Test Running Gas Engines
03-14-2016, 05:24 AM
#1
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Test Running Gas Engines
Is it OK to test run a Gas Engine on a plane without the wing attached? I have a Great Planes Giant Citabria with a DLE 35RA.
I had read somewhere that you need the wing to dampen Engine Vibration, not sure if this is true, but I saw a Video on the Great Planes Giant Citabria thread and a guy was running his engine on his plane without the wing attached.
Thanks.
I had read somewhere that you need the wing to dampen Engine Vibration, not sure if this is true, but I saw a Video on the Great Planes Giant Citabria thread and a guy was running his engine on his plane without the wing attached.
Thanks.
03-14-2016, 10:55 AM
#5
Take it to the flying field, bolt the wings on it and do just enough of a test run to make sure the engine will idle and transition to full throttle and come back to idle reliably and do your range check. Look the airplane over for anything that may have vibrated loose, top off the tank and go fly. Gas engines do not require a break in and doing so can easily lead to overheating. Tune it and get it in the air. Running without the wings on that light airframe can easily create damage you can't see.
03-14-2016, 04:54 PM
#6
Senior Member
You would be amazed and impressed by the amount of vibes a 35cc engine produces. One reason I soft mount all of mine on rubber iso mounts.
I got convinced several summers ago when I hard mounted a new engine on my test stand to get tuning and familiarization runs in. Then I attached the test stand onto the porch railing. I started the engine standing on the porch with bare feet. The buzz on my feet was intense even with all that wood of the porch damping the vibes. That convinced me..... Did the same only this time I had the engine soft mounted. The buzz was eliminated.
They guys are giving good advice when they say not to run a hard mounted engine in a plane with the wings off. The wings do make a big difference
I got convinced several summers ago when I hard mounted a new engine on my test stand to get tuning and familiarization runs in. Then I attached the test stand onto the porch railing. I started the engine standing on the porch with bare feet. The buzz on my feet was intense even with all that wood of the porch damping the vibes. That convinced me..... Did the same only this time I had the engine soft mounted. The buzz was eliminated.
They guys are giving good advice when they say not to run a hard mounted engine in a plane with the wings off. The wings do make a big difference
