Testing times

These are testing times in more ways than I could imagine and so one has to be very careful with oneself and pay very careful attention to how one flies.
In such times one must be able to switch off all outside influences and concentrate on what you are doing. It's especially important to read the checklist and to back this up with the checks one has learned. I learned the RAF - ATA checks for takeoff and for landing, as well as inflight checks. Additional called out checks have come along too, FREDA (N), and "Reds, Blues, Greens, fuel pump" are examples.

I've made a few mistakes lately, but fortunately I am also equipped with the knowledge and ability to correct my errors before something bad happens.
Awareness is detecting and correcting one's errors as well as checking I'MSAFE before flight. In my case Stress has been the factor I am most concerned with.
A bit of meditation can relieve stress when you can temporarily remove the problems that cloud the mind. Clear the mind to allow it's full attention to what you need to do, in this case to fly.

Me, I hate borrowing money, but the Aircoupe is costing over £10,000 for this year's Annual Check, the sum is split 50/50 between Labour and Parts.
It would probably have been best to scrap the aeroplane and sell off its engine and parts. This would have been a shame.
I'm possessed of an aeroplane that has a history, one in which many people learned to fly, a classic aeroplane that's very pleasant to fly.
It wasn't my best choice in the beginning, but it was a CxA aeroplane at the right price, ready for some European touring. I did suggest aeroplanes costing £10k more, and which would have been a whole lot easier to sell, but a budget was a budget, and after it's task was done I was left holding the baby.

Many people have commented on my continuing to pay the price for someone else's aeroplane. I was told to sell it for £15,000 (a big loss) after it had served it's function, but even at that price it would not have sold. In the end I ended up with too much of my money invested in it, and now my finances have dried up. I have had to dissolve an investment account, sell my MX-5 sports car, and my Hasselblad is in for auctioning this week. I can do no more!
I borrowed money and so the aeroplane is financially mine and someone elses (until paid back).
Perhaps the market for aeroplanes will rise again?
Looking at Europe, the aviation scene there is very different to the declining one here in England, so I should advertise it there.

With the above in mind, it is important that I review human factors, and how I ensure my own safety in what I do as well as the safety of others.
And so it was I attended a GASCO Safety Evening at Popham given by Mike O'Donoghue.
It was a good re-informative evening.
'Turned out Mike volunteers at the Museum of Army Flying at Middle Wallop and so I was called to stay 'after class' and to explain my accident in the Sopwith Pup that is housed in the museum.

We did an assessment flight in the Siai Marchetti, approaching the stall, detecting the buffet when possible, but recovering on hearing the audible stall warner.
On the 19th we did another flight, this time with turns and the intention of a few stop and goes on 26 at Popham.
Runway 26 requires a slant approach and a right turn to line up with the centreline at relatively low level... Apparently a stall in this situation would be very scary...
While we were flying in the local area the drizzly rain came along, and it would be me landing the SF260 for the first time and on 26! "The trees are close!", yes, and then I turned. We were too fast, I probably should have gone around. Rain all over the windscreen did not help, I flared a little too high and landed into the runway, and under control with 200 yards to spare. Far from a proper demonstration. Something the brain had to analise for the next time. For a while the weather would not be good to fly in; 'best to tie the aeroplane down, and go for tea.

Back to the 13th April and to begin the second tests of the Sling 2.
First of all, I flew the second flight solo for a more thorough check before taking an observer with me.
During this flight I applied full throttle to establish the maximum RPM and Indicated Airspeed in level flight (3,070, 96KIAS).
Then back to cruise, raise the nose 10º, and let go, the aeroplane returned to level trimmed flight in two oscillations. Good Pitch Stability. 30 minutes in the air.

Keith was an aeronautical professor at Southampton University and so a qualified observer. He came along for flight number 3 which was 34 minutes in the air.
A pitch stability check with him on board, the Sling did three phugoids before returning to trimmed level flight after a good pitch up.
We did full stalls and a full power run at 3,000 feet, 92 KIAS at 3,060 RPM. GPS ground speeds were 85 knots heading 250º, and 120 knots heading 070º.
We tested the electric trim at Va (91KIAS), setting full nose down and full nose up, and feeling the stick forces (very strong force against full nose up trim at this speed, don't let go!).

A short (fourth) handling test flight was done with Iain Kirkham as observer. Iain is studying engineering, mechatronics, and robotics among other high brow technical subjects, and so he too can be an observer.

