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Buying my new Avid

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Posted

Sounds like an interesting trip so far. You are a bit more ballsy than me dropping down that low over the open water on wheels. I have done it once in a PA12 but vowed to never do it again (unless I am maneuvering for a landing on the beach, then I am within swimming distance of the beach :lol: ). Hope you make it home without too much excitement.

What are your initial thoughts on the Avid? Does she fly about how you expected? I really have a blast in mine, but cant wait to get the new engine in it and see how she is with double the power for take off!

:BC:

Hey Guys

Sorry I have been out of the loop so much. I have been trying to get on here and update the 2nd part of my trip, but at the moment I am juggling 2 full time jobs, an ICAO audit finding clearance, an EASA audit finding clearance and being on 2 training courses this month to boot ... so anyway - much to the disdain of the Mrs, I am now sitting down at the computer and stealing it for the next hour ... there is nothing she can do further - she must accept her rightful place as 2nd to the Avid!!!

So, the final leg from phase 1.

While in Aschaffenburg Vadim had checked his schedule and the airline had put him onto a standby shift after the weekend, so he had no choice but to plan to use the ID tickets he had and depart Germany from Berlin and fly airline back to Riga. After mulling it over between us we decided that we would both fly home from Berlin and then return to Berlin the following weekend so that we could fly back to Riga together. This left only the left from Aschaffenburg (near Frankfurt in W Germany, to Berlin) in phase 1.

During the overnight in Aschaffenburg we stayed at a hotel arranged by the controller (AFISO) in Aschaffenburg. The price was resonable. We ate the most perfect steak, drank the most perfect local wine and woke in the morning to go to the airfield. The cloudbase was low, but the OAT was lifting so we were quite positive. During breakfast the hotel manager came to us and asked if we were pilots and went on to offer whichever one of us was not flying that day, a champagne breakfast :beerchug: - GUTTED - Vadim and I were strictly flying this as a 2 crew operation so we were forced to decline the offer.

At the airport, I checked the met while Vadim preflighted. Germany was forecast to have a bank of very poor visibility right across the middle, in a line running NW to SE. The departure airport cloudbase was lifting all the time and the destination (Schonhagen nr Berlin) was CAVOK.

Out at the aircraft I offered Vadim to take this leg as PIC from the LH seat which he accepted. Normal takeoff, climbout and departure to the NE. Within a few minutes the visibility was decreasing over the mountains (only large hills for those of you who are out in Alaska), but still, the obstacles on the hills were higher than us.

We flew like that for about 3/4 of an hour before things got interesting. As we pressed on, the forecast was right on the money. In places we were down to about 3km visibility (2sm). It was hard work as the GPS was eating our supply of batteries at an alarming rate. It was a case of resorting to the chart (which had been supplied FOC to us by the hotel manager as we had been unable to pick one up before the trip). As I was pilot monitoring, it was the hardest work hour or so of my life. During this stage the convective turbulence was also pretty hard work as the hand and feet had to keep on the go (I had taken the aircraft from Vadim so he could have a rest for a while). As the visibility started to improve as we passed over the centre of Germany Vadim suggested that I relax for a bit, so I snuggled down in the seat and started to doze off leaving everything to Vadim. I came around as Vadim was trying to work out where we were. He had followed the compass which obviously has a bit too much error and badly needs swinging - and was just about to fly us into the Leipzig CTR. Having corrected that we flew on to Schonhagen and the visibility really started to improve until the point when we were flying in gin clear VMC.

Vadim set us up on a 15nm final for Schonhagen (well he is a 757 driver by day so he can be forgiven). The touchdown was uneventful, but he didn't hold the nosewheel off and the shimmy was back like sent from hell.

While we were taxiing in, I could smell something a little strange. We parked and I pulled the cowling off to reveal a weeping leak from one of the coolant return lines (the one that exits the block above the exhaust). It looks like that long flight over Germany (almost 4 hours) had managed to partly melt the hose due to the heat soak from the exhaust.

Vadim had managed to sort out hangarage there for free so we put the baby to bed and decided to have lunch and leave everything until the next week.

We took a taxi to Berlin's Tegel airport and then set off home, thus ending phase 1 of the ferry.

The pictures for this are still on Vadim's camera and at the time of writing this he is in the USA (I think actually in Alaska), mountain climbing. I WILL upload them as soon as I possibly can!

Leni

My low stuff over the water was only started within a mile or two of the shore and stayed within beach landing distance for the remainder of the flight, so no real ballsy stuff. Had it looked any worse I would have diverted back to Lydd in the UK, but as it was there seemed little point in not pressing on. The guys who landed after us said that they had been down to 300' on the same route. We had just managed to get in in time!

My thoughts on the baby:

I was expecting to have to use my feet, and having come from a gliding background, I did not have a problem with this.

