Ed_Wischmeyer
Well Known Member
On the last flight in the RV-8, right after takeoff, there was an unusual sound somewhat like the electric fuel pump. I landed immediately, and then...
The pulse repetition rate seemed too slow to be engine related, but first priority was getting the plane on the ground, not debugging the problem at low altitude.
Next day, took the cowl off, and Mike, my IA, inspected the engine carefully. Nothing. Loose rubber strips flapping? Nope, but close.
On the RV-8, there is an air intake under the right wing to provide fresh air to the back seater. Mike found that the scat tubing had a tear, and perhaps that was the culprit, with the tube flapping back and forth. He managed to cut out the bad portion of the tube and then reattach it, something I'm not sure I could do.
This morning, it was time for the test flight. Tower cleared me for takeoff, maintain runway heading. Uh, no thanks... if the problem wasn't fixed, I wanted to be able to turn downwind immediately. Takeoff clearance declined. And on the takeoff, I was aware that landing on the crossing runway would have been dicey, at best.
But the good news was that the noise had gone away. Once again, reinforcing the safety adage that in a homebuilt, every flight is a test flight. And that's not a bad attitude for spam cans as well.
The pulse repetition rate seemed too slow to be engine related, but first priority was getting the plane on the ground, not debugging the problem at low altitude.
Next day, took the cowl off, and Mike, my IA, inspected the engine carefully. Nothing. Loose rubber strips flapping? Nope, but close.
On the RV-8, there is an air intake under the right wing to provide fresh air to the back seater. Mike found that the scat tubing had a tear, and perhaps that was the culprit, with the tube flapping back and forth. He managed to cut out the bad portion of the tube and then reattach it, something I'm not sure I could do.
This morning, it was time for the test flight. Tower cleared me for takeoff, maintain runway heading. Uh, no thanks... if the problem wasn't fixed, I wanted to be able to turn downwind immediately. Takeoff clearance declined. And on the takeoff, I was aware that landing on the crossing runway would have been dicey, at best.
But the good news was that the noise had gone away. Once again, reinforcing the safety adage that in a homebuilt, every flight is a test flight. And that's not a bad attitude for spam cans as well.