RansMail #139 January 2013
[Please open up the above
pdf to read all pages]
Apart from this Robin Mike Clark
was seen flying his sub-115kg Eindekker on Jan 1st over Jackrell's strip, I was
earth-bound at work with spade clearing water logged ditches.
Brian Bell, flew too, Rotax 912
Escapade
Got the P Lead break sorted last month, a simple
job. Oil change also done a couple of weeks ago, everything seems to run sweet.
Had 1 local flight in after P Lead fix and oil / filter change on the 11th
Dec.- but as we can guess - strip must be well waterlogged by now. and just when
I have some time off work; ah well - that's aviation. Garden is like the Somme
at the minute.
New Year's Day, just got up for a quick
flight, wx not too bad but drizzled later as I was putting a/c away. Strip
not waterlogged from taxiway to crest of hill so taxied in the rough grass and
took off on strip starting t/o run just below the crest. Got tail up quick and
then applied 1 notch of flap - off the ground quickly. Very few ruts
in grass - which I trod out in any case. viz not great but acceptable. went as
far as partridge green and back, carefully landed in rough grass /
off-piste. Great to get up - in any case Shoreham didn't have a lot of
traffic.
Jodel forum Continental 90 h.p mechanical Fuel
pump spring.
Many years ago I changed the pump arm spring on the fuel
pump for a stainless steel one. There used to be a SB/AD to check this spring
annually for corrosion unless changed. Pity no engineer told me about this for
many years, as once changed the pump did not have to be removed each year
to check.
Avro
Lancaster NX611 Just Jane is set to take to the air again in
2013
A fourth
Merlin engine is now with the restoration team at the Lincolnshire Aviation
Heritage Centre. She last flew in 1971. The two other airworthy
Lancasters: are PA474 of the Battle of Britain Flight at Coningsby and
one the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, Ontario. (Image: Paul
Morton)
[from the Emeraude forum]. A rather pretty
Home built CP328 Emeraude built by Canadian
Gil David, Niagara Falls.
Unfortunately he reports (November) a very heavy landing with the aircraft and
it is in very bad shape. He wishes to rebuild her with a 3 piece wing
& also interested in advice about obtaining oleo type landing gear legs from
certified aircraft that can be adapted to the Emeraude.
And Richard Long's (RIP) USA wooden
airframe structure Super Diamante shows the internals from back
building.
GASIL is no more, David Cockburn (U.K. CAA)
has written the last GASIL
It's been overtaken by the electronic age. He gave friendly
access and support providing information for RansMail.
Those interested in EGT (Exhaust Gas Temperature) may like this
EAA video.
It deals with the Bing carb. on a 4 stroke, it has some important info
in it.
http://www.eaavideo
http://www.eaavideo
And before you attack your Bing carb. In general
it's designed to give a bell curve on mixture with idle and full power the
richest and cruise the leanest. The main jet affects mostly the last third
of the throttle range. The needle and needle jet affect mostly the middle third.
The idle jet and cutaway on the carb cylinder affects mostly the 1st third. A
high or low float level seems to affect all ranges.
1. Air is drawn from the idle orifice at the throat of the
carburettor.
2. Fuel is drawn by the idle jet from the main bowl and mixed with the air drawn in from the idle orifice. Therefore the idle fuel air mixture is dependent on the orifice size and the idle jet size.
3. The fuel air mixture is metered by the idle mixture screw. Opening the screw anticlockwise will allow more idle mixture into the induction plenum chamber.
4. This idle mixture is always present and will therefore affect the in flight mixture. In practice, the idle mixture is richer than the main jet mixture and if increased will make the in-flight mixture richer.
The choke has 3 positions fully closed, half open and fully open. The pick up tube allows a slug of fuel to the engine for cold start. Once this fuel is drawn from the chamber the choke system feeds a rich air/fuel mixture to allow the engine to continue running. The rich air/fuel mixture comes via the choke jet located at the bottom of the cowl and the orifice located about 2/3 rds up the pick up tube. The initial slug is dependent of the fuel bowl level - if too low below the orifice then the full slug will not be delivered. Increasing the choke jet will not affect the slug, but will determine the choke mixture once the engine is running. Although the choke can be closed, in practice fuel can bleed past resulting in a slightly richer in-flight mixture.
2. Fuel is drawn by the idle jet from the main bowl and mixed with the air drawn in from the idle orifice. Therefore the idle fuel air mixture is dependent on the orifice size and the idle jet size.
3. The fuel air mixture is metered by the idle mixture screw. Opening the screw anticlockwise will allow more idle mixture into the induction plenum chamber.
