What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

N941WR Rebuild Update

Making even more progress.

I finished making and installing the carb heat flapper valve. Later today I’ll rivet the FAB together and connect the hose to the carb heat muff.

A good friend who restores old airplanes highly suggested I make the entire carb heat assembly removable to facilitate future maintenance. That is a good idea as with only 250 hours on the original valve, I found that the old flapper valve was worn about a 3rd of the way through.

Here are three pictures for your viewing pleasure:
FAB trimmed for the carb heat valve
Carb heat valve, ready to be installed
Valve installed on the FAB
 
Last edited:
Back from OSH and back to work on the plane

I just spent the evening mounting the EICommander in my panel. Before we did all the testing with it velcroed to the glair shield.

Check out the new bezel. Since the engine is not running, I'm limited to which of the 50+ screens I can display. However, I did update both P-mags to the A curve so the engine will be ready for its break in cycle.
 
Todd,

Here are the details:

It is a 3" long 250 watt oil heater. They are a NASCAR tansmission pre-heater. (One of the advantages to living in NASCAR's home territory).

It is a 110V heater and I will add a plug and run it to the oil filler door later on.

You can order it from: http://www.bsrproducts.com/

Here's the part number and cost from my invoice:
ELX-PH-2503 Probe Heater - 250W 3in Long $49.86

One note, they do not come with a provision for a safety wire, so you need to drill a small hole prior to installation.

FYI - BSR Products went out of business. However, these heaters are available from CV Products (who bought BSR's inventory) for the same price. You can contact them at 1-800-448-1123.
 
Just moving this over here...

Looking forward to seeing you fly your rebuilt and re-engined RV-9 in a SARL race but I guess that is going to be a while.

Whoever said the C/S prop is faster than the right fixed pitch prop is just wrong. Even an expert propeller engineer at Hartzell has confided that. C/S is the best compromise all around prop but not optimum for top speed.

Bob Axsom
Soon I hope!

It is ready to go but our weekends are booked so finding the time and the people to help me move it back to the airport has been a challenge.

I'm well aware that a FP prop can be much faster than a CS prop, at the expense of climb performance. But the RV's have never lacked in the climb department so that is a tradeoff I will take.

My fear is that my prop might not have enough pitch for me. The other challenge is that if I clean up the plane, as you have, then I have to replace the prop. One major advantage to CS props.
 
:D

Bill,
Are you doing repairs on yours or building a whole new airplane? It's been over two years! ;)

It has been a year and a half, and six months of that time was spent waiting for the insurance company and engine. Then there was the problem with the engine mount, and ...

I was going to move it to the airport this Saturday but because I'm going to be busy over Thanksgiving and I'm still waiting for one part, I have elected to wait until after the holiday.
 
Last edited:
Moving day

This morning I woke up at 6 AM because the gang was coming by at 8 to help load the plane for the move back to the airport. Out of the shower and sitting at the breakfast table at 6:30 I start to hear some strange noises outside. I looked out on the deck and it is white with sleet. What in the world? I was just outside picking up the paper and sure it was cold but it didn?t look or feel like any precipitation was imminent. Oh well, everyone is on the way over by now; let?s just see what the weather looks like at eight.

The first task was moving stuff out of the way so we could get the plane near the door. Outside go my painting rack, the Boy?s electric pick-up, the prop, and some other items.

The fuselage had been sitting on the roll-around stand for some time with the engine hung on the front. The engine hoist was holding the engine so the entire thing wouldn?t topple forward.

With RV-7 builder Andrew holding the tail down, we remove the hoist and started rolling the fuselage towards the door. Then disaster struck. Well, disaster if you consider crushing two little dolly wheels a disaster. It turns out the stand worked great but can?t support the weight of the fuselage with the engine on it and those little wheels promptly gave up their lives for the cause. An automotive floor jack came to the rescue and allowed us to move the fuselage towards the basement door.

