gregpro50
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Everything posted by gregpro50
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Introduction... Hello from Fargo
The original Maule tailwheel that came with these was known to cause handling problems. I never experienced one but everyone told me that if I had one to remove the cam in them. I had an API tailwheel on mine and I thought the handling on pavement wasn't too bad.
Is the existing gear setup a bungee-type gear?
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Introduction... Hello from Fargo
Yes. Especially with the original gear setup. A Grove spring gear conversion will tame it a bit. Everyone told me to learn on the grass first and it was much easier for me to handle. I'm still very low time in these but there are a lot of guys here that have flown them for a long time and can give great advice.
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Introduction... Hello from Fargo
Welcome. There are lots of real knowledgeable folks here that have helped me out immensely since I was new.
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Power loss. Off field landing...
The FAA just closed the case. It was classified as an 'incident' so everything afterwards worked out to the best case scenario. I found them friendly, helpful, and good to work with. I almost can't believe I just typed that.
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Prop bolts
That is correct. They should be torqued to 180 in lbs or so. What manufacturer is the prop?
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Power loss. Off field landing...
What is a used 80hp 912 worth? If we are talking about a $10k engine plus a $5k zipper kit I think I would rather just spend a few thousand extra and get a brand new 100hp. But if we are talking about a $5k engine then the zipper kit makes sense. I just don't have a feel for the market on these things. Also there is the peace of mind knowing that the engine that cause a departure power failure at 250' is out of the plane. I'm not sure what the value is of that.
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Power loss. Off field landing...
Insurance is settled. Whoever said 10% on the buyback was dead on. So far I've made out pretty well since I insured the aircraft for more than I had into it and my insurance had no deductible. It's put the money back in my pocket and I get to keep a repairable aircraft. The insurance company has been excellent to work with. It was Hallmark Insurance company that I found using the EAA online quote. I was contemplating having liability only but I'm really glad I went for the full coverage.
Now I need to get the engine checked out. Any recommendations as to where to send the gearbox and what the cost might be?
I'm also contemplating selling this engine as is and upgrading to the 100hp 912 but I have no idea what this engine would be worth on the market.
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Fuselage measurements and dimensions drawing?
I was thinking about that when looking at my damage. Really the existing tube construction did a pretty good job of absorbing the damage and keeping it localized in that area.
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Fuselage measurements and dimensions drawing?
I'm having a tough time picturing that in my head. I'm certainly open to anything which might improve design. So yes, I will consider modifications.
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Fuselage measurements and dimensions drawing?
Yes! Thats exactly what I was thinking. Good idea with the holes to lighten it. I haven't thought that far ahead yet.
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Fuselage measurements and dimensions drawing?
This wide body mod looks really neat. Now would be the time to add it.
http://www.murlewilliamsaviation.com/
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Fuselage measurements and dimensions drawing?
That makes sense. If they had dimensions published it would make it all too easy to copy the design.
My plan is to weld together a couple rails to mount the fuselage on similar to the way a car is mounted to a frame machine. That way you have something square and plumb to get measurements from and check for twist anywhere. It can also be used as a jig to reassemble the tubing.
After that is done I'll put together a drawing from the strut mount forward to obtain a measurement chart.
I took the seat out over the weekend to get a good look at what needs to be done. It sure seems like a pretty straightforward repair. Cars are much more complicated than this. I was surprised that some of the factory welds were a little ugly. I also think it would be a good idea to box in the trusses at the gear mounts to add rigidity to the design. It shouldn't add much for weight.
The gear definitely has a bit of a twist to it. I did talk to Grove and got information on straightening and pricing when I'm ready for that.
I think my biggest obstacle in this whole adventure will be learning to do the fabric work. I've never done that before but I've been reading the build manual and I'm sure I can do it.
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gregpro50 added a topic in Avidfoxflyers General Hangar
Fuselage measurements and dimensions drawing?I damaged the gear mount trusses on my plane. Is there such a thing as a fuselage or frame dimension chart to cross check measurements? I've rebuild several salvage cars and there are dimension charts available that you use to cross check frame components at specific measurement locations. The construction of the fuselage in these is even simpler because either a tube is bent or it's straight and it's pretty easy to locate the bent tubes by either placing a straight edge on them or using a laser. I can make a jig to weld in new tubes to get everything aligned. I'd just like to have some measurements to go by to verify everything. Does such a thing exist?
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Power loss. Off field landing...
The prop was spinning but likely just wind-milling. The throttle was pulled back before the prop hit and it was only the tip of one blade that broke. I'd be pretty confident in saying that there is no damage to the gearbox or crank but I just want to make sure the required tests are done and documented.
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Power loss. Off field landing...
Its my understanding that checking for the runout on the crank is only part of it. The crank shaft is pressed together with pins and not one solid unit. So upon a sudden stop the crankshaft could twist on the pins.
I've got to check around and see if there is a Rotax tech that can perform this test for me. The gearbox can be sent out to get checked.
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Power loss. Off field landing...
I'll give you a killer deal and sell the seats for only 5% of the total insured value.
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Power loss. Off field landing...
