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Listers,
I spent last weekend flying my Lancair 360. Flying and flying. It was
wonderful. For those who don't know, it is a 360 with the big tail,
small gear and long engine mount.It is still in primer, but the interior
and panel are complete (albeit a few bugs in the autopilot). The plane is a
heavy-weight at 1340 pounds,empty. The engine is a turbocharged IO 360
with dual Electronic Fuel Injection and Ignition systems, some internal
ceramics and intercooled.Thanks to Darus Zehrbach for making this possible.
His continued after-sales support has been fantastic, and
he still thinks we may be able to bump up the power if I ever want to go
racing.The temperatures are all finally under control, and the plane is behaving
nicely.Too bad I personally haven't been able to fly it (lack of skill
and right side rudder pedals).So far I have relied on Jack Webb for his
wonderful flying skills.Jack has been great over the last several months,
helping me figure out the ways to keep the engine, oil, and intake temperatures
in check. He also let me get some left seat time in his
Lancair 360 -
Unfortunately, I was terrible. I need lots of practice.
But back to the plane.Boy is it smooth. Unbelievably smooth and quiet.
It starts NOW, accelerates NOW, and shuts off when you turn it off.The
engine is so quiet that my plane is quieter with my Bose headsets noise
cancellation turned off than Jack Webb's is with the cancellation
turned on.I have talked to Darus on my cell phone while sitting in the
aircraft with the engine running at full power power and had no trouble
with the conversation(and this wasn't with one of those headset adapters,
and yes, this was on the ground tied to my truck).
As for engine management, it is also very nice. No primer and no
mixture control.I can flip back and forth between the two electronic fuel
injection and ignition systems even while under full power and the engine
does not miss a beat (switching between fuel pumps, however, is a different
story,a few seconds pause has caused me to rethink the wiring a bit).
The EGTs and the TITs with the EFI system are quite low compared to
other postings I have seen on the list.Instead of seeing the 1600 to 1800
degrees TIT that others report on their turbocharged engines I see peaks of
about 1530 TIT with the EGTs only 1510 to 1520 (all within 30 degrees).I do
think I am currently running a little bit rich.I will be working with
Darus to tweak that over time.As for performance, the numbers aren't
that great,yet.I think the engine is producing full power or more),and plane
climbs well at about 1000 ft. per minute at 130 knots and 2,000 (gasp) pounds.
But the cruise is, well, SLOW.Especially slow compared to Jack's 360.
My plane is indicating about 167 KIAS at 26/2400 at 3,000 feet.Jack's, at
25/2500 indicates closer to 190 KIAS.
And yes, we "calibrated" those speeds.(I hope to be faster up at 10,000 ft!)
Oh well, I still have a lot of aerodynamic work to do to get the speed.
Currently I have two big "snorkels" - one for the oil cooler inlet and one for
the intercooler inlet. I also have two very large bulges to accommodate the
"tuned" intake runners of a 200 hp Lycoming. Add to that a really lumpy and
unfinished cowl, two protruding wastegate pipes, and no paint.I think all
that explains the slow speed. I think, over time, I will be able to eliminate
almost all of those bumps and bulges. But for now, at least I am flying!
I posted a week or so ago about a detonation or preignition problem that I was
experiencing. After calling Lycoming and discovering that the timing for
the engine had been subject to a "Service Instruction" that called for the
timing to be retarded from 25 back to 20 degrees. After consulting with
Darus I retarded the timing from about 24 degrees BTDC to about 21 BTDC.
That solved the detonation issue, and the temperatures appear very nice:
> Cruise: 3000 feet
26" / 2400 RPM > 167 KIAS > 71 degrees OAT > 100 degree intake temperature
> 368 hottest cylinder head temp (#2), all within 10 degrees
> 1520 hottest EGT
> 1510 TIT
> 185 Oil temperature Climb, at 30" and 2600 RPM, results in CHT's a little
over 400 and Oil temps around 205.
So overall I am happy. When I first started building the plane, what I
really wanted was a plane that I could use to travel the east coast in
comfort and efficiency. Above all I wanted a plane that was quiet and
smooth. I have that now. Of course I am greedy, and now I also want speed.
I have more work to do to get speed through efficiency. I will keep the list posted on the progress.
I want to publicly thank some of the people who have helped me along the way.
My fiancee, Bobbi, for putting up with my all-day /all-night
building binges. And a whole lot more.
Jim Crawford, USAir pilot and all around good guy who helped me to
motivate and get this thing flying (and for taking me on a flight Sunday night!).
Darus Zehrbach, for offering a modern adaptation of a prehistoric engine,
and especially for his technical expertise and wonderful support.
Bryant Cervans, for his great electrical work and professional attitude.
Jack Webb, for his test piloting, generally aviation expertise, and
bravery (letting me fly left seat, in HIS plane).
Mike Dehate, for his builder help during some critical parts,initial
inspection and initial test flying.
Everyone on the list, for offering their support and help.
> Matt
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LML website: http://www.olsusa.com/Users/Mkaye/maillist.html
LML Builders' Bookstore: http://www.buildersbooks.com/lancair
Please send your photos and drawings to marvkaye@olsusa.com.
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