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RV-6 rebuild project in Palm Springs CA

So I wonder what the status is of this build? Success?

Not quite yet!

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I started a house addition.
In the past few weeks I've built a garage and am about halfway through framing the main part of the job, which is a 900sqft bedroom, bathroom, 2x closets and office. I don't really like contractors, and the framer I hired turned out to be absolutely useless (sacked him on day two) so I've done most of it myself, with occassional help of a friend, a neighbor and my wife (who helped me lift two 16ft 4x14 beams into place and also shingle half the roof). I've quite enjoyed it, even in the monster heat, and it seems to be coming out OK so far.

It's a shame, because the aircraft is pretty much done. I have been doing a few things here and there, such as replacing the micture cable and cable bracket, fitting a FlyLEDs tail strobe and finishing the cowl fiberglass fettling. The panel is wired and the switches are labelled. With the Covid, the work situation and the house build, I just haven't felt the desire to get on with it.

My friend Brett Zefting flew over for a preliminary Condition Inspection. I got a ride in a Glasair 2 and was pleased to discover that I had made the correct choice in buying a Van's product. We went through the list found a few minor things to sort - placards and suchlike - but it's otherwise ready for the air.

I still haven't resolved the trim adjuster bracket. That's something I haven't been looking forward to, and I've been putting it off. Also, wheel pants and leg fairings, but they can wait.

Anyway, here's a shot of the house. Not a flying RV-6, sorry...

YArNc8Ah.jpg
 
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House looks great! I'll help with the wheel pants/fairings when I'm back out in the fall...I'll show you some of the handy ideas.
 
Wow, that's a huge and heavy project, but it looking like it's coming along nicely. When you're done with that, airplane re-building should be a piece of cake!
 
Latest update on this treacle-paced project...

Made a manual trim bracket. I never liked the flimsy centre console setup in the RV-6, so I re-routed the cable and figured I'd mount it sideways, so the knob rolls forwards and back, like a mini version of the trim wheel in a spam can.

It has taken me the best part of a year to commit to this design. Here is the bracket, and here is how the cable is now mounted. The bracket is monted using two of the wing spar bolts.

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I also chopped up my nice new Vans throttle and mixture cable bracket, which replaced the scary one that came with the aircraft. The problem I had was the mixture cable, which came through the firewall and then had to do a series of very tight, awkward bends to line up with the bracket. Not nice.

I used a piece of the old one CherryMax riveted to the new one. The heim joint is right at the very limit of its angle, but doesn't bind up. I wouldn't have built it like this, but it's the best I can do in this situation.

koOevlSl.jpg


JsBCrbll.jpg
 
Latest update on this treacle-paced project...
Made a manual trim bracket. I never liked the flimsy centre console setup in the RV-6, so I re-routed the cable and figured I'd mount it sideways, so the knob rolls forwards and back, like a mini version of the trim wheel in a spam can.

Maybe I'm missing something here but shouldn't you have mounted the trim cable the other direction? The trim knob rotates clockwise for nose down and counter-clockwise for nose up. Your installation would seem backwards if you are trying to simulate a normal trim wheel.
 
Not only that, the new trim bracket will interfere with the seat cushion. The thigh bolsters sit on top of the spar and extend forward an inch or so. At least mine do, and even if yours are shorter the passenger will still have that bracket buried in her left thigh.

Unless you're rebuilding this airplane to be a single-seater; then nevermind.
 
In reply to the trim wheel direction, yes, it runs backwards. I've flown aircraft with trim switches that run in reverse (push down for nose up, etc) and never found it a problem, so hopefully the same will apply here. The slow, fairly labour-intensive adjustment of the control, along with the light stick forces of the RV elevator, leads me to feel it will be safe to try it out this way. If it doesn't work, or is just irritating, I can change it.

With regards to the bracket interfering with the passenger's leg, it sits way below the front of the seat cushion and it not an issue. I also don't have any friends.
 
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Progress report, I guess.

I have one nut to tighten on a bulkhead grommet and the aircraft is ready to fly. I just keep putting it off, and I'm not sure why. Kind of lost my mojo.

I miss my RV-4 a lot. There's a lot to be said for having a functioning aircraft that you know inside-out and that is ready to fly at any moment's notice.

Not here to talk about the house addition build, but its framed and the roof is shingled. Awaiting signoff so I can plumb and wire and glaze.

Does anyone have any info about installing the Vans leg fairings and pressure recovery wheel pants? I fitted the brackets when I CLA'd the brakes and wheel bearings. Have all the parts, just looking for some direction so I don't screw it up.
 
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Your RV-4...

I visited with your ex the other weekend at LHM. Was cruising the airport on a friend's skateboard and there it was! Looked good sitting there and the new owner is a very nice gentleman. Seems like it is in good hands!
 
Yep, good aeroplane to a good guy. I'm glad it ended well, but I sure do miss it.

Today I started work very early and was finished by about 10.30, so I went to the hangar to screw with the plane. The aircraft has sat for months, one loose AN3 nut away from being able to ground run.

