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Skyland

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Skyland last won the day on August 16 2022

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    West coast
  • Reg #
    N4789H
  • Model
    M20J
  • Base
    KWVI

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  1. I paid around 35 for the Jazzy motor/gearbox from eBay. Plenty of power and well built.
  2. Search for Kobalt 24V battery adapter. I'm impressed by how much power that battery puts out. My original goal was to make a lightweight tug to bring along in the plane. This motor/gearbox is very well built and it all turned out to be a bit heavy and awkward with the protruding bits so it stays in the hangar. I really only use it when the ramp is wet and slippery. Otherwise I find it easier to push the plane the old fashioned way.
  3. Here's my CB tug I cobbled together. Used a powered wheelchair motor and gearbox off eBay. Started out with a rubber capstan but it slipped too much on the tire when wet. Now use a HF abrasive sanding wheel that works well. The larger diameter of the new wheel raised the geometry so had to bend the handle for clearance. End of the handle is not in the picture but extends out like the hand tow bar. The switch plus fwd/rev is in the handle. All told only a little over a hundred bucks in the project and some home machine shop fun.
  4. Any updates to gathering in Kerrville for the April 8 eclipse?
  5. Antenna length is inversely proportional to frequency. The higher the frequency, the shorter the wavelength, the shorter the antenna. That's why I can't understand why a 406 antenna can't be offered in a short version. A quarter wavelength 121.5 antenna computes to about 62cm (24"). Could be it's wire wound and can be 1/4 that length (as I understand it) which is probably the length of the antennas under the tail fin. All the 406 antennas I've seen are straight wire whips and computes to about 36cm (14") 1/2 wave. That seems to be about the length of those. Additionally, don't the new ELTs transmit both frequencies? Maybe the 121.5 antenna is in the base while the 406 antenna is the wire whip. Any antenna gurus in the group?
  6. I'd like to replace my 121.5 ELT with a 406 but reluctant to install a long whip antenna outside the fuselage somewhere. I like that the old antenna is hidden underneath the fiberglass dorsal fin. Any solutions to this dilemma?
  7. As you may recall, last year on May 9, 2022, I experienced a complete flame out and off-field landing just short of Double Eagle (KAEG) in Albuquerque. The root cause of the D-3000 dual mag failure has haunted me - until now. The mag failed at 209 hours after the overhauled exchange. Mags checked good upon departure but both point gaps closed to zero during cruise 1.5 hours after takeoff. The FAA sent an IA the next morning to remove the mag. The inspector found that both point gaps were at zero. Also, inside the cap was a condenser wire with melted insulation where it had been rubbing on the cam. The common thinking seemed to be that the burned and shorted condenser wire would have simply grounded out one mag leaving the other unaffected. The glaring evidence that everyone seemed to ignore was the burned and shorted wire was causing a much bigger problem. With the help of my local IA and his mag tester stand, we mounted up a dual mag and shorted out a wire from one point connection to the rotating cam. Sparks flew and temperatures rose quickly on the cam. So, what happened in my mag turned out to be an installation error with a condenser wire touching the cam that took 200 hours to finally wear through the insulation. The cam heated up softening both point rubbing blocks nearly simultaneously to the point of closure. It does baffle me that the mag is designed that it is even possible for this wire to be routed to cause such a problem. At least there's some satisfaction in knowing that the mag itself is rather robust as long as precautions are taken not to misroute the condenser wires in the path of moving parts.
