First engine start!

I got a real bug last night to start my engine... wasn't really planned. I didn't get to the airport until 8ish. I torqued the prop bolts and installed the spinner. Pulled the plane out to the fuel pump and put 8gals in each tank and towed her back into the hangar. I called the wife and told her to come quick as I was going to start it up. I checked for fuel flow using the aux fuel pump into a gas can and then double-checked all the fittings. I ran the pump again with the line connected until I got a fuel pressure reading.

Sandi arrived so we pushed it out on the ramp. I hoped in and gave it a whirl... away she went on about the 3rd blade! Ran really good for maybe 20-30 seconds and then got real rough. I shutdown to investigate and found fuel on the bottom of the carb. I suspected the mixture was probably not set correctly and was running to rich. I cleaned up the fuel and then checked for leaks elsewhere.

I hoped back in and after changing the tach setting on the EIS (was reading 3,000+ rpm on first start) I started it back up with the mixture about half way in. She ran much better this time..... I let her run for 2 minutes or so and confirmed oil pressure/temp and also that I was getting EGT/CHT readings. On shut down, she didn't really want to stop running... again, I think the mixture isn't set right.

So I got to practive my RV grin! Pretty cool to have it running. My wife caught the 2nd run on her Treo video phone... you can view here. (You'll need Quicktime.... it's in a weird format.)

I'll do some more investigating into the carb issue and then run it a bit longer and do a mag check. I'm getting closer.... first flight before end of month?

Engine start

Congrats! I'm soooo looking forward to starting mine. Any day now for me. I think I'll call the local TV news organization to come out!

Very Exciting ... BUT

I can't wait till the date that I can attempt this... However, be advised of a couple of things.

a) If you have a new engine, or one that was just rebuilt, running it at low manifold pressures is really bad for the rings to seat and break in. Much of this will cause them to GLAZE and then you will have an oil usage problem longer term.

b) short runs wihout getting the oil temp up to above the boiling point is really bad for internal parts. Moisture is the internal killer and short runs with long pauses will cause water to condensate internally and it will rust components or cause unnecesaary wear due to increased Iron Oxide.

The above is the catch 22 with building an airplane, expecially an experimental. Those first 2-5 hours on the engine are the most critical to proper breakin, and yet they are the ones where you want to test, taxi, test, taxi, etc. All the latter, really bad for a new engine.

Have fun, but keep these tidbits in mind. I know of one Mooney, where the owner got a new engine in the winter time, couldn't fly, but wanted to "keep the oil stirred". He'd run it, and shut it off for about 2-3 mins, each couple of weeks during the winter. Come spring and summer, he wondered why his oil consumption remained high after flying for 10-15 hours. Turned out that he glazed his rings and had to tear it down and hone the cylinders and re-ring it to get it to stop using oil.... An expensive lesson for him and one that could have been avoided.

my .02
Alan

I am getting a new engine from Penn Yam Aero. They run it for about 1.5 hours at full RPM before they ship. I expect to go into taxi tests as soon as I can. Should I take any special percautions (only run for so long, minimum amount of idle, etc) regarding running the engine? Expect taxi tests in March, not too cold here in CA.

First engine start

Larry,

Allen at BPE told me to make sure the cylinder head temps do NOT get over 380 during ground runs or you risk glazing your cylinders. This may depend on the type of cylinders you have though.. I have new Lycoming cylinders. He also said to keep ground runs to a mininum. Do what you need to do but no more. Obviously, engine break-in is critical.

Dan C. 'educated' me a bit too after watching my video. He said you should tie the tail down or attach it to something. I wasn't intending to do a run-up, so I didn't see a reason to do that... but what if the throttle got stuck open or something? The brakes on an RV won't hold at full throttle. Have several others watching for fluid leaks/fire/etc and have a procedure in place to indicate when to shut down.

high speed taxi tests

There are two opinions on high speed taxi tests; 1) don't do them, 2) do.
After doing two high speed taxi tests in my 9A I now fall into the "don't" camp. Second run, I accidently lifted off. I had enough runway to set down, but it was not what I was planning to have to do. Even with plenty of runway, I came close to that point of having to go to full power and go around. When I came to full stop I was sitting on the numbers. So, bottom line, unless you are ready to fly, I say slow taxi is enough. I'm not sure what I accomplished anyway other than scaring the @#%& out of myself. Also, after the taxi/flying incident I read Van's recommendation to not do it. It really doesn't take much to get airborne. Jack

N523RV said:

Dan C. 'educated' me a bit too after watching my video. He said you should tie the tail down or attach it to something. I wasn't intending to do a run-up, so I didn't see a reason to do that... but what if the throttle got stuck open or something? The brakes on an RV won't hold at full throttle. Have several others watching for fluid leaks/fire/etc and have a procedure in place to indicate when to shut down.

Click to expand...

I wasn't gonna mention it in public, but I do think there's some value in doing so. I'm putting on my EAA Flight Advisor hat. So, without trying to hurt anybody's feelings, here goes...

