Lesson learned
03-24-2003 | 01:58 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Senior Member
My Feedback: (1)
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 381
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
From: Dunkirk, MD
Lesson learned
The lesson learned is:
"Always check all nuts, bolts, screws, connectors surfaces etc. prior to heading to the flying field.
I went to fly yesterday (Sunday). Fabulous day. I have been waiting for a day like Sunday. I showed up and asked Ralph to help me get into the air. I still have not soloed yet SO I can't fly alone (Rules and common sense). So, I had set up the plane and range checked it. Ralph checked the controls and said "I don't like that left aileron at all". It only went down and back up to neutral. Would not go higher. We spent a good bit of time checking it out and a little thin CA dribbled on the torque arm in the leading edge of the aileron solved the problem. Ralph then tried to straighten the nose gear (hard landing last week) and we heard a crack. Couldn't see anything though.
We started the engine and he shut it down right away. "Something's loose!" I didn't hear it but he did. Turns out, one engine mount bolt was missing and the other three were loose!. THe engine was secure on the mount but the mount was definitely loose.
Ralph took a long time explaining the things I needed to check (I am an experienced tinkerer but new to this hobby so I was a bit impatient - my bad). He suggested cutting a hatch above the fuel tank and double checking the back of the fire wall to see if the hard landing had caused a structural problem. I pulled the fuel tank on the Hangar 9 alpha and had a good view of the firewall using a strong light and a dental mirror. No damage, all t-nuts secure. No hatch to cut. I did notice that the firewall was not terribly well braced at the corners so I added bracing externally.
I replaced the missing screw and put everything back together with locktite. I noticed a bulge in the ultracote on the aileron top near the root of the left wing and removed a patch of ultracote for a better view. THe end of the torque rod "L" had broken through the balsa, explaining the aileron problem. I removed the broken chunk of balsa and patched it with much epoxy and a 1/64" ply reinforcement.
As I was taking it into the basement to hang it up, I noticed a gap at the leading edge of the horizontal stabilizer. It wa loose!. Two bolts hold the tail together and they were both loose. I locktited them.
Moral? Always check from a-z before going to the field. Had I done that, I could have flown on Sunday. Also listen to the experienced guys (not all of them - use your BS detector and smile and say thanks to the ones you think are full of it)
Jeff
"Always check all nuts, bolts, screws, connectors surfaces etc. prior to heading to the flying field.
I went to fly yesterday (Sunday). Fabulous day. I have been waiting for a day like Sunday. I showed up and asked Ralph to help me get into the air. I still have not soloed yet SO I can't fly alone (Rules and common sense). So, I had set up the plane and range checked it. Ralph checked the controls and said "I don't like that left aileron at all". It only went down and back up to neutral. Would not go higher. We spent a good bit of time checking it out and a little thin CA dribbled on the torque arm in the leading edge of the aileron solved the problem. Ralph then tried to straighten the nose gear (hard landing last week) and we heard a crack. Couldn't see anything though.
We started the engine and he shut it down right away. "Something's loose!" I didn't hear it but he did. Turns out, one engine mount bolt was missing and the other three were loose!. THe engine was secure on the mount but the mount was definitely loose.
Ralph took a long time explaining the things I needed to check (I am an experienced tinkerer but new to this hobby so I was a bit impatient - my bad). He suggested cutting a hatch above the fuel tank and double checking the back of the fire wall to see if the hard landing had caused a structural problem. I pulled the fuel tank on the Hangar 9 alpha and had a good view of the firewall using a strong light and a dental mirror. No damage, all t-nuts secure. No hatch to cut. I did notice that the firewall was not terribly well braced at the corners so I added bracing externally.
I replaced the missing screw and put everything back together with locktite. I noticed a bulge in the ultracote on the aileron top near the root of the left wing and removed a patch of ultracote for a better view. THe end of the torque rod "L" had broken through the balsa, explaining the aileron problem. I removed the broken chunk of balsa and patched it with much epoxy and a 1/64" ply reinforcement.
As I was taking it into the basement to hang it up, I noticed a gap at the leading edge of the horizontal stabilizer. It wa loose!. Two bolts hold the tail together and they were both loose. I locktited them.
Moral? Always check from a-z before going to the field. Had I done that, I could have flown on Sunday. Also listen to the experienced guys (not all of them - use your BS detector and smile and say thanks to the ones you think are full of it)
Jeff
03-24-2003 | 02:10 PM
#2
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 307
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
From: Ashburn, VA
Haste makes
Haste makes piles of shattered balsa.
I had the same aileron problem you had, fortunately it was at the end of my season after 30 or 40 flights solo. I got up, made my first left hand turn and was going to do some figure 8s. The plane kept banking to the left, when I ran out of trim clicks I got pretty nervous.
Fortunately, I got enough trim in to keep it mostly level and I did slow spirals at the end of the runway until I could land it. Pretty nerve wracking.
Another thing that happened to me was my fuel line clunk (inside the tank) wedged forward after a hard landing. The plane ran fine on the ground, UNLESS you held it up vertically, and then it would fuel starve. Of course, I didn't hold it up to check it and it fuel starved as soon as I tried to climb out. That was my first (and second) successful dead stick landings.
Gotta love it!
I had the same aileron problem you had, fortunately it was at the end of my season after 30 or 40 flights solo. I got up, made my first left hand turn and was going to do some figure 8s. The plane kept banking to the left, when I ran out of trim clicks I got pretty nervous.
Fortunately, I got enough trim in to keep it mostly level and I did slow spirals at the end of the runway until I could land it. Pretty nerve wracking.
Another thing that happened to me was my fuel line clunk (inside the tank) wedged forward after a hard landing. The plane ran fine on the ground, UNLESS you held it up vertically, and then it would fuel starve. Of course, I didn't hold it up to check it and it fuel starved as soon as I tried to climb out. That was my first (and second) successful dead stick landings.
Gotta love it!
03-26-2003 | 04:24 PM
#3
Senior Member
My Feedback: (26)
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 2,307
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
From: Baraboo ,
WI
Lesson learned
Yeah, I've lost several wheels, mufflers ect. before I learned to loctite everything. I spent an hour Sunday roaming the field looking for a guys back half of a muffler, prop and spinner. I found that anything that can fall off will. Too bad there's nothing to do about oil soaked wood - my GP Big Stick 40 had 1000 plus flights on it. I was doing some rolls when I saw something big fall off. Plane seemed to be flying OK. Brought it around and the whole main gear (mounting block and all was gone). I was able to land soft and everything was fine. The block was too oil soaked to glue back on, so I strapped it on with aluminum straps and nylon bolts.
03-29-2003 | 02:42 AM
#4
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
From: Freehold, NJ
BS Detector!!!!
Jeff,
Love the BS Detector line. That is some excellent advice. That's exactly what is posted here in these forums ... ADVICE.
In this hobby there are few absolutes.
Granted, what goes up must come down ... I have yet to see gravity fail.
Michael
Love the BS Detector line. That is some excellent advice. That's exactly what is posted here in these forums ... ADVICE.
In this hobby there are few absolutes.
Granted, what goes up must come down ... I have yet to see gravity fail.
Michael
