Tweaks and Adjustments

It's been a few weeks since the last random prose feel forth from my finger tips and mind you it's not been time wasted but instead time well spent with friends family and signif others all the while putting the finishing touches on my beloved C150. Checkers now holds 4.9 hours logged on her airframe and engine and so far she's flight worthy but is the case with any project, adjustments and small tweaks must be made in order for her to fly as she should as compared to flying as she does now.

That's not to suggest that she doesn't fly like a dream, because that she most certainly does and with little effort or struggle by the hands of the pilot. Climbing like a home sick angle, the first flight went spectacularly well with only minimal fuss. Other than the vacuum pump shearing at the drive pin (as it's meant to do) and the flaps failing to retract from 10 degrees down, everything else went smoothly right down to a gentle kiss of a landing, Terra Firma after two circuits, no damage to pilot or aircraft.

Sorting through her quirks and idiosyncrasies has been a fun learning experience in and of itself thus far. For example the above mentioned vac pump appears to have failed primarily because someone injected grease into the housing. This tents to cause problems for a DRY vac pump but it's of little difference, a spare happened to be mysteriously allocated from a friend who evidently didn't need a new vac pump laying around. Raise a glass to freebies and luck, they've pulled this project through so far. I still haven't worked out exactly caused the flaps to stick on the one only flight that they have, but I've also been completely unable to reproduce the problem on the ground, something that could make life interesting later if they happen to jam up again, only this time at 40 degrees and on a go around. Yikes!

The latest quirk to appear has been a fuel consumption problem. After three flight tests it became apparent via the fuel gauges and visual inspection the engine simply wasn't drinking from the right tank and so started a long list of worries in my head about what could be wrong. Following the checks and procedures outlined in the service manual yielded no real solutons and by the results even suggested that there may not really be a problems. No solutions only more questions. Lets face it, there's nothing more fun and heart attack inducing than watching the propeller come to a halt while 13 gallons of blue go juice that should be feeding the thirsty power plant sit instead not going anywhere due to a clog or a plugged vent that couldn't be solved on the ground. Here's a note to those of you out there building or restoring your own machines, insects, especially the nest building variety, have a nasty tendency to build exactly where they shouldn't. As was the case with the cross feed tube for the wing tanks. A Dirt Dobber, as they're frequently referred to here in the south, decided that my aircraft was the perfect location for it's future offspring and subsequently plugged up and cut off the ability for my fuel tanks to vent properly. Warm and cozy for the insect, problematic for the pilot. Lesson learned here is to get parts and systems installed quickly or plug the hole that someone may call home.

All things aside, I lack now power to the altitude encoder and the installation of the back up nav system, a IImorrow Loran which I still debate to this day. Is it needed or necessary? Let's see, dual NAV COMM radios, Garmin 396 GPS, and dead reckoning skills that are spot on the money...one wouldn't think a third nav system would be needed at all, let alone considered. However, since the antenna is already installed on the bird, it would seem that the unit is going in anyway. Odds are I'll never use the blasted thing but in the event of a total failure of every other system although highly unlikely, I suppose it's good to know I'll still have options. Fingers crossed it will never come to that, I doubt I'll remember how to use it. One last item to attack is a yaw issue brought on by a needed rigging adjustment. Releasing the pedals in flight results in the plane taking a uncalled for left yaw with a slight dig in the left wing as the plane starts fling goofy from the lack of coordination. Nothing a little clevis adjustment here and there can't cure. 5.1 more hours and I can start taking her to further and farther destinations. Key West and a coastal tour are certainly on the to do list for 2009.

Thank You to all those who have helped get this old flight training back in the air where she belongs. I couldn't have done it without help and guidance from local flying community.

Aeromech at KLAL
Mac Avionics at KLAL
Gulf Coast at KLAL
Landmark Aviation KLAL
Don Hall Aviation KLAL
Brad Neil, Neil Aviation KLAL
Col. Don Fielded
Pat and Terry of the Tower and the other cab rats
Paula (Mom) and WhiteGuy for putting up with my endless rants
Bill for the sheet metal used for landing gear fairings
Jimmy Kelley, damn fine hand with a paint gun. Quote "That mother fucker's Red"
The hanger bums of the city Ts, voluncruited when the wings came together.
The aircraft bone yard at Groveland. Lots of parts saved and reused
Leading Edge Aviation from whom this aircraft was purchased....cheap
Stefanie Keshock, thanks beautiful for keeping me smiling
Jason Levine for the money he's about to spend on fuel.
Chuck Man for the whole avionics package from his Cherokee 6. Score IFR equipment
Tony Glover for the Garmin 165 which was sold for profit and replaced by a 396.
Tony Glover again for the job he might help to land me at UPS one day.
The 123CRG and command staff who thinks there's nothing wrong with me living in FL.
Trevor at the Blue Hanger whom I've never met but provided help over the phone from the other side of the country.

And Finally Thank you Ed White, Dad.
Without whom this project would never have gotten off the ground in the first place. Without whom I wouldn't have a damn clue which end of the wrench went into the light socket. Without whom such aircraft as 02S, 26F, 2KW and 17630 would still be in pieces and unrealized as they are today. Thank you dad for showing me how it's done and hitting me with a ratchet when I started screwing it up.