----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 12:43
AM
Subject: [FlyRotary] Luckiest Bad Day I
ever had... AKA strange events, good luck for me, bad luck for my RWS
products
Here is the strange series of fortunate
events:
Yesterday:
Finish removing the waste gate flapper (making the waste gate wide
open). Install an aftermarket
racing muffler (easy, light weight, works pretty well – may not last), and
finish installing new tires and wheel pants with fresh coat of primer. Fix oil leak at redrive exit, and
small coolant leak. Remove
Evans coolant and put wetted water back in.
Ground engine run, all is well.
Brief flight around the pattern, performing and
cooling very well.
Fly 20 miles from MFY to CRQ near my house (saving
1.5 hrs of driving in traffic) – (they are removing GA from all the local
airports and NOTHING is available there and the are not taking any names):
On start-up engine running
rough, switch to computer B fixes problem (frequent occurrence of rough
running on computer A when engine warm that I attribute to heat soak of the
manifold temp sensor – runs normally after take off). Fly to CRQ on computer B (forgot to
change back to computer A) with great performance and cooling – land an taxi
on computer B.
Today:
Arrive at airport with wife, load plane for trip to mountains. Start on computer A and taxi
out. Switch to computer B
during run-up and it sounds like it is running on one rotor, but normal on
computer A. Tried change in
mixture, cold start, and lead/trail tests, mixture variance without
change. Dang!
Taxied back to parking on controller A which was
working perfectly. The only
thing I could think of which would make one computer work but not the other
was the MAP tubing…. which was intact on inspection. Tried it again turning off all
avionics – no change.
I called Tracy and discussed the issue – leading
culprit seemed to be the primary injector actuator of one of the rotors for
the computer B. Time to call
in Fed-ex before Tracy leaves for Oshkosh.
BUT, I am away from my hangar in 95+ heat with no
tools or shade…. Then someone
offers some shade and says throw on that cowl and taxi over, so I do
(foreshadowing #1).
FORTUNATE EVENT #1: So, because my engine sounds so
strange all the old guys are stopping over for a chat and to see if they can
help… I need a hangar at this
airport I say, and low and behold within 2 hours I am paying for my new
hangar. Never mind that I am
going to be paying $625/mo for a tiny t-hangar with no power and the locks
don't work!! I am still glad
to have something near my house. – hand over the check…
So I decide to taxi over to my hangar. On accident, I start it on computer
B AND IT WORKS!!! WTF???? Now everything is working as
normal… unlikely a failed
component in the EC2..
Hmmmm
So we go to lunch and I think about it… Wife says that it sounded really
funny from the outside on the last engine start, kind of like a gear-box
noise (foreshadow #2). "That's
OK" I say, "the new muffler is just allowing you to hear the non-engine
noises better". Finally decide
to go back and try it again..
Start it up an everything seems OK on both computers.. why not take it once around the
pattern or something?…
Get ATIS, talk to ground, taxi, wait my turn,
position and hold, cleared for take off, throttle forward and suddenly
remember the cowl is only thrown on…
no pins in place!
Idiot!! (Fortunate events #2 and #3). Abort, no issue, taxi back is
normal, shutdown is particularly smooth – no rattle like usual – must be the
new muffler (foreshadow #3).
I put the plane in it's estate (after all it must be
an estate for that price), and another old guy comes over. Sounds funny..
yea yea… Show him the engine,
pull the prop through a couple times…
wait, that feels funny…
HEY! The
flywheel is barely turning as I turn the prop… Oh there it goes, the prop is
totally freewheeling!!!
It was the luckiest bad day I ever had. My RD-1B is clearly broke,
completely. Last inspection
was less than 10 hours ago, no issues.
When computer B was not working sometimes it would
give a backfire and it was running VERY rough. Maybe that was the cause. Maybe I put it back together wrong
after the last inspection…
Tomorrow I will go get my tools and close out my old
hangar. Take off the RD-1B and
EC2. Send both back for
inspection and upgrades…..
I guess there will be no flying this vacation, but
that's OK because I still have a plane and my skin….
Luckiest
Bad Day I ever had…
--
Dave Leonard
Turbo Rotary
RV-6 N4VY
http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/rotaryroster/index.html
http://members.aol.com/vp4skydoc/index.html