---------------------------------------------------------- Commander-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Mon 07/05/04: 13 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 1. 05:00 AM - Re: Re: 4 th JULY (Bill Bow) 2. 05:25 AM - Re: Re: 4 th JULY (Bill Bow) 3. 09:24 AM - Re: Re: 4 th JULY (nico css) 4. 03:38 PM - COMMANDERING ON THE 4TH (YOURTCFG@aol.com) 5. 05:21 PM - Running past TBO (Chris Schuermann) 6. 05:43 PM - Re: Running past TBO (CloudCraft@aol.com) 7. 06:16 PM - Re: Running past TBO (Chris Schuermann) 8. 06:25 PM - Re: Running past TBO (Tom Fisher) 9. 06:35 PM - Re: Running past TBO (Chris Schuermann) 10. 06:53 PM - Re: Running past TBO (Tom Fisher) 11. 07:10 PM - Re: Running past TBO (Jim Addington) 12. 07:33 PM - Ice Cream Commander (CloudCraft@aol.com) 13. 09:24 PM - Re: Running past TBO (John Vormbaum) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 05:00:20 AM PST US From: "Bill Bow" Subject: Re: Commander-List: Re: 4 th JULY --> Commander-List message posted by: "Bill Bow" There is a good chance that without the help of our friends from "down under" there would be no celebration. Cheers bilbo ----- Original Message ----- From: Subject: Commander-List: Re: 4 th JULY > --> Commander-List message posted by: RnJThompson@aol.com > > To all our American friends. > > HAPPY 4th of JULY. > > Regards > Richard & Russell > The Boys From OZ > > ________________________________ Message 2 _____________________________________ Time: 05:25:07 AM PST US From: "Bill Bow" Subject: Re: Commander-List: Re: 4 th JULY --> Commander-List message posted by: "Bill Bow" This is true. We couldn't have had it with out Sir Barry's ancestors. :>)bilbo ----- Original Message ----- From: Subject: Re: Commander-List: Re: 4 th JULY > --> Commander-List message posted by: CloudCraft@aol.com > > Thanks, Mates! > > Quite kind of you. But don't forget to wish Sir Barry Collman a Happy 4th > as well. > > Wing Commander Gordon > > Life is not simple anywhere.=A0 Probably less so elsewhere. > > ________________________________ Message 3 _____________________________________ Time: 09:24:41 AM PST US From: "nico css" Subject: Re: Commander-List: Re: 4 th JULY --> Commander-List message posted by: "nico css" Amen! Especially things like freedom and freedom of speech. Nico ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bruce Campbell" Subject: Re: Commander-List: Re: 4 th JULY > --> Commander-List message posted by: "Bruce Campbell" > > Lets not forget that the congress declared independence on 4 July 1776, and > we actually got it on 20 Aug 1781 (at the end of the battle of yorktown). > From declaration to actual fact was 5 hard years. > > Sometimes things that are important take a while. Nothing worthwhile comes > easily. > > Bruce Campbell > AC52 N4186B > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: > To: > Subject: Re: Commander-List: Re: 4 th JULY > > > > --> Commander-List message posted by: CloudCraft@aol.com > > > > Thanks, Mates! > > > > Quite kind of you. But don't forget to wish Sir Barry Collman a Happy > 4th > > as well. > > > > Wing Commander Gordon > > > > Life is not simple anywhere.=A0 Probably less so elsewhere. > > > > > > ________________________________ Message 4 _____________________________________ Time: 03:38:30 PM PST US From: YOURTCFG@aol.com Subject: Commander-List: COMMANDERING ON THE 4TH --> Commander-List message posted by: YOURTCFG@aol.com HI KIDS. Did anybody "Commander" anywhere over the 4th?? Sue and I took 222 to Corde alane Idaho where we rented a 24' motorhome and spent the 4th in Clark Fork Id. It was a good time. Sues Brother is the mayor (no worry about parking tickets) and they have no ordnance against fireworks, anything goes!! The before and after show was as good as the main event. There must have been 10K in personal fireworks shot off. Every kind of firecracker, M80 (1/2 sticks of dynamite) and every Arial display imaginable. We flew over at 11.5 with ripping tailwinds. 