pauldan181
Well Known Member
After 10.5 years of sporadic building, my 8A and the test pilot were finally ready
last Friday. Orbiting the airport at 5,000 ft. was out of the question with the
Minneapolis class B lurking overhead so the plan was to launch out from Flying Cloud Muni, get some altitude and fly down the Minnesota River valley with lots
of small town and farm airstrips along the way in case the fan quit.
It didn't quit, in fact the engine and flight controls performed as good as I could have hoped. After and hour orbiting the town of Le Sueur at 5000 ft with the power set 24 square, keeping in mind the engine break-in period, eventually
you gotta come down. I did some slow flight and a simulated approach config.
at 5k. when I looked down to switch tanks again, what the heck?? How could I have less than 10 gallon left? I started out with 30. Naturally I imagined a gushing fuel leak under the cowl somewhere. Fuel pressure good, engine running smooth, no fuel smell, time to get back to the busy pattern at KFCM.
Approaching the pattern I was rudely greeted by an annoying swarm of mosquito spraying helicopters returning from their larva killing sortie, with the controller pointing each one out. "Yes lady I see them all" the visibility is unbelievable in this thing. Now number 3 behind a champ, next "RV 1SB keep
speed up, Citation on 3 mile final" Jeez lady, anything else I can do for you,
I'm only trying to land this thing for the first time EVER, for crying out loud!
I don't THINK I had the mike keyed for that last part.
Landing was not bad, maybe a little skip then rolling straight down the centerline.Yeah! Back at the hangar the welcoming committee consisted of
my hangar neighbor preflighting his Bonanza. I got a pat on the back and he says " finally got that basement plane in the air, cool"
Basement plane??? "I'll have you know sir that this is more correctly a garage
plane and soon as I get the gear fairings back on I'll be passing you up" He looked skeptical and took off to wherever it is doctors in Bonanzas go.
I uncowled the engine and looked everything over, no fuel leak, just a small
oil leak and the fuel guages showed 15 gallons left.
A few observations from my vast 1.5 hours of RV experience:
1) Van's fuel guages with the S/W float senders, while remarkably accurate
on the ground level and still will lie to you in the air, especially when the air
is rough, which it was.
2) I should have put in some type of fuel flow indication. It's on my short list.
3) Aileron trim might not be needed, especially on the tandem seat models.
I'll probably take the trim motor out and use that spot for a tru-trak servo.
4) Transition training, not an option, especially for low timers like me. I spent
a couple of days with Jan Bussell in Florida a few weeks ago and he gave
me the "full treatment."
5) As been said before many times "KPTR" it's worth it!
6) And Stein, nobody's laughed at my "sissy nosewheel" yet so that paper bag
with the eyeholes cut out can be passed on to the next guy.
Thanks anyway
Paul Danclovic
Carver MN / Albuquerque NM
RV-8A N181SB
Aerosport, Hartzell, Lightspeed
FLYING!
last Friday. Orbiting the airport at 5,000 ft. was out of the question with the
Minneapolis class B lurking overhead so the plan was to launch out from Flying Cloud Muni, get some altitude and fly down the Minnesota River valley with lots
of small town and farm airstrips along the way in case the fan quit.
It didn't quit, in fact the engine and flight controls performed as good as I could have hoped. After and hour orbiting the town of Le Sueur at 5000 ft with the power set 24 square, keeping in mind the engine break-in period, eventually
you gotta come down. I did some slow flight and a simulated approach config.
at 5k. when I looked down to switch tanks again, what the heck?? How could I have less than 10 gallon left? I started out with 30. Naturally I imagined a gushing fuel leak under the cowl somewhere. Fuel pressure good, engine running smooth, no fuel smell, time to get back to the busy pattern at KFCM.
Approaching the pattern I was rudely greeted by an annoying swarm of mosquito spraying helicopters returning from their larva killing sortie, with the controller pointing each one out. "Yes lady I see them all" the visibility is unbelievable in this thing. Now number 3 behind a champ, next "RV 1SB keep
speed up, Citation on 3 mile final" Jeez lady, anything else I can do for you,
I'm only trying to land this thing for the first time EVER, for crying out loud!
I don't THINK I had the mike keyed for that last part.
Landing was not bad, maybe a little skip then rolling straight down the centerline.Yeah! Back at the hangar the welcoming committee consisted of
my hangar neighbor preflighting his Bonanza. I got a pat on the back and he says " finally got that basement plane in the air, cool"
Basement plane??? "I'll have you know sir that this is more correctly a garage
plane and soon as I get the gear fairings back on I'll be passing you up" He looked skeptical and took off to wherever it is doctors in Bonanzas go.
I uncowled the engine and looked everything over, no fuel leak, just a small
oil leak and the fuel guages showed 15 gallons left.
A few observations from my vast 1.5 hours of RV experience:
1) Van's fuel guages with the S/W float senders, while remarkably accurate
on the ground level and still will lie to you in the air, especially when the air
is rough, which it was.
2) I should have put in some type of fuel flow indication. It's on my short list.
3) Aileron trim might not be needed, especially on the tandem seat models.
I'll probably take the trim motor out and use that spot for a tru-trak servo.
4) Transition training, not an option, especially for low timers like me. I spent
a couple of days with Jan Bussell in Florida a few weeks ago and he gave
me the "full treatment."
5) As been said before many times "KPTR" it's worth it!
6) And Stein, nobody's laughed at my "sissy nosewheel" yet so that paper bag
with the eyeholes cut out can be passed on to the next guy.
Thanks anyway
Paul Danclovic
Carver MN / Albuquerque NM
RV-8A N181SB
Aerosport, Hartzell, Lightspeed
FLYING!
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