VFR, Flight Plan, No Radio

[mhorowit]

Re: VFR, Flight Plan, No Radio

That's why I love this website! Mike poses a question about a no radio flight plan and he gets suggestions like (1) using a cell phone or (2) hollering out the window like Lindbergh in Ireland or (3) swooping low over the telegraph station and making the engine backfire. And the discussion goes on like that for over a week until someone meekly suggests...well, maybe he should just fix the radio. What an interesting bunch of folks the T-crafters are!

Here's a somewhat related question: Robert Buck in his great book Weather Flying says you can clear ice out of your intake system by making the engine backfire. He claims he actually had to do that a couple times in desperate conditions.

OK, assuming someday you might want to signal people on the ground like Jeppesen or clear ice from your intake like Robert Buck...how does one MAKE the engine backfire?

Bob Gustafson

Honestly - I just wanted to know how the bagpipe lessons were going!!! - Mike

[fearofpavement]

Re: VFR, Flight Plan, No Radio

Here's a somewhat related question: Robert Buck in his great book Weather Flying says you can clear ice out of your intake system by making the engine backfire. He claims he actually had to do that a couple times in desperate conditions.

OK, assuming someday you might want to signal people on the ground like Jeppesen or clear ice from your intake like Robert Buck...how does one MAKE the engine backfire?

Bob Gustafson[/QUOTE]

Ernest Gann referred to this procedure as well but the plane he was flying was an internally supercharged radial engine and on those if it gets too lean it will backfire so they just leaned the mixture until.... Many people confuse a backfire with afterfire, technically a backfire is when fire, noise, etc come "back" out through the carburator. An afterfire, which is what most people are refering to when they say backfire, is when excess fuel ignites in the exhaust system. If an aircraft has much of a muffler system one can make it afterfire by shutting off the mags briefly which allows fuel vapor to get into the exhaust unburned and then when the ignition is turned back on it burns (explodes) those excess vapors. If you have ever seen a muffler that looks all swelled up, afterfire is the usually cause. (not a recommended procedure on any vehicle) back to the question, why don't you just fix the carb heat? no, just kidding, there is really no way to make a T-craft backfire that I know of if it doesn't already have a mechanical problem such as a burned intake valve or something.

[Howard Wilson]

Re: VFR, Flight Plan, No Radio

How 'bout pulling the throttle back too quickly?? Not great procedure but will sometimes generate some noise........

Flew into a remote Kansas airport to deliver a C-170 one time and it had started to snow again. Before committing to land on the snow covered field and not having a ride into town (no cell phones then) Just flew over the hangers and jazzed the throttle. Sure enough a bunch of people came running out to see what fool was having engine trouble in a snow storm. Figured one of them was good for a ride into town so landed ok taxied up smartly stepped out of the plane and went down on my butt on the ice. Cool very cool.................:-(

[Ed O'Brien]

Re: VFR, Flight Plan, No Radio

Goofy topic actually, backfiring an engine. Since I started it with the Capt. Jepp story, let'me try. Lean the engine and turn off one mag, or flip between the two mags, off/on/off/on. What your trying to do is load gas in the piston and have it fire late, right? There's got to be an foolproof and easy way. But radial engined mail planes had a different firing order and set up than a 4 cylinder C65-85T-Craft.

Another thing they'd do was "chug'em" running the throttle up and down slowly or rapidly. I've heard that station men could tell that a particular pilot was "chugging" his engine, just like a train engineer on his whistle and bell.

By the way, they stopped the swooping practice for the most part when radio antennas popped-up up in the mid 30's. Train tracks, train stations, roads, and radio towers seemed to be located awfully close to each other. In the west guywires hung a few of'em. It still does today. A Military Helicopter went down this past week straying to close to a TV tower. God Bless'em.
All the best;
ED O'BRIEN

[jdoran]

Re: VFR, Flight Plan, No Radio

Mike,

I saw a guy ferry a plane once with a "portable" radio. He had a standard panel mount radio (KX155) that was mounted on a little piece of plywood on the seat next to him. He had it rigged up to plug into the cigarette lighter socket, and the antenna was inside the plane c-clamped to the tubing behind the seat. The PTT was also mounted on the plywood.

He took this rig with him every time he ferried a plane as a backup, because he never knew what kind of shape the comm gear was in on a plane.

He said it worked fantastic-even with the antenna inside, but could also connect his antenna cable to the aircraft's antenna if he needed to.

Good idea for your trip???

John

[mhorowit]

Re: VFR, Flight Plan, No Radio

Mike,


Good idea for your trip???

John

Yeah, or I could put notes in bottles and drop them
Here's the current condition of my baby

[dedrekon]

Re: VFR, Flight Plan, No Radio

Mike,
It doesn't look, from the picture, like you have a sling style seat. How's it done on yours?

Vincent

[mhorowit]

Re: VFR, Flight Plan, No Radio

I'll get some pics; I don't recall - Mike

[mhorowit]

Re: VFR, Flight Plan, No Radio

Mike,
It doesn't look, from the picture, like you have a sling style seat. How's it done on yours?

Vincent

Vincent - here are the pics

[VictorBravo]

Re: VFR, Flight Plan, No Radio

Mike, while looking at your photos I had an idea that I should have shared before. I can only assume that somewhere in your area is a real aircraft surplus supply place. even if it is an hour away. You might start collecting bolts, nuts, washers, Cotter pins, screws etc. if there's a cheap place nearby.

