X-Virus-Scanned: clean according to Sophos on Logan.com Return-Path: Received: from cdptpa-omtalb.mail.rr.com ([75.180.132.121] verified) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 5.4.1) with ESMTP id 5129698 for flyrotary@lancaironline.net; Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:21:07 -0400 Received-SPF: pass receiver=logan.com; client-ip=75.180.132.121; envelope-from=eanderson@carolina.rr.com Return-Path: X-Authority-Analysis: v=1.1 cv=N51NbO8il5ceF3O5QXL5DFOcR5MMyIHchjkopOFKQr8= c=1 sm=0 a=FIo0jMVbLycA:10 a=SC71y0a/4S6V9vjVxUojGA==:17 a=N8B9JuSIAAAA:8 a=vvcCmuAejooEv4Yl_YoA:9 a=VmraLYmQ3EFtevt1ygAA:7 a=wPNLvfGTeEIA:10 a=vpZkP3h2Jh6AJM6d:21 a=Y2XhCJiLacJCJdMG:21 a=pGLkceISAAAA:8 a=Ia-xEzejAAAA:8 a=PET7Cu5Qf0CeNZ9k4NQA:9 a=vXvkEJfqDGPXUXqQPZ8A:7 a=tXsnliwV7b4A:10 a=MSl-tDqOz04A:10 a=EzXvWhQp4_cA:10 a=SC71y0a/4S6V9vjVxUojGA==:117 X-Cloudmark-Score: 0 X-Originating-IP: 174.110.175.135 Received: from [174.110.175.135] ([174.110.175.135:51401] helo=EdPC) by cdptpa-oedge02.mail.rr.com (envelope-from ) (ecelerity 2.2.3.46 r()) with ESMTP id 82/C2-01343-FF5977E4; Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:20:32 +0000 Message-ID: <2530DFF7B14B4B3F97E9A2E71ACD31EE@EdPC> From: "Ed Anderson" To: "Rotary motors in aircraft" References: In-Reply-To: Subject: Re: [FlyRotary] Reno, RD-B failure, fix, and sad times Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:20:30 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_002D_01CC76DF.AB166D20" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal Importance: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Windows Live Mail 14.0.8117.416 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V14.0.8117.416 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_002D_01CC76DF.AB166D20 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi David thanks for the report. We were all stunned by the tragedy that you = witnessed first hand. Glad you were unscathed (physically at least). On a lighter note, sounds like you have every right to wear that grin - = pulled it out against some heavy hitters for sure. I guess your gearbox experience goes to show that you never know where = the limitations of equipment are - until you exceed them What are the odds of someone nearby (relatively speaking) having and = RD-1B that you could swap out. I recalled when I had my gearbox nickle = plated - they got just a bit inside the bearing bore and after flying 10 = hours after the plating my gearbox seized. Turned out the nickel = plating had flaked off the bronze bearing and jammed the prop shaft in = the gear bore - fortunately when I was trying to crank the engine to fly = to Florida. Tracy' bored it our at few thousands to get rid of the = plating and still flying with it. I presume you are going to ship it = back to Tracy for a tear down?? Sounds like a larger bottle for the water spray is in order for the next = race. Ed From: David Leonard=20 Sent: Monday, September 19, 2011 2:50 PM To: Rotary motors in aircraft=20 Subject: [FlyRotary] Reno, RD-B failure, fix, and sad times Hi All,=20 I just got back from the Reno Air races last night. I was having quite = a week until the Tragedy occurred on Friday. =20 I qualified for the race on Tuesday at 229.3 mph pulling up to 2.5-g's = at times around the course. I was pretty happy with that, because I was = not last... I beat a glassair 1 with a "250 hp" 4-cyl lyc, and I beat = an RV-8 with a 6-cylinder "310 hp." IO-540 engine. The rockets were = solidly ahead, especially Mark Fredrick and his F1 Rocket with his new = wings - that look more like the wings on the fast glass. At the end of the qualifying heat I found that my prop would barely = turn, and after some cooling, it would not turn at all. Inspection = showed that the RD-1B prop shaft had seized and some of the planets had = overheated. Fortunately, by some fluke of good luck, Larry Childs and = "EJ" had a RD-1B sitting on a work bench a couple hundred miles away = that they would lend. Long story short, everyone pitched in, including = EJ who made 2 round trips to Heilsburg airport from Santa Rosa and Steve = Senagal (winner of the F1 class and also pilot of the super-8 that I = edged out in quals) flew me in his super-8 to Heilsburg and I had a = replacement gear box back at the airport by dark. I worked into the = night to re-install it, and was ready to race the next day. The failure may have been partly my fault. The gear box was sharing an = AN-4 oil line with the turbo so it is possible that it may not have been = seeing full engine oil pressure for most of its life (it had 600 hrs). = Also, it turns out that my oil temps have probably always been higher = than I thought. When replacing the gear box I gave it a dedicated oil = line from a take-off closer to the pump with a shorter AN-4 line. That = process required me to move my oil temp sensor from near the gear box = into the line that goes to the turbo. There is probably more flow going = to the turbo as now the oil temp seems to be much more responsive and = climbs higher that it ever had. I almost pulled out of my race on Wed = because the oil temp climbed to 210. That egged me to install a spray = bar on the oil cooler before Friday's race (which worked very well until = I ran out of water on the last lap and throttled way back). On the ride = home, I again saw oil temp much higher that I had previously noticed = under similar conditions (hot, high, and doing touch and go's), I was = seeing up to 220 that would quickly cool upon descent and reduction in = power (consistent with what many others have reported) were I used to = see a max of 190 in similar conditions cooling that occurred much more = slowly on descent or transition to level flight. Then of course there was the tragedy. The plane arched right over my = head as my step dad and I watched the unlimited race from a 1/4mi away = from the impact site. Being a physician, I went to help with the = casualties. The site was pretty bad. As bad as anything I saw in Iraq = (less the burns - thank goodness the fuel never caught fire). Besides = the fatalities, there are a number of very severe life-changing = injuries. Very somber and surreal atmosphere. --=20 David Leonard Turbo Rotary RV-6 N4VY http://N4VY.RotaryRoster.net http://RotaryRoster.net ------=_NextPart_000_002D_01CC76DF.AB166D20 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Hi David
 