4. This idle mixture is always present and will therefore affect the in flight mixture. In practice, the idle mixture is richer than the main jet mixture and if increased will make the in-flight mixture richer.
The choke has 3 positions fully closed, half open and fully open. The pick up tube allows a slug of fuel to the engine for cold start. Once this fuel is drawn from the chamber the choke system feeds a rich air/fuel mixture to allow the engine to continue running. The rich air/fuel mixture comes via the choke jet located at the bottom of the cowl and the orifice located about 2/3 rds up the pick up tube. The initial slug is dependent of the fuel bowl level - if too low below the orifice then the full slug will not be delivered. Increasing the choke jet will not affect the slug, but will determine the choke mixture once the engine is running. Although the choke can be closed, in practice fuel can bleed past resulting in a slightly richer in-flight mixture.
SkyRanger Owner Kevin Stewart - selected Exchanges re
his Rotax 912 shaking, (Rotax-Owner.com Forum from mid Dec
2012).
912UL Engine vibration on throttle back. Category : 4 Stroke Technical Questions.
912UL Engine vibration on throttle back. Category : 4 Stroke Technical Questions.
[Having tried nearly all the 'usual' things] I fitted a new pair of main
needles and their corresponding jets (the ones with 2.72 stamped on them) and
there was absolutely no difference.
It has been suggested to me that the Rotax engine runs rich between 2500 & 3000rpm and this is the point at which the carb switches from the idle circuit to the main jet. Reducing the idle mixture screw from 2 turns to 1 turn may help smooth this transition. It always used to be smooth so I am still hoping that I can return the engine to its former condition. Is there a method of setting the float level without using the gauge described in the Rotax manual ?
Answers.
It has been suggested to me that the Rotax engine runs rich between 2500 & 3000rpm and this is the point at which the carb switches from the idle circuit to the main jet. Reducing the idle mixture screw from 2 turns to 1 turn may help smooth this transition. It always used to be smooth so I am still hoping that I can return the engine to its former condition. Is there a method of setting the float level without using the gauge described in the Rotax manual ?
Answers.
You can adjust the float level by bending the center part of the float arm
that contacts the float valve. This is a last resort however. First carefully
remove the float bowls without spilling any fuel. Then remove the floats. The
fuel level should be about 1/2' from the top of the bowl. If that level is
correct, your float arms and valve are OK. If the level is too high, make sure
the float valve is sealing properly and the floats are floating with the pins in
the floats just touching the fuel surface. Chances of the float arms being bent
are remote. They can wear however, and should be inspected where they pivot on
the pin in the carb body. (Bill)
Roger Lee : Just use a MM ruler. The carbs must be off and upside
down. Set the ruler on the edge of the carb where the bowl sit. Then slide it
over and up along side the float arm. It should be 10.5mm from the carb bowl
edge. If it is too high or too low then slightly bend the float arm where the
float needle attaches to raise or lower the float arms. Check both arm on each
carb.
OR.A sticky piston (slide, plunger) in one of the carbs ?
OR. I've seen this once, black goo impeding the motion of
the piston. As you close the throttle the piston should move down in the bore
but if one piston sticks you'll get different fuel flow on each side of the
engine.
OR. I had the same problem with a 912ULS engine in a Van's
Aircraft RV-12 E-LSA after only 95 hours of Hobbs time. I traced the problem to
severely deformed Viton rubber tips on the float bowl needle valves in both
carburettors. The deformation was severe enough to allow the needle valves to
penetrate into the needle valve almost 1/16 inch which allowed the fuel level to
rise to the point of flooding the engine.
I had to replace both needle valves at about $38 each. It solved the problem instantly. I now have about 25 hours of flight time on the new needle valves and am anxiously awaiting to see if I'm going to have to replace needle valves every 95 hours.
I had to replace both needle valves at about $38 each. It solved the problem instantly. I now have about 25 hours of flight time on the new needle valves and am anxiously awaiting to see if I'm going to have to replace needle valves every 95 hours.
Kevin. I have now fitted the service kit to the carbs, so I
have effectively replaced all the seals, diaphragms, needles and jets. Yesterday
I ground ran the engine again with the newly overhauled carbs. The roughness is
still there between 2500 & 3000rpm. Pulling the choke either independently
(for each carb) or together does not help this roughness. Removing the spark
plugs, the insulator was still white indicating a lean mixture.
[This problem is not unknown (I had an engine stoppage after severe
vibration, except 'my cure' didn't help Kevin). He has been carefully describing
his methodical approach to resolving it step by step, I await the solution
which I'm sure he'll tell us about in due course. mike]
Peter Greenrod, I covered the radio/office today at WelshPool
and it was off and on all day, but managed a quick flight in the Bede and
Rans S5.A great pic of one of the balloon meets from late
summer, taken by Chris Jones in the leading balloon.
