BirdDog

Good example of making the right decision.

Thanks Skippy I am surprised that there is no Rudder trim on this bird at all. It has bias springs, and they may help. Everything is aligned now, I have removed the front wheel spat to complete some further testing to ensure the actual control surfaces are all doing the right thing. Then I will replace the spat and make sure it's aligned, and we should be good.

Yep! I have certainly changed the way I do things now.

Yes! They are independent of each other. A lot of the right rudder will be from the torque from the donk. You should not have to be leaning on the right rudder in the cruise. I cruise at about 90% full noise, with prop thickened to sit at about 5200.

I have been doing some investigations and I have a combination of things. Firstly, it will do it more when under full power. If I back off and let it glide, the effect is much less. I have already aligned the wheel, but have discovered a little too much play in the rudder, which I am rectifying. I am of the belief that I have had the effect of both an unaligned front wheel (The LAME had replaced the rudder steering cable at the last 100) and the play in the rudder. When applying full power there is a noticeable yaw to the left, and I believe this is the play in the rudder where the prop wash is forcing the rudder left. I have never pushed on the control surfaces during the daily (especially when the sticker says "Don't Push") so it has gone unnoticed. I would have picked it up on the next 100, but I might change the way I do things from this point.

My bird actually does not even have a trim tab. So it's essential everything is aligned. I wished it did. My last bird did, and it made life easier, let me tell you!

Yep! And that weather cock can pull the rudder around if not aligned.

Yeah thanks man! Mine is a steerable wheel.

Yeah cool. I knew this is the case, but want to open it to discussion. I am having some issues with yaw affects, which I have narrowed down to a combination of wheel spat, and too much play in the rudder. The rudder is about to be tensioned, and then I will get on to the spat. Amazing the affect it can have.

So here is question - put your thinking caps on.... If the front wheel of an LSA is not aligned - OR - the wheel spat is not aligned, could it cause the rudder to to deflect and cause a yaw response? Let's discuss!

Kasper, I am with you. I concentrate on the turn (fly the aircraft) before worrying about if I am lined up. Given the size and class of my bird, at most airports, I have a lot of runway ahead of me, with plenty of time. And if not... give it the beans and get some more air time! LOL!

Interesting article. Thanks for posting. I was trained by an instructor who focused heavily on the B2F turn, so it has been hammered into me, the do's and don'ts I can understand how people can quickly get into trouble though.

I’m talking more the linkages and moving parts of both the throttle and the choke, as per the rotax manual.

Interesting you say don’t lubricate Skippy, when it’s actually a requirement in the Rotax Maintenance Manual. It states to use engine oil. I personally didn’t use oil. I used a marine based lanolin spray

Update - SOLVED. So sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees. The problem was staring me in the face and I could not see it. I decided to just go back to basics and look at what in the system can cause a mixture issue. The very first thing that came to mind was the choke. So I tested between full choke and no choke and found that the choke was binding and not returning to min. It would appear that the Lame that did the last 100 did not lubricate the throttle components. I also found the idle mix screws to be way out. Once I fixed that and lubricated all linkages, the problem is all but gone. The CHT are within 10c of each other. I have now synced carbs and once the weather clears will test fly. 4000rpm runs shows no black plugs anymore. one thing this taught me. When I do my daily I always check throttle travel and choke engagement, but realised I never checked the chokes had returned to minimum. It’s now on the list. Problem solved and lesson learned. Win win. IMG_1377.MOV

Ok. Some further info lads. I have been flat out and so only just managed to get on to this now. I still have the CHT issue. So I swapped the sensors and the problem remain unchanged. Pulled the plugs and found passenger front (closest to prop) both top and bottom are black. Rear passenger are a nice grey. Swapped plugs around and problem remained. Did full leak downs. All perfect. All cables are good. The sensor on the side that has the black plugs is reading high temp. Only other choice now is to check floats and sync carbs. But it’s got me beat. Any ideas?

Go Pro or Garmin camera will do a similar job!

Like I said before, you are not reading the legislation, and how it will be enforced, So here is an example... Mr Birddog, it appears you missed a vitral radio call. Is that true? - Yes, that appears to be the case. You do know there is legislation that states you must monitor the appropriate frequencies right? - Yes. I do. So, did you have your radio on, and on the appropriate freq? - Yes. I did. So how did you miss the vital call? - I don't know. I certainly didn't hear it - even though I was obeying the regulation and was monitoring the correct frequencies. I did not hear the call. Case closed.

Google is your friend.... Part 103 of CASR will consolidate the rules applying to people who carry out recreational aviation private flight operations, maintenance, and training for recreational aviation in the following kinds of aircraft: gliders (including sailplanes, hang gliders, paragliders and powered variants thereof meeting defined criteria) rotorcraft that meet defined criteria and are administered by a recreational aviation administration organisation ultralight aeroplanes (defined by weight and stall speed) that are administered by a recreational aviation administration organisation.

You are actually not reading that regulation correctly! I deal with CASA regulation every day, and you need to read it, as it is written. For example... The regulation states... (1) The pilot in command of an aircraft for a flight contravenes this subregulation if: (a) the aircraft is fitted with, or carries, a radio; and (b) the aircraft is flown by a pilot who is qualified, eligible or authorised to use the radio: (i) for an Australian aircraft (other than a Part 103 aircraft or a Part 131 aircraft)—under Part 61 or 64; or (ii) for a foreign registered aircraft—under a law of the aircraft's State of registry or the State of the operator; or (iii) for a Part 103 aircraft—by a Part 103 ASAO; or (iv) for a Part 131 aircraft—by a Part 131 pilot authorisation; and (c) the aircraft is outside controlled airspace; and (d) radio transmissions are not continuously monitored by: (i) the pilot in command of the aircraft for the flight; or (ii) another pilot who occupies a pilot seat during the flight. (2) A person commits an offence of strict liability if the person contravenes subregulation (1). Penalty: 50 penalty units. So let's break it down.... If the aircraft is fitted with a radio, AND there is a radio qualified pilot in it, radio transmissions must be monitored. It does not say anything about missing the radio call It simply means that you must have your radio on and be listening! If you didn't hear it because you were sneezing, or chatting to your mate next to you, you are not in breach, of your radio is on, and you are monitoring transmissions. Nothing more, nothing less.

For me, I spend less time looking inside. The screen directly in front of me has everything at a glance, so doing a systematic scan is now simple, as all the data is grouped. The extra stuff I need/want is available on extra pages if I want it. I don't have to swap, but I can get access to everything like, Fuel pressure Fuel Burn Endurance Calculations Terrain Traffic Maps Flight Plans Charts Airports info and the list goes on I still carry my ipads in the cockpit, and one is mounted, so I can have the likes of OzRunways open - But having everything available right in front of me is golden.

Yep! I have 2 Gopros in the cockpit, and use Final Cut to swap between cameras in post. Works a treat!

I have just moved from my old aircraft with steam, to a new bird that is all glass. Garmin G3X system with 2 screens. At first it was a little strange, but now that I have had time in the machine (about 15 hours) I hope I never have to go back. The glass is way better, and I feel more connected to the machine (sounds weird, but true) There is much more data - which is great.

Just use a GoPro and buy the cable that plugs into your intercom! That's what I have, it's fantastic!

Hey all. Has anyone successfully connected the GDL50 to a G3X touch? It appears the cabling is not as simple as I would have hoped. Cheers J