N941WR
Legacy Member
After a little over eight hours of flying and 12 + landings we have a keeper.
All my flights to date have been at 3,000 feet or below, full rich, and without wheel pants or fairings. This is required for engine break-in. This has greatly limited the tests I would like to perform.
I have not performed any climb tests as I?m still fighting high CHT?s on cylinders 3 & 4. What else is new? Oil temps are holding steady at 190 degrees, which isn?t bad since the ramp temps have been in the high 90?s or low 100?s all week.
With only 135 hp on tap and duel P-mags, the thing jumps off the ground. I can only imagine how quickly a 160 hp or, God forbid, 180 hp -9 does! Even on these hot days, I?m off well before the 300 foot marker.
Handling qualities are typical RV, only just a little bit slower. Even though the VS and rudder on the -9 is the same as that used on the -7, it seems better matched to this plane for some reason. I have only flown a -7A a few times and I think the larger VS and rudder is a good thing.
As stable as the -9 is, on the hot bumpy days I?ve been flying, I understand the desire to have an autopilot installed for longer trips. Let?s just say that I?m very happy I installed five point Hooker Harnesses.
It is very easy to pick up a wing with rudder alone, which is a good thing. Ruddering into a turn is very easy and stable. Something I used to do when instrument flying.
Both manual trims are very effective and I?m still learning how to trim this thing out. By hour three on Sunday I had it down.
I?ve found that 65 MPH is the magic number for approach, just like I used on my first flight. This may go to 70 MPH when I have a passenger, only testing will tell.
Slow down to 60 MPH on final and it starts to sink, kind of like a -6 or -7 does at 70. Once the engine is broken in, I?ll try some landing flair stalls at altitude to see how much energy I have left at those speeds to flair.
If I come over the numbers at 70 MPH on my home field, (2300 x 30 feet. Yes, it looks more like sidewalk than a runway.) I float halfway down it before I can touch down.
Cruise speeds are yet to be worked out but in the no wind conditions I?ve been flying, I?m seeing 148 MPH on the GPS. I expect that number to go up once I get my cooling issues resolved, install the gear and pant leg fairings, and I can climb and lean it out for best power. Not bad for such a small engine.
My seats cushions are from Van?s and w/o the extra one inch piece of padding, I can see over the nose with the tail down. The Doug Bell tail wheel might have something to do with that, I?m not sure since I?ve never flown with the stock tailwheel.
The airplane tracks straight on landing, a very easy TW airplane to land. On take off, I?m surprised at how much right rudder is needed to keep it straight. If you are a low or no time TW pilot and you want a -9 but are going to build a -9A, think again. This thing is VERY EASY to handle on the ground.
My choice of Dynon EFIS D100 on the left side and EMS D10 on the right has been a good one. All of my flights have been with the engine instruments displayed on the right third of my D100 screen. The new display format (software upgrade) is VERY easy to read and interpret. On the first few flights I found myself looking at the steam gauges but I?m slowly migrating to the Dynon.
As for the assembly of my -9, there have been a few minor issues. One of the exhaust hanger nuts backed off, allowing the bolt to fall out and the exhaust to move. I don?t know how this happened but it did. It was one of the metal lock nuts, as called for in the plans. The retaining nut on the back of the carb heat knob came off, found that one during a pre-flight. The right flap push rod hole needs to be enlarged just a touch. The rod scrapes when going down but only when putting the flaps all the way while in a turn. Go figure on that one. Oh, I did have the electrical connector for the fuel flow meter come off in flight. That was kind of neat to see that I wasn?t using any fuel but the thing up front was still making noise. The 5A breaker/switch for the fuel pump doesn't stay on when the cockpit gets warm from sitting in the sun.
This coming weekend I hope to finish breaking in the engine, change the oil, do a Thorough inspection, and finish fitting the fairings to I can get some real testing done.
Lest you think all is bad, each time I fly this thing I'm amazed at how few problems I have had. The engine is sound, there are no fuel or oil leaks, the electrical system is doing what is suspposed to (except for that pesky 5A breaker/switch), the radio is clear and powerful, etc., etc., etc.
