night vfr

[mikeydidit98]

Joe;

Appreciate your FAA lesson.  The reality of EAA flight is that 75%+ of the experimental planes do not comply strictly, whether it be on lights, CD players, Cell phones, Ipod jacks wired into the intercom system....  Lights are all over the place, and in my opinion, LEDs have made it a safer, more cost-effective world in which we fly.  People can afford to make themselves actually visible out there at night... and not have to worry as much about blown bulbs.

The LEDs on my plane (your remember it N6553C... the varieze you tried to buy way back when) were approved at build, as was the antiquated strobes top (red) and bottom (white) back.  The bottom one's controller went out, and will be replaced by a perfectly good "joe's hotrod.... and police car prefered supplier" LED strobe system... which cost me about $40.  I may put a wag system on as well (LED set in each wing in the same compartment as the wing tip position lights) - another $60.  The 2 interior 12" flex LED strips will cost me a total of $20.  Add a free 6 station fuse panel from a friend and 2 additional switches - another $15 thanks to Ebay.  So, I should be flying well-lit and very visible night in a couple weeks... for $75 (will add the wag later, if I do it, and will do the $45 single Xenon landing light (includes controler) this Winter as well.  It just doesn't get much better than that.

BTW - 45 hours and climbing (pun intended) under my PIC on 53C.  Adding lights as soon as parts arrive.  Landing light door/actuator this winter.  Taking out the Narco nav/com and the tach (which was made inop when EIS installed) and replacing the nav/com slot with an AI (want it for night VFR).

What are you flying these days?

[Joe Person]

Mike,

There are no regulations that pertain to iPods and other miscellany, in the Experimental world.  In an Experimental, there is a whole open realm of possibility - that is part of the aspect of the Experimental category.

Lighting is a different thing.  91.205 is pretty specific, and is required per current operating limitations.  If your airplane was signed off by the DAR (or FAA Inspector) with some sort of lighting system that was intended for Night VFR, you're good.  Post-C/A installation, a bit different.  Oh, people make post-C/A installations/changes all over the place, on Experimentals.  Does not make all of them right.  If one is to have a mishap/accident, and the investigation reveals that you made changes to the airplane in a manner not acceptable (i.e. under the requirements of the airplane's Operating Limitations, as well as all other governing regulations), then one can get into deep yogurt.  Go read up on the Davenport accident and the fuel system changes that opened up a huge can or worms for the owner).

I have always striven for ensuring compliance with all regulations and requirements that apply to my airplane, and have been known to vocally urge that all others do as well (particulary the non-builder owners).  Collectively, doing things below the table can hurt all of us.  Just because it is an Experimental, that does not entail free-for-all operation, maintenance, and compliance to certain things.

I agree that new technology in lighting is the way to go, but installation of new technology lighting still has to end up being approved for VFR Night, per noted requirements & circumstances.

As for your airplane, no, I never tried to buy it, nor would I have ever.  Both of my airplanes were built by me, as that was the only way for me to know that they met my standards for construction, integrity, etc., and the cost was much less.

[Snappy]

Night VFR?
After a trip to Livermore CA, I delayed my return flight until the 100+F temps got down to a reasonable 90.  Before leaving, I put in 10 gallons each side as insurance and headed home, but by delaying the departure time I was left with about 1 hour of night flying during the 2 hour trip.  The Long was running perfectly so I was confident and enjoying the beautiful trip over the mountains, taking pictures and listening to the O320's steady beat.

Thirty miles out, 7,500msl - 3,000agl, over mountainous terrain and very dark I was decending east of Mt Shasta for LMT with scattered rain showers.  I could see the lights of home between the cells when the engine stopped producing power completely.  The VSI showed 1000 down and rain was rattling on the canopy.  No roads, no lights under me and a poor daytime memory of what the gound looked like for a forced landing.  I went through the emergency checklist mentally, circut breakers, mag check, carb heat, full throttle, mixture rich, best glide speed, aux pump, switch tanks (1/2 full each), scan instruments, nothing wrong and still going down.  So, I flipped on the landing light, declared an emergency with the tower and started "looking" for a place to set down.  Outside the canopy and below, it all looked black.

On the Garmin, I could see a road and headed for it but could not see any car lights or anything that I could line up on so I was going to shoot a night gps approach to a road that was invisible.

As a last resort, I did some heavy stick work and jinked the airplane abruptly in all directions hoping to get some fuel into the lines and get power back.  It worked!  The Lyc started popping and by playing with the throttle and mixture, I got 1500 to 1700 rpm which was enough to limp to the airport.  After shutdown, I sat in the cockpit for a long time until the shaking stopped and went over the possibilities that could cause engine failure.  At first I thought it was carb ice.

The next day, I checked the fuel system screens and found what looked to be very fine steel wool and some brass particles in the gascolator and carb inlet screen.  I suspect I picked up some bad fuel and almost bought the farm because of it.  This is something you can't plan for except to 'rock hop' from one potential forced landing area to the next while maintaining your basic heading.  Tough to do at night.

My rule of NO night flying has been reinstated.

[Drew]

Good story---and one of the reasons I don't fly at night (mostly)----unless I have an ejection seat and/or more than one engine.

[Jack]

As a last resort, I did some heavy stick work and jinked the airplane abruptly in all directions hoping to get some fuel into the lines and get power back.  It worked!  The Lyc started popping and by playing with the throttle and mixture, I got 1500 to 1700 rpm which was enough to limp to the airport.  After shutdown, I sat in the cockpit for a long time until the shaking stopped .

