Hi All;
I thought you'd be interested in my tale of first flight... this one was
unsuccessful
which I have not seen reported before.
I arrived at Phoenix, Arizona with Kim Prout (West Coast distributor) for an
inspection
prior to flight. We found several errors which we spent the next three
days correcting. Items were as follows:
1. A lot of trimming of the rear of the wings was required so that the ailerons
would hit their full left and right stops. Then of course we had to adjust
the linkage to keep the travel within specs.
2. We had to adjust the flaps for full deflection- they were just a couple
degrees
off but that was enough so that when the came down the outriggers did not
fully deploy which left them as a hazard to retraction
3. center of gravity was too far forward- altho within limits it was at the
upper
range of limits. The plane is quite heavy at 893 pounds without paint and
upholstery. I have the 914 engine, the B&C Alternator and a full panel of
avionics.
It killed me to add another 10 pounds just in front of the tailspring
4. The rudder pedals were sticking or hanging up somewhere still to be
solved...
required very heavy forces to move them
5. The leading edge of the wings had primer rolled onto them which Kim said was
too rough... spent an hour or two sanding them smooth with wet sand 320 grit
6. The oil return line was not heat shielded and only an inch or so away from
the exhaust
7. The ailerons were not balanced well enough and more lead had to be drilled
---From the counterbalances
8. The biggest trouble we had was the Grand Rapids EIS (Engine Info. System).
We could not get it to read accurately... jumped from screen to screen. We
tested
for proper grounding in several areas and ways... also replaced the presssure
transducer... also contacted Grand Rapids. They were very helpful but many
hours later we still could not get confidence in any of the readings. Grand
Rapids is shipping us a new one which we'll install later this week. In the
meantime Kim and I had to get back to California so first flight will wait
another
few weeks or more.....sigh
Thanks to everyone's support in helping me realize this dream
Paul Boulet, N914PB
Malibu, CA
|