I had read about the neutral stability in yaw but still this took me a few hours to get used to and it probably was not until we were in Berlin that I really felt 100% comfortable with this. Now when I fly her I find my feet doing exactly what they are supposed to, when they are supposed to and without any fuss.

The first few take-offs were poor in climb, but that was just because the ball was way out to one side. Now corrected, she is a beauty. I really enjoy the handling, exactly because she is a little different, but having flown close to 50 different types it may be that I have an adaptability built into me.

I am writing this well after the end of the ferry flight so I will probably start a new thread called "flying my new Avid". ATM I would say she is a dream. I am especially impressed by the performance I get (load lifting, climb (with the ball in the centre), cruise speed etc).

One thing I am still finding difficult is controlling the temps. Especially I am chasing the EGTs more than I wanted to. I took out the air filter and gave it a good clean but with only minimal difference. Next I will probably have a look at the jetting.

OK. Next post will be the 2nd phase (which geographically was only slightly shorter than the 1st, but which was much shorter in terms of stops, time and events).

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Posted (edited)

Phase 2

Phase 2 is 1 week after the end of phase 1.

We flew back to Riga from Berlin and agreed to go back to Berlin the following weekend and fly the baby home. This rested on only a couple of things. Firstly I had to be able to fix the weeping hose and secondly, we had to be able to depart Berlin with sufficient time in hand for Vadim to get back for his night flight to Tel Aviv on Monday evening.

During the week I bought new plugs for the aircraft because the logs showed it to be about 3 hours overdue for the Rotax 25 hour actions. I alo tried to shop around for a replacement hose, but with no luck in Riga. I did however find a couple of places around Berlin where it may be possible to get the replacement hose.

On the Friday evening Vadim and I flew back to Berlin. Vadim had meetings to attend that evening so it was decided that I would make my own way to the airfield then perform the repairs. I would keep in touch with Vadim and we would decide if he would continue back with me on the Saturday morning, or if he would go back to Riga on the scheduled service.

I got to the airfield after a lovely evening in Potsdam near Berlin, and took the cowls off. There first hose to go on was not of the correct material and melted during ground running. I notified Vadim that he should probably go back to Riga with the airline as there was a reasonable chance that there would be delays and he would miss the Tel Aviv.

I was now in the proverbial sh*t because everywhere was closing on the Saturday afternoon, and I had a (melted) wrong part sitting on my motor and no way of getting the right one. Then the aerodrome guys came up with the idea of speaking to the engineering guy at Cirrus aircraft (they have a maintenance base there). This guy came up with a hose with the correct internal diameter but with a much thicker core and with a metallic heat shield inside the tube carcass followed by the usual fabric shield outer. Turned out to be perfect however it was 8pm local time before I took the baby into the air to flight test the new hose. All was perfect although I spent much of my time in the pattern chasing the EGTs. Otherwise everything was OK.

First thing the next morning I headed out to the airport (having stayed at the airport hotel), and had the aircraft pre flighted, flight plan filled and ready to depart right on the airport opening time.

The next stop was Grudziadz in Poland. I was keeping a good watch on the temps as I climbed away from Schonhagen. A few times I pulled all the way back and took a shallow descent to let her cool down a little, but otherwise all was good. Before I knew it I was already at the border with Poland which is marked by the huge river Oder. On the charts there was a canal before the river and so I had at first thought I was approaching the canal which gave me a further 10nm till the border, but no such luck. It seemed that I had been lucky to get a strong tailwind and that I was already within 5 minutes of the border. I requested the frequency change and called up Gdansk Info literally within a minute of crossing the border. This was a little too close for comfort as all Polish FIR boundaries are identification mandatory zones.

Once into Polish airspace the controller did something I was not expecting. I had planned for a flight that would scout around, above or below dozens of military fields, installations and danger areas. The Gdansk Info controller uttered the most beautiful words to me "you may proceed direct Grudziadz". The weather was clear, the flying was perfect. There were a few places where I thought I would be eating wood if the engine quit, but mostly it was plain sailing. After 3 hours I was in the pattern at Grudziadz. No one was speaking to me on the radio so I did an overhead join for what turned out to be a truly MASSIVE grass field (I had only minimal info about it prior to arriving there due to the limitations of my flight planning programme).

The landing (my first in the Avid on grass), was really flattering - probably much more to do with the aircraft than my piloting abilities. I rolled to the end of the neatly cut grass in search of a runway exit but there was no taxiway, and then someone on the radio told me (in perfect English) that it was perfectly safe to taxi over any of the longer grass in between me and the apron. Perfect flight and when I got out of the aircraft a great reception.

It took me a few minutes to find someone who spoke English, but when I did it was the chairman of the club there. He gave me a really nice welcome and I got talking to everyone there. There was of course a lot of interest in this tiny British aircraft. I started chatting with one elderly gentleman who turned out to be an instructor, the only limitation being that he did not speak any English. This was the point when I discovered for the first time in my life that I can hold down a basic conversation in Russian.