The digital camera is an asset for recording the myriad details displayed on the PFD, this saves a lot of in cockpit writing on the pad though my pad has a lot written on it, especially when I can pass it to an observer.
The White: Flap Range, and Green: Normal Operating Range, colour tapes need to be applied to the airspeed idicator.

The aeroplane flies very nicely with well harmonised controls and light stick forces.

Paul's first flights in the aeroplane he built

"Typical, bloody typical", until now the aeroplane flew fault free, but the moment its creator gets in there's trouble.
So after his first takeoff (26) with me the Red Light came on, and it was the big one, Low Volts.
The ignition system relies on the Alternator, the Battery, and an Emergency back up battery, allowing for flight to land ASAP.
We land on 21 and after shut down we check all the connections.
Then we go again, and this time the number 2 Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) indication goes crazy, up and down...

Problems were that the voltage control unit (ex-motorcycle) was over heating after it's cooling source was blanked off in favour of extra cooling for the rear engine cylinders (which had gone to the yellow line on climbout on previous test flights). Overheating tripped it out with low voltage being the result.
A duct was made to take cooling air directly to the alternator control unit, and this seems to have solved the low volt problem, and a new EGT sensor has been fitted to the number 2 cylinder exhaust.

Snags are to be expected when flying a newly built aeroplane, they're identified, and solved.

A good day to gain more mastery over the Italian thoroughbred, the SF260.
This time we go above 4,500 feet and experience just how nasty the stalls can be in the SF260 and learn whether we can reduce that 80 knots over the hedge speed.
Clean stall was at 75 KIAS, 20º flap, gear down was 68KIAS, and 30º flap, gear down, it was 65 to 68KIAS.
We returned to Popham to do three stop and goes over the trees, down to runway 03.
In my mind I had the joining procedure incorrectly imagined, why?, because we have not used 03 left hand for a while, and you get used to the circuit being for the other, opposite and near opposite runways. Always pause, and let the airfield information sink in before making a decision. Instant decisions are for emergency use only, otherwise we need a little time to consider and then decide.

In spite of my instruction, as we had just passed the trees and over the A303 road, the aeroplane dropped and this was arrested by a good application of power; not as I would prefer. The landing itself was alright, and we taxied back for a second go.
My preference is to anticipate the windshear by lowering the nose in the last 200 feet or so AGL, 300 feet if the wind is strong. In this way you will not lose airspeed requiring an application of power, and within this limited height you will not gain much airspeed either, rather you're likely to retain what you have.
So over the prominent tree on 03's short final, and lowering the nose the aeroplane glided in and we flared to a smooth landing.
We repeated this again a third time.
The prominent tree is tall and so it intimidates all who approach over it. Sometimes I go beside it with a swizz turn right and left to line up with the runway.
The prominent trees are shown behind the Aircoupe in the picture below.

When I fly an aeroplane for the first time I line up the trim tab with the elevator (level) and ignore the trim indicator in the cockpit... I tell everyone to do this.
But me, the one time I did not do this in my aeroplane I get caught out!
In the cockpit I noted it had been left trimmed full nose up, and so as is my norm I set it in the middle before takeoff.
In the Aircoupe full nose up trim is often cited for takeoff, but I prefer setting it neutral. Though this increases the elevator force required, it actually increases the elevator effectiveness at the same time, (you have the full surface area of the elevator and trim tab), and once established in the climb you do not have to re-trim.

What I did not do was to set the trim on the ground before I got into the aeroplane so that I could confirm the tab's position.
So I got to experience the out of trim forces I had recently tested in the Sling 2, but this time in the Aircoupe.
Just finished maintenance is the most dangerous time to fly an aeroplane, and so I had carefully checked everything before going flying, except I did not run the elevator trimmer.

It has new magnetos and so I felt their mounting nuts to check they were firm... As I write this I can't remember checking the ignition cable nuts at the sparking plugs... I've found these and sometimes the plugs themselves loose after maintenance! (I am pretty sure they have been done up properly).
I always like to do a test flight before releasing an aeroplane to service.

Continuing the test flying of the Sling 2

Sunday's flight, (21st April), was fault free with all engine parameters in limits.
Paul had added another degree of pitch to the ground adjustable propeller blades in order to gain a few more knots in the cruise.
Now the full power in level flight produces 2,840 RPM at 3,000 feet, +10º C, QNH 1030, and 101 KIAS.
2,650 RPM produced 98KIAS or 104KTAS. There's room to add another degree to the propeller pitch as the climb rate was still over 800 feet per minute.
We were within 20kg of the maximum takeoff weight when we began to taxy.
Airborne the flight duration was 1 hour 10 minutes; the longest airborne time so far.

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