Pilots/Owners of tailwheel Europas,
My email to Conrad Beale and his advice that I should post these communicat
ions on the forum are set out for you below.
The four of us who have been flying G-EIKY since 1997 (865 hours in tech. l
og) have no problem in remembering never to allow the engine to idle below
1500 rpm. In fact after starting we use the throttle to maintain warm-up ab
ove 2000 rpm and don't taxi below 1500 rpm. Only briefly after checking the
ignitions do we pull the throttle all the way back for a couple of seconds
to check slow running around 800 rpm before commencing take-off.
On rounding out for a landing, the throttle is closed fully until the landi
ng roll is completed and re-opened once the aircraft reaches a safe taxi sp
eed. Thus the percentage of time that our engine spends below 1500 rpm is a
lmost negligible.
I learned to fly on Harvards 40 years ago and clocked 274 hours on that typ
e. The combined experience of my fellow group members on tailwheel machines
totals in the 1000's. All this might not make us any safer than others wit
h less time in tail draggers, but I certainly wouldn't have been wanting to
land any such aircraft in a crosswind with the engine idling quickly. Get
squarely in contact with Mother Earth a.s.a.p. after rounding out is my fer
vent hope and intention!
If anyone has comments or criticisms, I'd be grateful for your input. Thank
s.
Jonathan
From: louise@conairsports.co.ukTo: jdmilbank@hotmail.comSubject: FW: Rotax
912/914 idle speedDate: Tue, 8 Apr 2008 18:58:06 +0100
Jonathan,
Thank you for your comments regarding the article. I am grateful for your f
eedback, especially about the idle speed, and I understand your concerns. A
s you are aware the gearbox wear will be a problem if the idle speed is too
low. I can see you have accepted this as a consequence for your set up, bu
t you benefit from an aircraft that is easier to keep on the ground. Normal
ly it is difficult to achieve a stable speed below 1200, and the engine wil
l often stop if set any lower. Rotax suggest 1800RPM
I think your experience would be of benefit to other (if you were to post i
t on the Europa (Matronics) forum), but it needs to be backed up with the w
arning about increased risk of engine stoppage and increased gearbox wear t
hat will ensue.
I will bear your comments in mind when I am working on installations that m
ight benefit from our feedback in particular the mono wheel Europa..
Regards
Conrad Beale
ConAir Sports Ltd
www.conairsports.co.uk
ONLINE SHOP
+44 (0) 1295 771088
This email and any attachment are confidential to the intended recipient, i
f you are not the intended recipient please delete it from your system and
notify the sender. You should not copy it or use it for any purpose nor di
sclose or distribute its contents to any other person. Any content of this
email or any agreement, contract, booking or advice given in this email or
any other correspondence with ConAir Sports Ltd is covered by the Terms an
d Conditions available at www.conairsports.co.uk.
From: Louise Beale [mailto:louise@conairsports.co.uk] Sent: 08 April 2008 1
0:23To: conrad@conairsports.co.ukSubject: FW: Rotax 912/914 idle speed
From: Jonathan Milbank [mailto:jdmilbank@hotmail.com] Sent: 08 April 2008 1
0:23To: service@conairsports.co.ukCc: mo@moragjones.demon.co.ukSubject: Rot
ax 912/914 idle speed
Hello Conrad, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your very helpful, clear and val
uable articles on servicing Rotax engines and I look forward to the next on
e. Now I'm going to take the risk of slightly contradicting something you w
rote and hope you won't think too ill of me. I know that your articles and
advice are not aircraft type-specific, but idle speed is a sensitive issue
with Europa mono/tailwheel aircraft during the touch-down phase. With its l
aminar flow wing and slippery profile, the Europa mono is a bit notorious f
or departing from the runway against the pilot's wishes and efforts. It wil
l float after rounding out and can easily "balloon" upwards if just a littl
e wind gust should happen. Once the Europa is squarely planted on the groun
d with the stick held fully back and the tailwheel solidly gripping the sur
face, then it is easy enough to keep it running straight. It's during the t
ricky period between raising the aircraft nose to round out and getting wel
l settled on the runway that directional control can be awkward, particular
ly in a crosswind. Therefore it follows that this period of floating above
the surface must be kept to a minimum. A fast idling engine will exacerbate
any problems. I keep the carburettors adjusted so that at full engine oper
ating temperature and with the aircraft standing still in nil wind, the idl
e is around 800 rpm and the engine is on the verge of cutting out. Of cours
e this means that the engine is safely idling at around 1200 rpm with the t
hrottle fully closed while gliding. We who belong to the group that flies t
his Europa are all fully aware that allowing the gearbox to clatter at low
rpm on the ground will drastically shorten its life, so we always set the t
hrottle to keep the rpm above 1500 after start up and when taxying. Possibl
y the reason why our monowheel Europa has survived relatively unscathed for
11 years ( touch wood ) is that we are nearly all professional pilots with
a lot of general aviation experience and tailwheel experience. But we all
also appreciate the importance of minimising the floating period after roun
ding out for a landing. Thanks for your superb contribution to better under
standing the maintenance of our engine. Sincerely. Jonathan Milbank
Try Messenger on your mobile. Text MSN to 63463 Now.-- This message has bee
n scanned for viruses and dangerous content by Houxou, and is believed to b
e clean.
_________________________________________________________________
Win 100=92s of Virgin Experience days with BigSnapSearch.com
http://www.bigsnapsearch.com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|