Hope you had a nice Monday and your Tuesday goes swell.
v/r,dr
AeroGarage advertises some machined cups that will securely slip over the ram of most jacks, ram size up to 1.25 inches. He also makes a tie down ring that, in addition to fitting the cup cleanly, will actually secure to it with a through-pin. Well-made and very clever. I bought the cup several months ago thinking it might fit my Cleaveland tie downs but it doesn't. I went back to order his tie-downs but I think AeroGarage has stopped making them, they haven't been available for quite a while.
Pics of my engine baffles in the front - RV6, O-360 (carbed).
First pic - the air blocker plates as delivered with the baffle kit from Vans.
Second pic (if you zoom in) - the blocker plate in front of my #1 cylinder as modified during phase 1 for CHT control.
The plate in front of #1 has been pretty much been cut off. My #1 was getting very hot during full power climbs at first. Now it it still shares the hottest cylinder with #4 in climb, but runs very close to #2 & #3 in cruise running lean. #4 is the hottest by about 15* in all phases of flight. I now have a butterfly valve in that 3” scat opening feeding cooling airflow to my oil cooler on the firewall. Closing the butterfly in flight has very little effect on #4 CHT, and it’s fully closed about 6 months out of the year. That has mostly to do with the uneven fuel/air distribution in my carbureted engine. My #2 runs the coolest in all phases of flight with the blocking plate untouched from original.
Every airplane is different, with carbureted ones usually being the most varied in CHT’s. I’m surprised my 1, 2, & 3 are so close together in cruise flight - within 5* normally.
Cockpit Pic Added (EX819RT RV-7A)
…to my folder of cockpit pics. This taken 3/9 at Randy Richmond’s shop at 52F.
v/r,dr
dougreeves.smugmug.com
OFF TOPIC:
Please consider donating annually to help keep this American 1-person pirate ship afloat:
Get your VansAirForce.net Charity Cap!
Past ‘VAF News’ issues:
THE VAF LIST (a list of RV-related lists)
v/r,dr
8 Ton bottle Jack conversion to lift plane
I bought two HF 8 ton bottle jacks. They are shorter guys 9" to 17.75", with about 8.75" of total lift. The plan is the make a stand that supports the jacks to be closer to bottom of wing. Anyone do this. I did not see the taller jacks I saw many use. I can always return them. Thoughts on...
vansairforce.net
WDYDWYRTW? Mar 7-8, 2026
What did you do with your RV this weekend? Raining here in DFW this Saturday morning, but it looks like some others are out and about, especially in Florida. Sunday was an extra paper route so no RV. Hope you had a nice weekend. v/r,dr 0830 CST Saturday
vansairforce.net
Aero classic tires sidewall cracking
I was checking my wheels during a preflight yesterday and noticed these tears in the tire sidewall. My plane has 27 hours on it. NOT HAPPY. There is 1 tear per tire, both similar in size. According to the date stamp on the tire, they were made in Nov 2022. The only additional air I’ve put in...
vansairforce.net
Increased cooling by blocking front two cylinders
Thought I had the RV-9A cooling tolerable, but yesterday cylinder #3 ran way hot for no apparent reason. On Saturday, I saw an RV-7 under construction with relatively small pieces of aluminum to block airflow directly into the #1 and #2 cylinders, more or less where the head and the barrel...
vansairforce.net
First pic - the air blocker plates as delivered with the baffle kit from Vans.
Second pic (if you zoom in) - the blocker plate in front of my #1 cylinder as modified during phase 1 for CHT control.
The plate in front of #1 has been pretty much been cut off. My #1 was getting very hot during full power climbs at first. Now it it still shares the hottest cylinder with #4 in climb, but runs very close to #2 & #3 in cruise running lean. #4 is the hottest by about 15* in all phases of flight. I now have a butterfly valve in that 3” scat opening feeding cooling airflow to my oil cooler on the firewall. Closing the butterfly in flight has very little effect on #4 CHT, and it’s fully closed about 6 months out of the year. That has mostly to do with the uneven fuel/air distribution in my carbureted engine. My #2 runs the coolest in all phases of flight with the blocking plate untouched from original.
Every airplane is different, with carbureted ones usually being the most varied in CHT’s. I’m surprised my 1, 2, & 3 are so close together in cruise flight - within 5* normally.
Cockpit Pic Added (EX819RT RV-7A)
…to my folder of cockpit pics. This taken 3/9 at Randy Richmond’s shop at 52F.
v/r,dr
RV Panels (in High Res) - Doug Reeves
This SmugMug album, created 3/17/17, is used to store LARGE images of RV panels. After clicking on an image, look for the 'Sizes' icon in the lower right corner to select 'Original'. Most images will be over 3,000 pixels wide - almost actual size. If you would like your RV panel spotlighted...
dougreeves.smugmug.com
Van's Now Offering E-MAG Ignitions
The E-MAG line of electronic ignitions should be familiar to most RV builders and owners. Under Hartzell Engine Technologies, new configurations of retrofit kits are now available. Each kit, which includes both single- and dual-mag replacements, includes everything needed for the change from...
vansairforce.net
OFF TOPIC:
Please consider donating annually to help keep this American 1-person pirate ship afloat:
Get your VansAirForce.net Charity Cap!
VAF Charity Cap: Help your charity and promote this site.
Get the cap all the cool kids are wearing! I don’t get a penny. It’s around $15. $5 more if you want your N-number on the back (I put 'STAFF' on the back of mine because it makes me laugh. Put STAFF on yours too if it makes you smile). And down the road $10 to the charity of your choice...
vansairforce.net
Past ‘VAF News’ issues:
Doug's Area ...The VAF News, About VAF, My Resume
Pushed out every now and then.
www.vansairforce.net
THE VAF LIST (a list of RV-related lists)
THE VAF LIST (a list of RV-related lists)
The VAF List ...a list of RV-related lists. RV-related things you might want to browse over (a closed post that is sticky and maintained by dr). Link to this in 'Links' in the menu. v/r,dr Small businesses that help bring you this list of RV-related lists: 360 Avionics www.360Avionics.com Ace...
vansairforce.net
