So why the gap …

So close to finishing and yet work has managed to got through the roof along with what I call normal flying !

At work we have what is called a Management Buy Out which basically means that the years of frustration trying to get funding for big or small business change projects and programmes suddenly disappear and you can do all those exciting meaningful add value projects and get the resource to do it .. Means a very busy three years but hey .. Better than being bored …

The other, nicer part is that because I spent over 6 heads working for the government out here I met and now know loads of people in all sorts of roles … From our Chief Minister (equiv of Prime Minister) through all he various ministries and departments.

This means I get asked if I can pop various politicians over to various French locations for political meetings and events. The recent Somme commemorations saw a contingent from Guernsey and Jersey, various Heads of government needing to be picked up and ferried to Abbeville and Caen and Cherbourg and back. All this in a week where we generally had BKN below 100 .. Made for some interesting and challenging flying … Did about 15 hours flying last month, including a business hop to Luxembourg .. Long way in a PA28 ! And around 5 hours IMC .. Which is all good practice for Jersey approaches !

Have managed to secure the ability to work late at night in the hangar which is great for big catch up completions ….. To follow in blog ….

July 16, 2016 0

Trig – completion and testing

Well, after many hours of careful preparation and meter continuity testing of the two prime D plugs it came to the time to connect up. Realised I had managed to run out of positive bus connections so a brief pause whilst I change the behind the panel bus bar to give me up to 10 locations.

I also changed from the screw type connector block to a crimped ring connector with a handshake fly lead .. This means I can isolate and fully remove any powered item without affecting any others.

First power up and bingo .. All lights up … Default frequencies were changed to add 134.67 the ATIS for Jersey and then 119.45 (Tower) and

June 29, 2016 0

Engine cooling

They say 98% complete only 20% left .. But it does really feel nearer 5% now !!!

Another little but key job to get completed the rubber cooling duct bleed surround on the intake shrouds. Once glued I aim to secure every say 5 cm or so with a rivet and backing washer

June 28, 2016 0

Trig set up and test

Having setup the Trig Radio and Transponder it was time to final pin check and then setup for power only to realise id run out of main bus power points.

A short delay whilst I extend the bus bar to have a new setup .. Allowing for up to 10 points each with ringed connectors in preference to screw fit and also handshake fly leads meaning I can disconnect any power source in isolation of other elements.

Locate and temporarily connect the headphone mic sockets and crackle and we have life !

Then first power up and set the Jersey ATIS 134.67 and loud and clear …

Then press and hold the Function button on the transponder to setup the Config .. Very straightforward .. What fantastic equipment this is … Worked from first connect

I now have my imbedded call sign in G-SWAB 😃😃

June 28, 2016 0

Spinner – additional security

Added a couple of additional tabs to the spinner backplate with rivnut fitting to allow two opposite support fittings for spinner … These provide additional rigidity to the existing centre bolt fitting

May 31, 2016 0

Trig wiring

Trig Radio and Transponder bits going in … Cut dash to accept both heads and fitted the base behind the pilot seat. Cable routed around body struts and now removing the pre tinned bits I did as Adrian advised me that the crimper will expect to crush onto cables NOT tinned .. Which might prevent proper crimping !

Manual in hand and pins and crimper at the ready .. Adrian also advised to butt the outer cable close to the end of the pin

Many thanks to Paul HS for the kind loan of the superb Crimpers !

Update 6 June – OK – I worked through the night the other night – all excited to get to this part – makes it so much more real …. and, having crimped on the females to the radio thought lets crack on and use the remainder of the pins to do the Transponder … Oops – managed to use the wrong gender (females) so am now short of said item.

Looked on RS and wasn’t sure they looked the same and no one in Jersey will have them I guess so a quick call to Trig. What an amazingly helpful, polite team they are… lady answered just before 1800 (and I thought I might have to leave a message). She kindly passed me on to James who couldn’t do more to help .. sure he would pop some spares in the post – tomorrow OK ? – simply perfect !

