RansMail #030  July 2004

a)    Hand Held Radio Installation.

I was given a neat Lead/acid 12v Gel. battery for my a/c installation by a fellow microlighter in the fire alarm business. I understand it gives a decent 'life' between recharging, anyway it was 'free'. It's now strapped to a frame tube down on the L.H.floor & with the radio on a platform made for it and the GPS, between pilot's legs, forwards of the seat and behind the cross fuselage tube, i.e. missing the stick's gambit.

After a quite few visits to the a/c to measure, make & establish a safe place away from control cables & feet, the battery now stands upright and the supply cable neatly follows a convenient frame tube to the Icom I've been loaned. The headset to Icom "Y" adapter I made up from bits, now works, as does the press to TX button mounted in the control column top. I reused the coax & metal aerial on top of fin already in the a/c. 

At last on Tuesday, after earlier inconclusive ground tests, I was able to make my first airborne signal from low circuit height from Jackrell's to Shoreham, who replied they'd rec'd a satisfactory signal. They actually said "strength 5", but surely from 10 miles away they were being kind !

Whatever, I am very pleased with the remote mounted power supply & even the guy who offers rebuilt NiCad battery packs wrote to say that was a good solution and better than having to smooth the a/c generator's output where, as I am set up, there's nothing otherwise to damp out the spikes.

b)    Revised tail wheel springs links, I overstretched one of my light tail wheel springs, turning sharply the other week but decided to continue to use similar ones & make up strong wire loop connectors to reduce the preload. I think it still gives enough pedal steering when the aerodynamic forces vanish without straining the rudder which otherwise appears to rely on the fabric in the fin pressing on the elevator edge ?  When ground manoevering the wheel can otherwise caster with quite a great force via the strong springs I had originally. Statically pushing the tail wheel to a little beyond right angles to the fuselage now looks O.K & it's worked on three outings so far, without showing either poor control or damage.

c)    Hesitating engine at 5,000 t0 6,000 rpm returned this week, so I stayed close to the field. 'Cleaning' needle again in carb had no benefit. I bought & fitted new 4 groove needle of same part no. which= the manuals #(old one had 3 grooves), also needle jet and (unsquashed) filter thimble to fit over the main jet holder in the float chamber. The  Wx is too grotty at the time of writing to see if this cures it, but I hope so as there's a local strip fly-in this w/end I'd like to attend.

The little "O" ring intended to prevent the needle chattering in the circlip wasn't available from RidgewayAir, but have asked s'one going to PFA Rally if he'll look on SkyDrive's stand. It's too far for me to feel happy with, until I get that bigger tank sorted out.

p.s. Whilst the wx here last w/end appeared to preclude m'light expeditions, I was lucky enough to get in nearly 4 hours P1. flying the strip Emeraude with one of the owners to a French rally, south of Rouen.

I was impressed with its endurance & capability of handling the poor conditions of winds Sat. & rain/stratus Sunday, when navigation at the necessary low levels needed to maintain VMC was magnificently aided by info from a mapping GPS.

Mike.