Wednesday 23 December 2015

160 October 2014

 RansMail #160 
With an extra International Flavour
October 2014
 
Pedro Molina Luque (Spain)
Has recently collected his Rans S5, pictures below, & wishes to change it into an S-4.  It's damaged and I need to dismount all and mount everything again, I attach some pictures. He asked for an electronic construction manual, which RansMail readers internationally hastened to provide.
Yeeeeeeeeeeeees Mike!, that is all I need!!!!!, thank you very very much!, now I am so happy!.
[Thank you too gentlemen for your kind offers and mails mike, They inc. Chris Dewhurst & Don Lord  and:-]
Roberto Grassi (Italy) I've sold my S4, but the new owner lives in my city and plane is still hangared where I had it. Rebuilding of my S7 short tail is arriving to its end, maybe it can fly again within this year. (I see mike, you have a water pressure gauge...I didn't put one...didn't think it was so important).
Ulrich Klausing (Yukon, Canada, S4).
Rob Turk (Netherlands) S4 and the S5 manual online for $10.50 each
Curtis Swope (USA) sent an 8mb zip of the manual, now on file here too for posterity.
Jay Phelps (USA Hartselle, AL) I still have the build manual and can sent a pdf, but I'm putting my S4 up for sale as I bought a Kitfox.
I love the Coyote, she is a great flying machine and I enjoyed many hours in her over the past four years, but my kids have grown and have expressed an interest in flying with dear old Dad, my wife would like to make some weekend trips down to the coast....so it's time for it to find it a new home. I've already taken ownership of the Kitfox I'm VERY motivated to move the S4 and will make someone a fair deal. I'm also willing to fly it to them if it's not more than 2-3hrs flight one way.
I've posted it on Craiglist locally at the following URL:  http://huntsville.craigslist.org/rvs/4673956452.html  
 
 
 
Karel Adams kindly sent Rans news from Belgium.
There is one S5 I have once seen here, it was at the Maillen aerodrome EBML and I seem to remember it was for sale at that time. The one I remember must have been Belgian registered but I can't be sure, even if there must have been more, they certainly were never numerous.
There are quite a good deal of 2 seat Coyotes on the Belgian register; and at least as many are based in Belgium but registered in France because of much less demanding rules, both for the plane and the pilot.  The large number comes from the intense activity of the Belgian importers "Messrs Confluence" at the slightly adventurous airstrip of Buzet EBBZ. They have, for many years, built S6's from kits imported from the USA, flown them for a year in their own flight school, then offered them at quite
attractive prices with perhaps 800 hours on the tacho.' Some that I know:-
OO-F63 is a taildragger from the circuit described, but a long while ago - its Rotax 912 had a 1200 hours TBO yet was flown to some 1800 without much issues. Recently the engine was taken off for a major overhaul at Loravia. Two months later it was back, and installed and flown, promptly to show an oil leak. My friend took the engine off again, then in one day drove to Loravia (some 300 kms...) had the engine corrected, and drove back home. The next day the engine was again put into place, I have no news since, hope to learn more over the weekend. This plane is based at EBZH Kiewit where mine is too. There are quite a lot of  microlights there, perhaps 30 or 40, making up a vast part of the field's activity.
OO-C06 is another taildragger S6, but I do not know its history. It is powered by a two-stroke Rotax. It flies precious little, being based at  the "aerodrome" of Neerpelt EBNE. This is a very short runway (150 m) cross to the prevailing winds, with a wood at one end, and to top it all it is inside the CTR of Kleine Brogel where our national interceptor F16's are based. Its owner/pilot is great with composites, and has made a most impressive dashboard for her, it looks almost overdone on the slightly shabby plane that it otherwise is.
And at this year's fly-in in Schaffen EBDT, OO-E58 made a less than perfect landing, breaking the port landing gear, then tilting onto its nose and breaking the prop. In the best of microlight traditions (we are a tight community, down here) the plane was repaired on site that same day and merrily flew home in the evening.
NB a good place to look for Belgian registered planes is http://asa-be.com/photogallery_BCR.htm  you will find the microlights with registrations like OO-[A-H][0-9][0-9]
This photo is a couple of years old. And alas, it shows no registration & the caption confirms  "Un très
rare Rans monoplace" or "A very rare Rans single seater" ...
"both wings scrapped after blown over in storm")
Some more info, from knowledgeable friends and from the www:
OO-B14   S5, spotted 1996 at the famous Schaffen Fly-In, reported active
at least till 2005.
OO-B64  must have been an S4, was spotted by a friend at EBZH Kiewit March 1999; accident at the now closed ulmodrome of Maasmechelen Sept. 2000.
OO-C53   S5, registered 1998, became OO-C67
OO-C67   last reported as "in storage at EBML Maillen" and that was 2003.
Mind you, this is only about Belgian registered craft; there may well have been some French registered around too, especially in southern Belgium.
"Rans Coyote S4 for sale, due lack of time and room. Very good condition, comes with trailer. Needs to go urgently!!!!"
Seeing the seller's location of Diksmuide (of WW1 "fame"..), the most likely base is EBMO Moorsele.
 