I tightened it up, pulled the prop through a few times to get the oil pressure up (I had pre-oiled it several months back according to the Lycoming SB) and let it rip. The engine fired within half a turn of the crank and ran beautifully - those twin E-Mags at work, I think. Once it was up to temp, I shut it down and looked for leaks around the engine and prop hub. Nothing. Good!

Then I started it up and ran it to 1800, mag check, prop check, then full power for 30 seconds or so. Then I unchocked it, untied the tailwheel from my truck hitch, and taxied it around the airport. Ground reported loud and clear on my radio check. It ran straight, turned nicely. Not quite as responsive as the RV-4 - I think the heavier CS prop induces some gyroscopic inertia - but perhaps that's no bad thing.

The brakes will not hold the aircraft at full power. I'm not sure if this is a problem, per se, but I can feel the CS prop just clawing at the air. Even taxiing, the acceleration is noticeable.

So two squawks. 1. The fuel pressure sender isn't working. 2. The fuel flow jumps up about 10 gallons when I turn on the fuel pump. This is because I placed them right next to each other and I'm pretty certain the Red Cube flow transducer instructions specifically say not to do this. So I feel really stupid. I've fitted a few of these over the years, so I should have known.

L7AWcZml.jpg


I still need to calibrate the fuel level sender in the right wing, but I don't trust those things anyway.

One more thing - holding the stick in your left hand feels very unnatural after 300 hours in the -4. The ergonomics of the cockpit in general were much nicer in the -4, although I do dig having some extra space around me.

Nothing else to report. I think it's ready to fly.
 
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What equipment are you using to monitor fuel pressure?

Someone, somewhere, makes a small accumulator that's intended to damp the pulses from that Facet pump. Moving it further forward might help a bit, but probably wouldn't cure the problem. Or you could possibly fab an accumulator out of some bits of tubing and fittings. Or ignore it, since you won't spend much flight time with the electric pump running under normal circumstances.

I can report in detail that said -4 is being well cared-for.

Beyond that, bravo. Looking forward to a flight report.
 
Thanks Lars.

I will either move the flow transducer forward, or create a sweeping loop in the fuel line between the two.

The RV-4 actually had the same issue, albeit with a much smaller effect, and the transducer was mounted right by the carb, several feet away from the pump. There was also a gascolater, which I would have expected to further damp the offending pump pulses, between the two devices.

For now, I'm not too bothered. The pump causes the transducer to over-read, so it'll show me burning more fuel than I actually am. If it were the other way around, it'd be more of a problem.
 
Well, it flies.

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I made three short flights. The first was from Palm Springs (KPSP) to Thermal (KTRM). I had planned to go to Borrego Valley (L08) but noticed my CHTs were going through the roof. Oil temp also getting extremely high. So I landed.

I left the engine to cool down a little, and also fixed a setup error in my EIS 4000 setup which was causing my MAP sensor to read low.

Then I flew back to Palm Springs. CHTs again way too high and the oil into the realms of utterly scary.

When I landed, I pulled the cowling off to discover this...

HsP67Wdl.jpg


A YEAR I have had my head in this engine compartment, and had never really considered why half the cooler was blanked off. The aircraft was built in Pontiac Michigan, so that would explain it. In Pontiac, you need to keep heat in your oil. Here in Palm Springs, where it's today 108F and an unusually high 22% humidity, you definitely don't.

I also noticed that my alternator had cut a hole in my cowling. I'm so glad I didn't choose to get this painted before today.

WgZ0t7Ll.jpg


I've ordered a belt which is an inch shorter, which should help get the alternator pulley up out of the way. Unfortunately it also means I have to take the prop off, so there goes half a day of my life (!).

I took the damned oil cooler baffle off and tried another flight, but again my CHTs and oil temps spiked on the climbout so I turned downwind and landed right away.

So I'd really like to work out why this engine is running hot. The baffling looks to be tight, with no big gaps anywhere. The exit duct seems small, but no different to any other RV I've seen.

Incidentally, the two things that I thought would concern me the most - flying with the stick in my left hand, and landing the thing, turned out to be non issues. It flies great and is spectactularly easy to land. I'd say it's easier than the RV-4 because speed control with the CS is a breeze, whereas the -4 took a bit of technique to slow it down. The only thing that bothered me with the CS was how easy it was to get too slow on base-to-final.

Which do I prefer? Well, I've only flown the -6 for 30 minutes and so far it has been baking its motor. So...
 
Glad to see you're back in the air with this plane. Even with the engine issues, it probably feels good to be with the plane in the forefront instead of with it as a lurking pressure in the background.
My first thoughts about your CHT and oil overheating are to check the emags and their timing. Also check the Vernatherm. Might there be an oil flow restriction through the cooler? Some people like to use larger oil lines. Was the oil cooler itself really hot after the flight? Given two hi temps, I doubt you have sensor issues, but I maybe EIS calibration?
 
Thanks. Yes, nice to have it flying.

I'm not sure about an oil flow restriction. Oil pressure is right where it should be. The cooler was extremely hot after landing.

