Hello Graeme,
For the last 20 years in Kenya I have been flying my Classic Mono with 80hp 912,
and standard ground-adjusted Warp Drive with narrow blades from my local strips
at 6000 above sea-level (total time on Classic 5Y-LRY, is 650 hours). With
30 Celsius thats a density altitude of about 8900. My latest prop adjustment
was about 4 years ago, putting I think 14 degrees at the tips (? will need to
check that when I get back to machine). The rationale being for fixed pitch,
rather than variable, is that there is NO Europa support from anywhere except
Europe, beyond a brutal Kenya customs-wall; so why make a complicated Europa?
When I was young and stick-like (although 6 tall), LRY would perform well with
two up, with full baggage bay reserve tank, and everything up to MAUW. But a
little sluggish on take-off; on hard surface about 650 m before lift off (which
is good for your mono/ tailwheel skills), half retract flaps until 70 kts, and
slow climb out at 250 fpm. I also fly small Cessnas (eg 182, 206, non-turbo)
, and you get used to this sluggishness at this altitude, but flying visitors
---From Europe sometimes find it quite scary.
Later, when I married a beautiful woman with amazing cooking, had children and
became more desk-bound supporting the above, I put on 15 kg. So now for safety
I fly 5Y-LRY myself only up to about 1150 lbs, maybe just getting cautious with
old age. Usually OK, but takeoff occasionally a bit marginal, especially
on soft grass airfields after rain.
Hope this is useful,
Best
Richard
Kenya
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