New Readers Welcomed this month
Ian Skepper.
Richard Proctor. I own a Rans S6, G-CCZN.
Rufus Cable. I've got a PPL(A) but no aircraft at the moment - I'm considering my options!
Alan Clift. I've recently purchased a Rans SE6. I learnt to fly at Shobdon in 1990 under the ever watchful eye of G Faulkner(still a personal friend) on a MainAir flash 2 Alpha. Progressing to a share in Rans SE6/503, sold after 18 months for a Quantum 582 flex-wing, shared with lifelong friend Mike New (ex instructor and one time member of the GB team) as I missed the 'wobbly' flying. Five years ago a motorcycle accident led to an artificial shoulder with limited arm movement so still in partnership with Mike we got another SE6, this time with the Rotax 582. We haven't ferried the aircraft back home from Perth, Scotland) and at this time of year may have to tow it to Mitton strip, Wolverhampton close to Otherton airfield. Swiftly approaching 66, I'll have plenty of time on my hands.
 
French Customs fields, (LAA forum, check before leaping).  https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zNCs-_fbsmgM.krTMmf9vBlOM
 
http://notaminfo.com/  (from BMAA forum)
Also gives free European Notams so why bother with the other folks paid for versions !  "NOTAMinfo is superb, I use it all the time, and also get all the updates from it as RSS feeds in an RSS reader. It's run by Dave Massie, PG/HG pilot and Southern Hang Gliding Club Chairman. It's also a web site so runs in any browser without any need for loading new software. This makes ideal for smaller O,Sys. like Linux where there is no Sky Demon or Fastplan.
You can turn off or turn on various layers of airspace on NOTAMinfo by expanding the Airspace Details tree to the right hand side of the Flight Planning map."
 
Rotax has just released a mandatory SB which may affect your carburetted Rotax engine.
The issue stems from a possible manufacturing deviance leading to some floats absorbing fuel, which increases their weight affecting the float level in the carb. Possible effects may be a rough running engine especially at low speeds, engine stoppage and/or fuel leakage in the area of the carburettor venting http://legacy.rotaxowner.com/si_tb_info/serviceb/sb-912-065ul.pdf
Compliance is mandatory requirement and affects serial specific engines and carbs as well as any engines or carbs which may have been serviced with new floats (part number 861 184) from spare parts which were produced from approximately June 1st 2012 onward (check SB for details). 
Andy Buchan (BMAA) Unfortunately BMW bike floats cannot be used theirs are fixed to a lever arm, Rotax are loose in the bowl. The Rotax SB seems overcomplicated. Another way to test the floats is to put them into a fuel filled carb bowl. The surface of the liquid should be where the pin is in the side of the float. It would be good to compare the Rotax method with this much simpler method.
 
Rotax Radiator (September issue) Mike Nolan who has a Rotax 912 a/c, mentioned the little bleed screw and told me the 912 has the same VW radiator as the 582.
 
