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My first 40 hours

Scott Will

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.
  • 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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Great information Scott but most important.....Glad you are enjoying the fruits of your labor! I can't wait to get that feeling. $$$ are lining up and hopefully I can order the quick build kit early 07.
 
Dynon Pitot problem ??

I have been disappointed with the IAS and TAS in my -7a and since I had the pitot/static systems checked I was scratching the noggin trying to see what the problem was. My performance figures are very close to yours.

I too have a Dynon Pitot and would be interested in your results with the Gretz.
 
I've contacted Dynon and SafeAir1 (from whom I purchased the pitot). Both say that you can simply use it as a plain pitot and that's what I tried to do with my GRT and backup airspeed. However the more people I run into with the Dynon probe the more I hear of similar airspeed readings. I've posted on Dynon's BB but everyone says I have a leak. Well I changed out the wing root connector and that didnt help. I'm using the same type of connector on the static system and that appears to be fine. (connectors are also from SafeAir1 using their kit).

I'm wondering if the Dynon EFIS is someway calibrated to take into account their probe since it also has the AOA port. Either that or there is something internally wrong with the probe such as a huge opening. I know there are/should be drain ports but those shouldnt affect things.

I hate to take the expensive option of getting a new pitot probe. We'll see if that works. Could also try pressure testing the system but again the type of connectors I am using have proven OK on the static side.
 
Great!!

Hey Scott,

Great report. It just gets better. Before you know it you're doing your first annual.

I'm doing that know and can't believe it. I'm composing a report and will post soon.

Look forward to meeting you down the road.
 
Scott,

Reference your airspeed error:

I had a similar situation while flying off my 40 hrs on my new 9a. I have a Dynon 10a, a Dynon pitot, and the SafeAir static system. By using my gps, flying multiple "box" flights and using Kevin Hortons excellent spread sheet I determined that my airspeed was indicating 7+% low. I had the pitot/static system certified IFR by an avionics shop--the Dynon was right on the shop's calibrated instruments on airspeed and altitude and the static system had no leaks. After talking to an aeronautical engineer acquaintance of mine (Mark Brown who designed the Pulsar line of aircraft) we determined that the flush static port itself may be the culprit----which it was. Long story short I tested several ways to move my static port out into "active" air (seems the air right next to the skin on my aircraft is "dead" at cruise speeds) by using some small aluminum spacers. My accuracy is now within 1 kt. You can see all the steps needed to get to that point by searching the threads submitted by Scott DellAngelo.

Best Wishes and Good Luck,

db
RV9a/ECI 0360/James Cowl/Catto Prop
 
Tip: wait to have your plane inspected on the first few days of the month. Mine was signed off on Sept 29, 2006. That means I only get 11 months (effective) before my first annual!

Darwin - same here. Look forward to seeing ya around! Hopefully I can fly my plane out your way to say hi to you and one of my main build helpers who moved to TUS. He is owed many rides in N410S.
 
Scott:

"Lights pulse on LC-40E dimmer".

Try turning the dimmer down a bit and see if the lamps stop pulsing.

I suspect that you have an externally regulated alternator. If this is true, give me a gold star.

The 'problem' with Van's alternator regulation method is that it can lead to voltage pulsations on the main bus. When you turn your dimmer all the way up, it tracks this voltage pulsation. When you turn the dimmer down, the dimmer's internal voltage regulator smooths the variations out.

I have a similar problem, and I have a 'fix' in the works. For anyone building new, make sure that you run at least an 18 AWG wire from the main bus to the regulator and use a 10A breaker. Any resistance in the field circuit ahead of the regulator will makes these pulsations worse.

Vern Little
 
Vern-

Thanks for the heads up. I have a B&C 40A alternator with their external regulator. I believe my wires are 18 ga but if I recall, my breaker is 5A. Do you think the B&C alternators act like the Van's units?
 
db1yg said:
Scott,

Reference your airspeed error:

I had a similar situation while flying off my 40 hrs on my new 9a. I have a Dynon 10a, a Dynon pitot, and the SafeAir static system. By using my gps, flying multiple "box" flights and using Kevin Hortons excellent spread sheet I determined that my airspeed was indicating 7+% low. I had the pitot/static system certified IFR by an avionics shop--the Dynon was right on the shop's calibrated instruments on airspeed and altitude and the static system had no leaks. After talking to an aeronautical engineer acquaintance of mine (Mark Brown who designed the Pulsar line of aircraft) we determined that the flush static port itself may be the culprit----which it was. Long story short I tested several ways to move my static port out into "active" air (seems the air right next to the skin on my aircraft is "dead" at cruise speeds) by using some small aluminum spacers. My accuracy is now within 1 kt. You can see all the steps needed to get to that point by searching the threads submitted by Scott DellAngelo.

