Fuel Selector Valve

[Rolly LSA]

What is the Selector Valve in Newton's Patrol? It looks to align easily with the Gascolator. The SPRL valve is very nice, but alignment is difficult. Thx.

[Battson]

Yeah the exit port on the SPRL valve baffles me too - not sure why they designed it that way... it just creates a low point. Should have been on the other side...

Anyway - I think it's a simple shutoff valve the plans called for - http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/...lve_0fuel.html

[jaredyates]

I just ran the SPRL backwards. The placard needed a little adjustment. When I asked the designer if he could make a reversed option, he couldn't understand why I was asking.

[Battson]

I think I just got it.... the SPRL's front exit port could work in a carburetted tricycle aircraft with a gascoalater at the bottom of the firewall...
Maybe he designed it with that in mind.

[Mark Goldberg]

On my LSA I just exited the SPRL valve in the front with a 45 degree fitting and brought the aluminum line back to the gascolator aft of it. Mark

[aerolite]

I exited from front as well, I didn't see any need to change it.

[James]

For people reading this thread going forward, might be worth getting in contact with Mark Goldberg, it seems his company can now supply the SPRL valve with the ports drilled 180degrees to normal for easier installation in the Mighty Bearhawk

James

Edit:

I can't imagine how quickly I will build my second bearhawk, because I tell you, today is one of those days when nothing was achieved in the workshop.
So, if you don't have one of Mark's "Bearhawk Orientated" Newton SPRL valves, you might have assumed you can just drill off the label backwards like I did.

But no!
With the outlet pointing backwards, I rotated the label plate 180degrees, and re-drilled the countersunk holes accordingly. This switches the orientation of BOTH and OFF, but not the sequence of BOTH/RIGHT/OFF/LEFT as you move between the detents. The L and R positions end up pointing to the wrong side of the aircraft. I looked at filing out the crescent-shaped recess in the handle itself to flip it, but this doesn't help. Then - with my heart beating in trepidation - I pulled apart the valve.

Save yourself the trouble. The valve works by having an oval-shaped hole move around an eccentric path over one, both or neither port as you move the lever. Everything is indexed, and I realised there was no way of flipping anything 180 degrees.

So, what ended up doing is use the old valve as-is, draw up a ring of aluminium, mark BOTH and OFF in the opposite positions (OFF=forward), and install the valve with the outlet pointing aft to the gascolator, as per Bob's recommendations.

Or just buy Mark's version of the valve.

Now, while I'm here, I close-coupled the valve to the gascolator with a M-M 1/4" NPT nipple. It'll work with the metal plate on my kit fuselage, but it is very close (1/2" clearance) to the flap lever when it's on the floor, to the front and left of the lever.

Can someone who has actually flown an aircraft with this lever-style flap lever tell me - when you pull flap, do you need a bit of space around the handle? Do I need to extend the coupling to the valve to put in further forward? Already it seems a big reach down to change tanks.

Thanks, James

[interstate al]

I machined out a thin aluminum cap to drop over the original cover so I could have off to the rear with the printing facing the pilot. So Left became Right and Right became Left. Off and Both remained the same orientation, just rearranged the lettering. FWIW.

[spinningwrench]

Gas Valve Setup.JPG
In the Patrol the new SPRL valve porting makes installation pretty straightforward with fuel flowing in the right direction. Here is my Solidworks rendering of the installation.

[James]

Incredible, Spinny.
It takes me long enough to build the plane, let alone build it again in Solid works!
Is the gascolator aft of the valve? It seems that aft is to the top right of this image, or maybe the Patrol frame is backwards compared with the QB 4 place frame.

James

[spinningwrench]

Forward is to the top right in this rendering of the Patrol. The fuel is always going downhill from the wing tanks and the gascolator drain is the lowest point. Solidworks helps me plan the routing. The final isometric views have complete call outs of all the hardware and fittings. I make Solidworks drawings for a living so they go pretty fast.