotax engine. Can you tell me which metallic tape you think is best for this process? Thanks.
Fiberglass makes more sense and is a lot cheaper. Its just a cowl... doesnt need much strength I built a fiberglass fender for my car off a mold from my wifes car for far less it cost for a new fender. Then again, i know what im doing. We have the same cars. 2000 and 2001 VW Passat
Is there a reason why you made such a major jump in horsepower from the piston engine to the turbin or was it "because you wanted to"? Interesting toy collection!
There seems to be consistent themes running through Mike's machines and his designs...high performance, precision handling with power to spare, function above form but it certainly is not ignored and (of course) FUN!
Is there a new DIY tv show coming out called "Carbon Decked"? haha I laugh, but given it's strength to weight ratio, I don't see why it wouldn't make a radical decking material. Btw, if you use this idea, shouldn't I get some sort of royalties? lol
Mike, I love the technical nature, depth of build detail and the the theory explanations - this is the "why" in your Wilga series. Mate, I drool at the workshop and equipment at your fingertips. Cheers!
Mike Patey, natural engineer, architect, artist, self educating with a 'get 'er done' kind of attitude with all the enthusiasm at starting as when finished.
Quit reading and "let's get back to work"!
Side note: His twin brother Mark Patey is the same, in all the above except his art. Marks art lives in another great world of art. I see God blessing these guys and all of us in many ways by what they share.
"I was gonna go 8 plys I went almost 10"... I think the word you're looking for is "nine" :) :) :)
As a retired tool and die maker,,I admire your talents, you have done most of this work before. Top quality workmanship. I wish you the best.
I’d watch Mike make toast.
He can motivate like no other- fantastic attitude and outlook.
Love it
My brain just can't compute someone having that much confidence! Incredible!
I would love a pure cinematic quality video from Trent Palmer about Draco and Turbulence. Your aircraft are gorgeous and his filming style is awesome.
Yes. That would be awesome!
I am just now catching up on your videos after discovering your channel a few days ago. I sit here speechless and in total amazement of your skill and knowledge about aircraft design and construction. Your passion and enthusiasm are infectious. Thank you for taking the time to make these videos! They are a great learning tool.
Thank you!🤠
You have some great energy and your very happy with what you are doing. Nice to see.
What kinda man you are, it's pleasure watching you in a process of transforming an aircraft. God bless you Mr Mike.... Amin
Hello Mike;
Finally found a way to leave a comment. Sorry about Draco!!!! Started watching you last year. Love your video's. So informative! You Sir, are an aviation genius!! Can't wait for Scrppy to fly. Sure would love to be there to see her first flight, but sure that will be a private affair. Really looking forward to video's of you working on Draco again.
Wife and I sometimes take I-15 to I-90 to visit family in Spokane and would love to stop and meet you and Mark. After all, you and the Flying Cowboys have made me want to get my license and go flying with a group of great guy's. I know you are a busy man, so, even though I could go on forever, I'll just say Goodbye from Vegas and hope to meet you and Mark soon.
Jim Rogers
Big Fan!!
I'm retired composite aircraft tech. Your work is great... I've always like the wilga we have one at LVJ... your designs are fantastic. Thanks.
I think you are the happiest guy in the world...Great videos and very informative. I love the view out the window.
That view out your hanger window is amazing. No wonder your always smiling!
Somebody get this man a show on Discovery Channel or Smithsonian Channel please! Discovery network if you see this comment, get this man his own show!! 😁🤘
Mike I love your page and appreciate your hard work.
Can I give you a tip about what your doing with the cowling and the huge amount of tape and labor that your dealing with.
First of all , I am not a plane builder or a pilot. I am a Luthier with 40 years of experience in the field.
Building molds and having to use existing instruments for models I have had the same issue with paper tape etc....
I found the perfect solution a decade ago.
I took regular casting wax and bees wax 80/20 is the mixing ratio.
I heat up the wax in a double boiler on a simple electric single burner stove.
After it is completely melted and HOT, I pour it into my el Cheapo spray gun and spray several coats onto the surface. It creates a perfect copy and the wax will end up @1/8” thick. You can make it thicker if needed.
I then mix up my epoxy and go over the project just like you will over your tape. I promise you that the epoxy even with the Exothermic heat it will produce as it kicks, WILL NOT PENETRATE BEYOND THE WAX FINISH.
WHEN YOUR DONE:
Get a can of spray coolant or anything like that and spray the surface. It will shatter the wax easy bee and and clean up is a breeze. The wax just pops off in chunks or sheets but it comes off easy. Leaving your original in original condition.
Give it a try on something small and you will see how great it works.
Sorry for the long winded comment😆😆😆
Love your content!!
Mike and Mark are good guys and you both look like my good friend Eddy.
You guys could be triplets.
What’s really strange is: Eddy’s voice is identical to your voice Mike. It’s truly bizarre that your not related to my friend. It’s sort of creepy to think a stranger who lives on Cape Cod could look exactly like you, sound like you and have the same mannerisms.
