Mailing List flyrotary@lancaironline.net Message #45672
From: Mike Wills <rv-4mike@cox.net>
Subject: Re: [FlyRotary] Re: Gary Casey was [FlyRotary] Re: Rotary Engines
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2009 20:09:34 -0700
To: Rotary motors in aircraft <flyrotary@lancaironline.net>
Dave,
 
 I think you have a higher tolerance for inflight faults than the average pilot. :-)
 
 I disagree with your comment that these are non-incidents. A non-incident is when you fly and nothing breaks. I flew an RV-6A with a 160 Lyc for several hundred hours over 4 years, incident free. The stuff you noted below may not have required a precautionary landing or resulted in a forced landing, but they were failures none the less.
 
Mike Wills
RV-4 N144MW
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, April 12, 2009 6:32 PM
Subject: [FlyRotary] Re: Gary Casey was [FlyRotary] Re: Rotary Engines

Well, now you are getting into non-incidents.  That list is inexhaustible.

On Sun, Apr 12, 2009 at 5:15 PM, John Slade <jslade@canardaviation.com> wrote:
Here's a few for the list, Mark,
1. Stock turbo bearings collapsed & took out apex seal. Flew home at reduced power.
 
I have burned out 2 turbos.  The first caused precautionary/urgent landing at an airport pending shutting off fuel flow to the turbo.  The second, I flipped a turbo oil shut off switch and flew 1000NM to get home.
 

2. Fuel filer (sinstered bronze) looked clean but was restricting fuel flow. Flew home on other tank.
 
Had a fuel pump die in flight, switched to the other and kept flying.

3. Bad / intermittent contact on ignition timing sensor made engine run rough. Landed normally and repaired.
 
I had a bad injector enable switch causing rough running during some phase one flying (after major change)...  landed normally

4. Turbo hose blew off on take-off. Returned to land at reduced power.
John
 
 
Been there, done that.
 
Also:
Forgot to re-connect fuel return line in engine bay after doing some work.  dumped a couple gallons of fuel onto the running engine until I smelled gas and shut down the engine.. (never left the parking space - but it could have been really bad.
Cracked alternator mount bracket found on pre-flight during phase one testing.  Would have lost cooling and alternator if it happened now.
PSRU sun gear pin broke from a backfire during run-up.  Was able to taxi back but would not have been able to fly.
 
This is good - broke a coolant line in flight and smelled coolant...  landed at nearby airport and taxied up to restaurant with steam spewing out of the cowl.  Me and my buddy calmly walked into the restaurant and had breakfast.  Afterward, we borrowed some tools and fixed the coolant line.  Went back into the restaurant to ask for 2 pitchers of water to put in our plane.  Continued ski trip to Mammoth.  The end.

--
David Leonard

Turbo Rotary RV-6 N4VY
http://N4VY.RotaryRoster.net
http://RotaryRoster.net
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