55%, 30" X 2550rpm, 197kts over the ground. Came home a 10.5, 32" X 2600 = 172kts ground speed. The new engine is spectacular!! I fixed the carb problem with a simple adjustment (more about that later) so the fuel burn is once again normal (33- 35gph) Also, got the biplane annuled (almost) and will have it back in the water this week. I am then planning to leave on the 11th for San Juan, PR to do an annual on Jimmy Rodreguiz 500B, S/N 1. Sue will join me there and be spending her days shopping while I slave away on the airplane (in an air-conditioned hangar) Oh well, somebody gots to does it! Hope all is well in your Commanderland. jb ________________________________ Message 5 _____________________________________ Time: 05:21:34 PM PST US From: Chris Schuermann Subject: Commander-List: Running past TBO --> Commander-List message posted by: Chris Schuermann I've recently had several calls and emails asking my opinion about running an aircraft engine past TBO. Since I'm not updating the web site these days, I thought I'd share an important trinket of information that doesn't seem to be widely known - even to A&Ps. Okay Keith (WCG) - I bow to your superior knowledge of Commander systems, but here may be something you don't know (naw, unlikely :-) Your trusty Lycoming 540 in your Commander is getting a bit long in the teeth. It's right at TBO, but the gold standards for "continued operation" say everything is healthy. Hot, idle oil pressure is still pretty good, oil analysis doesn't find anything that you can read part numbers off of, compressions are all still in the high 60's to 70's, and the plugs are not telling any frightening stories. Before making the decision to just keep flying until the jugs fall off, what one important item might you want to check??? Lycoming had the brilliant idea to put little tubes in the rod throws of the crankshaft. They are called "sludge tubes". The idea was that the centrifugal (or is that centripedal, I never can remember) force would cause particulate matter to be forced out of suspension of the oil. Turns out they were right. The sludge tubes work really well. In fact, they work SO well that over time, they can become packed with solidified sludge to the point they cut off oil flow to the rod bearings. When the oil flow to a rod journal becomes limited, the bearing runs hotter and hotter. Amazingly, they become so hot that the bolts become brittle and fracture. There is a pile of Lycoming cases in the junkyard at the local shop with pretty inspection openings in locations not intended by the designers where the big end of a connecting rod ventured out into the sunlight. The common theme was that they were all sludge tube crank engines right around TBO. Lycoming noted this trend some time back and quit making that model of crank. Any new engine or factory overhaul since sometime in the early/mid 70's would no longer have a "sludge tube" crank. The moral of the story is that if you have an older Lycoming engine (like most Commanders do), you might well want to verify which type of crank you have before venturing far past TBO. On most 540's you can remove one of the lower accessories or plates and see the back end of the crank. If you can see through the rod journal, you're set to keep running as long as the engine is healthy. Remember, they're a heck of a lot cheaper to overhaul while all the parts are still inside of the engine... Question: can anyone confirm which crank style was used in the GO-series engines for me? Hope this was somewhat interesting. Maybe I'll note a few interesting tidbits about high time Continentals if I get a chance. Chris ________________________________ Message 6 _____________________________________ Time: 05:43:19 PM PST US From: CloudCraft@aol.com Subject: Re: Commander-List: Running past TBO --> Commander-List message posted by: CloudCraft@aol.com In a message dated 05-Jul-04 17:21:55 Pacific Daylight Time, cschuerm@cox.net writes: > Okay Keith (WCG) - I bow to your superior knowledge of Commander > systems, but here may be something you don't know (naw, unlikely :-) Sure. I knew all about the sludge tube cranks, but I forgot all that before now, but now I know it. Truthfully, Chris, I'd never heard that and I thank you for such excellent insight to things that are out of sight. Thank you! Wing Commander Gordon Life is not simple anywhere. Probably less so elsewhere. ________________________________ Message 7 _____________________________________ Time: 06:16:26 PM PST US From: Chris Schuermann Subject: Re: Commander-List: Running past TBO --> Commander-List message posted by: Chris Schuermann CloudCraft@aol.com wrote: > Truthfully, Chris, I'd never heard that