I had lunch and then asked to file my flight plan for the next leg which would cross the border into Lithuania and end in Kaunas (the 2nd city in Lithuania). I faxed my flight plan to Gdansk who then called me back to question my permission to enter Lithuania - turns out that a separate permission is required if you don't have a transponder - this is published nowhere and was completely news to me. The woman in Gdansk gave me the phone number I needed in Lithuania and one phone call saw the (military) form sent to my email. I had the form filled out and faxed within a few minutes and was told that the permission would be within a couple of hours.

The Russian speaking guy from the club took me into the city (a 15 minute drive each way), and I stocked up on everything that I might need (including GPS batteries and some snack foods).

By the time we were back at the airfield, it was already mid afternoon and I had been on the ground for 5 hours. I was eager to press on, and as I was chatting to the guys there, the phone call came through from the Lithuanian military giving me the permission code that I needed.

I took off in the later afternoon and started speaking with Poznan information, then Gdansk who then passed me on to the next controller who I was unable to reach. I flew in silence until the Lithuanian border - this was a little scary as I was crossing at the smallest border crossing between Lithuania, Poland, Belarus and Kaliningrad (Russia). I had to divert to the West (towards Kaliningrad airspace) to avoid a big CB cell and was really close to the Russian border and unable to speak to anyone to tell them I was there. I knew of one instance in recent history where a balloon had been shot down for being not too far from where I was right now and not speaking to anyone. Anyway, I checked the timings and I was on the money. I was obliged to cross the border crossing within 10 minutes of my estimate unless I had otherwise advised ATC. As it was I was right on to within a minute or two, so I continued on into Lithuania without announcement.

I tried several times to get hold of Kaunas information (who cover the south part of Lithuania) but without any luck. In the end I gave up and started speaking to Aleksotas Information (this is the ground station of the GA airfield in Kaunas). I was last at this airfield in 2003 and back then everyone was speaking only in Lithuanian so it was a real surprise to have someone answer me in perfect English. It took me a couple of goes to identify the airfield because I had been looking to closely at the GPS which I had programmed with a departure point from this airfield .... which I was now following as though it was the point that would take me to the airfield :hammerhead: .

I landed at Kaunas without any further event and it was already like being home.

The guy from the airfield welcomed me - then apologized that he had to charge me for the landing - hardly a big deal at 10 Euro, but still the 2nd most expensive since leaving the UK.

The manager from the airfield then found a couple of jerry cans and drove me to the local garage to get some cheap MOGAS (because their AVGAS prices were through the roof).

That night I spent in the accommodation on the airfield (which I had all to myself) and was right ready to leave the following morning - only 1 minor problem .... My phone battery was flat, I had no charger with me, I had no fax there and I HAD TO file a fight plan and get the military permission for the onward journey to Riga.

In the end I walked back to the garage where I had bought the gas the night before. The same young lady was working and when I explained my situation (again in Russian - she spoke no English), she let my use her personal phone. I filled my plan, got my permission, explained to the ATS person on the phone that it was fine to file a flight plan at the altitude I wanted (he thought I would not be allowed into the Riga control zone without a flight plan) - we amended my plan with a height limit abeam the Riga CTR and all was good.

15 minutes later I was back on the ramp with the engine turning over and ready to roll.

I started to taxi from cold as the taxi from the ramp to the runway at Kaunas is one hell of a long way. By the time I was at the hold the temps were up to the point where I could do the run up checks and then I was out onto the runway and departing. It was now Monday morning and Kaunas Info had woken up.

This was to be a pretty low level flight because along most of the route the airspace is down to 1500 feet due to Kaunas, Shauliai and Riga CTAs. Kaunas handed me over to Shauliai Information who asked me for my estimate at the border. Took me a few goes to get it right. By that time I was being forced lower and lower by a descending cloudbase.

Just before crossing the Latvian border I tried to raise Riga Approach but while I could hear them 5 they could only hear me with a 3, so I told them I would call back later.

I continued on route with a continuing lowering cloudbase and increasing turbulence. I was considering calling Riga back to let them know I was there, but there was hardly a chance to get a word in edgeways as it was the morning rush hour. Eventually I called Riga Approach back and they could hear me .... But I was only telling them that I would change frequency to Riga Spilve (a CTAF).

The cloudbase continued to lower and for the 2nd time on this trip I ended up being in cloud. This time was a little more scary as I was right on the E side of Riga city with a lot of tall buildings in the neighbourhood. As it was though, I knew I was over a large lake at the edge of the city, which is right on the VRP that leads to Riga Spilve airport. I emerged from the cloud at 600' still over the lake and managed to climb back up to 1000' to fly over the residential area that is between the lake and the airfield.