What Gauges are for:-
Late Sept. on the way to Kemble, the coolant pressure gauge showing nil, instead of usual 6 to 7  psi. It didn't long, though CHT and Oil temps steady & coolant temp well, to realise it was telling me the Rotax 912 had lost enough water so the Temp. probe was possibly in air & no longer water as it is located high up in the system. I elected to land at the next available strip, Colemore Common, but when overhead and anxious to get on the ground safely I saw someone not listening to SafetyCom was hogging the threshold. No time to hang about and I landed instead at a private 1000m strip about 1/3 mile further on near New Arlesford.  Richard Keyser, owner, hmfc chairman & owner of Colemore, phoned me then drove with water and when pressure was down I added a small amount and with care hopped home. Later we met the affable owner of 'West Tisted'. So far found no cracks, leaks or weeping water pump seals & monitoring since seems to be a small losses over the previous 5 hours weren't detected. Luckily the engine is fine, it didn't lose of w/cooling of the cyl. heads and has behaved ever since. [mike] 
Peter Noonan commented: I have noticed my coolant needs topping up each time recently - must be the weather.
 
Chris Dewhurst (Rans S4 G-MWFW) new Instrument panel.
As you can see rebuilding is still work in progress but it should not be long before it is finished and fitted and I can run up the new engine for the first time.
 
Isle of Wight, Thursday 18th September, Clive Innocent.
We had 3 Escapade taildraggers at Sandown today !  Mine, Brian's and Peter Noonan's. Also Paul was there in his C42 from Lee. Very murky going there, as I couldn't see the IOW until I got to Portsmouth ! Return was a total contrast. I could see the 7 Sisters from mid Solent at 2,000ft.
Peter Noonan who has relocated to Cranleigh area, adds: Rita and I had a nice little meet up with Brian, Clive and a friend of Clive's at Sandown yesterday. A bit murky en-route but quite reasonable at the island. Just beat a thunderstorm back to the strip.
[Whilst with 100 mile road round trip I towed an enormously long 'Escapade' trailer from Laddington strip to Jackrell's for Vince to collect. mike].
 
The Rans S6 family are really strongly made where it counts.
These photos are of one in situ, where it came down.  It is a testament to the strength of the design that the steel cage protected the two occupants.  Both suffered very minor cuts and bruises.  The poor aircraft is a write off.
 
 
[Luckily the smaller wing area S6 -116 is good for strips both for take-off and able to land reasonably short without excess float. mike]
 
Rotax 912, Ignition problems keep coming out of the woodwork - e.g. last month
Kevin Armstrong offers: On my Briggs and Stratton the racers fit more powerful Niobium rare earth magnets for a bigger spark, (see ARC Racing in the USA’s website) you’d expect at the price charged for a 912 or 912s that Rotax would fit magnets to the same standard ?
Gwyn Cawardine (& others BMAA forum) The Ignition modules Rotax use & their lack of action re their random slow death is frustrating.
The modules seem to be dropping like flies it would appear now that there are none left in the U.K.as there's a waiting list. Rotax is a dead end. The LAA were interested and there is possible recourse under English 'Sale of Goods Act" which specifies "fit for purpose".
Five weeks ago I parked my 912ULS powered a/c after a flight,did the shutdown mag checks and all was well. Couple of days ago got the a/c out and went to start-zilch, nothing, spinning over a real treat, but no start, not even firing. Top plugs out,squirt in some fuel,and then plugs back in. This will always get an engine to fire if there's sparks available. Spin her over and again,damn all! Well,to cut the saga, the two electronic modules have failed. How do I know for sure ? I fitted two known good units and hey presto, normality restored. Engine number is 5644409. How can two electronic modules just suddenly fail while the a/c has remained idle for 5 weeks ? There has been no previous problem with starting now an eye watering cost of replacing them.
Both of your modules did not fail at the same time. One probably died a number of months ago. As the problem is only exhibited at low rpm (cranking speed), you will probably find that the engine has been starting on only module. Once the engine fires, the other module then springs in to life. If you have the 6 pin modules then its £500 a pair. If you have the 4 pin modules you can get some adapter cables made up and still use the latest modules.My new ones are better than ever (mag drops almost unnoticeable) so I think they must degrade over time anyway. The only way to test both modules, if people are concerned, is to try and start your engine on only module at a time. Remember though, that once the engine has started once, then subsequent starts are usually OK, which may lead you into a false sense of security.
 