The FAA guy I met with was a manager who happened to be in the area. He took photos of it and was going to turn it over to an investigator underneath him to see if it even warranted a visit. It seems they aren't really in a hurry to look into something if no one was hurt. He said they want to make a determination as to whether it is going to be an "incident" or an "accident". If an accident the NTSB may get involved. He said he was leaning towards an incident since it was basically gear collapse damage with no injuries. He was really a super nice guy to talk to. He tells us these things happen all the time and commended us for even reporting it. There were some that suggested not reporting it after it happened but I was always trained to do things by the book and this guy made me feel better about it. He said they aren't interested at all in placing blame or punishment but that they just want to understand what happened. He told us of some horror stories he's had to deal with in the past. Just an interesting guy to talk to. I just want to know whether they are going to continue investigating or whether I can have my plane back. I haven't really touched it until they say I can.
As far as the engine goes since it did break the tip of the blade off I need to understand the protocol for getting it checked out. From what I've read they can do a runout test on it without even removing the engine but I need to confirm.
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Power loss. Off field landing...
I met with insurance this morning. They just want to total it out. They would like me to buy it back from them and told me to give them a number. Does anyone know what the salvage value for something like this might be? I'd like to get it back for repair if reasonable.
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Power loss. Off field landing...
I'm thinking a perfect storm of a bad float and the vent routing. What do you think? The float bowls had fuel in them so it couldn't have been starvation. It wasn't an ignition problem. So what does that leave? The valves seem clear and operate as they should. I just really want to understand it before I strap my ass behind a rotax again. The fuel pump is new as per the rotax AD. I'm a pretty smart guy when it comes to this stuff. Its women I have trouble with. I've built all kinds of racing engines for cars and boats and these Bing carbs are identical to motorcycle carbs I've worked on in the past.
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Power loss. Off field landing...
Still digging up info...
Denney Aerocraft for Kifox issued service bulletin #11A recommending to leave carb vent lines as they come from the factory due to numerous instances of engines that have run excessively lean.
SkyStar for Kitfox issued service bulletin #11C states that the correct way to vent the carbs is a short length of carb vent line routed just below the carb and tucked into the carb bowl spring.
Also interesting info is found from the original build log for this plane. The builder experienced what is worded in the log as "engine cut-out" on the first two flights. Further information shows that they contacted Rotax and were told to route the carb vents to the recommended installation. After which the log is noted as saying that the engine ran perfectly since then.
Just before I started flying the plane the original carb heat box was removed and the air filters installed with the carb vents running into them which was a change to the installation of the carb vents the builder had trouble with. The first flight went alright but thinking back there were symptoms of an issue. After the initial climb on the first flight there was a fuel smell in the cockpit after the throttle was reduced for cruise. It was strong enough that we discussed returning to the airport to check it out but then seemed to go away. Everything seemed to work fine during cruise throttle settings. Then during landing the throttle was reduced and after landing the engine ran very rough and almost quit on the runway but then seemed to clear out when we gave it a little throttle and ran fine again.
In the back of my head I remember reading this info before and looking at the carb vent setup. I just though the way the vents were ran into the filter seemed like a much better idea than them hanging out in the open so I never thought twice about it. I'm just having trouble believing that the vents are that sensitive to the installation.
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Power loss. Off field landing...
I don't have the papers handy but it was about 630 or so with the grove gear. I can't remember the cg number off the top of my head.
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Power loss. Off field landing...
They have the springs on each side. The design is a little different.
My carb vents were into the filter on top of the carb throat. Any fuel leakage would have been sucked right back into the carb throat.
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Power loss. Off field landing...
I don't think the filters were over oiled but before they were not oiled at all. I've used K&N filters on other applications for years and know enough that with the spray you just dust them until you get a pinkish color. There certainly wasn't oil dripping out of them or anything like that. I just really question whether a combination of that and the vent line route could have really brought forth a mixture problem due to the atmospheric pressure differentials inside and outside the carb. In my head I wouldn't think so but when the throttle is opened up all the way those filters are really sucking in a lot of air. Could it have put some vacuum however so slight to the vent lines and caused an issue? There certainly does seem to be quite a bit of evidence of prior instances from other aircraft where vent line routing caused power loss. Just Google Rotax 912 vent line power loss and there is all kinds of issues with it. Ground runup was completely uneventful and it was run a good long time to bring it up to 120 degrees but at lower power settings. The short full throttle runup on the ground wasn't enough to show the issue.
Another interesting point is that the original builder of this plane who was an A&P had issues with the engine cutting out in flight during the testing phase and after several calls to Rotax it was determined that the vent lines he installed were too long and after they were cut back to 4" it ran perfectly. All of this is in the logbooks. Of coarse this was back when the engine had the original carb heater airbox setup. It was only in recent engine hours that the heater box was removed and the filters with the fuel vents added. Could these vent lines be that sensitive? I'm starting to think yes.
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Power loss. Off field landing...
FAA meeting tomorrow. I'm a little nervous. Maybe from being in business for myself I have a cynical outlook on government agencies and I wasn't born that way.
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gregpro50 added a post in a topic Power loss. Off field landing...
Great info Doug. I appreciate the help.
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