Finally I landed at Riga Spilve 2h 12m after leaving Kaunas and taxied in to a royal welcome from all the friends and colleagues who had been sitting on the deck wondering when the weather would improve enough for it to be possible to go flying!

So, that was the end of the journey from Otherton in the UK to Riga Spilve (EVRS).

The next thread will be "flying my new Avid"

This really is a dream machine for me and I think there will be plenty more stories.

Jezz

Edited by Jezz

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Posted

Wow this is quite a story Jezz.... I can't even fathom flying an Avid through a place like that. I'll guess I'll chill out about my 300NM trip across the uninhabited Nevada desert I've been fretting on my way to Idaho in 2 weeks. This is a great reminder that us flying in the remote areas of the US should not take for granted what we have. I notice everytime I'm anyplace in Europe you just do not see or hear small planes overhead. With restricted airspace, user fees, outrageous fuel costs, ect it truely is a rich mans sport in Europe to fly and the rules they must follow would make most of our heads spin. I tried to do some flying while I lived in the Suffolk UK for 4 years and there was no way I could afford it. It was all I could to do to get up in a glider once in a while.

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Wow this is quite a story Jezz.... I can't even fathom flying an Avid through a place like that. I'll guess I'll chill out about my 300NM trip across the uninhabited Nevada desert I've been fretting on my way to Idaho in 2 weeks. This is a great reminder that us flying in the remote areas of the US should not take for granted what we have. I notice everytime I'm anyplace in Europe you just do not see or hear small planes overhead. With restricted airspace, user fees, outrageous fuel costs, ect it truely is a rich mans sport in Europe to fly and the rules they must follow would make most of our heads spin. I tried to do some flying while I lived in the Suffolk UK for 4 years and there was no way I could afford it. It was all I could to do to get up in a glider once in a while.

Joey, you win the ballsy competition for flying 300nm over Nevada. The thought of doing 300nm over that patch for me would be about 300nm out of my comfort zone. Sure, the freedom levels in Europe are not there like they are in the USA, but it has the benefit that you can't let you attention slip too far and therefore you reduce your possibilities for getting things out of shape. Back in the early 00's I spent a few months hour building in Florida, and that had to be the best flying of my life - you guys really do have a superb system over there.

Back here in Europe, you are spot on about the restrictions and costs. As I work for the CAA, you would think I could smooth over some of the restrictions, but in fact the opposite is true and I have to do absolutely everything "by the book". The good thing for me right now is that Latvia is one of the easier States in Europe to do everything "by the book".

As for the costs ... That's why we got the Avid! It was such a good option for us based on all costs combined.

You are spot on about flying in the UK - one of my main motivators for leaving. Where were you gliding in the UK? I used to do quite a bit at Lasham and Marchington (now called Cross Hayes), but that was way back in the early 90s.

I will not forget to post the pics on here as soon as I have some of them from Vadim.

Jezz

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Posted

Sounds like one hell of a trip :BC: You said you were chasing EGT's. What was the issue? What is your static RPM and max RPM at straight and level? Were are you having issues with the EGT's and what temps are you seeing? full power, mid range, decent, level cruise :dunno:

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Posted (edited)

Sounds like one hell of a trip :BC: You said you were chasing EGT's. What was the issue? What is your static RPM and max RPM at straight and level? Were are you having issues with the EGT's and what temps are you seeing? full power, mid range, decent, level cruise :dunno:

Hi Leni

Too many number for off the top of my head, but I am going flying tomorrow and will check all of them.

Last time I flew I noticed the water temp edging towards the redline (I should know the number of the top of my nut, but I am at the end of an 18 hour day so bear with me ... better I check the actual figures tomorrow - I will be taking an attractive assistant so there is hope of her taking note of the numbers while I take note of her :drool3: , sorry, I mean the flying). But anyway, the water isn't the thing that is worrying me.

My EGTs have crept up to the 680 mark (sorry, degrees centipedes and brain too fried to work it out - will do for tomorrow). The EGTs seem to be sitting very high in the cruise though. I remembered what you told me about keeping the prop loaded so I have been running her slightly above 6000 rpm which keeps things stable(ish), but in the thermals we have been getting lately, that is not too easy.

I will get the figures when I go play with the young lady ... I mean the airplane ... I mean .... :banghead:

Till then, Jezz is going to do a little bit of :party: and be out for the count in about 10 minute flat!

Happy landings!

Jezz

Edited by Jezz

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Posted

Sounds like one hell of a trip :BC: You said you were chasing EGT's. What was the issue? What is your static RPM and max RPM at straight and level? Were are you having issues with the EGT's and what temps are you seeing? full power, mid range, decent, level cruise :dunno:

Hey Leni

It took me a couple of days to wait for weather, women and will to get up.

Static was a bit over 6100 - from fully warmed up, water about 185 F and EGTs within limits, but I didnt keep it there as the I was a bit concerned about the water.