You (the collective you) have no idea what that engine is gonna do on the first run. Even thought it's unlikely, I have heard of too many cases where the RPM went sky high unintentionally. Brand new brakes simply do not hold the plane well...and not just at full throttle. They will often slip at surprisingly lower RPMs until they've broken in. The key word being "surprise." Don't need that. And obviously breaking them in is a chicken-and-egg thing...need the engine running to taxi to break the brakes in, need the brakes broken in to hold the plane during engine run.

So don't depend on brakes! Especially do not depend on the parking brake. This is all untested stuff!! Sure, maybe they hold when your buddy pulls on a wingtip...but will they hold when you've got all that thrust up front? You just don't know for sure. I kinda freaked out a little when I saw the video. Absolutely tie the tail down on the first engine runs, and particularly on any full power run-up. No, you are not going to bend anything. And do chock the tires!!! I didn't even see any chocks on any of the tires in that video -- yikes!

Do everything you can to ensure there won't be an accident. Wouldn't it suck if you spent years building, and you're nearing the finish line, only to have a stupid accident occur during an otherwise benign engine run? TAKE YOUR TIME and do not rush into this.

I also freaked out a bit when I saw the engine run being done at night with a bright spotlight pointed right at the pilot. Would the "crew" be able to see a leak happening? Fuel spurting from some fitting, oil drizzling from a hose end or loose fitting, etc. And if the crew did see it, would the pilot be able to see the crew waving their arms frantically if the spotlight was pointed right at his eyes? Probably, but maybe not. Presumably you had a member of your crew with a transceiver and a headset on, so you could communicate by radio, so maybe this isn't as big of a deal as I'm making it out to be. But nighttime can only hinder the process. I personally think first engine runs at night are NOT the best idea.

My assumption is that too many builders have learned these lessons the hard way. If you finally get your plane ready for the engine run and the sun has set -- do yourself a favor and sleep on it. Wait until daylight the next day, or when you have the opportunity to do it right, and do it safely.

Video...is your "crew" busy keeping the plane in frame, or are they intently watching the engine for leaks and various other gotchas? Videotaping can be a real distraction. If you're having somebody tape the momentous occasion, that's all well and good, but you had better have somebody else there who is carefully inspecting the engine while the tape is rolling.

I mean these comments as no disrespect, but I hope others will heed this advice. It's a wonderful moment and milestone when you start that engine for the first time. Take much care to ensure that it won't be the LAST time you start that engine on that plane, and that you won't risk harming anything or anybody around you.

Ok, I wore my Flight Advisor hat for a minute...it's coming back off now...

)_( Dan
RV-7 N714D
EAA TC & FA
http://www.rvproject.com

My First Engine Start Experience

Interestingly I am reading Dan's advice after the fact by only a couple of days. Fortunately, I had some experienced helpers who showed up with fire extinguishers and lots of common sense.

You can see the video here

In my case it turned out to be a wonderfully bright and sunny day. It was a good thing, too. Right after startup my spotters could see an oil leak. It was my fault because I hadn't tightened the AN fittings on the oil cooler. I'm not sure we would have spotted this at night, and I'm sure I wouldn't have noticed if I were by myself.

My friend Todd suggested we tie the tail to his pickup truck, just in case. Although this didn't turn out to be necessary, it did give me a sense of security.

Also, I approached it as I would the first flight, with a checklist and a goal in mind. I think this was a good idea, since I was pretty much a basket case afterwards.

Mike Schipper
www.my9a.com

Unusable fuel

Mike,

First of all, congratulations on starting your engine!

I read your write-up on your site. One thing that stood out was your assumption about unusable fuel. That's not the best way of determining that value imho.

Draining fuel out of the tank is not a representation of what can be USED, it represents what can be DRAINED. Put the airplane in a climb attitude and pump fuel through the system. What's left in the tank (which can then be drained and measured) is an approximation of what will be unusable in flight. You will most likely find that in flight (running a tank dry, if you choose to do that test), the actual unusable quantity will be a fair bit higher than you measured in the ground-based test.

In any case, just wanted to bring this to your attention. That, and the fact that there was a car in the path of your left wing!!! Be careful guys. Stuff happens. Remove every possibility of an accident, and then carry on. Maybe I'm picking nits here, but it's always the thing you thought was least likely to happen...

Anyway, keep working on those finishing details, and you'll be flying soon! Be safe.

)_( Dan
RV-7 N714D (765 hours)
http://www.rvproject.com

Unusable fuel

Dan,

Thanks for the feedback and advice. I agree that my assumption about the unusable fuel is bogus. I was mainly just surprised that I put a gallon in and got almost all of that gallon out.

Mike Schipper
www.my9a.com

Want A Sad Story?

I had a friend who spent about three years building his plane. (not a RV). The big day came for the engine start so they pushed it outside the hanger, pulled the throttle back to idle, reached inside and hit the starter. The throttle was hooked up backwards and so it started off at full throttle. He quickly turned off the mags but had forgotten to hook up the P leads so it took off and hit the hanger. It didn't have only about 10 feet to go but it got the prop, one wing and the side of the plane. My friend at that point suffered a stroke and never regained health so never got to fly. Sold the plane to a broker and passed away about two years later.
Be very carefull. A lot of mistakes were made by my friend, you can see what they were. Lets learn from other peoples mistakes we can't afford to make them on our own.

RV 9A 52HS