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Message
The questions are –
should we fly the plane again with the likelihood of oil temps up to 230
Hi
Al,
FWIW, I would
certainly give it another try. A brief trip to 230F won't hurt the engine
if you don't do it all the time, and I think it would be worth it to
find out if the gear position makes that much difference. The plane's
too nicely finished to go hacking it up without knowing for sure if it's
necessary.
You can delay the
high temps a bit by trying to limit your heating before
takeoff. In other words, try to depart just as the temps reach your
lower "normal" limit. Obviously you can also do the test early in the
morning before the OAT starts to soar.
and, should the
design be such that the oil cools adequately with the gear down anyway?
Good
question. I'm not a retractable kinda guy, but I'd say you
need to be able to perform your normal takeoff, and I presume that means sucking
the gear up as soon as you can't land straight ahead on the runway.
Most of the time you're in the pattern with the gear down, you'll be at low
power to land, so oil temp shouldn't be an issue
then.
Good
luck with the testing.
Rusty
(got an Ellison TB to try with the single rotor)
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