Last night I went to a concert in the high desert with my wife and boy. Just couldn't stop thinking about it the whole time, so when I got back I went back to the hangar for a bit of further investigation. It's also a bit cooler at night - easier to think.

I had wondered (hoped) that I could have been running the wrong sensors (GRT requires J-type. I wondered if mine may have been Ks). The weren't - the wire colours were correct (red and white for Js) and they registered correctly on the EFIS when I put them in boiling water.

Next, I checked the timing. Rather than rely on the timing marks, I removed the spark plugs for cyl 1 and felt for the piston reaching the top of its sweep. The timing marks are where they should be, with TDC at TDC.

The E-Mags have the little wire jumper in to run the recommended 'B' advance curve, which allows an advance of up to 34 degrees. I checked timing and found them to be firing bang on TDC. This is where E-Mag's instructions get confusing - they first suggest that the mags be timed one to six degrees after TDC, and then go on to say that an engine that is supposed to be set at 25 degrees BTDC when running traditional mags (such as the O-360 A1A that I have here), the E-Mags should be timed at TDC. Which is what I did.

:/

The situation now looks to me to be too much advance, not helped by the half-covered oil cooler. Combined with the excessive heat (and high humidity) here at the moment, plus possibly old fuel (the tanks were filled in April), I think all added up to a thermal runaway.

Here's my strategy (I wanted to check the engine wasn't making metal so had planned to do most of this anyway)...

1. Change the oil and filter.
2. Open and check the current filter for metal.
3. Remove the governor gasket and check the mesh screen for metal.
4. Remove the mesh sump filter and check for metal.
5. Move timing back to 6 degrees after TDC (its making bags of power anyway, so may as well start with the manufacturer's lowest setting).
6. Change the spark plugs. The lower ones are pretty fouled with lead.
7. Check the mixture is set correctly.
8. Run the engine up to temp and do a leakdown test.
9. Fly and hope that I've caught the issue.
 
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My guess is that if the oil cooler was very hot, that the vernatherm is operating and at least some oil is flowing through the hoses and cooler.
Checking mixture is an excellent idea. The color of the exhaust pipe insides gives an idea of mixture. Shouldn't be black nor overly light colored. I think a brownish tan color is good.
Checking compression is also good idea because stuck rings from long sitting time could allow excess blow-by. This would increase CHT and oil temps. However, I doubt this would occur on all 4 cylinders at once.
Sounds like you have a good diagnostic plan. Wishing you luck with a quick diagnosis and remedy.
 
I hadn't considered the blow-by. I've already done a leakdown test on the motor and the test results were good, so suspect probably not an issue.

Regardless, I'll take the dipstick off and have a listen when I've got the cylinders pressurised.

Thanks!
 
Fairings

Fair up the gear legs, and put wheel pants on -- this will increase your speed which will push more air through the cowl/baffle/plenum ==> more cooling.

Found this out the hard way on my -7


Cheers
 
James, congrats on getting your RV-6 flying!

I too was having trouble keeping the CHTs down when climbing out in 100-degree ambient temps, but it now runs significantly cooler with baffle modifications made to the No. 2 & 3 cylinders. It gets airflow past the "zero fin depth" part of the cylinder and cools the lower part. This thread has some examples. I did something very similar to post #15.

https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=163788

Try everything else that you and others have mentioned first. Another option is a cowl flap (which I have), but I found the baffle changes were more effective.

Good luck!
 
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Thank you Doug - that is interesting reading.

Guess I need to go hunt down a 60s Cherokee to inspect. For the time being, I may do the washer mod, if it hasn't beed done already.

One thing that occurred to me after going through this with my friend Brett Zefting (also of this parish, just finishing-up an RV-8) is that I may have just spent too long running this thing on the ground.

To be honest, I was kind of freaked-out about flying it. There's something about jumping in a homebuilt aeroplane of unknown provenace, that you didn't build yourself, and that hasn't flown for over a decade, and firing yourself into the sky.

So I ground ran it for a while whilst I re-familiarised myself with the EFIS, then did a long taxi down to the 13 end of PSP's huge runway, then sat there and went through my preflight checklist twice, then waited for an Embraer to land, and then took off. The engine was hot from the moment it left the ground. I assumed it would cool down as I flew, but it was 115F OAT with 22% humidity, and it just didn't. I diverted into Thermal, which, as the name implies, is also an extremely hot place, and then flew home.

Probably should have picked early morning on a cooler day, but I'd be waiting another month or so for that to happen.
 
I have a coupla thoughts about it, having seen that plane in person, and having spent a bunch of time recently tinkering on your ex-4. Emags can be too advanced, for sure. Though I'll bet that's only part of it. I'm too lazy to try to type out all the thoughts that are going through my feeble brain, but if you are interested, give me a call if you can stand talking to a boring old guy. I'll PM my #.
 
Just back from another midnight cool-ish-air hangar thrash.

I dropped the oil. It's pretty discoloured and there is a slight glittery appearance, like you'd see at a 25 hours change. This oil has done about and hour, if you include all the ground runs and taxiing.

I removed and cut open the filter. No sign of anything untoward. This was the largest chunk I could find.