Jabiru 2200 & 3300 engine problems continue to worry
users. Including reversing pistons; valves VW guides to
help: & pro's cons of the solid versus hydraulic
driving mechanism - lub of them [too little, too much] hollow and
solid push rods, oil return paths etc. All variations and ideas fill one Jabiru
forum as engine owners struggle without much factory feed-back. Seem some doubt
the ability of one small antipodean firm to give solid back-up.
Polycarbonate sheeting for aircraft canopies
?
There have been some doubts expressed as to it's resistance to fuel.
One guy states that he has tested a sample in petrol for 24 hours with no
adverse effects whilst others complain of petrol sending the material "Milky".
or cracking. There appears to be several grade qualities out there. Some
polycarbonate sheet is supplied with a protective coating that gives it a degree
of scratch and solvent resistance, straight polycarbonate is a poor choice
for an aircraft windscreen.
Chris Cox (Southern Flyers, W. Sussex).
A fixed wing, flex-wing & glider pilot colleague has been undergoing
Chemotherapy, but now feeling so much better.[Hope it continues to
improve & we'll see you soon].
Rob Mott has been
appointed BMAA Chief Inspector.
He joined the BMAA in 2007 as an airworthiness engineer and was appointed
Inspector Co-ordinator in 2011
Rans S4 flight video & Wing recovering,
USA Style
Rick (Western PA, Rans forum) has hands-on light
a/c experience & has kindly sent us photographs.
I'm going to recover my Rans S4, I'll be sure to keep you abreast of the
progress and alterations we make to the Rans S4. It was really bent to
hell and back when we picked it up. Flying again, here's a video of
the test flight.
Short
history: it was flown for some 250 hours then sold to a ya-hoo that didn't know
how to fly. His first and only flight lasted about 20 seconds. We
bought the crash plane and rebuilt it. The only thing we didn't do was
open up the wings. I'm planning on taking the wings off this winter and
then building ribs based on the CGS Hawk style of ribs made from angle, then
recovering with Ceconite and use the Stewart system of glue and sealer - then
paint with automotive paint. Pics are of the Flight Star I recovered last
winter with the same system, only difference was to make styrofoam ribs and
inlayed the battens on the top of the rib.
[This is unfortunately a typical result of being
caught out by the microlight's lack of inertia during first flight by regular GA
pilots. mike].
Continued
Use of CAP 766 and CAP 767 Light Aircraft Maintenance Programme
(LAMP)
[UK CAA 20 December 2012] Continued use of LAMP, agreed with EASA, while NPA 2012-17 completes the rulemaking process & to remind owner/operators of the process for producing a Maintenance Programme based on LAMP. http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/InformationNotice2012202.pdf
[UK CAA 20 December 2012] Continued use of LAMP, agreed with EASA, while NPA 2012-17 completes the rulemaking process & to remind owner/operators of the process for producing a Maintenance Programme based on LAMP. http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/InformationNotice2012202.pdf
Spinning a Tipsy
Nipper
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
And - The
Task at Hand - Rotax 5 Year Rubber Replacement
A topic that will undoubtedly have Rotax engine owners on both
sides of the fence, both for and against in a major discussion on “Doing
things right and for the right reason” and without all the
worry.
The E-Go is
trial assembled - Cambridge 21st December
Tony Bishop aims to give
me plenty more to cover in the next few months. Exciting times
!
A long running 'story' by WW II ex RAF pilots and
soon after, you can click forwards & backwards here's the present
page.
It's compulsive reading - right back to early
training times in the USA.
"The Florida annual Sun 'n
Pun fly-in is becoming more and more a manufacturers' and dealers' showplace,
writes Howard Levy. Held
at Lakeland (better known as a
Piper manufacturing site), the event attracted some 90,000 people this year.
These included representatives from some 25
countries in Europe, the Middle and Far East, and Australasia.
Sun 'n Fun has connections with the US Experimental Aircraft
Association and might be deemed a kind of "mini-Oshkosh." Certainly the abundance of
homebuilts and ultra/microlights gives it a similar grassroots profile. More than 400
aircraft were entered for homebuild, classic,
"antique", warbird, and aerobatic awards, and some 250 ultralights
were registered to
fly.