Best Wishes and Good Luck,

db
RV9a/ECI 0360/James Cowl/Catto Prop
Click to expand...

Scott,

If following along.... DING, DING, DING... I believe this is also what Tim Olson found in his RV10 and doing the same thing solved his problem as well. Tim actually changed the static ports on his...
 
Fluctuating alternator fix

Scott Will said:
Vern-

Thanks for the heads up. I have a B&C 40A alternator with their external regulator. I believe my wires are 18 ga but if I recall, my breaker is 5A. Do you think the B&C alternators act like the Van's units?
Click to expand...

Scott, I think your configuration should be good, but I have no experience with this setup.

Today, however, I modified my my external regulator setup which uses the Van's 35A alternator with their external regulator. This setup is prone to oscillation due to voltage drops and resistance in the field circuit wiring.

My fix was to wire a relay into the field circuit that connects the regulator directly to the alternator B lead when the ALT switch is turned on.

Regulator_relay.jpg


See the bottom of this web page for more information.

My flight test showed rock-solid voltage and no fluctuations. The cockpit lights were steady (before they were not). The voltage on my voltmeter reads 14.1 volts, about 0.1 volts below the regulator set point. This makes sense because the voltmeter is several connections and lengths of wire downstream of the main bus.

Previously, I would see 14.3 to 14.5 volts on the voltmeter, depending on load and phase of the moon (resistance in the circuits and voltage drops across connections and the regulator was several feet of AWG20 downstream from the main bus as well). This would imply 14.6 or more volts on the battery... a tad high.

It looks like I licked the voltage oscillation problem in my aircraft, but I'm not certain if you have the same problem.

Vern Little
 
Reminder

RV7Guy said:
Hey Scott,

Great report. It just gets better. Before you know it you're doing your first annual.

I'm doing that know and can't believe it. I'm composing a report and will post soon.

Look forward to meeting you down the road.
Click to expand...

IMHO, do not log your inspection as an "Annual" unless you are a Licensed A&P or Licensed Inspector. As a "Builder" you can log condition Inspections only in your log book. Just an FYI to keep your logs clean IMHO...
 
Experimental aircraft don't get "annuals" by anyone. Only "condition inspections" regardless of who does the inspection. The wordage is including verbatim in your operating limitations.
 
Correct

Mel said:
Experimental aircraft don't get "annuals" by anyone. Only "condition inspections" regardless of who does the inspection. The wordage is including verbatim in your operating limitations.
Click to expand...

Yes Mel, but for some reason there are A&P's and Inspectors that like to include that word "annual" in their wordage along with "condition inspection". I guess if you're performing the inspection on an annual basis it's kind of a true statement... and maybe they don't want their clients to forget to come back next year. :D
 
Same process, different name

I'm aware it is a "condition inspection." Perhaps it should be called an "annual." Why isn't it? I see no differences in the methodology, only who is doing it. Just another one of those differences between the certified world and Experimental. Once heard an A&P tell a non pilot dude, that Experimentals don't get annuals. He didn't explain what occurs. This was before I was involved and didn't know either. Just another crumb for the media to tear apart because of semantics.

Regarding the static ports, I used the big rivet method and everything checks out fine.

LifeofReiley said:
IMHO, do not log your inspection as an "Annual" unless you are a Licensed A&P or Licensed Inspector. As a "Builder" you can log condition Inspections only in your log book. Just an FYI to keep your logs clean IMHO...
Click to expand...
 
I Agree

RV7Guy said:
I'm aware it is a "condition inspection." Perhaps it should be called an "annual." Why isn't it? I see no differences in the methodology, only who is doing it. Just another one of those differences between the certified world and Experimental. Once heard an A&P tell a non pilot dude, that Experimentals don't get annuals. He didn't explain what occurs. This was before I was involved and didn't know either. Just another crumb for the media to tear apart because of semantics.

Regarding the static ports, I used the big rivet method and everything checks out fine.
Click to expand...

I agree fully Darwin. After all, you are the builder. I guess you could put fourth some sort of a document that you as the builder require your aircraft to have an annual inspection once a year and basic condition inspections quarterly if you really wanted to. I guess the FAA figures if we had the right to use the word "annual" that we would be out trying to maintain all kinds of airplanes with our repairmans certificate. :eek:
 
Similar set up . D100/Dynon AOA pitot, but we have the new SafeAir static ports that do not sit flush.
THe dynon is right on the numbers. The 2" Vans indicator is off 5 knots at 100 knots.
db1yg said:
Scott,
I had a similar situation while flying off my 40 hrs on my new 9a. I have a Dynon 10a, a Dynon pitot, and the SafeAir static system. ...
Click to expand...
 
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