RansMail
#163
January 2015
Picture from Ken
Manley.
The Rans S20 'Raven' designed by Randy Schlitter
became available from 2013, it's a faster
more rugged side by side seating development
of the Rans Coyote II S-6S, using S7 type wings &
empennage. Cruising at 112
mph the VNE limit (130 mph in the USA) is the same as
their S6 family but at a higher max. AUW of 1320 lb.; 740 lb.
empty,\load
capacity 580 lb. Larger baggage space is e.g. for camping
gear/folding bikes & totals 21 cu. ft. with similar 80 lb.
load.
[The lighter constructed S6 weighs 675lb. can carry a hefty 645
lb. The current Rans S-6ES Sport Wing combines S6-116 performance
with 9:1 glide & 100 mph cruise using Rotax 9 of 80 hp.] In the real
World, my 1999 Rans S6-116 is a true 584 lb. empty & limited by UK
CAA/LAA AUW of 1100 lb. still means an impressive 516 lb. load pax + fuel
and @ GPS 100 mph consumes ~15 litres/hour, ~30 mpg. Completed Rans S20 kit builds are accumulating in the USA (see
Google) & 'RTF' planes are planned. It needs a minimum
of 100 h.p., e.g. Rotax 912 series; or the UL 130 hp engine.
New Reader this month:
Colin Fretwell.
Dave Wise re Schaffen-Diest Old-timers fly-in
2014, Belgium
Is regularly accompanied by a big vintage car and caravan rally - BMW 600
four-seater with a suitably small sleeper trailer.
Tim Engel. Carb Leaning bigger engines,
Vans info.(Jabiru
forum 201214)
http://buy-ei.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Pilots-Manual.pdf
2015 Fly-Ins, Stow Maries Essex WWI aerodrome (from their 'Flambards Flyer') www.stowmaries.org.uk
2015 Fly-Ins, Stow Maries Essex WWI aerodrome (from their 'Flambards Flyer') www.stowmaries.org.uk
9th and 10th May, Saturday 27th
June Armed Forces Day, 5th and 6th September.
Flying information Aerodrome
Operations Manager Russell Savory russell@stowmaries.com
Farnborough International Airshow
2014 featured two Rans S6 aircraft
Vince, Rans S4, sent me the
DVD for Christmas. Two Rans S6 demonstrated in the middle of
the UK 'Farnborough', Yellow G-YTLY and blue
G-SBAP, kit built a/c by two UK schools under Boeing
sponsorship.
John Murphy. I had my first flight of 2015
last Sunday, sunny but windy above 600 feetTook off on frozen
ground but after returning to my airfield a slight thaw had set in and I got
stuck in a very wet patch while taxing back to the hanger. My aircraft is a 582
tricycle Rans S6 ES and the size of the tyres I have do not help on the wet
grass strip. We have a Kitfox based in the hanger with large tyres which seems
to cope better than my small tyres. As larger tyres or can be fitted to
the tail dragger variant of the Rans, I'm in the market for a Rans microlight
tail dragger with a 912 fitted. Any offers suggestions please, john.murphy63@ntlworld.com
I may consider a cheap taildragger airframe and restore
it with possibly fitting the new D-Motor. I spoke to the guys from TLAC at
Telford who had one in their Sherwood Ranger.
Tundra Tyres fitted to Rans S6-116 &
progressed to flight.
Spent two hours on the bench trying to remove the
old 4.00 x 6 tyres with tyre levers, vice and G clamps & only got one bead
out of four to move 1/2 mm - . Split Ali rims don't help at this
phase of the task & I gave up. Elite Motors
tyre bay were obliging enough to have a go for me with their bead breaker, NBG.
All three experienced tyre fitters shook their heads & moved onto attack
using bigger levers, finally 3/4 hour later with my combined effort
pushing & with much surprise at how almost impossible it
was they were free.
Thereafter putting on the 'Carlisle' 8.00 X 6" tyres
& tubes was straightforward, everything went together nicely- with lots
of talc to ease the inner tube - & a final 12 psi inflation. Next
day slid both onto the stub axles ready to fly. The 'plane now sits about
2" taller at the cabin, but being tail-wheel that's
all.
Christmas Eve, was bright with a steadier wind.