PmD3UfQl.jpg


I've packaged up an oil sample to send to Blackstone. I'm not sure what they'll tell me apart from '"it's burnt to heck", but at least it starts a trend for future monitoring. If there is a future for this motor.

Threw a boroscope in the cylinders. The walls look glazed, although they're the blue-top Nitrided ones, so they do tend to. I noticed this when I first inspected the cylinders about a year ago. The edges of pistons three and four looked a tad rough, like they could have detonation damage, but again, could be just freaking out.

I'll aim to do a leakdown test tomorrow. That should answer those questions.\

At some point I'd like to do a write-up on how this all came to happen. It was a series of things aligning, like the swiss cheese effect that usually precludes accidents.

Anyway, more to come. Stay tuned if you like reading about people doing stupid ****...
 
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Emags can be too advanced, for sure. Though I'll bet that's only part of it.

I've dialled the Emags back five degrees so I should now be running 29 degrees advance. Noticed the intake tube nuts were slightly loose, which made me wonder about a lean condition. That might a bit of a reach.

The baffling on the engine is actually pretty nice. I would like to do the mod to get air down the back of cylinder 3.

That's enough for now, off to bed. More shennanigans tomorrow night...
 
Maybe timing...

I've dialled the Emags back five degrees so I should now be running 29 degrees advance. Noticed the intake tube nuts were slightly loose, which made me wonder about a lean condition. That might a bit of a reach.

The baffling on the engine is actually pretty nice. I would like to do the mod to get air down the back of cylinder 3.

That's enough for now, off to bed. More shennanigans tomorrow night...

I forgot to add this detail...

I used dual Lightspeed Plasma III's on my IO-360-A1B6, and I had specified a 22° adv timing ring. After chasing cooling issues for the better part of a year, I decided to return to a 20° adv timing ring ---> CHT's dropped 15+°F and Oil came down about 10° with no measurable difference in airspeed.

The recommended timing for this engine is 20°, and has been since the mid-1970's. I decided to tweak it a little and go to 22° because the cousin of this engine, the -A3B6D, is set at 25°. I figured that all things being equal, a 2° advance couldn't hurt...

I don't know how eMag's set or derive their timing -vs- fixed/magneto/BTDC stamped on the data plate. I seem to recall that most 8.5:1 CR, 2700 RPM Parallel Valve Lyc's are set to 25° BTDC, increase the CR and decrease the advance... 22 for 9:1, 20 for 10:1 and so on...
 
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Hi Brian,

Interesting, I hadn't queried why they were able to run so much advance. So I just called Emag and asked the question. The answer was 'because we have the control to do it'.

I understand that they are experimental systems on an experimental aircraft, so if they work, they work, and if they don't, then its up to you to find a solution.

The Mags are timed to fire at 26 degrees advance, advancing up to 34 degrees with increasing RPM (controlled by vacuum). The mags are timedin reference to the TDC mark, and they didn't recommend going below -6 degrees. Instead they suggested pulling the vacuum pipe to keep the advance static (at 26 degrees), like a traditional mag would be.

I'm going to start with -5 degrees and vacuum advance attached, and then go from there. That'll obviously give a base setting of 20 degrees, and 31 degrees advance. If that doesn't work, I'll plug the vacuum as suggested.

Either way, I wish I hadn't just fitted these and trusted they'd work out of the box - I should have done my own checks. It is an experimental aircraft, regardless.

You live and learn (and sometimes the lesson is expensive).
 
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James,
Is is not at all uncommon for 6s to run somewhat hot. I guess you have no idea what temps it ran at before you bought it? I've been running P-mags since 2004 and doubt you have purely a timing issue, if you even have a timing issue at all. I would look at the mixture and ensure you are running sufficiently rich. Fuel flow should be in the 16gph range. Difficult to check for sure until you can get to in a medium power cruise and start to lean out looking for a 150F rise in EGT from full rich.
Assuming your baffling is directing all the air through the cylinders you may have to add louvres to increase the cowl exit area to get sufficient air through the cowling. When I added louvres to my O-320 powered 6A CHTs dropped 40F and oil 20 to 30F with ambient temps of 80.
Pete
 
Hi Brian,

Interesting, I hadn't queried why they were able to run so much advance. So I just called Emag and asked the question. The answer was 'because we have the control to do it'.

I understand that they are experimental systems on an experimental aircraft, so if they work, they work, and if they don't, then its up to you to find a solution.

The Mags are timed to fire at 26 degrees advance, advancing up to 34 degrees with increasing RPM (controlled by vacuum). The mags are timedin reference to the TDC mark, and they didn't recommend going below -6 degrees. Instead they suggested pulling the vacuum pipe to keep the advance static (at 26 degrees), like a traditional mag would be.

I'm going to start with -5 degrees and vacuum advance attached, and then go from there. That'll obviously give a base setting of 20 degrees, and 31 degrees advance. If that doesn't work, I'll plug the vacuum as suggested.

Either way, I wish I hadn't just fitted these and trusted they'd work out of the box - I should have done my own checks. It is an experimental aircraft, regardless.

You live and learn (and sometimes the lesson is expensive).