Anyway thanks guys!!
Good luck fixing Draco or building Draco 2.
Cant wait to see Scrappy fly!!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
EPK🌬✌🏻🇺🇸
I have watched this series twice and you're a flipping genuis. Enjoy!!!!
It's awesome to see how hands on you are with your projects!! Seems like you could afford to have someone build this but the fact that you are so hands on on this build is awesome! Big fan of the plan and even bigger fan for your drive. Keep it up!!
I'm just sitting here completely amazed.
Super cool Mike. Love these videos.
You sir, always have a smile and are laughing. Thank you.
I just started my 1st company last year and this kind of stuff is highly motivating to grow my business so I can have the time and money to do these kinds of things.
This is the 3rd time I watched the Draco upgrade series of videos and this time, it was after watching Mike make Scrappy. What struck me was how much changed between the two series and how much didn't. Perhaps the biggest change was a profound increase in safety gear and equipment, safety awareness, safety discipline and overall attention to safety (both showing a dramatic increase in safety consciousness and talking about safety).
What didn't change: Mike's drive; positive-attitude; ability to work for 20 hours in a day (or more); Mike's obsession with quality of work and final "product" or perhaps a better description: results; creativity; willingness to accept help (often unseen during the Draco series); ability to wear many hats and mastery of those hats (frankly bizarre number of hats and excellence demonstrated with most of them)......perhaps more I am not recalling.
What did change: Safety as noted above; more testing; more computer work done by Mike (at least showing it or talking about it, but I think also doing it); more resources (dedicated inflatable paint room, water cutter from new Best Tug factory, etc.); greater visibility on-camera of those helping, greater visibility of those working around him on other projects.....perhaps more I am not recalling.
.
Be extra careful of the carbon dust. Your lungs can't expel it.
Pre impregnated carbon fibre is amazing as is your work. I worked with regular carbon fibre and epoxy resin and it's always a pain to accurately soak the fibres without having too much or not enough resin. Pre impregnated fixes that. Just need to be careful about storage conditions.
Great job by the way. I saw your plane in one of Trent Palmer's VLOG's and it's a thing of beauty.
Truly a renaissance men, you are a genius! I love your Draco ! Thanks for sharing this gold. Cheers
It’s amazing how much the carbon fiber work reminds me of my own job as a paperhanger.
Very cool aircraft and what an amazing hanger!
You sir, are a real artist :)
Its like watching those house building tv shows but interesting
He inspired me not to be lazy, great job
Be honest, you also made the ring to balance that beautiful Pratt and Whitney while she was hung up.🤓 beautiful build! I can't wait to start mine! I'm excited!
When you’re cutting carbon fiber you should ALWAYS wear a respirator!
fw1421 I can't believe I always see high IQ people always neglecting their health when doing projects. this guy cut without a respirator then put on a dust mask not a respirator then doesn't use a v o c respirator when dealing with the resin voc....eyes skin and proper lung protection people....
The dust, the carbon particles, the fumes from the resins... and all of that with the rest of Hangar open with other people there as well...
Just brilliant; absolutely ingenious.
Oh. You're going to use the cowl as a mold! Smart.
A great vid, interesting and enjoyable. Thank you.
Awesome Vids, Well Done Sir. If you tire of Turbulance send it my way. I believe it would satisfy my Need 4 Speed !
You are doing a great job with these videos!
I’ve binged this whole build, it’s been so awesome! What’s your day job? You seem like a man of many talents!
You should look up his name, he's done a couple of speeches. Just watched one at UVU (Utah Valley University) and read an article. He's got a pretty cool story.
Google him. He and his brother are people to admire
I see that you do everything . Well done ..
falling in love with flying!
Have a look at A&P Qiso triaxial, very cool fabric. You don't need to alternate orientation, each layer is isotropic. You can get it from Soller Composites for a fair price. Plus il looks cool.
This guy takes DIY to extremes very impressive
I can't believe I always see high IQ people always neglecting their health when doing projects. this guy cut without a respirator then put on a dust mask not a respirator then doesn't use a v o c respirator when dealing with the resin voc....eyes skin and proper lung protection people....this guy is extremely talented....I do the same kind of stuff and it's a pleasure watching this guy work....
Carbon fiber it's pretty cool stuff
I'm wasting time looking at a guy building a bloody one-off airplane...
And I am freaking loving it!
New subscribed from Somalia thanks
I am convinced this guy is a wizard.
Turbulence was very nice to let you use some his DNA. Not many planes are that generous.
Amazing work with the Carbon fiber, duck tape jokes aside!
I would LOVE to come see your shop and the AMAZING aircraft you have my friend!! I'm currently in A&P School and watching these video's are truly awe inspiring to see. If you ever come down to Oklahoma City, I'd love to meet up with you!! Keep up the great work and God bless.
