Hi, Rob & Those Still Building:
I have a gascolator on my Legacy that also includes a bypass.
The idea is to keep the engine running no matter what. That’s why I
bought the model that has the bypass.
But after some thought, I realized this a fuel system with a
single point of failure. I didn’t like that very much, so, just like the
Beechcraft products, I installed inline fuel filters for each tank. They are
easily accessible as they reside in the main gear wheel wells. The reasoning is
that if one filter clogs up, you can always switch to the other tank. As we
know, the first few flights have a very high risk of engine failure due
to fuel flow issues. Apparently, it’s impossible to have perfectly clean
fuel tanks and lines.
There was some debris in my filters after my first flight. There
was also debris (looked like small bits of sand) even after 50 hours of
operation. Once, I even found a human hair. My filters are checked at every
Condition Inspection. It’s reassuring to have them. I also installed
shutoff valves so that it’s easy to inspect and clean the filters.
As an Aerospace engineer friend of mine is fond of saying,
designing with BOTH belts and suspenders is the best approach.
I offer up these comments for those who are still building and
want to add a little insurance to their first flights, and beyond.
Ron Jones
Legacy Innovations
From: Lancair Mailing
List [mailto:lml@lancaironline.net] On Behalf Of rwolf99@aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 3:38 PM
To: lml@lancaironline.net
Subject: [LML] Re: Orphan parts
Bob -- no offense taken. Your point was very well made, to
wit, be careful what you left out, because it may be more important than you
think. That's really why I posted my list -- to make sure that I
hadn't overlooked something.
which brings me to item 2:
Scott -- thanks for the suggestions. I had not considered
the canopy latches moving while using them to hold the canopy slightly
open. In this scenario, you have only the weight of the canopy working
for you, and it's easy to imagine a bump causing the latches to retract and the
canopy slamming down on your fingers. Good thing I still have the part,
'cuz now I know I need to install it.
Related to Bob's fuel filter point, I have an Andair gascolator
with a very fine screen built into it. I was hoping that would be good
enough. I notice that Andair now makes a pleated filter with much more
area. I also realize that the primary need is in early flight tests,
where fiberglass dust seems to end up in the fuel system no matter how careful
you are. Maybe the Andair gascolatr would be good enough later on but not
in the beginning. Any thoughts, anyone?