Scott Will
Well Known Member
My first 40 hours. What a rush. My plane goes for paint on Feb 1. Works out well because that's the coldest month here in Atlanta!
Here is my recap:
The Airplane
Overall, performing very well. Here are the squaks I've encountered so far and what I've done to correct them.
The Performance
Hard to measure because of my horrible indicated airpseed. But I have managed to do a number of GPS runs to determine speeds at various power settings and altitudes. Initially I was quite disappointed in the speeds we were getting (140 kts, 2500 rpm on initial flight with no fairings or pants). However those all came up big time as I got the fairings and wheel pants on.
At 8000' and 75% power (WOT) I am getting 197 mph, just as Van's says. However I'm still slower than what Craig Catto said I'd be. Maybe that is because my engine is only revving 2650 max. He said he could repitch it so it will turn 2700+. Might do that when it's in paint.
At 5500', I have more numbers to share. They are as follows:
RPM Speed (kts)
2200 139.8
2300 150.7
2400 153.1
2500 160.9
2600 167.8
The Flying
I can't tell you how much fun it is to pull a plane out of your own hangar, fire up, fly with your buddies, push it back in and call it a day. Especially one that YOU built! Before this project, I lived a sheltered flying life... renting C172s from the local flight schools. You never knew what you were going to get. The furtherst I had previously flown from Atlanta was probably on my long cross country. Just the other day I took my RV to the southside of Charlotte, flew with the RVers up there and flew back in formation... all in time to make dinner with the inlaws. This thing is a time machine. The airplane almost makes you look good. Sure the first few hours were not as precise as I'd like to be (holding headings and altitudes) but now that's a walk in the park.
Kahuna and the gang has been awesome in teaching me formation. What a blast. It's getting more and more comfortable by the hour. I enjoy the comradarie, concentration, fun, and everything else rolled into one.
The People
Last but not least I am meeting tons of great people. No matter where I stop it seems like someone wants to look over the plane. Or I see another RV I hadn't seen before pull up for gas at a remote airport. Before you know it you run out of time talking all things RV.
Stuff I'd like to do to the plane
Stuff I Like
Some of the things I especially like about my plane!
Keep on building. It's all worth it!!!
Here is my recap:
The Airplane
Overall, performing very well. Here are the squaks I've encountered so far and what I've done to correct them.
- Prop seal - The original two piece unit broke on first flight. Replaced with a once piece unit. Been fine since Kahuna and I replaced it.
- EGT #4 inop - replaced with a new probe from GRT. Works fine now.
- SL-30 transmit inop - several issues. Fixed a faulty bulkhead BNC connector, fixed the mic gain on my SL-30, found a loose screw in the SL-30 tray grounding out things, fixed the squelch on my GMA-340.
- High CHT's - fixed baffling around inlets. Had to make extensions at front of cowl. After fixing, they are now reading about 375 on the back cylinders and about 358 on the front cylinders. I did use some aluminum tape on the front cylinders to bring them up closer to the rear cylinders.
- Reversed elevator trim - swapped wires on the servo. But at the same time I removed the elevator and drilled a new, separate hole for the wires so they won't chafe on the threaded shaft on the servo.
- Autopilot inop - tested wires for continuity and correctness. Servo sent back to TT and they found it had an internal error. Currently waiting to receive it back to reinstall in plane.
- Airspeed reading low, about 10 -12 knots! - Static system seems OK as verified by IFR check and with other aircraft. Dynon pitot probe is suspect. Ordered new Gretz probe to see if this fixes the problem.
- Lights pulse on LC-40E dimmer - working with Flight Data Systems to figure this one out.
The Performance
Hard to measure because of my horrible indicated airpseed. But I have managed to do a number of GPS runs to determine speeds at various power settings and altitudes. Initially I was quite disappointed in the speeds we were getting (140 kts, 2500 rpm on initial flight with no fairings or pants). However those all came up big time as I got the fairings and wheel pants on.
At 8000' and 75% power (WOT) I am getting 197 mph, just as Van's says. However I'm still slower than what Craig Catto said I'd be. Maybe that is because my engine is only revving 2650 max. He said he could repitch it so it will turn 2700+. Might do that when it's in paint.
At 5500', I have more numbers to share. They are as follows:
RPM Speed (kts)
2200 139.8
2300 150.7
2400 153.1
2500 160.9
2600 167.8
The Flying
I can't tell you how much fun it is to pull a plane out of your own hangar, fire up, fly with your buddies, push it back in and call it a day. Especially one that YOU built! Before this project, I lived a sheltered flying life... renting C172s from the local flight schools. You never knew what you were going to get. The furtherst I had previously flown from Atlanta was probably on my long cross country. Just the other day I took my RV to the southside of Charlotte, flew with the RVers up there and flew back in formation... all in time to make dinner with the inlaws. This thing is a time machine. The airplane almost makes you look good. Sure the first few hours were not as precise as I'd like to be (holding headings and altitudes) but now that's a walk in the park.
Kahuna and the gang has been awesome in teaching me formation. What a blast. It's getting more and more comfortable by the hour. I enjoy the comradarie, concentration, fun, and everything else rolled into one.
The People
Last but not least I am meeting tons of great people. No matter where I stop it seems like someone wants to look over the plane. Or I see another RV I hadn't seen before pull up for gas at a remote airport. Before you know it you run out of time talking all things RV.
Stuff I'd like to do to the plane
- Make a holder for sectionals, mp3 player, registration, etc.
- Make or buy stick and aileron boot covers.
- Make a spot for a fly-away kit that can be tied down.
- Seal tip-up canopy. Rubber molding on its way from McMaster as I write this.
- Finish glass work.
- Brake return springs as suggested by a local 6A driver.
Stuff I Like
Some of the things I especially like about my plane!
- My Aerosport Engine - hasn't skipped a beat and is extremely smooth.
- My Oregon Aero seats - very comfy.
- My Panel - everything integrates so well. Can't wait to get the A/P working so I can enjoy it even more.
- My Lightspeed 30-3G's - even better with music!
Keep on building. It's all worth it!!!
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