----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 9:54
PM
Subject: [FlyRotary] It is ALIVE!!! First
Start in Houston
It actually started. We turned it off and
it started again. WAHOOOOO. But a mear wahoooo doesn't quite
express the amazing feeling and sense of accomplisment of first engine start
of the 2nd gen, turbo housing 13b.
David and I rebuilt it about 1.5 years ago.
Dave did most the teardown, cleaning, measureing tolerance etc and we both
rebuilt it following along Bruce T's video and the Haynes shop manual.
Dave final install on the CC engine mount and Tracy's PSRU. I ran the
wires, hoses...and the rest. A true joint effort.
We tried last night to no avail. Turns out
when I wired the injector switches based on a great diagram from the Flyrotary
list, the illustration stated "top" and I installed that end up with the
swithes being up when on. However, when I was checking my wires this pm
I noticed that power was coming through the switch when the switch was
down.....doh! So, I turned them over and rechecked the rest of my
wires and grounds.
In a damn optomistic gesture while in a
pessimistic mood, my hangar mate, Richard Sessions (who is restoring a VariEZ)
and my S/O, Jana and I pushed the tale of the Velocity out the hangar door (of
course it started sprinkling <g>) (Dave was still at work). We
took basic security procedures, ie showing Jana how to use the fire
estingusher. I turned on the switches (including the now correclty
mounted injector switches), turned on the primary fuel pump, hit the starter
button and DAMN, it fired.........SCARED THE HELL out of us.......you should
have seen my two Cairn Terriers (Winston and Madison) head for the hills
(well, Houston has no hills, but y'all get the idea). We kinda looked at
each other in a mixed shock and amazement and checke that we didn't blow
anything off. We actually mixed fuel, air, compression and spark and got
combustion.....who'ed of thunk it?
We waited for the portable battery
charger/starter to bring the battery back up and tried again. Switches up,
Pumps on, press the starter button......damn, it sputtered and started
(after some cranking). It started to rev really fast, or seeminly so, so
I brought the throttle to closed, which didn't stop it, so I cut the fuel pump
and it stopped. Go figure.
Well, we did this a few more times, never running
it too long since we do not yet have sensors on it yet. Also, Dave got off
work and came by to join the fun. Just the fact it actually ran was
great. Now that Tracy should be getting back into town, we should be
able to order the correct sensors to replace the ones that were missplaced
along the way.
Not quite sure what to work on now.
Obviously we will want to smooth it out and get it to start easily. It
is currently running better on B than A. I may have inavertanly changed
someting on A while messing with it during start sessions (may need to reset
A...donno yet). I think I will now try to start to clean up the wiring
so as to make it easier to manipulate the stuff in the cabin. Righ now
the panel is laying where the front seats should be. So this may be a
good starting point while waiting for sensors that will let me know I am not
ruining my new engine.
Y'all's support and words of wisdom, along with
Tracy Crooks great products it what helped make this a reality. Thanks
for being there. NOW THE REAL WORK (read that as fun)
BEGINS.
Dave will be posting a much more technical
account soon....heck, I bet we both rushed home so we could annouce it to the
world.
Thanks.
All the best,
Chris
Velocity N17010
w/ a Rotary 13b...that actually
runs.