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Lost Spinner During Flight - 11/26/2012 6:24 PM   
Lone Star Charles


 

Posts: 178
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From: Montgomery, TX, USA
Status: offline 		Airplane - Great Planes 25% YAK-54  Engine OS 1.60FX.  Prop APC 18X6W  Spinner is 4"X4" Great Planes aluminum (stock).

Yesterday while my son was flying the plane, evidently the screw holding the spinner cone in place loosened and fell out.  The spinner separated from the engine and proceeded to pass through the propellor and then fell to earth in front of his wife.  The only damage appears to be the spinner and the propellor.  I must say that with all the nicks and cuts on the prop, it did not break allowing him to safely land the plane.

Since I did most of the wrenching on the plane, I am most disturbed that the spinner screw came loose.  I have never had this happen before.  I don't use any locking compound on the prop nuts or spinner screws, but have never seemed to need it.  Certainly there is nothing here that $40 in parts won't fix, but I would sure like to know if any of you have any hints about fastening the spinner to prevent this sort of thing. 

Can you think of anything that I might have done wrong during assembly?  Or is this just 'one of those things'?

I would sure like to hear if you have had an experience like this and what, if anything did you do that might have prevented this from happening again?

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RE: Lost Spinner During Flight - 11/26/2012 7:01 PM   
Gray Beard


 

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From: Hemderson, NV, USA
Status: offline 		Other then one time I have never had one come loose, I just tighten them down and don't use anything like lock tight. The one time I did have one come loose was on a four stroke I had too lean and it back fired right after take off. It did bend the spinner. I would think you just had it a little loose if the engine was running correctly. It happens, it just happened to you this time. I wouldn't give it too much thought. If the engine was a bit lean it could have had a little pop you didn't hear? Even a two stroke can have a back fire.

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RE: Lost Spinner During Flight - 11/26/2012 8:51 PM   
opjose



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From: Poolesville, MD, USA
Status: offline 		While I never use Loc-Tite (blue - removable) on the prop nuts, I always use it on central spinner screws.

I've seen too many people try to prevent loose spinners by over torquing the central spinner screw to the point that they bend the metal backplates back.
In turn this often results in dangerous cracks and fragmentation once the engine is run up.

The Loc-Tite lets you torque it down until the spinner is firmly attached, but not more than needed.



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RE: Lost Spinner During Flight - 11/26/2012 10:16 PM   
guver


 

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From: LaGrange, OH, USA
Status: offline 		Without a lot of other info is it probable that you simply forgot to tighten it?

Did you do any special balancing on the spinner or anything out of the normal routine when bolting it on?
How long ago has it been bolted? How many flights?
Is the screw hole now stripped?
Maybe bolted it on loosely for a C/G check?
Do you remember tightening it?

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RE: Lost Spinner During Flight - 11/27/2012 1:00 AM   
Gray Beard


 

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From: Hemderson, NV, USA
Status: offline 		Now that guver mentioned it I have had a problem with things getting loose on me when I used wood props. I started to get in the habit of loosening the prop nut on wood props before I came home so I would have to tighten them back up before I could start the engine. Wood compresses and will come loose. I only use wood props on my gassers though.

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RE: Lost Spinner During Flight - 11/27/2012 6:01 AM   
HighPlains


 

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From: Over da rainbow, KS, USA
Status: offline 		Are you sure that you lost the screw? I used to fly CB 2" spinners on Formula One pylon racing models running 21,000 -22,500 rpm (ground reading) with air rpms around 27,000. These tended to break the bolt after about 15 or 20 runs. After the second one, I started replacing the screw after each day of flying and never broke another in the air. Later, TruTurn spinners were so much better in balance of the cone that the screws lasted longer than any of the airplanes. Anyway bigger spinner and acro puts a good load on a screw if the cone is not perfect.

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RE: Lost Spinner During Flight - 11/27/2012 12:16 PM   
jetmech05


 

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From: Jacksonville, FL, USA
Status: offline 		any possibillity that the prop was touching the spinner? that might cause the spinner to lossen. other than that I suspect it just wasn't tight enough

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RE: Lost Spinner During Flight - 11/27/2012 4:24 PM   
Lone Star Charles


 

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From: Montgomery, TX, USA
Status: offline 		Thanks for all the replies.  I will try to answer the questions.

If the engine was a bit lean it could have had a little pop you didn't hear?  -  Maybe, but I tuned the engine about 300 rpm rich of peak just three flights earlier.

Without a lot of other info is it probable that you simply forgot to tighten it? -  No, I do remember tightening the screw.