and I thank you for such excellent > insight to things that are out of sight. Thank you! Thanks for the kind words Keith. Just wish I could trade some of my "grease" experience for some of your "actual" experience! :-) Ya know, one of the coolest "out of sight" things I can think of on Commanders is the torque sensing system of the TPE331. I'm trying to build a similar configuration for my gas powered ice cream maker to gauge the set on the ice cream. If I can get the basic mechanical aspects working, I'll make a big, 1880's looking brass gauge head with an artsy pointer for the thickness. So, what exactly IS the unit of measure for the thickness of ice cream anyway??? chris PS: for those who don't know what the heck I'm talking about: http://members.cox.net/vasoll/sei/oddities/gpicm.htm ________________________________ Message 8 _____________________________________ Time: 06:25:59 PM PST US From: "Tom Fisher" Subject: Re: Commander-List: Running past TBO --> Commander-List message posted by: "Tom Fisher" Re. the "set" of the ice cream, an amp meter will tell you how the motor is struggling to give you the "set". How about a fuel flow meter for the gas engine? Not as fancy as a torque reading device. Tom F. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Schuermann" Subject: Re: Commander-List: Running past TBO > --> Commander-List message posted by: Chris Schuermann > > > CloudCraft@aol.com wrote: > > Truthfully, Chris, I'd never heard that and I thank you for such excellent > > insight to things that are out of sight. Thank you! > > Thanks for the kind words Keith. Just wish I could trade some of my > "grease" experience for some of your "actual" experience! :-) > > > Ya know, one of the coolest "out of sight" things I can think of on > Commanders is the torque sensing system of the TPE331. I'm trying to > build a similar configuration for my gas powered ice cream maker to > gauge the set on the ice cream. If I can get the basic mechanical > aspects working, I'll make a big, 1880's looking brass gauge head with > an artsy pointer for the thickness. So, what exactly IS the unit of > measure for the thickness of ice cream anyway??? > > chris > > PS: for those who don't know what the heck I'm talking about: > http://members.cox.net/vasoll/sei/oddities/gpicm.htm > > ________________________________ Message 9 _____________________________________ Time: 06:35:34 PM PST US From: Chris Schuermann Subject: Re: Commander-List: Running past TBO --> Commander-List message posted by: Chris Schuermann Tom Fisher wrote: > Re. the "set" of the ice cream, an amp meter will tell you how the motor is > struggling to give you the "set". > How about a fuel flow meter for the gas engine? > Not as fancy as a torque reading device. Ah, but the aspect of this that tickles my engineer gene is to try to do this all with 100 year old technology AND to make it look cool while running...lots of whirly bits that are fascinating to watch. Fuel flow measurement would be almost impossible with this engine. It's a "hit and miss" model which freewheels in compression release until it slows enough that the flyweights pop back in, release the exhaust valve catch, and allow it to take another wheeze-bang cycle. I thought a torque shaft through a mechanical comparitor would be a nifty way to drive an indicator, but I'll have to add some hydraulic damping due to the power cycle fluctuations.... Still working on it though... chris do not archive ________________________________ Message 10 ____________________________________ Time: 06:53:57 PM PST US From: "Tom Fisher" Subject: Re: Commander-List: Running past TBO --> Commander-List message posted by: "Tom Fisher" Ah! a Rue Goldberg affair. About a torque spring connection that would stretch to a point it would make contact with a mechanical switch when the torque reached a certain point. 1 cents worth, I'll shut up now. Tom F. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Schuermann" Subject: Re: Commander-List: Running past TBO > --> Commander-List message posted by: Chris Schuermann > > > Tom Fisher wrote: > > Re. the "set" of the ice cream, an amp meter will tell you how the motor is > > struggling to give you the "set". > > How about a fuel flow meter for the gas engine? > > Not as fancy as a torque reading device. > > Ah, but the aspect of this that tickles my engineer gene is to try to do > this all with 100 year old technology AND to make it look cool while > running...lots of whirly bits that are fascinating to watch. > Fuel flow measurement would be almost impossible with this engine. It's > a "hit and miss" model which freewheels in compression release until it > slows enough that the flyweights pop back in, release the exhaust valve > catch, and allow it to take another wheeze-bang cycle. > I thought a torque shaft through a mechanical comparitor would be a > nifty way to drive an indicator, but I'll have to add some hydraulic > damping due to the power cycle fluctuations.... > Still working on it though... > > chris > > > do not archive > > ________________________________ Message 11 ____________________________________ Time: 07:10:17 PM PST US From: "Jim Addington" Subject: RE: Commander-List: Running past TBO --> Commander-List message posted by: "Jim Addington" Great article Chris, I will be looking forward to the one on the Continentals. Jim Addington N444BD ________________________________ Message 12 ____________________________________ Time: 07:33:33 PM PST US From: CloudCraft@aol.com Subject: Commander-List: Ice Cream Commander --> Commander-List message posted by: CloudCraft@aol.com In a message dated 05-Jul-04 18:16:45 Pacific Daylight Time, cschuerm@cox.net writes: > So, what exactly IS the unit of measure for the thickness of ice cream > anyway??? > "Scoop-pounds" if you're using English units of measurment. "Scoop-hectopascalhertzbars" if you're using Metric units of measurment. It's the averaged force placed upon a SAE ice cream scoop to plunge it into=20a standing body of ice cream, make a "J" type stroke and then extract it. You can measure this with either a strain gauge or a hydraulic feed-back system. I'd go with a piezoelectric strain gauge because the hydraulic system can leak and then you have 5606 Swirl when you were trying to make French vanilla. In a pecan nutshell, the TPE-331 torque sensing system is done via a torsion shaft; two concentric shafts geared together at the aft. 1 degree of twist=20 100 shaft horsepower. A helical spline converts the twist into a linear motion that positions a pilot valve which varies oil pressure that is sensed by a torque compensator and converted to voltage sent to the horsepower gage. Whew! Now you see why I wouldn't use that system ... unless you use a TPE-331 to drive your ice cream maker. In that case, you'd have the system=20in place and you could turn out ice cream at a staggering pace. Think of the flavors! Garrett crunch. Oil chip lite (hmmmmm?). Turbine nut. Cinnamon Jet-A. Beta berry ... Wing Commander Gordon Life is not simple anywhere. Probably less so elsewhere. ________________________________ Message 13 ____________________________________ Time: 09:24:13 PM PST US From: "John Vormbaum" Subject: Re: Commander-List: Running past TBO --> Commander-List message posted by: "John Vormbaum" What I really want to know is, Chris, how much ice cream do you have to make to justify building a TPE-powered 1,017 HP ice cream maker? Because then, the torque sensor would be included and it would be one less step for you.... I bet the Guinness Book folks would be interested were you to do that. /J ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Schuermann" Subject: Re: Commander-List: Running past TBO > --> Commander-List message posted by: Chris Schuermann > > > CloudCraft@aol.com wrote: > > Truthfully, Chris, I'd never heard that and I thank you for such excellent > > insight to things that are out of sight. Thank you! > > Thanks for the kind words Keith. Just wish I could trade some of my > "grease" experience for some of your "actual" experience! :-) > > > Ya know, one of the coolest "out of sight" things I can think of on > Commanders is the torque sensing system of the TPE331. I'm trying to > build a similar configuration for my gas powered ice cream maker to > gauge the set on the ice cream. If I can get the basic mechanical > aspects working, I'll make a big, 1880's looking brass gauge head with > an artsy pointer for the thickness. So, what exactly IS the unit of > measure for the thickness of ice cream anyway??? > > chris > > PS: for those who don't know what the heck I'm talking about: > http://members.cox.net/vasoll/sei/oddities/gpicm.htm > >