Hello from Kansas!

[The Sky Surfer]

I am looking forward to seeing what’s goin’ on in this Blog.

I am Brian FitzGerald of Rose Hill, Kansas. Most of my flying has been in my Quicksilver MXL but about three years ago I bought a 20+ year old RANS S-12. It took me about a year to get it airworthy but in the last two years I have over 200 hours in it.

I like to make documentary movies and have quite a few on my website. Some are about Ultralights, some on Classic/Vintage Aircraft. I also have shot about seven POV’s that put you in the MXL with me for some “Low Level, Cross Country, Prairie Adventures” across the Great Plains of Kansas and Oklahoma. I also have written a goodly number of photo-journalistic travelogues in “Sky Surfing - The Flite Blog”.

If you are interested in any of this stuff, go to:

fitzvideo.com

A lot of the links will take you to YouTube but if you want to see more of my movies it is best to return to my website as YT is designed to “randomize” what you see and I can’t vouch for other people’s stuff.

Blue Skies & Tailwinds!

Brian FitzGerald - The Sky Surfer 

[Mike Gearon]

Well, you’re not too far from Hays, Kansas so the RANS makes even more sense.

 

 

[facthunter]

Brian , I had a mate with a good S-12 that he used enough to replace the 582 with a new one, eventually.  ALL the Rans planes are quality items. I've always been impressed with the way they are built. . Nev

[The Sky Surfer]

Yes, Mike and FactHunter, I have been to the RANS factory a couple of times. Most recently I flew to their annual open house. But, actually I bought my S-12 used from a guy down in Texas and then brought it back with the wings off in a big panel truck. It had 4 previous owners before me and needed a lot of work. I like it a lot but I made the mistake of putting a 75" two blade PowerFin on it and it is way, way to loud. So, I have been interested in the discussion regarding the French E-Prop. I'm trying to decide between a Whirlwind 3 Blade or an E-Prop 3 Blade.

 

From examining the aircraft and engine logbooks I see that this plane was originally powered by a 582 and then the current 912UL replaced it. I have over 200 hours since I got it but about a month  ago it became rough on a flight and I hurriedly returned to base. After much trouble shooting I have discovered a hung intake valve on #4. So, yesterday I took off all the heads and the cylinders and am sending them to LEAF (Leading Edge Air Foils) in Wisconsin so they can go over them and send 'em back. Brett Lawson is really good and experienced and I'd much rather them work on my heads on a job they have done a thousand times than me fool around on it for the first time. I'm also going to be doing some other stuff. This is a 1991 912UL with only 300 hours but none of the Service Upgrades were done on it so I'm going to do that stuff so it will be ready for Spring flying.

[Lucky01]

G'day Brian,

 

I was poking around yesterday on the forums and come across a prop comparison. Was a great read

 

https://www.stolspeed.com/nid/46

 

Cheers

[IBob]

Hi Brian and welcome. The S-12 always looked like so much fun to me!

You mention your 912 has not had any SUs done.

A while ago a member here had his 912 quit when both ignition systems failed simultaneously. By a great stroke of good luck, this happened on the strip, prior to takeoff. The problem was due to poor/faulty insulation in the wire bundle that comes from the alternator end of the engine, which also includes the excitation and trigger coils for the two ignition systems, and was supposed to have been fixed by SB 912-026. I though you may want to look at this. Here is his summary of the problem:

On 30/11/2020 at 10:49 AM, dan tonner said:

The promised followup:

First - the summary:  The problem was failed insulation on the two charging wires from the stator to the modules. The insulation over the wires was more like “putty” than “plastic” and at the point where they were zip-tied near the modules, out-of-phase voltage from the two coils seems to have been able to jump the compressed insulation and cancel.  I believe this issue was the reason for SB 912-026 back in 1999 and my engine was never made compliant.

 

Second - the test results:

A)  AC Voltage across each red lead to engine ground at cranking speed (modules disconnected)    5.6 VAC each side.   (when wiggled – VAC fluctuated to 0).

Bob: I also did the test with the modules connected – 4.55 VAC on each side; - as above, when the wires were wiggled, VAC fluctuated to 0.

B)  Resistance across a red lead to engine ground – 3.6 OHMS each side.  Flexing the wires did not seem to make any difference.  (Possibly redirecting the reading across the crossed wires and through either coil to ground?  ie: no change)

C) Resistance across the two disconnected red leads:   6.7 OHMS;   when wiggled, the reading would change to 0 OHMS – indicative of crossed leads.

