Greetings to all! I thought some might be interested in a first 50 hours report for my RV8. A brief history... build started in Feb 2011, first flight Sep 29, 2019 with plans for arriving at OSH unpainted with Phase 1 done. Then COVID...
My transition training with Jan Bussell went well, and the first flight ended with perhaps the best landing to date, a nice three pointer with no left over energy. I’m a low time tail wheel pilot so take off and landings have been somewhat adventurous during phase 1 and since.
Phase 1 issues encountered:
(1) loose jam nut on throttle cable at fuel servo after 10 hours - surprised by this one because I am a student of Vic’s forums.
(2) oil leak at the right magneto gasket, detected by oil in bottom of cowl after flight, replaced gasket.
(3) fuel leak at the AN fitting aft side of the boost pump, detected by erratic fuel pressure readings, tighten fitting.
(4) erratic manifold pressure readings - solved by placing a rivet inside the an fitting on the #3 cylinder with a 1/16” hole to moderate the pulses.
(5) hartzell blended airfoil prop seeping grease - detected on windscreen. Turns out there’s an issue if the prop sits up for a while (mine did) the aero shell 6 breaks down. Serviced the prop, took 5 squirts of the gun, and over the last 10 hours or so, seems to be slowing down (per advice of Hartzell). If it does not stop completely, I’ll send it back to Hartzell for overhaul under warranty.
(6) This is an overhauled IO360 180 hp Lycoming. Now sorting out a higher than desired CHT on #2. I’ve reworked the baffle material the ring gear, but hard to tell any improvement since I’m now in the middle of GA summer.
That’s all folks! The plane flies with no heavy wing since the beginning, very happy with the flight characteristics. If the stars align, she goes to paint on Sep 1, I’ve been working with Jonathan at Plane Schemer on the design, and really looking forward to the finished product, so to speak.
I’m still a bit stunned with having a plane that flies... sometimes I just stare at it after a flight in a bit of disbelief!
Y’all stay safe !
My transition training with Jan Bussell went well, and the first flight ended with perhaps the best landing to date, a nice three pointer with no left over energy. I’m a low time tail wheel pilot so take off and landings have been somewhat adventurous during phase 1 and since.
Phase 1 issues encountered:
(1) loose jam nut on throttle cable at fuel servo after 10 hours - surprised by this one because I am a student of Vic’s forums.
(2) oil leak at the right magneto gasket, detected by oil in bottom of cowl after flight, replaced gasket.
(3) fuel leak at the AN fitting aft side of the boost pump, detected by erratic fuel pressure readings, tighten fitting.
(4) erratic manifold pressure readings - solved by placing a rivet inside the an fitting on the #3 cylinder with a 1/16” hole to moderate the pulses.
(5) hartzell blended airfoil prop seeping grease - detected on windscreen. Turns out there’s an issue if the prop sits up for a while (mine did) the aero shell 6 breaks down. Serviced the prop, took 5 squirts of the gun, and over the last 10 hours or so, seems to be slowing down (per advice of Hartzell). If it does not stop completely, I’ll send it back to Hartzell for overhaul under warranty.
(6) This is an overhauled IO360 180 hp Lycoming. Now sorting out a higher than desired CHT on #2. I’ve reworked the baffle material the ring gear, but hard to tell any improvement since I’m now in the middle of GA summer.
That’s all folks! The plane flies with no heavy wing since the beginning, very happy with the flight characteristics. If the stars align, she goes to paint on Sep 1, I’ve been working with Jonathan at Plane Schemer on the design, and really looking forward to the finished product, so to speak.
I’m still a bit stunned with having a plane that flies... sometimes I just stare at it after a flight in a bit of disbelief!
Y’all stay safe !
