X-Virus-Scanned: clean according to Sophos on Logan.com Return-Path: Received: from fed1rmmtao102.cox.net ([68.230.241.44] verified) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 5.2.11) with ESMTP id 3434468 for flyrotary@lancaironline.net; Mon, 19 Jan 2009 23:07:51 -0500 Received-SPF: none receiver=logan.com; client-ip=68.230.241.44; envelope-from=rv-4mike@cox.net Received: from fed1rmimpo01.cox.net ([70.169.32.71]) by fed1rmmtao102.cox.net (InterMail vM.7.08.02.01 201-2186-121-102-20070209) with ESMTP id <20090120040709.LBXA2342.fed1rmmtao102.cox.net@fed1rmimpo01.cox.net> for ; Mon, 19 Jan 2009 23:07:09 -0500 Received: from wills ([68.105.85.56]) by fed1rmimpo01.cox.net with bizsmtp id 5g761b00J1CvZmk03g78ic; Mon, 19 Jan 2009 23:07:08 -0500 X-Authority-Analysis: v=1.0 c=1 a=FrBaTQRe5oQmv3-VUAIA:9 a=qn-X47FH3OSshXcPAikA:7 a=LSntSz4PtxcNYRlm774bIN-otEYA:4 a=v47ZLdibA2YA:10 a=0NpIKSfUQ4bt_PPyj9EA:9 a=DwwovmUZHN-1pfXv9oEA:7 a=IeImaq2OKJxNY29keIbz26HuUkQA:4 a=AfD3MYMu9mQA:10 X-CM-Score: 0.00 Message-ID: <006b01c97ab4$8ec66b40$38556944@wills> From: "Mike Wills" To: "Rotary motors in aircraft" Subject: first flight - finally Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:07:05 -0800 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0068_01C97A71.804FB410" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.3138 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.3350 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0068_01C97A71.804FB410 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable 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_0068_01C97A71.804FB410 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
All weekend winds were 45 - 90 = crosswinds @ 10 - 15=20 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 = preflight,=20 quick brief of my crew and the tower folks and away we go.
 
Verified at 40 knots that the ASI was = working this=20 time and proceeded with the takeoff. Pitch trim good, healthy dose of = left=20 rudder and we're off.
 
Once off the ground everything is good. = Just joined=20 the pattern and continued to climb directly over the airport. My home = airport=20 is surrounded, Mexico border 2 miles south, Class B 2 miles north, = ocean to=20 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=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 it=20 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 = reading=20 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 the=20 airport I set 4500 RPM and see about 135 KTS on the GPS for ground = speed. Seems=20 lower than I thought it would be but I need to do LOTS more flying = before making=20 any judgements.
 
Controls seem lighter than my old = RV-6A. It's very=20 nimble. For some reason the rudder seems more powerful than the 6A even = though=20 they are exactly the same. Pulled off a decent landing. Little bit of a = skip but=20 I'll blame the rough runway surface. Wandered a bit left of the = centerline due=20 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 got=20 the surging that I thought I'd finally cured on the ground - bump the = mixture a=20 little and its gone. On roll out with the throttle at idle the engine = starts to=20 run rough - richen it up a little and its good. At this point for the = next few=20 flights I'll just leave the programming and focus on flying. The = programming is=20 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 on=20 speed/attitude and didnt think to look at the VSI - which probably didnt = work=20 anyway). They also noted that they lost sight of the all metal airplane, = but=20 never failed to find it by the sound. :-)  On a positive note, once = away=20 from the ground, the cockpit got much quieter. And they pointed out that = it was=20 also considerably less noisy than the former George Graham E-Racer that = used to=20 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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