wireweinie
FOUNDER
Palmer, AK
She IS an influencer. Just look at the influence she has over SJ.
Web
Web
Just sayin' I am the lucky one here.
One other question, this plane has the lower air induction. I think there was a compelling reason for preferring the upper one....but now I can't recall what it was. Is it a maintenance thing?
Just sayin' I am the lucky one here.
One other question, this plane has the lower air induction. I think there was a compelling reason for preferring the upper one....but now I can't recall what it was. Is it a maintenance thing?
Yup....just called on that one. Sounds ok....needs and engine overhaul of course, no tip tanks (which seems like a big deal when it burns so much an hour).
Laura, remember the biblical story of the slave and the lion with the thorn in it's paw? I look forward to my ride ;- )
Glenn
Yup....just called on that one. Sounds ok....needs and engine overhaul of course, no tip tanks (which seems like a big deal when it burns so much an hour). He is going to send me some info. We would prefer the yoke on both sides...this has the swing over Anyone have first hand knowledge of this plane?
Just sayin' I am the lucky one here.
One other question, this plane has the lower air induction. I think there was a compelling reason for preferring the upper one....but now I can't recall what it was. Is it a maintenance thing?
I have upper induction but don’t think it matters. I had an engine rebuilt a couple years ago by Tulsa and can’t say enough good things - Rex was amazing to deal with and delivered on time and exactly as quoted. I have a couple hundred hours on it and am getting 10 hours to a litre of oil...and it doesn’t leak a drop which is unheard of! Sealand Aviation makes tip tanks so it’s not impossible to retrofit. They are indispensable for long trips.
The theory, at least as I've been told by more than one person, is that the upper induction is less prone to carb ice because the air runs through the warm engine compartment prior to entering the carb, as opposed to the lower induction air going straight to the carb without any warming effect. Different environments, but I have had much more carb ice with the lower induction in Minnesota than I ever had in Alaska with the upper. On the flip side, I know some high-time Beaver guys that swear there is no difference between the two when it comes to carb ice.
I've used the wing tanks on both floats and wheels quite a bit. As has been said here many times before: "What is the mission?" If you never plan on flying more than a couple hours and gas is readily available, then they are probably not required. If you are headed somewhere remote an hour or two away, you can put whatever you need in the tips, burn the front tank down and then transfer the wings in and land with almost full internals. Transferring up to 43 gallons from the wings is infinitely easier than doing the same from 5 gallon jugs. The problem with tips is that if they are used infrequently, the seals can dry out, and then when you go to use them, they either won't transfer or you can't shut them off.
As far as engine overhauls go, I heard when I was down in Tulsa that Covington is more than likely going to get out of the radial business in the near future. I visited Tulsa Aircraft Engines and talked with Rex, and he assured me they are in for the radial business for the long haul. They have an impressive cylinder graveyard out back...
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As a general rule of thumb when there is fuel in the tip tanks on any airplane, the answer is yes. Consider the lift on the wings must support the entire weight of the airplane. In so doing there is a bending moment on each portion of the wing. When the extra fuel weight is located at the wing tips that reduces the wing bending moments by the weight of the fuel times the distance of the wing tank from the center of the fuselage.Ok...someone suggested that the wings may be structurally stronger with the wing tanks. Any thoughts there?