Except you're 1 degree too far advanced @ 26°...it should be 25° per the "book"
(https://www.lycoming.com/sites/default/files/O-HO-IO-HIO-AIO & TIO-360 Oper Manual 60297-12.pdf)

Is 1 degree going to make a difference? Well, 2° did in my case - so I dunno...

There's also a jumper option to adjust timing curves, Bill Reppucci and others have experience with this.

Good luck!
 
Hi Brian. I'm aware, and I'm still not really sure why the Emag can allegedly run this much advance (via the advance curve, at high power settings) when Lycoming say it can't, or shouldn't.

Anyway, I'm sticking with 26 degrees for now, because Emag don't recommend setting the bast timing below -6 degrees, and I'm right there.

Funny situation this. I understand what ignition advance is, why it exists, and why it should be set a certain way, but all this to-ing and fro-ing is making me doubt myself.

Anyway...

Tonight I put fresh Phillips 20W50 in the motor, installed four new BR8ES spark plugs up top, put the old ones down bottom, and ran up to temp. Then I adjusted my mixture screw to give 50rpm increase on ICO.

Here's the numbers from my EFIS:

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Fuel pressure sender is inop for now. Fuel flow seems unreasonably high - could have been due to my stupid aforementioned boost pump issue.

Then I removed and disposed of the old lower spark plugs, and did a leakdown test on all four cylinders.

My result were #1 76/80, #2 70/80, #3 75/80 and # 75/80. Decent enough. All hiss through the oil filler and not the exhaust - no cooked valve seats, which is nice.

Afterwards I fulled the prop to fit a shorted alternator belt to try and pull the alternator up away from where it was rubbing on the lower cowling. I hate messing with this prop - so awkward to take on and off!

I had never bothered looking inside the crank before, but now that there was oil coming out of it, I was curious. I found lots of lead sludge and filthy oil. Did some quick research on the matter and discovered that the crank acts as a cetrifuge, collecting loose metal and lead that's inside the oil, like an old Fiat or Honda motorcycle.

BLYJgUVl.jpg


The oil had a glittery sheen to it - unsure whether that's bearing swarf or lead particles. Either way, I cleaned out the hollow using a rag bundled and tie-wrapped around a long screwdriver.

I've decided against replacing the governor gasket (with mesh screen) for now - I think it'll just open up potential for leaks. I'm happy with the oil situation - now I just need to keep it within operating limits.

I bought the wrong length V-belt, so I'll sort that tomorrow. I'm eager to fly this thing again.
 
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OK, up at 4.30am yesterday morning to take advantage of the cool (92F) air. Engines just sound better in the dark.

Box climb to 6000 over the airport. All Ts & Ps in the green. Hottest cylinder hit 423F, which is something I can work on sorting out.

Here are some screen shots of the EFIS...

57qXat2l.jpg


It's a ripper (relative to my old RV-4) - cruises at 165 with no wheel pants or gear leg fairings. I'm hoping that'll put it just over 170 when I've got those sorted.

The fuel flow was confusing me. Its nice to see it's getting fuel - especially since the pressure sender isn't wired correctly - but it can't be burning 20GPH...

So I landed at Banning and investigated. Turns out I had the meter 'K Factor' set wrong in the EIS 4000 engine monitor, so I adjusted it accordingly. This also solved the runaway issue when I turned the boost pump on. Now have a momentary increase which stablises after a few seconds :thumbsup:

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I topped off with 36 gallons of fuel. The tanks on this aircraft are 52 gallons. I wanted to see how it flew in that config.

The answer was... pretty good. Still lots of performance. I headed west towards Chino, routing south of March AFB, towards the edge of the valley, because of that bloody overflight restriction in the Op Lims.

Coming in to land at Chino after a short flight, I ran out of forward trim for the approach.

I really hate the manual trim setup. As Mel suggested earlier in this thread, it runs the wrong way as presently configured. I'm used to it now but I don't like it. And the bracket needs to go. Electric trim is definitely on the project list.
 
So the reason for my visit to Chino was to help some friends get their newly-built RV-8 in the air. I met Brett and Julia at Axel's Inyokern Ice Cream Social a few years ago where they arrived in a nice -4 that they had borrowed. Julia was mega pregnant, and the -8 was still a pile of parts.

Brett and Julia smashed through the project, also somehow finding time to raise their baby daughter and work day jobs. The bulk of the build was done at the EAA hangar at Compton, and then moved to Chino for final assembly. I had acted as a second set of hands on about 0.00015% of the project (including fitting the wings at Chino, which I now realise is THE benchmark in any build), so when I heard it was ready to go, I wanted to be there to see.

The evening before the planned first flight, Brett noticed that the brake line fittings were leaking. So the next morning another friend, Zach, brought a wing jack from Compton, I flew in in the -6, and between us we pulled the legs and sorted the issue. It's kind of a big job on the -8, but any task on an aircraft is way nicer than working on a car.

