X-Virus-Scanned: clean according to Sophos on Logan.com Return-Path: Received: from QMTA04.emeryville.ca.mail.comcast.net ([76.96.30.40] verified) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 5.2.11) with ESMTP id 3435957 for flyrotary@lancaironline.net; Tue, 20 Jan 2009 18:45:20 -0500 Received-SPF: pass receiver=logan.com; client-ip=76.96.30.40; envelope-from=wschertz@comcast.net Received: from OMTA14.emeryville.ca.mail.comcast.net ([76.96.30.60]) by QMTA04.emeryville.ca.mail.comcast.net with comcast id 5pFp1b0091HpZEsA4zklt0; Tue, 20 Jan 2009 23:44:45 +0000 Received: from WschertzPC ([71.57.77.95]) by OMTA14.emeryville.ca.mail.comcast.net with comcast id 5zkj1b00U23NHuF8azkkaT; Tue, 20 Jan 2009 23:44:45 +0000 Message-ID: <0B3B24E2473E46108842C8FDCFF21E9E@WschertzPC> From: "Bill Schertz" To: "Rotary motors in aircraft" References: In-Reply-To: Subject: Re: [FlyRotary] first flight - finally Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:44:40 -0600 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_00C2_01C97B26.C58F5B10" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Windows Mail 6.0.6001.18000 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.0.6001.18049 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_00C2_01C97B26.C58F5B10 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Congratulations Mike, my KIS was signed off on Nov 25, but hasn't had = the first flight yet. Have had it up to 50 knots on taxi, but weather = has not been conducive to test flight yet. Still have some tuning issues = to take care of also, I think at the staging point. Bill Schertz KIS Cruiser #4045 N343BS ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Mike Wills=20 To: Rotary motors in aircraft=20 Sent: Monday, January 19, 2009 10:07 PM Subject: [FlyRotary] first flight - finally All weekend winds were 45 - 90 crosswinds @ 10 - 15 so no chance to = fly. Was working on my glider in the hangar and happened to notice at = 3:00 that the wind had calmed. Drag the airplane out, quick preflight, = quick brief of my crew and the tower folks and away we go. Verified at 40 knots that the ASI was working this time and proceeded = with the takeoff. Pitch trim good, healthy dose of left rudder and we're = off. Once off the ground everything is good. Just joined the pattern and = continued to climb directly over the airport. My home airport is = surrounded, Mexico border 2 miles south, Class B 2 miles north, ocean to = the west, and a 3500 peak to the east so up is the only way to go. Climbed to 5,000 and level off. Coolant temps are good (my mechanical = coolant temp gauge isnt working at all but the engine monitor says 185). = Oil temp by the monitor on the output of the cooler is 190, mechanical = gauge with sensor in the oil pan indicates 210 so I back off the power = and it comes down to about 190. OAT was in the mid - 70s (sorry to rub = it in for the guys that are freezing elsewhere in the country). Orbitted the airport for about 20 minutes. Still dont trust the ASI. = There's a 20 KT discrepancy between it and the GPS in all directions. = Pulled speed back to just nibble at the stall and the ASI is reading 30 = KTS. Holding lots of left rudder in straight and level also - I see a trim = tab in my future. No surprise since I didnt put any offset in the engine = mount. Should make it easy to upgrade to a 2.85 ratio later. Funny how you get so used to setting power by sound. I dont know where = to set power. Especially for the descent and landing which is = exacerbated by lack of a trustworthy ASI. So while loitering above the = airport I set 4500 RPM and see about 135 KTS on the GPS for ground = speed. Seems lower than I thought it would be but I need to do LOTS more = flying before making any judgements. Controls seem lighter than my old RV-6A. It's very nimble. For some = reason the rudder seems more powerful than the 6A even though they are = exactly the same. Pulled off a decent landing. Little bit of a skip but = I'll blame the rough runway surface. Wandered a bit left of the = centerline due to the left rudder I was carrying. Thought I had the EC2 pretty well programmed but found once in flight = that it needs more tweaking - no surprise. Found a few throttle settings = that were running a little lean/rich and had to tweak the mixture some. = On short final pulled the throttle back almost to the stop and got the = surging that I thought I'd finally cured on the ground - bump the = mixture a little and its gone. On roll out with the throttle at idle the = engine starts to run rough - richen it up a little and its good. At this = point for the next few flights I'll just leave the programming and focus = on flying. The programming is close enough for now. Lots of things I should have noted but didnt. Sensory overload. I have = a little list of things to fix before I go again. My ground crew = reported that the airplane appeared to climb well ( I was focused on = speed/attitude and didnt think to look at the VSI - which probably didnt = work anyway). They also noted that they lost sight of the all metal = airplane, but never failed to find it by the sound. :-) On a positive = note, once away from the ground, the cockpit got much quieter. And they = pointed out that it was also considerably less noisy than the former = George Graham E-Racer that used to be based here. More than enough for now. Sorry for the length - figure I'll be on a = high for a few days. Mike Wills RV-4 N144MW ------=_NextPart_000_00C2_01C97B26.C58F5B10 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Congratulations Mike, my KIS was signed = off on Nov=20 25, but hasn't had the first flight yet. Have had it up to 50 knots on = taxi, but=20 weather has not been conducive to test flight yet. Still have some = tuning issues=20 to take care of also, I think at the staging point.
 