I am a student pilot looking at this is like heaven
I would recommend looking into an airsaw back when I was a tooler for seapro we used those things for everything so much more precise for trimming molds
You make it look sooooo easy.
You my friend are LEGIT!
wow dude... you'd be LUCKY to make a buck an hour!
but seriously - that plane is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. saying good job would be a pathetic understatement.
You should do a series like this for turbulence too... Or atleast an episode on how it was built and what makes it so fast..
Magic!
Great video Sir!!
Going to do my best to see you and Draco I’m Valdez next month, safe travels
Very cool Mike.
Maybe try spraying/covering it with Plastidip instead of tape. Peels off easier than tape when your done, and you can spray it as thick as you need..
Amigo saudacoes gosto de curtir seus videos.
I second all of the comments about wearing a mask while cutting the finished carbon fiber.
Your just amazing
Very cool Mike, wish I coulda watched you make ‘turbulence ‘ with this amount of detail. Maybe you can do a walkthrough of your mods, unless it is trade secret!
Every video has the same 6-10 haters watching his every move
👍
👍
👍
What state are you from? Your accent reminds me of Nebraska but I can’t tell. Thanks for documenting your build process so well, it’s very entertaining and educational. I’m studying as a software programmer, but I really want to be a pilot. I might join the military, but I’m still looking at my options. Some advice, maybe a little sound eq when you’re using power tools so it isn’t so harsh on the ears but otherwise great quality, especially for being in a hanger!
No body uses Kevlar much? Better for flex, vibration , clamping and non conductive.... instead of all the tape why not the PVA release? Keep sharing the dream! Love the stories.
Hi @Mike Patey, I have been watching your videos, love them, I want to suggest you to get PTFE film, self-adhesive, Teflon coated
multi-use release film for lamination or simply curved moulds, It will definitly save you a huge amount of time ;)
I love this stuff
How do you vacuum bag the cowling mold when it’s on the aircraft?
Hey Mike, question for you - are you a trained AME? If not where on earth did you learn all these skills?!? It's astonishing!
Thanks again thanks
I want to learn.. I’m totally ready to drop everything.
How the hell can you move so quickly with that hand grinder and meet the lines so perfectly!? It would take me about a half hour to do the same thing.
Sweet!
I love it all but one tip for your health and safety. Cutting carbon fiber is hazardous. In fact, it is in the same class as asbestos. Don't let that dust loose in your hangar. Epoxy is bad enough as is.
You can green wax and pva the blue tape an cast from no problem
Sorry if this has been asked before, would autoclave’ing the CFRP be beneficial for aeroplanes or does it even matter?
Hey, look at exactly 13:24 ... Wilga Draco was a cool idea for a name but that new cowling looks very much like a feral hog's snot and landing gear looks like trotters. Wouldn't it look cool if it was actually painted like one? (or hey, why not match a photo of a hog onto it)? WIlga Hog?
This video is very helpful to me as I am making a custom cowling for a Onex with a Rotax engine. Can you tell me which metallic tape you think is best for this process? Thanks.
4:24 is that scrappy’s engine in the background?
🤠 Here is the video telling all about Scrappy’s engine:
ua-cam.com/video/zYkDRiEnYwA/v-deo.html
Fiberglass makes more sense and is a lot cheaper. Its just a cowl... doesnt need much strength
I built a fiberglass fender for my car off a mold from my wifes car for far less it cost for a new fender.
Then again, i know what im doing. We have the same cars. 2000 and 2001 VW Passat
Mike, are you using resin infusion on any of your projects? I'm thinking of making wing skins that way.
What sort of plastic is that you're using to transfer? It looks like painters plastic for protecting carpet?
Mr. Patey, I'm not familiar with this process, did you vacuum bag and bake these parts like you did with the cabin heat/heat exchanger parts?
Do you like that dremel saw? I never saw much of an application for it but it seemed good for this.
If I lived there I'd be skiing all the time and never get anything done.
Is there a reason why you made such a major jump in horsepower from the piston engine to the turbin or was it "because you wanted to"?
Interesting toy collection!
There seems to be consistent themes running through Mike's machines and his designs...high performance, precision handling with power to spare, function above form but it certainly is not ignored and (of course) FUN!
Medal tape for ducting
Is there a new DIY tv show coming out called "Carbon Decked"? haha I laugh, but given it's strength to weight ratio, I don't see why it wouldn't make a radical decking material. Btw, if you use this idea, shouldn't I get some sort of royalties? lol
How much time do you have before the resin starts to set up or is it heat activated? It seems like you have a really long time to layer and work it.
Are you using pre-preg or making your own pre-preg with the plastic backing ?
Is that an Eclipse 500 in the background? How do you like it?
@Mike Patey what epoxy resin do you use for your carbon layups?
how much did the carbon fiber for this cowling cost please Mike
Are there elastomere/or similar antivibration/ spacers to be placed inbetween the engine and its mount/fuselage?
Man, this stuff is taking a minute to get used to watching. Carbon fiber is trip...