cgmg
11-20-2004, 12:31 PM
It finally stopped drizzling this morning, so I hauled the gyro up to the hangar, and prepared for some flight tests with the new 503.
After a thorough preflight, which turned up a few items needing attention, the gyro was ready to go. Fueled up, dressed for the weather, and fired it up.
Taxiied down the runway, headed into the wind, spun up the rotors, and committed aviation. The winds were 12-18 right down the runway, so the nose got light almost immediately. Broke ground in less than 200', probably.
I have an EIS, so I was going to compare CHT and EGT readings, to see how well I'd dialed the carbs in. My CHT difference is less than 10 degrees between the two, and EGT temps were 2-10 degrees difference, depending on RPM's. Running 950-1000 degrees at cruise RPM's. It wasn't a great day for flying, gusty and cold, but I'm sure you could see the smile a mile away, it felt so great to be back in the air again, after almost 3 months without an engine!
Landed after 20 minutes, and checked my prop bolts for proper torque. Everything else looked ok, so fueled up, put on heavier gloves, and committed aviation again. Buzzed a friend's airstrip, looked like he was out flying in the trash, his hangar doors were open, and his plane was gone. Buzzed my hangar mate's place, he didn't even peep out the window to see who it was.
After 40 minutes, couldn't stand the cold any longer, so I landed and put the gyro away for the day. Tomorrow I'll pop the engine cowl, and check the head bolt torques. The only other thing to mess with is my new strobe light. Only two hours of engine run time, and it is just barely flashing. Will have to call the guy I bought it from, and see what he thinks. Otherwise, maybe a new bulb is in order.
It's going to be great not having an engine I constantly have to tinker with, which I did all this flying season, up until the point the gearbox destroyed itself. Looking forward to some quality flying time for the next couple hundred hours, with just the normal maintenance to deal with, thanks to the new engine.
Sorry to run on so much, but it's been killing me not being able to fly pretty much half the summer, and all of this fall. Again, I can't believe how good it felt to be airborne, even on a crummily cold day.
After a thorough preflight, which turned up a few items needing attention, the gyro was ready to go. Fueled up, dressed for the weather, and fired it up.
Taxiied down the runway, headed into the wind, spun up the rotors, and committed aviation. The winds were 12-18 right down the runway, so the nose got light almost immediately. Broke ground in less than 200', probably.
I have an EIS, so I was going to compare CHT and EGT readings, to see how well I'd dialed the carbs in. My CHT difference is less than 10 degrees between the two, and EGT temps were 2-10 degrees difference, depending on RPM's. Running 950-1000 degrees at cruise RPM's. It wasn't a great day for flying, gusty and cold, but I'm sure you could see the smile a mile away, it felt so great to be back in the air again, after almost 3 months without an engine!
Landed after 20 minutes, and checked my prop bolts for proper torque. Everything else looked ok, so fueled up, put on heavier gloves, and committed aviation again. Buzzed a friend's airstrip, looked like he was out flying in the trash, his hangar doors were open, and his plane was gone. Buzzed my hangar mate's place, he didn't even peep out the window to see who it was.
After 40 minutes, couldn't stand the cold any longer, so I landed and put the gyro away for the day. Tomorrow I'll pop the engine cowl, and check the head bolt torques. The only other thing to mess with is my new strobe light. Only two hours of engine run time, and it is just barely flashing. Will have to call the guy I bought it from, and see what he thinks. Otherwise, maybe a new bulb is in order.
It's going to be great not having an engine I constantly have to tinker with, which I did all this flying season, up until the point the gearbox destroyed itself. Looking forward to some quality flying time for the next couple hundred hours, with just the normal maintenance to deal with, thanks to the new engine.
Sorry to run on so much, but it's been killing me not being able to fly pretty much half the summer, and all of this fall. Again, I can't believe how good it felt to be airborne, even on a crummily cold day.