S&L flight RPM was 6700 (although it was as turbulent as hell so there may have been some residual RPMs in there from the conditions) - Water about 185, EGT about 1200 F max (although I have seen it trying to peak higher than this - as soon as I see it is heading that way I am back on the throttle.

During climbs at low altitude I am seeing the water temps heading up above 180, by the time I am up to 3000' that is solved.

Also, at 3000' AMSL things are a lot better with the EGTs.

At 1000' AMSL and 6100 RPM in straight and level I have about 180 water and 1200 EGT

At 1000' AMSL and 6000 RPM in Straight and level I have about 175 water but the EGT tries to edge its way above 1200, which I can either adding more RPM, or taking a climb.

At 1000' AMSL and 5800 RPM in Straight and level the water temp is well within range, but the EGT goes up really fast and if I don't catch it in time I am forced to pull the throttle and descend.

At 3000' AMSL and 6100 RPM in straight and level the water was still about 180 but the EGT was down slightly to about 1150

At 3000' AMSL and 5800 RPM in normal straight and level flight, water about 165 and EGTs back up to 1200

At 3000' AMSL and 5800 RPM in reverse power command (i.e. nose somewhere pointing to heaven and anchoring on to the stall), everything settled down - water 160ish and EGTs down to 1050.

So, any thoughts? Is this an indication that I am running too lean? Should I change my jets? Change the notch for the needle? (lowest notch is richest isn't it?).

I am due for a 50 hour check in about 6 hours, so I shall be spending quite a bit of time learning the engine - we should also get our new hangar on the airfield (an old fire station garage - plenty of room for an Avid :bday: ) by that stage.

Anything special I should look out for during the 50 hour check? I have the Rotax manual which I am going to spend a bit of time with :news: before taking the baby apart.

OK, that's it for now - I have had my hopes of flying tomorrow crushed by the director of the CAA (I have to come to the office tomorrow), and by the weather forecast - looking like the proverbial :bugeyes: !

In advance, thanks guys - all thoughts welcomed!

Jezz

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Hey Leni

It took me a couple of days to wait for weather, women and will to get up.

Static was a bit over 6100 - from fully warmed up, water about 185 F and EGTs within limits, but I didnt keep it there as the I was a bit concerned about the water.

S&L flight RPM was 6700 (although it was as turbulent as hell so there may have been some residual RPMs in there from the conditions) - Water about 185, EGT about 1200 F max (although I have seen it trying to peak higher than this - as soon as I see it is heading that way I am back on the throttle.

During climbs at low altitude I am seeing the water temps heading up above 180, by the time I am up to 3000' that is solved.

Also, at 3000' AMSL things are a lot better with the EGTs.

At 1000' AMSL and 6100 RPM in straight and level I have about 180 water and 1200 EGT

At 1000' AMSL and 6000 RPM in Straight and level I have about 175 water but the EGT tries to edge its way above 1200, which I can either adding more RPM, or taking a climb.

At 1000' AMSL and 5800 RPM in Straight and level the water temp is well within range, but the EGT goes up really fast and if I don't catch it in time I am forced to pull the throttle and descend.

At 3000' AMSL and 6100 RPM in straight and level the water was still about 180 but the EGT was down slightly to about 1150

At 3000' AMSL and 5800 RPM in normal straight and level flight, water about 165 and EGTs back up to 1200

At 3000' AMSL and 5800 RPM in reverse power command (i.e. nose somewhere pointing to heaven and anchoring on to the stall), everything settled down - water 160ish and EGTs down to 1050.

So, any thoughts? Is this an indication that I am running too lean? Should I change my jets? Change the notch for the needle? (lowest notch is richest isn't it?).

I am due for a 50 hour check in about 6 hours, so I shall be spending quite a bit of time learning the engine - we should also get our new hangar on the airfield (an old fire station garage - plenty of room for an Avid birthdayfriends.gif ) by that stage.

Anything special I should look out for during the 50 hour check? I have the Rotax manual which I am going to spend a bit of time with news.gif before taking the baby apart.

OK, that's it for now - I have had my hopes of flying tomorrow crushed by the director of the CAA (I have to come to the office tomorrow), and by the weather forecast - looking like the proverbial bugeyes.gif !

In advance, thanks guys - all thoughts welcomed!

Jezz

I would say you need more pitch. 6700 straight and level is a bit too much. I set my prop for 6500 max straight and level then start backing off the power (I have an inflight ajustable prop). If the EGTs go down as you climb then you are too lean at low level. What main jets are you running? If you have the clip on the lowest notch in the needle then you may need to change needles and needle jet. What prop do you have and what are your main jets?

As far as a 50 hr tear down, I would do nothing more than change plugs and look in the exhaust ports and do a compression check.

