flyrotary@lancaironline.net Mailing List Archive

First off, Big Congrats on the first flight Brian! Getting to this point is a MAJOR accomplishment!

One comment on something I see often on first flight reports. You definitely want to find the reason for the lower rpm but if the engine running well and making enough power to take off and reach pattern altitude safely, you might as well take a little time to sort things out on that first flight and get a little experience before landing this plane you've never flown before. If you are in doubt about the mixture being right, don't hesitate to reach over and turn that mixture knob. I've lost track of how many builders told me they were afraid of hurting the engine if they misadjusted the mixture. At 30" or less manifold pressure there is nothing you can do to hurt the engine with mixture if the ignition timing is anywhere close to being right. Instead of aborting the flight right away, take note of all the relevant engine parameters so you can make the best decision about what to try next. Sounds like you had no problem handling the plane but most new builders would welcome a few more minutes of experience before making that first landing.

Just as a point of reference, my engine would only make 4400 rpm on it's first flight and it was many hours before I got the engine developing full power.

Happy flying Brian!

Tracy

On Sat, Sep 11, 2010 at 10:51 PM, <Bktrub@aol.com> wrote:

RV-4 #2366, tail # N52BT made it's first flight today. It didn't make enough power , so only one lap of the traffic pattern was made before the pilot landed it. From a standpoint of flying qualities, it was just like any other RV-4s- no out of trim conditions or other bad habits. No note was made of MP at WOT, either on the ground or in the air, that's first on the agenda tomorrow.

But-- I only revved up to 4800 rpm on the downwind, so the flight was terminated. I have gotten 5500 on the ground with the cowl removed, which means the air cleaner was not in use. I am using a Fram paper filter, 6 inches by 14 inches. I think I am getting a big restriction from it, so I will remove it and try some ground runs. I also think I'm running way too rich, about 34- 7/8s up the scale on my EM2.

The good news is that neither the oil or coolant temps got over 160 the whole time, and the plane was waiting on the ground for around 15 minutes due to traffic in the pattern prior to the flight.

So, I'm happy about the flight, but now must find out why I'm not making more umph.

Brian Trubee