I fitted the engine baffles whilst Brett and Zach did some other stuff, which went OK until I reached the front section and had to re-make it three times. I was fading from the early start. By the late afternoon we were all exhausted, but the -8 was ready to fly. Brett did the run-up and... discovered that the mixture control was fouling the lower cowling. Turns out that, until that moment, the throw had only ever been tested with the cowling off.

The fix involved flipping the heim joint bolt and replacing with a dome head AN3, which created an extra 1/8" clearance and solved the issue.

After that, a quick ground test and straight to the runway. Brett, being a professional pilot, was concious not to heat soak the motor on the ground like I, an unprofessional pilot, had done to my -6 the week before.

Lm4Jz79l.jpg


Julia drove us to the runway at warp speed to watched it take off. Quite a sight, seeing air under the wheels for the first time. A week ago this aeroplane looked like it was six months from flying, and now there it was, 1000ft in the air, hacking along the downwind at 200+mph.

Brett reported a hands-off climbout. After 15 minutes he landed - a fairing was vibrating loudly, otherwise everything else perfect. I pondered renaming the thing 'The Raped Ape' and how offensive the nose art would be.

GmOetuQl.jpg


We taped up the rear stab fairing and flew again, me chasing in the -6. I couldn't even nearly keep up - the -8 has 230ish horsepower and a blended airfoil Hartzell. I have 180hp, a Hartzell from the 80s that looks like two butter knives, and 50-odd gallons of fuel onboard. We flew around a bit, Brett doing wide orbits whilst I turned inside to chase. The sun set across the LA basin in a fierce orange glow through the smoke of 370 wildfires that are currently burning in the state. It was exactly the unique kind of moment that moved me to relocate to the US in the first place. Not the fires, but the unique freedom that exists to fly here.

Congratulations to Brett and Julia.

qIyilQTl.jpg
 
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Almost forgot my to-do list, now my -6 is flying...

1. The ADSB doesn't even register on the network. Something configured wrong. I had this same setup in the RV-4, so hoping it will be a straightforward fix once I look in the app and remember how I set it up last time.

2. The awkward manual trim. As previously discussed. Convert to electric. The only thing that stopped me doing this in the first place was that it requires a Bowden cable that I couldn't find at the required length.

3. Sort the fuel pressure sender wiring. This is just laziness, and because I don't really want to spend any more time with my head under the panel and sweat pooling in my eyes.

4. Fit a new stick grip. The project included a carved wooden grip that's really bulbous and weird to hold. Change out for something nicer, which includes a switch for the trim.

5. Tailwheel. I had the same oldschool non-castoring tailwheel on the RV-4 for three years and just put up with it. I'm done with it now - need something that castors and allows the aircraft to be pushed backwards.

6. Autopilot. I fitted the servos, wired it into the GRT HXr. I just need to read the manual and set it up.
 
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Did another 2 1/2 hours flying around the desert in the -6 today. It didn't take me long to fall in love - I absolutely adore it.

It's 90% of the RV-4 to fly, but things like the constant speed prop and the extra space make it a better experience overall. The sliding canopy is an absolute dream come true in these temperatures. I love taxiing around with it slid back and the wash from the prop lapping into the cockpit.

Before I closed the floor I put in 3/4 inch of fireproof foam. I don't know how noisy it would be otherwise, but the sound difference between this and the RV-4 is gigantic, and it makes it much more relaxing to fly.

I met up with Brett again in his -8 and we tore around the Johnson Valley for two hours. I showed him some sights, like Giant Rock and the Integratron, and a little ranch that a friend owns out there. Brett showed me how to do formation flight. We flew through the mountains and right down across the dry lakebeds. It was just a really great day.

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I'd really like one of those sliding sun-shades on the canopy, and also some better seats. The ones I have at the moment are perfectly serviceable, but my back is really messed up from building the house and I need all the help I can get.

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Still haven't worked out a flow to land this thing yet. It took me two attempts to get back onto the ground at PSP. With the RV-4, I simply slowed to 100mph at the end of the downwind, put in full flap, set 1200rpm, and turned towards the runway. It sort of landed itself - never a miss, even in a howling crosswind. With the -6 it feels like I have to have 2000rpm on just to keep the aircraft from plummeting out of the air. I'm sure it has everything to do with not being used to the prop, but I wish I had some base settings to work from.

The controller shouted 'Yayyyy, welcome home!' when I got down the second time. I think she must have had her hand hovering over the crash button as I made my first attempt.

Once on the ground it is an absolute peach. The gear feels less springy than the -4 and it tracks so true down the runway its like its on rails. The previous owner mentioned this to me as something he remembered even a decade after he last flew it.

Back in the hangar I noticed that the alternator had again eaten through the lower cowl. Less so this time, but I'm going to have to make a little bulge to free up some space.

I programmed and set the autopilot and went back out for an evening flight. I have both heading and altitude hold. It's super easy to use and works great - nice to kick back and watch the sun set over the valley. It's going to make me really lazy, but I don't care - I've hand-flown enough four hour legs to last me a lifetime.

I did some stalls whilst I was up. 36 knots power-on, and 31 power off. Vans figure is 42 knots (I assume at gross. I'm less - 135lbs and about 30 gallons of fuel on board). I'm happy with that. The break is straight and crisp, right into a gentle mush, with a quick recovery and no weird stuff going on.

