Needle valve fiddlers
01-05-2003, 03:53 PM
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Needle valve fiddlers
Recently I was sitting and talking with a long time modeling friend and one of us happen to mention a fellow member not seen much any more. This fellow members name cannot be mentioned without talking about his knack for burning up half his fuel adjusting the needle valve, every flight. (That is not a exaggeration)
Then of course other names come up that have similar "habits".
We're not talking about pattern flyers attempting to tweak every bit of HP out of an engine. These are every day sport pilots whose most advanced maneuver is a Cuban 8. Their planes typically go dead stick because they went too lean.
I must be getting a bit cantankerous as I get older but I can't stand listening to a 2-stroke scream at full throttle in the pits behind me the whole time I have a plane in the air.
Do you have similar "fiddlers" at your field?
Then of course other names come up that have similar "habits".
We're not talking about pattern flyers attempting to tweak every bit of HP out of an engine. These are every day sport pilots whose most advanced maneuver is a Cuban 8. Their planes typically go dead stick because they went too lean.
I must be getting a bit cantankerous as I get older but I can't stand listening to a 2-stroke scream at full throttle in the pits behind me the whole time I have a plane in the air.
Do you have similar "fiddlers" at your field?
01-05-2003, 05:14 PM
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Yep...
I have a buddy, he doesn't fly any more, I call him "Flamin' Raymond" He tweaks his needle out til it's so lean it's just about to die, then takes off...
01-05-2003, 05:29 PM
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Needle valve fiddlers
it was clod enough for ice today and the bottom seams rich so i tweaked, wish i hadn't, took about 5 mins to get it back. now im a good one with needles, but i just couldnt get it today. didnt matter, i crashed next flight ( wasnt the engine )
01-05-2003, 07:25 PM
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Needle Valve Twiddlers
Sdr,
You're right, you are getting cantankerous as you get older...and so am I! We had a guy who did the same thing, only he used his hand held tach to set the needle on every single flight, and he couldn't be convinced by anyone that you didn't need to! Yes, he would also use up half a tank of fuel fiddling around with it. He'd lean it to the max, pick the nose up and it would sag. He'd put it back down, richen it up and re-set it, then try again with the same results....over and over and over!
Don't get me wrong, I know it's not fair to critisize a guy who doesn't know any better. But when he has very little experience and refuses to take the advise of a whole group of his more experienced clubmates, runs his engine at full throttle in the pits for extended periods, and continues to whine about all his deadstick landings out in the rough stuff.....He's fair game for getting slagged!
I once had a guy come up to my model, grab the leading edge of the wing and push his thumb right through the leading edge sheeting! I asked him what the hell he thought he was doing, and his reply was: "It looked so smooth and glossy that I thought it must be fiberglass, and I wanted to see if it was."
That was only one of several times that other people have damaged my models.....I swear that someone sneaks into my shop and installs "Moron Magnets" in my models when I'm not looking!
Cheers, Nigel
You're right, you are getting cantankerous as you get older...and so am I! We had a guy who did the same thing, only he used his hand held tach to set the needle on every single flight, and he couldn't be convinced by anyone that you didn't need to! Yes, he would also use up half a tank of fuel fiddling around with it. He'd lean it to the max, pick the nose up and it would sag. He'd put it back down, richen it up and re-set it, then try again with the same results....over and over and over!
Don't get me wrong, I know it's not fair to critisize a guy who doesn't know any better. But when he has very little experience and refuses to take the advise of a whole group of his more experienced clubmates, runs his engine at full throttle in the pits for extended periods, and continues to whine about all his deadstick landings out in the rough stuff.....He's fair game for getting slagged!
I once had a guy come up to my model, grab the leading edge of the wing and push his thumb right through the leading edge sheeting! I asked him what the hell he thought he was doing, and his reply was: "It looked so smooth and glossy that I thought it must be fiberglass, and I wanted to see if it was."
That was only one of several times that other people have damaged my models.....I swear that someone sneaks into my shop and installs "Moron Magnets" in my models when I'm not looking!
Cheers, Nigel
01-07-2003, 04:40 PM
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Needle valve fiddlers
Before I begin this little tale let me make one thing perfectly clear. I don’t like seeing anyone hurt or injured pursuing our hobby /sport .
I think every field has a resident needle valve tweaker. Years ago this was in the late 80's we had a young lad who like all good needle valve tweakers was bent over his plane adjusting the needle valve for the umpteen time that day. He had a bad habit of squatting down in front of the plane. One hand holding the plane the other on the needle valve. It was a hot summer evening and he had a pair of shorts on.
We had mentioned to him on more then one occasion that he should adjust the engine from behind the prop. Well sir you got it, his hand slipped when the engine was screaming one second and whap! Silent the next. If you ever wondered what a Master Airscrew prop would do to a persons knee we all got a good look that day.
