RansMail #013 April 8th 2004 

a)  A bit more on engine experience from a friend with another make of microlight  (I forgot to put it in last time).
" I use the plugs from Skydrive in my (inverted) 503. Whenever I take them out at least one of them is full of oil but it doesn't affect the starting at all. I generally don't look at them at all for 30/40 hrs but once I take them out I usually put a new set back in. Like your 447, I have the older single points type ignition which the experts tell me makes for easier starting than the newer dual electronic ignition versions.
A tip, when starting one of these Rotax 2-stroke beasties from cold, using the choke, you MUST make sure the throttle is fully closed. Even a 'crack' open and the engine won't start and you'll flood it. It's possible to hear the carb 'click' as the slider bottoms, a good thing to check for during a pre-flight as it will tell you if there's a problem with the cable, etc."
 
(I bought plugs in W.Sussex last week for £5 a pair from a guy operating from home and the web, he says he's getting Rotax parts from abroad direct and undercuts the U.K. Rotax agent, 
David Lawrence, West Sussex, UK. RH20 4AA Tel /Fax No 44 (0) 1903 89 2000  Website:  www.ridgewayair.co.uk    E-mail: sales@ridgewayair.co.uk.
 
b)  Trim, I found the need for a small amount of back pressure on the stick, quite O.K. really, but the trim lever was fully back. Part way home from Devon, I tied the elastic cord under the seat about 1" shorter but couldn't detect a difference and am unsure what will happen to the feel if I tighten it even more. So what you real users have set up ?
 
c)  I contacted the owner of the S4, now belonging to Dave Cassidy, about his fuel management system and true weight, his reply:- 
 
"My old S4 is the only S4 in the UK with the C type wing( as far as   I
know).The type C wing has a different airfoil section, a larger cord,
longer ailerons and shorter flaps than earlier marques. Max. cruise 60 mph.
fuel consumption 10 litres / hr. engine rpm. at max cruise was 5500.Its
empty weight was 328  lbs. as far as I can recall at its last weighing, this
included doors, overhead wing tank,strobe ' and radio aerial,( the Devon
aircraft  you refer to seems a bit heavy at 379 lbs.).  i.e. mine.
The top tank capacity on my S4 is 20 litres, the fuselage tank capacity is 18 litres.There is a
two way fuel valve that allows either tank to be  selected or fuel to be
shut off.The small knurled knob valves fitted to my A/C had to be replaced
by the two way valve mentioned above( PFA.Mod) The fuel line from the two
way valve fed into the gascolater which is located on the front side of
the fire wall. I utilised the RANS knurled knob valve on the fuselage tank
to accept a connection from the wing tank thus it was possible to drain fuel
from the wing tank to the fuselage tank. Thus when making a flight of
greater than 2hrs duration. I initially selected the wing tank, after about 1
1/2 hrs.I switched to the fuselage tank,then after about another hour I
turned on the drain from the wing tank thus there was no un usable fuel loss
from the wing tank ( sounds complicated ), this gave me a 3 1/2 hr.duration
with a 3 litre reserve.The person who bought my A/C flew it from Nr.
Kidderminster to his site at Dover{approx. 193 miles}non-stop.
I hope you find this rather garbled account of some use, for more info. I
suggest you speak to Sport Air UK at Felixkirk.   Regards Arthur Trapp."
 
Mike H.