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Regarding the oil level I noticed that when I added 4q after installing the engine, only 3q are shown on the dipstick.
Likely because the engine is stock and from a C 150.
Likely because the engine is stock and from a C 150.
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Speaking of O-200s and oil... My Citabria was driving me crazy, dripping about 10 drops of oil from the breather line every time I shut down. After a few months of this, I was talking with another O-200 owner, and he said his doesn't like to be kept "full", but wants to be left about a quart low on the dipstick. I stopped adding oil, and began closely monitoring the oil level, and sure enough, it stopped spitting oil when the level got about a quart low. Haven't had to add any oil at all in the last 15 hours of flight time...
My old Traveler with O-320 was like that as well - keep it a quart low, and it stayed nice and clean on the belly. Fill it up, and you'd have a mess after a single flight... I should have made the connection earlier, but the O-200 is a Continental, and the O-320 was a Lycoming engine. Nit sure why I thought that would make the, behave differently, but...Jim Parker
Farmersville, TX (NE of Dallas)
RANS S-6ES (E-LSA) with Rotax 912ULS (100 HP)Comment
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I only add oil to my O-200 when it gets down to 3.5 quarts on the dip stick (actual 4 quarts). In many certified airplanes the oil capacity is determined based on max allowable consumption and the size of the fuel tanks. It is well known, for example, that Continental powered Cessna 182's will use up the first two quarts quickly if filled to the max capacity of 12 quarts. I only added a quart to mine when it got down to 8 quarts.
I have found that it is necessary to pull the dip stick and wipe it off to get an accurate reading. Apparently the filler tube extends into the oil and as the engine cools, the level in the filler tube becomes different from the oil level in the sump if the gasket on the filler cap seals tightly. BobComment
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Up to 5 hrs now.
Took off when it was 97F yesterday here in Phoenix. Full tanks plus me(about 100 lbs under gross).
Takeoff run was noticeably longer(was about 17 degrees warmer and 120 lbs heavier) then the last flight but still easily broke ground in under 500 ft and gained a bit over 800 ft by the end of the 5000' runway(FFZ is about 1900' AMSL). I later calculated the density altitude to be around 4800 ft.
Continued climbing up to 4000' AMSL at 65 MPH IAS. Oil temp settled in at about 215F which seems about perfect. I have a good 15 degrees of margin and it is unlikely I am going to fly in 15 degree higher ambient temps.
Slowed to about 75 and opened the doors. On the way back, unintentionally tested them open at 120 IAS when asked to maneuver for traffic.
I started out with a heavy right wing that was 90% addressed by adding one thick washer under the bottom of the aileron hinge mounts on the left aileron. I still have a slightly heavy right wing so today I am going to add a thin washer under the top of the right aileron hinge mounts.Comment
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Congratulations on your progress. My LSA had a fairly heavy left wing which was entirely corrected by washers on the top aileron hinge mounts on the heavy side. Others have stated, and it does seem to make sense, that lowering the aileron is more effective than raising it. Good luck, BobComment
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Another 1.5 hrs today in two flights.
Added a thin washer to the top of the aileron hinge bracket on the "heavy" right wing and it was "almost perfect".
Added a thin washer to the bottom of the aileron hinge bracket on the "light" left wing and it seems "perfect". I can now fly around at various IAS from 60 to 115 MPH "hands off" with just elevator trim and minor rudder adjustments to keep the wings level and maintain course while in coordinated flight..
In the beginning, I had to hold a bit of left aileron even when making a right turn. My first adjustment was to add a single "thick" washer under the bottom of the aileron hinge bracket on the light left wing. This brought both ailerons to "visually matching" as judged by their relationship to the wing when they were in trail. This got things close but I still had to hold a bit of left aileron for straight flight.
The changes made by the additional "thin" washers added today were not "visually observable" but certainly were felt aerodynamically.
Now that the aerodynamic tweaks are out of the way, I need to find out why my compass thinks all runways and roads point westerly.
Last edited by BTAZ; 03-15-2017, 10:36 PM.Comment
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In the panel, top center. I thought that would be far enough away from the fuselage tubing to be fine(not much different then mounting on top of the panel).
Expect I will remove it and see if it behaves outside of the airplane and then decide how to proceed.Comment
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Mounted with all stainless hardware in an aluminum panel.Comment
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Certainly something I will check. I think most stainless fasteners are 300 series(typically 304 or 316) and should be very minimally or fully non-magnetic.
I need to make sure I didn't get some standard hardware(screws or nuts) mixed in my small screw drawers or these screws/nuts aren't a "special case".