All my flights to date have been at 3,000 feet or below, full rich, and without wheel pants or fairings. This is required for engine break-in. This has greatly limited the tests I would like to perform.
I have not performed any climb tests as I?m still fighting high CHT?s on cylinders 3 & 4. What else is new? Oil temps are holding steady at 190 degrees, which isn?t bad since the ramp temps have been in the high 90?s or low 100?s all week.
With only 135 hp on tap and duel P-mags, the thing jumps off the ground. I can only imagine how quickly a 160 hp or, God forbid, 180 hp -9 does! Even on these hot days, I?m off well before the 300 foot marker.
Handling qualities are typical RV, only just a little bit slower. Even though the VS and rudder on the -9 is the same as that used on the -7, it seems better matched to this plane for some reason. I have only flown a -7A a few times and I think the larger VS and rudder is a good thing.
As stable as the -9 is, on the hot bumpy days I?ve been flying, I understand the desire to have an autopilot installed for longer trips. Let?s just say that I?m very happy I installed five point Hooker Harnesses.
It is very easy to pick up a wing with rudder alone, which is a good thing. Ruddering into a turn is very easy and stable. Something I used to do when instrument flying.
Both manual trims are very effective and I?m still learning how to trim this thing out. By hour three on Sunday I had it down.
I?ve found that 65 MPH is the magic number for approach, just like I used on my first flight. This may go to 70 MPH when I have a passenger, only testing will tell.
Slow down to 60 MPH on final and it starts to sink, kind of like a -6 or -7 does at 70. Once the engine is broken in, I?ll try some landing flair stalls at altitude to see how much energy I have left at those speeds to flair.
If I come over the numbers at 70 MPH on my home field, (2300 x 30 feet. Yes, it looks more like sidewalk than a runway.) I float halfway down it before I can touch down.
Cruise speeds are yet to be worked out but in the no wind conditions I?ve been flying, I?m seeing 148 MPH on the GPS. I expect that number to go up once I get my cooling issues resolved, install the gear and pant leg fairings, and I can climb and lean it out for best power. Not bad for such a small engine.
My seats cushions are from Van?s and w/o the extra one inch piece of padding, I can see over the nose with the tail down. The Doug Bell tail wheel might have something to do with that, I?m not sure since I?ve never flown with the stock tailwheel.
The airplane tracks straight on landing, a very easy TW airplane to land. On take off, I?m surprised at how much right rudder is needed to keep it straight. If you are a low or no time TW pilot and you want a -9 but are going to build a -9A, think again. This thing is VERY EASY to handle on the ground.
My choice of Dynon EFIS D100 on the left side and EMS D10 on the right has been a good one. All of my flights have been with the engine instruments displayed on the right third of my D100 screen. The new display format (software upgrade) is VERY easy to read and interpret. On the first few flights I found myself looking at the steam gauges but I?m slowly migrating to the Dynon.
As for the assembly of my -9, there have been a few minor issues. One of the exhaust hanger nuts backed off, allowing the bolt to fall out and the exhaust to move. I don?t know how this happened but it did. It was one of the metal lock nuts, as called for in the plans. The retaining nut on the back of the carb heat knob came off, found that one during a pre-flight. The right flap push rod hole needs to be enlarged just a touch. The rod scrapes when going down but only when putting the flaps all the way while in a turn. Go figure on that one. Oh, I did have the electrical connector for the fuel flow meter come off in flight. That was kind of neat to see that I wasn?t using any fuel but the thing up front was still making noise. The 5A breaker/switch for the fuel pump doesn't stay on when the cockpit gets warm from sitting in the sun.
This coming weekend I hope to finish breaking in the engine, change the oil, do a Thorough inspection, and finish fitting the fairings to I can get some real testing done.
Lest you think all is bad, each time I fly this thing I'm amazed at how few problems I have had. The engine is sound, there are no fuel or oil leaks, the electrical system is doing what is suspposed to (except for that pesky 5A breaker/switch), the radio is clear and powerful, etc., etc., etc.
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.... yes, we all know, you loose MAP in a NA engine the higher you go, but each engine combo will vary where that knee in the curve steepens.