For my next trick, I'd like to get the ADS-B working. It looks like the EchoUAT and Safe-Fly GPS aren't talking to each other - comms fail coming up in the system. I'm out of ideas on this one.
 
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fuel pressure

James, do you have the 301 ohm resistor feeding 4.8 volts from pin 25 on the EIS to the aux line dedicated to fuel pressure? It was missing on the 4. Also, on that aircraft the sender was installed directly on the fuel pump fitting. That killed it dead. Those VDO senders hate intense vibrations and need to be remotely mounted. Even then they can sign off alarming quickly. I have a pile of them to show for that.
 
Hi Lars.

I don't have the resistor or the 4.8V set up on the RV-6. I think I stuck the wire on there and never went back to complete the task. I can't believe I did the same thing on the -4... Actually, I can.

I can't remember where I put the pressure sender on the RV-4. Was it near the carb?

On the -6, I have fitted it to the gascolator. I was hoping I might be able to assign it to an analog input on the HXr as it has internal pull ups.
 
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James,
Glad you like the 6, I think the compromise from a 4 in handling and performance terms is more than made up in the seating and baggage. It took me a while to learn to land a 6 well (quite a lot longer than I thought it was going to). The chap who gave me some dual recommended 90mph on approach. I think that is too fast, 70kt/80mph is a good speed with whatever power is required to get to the runway - 16 to 1800rpm as a guess.

Your stall speed seems rather slow, I stall at around 50kt power off, so it may be you should approach at closer to 60kt/70mph or slower?

I do like the c/s prop as the aircraft has much more get-up-and-go, and also the landing roll is significantly shorter than with a fp.
Pete
 
James, I really like reading of your adventures with the -6 at PSP. Please keep it up!

regards
-Marc
 
I only found the -6 more difficult to land as the lesser visibility during the landing flare (3 pointers) makes it more difficult to judge one’s height above the planet... always trying to sit as high as possible...
 
Cheers Marc. Glad to be of service!

Pete, Dan - I went straight in with the three pointers, deeming wheel landings to be a bit advanced for the time being. Agreed on the flare height decision issue! Luckily the gear is very forgiving.

90mph approach definitely seems too fast. I was flying 70mph / 60kts. The reason for my baulked first attempt back into PSP yesterday was gusting wind - I decided to put in full flap, and had to carry almost full power to get me through the approach.

My speeds were all over the place, and when I chopped the power I just floated, like a frisbee, for a hundred feet or so in ground effect, eventually bouncing to earth with a wobbly splat.

The runway is enormous, and I had space to try again, but I didn't fancy the Taxi of Shame back from the far threshold. Plus I hadn't done a go-around in it yet, so now was a good time to try.

Second landing was a non-event. It really does float, much much more than the RV-4 did. I'd like to work out a way around that.

Pete - agreed on the CS takeoff roll. It pins you back in the seat and hauls out of there. It's hot as **** here at the moment - can't wait to whack those blades against some more molecules.

I noticed also that it was much easier to hold a position with the CS in formation flight with tiny movements of the throttle vs waiting for the FP -4 to accelerate, and then anticipating where to decelerate to slide it into position. The -6 just shunts into position with a pull of the throttle. I don't understand why (presume it's the minute pitch change that does it), but I like it a lot.
 
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Hi Lars.

I don't have the resistor or the 4.8V set up on the RV-6. I think I stuck the wire on there and never went back to complete the task. I can't believe I did the same thing on the -4... Actually, I can.

I can't remember where I put the pressure sender on the RV-4. Was it near the carb?

On the -6, I have fitted it to the gascolator. I was hoping I might be able to assign it to an analog input on the HXr as it has internal pull ups.

An analog input is certainly an option, though I personally would prefer having it on the EIS simply because even though they are a crude thing, they tend to be as reliable as rubber doorstops. When I wire an EIS I pull the blue wire (4.8v) out of position #25, snip off the pin. Strip the wire a couple of inches from the end, then solder/heat shrink the resistor to the bare spot. Re-pin and reinstall the blue wire. Then the aux wire of interest (it was #4 on the -4, if you know what I mean) gets the same treatment. A bit more heat shrink to hide the mess, then reassemble to EIS. Simple.

From a vibration standpoint, no issue mounting to the gascolator, but you'll only see fuel pressure when the electric pump is running unless your plumbing is unusual. Also don't forget that the VDO sender grounds through the case, so what ever it's connected to needs to be electrically grounded.

Typical install is using one of the oddball Lycoming fuel pump fittings that Van's sells, that has an AN-6 male port to feed the carb, and a female threaded 1/8 NPT port for pressure. Install a 1/8 NPT male x -4AN fitting there, run a -4 hose from it. Van's sells a firewall mount manifold for installing senders, but strictly speaking you can install the sender at the other end of the hose, then use some sort of all metal clamp to fasten it to the firewall. Sounds like a lot of work perhaps, but if you have the parts on hand it's trivial.

