Hi James –

 

First, I forgot to say congratulations on you new project! I put all my oxygen installation photos in a web album here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/102798913343718743387/OxygenSystem2011_03

 

I oriented the band clamps so I could tighten and loosen them through the two access panels. You can try it yourself by setting the wing stub skin in place and reaching in through the pitot and foot well access panels. I used ClickBond studs to mount the band clamps. I put the pitot tube, landing lights, and strobe light power supply on the right side to free up space and reduce the amount of plumbing around the oxygen tank.

 

Mountain High’s carbon fiber tank is somewhat bulky because of its increased wall thickness so I went with an aluminum tank. I chose the biggest one that would fit the space and still be removable through the access panel in the pilot’s footwell (MH p/n AL-415). You can see from the photos that I had to make cutouts in the top and bottom of the trapezoidal opening for clearance. The next bigger tank (AL-682) would definitely fit in the wing stub, but you would have to cut a hole in the outboard rib of the wing stub (and pull the left wing) to remove it. Of course, you would go with a larger tank for more duration and fewer fillups. I found Mountain High’s duration chart to be a bit optimistic. I got about 8 hours out of a full tank (1800psi) with two people on board while crossing the Rockies. Your mileage may vary.

 

Although you didn’t ask me, here’s some more advice. I skipped the air conditioning system because of the weight, complexity, and expense. I installed the Koger sunshade and simply crack the canopy open after landing to get some fresh air. As Valin Thorne said, you don’t need A/C unless you live in a very hot climate.

 

The other thing I didn’t mention is that shock cooling is a myth. Once an engine is broken in there is plenty of clearance between the piston and cylinder. There are lots of causes for piston scuffing but shock cooling isn’t one of them. That makes engine management much easier on descent and eliminates the need for speed brakes. Climbout is another story. It very is easy to damage your engine at high power with the wrong mixture setting. When departing Sedona a few weeks ago, I leaned the mixture for takeoff at Sedona’s 5000’ elevation. By the time I glanced at my engine gauges 60 seconds after takeoff, the CHTs were 460deg! I went to full rich and reduced power and the temperatures came down within a minute or so. Bottom line: run ROP or LOP but never at peak EGT. And yes, I’ll be doing an oil analysis at my next oil change.

 

Best of luck with your new project,

 

Thanks guys for the tips.  I am still on the fence I guess.   I had them on my Malibu which made the decents so much easier because I could leave in the engine power, slowly pulling it back and still decend nice and quickly.   It seems like the extra fuel on the Legacy though would be nice to have.