test clubs ?

[fairchild1934]

has anyone tried making a test club for a 4 cyl. Lycoming ?
I have 2 props but they are too long for the test stand-----
how would you balance a club ? would a simple pivot type be good enough ?
Tim

[fairchild1934]

have we become a ghost town ?

[Utah-Jay]

I am unfamiliar with what you are asking

[jaredyates]

The town populated with people who make their own test club is indeed a ghost town- I think you have your answer in the absence of replies. It doesn't sound like a good idea to me, as far as the various safety needs, cooling needs, etc. What are you hoping to accomplish?

[arborite]

I would try calling engine shops who use clubs to run in engines. they may be able to tell you where they got theirs. i discussed engine run in briefly with Don at Dons Dream Machines. he did mention that their test club was designed to get a lot of cooling air over the uncowled engine, but i don’t know what that entails.

[svyolo]

I thought about a test stand, but it seemed like too much work for a one off, including a test club. I did make a cooling shroud that bolts to the engine. I will just tie the tail to my truck and use the airplane as a test stand with the regular prop to break in the engine on the ground. Airport authority permitting of course.

[Bcone1381]

I am curious of your goal for running the engine on a test stand?

[fairchild1934]

I dont know that there is any "goal" at the moment. Its on a stand I converted from a large stand I made for a cummins diesel. Both my airframes are tied up at the moment. (one hanging from rafters and the other I am working on----)
I thought at some point I MIGHT want to try running it..... but the stand only has about 2 feet of clearance. The clubs I have seen on E-Bay are old ones----
wood and 4 bladed with blades about 18-24 inches -- and appear to be maple. If I had a full size test stand- I could just use the prop.
maybe no one uses clubs anymore ......... ?????

[Archer39J]

I'm still toying with the idea of breaking in on the ground. Turns out my county specifically exempts aircraft engine testing and maintenance from the noise ordinance

[svyolo]

I am going to look into whether a county or city has the authority to do that. There are specific FAR's and MIL specs that require engine testing on the ground. I have stood next to maybe a hundred jet engines being run at max power on the ground. It was required in the military. I can't believe a city, county or state can over ride FAR engine and maintenance requirements. Orange County CA maybe being an outlier.

[fairchild1934]

in that case - immediately switch to a J-79 :-)