:BC:

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I would say you need more pitch. 6700 straight and level is a bit too much. I set my prop for 6500 max straight and level then start backing off the power (I have an inflight ajustable prop). If the EGTs go down as you climb then you are too lean at low level. What main jets are you running? If you have the clip on the lowest notch in the needle then you may need to change needles and needle jet. What prop do you have and what are your main jets?

As far as a 50 hr tear down, I would do nothing more than change plugs and look in the exhaust ports and do a compression check.

:BC:

Leni, thanks for that.

I do not yet know which notch I am on - I have not had the tops off the carbs (basically because I could not find a manual on how to do it). I have watched the Rotax training video for the 912 Bing adjustment - will the 582 be similar?

The prop is a wooden Peery prop - I have no idea what the figures are for it, but I believe it is the original as installed in the aircraft.

Which VP prop do you have? Is it CS or straight VP? The wooden prop on mine looks great, but I guess it will be in line for replacement sooner or later (there is some separation of the varnish layer on one tip (although this does not cause me any vib problems at all and the varnish is smooth edged where it is separated so I am not too worried).

As for the 50 hour, I was also going to clean the air filer (again! it doesnt seem like 5 minutes since I last cleaned it on the way from England). I will probably wait until these last 6 hours are complete before going into the carbs - as things are I can keep things in check (just), but Latvia is full of huge fields and meadows so if it all goes wrong I just pull the power and land :buttrock:

Many thanks again :beerchug:

Jezz

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Leni, thanks for that.

I do not yet know which notch I am on - I have not had the tops off the carbs (basically because I could not find a manual on how to do it). I have watched the Rotax training video for the 912 Bing adjustment - will the 582 be similar?

The prop is a wooden Peery prop - I have no idea what the figures are for it, but I believe it is the original as installed in the aircraft.

Which VP prop do you have? Is it CS or straight VP? The wooden prop on mine looks great, but I guess it will be in line for replacement sooner or later (there is some separation of the varnish layer on one tip (although this does not cause me any vib problems at all and the varnish is smooth edged where it is separated so I am not too worried).

As for the 50 hour, I was also going to clean the air filer (again! it doesnt seem like 5 minutes since I last cleaned it on the way from England). I will probably wait until these last 6 hours are complete before going into the carbs - as things are I can keep things in check (just), but Latvia is full of huge fields and meadows so if it all goes wrong I just pull the power and land :buttrock:

Many thanks again :beerchug:

Jezz

to pull the tops off the carbs, you just take out the two screws on the top and pull the slide out. There is a spring that is inside the slide, you will have to pull the spring up, then push down on the cable to get the cable ferule out of the carb slide. Once you pull the slide you should be able to see how it goes very easily. The clip should be on the 3rd notch from the bottom. If you need to set it to the bottom notch, I would say you need more pitch in the prop if the jets are the correct size per the rotax chart.

I have the IVO 72" 3 blade ultralight prop with In flight adjust. If you dont want the extra expence, you can go with the ground adjust as they are the easiest prop to set the pitch on. No protractor just turn one adjustment screw and all 3 blades change pitch at the same time.

Max HP on the 582 is about 6200 and max tq is right at 6000, they both fall off pretty damn quick after those RPM figures. I have noted that much over 6300 RPM my climb falls off pretty quick, so I tend to load the prop pretty good. I need about 6250 or 6300 to get out on step with the floats at gross weight, but as the take off run progresses, I feed in more pitch to keep the RPM around 61-6200 It only takes a bump or two of the switch to keep the RPM right where I want it throughout the flight. If the EGTs are climbing, just a bump in pitch takes care of that.

:BC:

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Posted (edited)

Want to go flying! Thinking about going flying but it will probably end in me being kicked out by the Mrs because i have been at home all day and done nothing but read up on the carbs and engine ready for my 50 hrs, when what I was tasked with doing was the housework - which is why I am now writing this instead of using a vacuum cleaner.

At the bginning of this week I got the authorization I needed to get the new hangar (garage). It will require quite a bit of a clean-up so I am going there tomorrow and will start turfing things out. We have access to the whole building (which is pretty big), including the 2 fire engine bays. I will try to take some pics of the cleanup, and all things being even should have the baby in her new home by the end of play tomorrow, then give it another week (I am in meetings in the UK and then on a course for the whole week) and I will be ready for that 50 hour when I will have a look at the jets etc.

Happy landings

Jezz

Edited by Jezz

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Back in the hotseat now!

I would like to say that I have been away because I have been flying the Avid all around Europe ... but that would be a lie. I have been working my ass off (feels like 24/7) with the summer schedule.

Had quite a cockup putting the Avid into it's new garage. I broke into the wrong one (there were 2 to choose from), and then proceeded to trash all the belongings of the tenants who had leased it. The Avid sat nice in there though, then, 1 day into a business trip I got a call telling me that the police were going to be called and I was in the deep doodoo. :shitfan:

Good job I am in with the council guys who are responsible for the airfield. Nonevent, and the tenants got a load of their trash thrown out for free (turned out they didn't want the stuff anyway!).