  8. Regarding the Dukes, back in 2003 in our 1977J partnership, I had the actuator fail on take off - at night, nonetheless. It resulted in failure of the gear to retract and the inability of the emergency extension system to operate. Here's what led up to this event. Mooney SB M20-190B calls for checking the backlash of the actuator worm and pinion gears every 100 hours. In our IA's estimation he felt there was excessive play, and since a new pinion gear was available we sent the actuator to a well known West Coast facility who specializes in actuator repairs. A new gear was installed and after installation back into the plane, the gear swing operated at twice the speed. Wham up, wham down. Didn't feel right at all. Come to find out there are 40:1 and 20:1 gears. Apparently, a new 20:1 gear was installed and the shop insisted all is fine. Well, slow forward a mere one month later and the system failed. Upon selecting gear up, a terrible grinding sound was heard. Immediately put the gear switch to the down position and more continuous grinding. I know, instantly reversing the motor is no doubt a big no no but it was somewhat instinctual trying to save the actuator. Pulled the gear motor C/B this time to stop the grinding. Continued climbing to a safe altitude and reported to the tower my issue. Circled in the area attempting to troubleshoot. Fortunately, the gear indicator in the floor was lined up indicating it failed in the down position. Don't recall the annunciator light status. Upon activating the emergency extension system, the handle just freewheeled. Oh oh, couldn't confirm gear was actually locked. Tower didn't seem too concerned and no equipment was called. Came in and made a nice soft landing and gently taxied to the hanger. Looking at the gear over center mechanism the next morning it was floppy loose. Couldn't believe the gear held. Called that shop to report what happened and their response was they received replacement gears that were not heat treated. Ya, thanks for letting us know. Probably explains the stripped teeth on the new gear. The original pinion gear was reinstalled and to my knowledge it still in the plane to this day, knowing the current owner.
  9. This may help. It's for the Anderson Brass fuel selector but the process may be similar with different valves.
  10. Maybe you just offered an explanation for my dual mag failure last year. The follower blocks on both points wore or melted down simultaneously causing both point gaps to go to zero. Turns out the A&P who installed the mag unknowingly had a condenser wire touching the cam or shaft.
  11. As long as we're waiting to hear back from the trim motor resolution... Lucas - "Inventor of the intermittent wiper"
  12. Similar problem on a 77 J trim motor a while back. Removed the cover and discovered the brush ring had come loose. After reinstalling the brush ring the trim motor functioned normally again. Sometimes you get lucky. I like the electrical engineer's mantra in that most electrical problems are really mechanical problems - a broken wire, bad connection, cold solder joint, etc. The components themselves on a properly designed circuit are usually quite robust.
  13. The fuel selector in my 1979 J also was very stiff. Mine is an Anderson Brass unit located in the center of the floor just aft of the center console. The parts manual says serial numbers 24-0378 to 24-1176 could be Airight or Anderson Brass. That's in the 78-79 time frame. It was an easy fix. If the Airight is similarly constructed maybe it can be serviced as follows. Lower the fuel levels (of course) then unscrew the selector nut that surrounds the shaft. Lift the selector nut over the shaft along with a spring that applies downward pressure to the diverter cone. Lift the one piece selector shaft and conical diverter cone out of the fuel selector body. Apply a VERY thin coating of EZ Turn Lube (Aircraft Spruce) to the cone and reassemble using new orings. MS9388-016 (1/16x5/8x3/4) for the nut and M83248-1-011 (1/16x5/16x7/16) for the shaft. Use oring lube on the rings, not EZ Lube. All this can be performed from inside the cabin without removing the fuel selector body or fuel lines. Hope this helps.
  14. Mine is doing something similar. Flew to the east coast a few months ago and all was perfect until about an hour from my destination. Just flying along and the engine started fluctuating a bit as you describe. Analyzed engine data best I could, saw some RPM variance, oil pressure solid, fuel pressure slight variation but I don't know how solid it should be, CHTs, EGTs all normal. So is it the prop governor or is the engine power changing and the governor is doing its job to keep the RPMs constant? The return flights to the west coast were mostly fine with the issue only occasionally occurring. Just returned from another coast to coast trip and the engine ran perfect. So I'm still in the watch and see mode but it would be nice to know what's up on those rare occasions.
  15. If the Amphicar had wings I wouldn't want to fly in it. But it's a piece of transportation history and always draws a crowd. The fun factor needle is way up there.
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