RANS Coyote
Ultralight manufacturer RANS brought its latest Coyote to
Lakeland and reports that the seven production
aircraft have amassed some
300hr since the prototype flew in March 1983. The
first customer aircraft has gone to a Canadian customer who is putting
it through a cold-weather/snow-atmosphere evaluation. The single-seat ultralight
has a 6061-T6 anodised square-tube aluminium airframe, tubular
wing spars and ribs, and Dacron cover. The wing is strut braced and a steerable
tailwheel is standard. The control quadrant
features choke, throttle, and pitch trim levers. The taildragger has a
tubular spring main gear. Setup time is said to be 15min with two
people. Coyote is powered by a 27 h.p. Rotax
277 driving a 60in diameter, 28in pitch prop through a gear driven 2-5:1
reduction. The cockpit is said to accommodate
a 6ft 6in pilot. Coyote is sold factory assembled and flight-tested for $6,800.
Vince (Rans S4 & Escapade Kid) recalls RAF jet flying - over
60 years ago.
The Meteor certainly gave me excellent grounding for any
sort of asymmetric flying in later life on big aircraft. In training circa. 1950
after having bollocked me the Wingco Flying took me up to show me how, when I'd
had a bit of difficulty. I had had to go around on one, low on fuel, having
forgotten to put the gear down - they shot red Vereys at me and I didn't see the
red U/C lights 'cos it wasn't even selected ! He was very kind and explained a
lot & I learnt how, should an engine pack up on take-off to give it the full
rudder boot and lock my leg to hold it fully over. I was congratulated, passed
out and sent off on leave.
Just before I exited the main gate I heard a screech from the runway as a Meteor ground to a stop on its belly. 'Twas the Wingco and the Stn C.O.on a mutual training flight,... forgot the wheels. Others weren't so lucky with their bollockings. One chap was picked on taxiing back from outside the far end towing bits of fencewire. He then made the mistake of telling the WingCo that he thought it was not so bad because he had already done the same in the morning and nobody said anything to him.
Just before I exited the main gate I heard a screech from the runway as a Meteor ground to a stop on its belly. 'Twas the Wingco and the Stn C.O.on a mutual training flight,... forgot the wheels. Others weren't so lucky with their bollockings. One chap was picked on taxiing back from outside the far end towing bits of fencewire. He then made the mistake of telling the WingCo that he thought it was not so bad because he had already done the same in the morning and nobody said anything to him.
As for spinning Meteors .....Zurakowski had
demonstrated his cartwheel manoeuvre by pulling a Mosquito up to a stall and
gunning one engine. Around then I tried to do a real sharp stall turn for
bullshit display shows on Meteors (instead of a big radius vertical curve)
pulled up vertical down to zero speed and slam one engine
wide open. Everything would go haywire for a bit, till it sort of fell out, if it was too slow I had to hold controls tight as the ailerons elevators and rudder would bang about in the tail slide. So I got someone to come up and watch to tell me what was happening.
"Oh" he said, "You're not doing a stall turn, you are doing a perfect two and a half Zurakowski cartwheel".
Rapid descents, which I quite often did in two minutes from 40000 ft, bucking against compressibility, but you had to have finished the landing within the next 2 or 3 mins or it was another 5 in IFR getting low on fuel ! I did one of those express descents once at Driffield ready to pop straight through a layer of stratus but luckily changed my mind when I saw treetops peeping up through the cloud layer.
wide open. Everything would go haywire for a bit, till it sort of fell out, if it was too slow I had to hold controls tight as the ailerons elevators and rudder would bang about in the tail slide. So I got someone to come up and watch to tell me what was happening.
"Oh" he said, "You're not doing a stall turn, you are doing a perfect two and a half Zurakowski cartwheel".
Rapid descents, which I quite often did in two minutes from 40000 ft, bucking against compressibility, but you had to have finished the landing within the next 2 or 3 mins or it was another 5 in IFR getting low on fuel ! I did one of those express descents once at Driffield ready to pop straight through a layer of stratus but luckily changed my mind when I saw treetops peeping up through the cloud layer.
I had a Mark8 bucking at Mach 0.84 once, trying to dive
past a trio of B47s (on their way to Russia ?) - I caught up but couldn't pass,
quite funny really . I saw a distant vapour trail in the clear blue and chased
the bogie for 70 miles or so. As I got nearer I saw it was three B47s in tight
vic. There was a strict notice out warning us away from any B47 presumably
something very special.
I dropped between the contrails and crept right up to the leader unseen from the 2 hidden wingmen. I was flat out probably 0.82 .......when I felt an uncanny itch on the back of my head (truly)......... So when I looked round there was one of the wingmen right up MY own arse.That's when I tried to overtake by diving, but they got away.
The Cold War pressure was really on then, 10-12 hours training on jets, then a bit of gunnery and into no.1 Squadron with live ammunition & standby scrambles.