Pulled her out, started and taxied up the strip using the
firmer parts: 2 stages of flap, vital checks then full power with stick kept
back for a tail down take-off. No sudden slowing down this time over the
softer sections and she quickly left the
ground. At 5,000 rpm for a local excursion where
ASI and GPS showed and on the face of it the bulkier tyres haven't made a
big difference to her speed, managing about 100 true mph, nor any handling
changes.
Returning & with the wind behind me yielded
116 mph over the ground and with power reduction nicely lined up on
short final for 03. Below 75mph, progressive 1st, 2nd and full flap allowed
a safe 60 mph to at the threshold where handfuls of throttle allow
excellent control to select the best touch down point.. Still the usual
amount of mud splatter to wash off the wings and tail. Walking the field after, the main wheels hardly marked the grass
& even the tail wheel hadn't broken the sod. So a
good result all round and a mod. well worth doing.
My thanks to Brian for providing the inspiration, Clive for supportive
information,Barry for airworthiness guidance & to S6-116
Rans designer Randy Schlitter.
Anti Black Mould on Rans fabric.
http://www.wetandforget.co.uk/
£32 for 5 litres delivered
the "Wet n Forget" anti black
mould stuff I obtained as per Dec.RM - was last
Wednesday at a 3:1 mix hand squeeze sprayed with an ex kitchen
surface cleaner dispenser. As noted on BMAA forum it worked&
has to be worth a try, the caveat is, it takes quite a few weeks. Watch this
space !
Update on Rotax 912 ignition failures (which
they don't acknowledge) An alternative repair route. (Adrian Lloyd BMAA
forum 12th Jan).
Had my two 'Ducati' modules go dead after a 5 week
lay-off following last flight. To cut a long story short, much research and
wincing at the cost of new units, I found a company called Carmo Electronics in
the Netherlands http://www.carmo.nl/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=497_624
who repair said units. I decided to take the plunge and sent them off. They
arrived at Carmo on a Friday morning and the following Wednesday they
arrived back - that's customer service with a vengeance!
Refitted they work perfectly and have been for some months now. On asking what the problem was, they said that there were a number of poor quality components that had become defective and they were replaced them with higher quality ones. The units had been cut into but the re-potting was of excellent quality. How they achieved the repair amazes me, but at £160 odd per unit I'm certainly not complaining - 1st class I think. So, if anyone else has problems I thoroughly recommend Carmo Electronics.
Refitted they work perfectly and have been for some months now. On asking what the problem was, they said that there were a number of poor quality components that had become defective and they were replaced them with higher quality ones. The units had been cut into but the re-potting was of excellent quality. How they achieved the repair amazes me, but at £160 odd per unit I'm certainly not complaining - 1st class I think. So, if anyone else has problems I thoroughly recommend Carmo Electronics.
Australia's CASA re Jabiru power, late
December 2014.
http://casa.gov.au/SCRIPTS/NC.DLL?WCMS:STANDARD::pc=PC_102352
"THERE IS AN ABNORMAL RISK THE ENGINE IN THE AIRCRAFT
WILL MALFUNCTION.
It requires operators to take precautions and ensure
full users/pax awareness of the risks from engine failure.
It might now be that the Australian CAA have themselves
taken the subject up with Jabiru after years of their apparently
not attending to users' reports of serious engine problems. It's a disturbing story on the Jab. forum for over ten
years: perhaps they will now have the incentive to address the
failures and be more communicative.
That's not to say all other light a/c engine makers have
trouble free products but Jabiru's outwardly attractive a
'simple' aero engine concept of over 20 years ago has never been fully
sorted.
Stuart Ord sent a note of this link
to CASA re. Jabiru
Engines.
Shortly followed by this....an Unwanted
Adventure (by Clive Innocent, Reality Escapade, Jabiru 2200A. 85hp
(solid lifter). Serial no: 1920. Total hours from new :-
423.
As some of you will know, my flight to
Popham, Sunday 28th Dec. didn't go quite according to plan. I arrived O.K.
and enjoyed lunch with Dave Baker and Brian Searle, it was quite busy
and had a good atmosphere.
