I'd like to put in a good word for a vendor.
Everyone remembers the semi-panic when Precision announced they would no longer support the Marvel-type carburetor line. Eventually it was sold to Tempest, who formed a new division for the carbs and called it Volare Carburetor LLC.
A very popular 0-200 powered SLSA has suffered a history of what I will call "carb oddities", one notable example being performance at WOT in climb. If you pulled the throttle back from WOT it would gain 50-100 RPM. Other airframes with the same engine/carb combo were also reporting problems. Precision had lost a lawsuit, Continental was cautious, and the airframe manufacturers were stuck. All you could get from any quarter was "We're working on it". Everybody had a different theory, and everybody blamed somebody else. It was a mess.
When Volare got rolling I called them about the problem. A staffer put me in touch with the boss, Tim Henderson. It didn't take much conversation to see things were going to be different with these guys. Tim had heard about the problems and was clearly very interested in getting to the bottom of it. He made an immediate commitment ("...whatever it takes") and laid out a plan. They would measure, blueprint, and tweak the carb as necessary. We would test fly, gather detailed data, and report. Together we would eliminate or confirm possible causes not directly involving the carb (mixture distribution, airframe supply fuel flow, airbox, etc).
Keep in mind, Volare didn't build this carb.
Ok, cut to the chase. Saturday I flew what I believe to be the last test flight. Everything about the installation is better...much better. The O-200 is now smooth at all RPM settings, idles like a clock, and makes power as it should. Carb heat and mixture response is now consistent through the entire range. Even mag checks are better. Compared to where we started, it is like a whole new airplane. I could not wish for a more successful outcome.
The bottom line? The people at Volare were methodical, persistent, and professional at curing a problem they didn't create....and they got the job done.
I think we can stop worrying about our carbs now.
Everyone remembers the semi-panic when Precision announced they would no longer support the Marvel-type carburetor line. Eventually it was sold to Tempest, who formed a new division for the carbs and called it Volare Carburetor LLC.
A very popular 0-200 powered SLSA has suffered a history of what I will call "carb oddities", one notable example being performance at WOT in climb. If you pulled the throttle back from WOT it would gain 50-100 RPM. Other airframes with the same engine/carb combo were also reporting problems. Precision had lost a lawsuit, Continental was cautious, and the airframe manufacturers were stuck. All you could get from any quarter was "We're working on it". Everybody had a different theory, and everybody blamed somebody else. It was a mess.
When Volare got rolling I called them about the problem. A staffer put me in touch with the boss, Tim Henderson. It didn't take much conversation to see things were going to be different with these guys. Tim had heard about the problems and was clearly very interested in getting to the bottom of it. He made an immediate commitment ("...whatever it takes") and laid out a plan. They would measure, blueprint, and tweak the carb as necessary. We would test fly, gather detailed data, and report. Together we would eliminate or confirm possible causes not directly involving the carb (mixture distribution, airframe supply fuel flow, airbox, etc).
Keep in mind, Volare didn't build this carb.
Ok, cut to the chase. Saturday I flew what I believe to be the last test flight. Everything about the installation is better...much better. The O-200 is now smooth at all RPM settings, idles like a clock, and makes power as it should. Carb heat and mixture response is now consistent through the entire range. Even mag checks are better. Compared to where we started, it is like a whole new airplane. I could not wish for a more successful outcome.
The bottom line? The people at Volare were methodical, persistent, and professional at curing a problem they didn't create....and they got the job done.
I think we can stop worrying about our carbs now.
