Whilst cleaning the oil down and covering her up for the unknown time associated with Covid19 epidemic I noticed that a couple of the tail rigging wires didnt seem to have the twang they used to …

The construction has a really neat way of getting these just right in the tail .. using packing washers

You have 8 cables 2 each side top and 2 each side under providing a nice tight geometric taught support for the tail plane

Slight problem is .. there are no turnbuckle.. as this would not only weight but also drag ..

So you make each of the 8 wires to ‘exact’ length with thimble and crimps and use 2-3 washers to pack ..

Once in situ .. you hopefully have it all nice and rigid .. problem is that moving any 1 affects ALL in the setup .. beautifull engineering and geometry.. but a pain 😊

Anyway .. removing 1 washer from 2 and bingo .. the whole setup was making a nice ping noise again when flicked with a finger .. the acid test

When you go around Duxford you see all the beautiful old aircraft like Spits, Mustangs, Hellcats etc all with small metal drip trays under their engines catching the inevitable oil leaks and drips post engine runs…

My engine is pretty ckean having done less than 90 hours but … if I use smoke .. no matter how much I wipe down afterwards.. I get the excess dripping in a neat line on the hanger floor .. going to have to think of something for those days I use smoke 😊

The slight downside to using the smoke is that it doesn’t quite burn everything… I’ve been using a setting of 1.5 turns on the mixture and the first time the smoke density was really full but left quote a lot of wet on the underside afterwards

Because of where the exhaust stacks end and the associated airflow around the body and rear wards.. the underside gets a film from the wing trailing edge backwards

It wipes off really easily but the undercarriage is also smack in line as well and the leather boots around the bungees catch quite a bit

I’m going to try a slightly different mixture setting.. say 1.4 .. then 1.3 but I also think I need to test this in different ambient temps as well .. last test it actually rained so not a great day for testing!

I guess with any build .. this being my first.. you have absolutely tons of paperwork and guides and plans and pictures and write ups and research ..

It culminates in you writing to the LAA – Light Aircraft Association – asking for approval of the paperwork and signed papers BUT also specifying WHO is actually going to perform the test flight …

I, for one, couldn’t contemplate handing over the inaugural test flight to someone else … call it pride.. call it worry .. putting someone else’s life on YOUR construction!

So .. I requested me as test pilot … based on my previous .. but very old 5 years of Stampe biplane experience

The LAAs Chief Engineer, Francis Donaldson sends a carefully worded letter which is supportive but also says things as they are …

Today .. Monday 9th March I received an email response from Francis Donaldson at the LAA 6 hours after I had resubmitted my updated Pilot Operating Handbook notes for the smoke system …

Just need some good weather and MORE baby oil !!

The really useful course at Skycraft covered some sensible – regular- checks I could do around mags ..

Turns out this is especially good in moist environments.. so on an island of 9 miles by 5 miles surrounded by sea probably constitutes as ‘moist’ … add to that if course salt air … and you have good properties for corrosion ..

Checking the magnets on the flywheel is really simple with the cowling off and sure enough.. rotating the prop to reveal the magnets showed a fair build up of rust …

As Dave noted .. this could be a cause of radio noise.. and I’ve been having that creep in in last few months… probably proportionally ‘noisy’ as time passes… and surface rust builds …

Every time I’ve gone up to the hanger .. with good intentions to wash the ‘plane … then you get reasonable weather to fly… you fly .. of course … so that means I haven’t washed her since before Christmas !!

So so dirty after all the dust in the hanger….

Also… after 3 years of flying .. it’s good to double check for any little lifting of the small pinked edges… and iron them flat