thanks for the report.  We were all stunned = by the=20 tragedy that you witnessed first hand.  Glad you were unscathed = (physically=20 at least).
 
On a lighter note, sounds like you have every = right to=20 wear that grin - pulled it  out against some heavy hitters for=20 sure.
 
I guess your gearbox experience  goes to = show that=20 you never know where the limitations of equipment are - until you exceed = them
 
What are the odds of someone nearby (relatively = speaking)=20  having and RD-1B that you could swap out.  I recalled when I = had my=20 gearbox nickle plated - they got just a bit inside the bearing bore and = after=20 flying 10 hours after the plating my gearbox seized.  Turned out = the nickel=20 plating had flaked off the bronze bearing and jammed the prop shaft in = the gear=20 bore - fortunately when I was trying to crank the engine to fly to=20 Florida.  Tracy' bored it our at few thousands to get rid of the = plating=20 and still flying with it.  I presume you are going to ship it back = to Tracy=20 for a tear down??
 
Sounds like a larger bottle for the water spray = is in=20 order for the next race.
 
Ed

Sent: Monday, September 19, 2011 2:50 PM
Subject: [FlyRotary] Reno, RD-B failure, fix, and sad=20 times

Hi All,=20

I just got back from the Reno Air races last night.  I was = having=20 quite a week until the Tragedy occurred on Friday. =  

I qualified for the race on Tuesday at 229.3 mph pulling up to = 2.5-g's at=20 times around the course.  I was pretty happy with that, because I = was not=20 last...  I beat a glassair 1 with a "250 hp" 4-cyl lyc, and I beat = an RV-8=20 with a 6-cylinder "310 hp." IO-540 engine.  The rockets were = solidly ahead,=20 especially Mark Fredrick and his F1 Rocket with his new wings - that = look more=20 like the wings on the fast glass.

At the end of the qualifying heat I found that my prop would barely = turn,=20 and after some cooling, it would not turn at all.  Inspection = showed that=20 the RD-1B prop shaft had seized and some of the planets had=20 overheated.  Fortunately, by some fluke of good luck, Larry Childs = and "EJ"=20 had a RD-1B sitting on a work bench a couple hundred miles away that = they would=20 lend.  Long story short, everyone pitched in, including EJ who made = 2 round=20 trips to Heilsburg airport from Santa Rosa and Steve Senagal (winner of = the F1=20 class and also pilot of the super-8 that I edged out in quals) flew me = in his=20 super-8 to Heilsburg and I had a replacement gear box back at the = airport by=20 dark.  I worked into the night to re-install it, and was ready to = race the=20 next day.

The failure may have been partly my fault.  The gear box was = sharing=20 an AN-4 oil line with the turbo so it is possible that it may not have = been=20 seeing full engine oil pressure for most of its life (it had 600 hrs).=20  Also, it turns out that my oil temps have probably always been = higher than=20 I thought.  When replacing the gear box I gave it = a dedicated oil=20 line from a take-off closer to the pump with a shorter AN-4 line. =  That=20 process required me to move my oil temp sensor from near the gear = box into=20 the line that goes to the turbo.  There is probably more flow going = to the=20 turbo as now the oil temp seems to be much more responsive and climbs = higher=20 that it ever had.  I almost pulled out of my race on Wed because = the oil=20 temp climbed to 210.  That egged me to install a spray bar on = the oil=20 cooler before Friday's race (which worked very well until I ran out = of=20 water on the last lap and throttled way back).  On the ride home, I = again=20 saw oil temp much higher that I had previously noticed under similar = conditions=20 (hot, high, and doing touch and go's),  I was seeing up to 220 that = would=20 quickly cool upon descent and reduction in power (consistent with what = many=20 others have reported) were I used to see a max of 190 in similar = conditions=20 cooling that occurred much more slowly on descent or transition to level = flight.
 
Then of course there was the tragedy.  The plane arched right = over my=20 head as my step dad and I watched the unlimited race from a 1/4mi away = from the=20 impact site.  Being a physician, I went to help with the = casualties. =20 The site was pretty bad.  As bad as anything I saw in Iraq (less = the burns=20 - thank goodness the fuel never caught fire).  Besides the = fatalities,=20 there are a number of very severe life-changing injuries.  Very = somber and=20 surreal atmosphere.

--
David Leonard

Turbo Rotary RV-6 N4VY
http://N4VY.RotaryRoster.net
http://RotaryRoster.net
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