Don Lord. Here is the story of my 912.
I bought my Rans S6 116 Coyote 2 in May 2012. It was based at Redhill when I went to see it while it was being prepared for a new permit, the skins were new and several bits like cables on the tail plane and rudder, new fuel lines, new windscreen and door covers all looking pretty good. Its original first flight was Jan 14th 1997, hours were 1000 with the original engine, it had the usual odds and end in its life with a heavy landing at 145 hrs requiring new undercarriage legs, axles, wheels, repair to wing etc. On the day I went to collect it, the 13th, it had been a period of heavy rain and Redhill was using the south section of peri track for take offs and landings which meant every now and then things were halted to let three or four aircraft back track so I did not bother with a test flight taxied round and departed for Lewes Swanborough, East Sussex, everything fine in fact went faster than I expected, arriving at Swanborough I sat for a moment making sure I had all the electrics switched off kill the mags and the engine kept running tried the mags again still running so turn off fuel and waited for it to stop, after a couple of weeks rewiring testing etc it was discovered that one of the SMD electric modules was US, I ordered two new ones from Conair at £750 each after that things went fairly well but I was never completely happy with the engine I have had two 912s before but this one did not feel quite so smooth - I spoke with Kevin of SAS at Sywell, he mentioned a few things to check, but it did not improve. This year I intended crossing the Channel at least twice and taking my grandson who lives in France for a flight so I decided to do something about it & I spoke to Kevin again, who said get the engine to him in Leicester. He stripped it and as usual there was good news and bad news, the bad was that it was going to cost a lot of money, the good was that I had most likely saved my life as the engine was a few hours from seizing up and stopping. One of the cams was through the case hardening likewise its follower - with many new parts all cost some £3000. I put new nuts and bolts on the mounts and changed the throttle system to twin cable with new carb parts, water pipes, water temp. sender and instrument & fuel lines on the engine
I think it is OK now: But twice since I have had the engine stop on me, my practise on landing was to come down final at 70 mph reducing to just above 60 and at round out feed in a little throttle and fly it on at 60. At Palmers Farm when I eased the throttle in the engine cut at about ten feet up, which resulted in a very interesting couple of seconds flying and landing. All sorts of theories and solutions were given but some then I used careful landings without the increase in throttle, even so after several trips it happened again at Sandown. At this time the engine had done only fifty hours since the expensive rebuild so I did an oil change with filter etc, the spark plugs were quite black and sooty: Kevin advised not to change any settings, he'd just had a similar case on a 912 which had the same K&N filter treatment I'd done before re-installing the engine. i.e. I did what it said on the tin, but it's easy to leave too much oil on if the filters are a bit old, so I cleaned them off again and have left them like that and have flown 90 minutes since. Kevin thought that was the most likely cause of my engine cutting at low rpm, you live and learn, if you are lucky.
Nothing to do with this but I am going to sell the Coyote between now (after Goodwood) and next spring, 
 