Fortunately for him I had a good First-Aid kit in the car. To his benefit we were teaching a medical doctor how to fly a trainer that afternoon. After patching him up and getting him bundled off to the local emergency room. We made sure his plane and car were taken to his home. Like I said I hate seeing anyone get hurt. Now for some we all had big grins on our faces
after that day, We never did see that tweaker again.
Yes there is justice in this world at times. Sorry for grinnin even now
I think every field has a resident needle valve tweaker. Years ago this was in the late 80's we had a young lad who like all good needle valve tweakers was bent over his plane adjusting the needle valve for the umpteen time that day. He had a bad habit of squatting down in front of the plane. One hand holding the plane the other on the needle valve. It was a hot summer evening and he had a pair of shorts on.
We had mentioned to him on more then one occasion that he should adjust the engine from behind the prop. Well sir you got it, his hand slipped when the engine was screaming one second and whap! Silent the next. If you ever wondered what a Master Airscrew prop would do to a persons knee we all got a good look that day.
Fortunately for him I had a good First-Aid kit in the car. To his benefit we were teaching a medical doctor how to fly a trainer that afternoon. After patching him up and getting him bundled off to the local emergency room. We made sure his plane and car were taken to his home. Like I said I hate seeing anyone get hurt. Now for some we all had big grins on our faces
after that day, We never did see that tweaker again.
Yes there is justice in this world at times. Sorry for grinnin even now
01-07-2003, 05:04 PM
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so long as they don't tweak mine
I could do without the noise, but what is really annoying is when they come over and, before you have a chance to object, they adjust YOUR needle valve.
01-07-2003, 08:28 PM
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Needle valve fiddlers
Once again, every field has one. And so does ours. He will sit there and run his engine full bore and play with the needle trying to get it right. Then he shuts down and tops off his tank, starts up, and you guessed it........ decides the needle valve isn't just quite right. arrrrggghhhhhhh!!!! I understand that an engine might need a quick tweak because of the weather conditions. I start up, open throttle, make my adjustment, and then idle down. not run for minutes on end at full throttle.
but the same guy has a habit that is even worse than running his engine in the pits. As soon as the guy soloed he decided that he need to go on a spending spree. We all told him that the best way to get ready for a second plane was to fly his trainer until the covering comes off, and then move to a second plane. But he didn't listen to us. He just keeps buying more planes and kits (and the ones that he builds aren't all that good anyway, know what I mean??). And almost everything he has is too much for him and winds up crashing. For example, he still has a hard time landing his trainer on the strip (most of the time missed the strip) with a landing that doesn't look more like an abortion with wings, yet he has a twin engine plane, a P-51, and I can't even count all the other planes. I think his last brag was saying that he had 10-11 planes built or building. Before I realized how bad he was I sold him a plane (I won't sell anymore to him until he learns to fly a bit better) and he tried several times to fly it and was all sweaty when he was done. Finally he tells me that he crashed the plane I sold him because it was just too hot of a plane. I know I know, what did I sell him??? A 40 size CG Tiger II. Yep, one of the best, smoothest, most predictable, most forgiving second planes out there and it was too hot for him to handle. sigh!!!!!
sorry for the additional rant here, but remembering this guy runs his engine in the pits got me thinking about the other thing he does that drives me absolutely up the wall!!!!!!
Ok, I'll go sit in the corner and be quiet now that I have that off of my chest!!!
but the same guy has a habit that is even worse than running his engine in the pits. As soon as the guy soloed he decided that he need to go on a spending spree. We all told him that the best way to get ready for a second plane was to fly his trainer until the covering comes off, and then move to a second plane. But he didn't listen to us. He just keeps buying more planes and kits (and the ones that he builds aren't all that good anyway, know what I mean??). And almost everything he has is too much for him and winds up crashing. For example, he still has a hard time landing his trainer on the strip (most of the time missed the strip) with a landing that doesn't look more like an abortion with wings, yet he has a twin engine plane, a P-51, and I can't even count all the other planes. I think his last brag was saying that he had 10-11 planes built or building. Before I realized how bad he was I sold him a plane (I won't sell anymore to him until he learns to fly a bit better) and he tried several times to fly it and was all sweaty when he was done. Finally he tells me that he crashed the plane I sold him because it was just too hot of a plane. I know I know, what did I sell him??? A 40 size CG Tiger II. Yep, one of the best, smoothest, most predictable, most forgiving second planes out there and it was too hot for him to handle. sigh!!!!!
sorry for the additional rant here, but remembering this guy runs his engine in the pits got me thinking about the other thing he does that drives me absolutely up the wall!!!!!!
Ok, I'll go sit in the corner and be quiet now that I have that off of my chest!!!