NOTE:  the 6.7 OHM reading is a measurement down one red lead through its charging coil to ground and then up through the second coil and its red lead.  The resistance with the coils in series is summative:  3.6 + 3.6 = 6.7  + line/connection resistance?      (The resistance would not decrease as I had erroneously speculated.)

D)   I did not perform the "fuel spray" test after I finding the “crossed” leads.  I separated the leads beyond the zip-tied connector.  (no fuel sprayed – no insurance claim 🙂)     I proceeded  to the next test.

E)  I removed the set of plugs served by the one connected module and, using sections of single-strand 12 ga copper house wire, I grounded each sparkplug and reconnected the caps. When the starter was engaged (higher RPM with plugs removed) there was lots of spark, in sequence, at every plug. After connecting the other lead to the module, the second charging coil produced identical results.

F) No rats; no squirrels.   (I didn’t really look….)

 

So, where am I?

     I pushed back the wire mesh sheath and separated the charging wires to a point halfway between the last two clamps on the motor. I cut the wires here and spliced in two lengths of 22 ga red automotive wire and triple shrink-wrapped the soldered connections. I pulled the wire mesh back over the joint and along the wire as far as it would go – adding a  second wire mesh sheath, shrink-wrapped at the joint, to gain a couple of inches of length. I secured the ”new” wire at the second clamp on the motor. The plan was to ensure there would be no movement from the charging coils all the way to the sparkplug coil bracket – especially where the “original” stator wires were still intact. I added two new female bullet  connectors and reassembled the ignition unit.

     Because of heavy rain and muddy apron conditions, I did not roll the plane out of the hangar to attempt a start - and had to travel home (about  200 km away).   I am certain it will start (on the first try) when I get to my hangar - I will only add to this “already-too-long” thread if it does not start.

 

     It is clear I need to either:

·       repair the “original” stator by replacing the red charging wires (and probably the yellow “generator” wires as well) right back to the coils,   or,     

·       replace what I have with a good second-hand “newer-style” stator.

(I am not ready to purchase a new stator for US $1500.00 (plus, plus)...yet...

 

    Thanks everyone for “kicking in” –

Stay safe; Fly safely.

CanadaDan

 

[The Sky Surfer]

Thanks for the discussion Bob and Dan Tonner.

In the fall, (around here that's September thru the middle of November) I was informed by a well known Rotax Guy named Ronnie Smith of South Mississippi Light Aircraft that the old 912UL I have had that stator. He said "It WILL fail" and proceeded to explain it pretty much like Dan just did.

I changed if for a new one and it was one of the hardest jobs I have ever done because I stubbornly made the switch w/o taking the engine off the plane. I attached a photo of the bridge I constructed over the wing so I could get up there to the rear of the engine. 

Prior to finding out about the stator issue I was in the process of installing two new IgniTech CDI's so the bridge made that easier but overall (in retro) taking the whole thing off might have been less time overall. It's hard to say. Nonetheless, everything - CDI's and Stator worked great. In the next month I flew about 30 hours w/o any negative issues. The engine seemed to be a little smoother also.

Then, right before Christmas I was climbing after buzzing a nearby airfield and the engine seemed a little rough. I brought it back to the field having to hold 5500 to get it as smooth as possible. I landed and the engine quit. With a lot of messing around between the enrichment (choke) and the throttle I was able to get enough power to bring it up to my hangar.

Our children brought their families over for Christmas and were here for an aggregate of about 3 weeks and during that time I didn't trouble shoot.

After everybody went home I got out there and spent a lot of time going through the entire fuel system, a lot of the electrical system and finally checked compression. Like always, I wish I had troubleshot in the opposite direction because I had ZERO compression in #4 and tested it to be a problem with the intake valve.

Yesterday I got all four heads and cylinders off and I'm sending them to LEAF (Leading Edge Air Foils) in Wisconsin. Brett Lawton and his guys are going to clean them up. I will also be doing some other Updates that have yet to be completed. This will bring my TBO to 1200 hours from the 600 hours it was when I bought it.

Y'know. You can pay for it now or pay for it later. I got this plane in Texas for about $15,000 and the engine had only ~150 hours on it. The problem is that it was pushed out of the factory on 27 May 1991.

Wiser heads will tell you just because an engine has low time doesn't necessarily result in a good deal.