So, got back, moved Avid to new home (turns out it is not just a garage, it is 4 rooms, 1 of which is big enough to turn into a bar - IT WILL BE SO!!!!!!!! :party: )

After that, was flying ass off for work, and not in the Avid :hammerhead:

Earlier this week I flew off the last hour or so before the 50 hour check. I have 1 question from the Rotax maintenance manual for the 582. It states that the cylinder head should be removed to inspect for deposits and also inspect piston rings. I cannot believe that everyone is removing the cylinder head each 50 hours, checking and then replacing head and probably gaskets etc. Is there a short cut to doing this?

One other question is what grease should I use to grease the flapperson hinge points? They are looking like they would benefit from it (and it is also part of the check schedule).

Final question. I a bit of black sludge in my left main tank and I am getting tiny flakes of black stuff out when I do the fuel test from that tank. Since I noticed this I have been restricting myself to using only the right tank (which is clean). Any ideas how I can flush the tank? I have read some stuff on a boating forum about disconnecting the feed line, half filling tank with salt water then sealing an air compressor hose into the filler cap and building pressure until all of the water is flushed out, then flushing tank with normal warm water, repeat with saline water until particles stop flowing - any ideas if this would work?

One other word. Last time I flew, I was using some MOGAS that had been stored in a (brand new) can for a couple of days. I decided to filter it anyway through a chamois leather (see previous question). The results were astounding. After about only 5 gallons of gas there was no water, but the center of the cloth was pitch black with dirt particles. I am now going to buy a huge funnel and filter all fuel through the leather - it is a bloody slow process (about 2 gallons an hour), but it is worth it for the result.

OK, I am now off to the airfield to do some parts of the 50 hour check (my aircraft is still maintained under the British LAMS schedule which means it gets an airframe/electrics/avionics inspection too at 50 hours). I really don't mind as this gives me a chance to learn quite a bit more about the baby :)

Jezz

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Back in the hotseat now!

I would like to say that I have been away because I have been flying the Avid all around Europe ... but that would be a lie. I have been working my ass off (feels like 24/7) with the summer schedule.

Had quite a cockup putting the Avid into it's new garage. I broke into the wrong one (there were 2 to choose from), and then proceeded to trash all the belongings of the tenants who had leased it. The Avid sat nice in there though, then, 1 day into a business trip I got a call telling me that the police were going to be called and I was in the deep doodoo. :shitfan:

Good job I am in with the council guys who are responsible for the airfield. Nonevent, and the tenants got a load of their trash thrown out for free (turned out they didn't want the stuff anyway!).

So, got back, moved Avid to new home (turns out it is not just a garage, it is 4 rooms, 1 of which is big enough to turn into a bar - IT WILL BE SO!!!!!!!! :party: )

After that, was flying ass off for work, and not in the Avid :hammerhead:

Earlier this week I flew off the last hour or so before the 50 hour check. I have 1 question from the Rotax maintenance manual for the 582. It states that the cylinder head should be removed to inspect for deposits and also inspect piston rings. I cannot believe that everyone is removing the cylinder head each 50 hours, checking and then replacing head and probably gaskets etc. Is there a short cut to doing this?

One other question is what grease should I use to grease the flapperson hinge points? They are looking like they would benefit from it (and it is also part of the check schedule).

Final question. I a bit of black sludge in my left main tank and I am getting tiny flakes of black stuff out when I do the fuel test from that tank. Since I noticed this I have been restricting myself to using only the right tank (which is clean). Any ideas how I can flush the tank? I have read some stuff on a boating forum about disconnecting the feed line, half filling tank with salt water then sealing an air compressor hose into the filler cap and building pressure until all of the water is flushed out, then flushing tank with normal warm water, repeat with saline water until particles stop flowing - any ideas if this would work?

One other word. Last time I flew, I was using some MOGAS that had been stored in a (brand new) can for a couple of days. I decided to filter it anyway through a chamois leather (see previous question). The results were astounding. After about only 5 gallons of gas there was no water, but the center of the cloth was pitch black with dirt particles. I am now going to buy a huge funnel and filter all fuel through the leather - it is a bloody slow process (about 2 gallons an hour), but it is worth it for the result.

OK, I am now off to the airfield to do some parts of the 50 hour check (my aircraft is still maintained under the British LAMS schedule which means it gets an airframe/electrics/avionics inspection too at 50 hours). I really don't mind as this gives me a chance to learn quite a bit more about the baby :)

Jezz

Jezz,

The most I would do is pull the exhaust and take a look at the piston that way. You can see the rings and top of the piston to see if you have any carbon build up. I at at 150+ hrs and no tear down. Most people I know dont pull them down "according to schedule".

