Hi everybody.

 

I am just plugging along with getting the single rotor, which is back in the airplane after all the debugging. Since I do not have a port fuel injection, there is not much of common problems with all you high tech guys. I have an AeroInjector with a fuel pressure of 1.5psi. I can run the engine on the test stand at WOT and do a LOP just as if I had a computer. In a few days I will do all that in the airplane.

Today I did a good brake bleed on the PRAGMA. Also solved an electric issue. Having redone all the electric wiring and instrument panel on the PRAGMA, I rechecked everything and found the charge light not coming on when turning on the master switch. After a days head scratching, II looked at my documentation, and, voila, the ignition switch need to be on for the charge light to come on. I only wish more problems can be solved like that.

 

Now I am heading for the first ground run in the airplane and then getting ready for first flight with the single rotor.

 

Richard Sohn
N2071U
www.fairpoint.net/~res12/home.html

 

 

 

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Bill Schertz

To: Rotary motors in aircraft

Sent: Wednesday, September 07, 2011 9:05 PM

Subject: [FlyRotary] Re: Mark Steitle -- how close to the fire

Thanks for the response, This message is also a test because suddenly I am not getting Flyrotary messages.

 

Is it just quiet?

 

Bill Schertz
KIS Cruiser #4045
N343BS
Phase one testing Completed

 

From: Mark Steitle

Sent: Monday, September 05, 2011 7:16 PM

To: Rotary motors in aircraft

Subject: [FlyRotary] Re: Mark Steitle -- how close to the fire

 

Bill,

 

Thanks for asking.  Bobby Hughes also lives just a few miles from me.  And Bob Darrah lives up by the lake.  He was packing things just in case they had to evacuate.  They could see the smoke from their balcony. 

 

So, yes, things are a bit tense, but we're all doing fine. 

 

A brief summary of this weekend's fires in/around Austin:  There is the Bastrop State Park fire that has burned 476 homes and 25,000 acres.  It is 0% contained at this time.  This is by far the worst fire burning at this time.  It is very sad, all the devastation and all.  It is quite a ways from where I live and also from where I keep my airplane.  Bastrop State Park has lots of very large tall pine trees.  It is next to impossible for the firefighting equipment to get in to where they need to be to fight the fire.  They're using helicopters and tankers to drop water on it.  The smoke is very thick and can be seen for many miles.

 

There's another fire burning in the other direction that has burned 24 very expensive homes.  Again, it is nowhere near where I live.  It is 25% contained.  The news said that it was caused by overloaded power lines. 

 

However, there is a fire that was reported to be 2 miles wide by 5 miles long that is not far from where I live, and high winds are blowing in the direction of our home.  A number of sub-divisions have been evacuated.  Fortunately, the firefighters now have it 100% contained.  So, I think we dodged another one.

 

There were two other fires in Pflugerville (N. Austin) yesterday that are now out.  Again, not close to where I live.  But all the fires have the state's resources stretched paper thin. 

 

The anxious part is that fires keep popping up all over central Texas.  Humidity is 4%, and there has been no rain in months.  So, everything is very very dry.  The whole area is a tenderbox. 

 

The news anchors are asking, "If you had ten minutes to grab whatever you could and leave your home, what would you take?"  That is a sobering thought.  Fortunately, we are OK.

 

Again, thanks for asking. 

Thanks,

Mark

 

On Mon, Sep 5, 2011 at 6:37 PM, Bill Schertz <wschertz@comcast.net> wrote:

mark,.

Is your home/plane safe from the wild fires going on down there?

 

Bill Schertz
KIS Cruiser #4045
N343BS
Phase one testing Completed