Smoking Firebird
 

Hi jet-freaks,
Added some 3 more flight to my Firebird`s flight log !
Everything went just perfect as usual and most of all, my newly installed smoke system is doing its job as expected !
Of course, at 200mph+, the smoketrail is getting thinner, but it is still drawing a nicely visible line !
Firebird pretty easily reached 325mph (524kmh)according weatronic GPS (winds were very calm last saturday) and I am positively surprised that
the bird is holding knife edge with just about 3mm stick deflection on rudder and keeps its flight path very straight without any coupling to the other axises !
Photographer is still working on some nice inflight shots since he just missed Firebird all the time when coming through in clean configuration ? !
As stated already earlier about this plane, it eats up a lot of airspace and it is a must for my flights to have at least half a mile of flat terrain around me (including vertical ! )
Hope to add a video with some smoke trails soon
Regards from Switzerland
Hans

RE: Smoking Firebird
 

Hi together,
Just to prove : it works with the smoke !
see you
Hans

RE: Smoking Firebird
 

So..... Given whatever amount of smoke fluid your using do you think it smokes more / less / or the same as when injected behind the engine? ( see eye doctor ref. here..... number 1 or number 2, number 1......)or are you just going with this technique for the fun of doing something different. I saw a couple planes at Fla jets like this and was wondering. It looks like less to me but I have no practical exp. in this matter. whada ya think?

Tim

RE: Smoking Firebird
 

Hans,

What's your turbine?

David S

RE: Smoking Firebird
 

Hello,
Well, I chose this set up because it is easy to install and most of all, it keeps the oily mess away from the pipe and the fuselage !!
Besides, I guess that the real display jets do it as well in this exact way.(at least the F5 Tigers of our Swiss Team)
It might be a little bit less effective compared to a direct injection right after the turbine exaust.
But on Firebird, I have a wonderful ducting system for the AMT Netherlands Olympus and this motor is filling the thrust tube with a lot of hot gas !
I run that motor at up to 112000 RPM which is the max allowed and nevertheless reaching a moderate max EGT of around 670 degrees Celsius.Well within limits !
Again here, the perfect ducting is helping definitely to keep the turbine running cool even at very high thrust settings !
The Harris smoke pump is probably not the one delivering the highest flow and I might consider a change here in the future to a Deutsch or Emcotech which promise
flows of up to 1 Liter/min
see you
Hans

RE: Smoking Firebird
 

Nice airplane and nice airfield:D

RE: Smoking Firebird
 

Love the firebird. thats one mean jet ! :D