ATTENTION Byron AT-6 builders.
 

well i flew my t-6 this past weekend and besides engine trouble ,it flew great ! found out that my velocity stack was causing all kinds of problems. took it off and it ran perfect. i was wondering how much weight you used to balance and where did you put it. right now i have 2 1/2 lbs to balance it. i kinda thew this setup together to fly it but want to do it differently . if i put the weight in the forward engine cowl lip , i only need 2 lbs. if i put it on the forward engine former i need 3 lbs. i even thought of having a weight machined into a heavy hub washer to put under the spinner . the spinner is big ! any thoughts ,or mind sharing what you did ? i used an old zenoah mount and bent it into an l-shape but it vibrates a lot .

RE: ATTENTION Byron AT-6 builders.
 

I had 2 different Byron AT-6 airplanes over the past 18 years. I logged 420 flights between both of them. They're both gone now, but I probably have more experience with this airplane than any I have ever had. I tried the lead in the nose ring but over time the vibration would elongate the holes on the cowl and it was ugly. On my last one I built a plywood box glued to the firewall, cantilevered out over the engine like you have your bracket. I filled it with lead shot filled with epoxy. about 1.5 lbs. It did not vibrate and worked very well. Do not put lead in your spinner or run a heavier back plate. The Zenoah G62 will not handle the bearing load and will wear out prematurely. You will find that a G-62 is good for about 20 - 25 hours of running before the bearing play gets excessive and you have to replace the bearings. A high crank loading will just accelerate this. A second reason for no heavy spinner hub is that the T-6 loves to tip stall and snap at slow speeds. The torque of the heavy hub will increase this tendancy. Not something you want on this airplane. Enjoy the machine. Wheel land it. No 3-points. I had my best results with flaring to touch the mains and then releasing the elevator completely so the tail rises and it will stick. Most other landing techniques resulted in porpoising, bounding and busted gear. Leo

RE: ATTENTION Byron AT-6 builders.
 

leo , thanks for the info. i totally agree with the releasing the elevator on touch down. i had to do that on my corsair for the same reason i have to do it on the t-6. i have "since retired last fall" a midwest at-6 . that had the same tendency to bounce itself back into the air ,thus the basket ball effect. i did the lead thing in the cowl of the corsair but never had an issue of messing the cowl up. i flew it for three years before i sold it, that being said , i can see where it could happen easily. As far as wheel landings , your spot on that too. you CAN NOT 3-point either the corsair or the at-6. the only corsair i could do a 3 point with was a top flight .60 gold edition corsair and that's not even in the same class as the heavy iron. i'm a little surprised about the g-62 bearing thing. i have a g-23 in my old midwest that has way over 300 flights, maybe 400. i flew it a lot for 9 years and the engine is still a great runner. tons of compression and no bearing slop. it does have very little forward to backward play. i have always used shihl oil at 50:1 with zero issues. here's a video of my old trusty midwest at-6 ........ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1KIbzL88ho

i also revised the radio gear layout thus causing me to add more weight than usual . if i put the weight on the firewall , i'll have to add 3 lbs. bringing the total weight to 33 lbs.

RE: ATTENTION Byron AT-6 builders.
 

Leo ,

Looks like your co pilot has stuck with ya! Sure looks like the same kid, just bigger!

Nice planes!

Casey