Did you do any special balancing on the spinner or anything out of the normal routine when bolting it on? - No, just normal installation.

How long ago has it been bolted? Three hours prior.  How many flights?  Three.

Is the screw hole now stripped?  -  No. 

Maybe bolted it on loosely for a C/G check? - No.

Do you remember tightening it? - Yes.

Are you sure that you lost the screw? - It was not with the spinner, nor was a broken off stub left inside of the spinner adapter (although I guess it could have vibrated out after the spinner separated).  The front of the spinner including the attachment screw counterbore was intact.

any possibillity that the prop was touching the spinner? - Always a possibility after a flight; however, I do check for clearance around the prop when installing the spinner.

Prior to these three flights, my son had a flight with an engine failure and dead stick landing.  The plane only needed about six more inches of altitude to clear the fence.  Unfortunately, the fence removed the landing gear.  The repair was rather simple and straightforward.  I did inspect the prop thoroughly for damage and found none.  I suspected that since the engine was not running and that the impact was light that the spinner was fine.  I did not spend as much time inspecting the spinner as I did on the rest of the airplane (I doubt that I spent more than ten seconds inspecting the spinner).  I think I will do as GB suggested and not give this 'too much thought'.  I will do a better job of inspecting the spinner before reassembly next time and I may give blue loctite a try. 

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RE: Lost Spinner During Flight - 11/28/2012 8:05 AM   
FD av8r


 

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From: Beaumont, AB, CANADA
Status: offline 		I have the identical plane/engine/spinner/prop combo....so come spring I will be double checking my install to ensure the bolt is secure. Funny, as my engine is nearly new I have also had some running issues resulting in two deadstick landings. Guess it needs a little more break-in to be completely reliable. Otherwise its a great looking/flying plane, and I am looking forward to putting it through its paces.

Daryll

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RE: Lost Spinner During Flight - 11/28/2012 11:49 AM   
Old Fart


 

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From: Perth, AUSTRALIA
Status: offline 		FD all well and good about flying and putting "it" through it's paces,a lot more fun when the engine does exactly what you want,don't quit or spit a prop.Grey beard is spot on.Also ground tune is one thing,in the air all that changes,we've all had that

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RE: Lost Spinner During Flight - 11/28/2012 4:46 PM   
Gray Beard


 

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From: Hemderson, NV, USA
Status: offline 		What I have found with most of my engines is that old stand by of 300 rpm fat doesn't work on mine. They like to be about 500 rpm fat or lower rpm on the high end. It's just a small thing and may have more to do with the weather I have in my area of the country. Most the tgime when I fly it is warm {or really hot} and always very dry. As winter sets in' like about now and things cool off I have to start fattening up the high end a bit. From summer when it's 110 or above to winter when it's in the 20s and 30s I will have the high end opened about 4 extra clicks.
Not a big deal but worth mentioning.

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RE: Lost Spinner During Flight - 11/28/2012 8:36 PM   
Lone Star Charles


 

Posts: 178
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From: Montgomery, TX, USA
Status: offline 		Sounds like good advice, GB.  Cooler weather probably could use an extra click or two of rich.  It certainly won't hurt and a more reliable engine run is always welcome.

I might add that the engine failure that I mentioned had been caused by my son overtightening the glow plug and stripping the threads.  After he brought the plane over to my shop it was real evident from the oil staining around the plug and the top of the cylinder head that there was a leak there somewhere.  He was bound and determined to fly last weekend although I told him he would have to get a new head.  I called almost all of the LHS in town to see if anyone had a new head.  No luck except for the last one.  The owner there said that he did not have a head, but he did have a new engine and that he would remove the head and sell it to my son for the same price as the replacement head.  It's rare that you get this kind of service anywhere in this world.  RC Hobby in Sugarland, TX.

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RE: Lost Spinner During Flight - 11/28/2012 10:18 PM   
Gray Beard


 

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From: Hemderson, NV, USA
Status: offline 		Very rare indeed. Clarence Lee in Calif. is an expert in repairing the stripped heads for just a few bucks. Not only head work but pretty much anything RC engine related. I have a used {turned out to be almost new} YS 1.10 I bought last year that Mr. Lee did the repair on the threads for the header in the Cylinder. Perfect job and had a note to the original owner about over tightening the header. He advertises I think in the AMA magazine or Model Airplane News. He even repaired the case on one of my YS engines after I over tightened the screws that hold the regulator onto the case. Best person I have ever used for engine repair. Of course it would take about 10 working days to get your head back but the helli coils he uses are stronger then the threads in the head when new.

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