Fred J Felch sends more on his newly acquired Rans S4
[I am sure Randy Schlitter would be pleased in due course to see one of his original kit planes restored. For that reason alone I am thrilled to be able to show it off in RansMail. mike]
I picked up my "new" old S4 this weekend. It’s a 1984 model with a Rotax 277. In very good shape for the age, including the fabric. I am going to clean it up (it’s rather dirty from being stored in a farm building), replace some hardware that is showing corrosion, replace all the rubber parts (dry rot) and have the fabric punch tested. Then tear the engine down (hopefully for just a reseal, Hobbs shows only 55 hours and it appears to have been fogged for storage) or perhaps purchase a newer low hours Rotax if I can find the right deal on one. Flight controls seem to work great, but I will of course test everything to prove airworthiness. I was extremely pleased to obtain it for only $1000US, and only 3 hours travel from my home. The plane was very easy to transport. The wings were already off, we just folded up the tail, removed the struts from the wings and tied it down lightly in a 20’ enclosed trailer. We padded any areas where the wing fabric could rub with cardboard and moving blankets. Moved it 130 miles with no incidents. According to the paperwork that came with the plane, it was originally weighed at 249 pounds, which qualifies it for US FAR 103 ultralight operation with no registration or inspections. I’m not certain if I will endeavour to keep it ultralight legal (under 254 pounds), or go to a larger engine and register it experimental (that would require me to tear it down to kit stage and reassemble, but I’ll be pretty close to doing that anyway). However if it is registered I can use that for my solo training hours (still working on my license), saving a lot of money renting and feeding the Cessna. I guess that will be determined by the engine condition at teardown, and the availability of a more powerful engine at an attractive price.
We have a local instructor with a 2 seat Quicksilver and a very active Microlight EAA chapter close by. I will avail myself of some transition training and experienced advice & will absolutely be cautious there. For test flights, I’ll recruit someone more experienced and familiar with very light aircraft as well if possible. From the serial #, I am guessing it’s the 17th plane produced in 1984. It was flown at the EAA fly-in in 1984-5-6 from the decals on it.  A few pics are included, I will keep updating as work is accomplished.  In addition, I received some early factory specs and information on the plane that I have never seen on the internet.  I will scan those and send them to you in case they may be of value to future S4/S5 users.
 
 
UK CAA
Amendment 4 to Edition 21 of CAP 413 Radiotelephony Manual, effective on 13 November 2014
 
CAP 493 SI 2014/04: Replacement of Class F Airspace in the UK FIRs.
Within the UK FIRs Class F is notified for UK Advisory Routes (ADRs). Standardised European Rules of the Air (Regulation (EU) No. 923/2012 of 26 September 2012) requires the application of an air traffic advisory service in Class F airspace; this would require the UK to cease the current application of UK Flight Information Services and apply air traffic advisory service. Consequently the CAA undertook a series of consultations with industry to identify how best to replace Class F airspace within the UK FIRs. Industry comments were considered in detail by CAA staff, leading them to refine proposals accordingly. Implementation of these has been approved.
 
General Aviation Report - Occurrences processed by Safety Data in September 2014.
 
Francois Zijl (South Africa)  is selling his Rans S5 with Rotax 503.
While over fast taxiing, nose wheel broke off, prop broke, and damage to cowling. Now everything has been repaired, new prop, cowlings, new stronger front wheel strut outstanding only screws to attach top cowling to bottom cowling. vanZijl.Francois@columbus.co.za
 
Bournemouth opened up to light GA for one special day 28th September.
My Rans S6-116 got a slot as did Peter Greenrod's Bede 4, 
 
Old RansMails are now on line courtesy Peter Greenrod. https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4702449/Ransmails.pdf
Collected Rans S4 & S5 Tips      http://ranss4s5tips.blogspot.co.uk/
Rotax practical owner help    http://www.rotax-owner.com/rotax-forum/index
Rans Aircraft USA site   http://www.rans.com/aircraft/home.html
 
Charlie Brooker,t 14 1/4, the youngest person in Sussex to have flown solo.
 
A pilot from Holland & his wife drove to England to see my ex Jodel Potez engine plus  in a BMW estate, arriving at 11 a.m. within 5 minutes of what he predicted from his home, 2 hours east of Ostend. He inspected the log books and decided he'd take both engines & extra cylinders, piston and rare electric parts for the ignition system. Heavy work as each weighs over 100 kg but we completely loaded his car - and was back home at midnight unloading !
Potez (a French maker) was driven out of business some 40 years ago by the US equivalent with competitive 100 h.p. a/c engines, so any parts, used or not are needed, but only by those few stalwarts who persist in keeping them running in equally ancient light 'planes.
All I have left is an original dynamo, SS exhausts & a. Evra 1228-8 propeller.
 
I had some problems with ISP's not liking my bundled address lists when attempting to mail out September RansMail & I re-sent some batches. I hope everyone got it at least once.
Mike
 
 
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