I dropped between the contrails and crept right up to the leader unseen from the 2 hidden wingmen. I was flat out probably 0.82 .......when I felt an uncanny itch on the back of my head (truly)......... So when I looked round there was one of the wingmen right up MY own arse.That's when I tried to overtake by diving, but they got away.
The Cold War pressure was really on then, 10-12 hours training on jets, then a bit of gunnery and into no.1 Squadron with live ammunition & standby scrambles.
We began to get Sabres from USA/Canada to improve
interception capability (I brought several across the Pond myself, they had the
same short endurance as the Meteor}
I didn't rate the Sabre as good as the Meteor for intercepting incoming bombers, would probably pass the inbound bombers while halfway up the climb and have to turn and chase them all the way back to the coast before catching up. The Meteors could climb to height and meet them head on some 70 miles offshore (one attack pass only, easier than a quarter attack, but it had to be good !)
I didn't rate the Sabre as good as the Meteor for intercepting incoming bombers, would probably pass the inbound bombers while halfway up the climb and have to turn and chase them all the way back to the coast before catching up. The Meteors could climb to height and meet them head on some 70 miles offshore (one attack pass only, easier than a quarter attack, but it had to be good !)
Harvard engine failures.There were a number of unexplained
engine failures during the post war decade. I had two of them. Some time after
1956 I read an RAF report explaining a mod to prevent slack linkage off-setting
the fuel cock from "Both" to an effective "Half", thus starving the engine when
full throttle was called for.
My first was under training at Feltwell when dive bombing at the bombing range. Force landed on a gentle downhill slope and finished in the next field " Congratulations Airman, how did you mange to get into that tiny field ?" But a black mark because "we cant find anything wrong so you must have mishandled the engine."
But it was a mystery, so no court-martial. The second was years later at Tangmere when I caused delay to a big wing take off because I insisted on the longest runway. (Well of course I insisted , a previous F700 entry for the 'plane was..."Aircraft recovered from beach after unexplained engine stoppage, Ground tested and found serviceable") Got up to 50 ft and it happened again. Nobody took much notice, as the big wing continued in some confusion because the wing leader's R/T was stuck on Transmit.
My first was under training at Feltwell when dive bombing at the bombing range. Force landed on a gentle downhill slope and finished in the next field " Congratulations Airman, how did you mange to get into that tiny field ?" But a black mark because "we cant find anything wrong so you must have mishandled the engine."
But it was a mystery, so no court-martial. The second was years later at Tangmere when I caused delay to a big wing take off because I insisted on the longest runway. (Well of course I insisted , a previous F700 entry for the 'plane was..."Aircraft recovered from beach after unexplained engine stoppage, Ground tested and found serviceable") Got up to 50 ft and it happened again. Nobody took much notice, as the big wing continued in some confusion because the wing leader's R/T was stuck on Transmit.
When the DC-8 Went Supersonic
(Rich Shankland).
A reader's Day Job --- 'Monarch
Airlines' AIRBUS A321-231
G-OZBP, first reg Feb 2008
Recently seen just after take-off from
London Gatwick.
Welcome to new Reader Ben
Davis.
I have a Rans S6 ES. I guess I have
around 120+ hrs on her. Love it. If only I could get the cabin heater to work
better on days like today !
Ken Manley forwarded this neat
"Pal-V" from The Netherlands, newly completed road trike/
Gyro
I immediately bought myself a CO
monitor, even if the Rans cockpit is 'ahem', well
ventilated.
"Flying a single piston plane with no CO detector should
be considered abnormal. While right seat in a friend's 150 decades ago, I pretty
well passed out from CO, and certainly was in no condition to land the plane,
had I been alone. He was less affected (after only 10 minutes of flying), and
landed safely. All I remembered was waking up with my face in the beautiful
green grass beside the right main wheel, where he had stopped off the runway. He
said that my face was very red, but he did not think I'd lost consciousness. I
think I did, though he said I got out on my own. I was walking around 15 minutes
later, and feeling better. A large crack was found, inside the heat shroud, on
the muffler".
Also bought "Muc-Off" Pink bike
cleaner for trying on my Rans' Dacron skin - Supposed to
lightly spray on & then wash off: definitely no harmful
ingredients. i.e. Trisodium
nitrilotriacetate, Classification Xn;R22. Xi;R36. Content 1-5%.
[EC No225-768-6 , Cas-No
5064-31-3]. Hazards Identification, not
regarded as a health or environmental hazard
under current legislation.
An Angle of Attack device - see - link could be
useful. Has anyone made one ?
Mike
No comments:
Post a Comment