You kept trying something after you did the proper procedures. Always keep trying something till it's a smoking hole.  

On the downside, better check your motor out.  Besides the crap in the gas you had a high heat shutdown.  An old study out found that running a tank out of fuel then switching over was harder on a motor than cooling the motor off in a high speed low power descent.

Nice story.  Visual cues at night basically suck.

Jack

[Bill James]

Each year during the VariEze annual inspection process i figure out a way to have 2 or 3 A&Ps stop by
for 30 minutes or so each. At least.
In the course of something basic like adjusting the valves, I often learn something again,
or learn something different from whatever he is actually doing.
A little time and money well spent.

So i am intrigued as to indications, and what Snappy and his A&P would
do to check out this motor for damage from a high heat shutdown.
Thanks,
Good flying-

[djrise]

I think he means a turbo-ed engine.

[Jack]

I think he means a turbo-ed engine.

Nope.  The thermal shock involved running out of fuel in a cruise throttle setting is pretty high in any motor.  As for checking it out, just monitor your engine and keep a closer eye on it in your future flights.

In all of the recips I have flown in a descent I always tried to keep some power up.  2800s on down to little motors.

Iraqijack

[djrise]

Jack, Could you direct me to Lycoming, or Continental documentation about this?
All I can find says. Fuel starvation is how to turn off the engine.

[Jack]

Jack, Could you direct me to Lycoming, or Continental documentation about this?
All I can find says. Fuel starvation is how to turn off the engine.

Mixture kill at idle is far different than running a tank empty at cruise.  Check the NACA database or do a goggle search.  The study I was referring to was covering cooling shock from a fast, idle descent and they went into thermal shock from fuel exhaustion at a cruise power setting.

Just think about it. Your at a cruise power setting, cruise speed and you run a tank dry.  That's a helluva of a shock on the motor.  Something you would like to avoid.

Jack

[Snappy]

Hi Guys, thanks for the nice words and you are right Jack, "Fly the thing as far into the crash as possible" (Bob Hoover).  Great outcome and learning experience.  I checked cylinder pressures after shut down by swinging the prop and noted slightly less compression than normal.  Right or wrong, I normally flip the prop 15 blades or so to get oil into the system before startup.  When it's cold, I go for 20 to 25 and will see oil pressure much quicker then if I don't flip the prop.  So, after the high heat shutdown I continued to fly longer and longer until my confidence level in the fuel system/engine was back up.  After 10 hours, I could feel the the pressure come back and after 25 hours, it is back to normal.  A compression test is certainly in order and I'll post the pressures here after I complete it. Also, when you flip the prop regularly, you get a feeling for which cylinders are always stronger.  Good time to check that alternator belt, exhaust pipes and baffles too.

Jack, I know of acrobatic pilots who fly without inverted fuel and routinely starve the engine during negative G manuvers (along with pouring oil out the breather).  Although I don't think it is a good idea to take combustion temps from 1100+ to ambient air, none of these acro guys seem to think much about it.  Cracked cylinder heads and warped exhaust valve stems over a period of time maybe?

[Jack]

Hi

Jack, I know of acrobatic pilots who fly without inverted fuel and routinely starve the engine during negative G manuvers (along with pouring oil out the breather).  Although I don't think it is a good idea to take combustion temps from 1100+ to ambient air, none of these acro guys seem to think much about it.  Cracked cylinder heads and warped exhaust valve stems over a period of time maybe?

What can I say. Abusing a single motor aircraft is never a good idea.  EZs are made for cruising and finding that sweet RPM number that keeps it humming.  When your cruising through the Rockies and other hostile terrain you hope that you have taken care of your single motor vice having abused it.

When the B-29s first came out, they were changing motors out left and right by 50 hours before they finally got a handle on the 3350s.  If you want your Lycs and Conts to last 2,000 odd hours to TBO, you have to take care of it and listen to it.

One day they might have a viable replacement for aircraft motors that were basically designed 50 years ago and still keep on trucking.

Jack

[Reb Wallace]

well i got the position lights on the eze but could not get the strobes had to send them back because the original owner did not install a big enough tube through the wing to install the wire for strobes so going to put anti collision on the belly thanks  again for all the useful info the rebel

[GlennBob]

Dear rebel,

Hey . . .you can still use the strobes.  ( Too bad if you sent them back ).  I was tallkin' to a guy at the EAA show who had the same problem.  He took a long piece of electrical conduit and cut teeth in the end.  Then he took each of his wings off and stood them on end. Wide end up.  Then he used the conduit to "drill" a larger hole all the way down the wing to the tip.  Guiding the conduit carefully,  he said it came out perfectly on both wings.  I think you could do it.  Shouldn't be all that hard if you take your time and be careful.

Dear Mikey did it,

Where can you get a Xenon light for $40.00 complete with ballast ?  I'll give you my order ! !    I wanted one but the cheapest I saw was $500.00.

The rest of you guys, . . can you imagine flying at night with infra - red vision ?  Have you seen the video side by side of the Colorado landing by a fighter jet ?  Left side of screen was night, right side was infra red ?  Almost like day light ! !   I saw a system like this at the EAA.  It cost about $7 K ! !  A lot I know, . .but maybe someday . .prices will come down. (Maybe not too).  They said they didn't sell many.  But . .$7K is cheap to save your life !  This would be great for those EZ's who don't like night flying.  They guys also said the biggest problem was the huge temp change from take off to many thousands of feet in only a few minutes.

Food for thought ! !

Glennbob