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Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2007 20:53:10 -0400
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From: Jim Cameron <toucan@Satx.rr.com>
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Subject: Legacy N132X
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Here's a brief report on my latest project, Legacy RG N132X, which had 
its first flight, with Ernie Sutter at the controls, on 11 Aug. I have 
about 11 hours on it to date.  There are a couple of questions some of 
the LML folks might help me with, and maybe some info of interest.

This airplane has the IO-550-EXP from Performance Engines, with the 10:1 
pistons.  It also is equipped with Andy Chiavetta's "normally aspirated" 
speed mod package, which includes the wing and tail root fairings, the 
big body fairing, and the new cowl, airbox, and cowl flaps.

Biggest problem so far is that when I first fired up the engine, it took 
a very long time for the oil pressure to come up.  After draining it 
yesterday and re-filling it for its first oil change, I can't get any 
oil pressure at all.  I've never had this problem on my factory new 
IO-550's, and a couple of A&P's I talked to today tell me that no way 
should it be doing that.  Yes, I could perhaps take the filter back off, 
prime it with oil, and try again.  That would still beg the question:  
what's wrong with the oil pump?  Any ideas, any of you?

I did actually remove the oil filter after running the engine twice, the 
second time for longer than I think I should run an engine showing no 
oil pressure.  The filter was dry as a bone, which means, of course, 
that the oil pump is not pumping anything.

There have been some cooling issues, which I have mostly solved.  Aero 
Chia includes a sort of funnel or horn to go on the air intake inside 
the plenum box, and that seems to interfere with getting air to the left 
side of the engine.  Removing it helped get #6 down to reasonable 
CHT's.  Far as I can see so far, the cowl flaps will have to stay open 
always unless OAT's are very low.  Haven't really done performance runs 
yet, but the numbers I'm seeing so far don't jump out as being much 
different than the factory stock numbers.  Looks mahvellous, anyway.  
But for ten grand?

Here's another question, maybe a dumb one:  How does one go about 
calculating the %HP for this engine?  Lots of things are based on %HP 
settings, but data for even the factory IO-550-N seem unobtainable.  
What about the 370 California-hp version?  My JPI EDM-930 wants to 
calculate %HP.  What passes for a manual for it explains how to change 
the default factor -- this doesn't work, by the way -- but provides no 
explanation of where the number comes from, or how to figure a 
correction.  Again, any help out there?

Well, it'll all get worked out.  Meanwhile, flying the thing is a 
complete hoot.  (Does an 80 degree bank angle still meet the regs?  I 
forget . . . )

Jim Cameron
Lancair Legacy N132X
Boerne, TX