N1BZRich(at)aol.com
Guest
|
 Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 8:14 pm Post subject: Report from Shelbyville & latest on the new 2008 Demo |
 |
|
Note: This is the second attempt at sending this. First was rejected for being too long (probably because of three photos attached. I will try this with one photo and send the other two photos in another message.
Hello Lightning listers,
As most of you know I have been in SYI since Thursday of last week helping the Arion guys get ready for SNF. Well, that's my story, but truth is I have been having a great time putting some more flying time on the prototype and evaluating the new trim system, testing some new propellers, and helping complete the final details to get the new 2008 Demo ready for inspection (more on that later).
First off the new trim system is great, and those of you that decide to convert your current airplanes will be pleased with the results. It not only trims better, but will require almost no maintenance, which was one of my complaints about the old bungee system. It will give you more precise trim settings and will give predictable results when you set it. What I mean by that is if you trim the airplane for some speed (say 120 mph straight and level) then pull some power, the airplane will start down and hold 120. Or if you add power, the airplane will climb at 120. Of course you need smooth air for this, but you get the point of how precisely the system will operate. It will make your work load on cross countries much easier. If there is anything that I might change about the system it would be the speed of the Ray Allen servo. It operates kind of slow. For normal flight operations, no problem, but I can see the possibility of a last minute go around from a landing approach where you have the airplane trimmed up for final with flaps down, and then add full power to go around. It is going to take some forward stick to keep the nose from rising too fast while you have your thumb on the nose down trim button for some time to re-trim the airplane. Nick is aware of this minor concern and is going to see if Ray Allen offers a servo that operates a little faster. But don't get me wrong, I really like this new system and it will definitely be on the Lightning I build sometime in the future. Any one want to buy my Esqual LS (Lightning Stuff)? It is the fastest Esqual out there. And the best. And the most beautiful.
The propellers I have been testing are two new Sensenich fixed pitch with the new FK blade profile which is slightly scimitar shaped. Up until now most US Esquals and Lightnings have used the ZK blade profile. A good all around prop, but the ones used on the Esquals and Lightnings are normally 64" diameter with pitch angles varying between 51 to 55 inches. Of course on a clean airplane like the Lightning where efficient cruise and good top speed are important, the FK blade should allow the engine to rev higher under the same drag profile. The first prop I tested this week is a 62FK55 which will be aimed at the Lightnings that are built to meet the light sport rules. I tested this prop on the prototype with excellent results. Take off roll was noticeably shorter than the already short roll because the engine can turn over a higher rpm with this prop. Same goes for rate of climb. At the magic 2850 max continuous rpm as listed in the Jabiru engine manual, the cruise is right at 138 mph (or 120 KTS). However the prototype (without main gear pants and gear leg fairings) can still do 158 mph at 5,000 feet when at wide open throttle (WOT). That is probably close to 165 or 170 mph true airspeed at that altitude. Pretty impressive.
The other prop I tested was a 62FK58 which will probably be aimed at Lightnings that want to cruise faster than 120 KTS. The new 2008 Demo has this prop on it. I tested this new prop on N31BZ and my impression was very good as compared to the 64ZK55 that I have been running. First off, this new FK prop gave me 175 more rpm on take off roll and a noticeably shorter take off. Climb out had more feet per minute, and WOT top end speed was up about 8 mph. What I mean by that is at rpms above 3100 on up to 3300. This prop was between 3mph at 3100, to 8 mph at 3300 faster than the ZK I had been running. At normal cruise rpms the speeds vs rpms were pretty close between the two. Several other observations were: 1- fuel flow was higher with the new prop particularly at the higher rpms and would probably require a jet change. 2- Throttle response was slightly slower as would be expected with more pitch. 3- Speed bleed off when pulling the throttle to idle was slower, once again because of higher pitch. On this last item, where I really noticed this is when coming into the traffic pattern. I quite often (when I have the need for speed) enter the pattern on the 45 at 150 to as high as 160 (smooth air). As I make the turn to downwind I pull the power to idle, load up the airplane to 2.5 to 3 Gs and roll out at 100 mph which is the speed where I can start the flaps down. That works for the ZK. With the FK, using the same pull, you roll out on down wind at 125 and have to wait some time (extending your pattern) before you can start the flaps down. So the FK obviously has less drag when the power is at idle due to the higher pitch (kind of like feathering a prop in a twin when you lose an engine). No big deal, I just thought it was an interesting observation.
The new 2008 Demo had three "first events" today. Nick started the engine for the first time, then did some slow and high speed taxi test, and shortly after that, Gary Meuer, the local DAR, inspected N324AL. Everything went well with all of the above. But, there is a "SNAFU" with the FAA paperwork that will prevent a first flight until it is cleared up. Arion still has not received the paperwork back from the FAA that was sent in back in February. Apparently the FAA is in the process of changing the paperwork approval routine and that has slowed things up. So if any of you out there know any "big wigs" in the FAA, see if you can help out. What this SNAFU will do to the new 2008's trip to Sun-N-Fun is still unknown. It all depends on when the paper work arrives. Keep your fingers crossed.
Attached are a few photos of today's activities. Arion's internet connection is down, so Pete and Nick authorized me to share the above info and attached photos with all of you. The first photo shows Nick climbing in for the first engine start. Second photo shows Mark walking away after watching Nick strap in. Can't you just see the concern on Mark's face wondering if all the wiring he did will allow the engine to start. It did. Third photo shows Nick climbing out after a successful taxi test. As you can see, It is one beautiful airplane. The photos do not do it justice.
Blue Skies,
Buz
Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video on AOL Home.
| | - The Matronics Lightning-List Email Forum - | | | Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:
http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Lightning-List |
|
|
|
Get Email Distribution Too!
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