Get yourself a Mr. Funnel. They are awesome for filtering out water and particles, and will take fuel pretty damn fast! If you cant find one over there, PM me your addy and I will ship one to you.

I would put some fuel in the tank and swish it around then drain. It only needs a couple gallons at a time at most to be able to rock the plane back and forth and get the crap sloshed out. I have my gas cans that are only for use in the plane. I use the Mr. funnel when I fill them at the pump so I dont have to mess with using it when I am fueling the plane.

:BC:

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to pull the tops off the carbs, you just take out the two screws on the top and pull the slide out. There is a spring that is inside the slide, you will have to pull the spring up, then push down on the cable to get the cable ferule out of the carb slide. Once you pull the slide you should be able to see how it goes very easily. The clip should be on the 3rd notch from the bottom. If you need to set it to the bottom notch, I would say you need more pitch in the prop if the jets are the correct size per the rotax chart.

I have the IVO 72" 3 blade ultralight prop with In flight adjust. If you dont want the extra expence, you can go with the ground adjust as they are the easiest prop to set the pitch on. No protractor just turn one adjustment screw and all 3 blades change pitch at the same time.

Max HP on the 582 is about 6200 and max tq is right at 6000, they both fall off pretty damn quick after those RPM figures. I have noted that much over 6300 RPM my climb falls off pretty quick, so I tend to load the prop pretty good. I need about 6250 or 6300 to get out on step with the floats at gross weight, but as the take off run progresses, I feed in more pitch to keep the RPM around 61-6200 It only takes a bump or two of the switch to keep the RPM right where I want it throughout the flight. If the EGTs are climbing, just a bump in pitch takes care of that.

:BC:

What RPM should a guy shoot for with a ground adjustable on a static run up. Mine is a 68 inch 3 blade Powerfin. Its a 582 silver head motor.Im starting the paint part of my Skyraider build so Im thinking ahead.Randy

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Jezz-

x2 for the exhaust port inspection, cheap 'n easy but effective. I bought a set of (4) JBM graphite coated wire mesh replacement gaskets for less than $20 shipped from 'adventurepilot' on fleaBay, good deal on JBM carb sockets and Bing throttle cable adjuster grommets too.

I use LPS-1 Premium Lubricant on all control hinges and articulating joints. Good stuff, recommended by Kitfox Aircraft.

I dunno about water or salt water in the fuel tanks, but I sure as hell wouldn't pressurize them with a compressor for fear of bursting a seam (initial leak test pressurization is typically done with a balloon). I 'gravity flushed' the wing tank in the new-to-me KF III when I got it and it was a real eye-opener. All I did was remove the quick drain, twisted in a length of old fuel hose leading to a funnel with fine mesh strainer and ran a couple gals of the old gas I drained from the main tank through while rockin' and sloshin' the wing. Rinsed and repeated x3 before all was clear. Got insects, old o-ring remnants from the quick drain, cork filler cap gasket pieces and a couple tiny light brown flakes of what are likely the aluminum tank sealant sloshing compound. Then I plugged and removed the finger strainer from the fuel outlet and did the same, just in case. Put everything back together with Permatex 9AR Tack & Seal Gasket Sealant and feel a whole lot better now!

I've since decided to add an in-line fuel filter where the line comes down the front door frame post. This is not recommended if you have fiberglass wing tanks because the fibers loosened by the ethanol are invisible in fuel and will clog the filters. That is a non-issue with my aluminum wing tank but at least I will see and catch any sealant flakes or other debris that make it thru the shut-off before it hits the main fuel selector valve. Gascolator seems to do it's job very well and I do not run any filter in-line from the gascolator to pulse pump or from pump to carbs, although I am considering it. Hesitate to compromise the integrity of the firesleeve FWF though.

Interesting observations about the chamois filter. I have a large funnel and was going to try the chamois based on positive comments off the supercub forums but it seems like it took you a LOT longer to run the fuel through. Could it be the material? They stress you must use a genuine, high quality natural skin chamois with the fuzzy side up, not a cheapo shammy rag typically used for car detailing, and suggest this source: http://www.chamois.co.nz/home.

Sounds like you found some great digs for the Avid... an old firehouse with extra rooms for 'The Overcast Bar and Lounge'... niceee! :beerchug:

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What RPM should a guy shoot for with a ground adjustable on a static run up. Mine is a 68 inch 3 blade Powerfin. Its a 582 silver head motor.Im starting the paint part of my Skyraider build so Im thinking ahead.Randy

damn, I just realized I missed a question here... I shoot for 6150 to 6200 on the ground, and it will normaly unload to around 6500 on take off when your rolling. The peak HP and tq is right at 6500 so that is what I shoot for on take off and climb.

Jezz, where the hell ya been?? any new thoughts on the avid now that hopefully you have more time on her??

:BC:

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