Out here in Los Angeles, we have a place called Luky's, which used to be Joe Factor Surplus Sales. They have a warehouse full of surplus NOS airplane bolts, nuts, etc. It's mostly WW2 and Cold War surplus from the Lockheed facility and others that were in Southern California. If you know how to identify an airplane bolt, they sell the stuff by the pound. It works out to be a fraction of what Aircraft Spruce charges. But you do need to know how to identify aircraft hardware from everything else because they "don't sell airplane hardware" there.

As you go through your rebuild, if you know you have bags full of unused surplus aircraft bolts, it makes a much easier decision to replace 60 year old bolts that are a little pitted. It also reduces the cost of the rebuild and greatly reduces time spent waiting for stuff in the mail and/or driving someplace for it.

I hope you have places like that in your area. If you can find one, even if it is an hour or more drive, the savings in time and money will be worth it. Ordering one or two bolts at a time, from some outfit like Aviall, is why you see advertisements in Trade-a-Plane saying " 65 HP 7AC Champ... Over $60K invested in restoration, steal it for only $57K!!!!"

[mhorowit]

Re: VFR, Flight Plan, No Radio

Mike, while looking at your photos I had an idea that I should have shared before. I can only assume that somewhere in your area is a real aircraft surplus supply place. even if it is an hour away. You might start collecting bolts, nuts, washers, Cotter pins, screws etc. if there's a cheap place nearby.

Bill - makes logic, but there are no large a/c manufacturing plants near DC; but I am planning on driving up to Dillsburg,PA with a shopping list!

Only problem with your idea is related to my problem of not wanting to throw anything away - If I save used a/n hardware, I'm tempted to re-use it. How do you know the stuff you're purchasing from surplus isn't second hand? Unless of course it comes packaged, then you have a reasonable chance of being OK - Mike

PS - thanks for the idea though

[VictorBravo]

Re: VFR, Flight Plan, No Radio

The stuff you are purchasing from a surplus place IS second hand.

A guy named Sam in a red white and blue suit paid $127.50 for the bolt in 1956, for use in a nuclear powered bomber project that never materialized

Sam was too stupid to hang on to the bolt and use it to repair a broken T-33 in 1960, too stupid to use that bolt to repair a combat damaged F-4 in 1967, and then he just got tired of it laying around.

So Sam sold it to the surplus store in 1990 for fifteen cents. The only reason Sam sold it that cheap is that he didn't give the 40 years of paperwork for the bolt to the guy at the surplus store.

But the bolt has been sitting un-used in a box, longing and praying to be used in a real airplane for 40 years. He's still new and shiny. You can just look at him and know he's never been used.

If you are clever enough to sort through boxes and dumpsters full of bolts, and you know what you're looking for, you win. If that process makes you uncomfortable for any reason, no problem, you just buy the bolt from someone who has the paperwork and spend a little extra.

The only problem is that some experienced people think the new bolts are not quite as good as the old bolts, because of losses in quality control, outsourcing, tolerances not as good, etc. This difference is miniscule compared to how lightly loaded MOST of the bolts are in a Taylorcraft. No significant reductyion in safety on the level we're talking about, even if the old-timers are right.

Knowing how to identify various aircraft bolts is easy to learn and there are several written resource guides, AC 43.13, etc. that will teach you.

There are of course times when you should choose to buy a new bolt with all the paperwork... connecting rod bolts come to mind. But the existence of places like Luky's Hardware, Joe Factor Sales, etc. have saved me thousands of dollars pver the years.

[fearofpavement]

Re: VFR, Flight Plan, No Radio

What I do with old hardware that I removed from an aircraft because I am concerned it was comprimised even though it shows no physical signs of damage is grind the markings off the head. That way I can have it available to fix a lawnmower or other piece of equipment but won't accidently reinstall it in an aircraft. If a bolt is damaged in any way I have learned to just grit my teeth and throw it away (recycle bin). Hardware, while not cheap, is pretty insignificant costwise compared to buying "parts". We use both nos and used hardware in our operation but I always try to be discrete as to where I use previously used hardware. For instance, when we re-assemble Yellow Duck the wing attach bolts will all be new. That's not an area to go cheap.

Regarding a source for used or nos hardware, most of the major aviation events such as oshkosh and sun-n-fun have vendors there and that is a good place to build some stock. It is much cheaper to buy stuff you'll never use to have inventory than to have to chase down each little piece that you do need. (as previously mentioned)

[Pearson]

Re: VFR, Flight Plan, No Radio

How to make your engine backfire in three easy steps.

#1 Turn off mags

#2 Prime 5-6 strokes

#3 Turn on mags

Not recommended unless you really want to see what the inside of your engine looks like!

[paulnuss]

Re: VFR, Flight Plan, No Radio

When I was young(er) and (more) irresponsible (!), we used to make our cars backfire by switching off the ignition while running down the road, with the engine still in-gear and engaged, then switch the ignition key back on and... Kaboom! A great backfire! If let go a little long, I remember removing a muffler from the exhaust pipe once! I guess a fuel-air mixture without the benefit of combustion in the combustion chamber was being pumped through the engine into the exhaust pipes, and then needed only the new spark to make it explode. I can imagine that your airplane engine with carburetor would do the same thing. The exhaust pipe and muffler of a '53 Chevy were far cheaper than your airplane exhaust system, airbox, etc.