As for speeds, with my constant speed RV-7, 90/80/70 knots works, but on short final if I don't want to watch the runway disappear behind me I need to be down to about 65 or even a bit less. I use full flaps all the time, even in gusting crosswinds, but that's just me.

And that constant speed prop :cool: I get asked occasionally how well my -7 slips. My answer is fine, but unnecessary. With the blue knob in and throttle out with full flaps, I'm going straight down. Having about 50 hours in a fixed pitch -9A I am well aware of how difficult it can be to get down and stopped (made a fool of myself the first few landings) but that's not the case in mine. Like it that way just fine...
 
Updated my EFIS and got my EchoUAT talking to the GPS. Whilst I was staring at the screen, some genius fired a Honda Civic through the airport fence. The passenger ran off, which was interesting.

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This is the second time I've seen this happen in six months. The last time it was a flying Dodge truck, cleared for the option, which came to rest about 100ft inside the airport.

Anyway, fuel pressure sender is wired-up and working. It only reports when the boost pump is on, as Lars suggested, but I'm OK with that.

Flew an hour this afternoon. Did some rolls and loops. Fell out the top of a loop. I like the constant speed prop A LOT.

Tried a spin, fluffed the entry, fell out of the sky backwards and didn't feel brave enough to have another go. I'm not super keen on the harnesses - I think they're standard Vans, and I'm about 82% sure they're fine, but I think I'd like something with a heftier latch.

Played with the autopilot. I've got headings worked out, but no idea how the altitude function works. At one point went into a mad +/-1000ft oscillation. I watched it for a bit, and shut it off when it looked like it was going to lob me right through Vne :/

Also need to fix a heavy left wing. I've been gently pinching the right and trailing-edge-banging the left and its getting better.

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Ordered a Koger canopy shade.

Nothing else to report at present. I still love it, and am enjoying learning, and working through the little issues. Can't wait to get the wheel pants sorted out.

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Started the dreaded wheel pants.

Rough fit in daylight.

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Back at night with a laser level and an engine crane. Lifted the acft from the engine mount so that the wheels were -just- off the floor. Raised the tailwheel so the canopy slider was level.

Measured width of unloaded gear.
Aligned laser from spinner to tailwheel fork and marked the floor.
Translated and marked the gear width measurements from the front to the rear of the acft using the centreline as the reference.
Aligned the laser with these marks (including rolling it over a few degrees to align vertically with the tire) and then aligned the pant with the laser by eye. Fore-aft levelling was done using a spacer under the rear tip of the each pant.

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The box of oil on the left wing is to level the aircraft as the right side tank has more fuel in it. The acft is in perfect lateral balance and is barely in contact with the floor - you could slide a piece of paper under each wheel, but that was it.

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The pants and leg fairings are Vans, I think. The upper intersection fairings are by someone else and fit a lot better than the Vans ones.

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Blue tape is me trying to decide to trim the leg fairing to fit the narrower upper intersection fairing or not.

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The build manual goes into great detail about making sure the leg fairings are square to the airflow, but the nicely-made upper intersection fairings hold them in a very definite position that I don't think I'm going to argue with.

Now to work out how to hold all this together. The build manual says to use alu hinge on the trailing edge of the leg fairings in a method similar to that used on the engine cowl. That would keep the fairings removeable, but I'm not sure how one would do that once the intersection fairings are closed up anyway, so I wonder if I may just epoxy the trailing edges.

Also, the build manual says to clamp the fairing on to the gear leg. I've seen this on other acft where the slits for the clamp start to tear apart and it gets ugly. Feels like the upper intersection fairing would hold the leg fairing very snug if I simply screwed that into the fuselage and let the leg fairing hang from the taper. Thoughts?
 
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gear leg fairing upper attach

While I was building I observed several RVs with gear legs attached using slits in the fairings at the top, and hose clamps, per plans. Many were cracked.

I attempted a variant (sorry, no pix available though I could get one if you want):
I made 4 tee shaped pieces from aluminum sheet. Probably .032" because I have a lot of it around, but I don't recall exact thickness. I riveted them to the top of the fairings with the branch sticking upward, thus giving something to which I could fasten the clamp. I formed the branch parts so they sorta followed the curvature of the gear leg. Clamped legs in place. There are probably lots of other good ways to do it but the above has survived almost 1000 hours and innumerable crappy landings without failures.
 
....The build manual says to use alu hinge on the trailing edge of the leg fairings in a method similar to that used on the engine cowl. That would keep the fairings removeable, but I'm not sure how one would do that once the intersection fairings are closed up anyway, so I wonder if I may just epoxy the trailing edges.

The manual is basically correct. Once the fairings are fitted with the hinge pin, they can be rotated a bit after the end parts are removed and the pin flexed enough to be removed.
 
The upper gear fairings hold the leg fairings in place on my RV4 as you mention. When you say "close up" the upper gear fairings I hope you do not mean you plan to fiberglass it together at the aft end. If it remains as is, when you remove the screws holding it to the cowl it will slide down the leg or can be removed altogether. This allows the leg fairing to also be removable. The lower intersection fairings get glassed to the wheel pants and become a permanent part of them.
 
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