Today's Message Index:
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1. 01:20 PM - Eclipse travel (Dan Charrois)
2. 01:51 PM - Fuel filter/gascolator screen advice (Dan Charrois)
3. 02:34 PM - Re: Control Surface Weights (Bob Turner)
4. 02:54 PM - Re: Eclipse travel (Bob Turner)
5. 03:16 PM - Re: Fuel filter/gascolator screen advice (Bob Turner)
Message 1
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Hey everyone.
I've recently completed my RV-10 (I'm located just north of Edmonton, Alberta),
and have just finished the required 25 hour fly-off period so my passenger-carrying
restrictions and requirement to stay within 25 miles of my home base are
removed. And it's about time - that plane sure seems designed to go places!
One of the trips my family is planning in the short term is to head down to the
US to see the solar eclipse on August 21st. One of the big benefits (hopefully)
of flying down is to be able to relocate relatively quickly if the weather
isn't panning out for wherever we are.
Does anyone have any advice on where to stay the night before with regards to accommodating
airports? Here on the west side of the continent, the eclipse track
passes through north Oregon, Idaho, central Wyoming and Nebraska with best
long range weather forecasts at the moment in the east Oregon/west Idaho areas.
Thanks to the RV-10, we could be a few hundred miles away from the centreline
of the eclipse. Our needs are relatively few - just the ability to pitch
a tent somewhere with preferably a bathroom nearby :-)
So I'm looking for advice on any airports you may be familiar with that would allow
"under the wing" camping, or perhaps camping (even informally) nearby.
Thanks! And maybe this will be the chance to meet some other RV owners out there!
Dan
---
Dan Charrois
President, Syzygy Research & Technology
Phone: 780-961-2213
Message 2
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| Subject: | Fuel filter/gascolator screen advice |
Hi everyone.
Here in Canada, when my plane underwent final inspection, we had to have gascolators
installed (apparently, this has recently been amended if we have it inspected
to alternate standards, but wasn't so when my plane was done).
In any case, I have the Usher gascolators from Aircraft Spruce installed, one in
each wing root. The problem I'm having is with their fuel screens.
Their screens are about 2 inches in diameter in theory, but in reality, any debris
seems to congregate towards the ~3/8" outlet where the fuel leaves the gascolator.
I've experienced fuel pressure drops on climb out (when not using the
boost pump) twice now, and on both occasions found small fibres trapped on the
screens in those locations. Cleaning out the screens seems to solve the problem.
Fuel can still get by the debris that collects at the screen right at the outlet
of the gascolator, but via a very shallow channel cut behind the rest of the
fuel screen that seems to restrict flow and pressure somewhat significantly when
at high flow rates.
At first I thought the small fibres being trapped in the screen was just some initial
construction debris being flushed out of the system. But it still seems
to be trapping some contamination now, even after 6 or 7 tank refills. I'm
starting to wonder if my fuel source may have the odd fibre in it (I've heard
it happens, sometimes as a deteriorating filter at the pump).
It's not a huge amount of debris, and at the rate I've seen so far would likely
take hundreds of hours to accumulate to any kind of noticeable level in a "proper"
fuel filter with a high useable surface area such as the stock Van's filter
I kept in the tunnel). But I'm not happy with the Usher gascolator filter
design in that even a tiny amount of contamination has the possibility of restricting
fuel flow relatively needlessly. The "effective area" of the screen
in the gascolators, judging by where contamination is found, seems to be less
than the area of a dime. And draining the tanks, removing the lower intersection
fairing and wing root fairing to be able to remove the gascolator bowl to
clean the screen is getting old fast, particularly if it's something I'm going
to have to do often.
One tempting option is to just remove the filter screens from the gascolators altogether.
I still have the stock Van's fuel filter in the tunnel, and for probably
most flying RV-10s, that's all they have in the first place. The down
side, of course, is access to the filter in the tunnel (right now, the pre-filtering
by the gascolator screens means it would probably never get contaminants).
But I'll likely be pulling that apart during annuals anyway, and from the
design of the filter, I expect it would be able to take a fair bit of contamination
anyway before it starts to restrict flow. Another option would be to replace
the gascolators with something that has a screen less likely to trap all
the contaminants in a very small area, like the Andair gascolators (at least,
as judged by their picture, their cylindrical screen design that would trap
contaminants away from the outlet port seems much better). The problem is they
cost 3-5 times what my Usher gascolators did.
Anyone have any advice?
Thanks! Dan
---
Dan Charrois
President, Syzygy Research & Technology
Phone: 780-961-2213
Message 3
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| Subject: | Re: Control Surface Weights |
You should be good to close it up, if built to plans. If you are adding weight
to the control surface (trim servo, more than normal paint, ...) you may want
to hold off on closing it in. Balance info comes with the final kit, iiirc.
--------
Bob Turner
RV-10 QB
Read this topic online here:
http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=469650#469650
Message 4
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| Subject: | Re: Eclipse travel |
Are you ready for price shock? If you can stay some distance away, get up early
(eclipse starts around 9 am in OR, total near 10:20 PDT), you may find cheaper
lodging. I've reserved a tent site (just a place in a field next to the airport,
water, port-a-potty, no showers) for $165 (one night or a week, same price)
adjacent to the John Day, OR runway. Last time I checked tent and RV sites
were still available. I also reserved a tie down space ($100). This is critical,
as they only have a dozen or so. I do not know if any are left. Airport manager
told me that due to their aerial fire-fighting contract they may not block
any runways or taxiways; no aircraft will be allowed to land without a tie down
reservation. John Day historically has good weather; is close to the eclipse
centerline.
Good luck with your search. One option, of course, is to view from the air. But
IMHO that is not as good as ground viewing. For one thing, if you're looking
at the eclipse, who's watching for the other airplanes?
--------
Bob Turner
RV-10 QB
Read this topic online here:
http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=469651#469651
Message 5
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| Subject: | Re: Fuel filter/gascolator screen advice |
Well, as you point out, very few if any US -10's have this 'feature'. And in the
only fuel contamination/blockage accident that I know of, they wouldn't have
helped, as the contaminant (RTV) was accidentally introduced down-stream of the
main filter, by the builder. I'd be strongly tempted to pull those screens.
However, there are a number of reports of fuel pressure dropping below minimum
spec in a climb, even with no gascolator. Some suggest the tunnel location of
the fuel flow gauge, before rather than after the pump, is the culprit. I see
this myself if I'm climbing thru 7000' or so and full rich. So I don't do that!
Once the engine break-in is done, there is no reason to be full rich at that
altitude.
--------
Bob Turner
RV-10 QB
Read this topic online here:
http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=469652#469652
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