When time to return home, I jumped in my Escapade, warmed the engine to running temperature and took off home for Hadfold Farm. The sky
was clear blue and I settled down after leaving the circuit to cruise at
2,200ft. Shortly after passing Lasham there was a metallic 'bang' and propeller
thrust died. Instinct was to apply carb heat in case it was
severe icing, but in truth I knew it was mechanical. The Sun was low & it
was getting cold. Looking below for a suitable field to aim
for & only an hour and a half to go before Winter darkness fell, I
dreaded being stuck alone in a field. Nursing the engine by throttling
back- at the same time looking urgently for a field & monitoring the
altimeter and ASI - I saw she was only sinking a couple of hundred feet per
minute. But now the engine was dying & my a/c began to show increased rate
of descent. Backing off still more throttle
and using best glide speed I looked at my GPS to see if I could reach
Colemore Common airstrip now 4 miles off, hoping by nursing the engine I could
squeeze a last blast if needed on the approach. Low bright sunlight in front made seeing ahead difficult, but helped
by the GPS I could still navigate there. Now, having done all I could - it was time for a 'Mayday' call on
121.500 - in case I was less than successful landing. They were still
asking for confirmation of my intentions for Colemore and it's
location when on short final. That last burst of
power wasn't required thanks to sufficient height remaining,
dealt with using full flap and a little side slip. Over the
threshold at about 30 feet, and a lovely three point landing a third of the way
up the strip.
Phew ! Down without breaking
anything, what a result. Boy was I glad Colemore was there !
Just after I landing, Dave made a low fly-by to check all
was O.K. Richard and Rosemary at the
farm were very kind, and he drove me back to Hadfold.
Next
day with
Tim G-P's help and John Littler's trailer we retrieved folding
wing 'Paddy'. Removing the engine cowling instantly
indicated that my Jabiru motor was a write-off ! An exhaust valve had lost its
head, been hit by the piston & bent the con rod, which subsequently
tried to punch a hole through the top of the crank case. Oil is all over the
place, except inside the engine !
Bent Con. Rod and
little left of the piston.
Crankcase bent
from within by thrashing components.
Battered Cylinder
Head and headless exhaust valve stem just
visible.
Though Clive meticulously
maintained his Jabiru 2200 solid lifter engine to the book it was no
protection. Digging since then he discovered this less
publicised 'Achilles Heel' has caught out other USA & UK owners.
He refuses to trust another & is actively acquiring a good Rotax 912
to install in its place.
Camshaft Failures
(Steve, Jab forum, January '15)
I have experience with three
3300 engines on my Zenith Zodiac XL over a total of 1,575 hours. All with the
same Sensenich carbon fiber propeller set at the same pitch for most of the
hours.
I put 905 hours on Jabiru SN 1256 (RIP: lifter failure, camshaft failure, heavy case fretting). And 640 hours - Jabiru SN 2340 (RIP: camshaft failure, minor case fretting).
I put 905 hours on Jabiru SN 1256 (RIP: lifter failure, camshaft failure, heavy case fretting). And 640 hours - Jabiru SN 2340 (RIP: camshaft failure, minor case fretting).
CAMIT ( camitaeroengines.myshopify.com ) Queensland,
Australia.Are totally independent & selling
replacement/uprating components through to better parts and whole
re-engineered engines which will fit straight onto the same mount as the
Jab.
Don Lord (Rans
S6-116) in the mud when departing Swanborough
Farm.
I managed to turn the tables
and got sympathy and help from Clive when stuck in the mud at
Swanborough to complete my move to Heathfield. Clive kindly came down with
his Landrover and got me out - so that's a happy ending for
me.
Building a Rans Coyote II in 9 minutes, Dave
Rigotti (RansFlyer forum)
Coyote Build Short https: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1Iua_iDOes Time lapse video taken over the 17 months actual build time
& special thanks to Lee Wiegman.
David North's Jodel (forum Dec
'14)
One piece hollow Wing Spar & Fuselage.
After 2 1/2 years, I have the Fuselage
done except the turtle deck, The spar and ribs, and the empennage. Basically,
most of the woodwork. I spent the last few weeks working on the trim tabs which
are metal, improving my brazing and welding skills. But there is still so
much further to go.
