Vetterman exhaust pipe clearance

[Flygirl1]

FYI-doing my annual on my Patrol with the 0-360 engine and noticed the exhaust pipe on the left side out of the muffler just past the split has been rubbing on the pipe above it and now is close to failure at that point. On the ground and cold there is clearance but obviously not so in the air and hot. Checked the other Patrol and same thing. Easy fix though. A little torch and hammer on the thicker pipe and WA-LAA, fixed. ;-) Also for an update on our props, Whirlwind came through with flying colors and replaced both our props with the 284. Hubs and blades!! Dennis just received his and immediately felt the difference in smoothness. I thought the takeoff was a lot better, he didn’t report that but hasn’t flown with it enough to say I think. Anyway I can report we both really like the performance and the look of this new prop.

[Flygirl1]

Here is a couple of photos of the area.

[Bcone1381]

I'm curious.....It looks like the 284 is 84" long. Does the new 284 prop still cruise as fast as the old prop? How long was the prop that you removed from service?

[Flygirl1]

The blades are 4 inches longer and have a narrower cord with the swept tip. We did side by side flight tests and at lower altitudes there wasn’t any difference. At higher altitudes, probably 5000 and above The 284 required less power to stay with the 210. Seems like maybe 3 or 4 mph but only in the thinner air. Based on my experience It really shines on take off and climb.

[zkelley2]

That could be because the 210 is too much prop for a 360.

[Bcone1381]

I saw a photo of your airplane on the Whirlwind Aviation website. Go to Menu, Props, 284 STOL, photos. I assume that You and Dennis might be some of the very the first ones to mount that prop. There isn't any better data point than your unique situation where two exact same airplanes do a side by side comparison of props.

[Flygirl1]

Thanks for that info Brooks. didn't realize that photo was there. Your right, it has been interesting to compare the two planes. Keep in mind the person sitting in the seat can make a huge difference. ;-) What I've found most interesting is 99% of the time if there is a problem, it's a problem with both planes. Some of the issues have nothing to do with the way we built them.

[Steve W]

Thanks for the info and update Donna.
I have about 1/8" clearance in the same area on my angle valve pipes after exerting a lot of force pushing them together. My mufflers are isolated to the engine so hopefully there is no movement of the assembly. Time will tell. So glad your prop issues were taken care of.
I am all done. Just waiting assembly for final inspection. Flew 300 hours the summer, cold weather here now, unheated hangar and plenty of snow so I'm in no hurry.

Steve W
P203

[Flygirl1]

Not sure but we think the metal must be expanding. We don’t believe things are moving that much. Once your flying I’d keep an eye on that area. For some reason the upper pipe had a bigger indented rub mark than the lower one, on both planes. Congrats on being so close to finishing your project. We have 450 hours in 3 years so your 300 in one summer is a lot of seat time!!

[Chewie]

Donna, the calendar picture of your bird graces my workbench at work. Now that you have a new prop, I think it's time for an update!