X-Virus-Scanned: clean according to Sophos on Logan.com Return-Path: Received: from QMTA01.emeryville.ca.mail.comcast.net ([76.96.30.16] verified) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 5.2.11) with ESMTP id 3435100 for flyrotary@lancaironline.net; Tue, 20 Jan 2009 09:46:19 -0500 Received-SPF: pass receiver=logan.com; client-ip=76.96.30.16; envelope-from=hoursaway1@comcast.net Received: from OMTA12.emeryville.ca.mail.comcast.net ([76.96.30.44]) by QMTA01.emeryville.ca.mail.comcast.net with comcast id 5op71b0090x6nqcA1qljuy; Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:45:43 +0000 Received: from sz0081.ev.mail.comcast.net ([76.96.26.137]) by OMTA12.emeryville.ca.mail.comcast.net with comcast id 5qlj1b00D2xV6SL8YqljU8; Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:45:43 +0000 Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:45:43 +0000 (UTC) From: hoursaway1@comcast.net To: Rotary motors in aircraft Message-ID: <2042601523.5271861232462743220.JavaMail.root@sz0081a.emeryville.ca.mail.comcast.net> In-Reply-To: <28335654.5270761232462610021.JavaMail.root@sz0081a.emeryville.ca.mail.comcast.net> Subject: Re: [FlyRotary] first flight - finally MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_Part_268468_2047814335.1232462743219" X-Originating-IP: [208.254.22.50] X-Mailer: Zimbra 5.0.9_GA_2533.RHEL5_64 (ZimbraWebClient - IE6 (Win)/5.0.9_GA_2533.RHEL5_64) ------=_Part_268468_2047814335.1232462743219 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Way to go Mike, we are going to try to get out of the hanger this weekend (= 1.6 feet snow to plow with no where to put it)=C2=A0 David R Cook,=C2=A0 R = V6A=C2=A0 ROTARY=C2=A0LANSING MI=C2=A0 =C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0= =C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 =C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0= =C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2= =A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0= =C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2= =A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0= =C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2= =A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0= =C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2= =A0=C2=A0=20 ----- Original Message -----=20 From: "Mike Wills" =20 To: "Rotary motors in aircraft" =20 Sent: Monday, January 19, 2009 11:07:05 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern=20 Subject: [FlyRotary] first flight - finally=20 All weekend winds were 45 - 90 crosswinds @ 10 - 15 so no chance to fly. Wa= s working on my glider in the hangar and happened to notice at 3:00 that th= e wind had calmed. Drag the airplane out, quick preflight, quick brief of m= y crew and the tower folks and away we go.=20 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.=20 Once off the ground everything is good. Just joined the pattern and continu= ed to climb directly over the airport. My home airport is=C2=A0surrounded, = 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.=20 Climbed to 5,000 and level off. Coolant temps are good (my mechanical coola= nt temp gauge isnt working at all but the engine monitor says 185). Oil tem= p 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 do= wn to about 190. OAT was in the mid - 70s (sorry to rub it in for the guys = that are freezing elsewhere in the country).=20 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 spee= d back to just nibble at the stall and the ASI is reading 30 KTS.=20 Holding lots of left rudder in straight and level also - I see a trim tab i= n 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.=20 Funny how you get so used to setting power by sound. I dont know where to s= et power. Especially for the descent and landing which is exacerbated by la= ck of a trustworthy ASI. So while loitering above the airport I set 4500 RP= M and see about 135 KTS on the GPS for ground speed. Seems lower than I tho= ught it would be but I need to do LOTS more flying before making any judgem= ents.=20 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 lef= t rudder I was carrying.=20 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 we= re running a little lean/rich and had to tweak the mixture some. On short f= inal 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 it= s gone. On roll out with the throttle at idle the engine starts to run roug= h - richen it up a little and its good. At this point for the next few flig= hts I'll just leave the programming and focus on flying. The programming is= close enough for now.=20 Lots of things I should have noted but didnt. Sensory overload. I have a li= ttle 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 d= idnt think to look at the VSI - which probably didnt work anyway). They als= o noted that they lost sight of the all metal airplane, but never failed to= find it by the sound. :-)=C2=A0 On a positive note, once away from the gro= und, the cockpit got much quieter. And they pointed out that it was also co= nsiderably less noisy than the former George Graham E-Racer that used to be= based here.=20 More than enough for now. Sorry for the length - figure I'll be on a high f= or a few days.=20 Mike Wills=20 RV-4 N144MW ------=_Part_268468_2047814335.1232462743219 Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <= div style=3D'font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000'>Way to go= Mike, we are going to try to get out of the hanger this weekend (1.6 feet = snow to plow with no where to put it)  David R Cook,  RV6A  = ROTARY LANSING MI         &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           
= ----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Wills" <rv-4mike@cox.net>=
To: "Rotary motors in aircraft" <flyrotary@lancaironline.net>
= Sent: Monday, January 19, 2009 11:07:05 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
= Subject: [FlyRotary] first flight - finally

All weekend winds were 45 - 90 crosswinds = @ 10 - 15 so no chance to fly. Was working on my glider in the hangar and h= appened 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 work= ing 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. Ju= st joined the pattern and continued to climb directly over the airport. My = home airport is surrounded, Mexico border 2 miles south, Class B 2 mil= es 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 te= mps 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 cool= er is 190, mechanical gauge with sensor in the oil pan indicates 210 so I b= ack 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 G= PS 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 an= d 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 r= atio later.
 
Funny how you get so used to setting power= by sound. I dont know where to set power. Especially for the descent and l= anding which is exacerbated by lack of a trustworthy ASI. So while loiterin= g above the airport I set 4500 RPM and see about 135 KTS on the GPS for gro= und speed. Seems lower than I thought it would be but I need to do LOTS mor= e flying before making any judgements.
 
Controls seem lighter than my old RV-6A. I= t'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 programm= ed but found once in flight that it needs more tweaking - no surprise. Foun= d a few throttle settings that were running a little lean/rich and had to t= weak the mixture some. On short final pulled the throttle back almost to th= e 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 i= dle 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 fo= cus on flying. The programming is close enough for now.
 
Lots of things I should have noted but did= nt. Sensory overload. I have a little list of things to fix before I go aga= in. My ground crew reported that the airplane appeared to climb well ( I wa= s focused on speed/attitude and didnt think to look at the VSI - which prob= ably didnt work anyway). They also noted that they lost sight of the all me= tal airplane, but never failed to find it by the sound. :-)  On a posi= tive note, once away from the ground, the cockpit got much quieter. And the= y pointed out that it was also considerably less noisy than the former Geor= ge Graham E-Racer that used to be based here.
 
More than enough for now. Sorry for the le= ngth - figure I'll be on a high for a few days.
 
Mike Wills
RV-4 N144MW
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