I'm afraid I will have to disagree here on one point. It is only
necessary to get the carb temperature above 0 deg C to melt the ice. I
find it hard to believe a standard XS with 912S installation (without
thermostats) will not get the coolant to at least 150 deg F, even on a
very cool day. We have seen coolant temps higher than that in the
winter time at 12,500 feet.
On the occasion when we had carb ice on the ground, it was during the
runnup procedure, and the carb heat immediately cured the problem when
turned on, with coolant temps well below 150 deg F.
Regards,
Terry Seaver
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of Richard
Holder
Subject: Europa-List: SkyDrive Carb heat system
Dave_Miller@avivacanada.com wrote:
> It will get worse. I've been sitting at the airport for the last 2
> months waiting for the MD-RA to allow me the privilege of a temporary
> C of A. At the moment they are questioning the phenolic firewall
> material that forms part of the fuselage, and the use of the Skydrive
> carb heat system.
>
> If there are any Canadian registered 912S powered Europas using
> Skydrive or similar, I would appreciate hearing from them, or from
> anyone else who can confirm the efficacy of the system.
>
> Now with regard to your stainless steel firewall, you should not have
> let me have Graham's phenolic one. It works great, and I just don't
> see how anyone ever got the stainless cut outs to fit well.
>
> In a rather depressed mood
>
>
> .Dave C-FBZI
I can confirm that my 912S engined Europa has the SkyDrive carb heat
kit.
When the PFA was asked they said that this was a recognised "mod" from
the engine distributor and that the only paperwork I had to go through
was to have a PFA Inspector sign it off after installation.
As the PFA is normally quite pedantic about requiring full mod
application (to themselves) - for them to accept the SkyDrive carb heat
kit was a sign that it was definitely OK !
I note that Lockwood also sells the same thing in the US so I am not
sure whether it is a Brit item, or a Rotax item, or where it comes from.
Be advised though that the SkyDrive carb heat kit requires HEAT in the
water system. I have been reading incredulously about builders who have
baffled up the tunnel and have no problems with cooling. Of course
"enough" cooling is fine in the summer and "overcooling"
in the winter is OK for the engine, but not for the carb heaters.
In fact I see that there are three modes of flying (although any
position between them is also possible)
1. Take off on a very hot day
2. Cruise and descent on a cold day
3. Take off on a cold day/cruise on a hot day
It is not possible to have a fixed baffle set-up which produces optimum
air-flow in the radiators to keep the temps in the best band (80 - 90 C)
at all times.
Adjustable baffles are needed.
Now there are NO thermostats in the engine - water or oil
Ideally an oil thermostat could be used which would allow quicker warm
up, and the radiator (which is too big) could be uncovered so that hot
weather cooling was improved.
Such a thermostat is available from Lockwood in the US ($60 !) and also
---From Franz the German Rotax distributors.Unfortunately the PFA intheir
wisdom have not accepted either of these oil thermostats for use here
without he "full mod application process".
The PFA when asked about it told me to talk to Nigel Beale of SkyDrive.
He admitted that he had put an oil thermostat on one of his 912 enigines
in the past but so far he hasn't responded to a request for the PFA mod
number under which it was approved. I suspect that as a "engine
manufacturer" he could do that without PFA formal mod (similar to the
way Europa made several changes and experiments with G-KITZ !)
--
Richard
Richard F.W. Holder 01279 842804 (POTS)
Bell House, Bell Lane, 01279 842804 (fax)
Widford, Ware, Herts, 07860 367423 (mobile)
SG12 8SH email : richard.holder@avnet.co.uk
Europa Classic Tri-gear : G-OWWW, High Cross
PA-28-181 : Piper Archer : G-JANA, EGSG (Stapleford)
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