This particular compass came out of an experimental of mine around 15 years ago because of fluid loss. I used the Spruce kit to re-seal it and did a quick sanity check after but may have its own questions.
Can't say lack of a compass matters much here with our typical 80 mile or so visibility and very pronounced and isolated mountain groups for landmarks.
But filling in my compass correction card with "270" for each point might not be kosher....
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Hope you find out what the problem is. I am having the same issues with the compass on my Patrol. It wants to point "south" no matter what. Compass is mounted on top of the glaresheild. I used brass on the mounting screws and nuts. The compass works fine outside the aircraft but doesn't like something where it's mounted. For now I just ignore it...gps seems to keep me from getting lost...lol.
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On my LSA, we mounted a vertical card compass suspended from the front most tube at the top of the windshield where it could be seen by both pilot and passenger. It works very well there; better than I expected, in fact. BobComment
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Out of curiosity, did you "center" it, or place it off to one side? If off to the side, was it near the "cluster weld" or midway from center to edge? I like the vertical card compasses, and have had excellent luck with them in four aircraft now. I did have to replace a worn-out mount in my first plane, because it was the old-type with deteriorated foam, and the compass would occasionally "bounce" and sometimes "stick" on one heading a bit. A new mount from Spruce solved all the issues, and it was rock solid after that. My current one is less than 2º off on every heading!
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I've read about these problems in the past. Google "degaussing aircraft" or similar. Lots of interesting stories out there. Here's one I saw that looked useful:Originally posted by BTAZ View Post
Christopher Owens
Bearhawk 4-Place Scratch Built, Plans 991
Bearhawk Patrol Scratch Built, Plans P313
Germantown, Wisconsin, USAComment
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Great article!
Thanks!
I haven't tried anything yet and I don't know where the "compensator screws" are currently set but given it is a used compass that;s a wildcard.Comment
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Up to 16.5 hours now and am more pleased with every flight. While I haven't really started any formal "data taking" testing, some observations:
A few flights ago, I started at 5000 ft AMSL and about 80 MPH IAS aprox 100 lbs below max gross weight. Went to full throttle and pulled the nose up to 55 MPH. Started timing 1 min increments when I hit 5500 ft. At the end of each 1 min increment, let the speed climb 5 MPH(no particular reason, just playing). Stopped at 9500' and never saw less then 800 ' per minute ROC.
Departed with a 10 kt direct headwind yesterday about 150 lbs under gross.. Did nothing "special" when taking off and noted where I broke ground and measured it on Google maps to be about 250'.
Landed in the same wind, again without doing anything special. Was surprised when I saw the first turnoff approaching and realized I could use it with just a light tap of the brakes. Again measured when I got home and the turnoff is at 500'.
Took off today in "5KT variable" winds. Was bumpy so came back after about a half hour to "10KT at 260, gusting 15, runway 22 in use" which I though might be a bit sporty.
On 1/4 mile final, tower announced a wind check "15 KT at 300" but I was holding a reasonable control range right slip without any problem staying on center line so continued
As I flared, tower announced "Winds 18KT at 310". Touched down sweet as can be with little drama. Once slowed took a bit of left brake with full right aileron to taxi to the turnoff. Certainly not going to seek out winds like this but it is nice to have a data point.Last edited by BTAZ; 03-31-2017, 11:19 PM.Comment
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Just when I thought I was done with the aerodynamic adjustments, I read BDflies and Mark's comments in the "Chasing Gremlins" thread and decided to reflex my ailerons slightly. I had been setting them by clamping a straightedge along the trailing edge of the wing and to the top of the aileron(no flaps on the LSA) and adjusting the pushrod to perfectly drop into the bellcrank while the stick was centered..
Today, from this starting position, I shortened each pushrod by turning the rod end bearing inside the wing in one full turn. This lifted the trailing edge of each aileron approximately 1/8 inch and the result does seem to be a bit lighter aileron. With centered ailerons, the bottom of the outside trailing edge of each aileron is at or very slightly below the top of the inside trailing edge of each wingtip.Comment
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If my comments provide an avenue to help another builder enjoy his plane a bit more, then that's just one more example of the great benefits provided by this forum!
I raised mine, a full turn. Flew the plane, then raised them another turn. Flew the plane. When I was happy with the feel, I dropped them 1/2 turn. I wouldn't go too high, with the ailerons (I'm a business major, NOT an aeronautical engineer) but the adjustment let me tailor the feel to my liking. I was encouraged by Mark's comments.
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My comment had to do with lessening the adverse yaw on the 4 place. But to me, it handled more to my liking with the ailerons both up a little. Mark
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