We also had a chat about what aircraft they were going in and how it was progressing and the sort of support they offer after sales. Really good solid Company ! Many thanks guys.

May 31, 2016 0

LAA last bits

The LAA kindly followed up on my penultimate submission (Jon Viner .. He’s really good and responds by email almost by return) .. The ‘final’ bits they want are some photos of the carb heat fitting and also evidence of how I know it’s working … I plan to put warning lights on the panel for both heater elements …

also photos and description on how I have secured the tail ballast

May 15, 2016 0

Taxying

My original taxi checks had proved interesting as what had seems like good brakes turned out to be quite soggy !

Mike and I had a look and tightened up a few parts so they became much more firm and solid affair.

So these were re tested today. Took the checks away and started her up .. She start so sweetly … First turn every time !

Then waited for the relatively busy area outside the Jersey Aero Club to settle …this area is a strip of Tarmac in front other hangers quite short and quite narrow … Should be a good test and if it all goes to pot .. Just shut down .. Jump out and turn her by hand.

i should not have worried … I temporarily disconnected the steerable Tailwheel to leave her castoring and, with differential brakes, she nipped up and down .. With careful but beautifully tight right hand turns. The Stampe used to react quite positively to blips of throttle but I don’t want to use too much in such a confined space with about 8 aircraft all around.

Spent a very happy 20 minutes going up and down and around to the left then around to the right .. All turning in her own length ! great .. And I feel so much more confident now about popping into the active taxiway at Jersey … Don’t fancy holding up and Easyjet of BA airbus whilst I ground loop ?!

At the end of 20 mins I stopped as I could hear a graunching sound .. Turned out to be hot brakes ! but hey it had been on them the whole time against power … Very pleased with the result !

May 15, 2016 0

Another ground test and wash

Yesterday saw a very productive session whilst I await radio and transponder arrival.

Months of barn and hanger residency has meant a build up of grime and dust and dead fly bits all over the Oratex … Being bright yellow it looks great anyway .. Until you wash one panel and dry it .. Then it bounces back to that lovely smooth clear soft supple finish !

Washed the whole aircraft and she is now gleaming again …..

This did give me a chance to go over all the ironing bits again and I noticed a few places where ironing the doubler pinked strip down had not taken as well as it could. I remember at the time that I didn’t want to ‘drag’ across the pinked edge as the heat could distort the points …. So it was more of an action at 90 degrees so that the points of the pinking all held their shape. Now I could see that some bits were just standing proud. Small shoe iron back on (thanks to Danny B for helping me source this .. It’s been fantastic and pretty much completed the entire aircraft just with that !) .. And at about 145 degrees and it all seals down nicely.

Then I re checked the connections for the EGT and CHT as these had played up on the Infinity. First of 3 engine runs got one of them working … Realised that I needed to re check the set points and thresholds for them. By the 3rd run I had 2 x EGT working on a scan basis and 1 x CHT .. The other CHT just has a flashing arrow pointing down … Either it’s a bad connection or a duff sensor. Will follow it all through to check.

having now removed the standard Jabiru RPM and spliced int the charging circuit in my ‘hunt’ to get an RPM reading on the gauge I find I still can’t get a reading. Checking with Danny to see what I’ve missed … Last part in this wiring puzzle … It’s not my strongest point but hey .. Nearly there 😄

May 15, 2016 0

E3 Infinity gauge

I have had a few problems getting successful readings out of this and, on subsequent re reading of the instructions I noticed that on a page very near the end of the document it mentions that if you intend to monitor both EGT and CHT then one MUST wire before the other .. And I had it the other way around .. In terms of channel numbers

As all connections have been put together with hand shake connectors it’s easy to review and change sequence

I have also struggled to get ANY reading from the RPM sender unit which was factory fitted photo cell …

Contacted fellow builder Danny (Baker) who advised that he used the charging circuit and set the pulses to 5 and it works a dream. I will look to change mine over as, after about 1 hour 40 mins running on sense and sound alone, I need a proper gauge to check RPM

May 8, 2016 0