Bill Schertz
KIS Cruiser #4045
N343BS
----- Original Message -----
From:=20 Mike = Wills
Sent: Monday, January 19, 2009 = 10:07=20 PM
Subject: [FlyRotary] first = flight -=20 finally

All weekend winds were 45 - 90 = crosswinds @ 10 -=20 15 so no chance to fly. Was working on my glider in the hangar and = happened to=20 notice at 3:00 that the wind had calmed. Drag the airplane out, quick=20 preflight, quick brief of my crew and the tower folks and away we=20 go.
 
Verified at 40 knots that the ASI was = working=20 this time and proceeded with the takeoff. Pitch trim good, healthy = dose of=20 left rudder and we're off.
 
Once off the ground everything is = good. Just=20 joined the pattern and continued to climb directly over the airport. = My home=20 airport is surrounded, Mexico border 2 miles south, Class B 2 = miles=20 north, ocean to the west, and a 3500 peak to the east so up is the = only way to=20 go.
 
Climbed to 5,000 and level off. = Coolant temps are=20 good (my mechanical coolant temp gauge isnt working at all but the = engine=20 monitor says 185). Oil temp by the monitor on the output of the cooler = is 190,=20 mechanical gauge with sensor in the oil pan indicates 210 so I back = off the=20 power and it comes down to about 190. OAT was in the mid - 70s (sorry = to rub=20 it in for the guys that are freezing elsewhere in the = country).
 
Orbitted the airport for about 20 = minutes. Still=20 dont trust the ASI. There's a 20 KT discrepancy between it and the GPS = in all=20 directions. Pulled speed back to just nibble at the stall and the ASI = is=20 reading 30 KTS.
 
Holding lots of left rudder in = straight and level=20 also - I see a trim tab in my future. No surprise since I didnt put = any offset=20 in the engine mount. Should make it easy to upgrade to a 2.85 ratio=20 later.
 
Funny how you get so used to setting = power by=20 sound. I dont know where to set power. Especially for the descent and = landing=20 which is exacerbated by lack of a trustworthy ASI. So while loitering = above=20 the airport I set 4500 RPM and see about 135 KTS on the GPS for ground = speed.=20 Seems lower than I thought it would be but I need to do LOTS more = flying=20 before making any judgements.
 
Controls seem lighter than my old = RV-6A. It's=20 very nimble. For some reason the rudder seems more powerful than the = 6A even=20 though they are exactly the same. Pulled off a decent landing. Little = bit of a=20 skip but I'll blame the rough runway surface. Wandered a bit left of = the=20 centerline due to the left rudder I was carrying.
 
Thought I had the EC2 pretty well = programmed but=20 found once in flight that it needs more tweaking - no surprise. Found = a few=20 throttle settings that were running a little lean/rich and had to = tweak the=20 mixture some. On short final pulled the throttle back almost to the = stop and=20 got the surging that I thought I'd finally cured on the ground - bump = the=20 mixture a little and its gone. On roll out with the throttle at idle = the=20 engine starts to run rough - richen it up a little and its good. At = this point=20 for the next few flights I'll just leave the programming and focus on = flying.=20 The programming is close enough for now.
 
Lots of things I should have noted = but didnt.=20 Sensory overload. I have a little list of things to fix before I go = again. My=20 ground crew reported that the airplane appeared to climb well ( I was = focused=20 on speed/attitude and didnt think to look at the VSI - which probably = didnt=20 work anyway). They also noted that they lost sight of the all metal = airplane,=20 but never failed to find it by the sound. :-)  On a positive = note, once=20 away from the ground, the cockpit got much quieter. And they pointed = out that=20 it was also considerably less noisy than the former George Graham = E-Racer that=20 used to be based here.
 
More than enough for now. Sorry for = the length -=20 figure I'll be on a high for a few days.
 
Mike Wills
RV-4 = N144MW
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