They are right!

I'll be back in the air ASAP!

Blue Skies & Tailwinds!™

Brian FitzGerald - The Sky Surfer

PS: Yes. The S-12 is a blast and fits my style to a "T". I threw the other picture in below to show it parked where I stopped on one of my Sky Safaris - a place called "Little Sahara" in Oklahoma.

My thing is to fly between 500' and 1,000' AGL over The Great Plains. I can see stuff on the ground better, wave at folks and pretty much land wherever I might have to...

The only thing wrong with the "12" is the incredible noise my 75" PowerFin puts out. It is hurting my hearing on 5 hour round trips even while wearing 33dB ear plugs and LightSpeed ANR's. I'm still investigating but I'm going 3 blade with a smaller diameter. I'm thinking about an E-Prop Excalibre 3 from France or a Whirlwind from America.

[IBob]

Great looking machine, Brian. And I love the sound of the sort of flying you're doing!

[facthunter]

I think they can be a noisebox. Might be worth trying some sound deadening . Most planes have (and need) it. You should be able to keep it light weight. Nev

[The Sky Surfer]

Oh, yeah. I bought a large roll of "Super Soundproofing 1" Black" from Aircraft Spruce about a month ago. It will be installed as soon as I get the engine running again. On my last flight I took a dB meter along with me to get some baseline readings to compare with after I install the sound stuff. I'll let you guys know what I discover.

[The Sky Surfer]

Thanks, IBob! If you want to see what I do with my Quicksilver, you might like it even more. Check one of these out:

https://www.fitzvideo.com/Pages/POVs.htm

"The Harper Run" was the first with 6 cams and has the most hits but later I added 2 more cams.

[Mike Gearon]

Hey Brian…..Very cool. I started into one of the YouTube videos on iPad. I’ll watch on the 80” later today to do it justice. Well produced!

 

It’s making me want to keep the Quicksilver I have in Lincoln, Nebraska. KLNK. I’ve just stuck it up on Barnstormers at a bargain price.  I’d actually thought about exactly what you’ve done. Take off from the ramp or taxiway. Lincoln Clearance, Lincoln Ground then ground and tower is often the same controller. Just ask if I can go!

 

I will be back there June. Maybe we can catch up! Especially if I keep the QS. Reality is at Lincoln I’d have to get permission to fly it out of there just the once then would need to keep at non towered airport. We will see. 
 

 

I have 

[The Sky Surfer]

I appreciate the thumbs up! I have loads of movies and also a lot of trips on Sky Surfing - The Flite Blog™. 

I think the 670 is a good engine. Did Rotax Rick make it for you? Ron has overhauled my 503 twice and it never skips a beat. I am a Rotax Rick fan. I had also bought a 670 from him for a T-Bird II project but ended up selling that and buying my RANS S-12. I'm sure it would have run like a top.

If you are ever out this way be sure to let me know. My Wife and I live on an airfield. I have Buddies stop by all the time.

[facthunter]

Any of you Guys using Pennzoil 2 stroke oil.  It was actually certified for aviation use. This was quite a few years ago.  Nev

[The Sky Surfer]

You are probably talking about 4 stroke engines. But...

I was solid with "Pennzoil for Air Cooled Engines" for a couple of decades in my Ultralight 2 Strokes. Then it disappeared from the shelves so I went to Havoline 2 stroke. Then that got rare so I switched to Amsoil Interceptor 2 Stroke. It is BY FAR the best of all. It is a little more expensive but I buy it by the case. I could hear/feel the difference from my 503 the first time I used it.

[facthunter]

No I'm  referring to the AVIATION TWO stroke oil, As far as I know, no other oil company has bothered to do so and they did a heap of testing in the process. When you mention something being used for an aeroplane most  dive for cover.   Two strokes  are a dwindling section of the market and so are aircooled engines of any kind. Approved oils for road use must not affect Cat converters  or DPF for diesels.. Nev

[IBob]

Very envious of your hedgehopping, Brian.

Here in New Zealand, I'm pretty sure you'd get birdstrikes.

But, sadly, it's academic as we have a min. height of 500'AGL except in a very few specific training or competition situations (and even then we don't get to be right down on the deck).

[The Sky Surfer]

Our deal is 500' from people or buildings (cattle and horses, too). Don't forget, though, I am only going 38mph during those Quicksilver movies. I don't fly that low in the RANS because it cruises at 80. Big difference.