|
-
POSTING RULES

-
Donate yearly (please).
-
Advertise in here!
-
Today's Posts
|
Insert Pics
|

07-04-2015, 02:29 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 818
|
|
They rolled the trucks today...
RVer's
This morning I was planning on flying to meet up with another RVer who was in Phoenix for the weekend to pick up his RV. He is currently in KC-135 aircraft commander training and out of the state for a while. This was probably the last time I would get a chance to see him until his return in September. I helped him finish building his RV and we have become very good friends.
Our plan was to meet in the sky between Phoenix and Tucson. Everything was on schedule and my run up was uneventful. Our takeoff time was 6:15 and I hit it right on the nose. Did my normal takeoff and turned north on heading. I was climbing through 3500? and switched over to Departure. Less than a minute later I notice an unusual sound, sort of like a low frequency vibration. I scanned the engine instruments and everything looked good. I adjusted the rpm (constant speed) to see if that would change the ?pitch? of the sound. It didn?t have much effect. Then I started hearing a ?tapping/banging? sound, sort of sounded like heavy rain drops hitting the aft fuselage. But there wasn?t any rain on the canopy. The ?tapping/banging? was not uniform in period and continued for maybe another minute. I was only about 5 miles from the airport so I contacted Departure and requested an immediate return to the airport. I informed them that I had an unusual ?tapping/banging? sound coming for outside the fuselage. They cleared me in. It wasn?t busy at the airport due to the holiday. I contacted the tower and they cleared me to any runway I wanted.
When I was on short final I noticed all the fire trucks with flashing lights. They had rolled all the airport fire trucks waiting to assist if needed. My landing was uneventful and I taxied back to the hangar to see what was going on with my RV. As I stopped in front of my hangar one of the large airport fire trucks pulled up just to check up on me. I apologized for waking them up and told them what happened. I never declared an emergency but the airport fire department responded as they did. They were very professional.
Even though I thought the ?tapping/banging? sound was coming from somewhere outside the aft fuselage, I did a quick walk-around inspection. Nothing outside the aft fuselage was amiss. When I started looking at the pilot?s side of the fuselage I noticed the wing root rubber molding had loosened and 50% of the length (from the main spar to the rear spar) was free to flap in the wind. This is what caused the ?tapping/banging? I heard. I believe just as it started to wiggle free it also caused the low frequency vibration noise I heard before ?tapping/banging?. It only took 15 minutes to fix the problem but I missed an opportunity to meet with my RV buddy.
This was my first return the airport just after takeoff. In fact this was the first time I ever had an inflight situation where I had to consider aborting my flight. When I heard the low frequency vibration noise it caught my attention and concern, but I didn?t panic. When the ?tapping/banging? started I was concerned but I knew the engine was running fine and there was no control stick or rudder pedal vibration so I believed I still had an airworthy aircraft to fly. Not knowing what was wrong with the aircraft left my mind once I committed to returning to the airport. My focus then was to safely fly back to the airport and land. I could then focus on finding the cause later.
I always revisit my flights in my mind, especially when something out the ordinary occurs. After reflecting on today?s events and asking ?Did I handle the situation right??, ?What could I have done differently?? I have come to the conclusion I would not have changed anything. I made my decision and committed to return to the airport as soon as I took a moment to assess the situation; I communicated my situation to Approach/Departure clearly; I aviated and my landing was spot on.
So today they rolled the trucks and I get to fly another day. All in all, it was a learning experience.
__________________
Dream it, Build it, Fly it
Paul Merems (EAA Tech Counselor, EAA Sheetmetal Workshop Instructor/Volunteer 12 yrs)
ExperimentalAero- HANGAR BANNERS
www.experimentalaero.com
RV-7A (Flying since 2010)/RV-4 (sold 1990)
Tucson, Arizona 85749
|

07-04-2015, 03:05 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: WV22
Posts: 849
|
|
You did the right thing and it is always better to ere on the side of caution. Good job!
__________________
RV-4 0320\D3G 160, Whirlwind 200GA 70".
|

07-04-2015, 03:06 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: DVT Phoenix
Posts: 1,187
|
|
We had the root end pilot side do the same thing when climbing out of Plymouth Michigan a couple of years ago. It sure gets your attention. :-)
I carry duct tape along (it can be your best friend) which held it in position until we got home. It was glued on but obviously not well enough.
Larry
|

07-04-2015, 03:12 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: SoCal
Posts: 36
|
|
Good on you to let ATC know you had a problem. ATC is able to declare an emergency for you. You couldn't see it but you had many smart people working to help you.
I've declared an emergency several times in the past and have always been met by the nice, big shiny red trucks who will do almost anything to help me. AWESOME.
Fortunately in each case they never had to do anything but escort me on the ground to parking.
Three mantras I follow.
1. Don't be afraid to declare an emergency. Lots of smart people want to help you.
2. In an emergency my airplane is now an energy-absorbing device. This is why we have insurance.
3. Everyone goes home for dinner (so don't be stupid).
|

07-04-2015, 03:17 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: NC25
Posts: 3,508
|
|
About 20-years ago, one of my friends had the same thing happen on the first flight of his RV-4. I used contact cement to glue my wing root rubber molding on before the first flight.
__________________
Gary A. Sobek
NC25 RV-6 Flying
3,400+ hours
Where is N157GS
Building RV-8 S/N: 80012
To most people, the sky is the limit.
To those who love aviation, the sky is home.
|

07-04-2015, 03:27 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Lantz,Nova Scotia ,Canada
Posts: 556
|
|
From both sides.
I drove these things for 35 years.
I also had problems with the rubber seal coming loose a few times, so I made up some fillets and solved the problem.

__________________
Paul Tuttle
RV 8
C-FPVT
Flying.
|

07-04-2015, 06:36 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Shell Knob, MO
Posts: 119
|
|
Great Outcome
Paul,
That was a great catch. I had a fuel pump vent line come loose by my landing gear fairing and do the same thing. Not as much noise but just enough to get your attention. I even felt the banging on my rudder pedals. I was able to quickly land (uncontrolled airport) and diagnosed the problem, and fixed it (temporarily) with duct tape.
__________________
Bud K
N682TT RV-7
Legal Eagle - Flying
FFR Roadster (sold)
|

07-04-2015, 06:42 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: North Atlanta
Posts: 1,120
|
|
I had one pop out on the bottom of a loop. It will get your attention for sure.
__________________
Sid Lambert
RV-7 Sold
RV-4 - Flying - O-320 Fixed Pitch - Red over Yellow
Last edited by Sid Lambert : 07-06-2015 at 07:38 AM.
|

07-04-2015, 07:03 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 167
|
|
Paul: Same thing happened to me leaving Eloy a couple of months ago. Returned to Eloy, found and removed the partially loose rubber, flew back to Ryan, and reinstalled both sides with RTV.
Roger E.
__________________
Roger, 7A, N374RS, Tucson
|

07-04-2015, 07:23 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Kennesaw GA
Posts: 141
|
|
Thank you.
Well done! BZ
Now, don't be a cheap pilot. A 'Thank You' in the form of lots of of donuts or a Pizza spread for the Gang from the Firehouse is a good gesture. They are good people and they'll go into a fire for you.
__________________
Restored and Flying '58 C-180A
Retired Vietnam Marine
2017 dues paid
Last edited by jdearborn : 07-04-2015 at 07:26 PM.
|
| Thread Tools |
Search this Thread |
|
|
|
| Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:11 AM.
|