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
RansClan forum http://www.ransclan.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?40-Engines
RansFlyers web http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RANSflyers/?yguid=339885221
Rans Aircraft USA site
http://www.rans.com/aircraft/home.html
Big visitor to
Sepentine field W Australia. (Chris Tansell SABC Editor)
We host an Ericsson Sky Crane every
year as a fire-fighting tool. We get some horrendous fires here from
time-to-time.
End
December - local drama as loaded Virgin Jumbo u/c failed &
it lands back at Gatwick.
When on departure for the
USA one of its four main u/c legs jammed up, it was successfully landed
here with nearly 500 souls on board after a very hard touch down. A
plaudit for Boeing that it is engineered to be capable, with
care, of landing with any two of four u/c's deployed. The pilot
following standard procedure, cross flowed fuel to lighten one
side & load the 'good' wing as ballast before eventually
coming in. If no. 4 hydraulic system became
inop. it explains the whole scenario, assuming the Wing gears are on that system
(the body gears would be on another) when they would be relying on gravity drop,
which has been known to fail. But the right wing gear likely hung up on the
door, or the mechanical lock failed to hold the truck in the angled position
(normally held there by a hydraulic actuator) so the truck may have fouled the
doors or wheel well during the attempted deployment. It helps explain the
"arrival" as he might have banged it down to try to get the gear to
lock out, or he was caught out by the differences from a normal landing. As
surmised one of the split elevators would also be inop., so reduced authority in
the flare and very limited spoiler deployment to stop the bounce, whilst the
speed brake function is disabled to inhibit spoilers deploying to cause unwanted
pitch-up.
Lastly P1 could have banged it down early to take account of the reduced braking i.e.4 less wheels on the ground and having to correct for asymmetrics. We think the crew did a blindingly grand job.
Lastly P1 could have banged it down early to take account of the reduced braking i.e.4 less wheels on the ground and having to correct for asymmetrics. We think the crew did a blindingly grand job.
Trevor Sexton
writes:- Various people
from Motor Sport have raised an e-petition.
HMGovernment has approved it to protect the
motorsport industry in the UK.
It introduces a mandatory noise complaint waiver for anyone who buys or rents a property close to motorsport venue. The petition states: “There are innumerable cases of people knowingly moving within close proximity of motorsport venues, only to try to have their planning permission revoked or have them closed completely when they take exception to the noise. It is extremely detrimental to the UK’s motorsport heritage, when all the motorsport venues start disappearing. Motorsport and the associated mechanical/engineering business is a key British export and second to none in the world of motorsports. As such, anyone who wishes to buy or rent a property within a determined distance of a motorsport venue should have to read and sign legislature that waives their right to complain about the noise from the nearby venue. If they do not wish to be bothered by something that was a fixture of the community long before they arrived, they should not move there in the first place.”https://submissions.epetitions.direct.g ... ions/72458
Now could we combine this with Aviation and get protection for Airfields??
It introduces a mandatory noise complaint waiver for anyone who buys or rents a property close to motorsport venue. The petition states: “There are innumerable cases of people knowingly moving within close proximity of motorsport venues, only to try to have their planning permission revoked or have them closed completely when they take exception to the noise. It is extremely detrimental to the UK’s motorsport heritage, when all the motorsport venues start disappearing. Motorsport and the associated mechanical/engineering business is a key British export and second to none in the world of motorsports. As such, anyone who wishes to buy or rent a property within a determined distance of a motorsport venue should have to read and sign legislature that waives their right to complain about the noise from the nearby venue. If they do not wish to be bothered by something that was a fixture of the community long before they arrived, they should not move there in the first place.”https://submissions.epetitions.direct.g ... ions/72458
Now could we combine this with Aviation and get protection for Airfields??
Seen in
January LAA 'Light Aviation - SD1 Minisport, a fast
light single seater.
For Sale
new, never used round RPM Aircraft Spruce instrument for a points
Rotax 447 two-stroke engine. Made in the USA MicroflightProducts
Division of A/c Spruce P/N TA130/1 & 10-01616. Full Sweep Tacho 12 volt neg.
ground. mikehallam@btinternet dot
com. or mobile 0747 886 9982.
UK CAA Safety
Data issue Dec. 2014 http://www.caa.co.uk/SafetyDataGeneralAviationReport
BTW.I learnt that not everybody on
the 'send' list received December's RM. Please drop me a line if you didn't get
yours.
Mike
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