We were then able to reach through the door with the engine hoist, lift the front of the fuselage out the door, insert the gear legs (which wouldn?t fit through the door), and quickly rolled it up on the trailer and secured it in place.

We then caravanned to the airport, stuffed the fuselage in the hangar and returned home.

The wings were quickly lifted onto the trailer and secured in the DRIVING SNOW! What? This is Charlotte, NC. It snows like once every five years, what?s it doing snowing on my moving day?

The drive to the airport was more interesting this time. A semi-truck decided to switch lanes, from the far left, across two lanes, to third lane where we were traveling and forced us on to the shoulder. Luckily there was room on the shoulder, no harm done.

The wings were unloaded next to the fuselage, the doors closed and we left for home.

We are going to wait until the local RV posse is available to install the wings. In the meant time, I?ll work on putting the tail on and some other minor items before she flies again.
 
You know this re-build is taking too long when Bill had to call me to get the combination for HIS hangar so they can get the plane in there :) Glad to see it back where it belongs.
 
Yeah, that does sound like a very familiar bad dream. I'm starting to work out how to maintain and utilize two RVs at the same time. I hope I don't forget the combinaton! Otherwise I might get left at home.
 
Happy New Year!

Today (12/31/2010) I performed the first engine start and this ECI O-360 is SOOOoooo very smooth! Much smoother than the old engine with a similar Catto prop!

There is still a list of things I need to do before she flies again but we are close to flying, very close.

The power difference between the 135 hp O-290-D2 and the 180 HP O-360 is stunning, even when idling at 1000 RPM. The thing almost jumped the chocks which never happened with the old engine.

This morning I went to the hangar, connected the ailerons and a few other small items. I then torqued the top plugs to spec, pulled the bottom plugs, turned the engine over by hand a bunch of times, and then cranked it over until I saw some oil pressure on the Dynon. With the bottom plugs in and torqued, the battery didn't have enough juice left to turn over the engine. So I plugged in the battery minder and went out to lunch. (Normal state for me.) When I got back and hit the starter, she fired right up.

I did three short engine runs, not letting the CHT's get above 350. I'll do two more sort runs before the first flight and will report back.

There is still a list of things that need to be completed before that flight, but with luck, that will all happen within a week or two.

Happy New Year!
 
Congratulations, Bill. I'm sure it's taken longer than you thought it would but it will be all worth it. I can't wait till I can start mine.
 
Today (12/31/2010)

The power difference between the 135 hp O-290-D2 and the 180 HP O-360 is stunning, even when idling at 1000 RPM. The thing almost jumped the chocks which never happened with the old engine.

Your first takeoff should add a new dimension to the "RV Grin". :D

Congrats on reaching the end of a long road, Bill, and best wishes for a wonderful 2011 in your new plane.
 
"Build the plane you want, not the plane others want you to build!"

But...........I wanted you to put a "bigger" engine in.........all along!:D

Looking forward to the first flight, report.. :)

L.Adamson --- RV6A
 
"Build the plane you want, not the plane others want you to build!"

But...........I wanted you to put a "bigger" engine in.........all along!:D

Looking forward to the first flight, report.. :)

L.Adamson --- RV6A

LA, I was watching the fuel flow's at the low power settings I was using and thinking, "Darn, those are higher than the cruise settings I had with the little engine." This bigger engine is going to hurt my wallet!
 
LA, I was watching the fuel flow's at the low power settings I was using and thinking, "Darn, those are higher than the cruise settings I had with the little engine." This bigger engine is going to hurt my wallet!

Just throttle back a bit. You should see similar fuel flow at the same airspeed.
 
Just throttle back a bit. You should see similar fuel flow at the same airspeed.

I'm curious about this. The old prop was a climb prop and this new one should be an uber cruiser. Thus, will I actually see higher airspeeds at the same fuel flows?
 
Tomorrow we will roll the -9 across the scales (Same ones we used to do the original W&B), back in 2007 the -9 came in at 990 lbs empty.

Here are the major changes that I have made, which might impact the W&B:

Added Dynon auto pilot (5 lbs)
EICommander (5 oz, call it half a pound with the wiring.)
Replaced the O-290-D2 with an ECi O-360 (21 lbs heavier)
Leather interior (8 lbs)
James holey cowl and cooling plenum (Weight unknown)
Some tie down rings in the baggage compartment
Some dirt
And who knows what else that I have forgotten about.

I?m guessing my new empty weight will be around 1025 to 1030 lbs.

What say ye, what do you think my new empty weight will be?
 
weight gain with age

I have added various components over the past 6 months, and kept pretty good track of them. I figured I added 12 lb of components. I just reweighed the plane, and it gained 20 lb. How does that happen?

Steve.

Tomorrow we will roll the -9 across the scales (Same ones we used to do the original W&B), back in 2007 the -9 came in at 990 lbs empty.

Here are the major changes that I have made, which might impact the W&B:

Added Dynon auto pilot (5 lbs)
EICommander (5 oz, call it half a pound with the wiring.)
Replaced the O-290-D2 with an ECi O-360 (21 lbs heavier)
Leather interior (8 lbs)
James holey cowl and cooling plenum (Weight unknown)
Some tie down rings in the baggage compartment
Some dirt
And who knows what else that I have forgotten about.

I?m guessing my new empty weight will be around 1025 to 1030 lbs.

What say ye, what do you think my new empty weight will be?
 
Quiet engine?

Bill,
I was standing near the runway where you rotated.
Could just hear the motor. Sound was not much louder than a car going by.
 
Long...

Thanks everyone!

The former svelte RV-9 is now 1068 lbs without paint. (I still think Radomir had his toe on one of the scales.) Radomir pointed out that we were using a different set of scales this time, so that could account for some of the weight gain. The original weight didn?t include the floor insulation, carpet, and some other things. I?m still in shock as to the empty weight but I can live with it. Radomir will tell you the weight gain is a result of the extra Adel clamps I added in this installation. He could be right but when I removed the old engine, there were no signs of wear on any of the wires, hoses, etc. So, if the extra weight is the price to pay, then I?ll happily pay it.

My numbers came out to:
1068 EW with a CG of 76.76. The CG works out rather nicely.

The only squawk seems to be the autopilot disconnect button doesn?t work, which means I can?t calibrate the AP, which also means I can?t turn it on. Not a big deal. I?ll fix that next time I go out to the airport.

Here is how the day played out.

I arrived at the airport at 8:30 AM and went to work draining the right tank (The left tank was already dry.), installing the cooling plenum, cowling, pre-heating the plane, doing a complete pre-flight, etc.

Things found in the pre-flight, the left tank?s quick drain was never tightened, only the right tank. The trim tab cable was disconnected at the knob in the cockpit. (Still trying to figure out how that happened.) Weighed the plane at 11 AM with the help of Radomir, Ed Anderson (of rotary RV fame), and Danny C.

Ed, Radomir, and I went for lunch. Upon returning from filling our bellies, I put 10 gallons in each tank.

After pulling the plane out, I climbed in, closed the canopy while saying to myself, ?Self, you need to latch that,? and started her up. With the oil already up to 75 degrees, it didn?t take long for all the temps to get into the green. I was going through my check list and realized that although I had my sun glasses on, I really should have a cap on. Not a big deal, this wouldn?t be a long flight, so I lined up on the center line.

I applied power slowly and was surprised at how quickly the tail came up. ?Boy, I?m going to enjoy this extra power!? I said to myself, just as the canopy began to lift. ?Dang it, I forgot to latch the canopy!? For a split second I thought about continuing and realized I really wanted my hat so I pulled the power off, spun around, and taxied back to the waiting crowd, who were all grinning ear-to-ear. One of them grabbed a hat for me, and I again lined up for the takeoff. At this point, my temps were still in the low green range.

I think the reason Mark thought my takeoff was so quite was that I?m not sure I had the throttle full in before I was flying. It is my habit to apply the power slowly and with the extra power, I can easily do partial power takeoffs.

A quick climb to 3000? (2500 DA) at 120 MPH found me circling over Goose Creek and then on to Monroe where there is a much longer runway. I spent 20 minutes circling there at 3000 feet, (Our ground elevations are under 600?.) and then flew back home.

Needless to say, I wasn?t spending a lot of time looking at the speeds but rather had my eyes tuned to the engine parameters.

While buzzing along at 2650 RPM / 25.0? I was seeing speeds in the 170 to 180 MPH range WITHOUT fairings. (I?ll give Craig Catto a call on Monday regarding these numbers as I could easily over speed the engine.) My climb rates were averaging 1700 FPM at 110 kts with my big ?ol butt and full tanks.

The first landing in my -9 in over 19 months was acceptable. After decowling, we adjusted the oil pressure (dialed it back), and found nothing else out of line.

Here are the temps from my 2nd flight:
___CHT___EGT
#1_342___1149
#2_366___1211
#3_366___1161
#4_366___1170

Oil 178F & 87 PSI

I need to make some air dams to put in front #1. Rather than riveting in the dam as recommended by Van?s, I put in plate nuts so I can easily install air dams, once I know what size they need to be. Temporarily, I will use aluminum tape to figure out the correct shape/size of the air dam.

As for how it handles, I did notice the extra weight up front. Two of my three landings were really nice wheel landings because I didn?t rotate it enough. I seem to recall DR telling me he experienced the same thing when he installed the O-360 in Flash, so I shouldn?t be surprised.

Thanks again to everyone on this board for all the help, suggestions, and encouragement over the years!
 
One other PIREP

On my second flight I tried the carb heat (Also checked it prior to flight) and found it quickly raised the carb temp by 10 degrees F.

I don't know if this is a result of the FAB I created to match with the Sam James cowl or the heat muff I used.

My suspicion is it has more to do with the heat muff than the FAB.
 
Last edited:
Glad to hear its flying again

Glad to hear you are flying again Bill. Just be careful taxiing this time. Hopefully one of us in the Louisville area will make their first flight this year but I doubt it will be me.
 
Bill, I've enjoyed reading your accounts of the original build, and the rebuild. Congratulations!

Now I think it's time to update your website :)
 
Congratulations

Bill that is good news. I can?t wait to here more from you in the future about the O-360. I am still trudging along on mine. Keep posting.
 
I got in another 1.6 today and confirmed the numbers I posted before.

Around 151 knots at 3000', 2600 RPM, 24.4", and 17.25 GPH. Running it hard during breakin

Craig Catto is cutting me a new prop as this one will allow me to over rev the engine and still don't have fairings on

I'm seeing an average of 1572 FPM at 110 knots in climb.

Before the flight I put a small strip of aluminum tape over the head of cylinder #1 and that helped me balance the CHT's. Now to make a shield and screw it in place of the tape. (Rather than riveting the shield's Van's sends with the baffle kits I put in plate nuts so I could make my own shields and size them as needed.

Here are the temps from today's flight w/ OAT of 54:
___CHT___EGT
#1_342___1172
#2_342___1207
#3_345___1186
#4_348___1174

Oil 174F & 84 PSI

Fuel flow during break-in is around 17.25 GPH. OUCH!

Now for the subjective part of flying with the larger engine. Since it has been 19 months since I last flew the plane, it is a bit difficult to compare the flights characteristics. Whereas I had a very light RV, I now have an ?average? RV. With the CG shifted forward but still well within the range, the plane feels heavier in pitch but not objectionably so. In fact, the change actually allows me to carry a little more as all the weight in the cockpit move the CG aft.

The most noticeable difference is during the landing. With the smaller engine and aft CG (78.82 w/ O-290 vs. 76.76 w/ O-360) it was very easy to three point it and you had to work at wheel landings. With the shift in CG, it is much easier to wheel land and a challenge to three point it while flying solo.

The ECi engine continues to pump right along and really feels strong!
 
Back
Top