10,000 & Climbing

[flylo]

I did something this morning I've never done. I flew my '38 to 10,000'. I didn't plan to,in fact I never thought she'd do it with the little Lycoming,especially on a hot & humid day like today. I'm sure most of you do it all the time,by I am known as flylo for a reason.

[ClipWing_T]

Re: 10,000 & Climbing

It was a lot of FUN too, wasn't it ? My first plane was a BC12-D with a A-65
and I climed to 13000 ft one day over Sulphur Springs,Tx. airport and what a blast it was. I did spins and loops all the way down showing off to some of my
buddies. I was 18 and real stupid !! Now i am 50 and just normal stupid .I did
a couple of rolls and a loop in my J-5 Cub after a guy told me a long wing cub
won't hardly roll .Someday when I get my Cliwing T-Craft going I'm gonna give heck LOL. (by the way my Cub has new spars and heavy duty forks,I ain't that crazy!)
Mike

[flylo]

Re: 10,000 & Climbing

It was fun! What suprised me was it was still climbing. I think I could have made 12,000 with no problem. I've wondered about crossing the rockies.I may have to change my nickname to flyhi.

[Robert Lees]

Re: 10,000 & Climbing

I did 11,000 once too. Took a while to get up there, and then as long again to cool the engine enough to as to be able to stop the engine.

Then glided back down, and even in the poor UK thermals, it took over an hour to get from 7000 to 2000..free flying!

Then seven hundred feet to get the engine going again! What fun!

[rotaxflyer]

Re: 10,000 & Climbing

Robert,

I take it that you had to go into a dive to get the engine to re-start. What sort of airspeed did it take?

Andy

[Acroeric]

Re: 10,000 & Climbing

Flylo-
When I had your plane here in my hanger I caught a really big thermal near Chapel Hill, NC at about 1500ft and rode it up to 8000ft. The engine was at idle and I was still getting 200-300 ft/min. It was an unusual day here in NC with really good lift. I shut it down and tried making it home as a glider but chickened out at 2k ft. near my airport. Your little Lycoming 65 spooled back up as soon as I got over 70mph- It was a fun day.

For anyone that has not flown a really light 38' you would be very impressed with how well it flies at around 600 pounds. Flylo's is super nice and is probably the best flying Tcraft I have ever flown.

[rdwater]

Re: 10,000 & Climbing

Here in the southwest desert, the conventional wisdom is to fly early or late in the summer time when its still cool - no climb in the hot mid-day. However, I discovered that my best climb was in the afternoon in thermals, which are abundant here. I guess I took a leson from the soaring pilots, who flock to this area. That big wing really makes the Tcraft a good soaring plane. Going to 10,000 ft is no big deal when you start out at 6000 ft! Bob

[Ed O'Brien]

Re: 10,000 & Climbing

If you know the mountains, you can fly anywhere in the lower 48 at 10,700. Maybe not direct but you'll get there if in a roundabout way. Meaning 11-12,000 is real close and there's no room for error.

That said, it's pretty cool to wave at hikers on a ridgeline, but noticing by their expressions, they've assumed you're crashing and alerting them for your rescue... but to their relief and surprise on you chug. I've done it a time or two in a little bird. I have plenty of mountain flying. I wouldn't do it with a 65 HP. Downdrafts of any kind will cause you to hit the rocks while peeing on your pants.
With regards;
Ed O'Brien
Denver, CO.

[Robert Lees]

Re: 10,000 & Climbing

What sort of airspeed did it take?

All of it.



But don't turn the mags on until you get back to 60, and stabilise the temps for a few minutes. PM me for a fuller reply

[birdlegs]

Re: 10,000 & Climbing/

I crossed the Steens Mountians some years back in my BC12D in July,At the head of Kiger canyon you need about 9750 msl to cover it, the AWOS @ BNO
gave the density alt @ 7400 for the field which is 4141 msl. I had the throttle mashed & locked and the MA3 SPA doing the rest. Seemed to be just about all of it. With that, the ground reference is somewhere in the 1500 ft to 1800 ft AGL arena, that leaves little room for downdrafts etc.
My mentor says be done doing that by 09:00 hours. for best results.
Him and I offloaded 3000 ft in his 180hp. Scout in the time it took to look @ the altimeter, same spot different day & time!

[flyguy]

Re: 10,000 & Climbing

Did 12,500 in a real light 12D-65. Was still climbing at 300 per when my nose started burning from the cold air. Winter time Central Calif with snow down to about 1000 ft. Turns out it had a carb with 85 hp jets and venturi. Turning a 74 inch by 46 as I remember. Had the truss type ribs, like 730 lbs empty. I wonder about that old record of 29k. Was just on engine, or using atmospheric lift also? Think the class record is 31k or so in a Cub now. I can imagine 18k or so with the right setup on just the engine.
DC

[birdlegs]

Re: 10,000 & Climbing

That was back when My kite had razorback wings so...
A. the stuff's heavy
B. when cold it sagged some so, I'm think'n lift's sub standard
C. The finish was rough and dragged
D. the stuffs heavy!
Can't wait to fly the new fabric(Poly fiber)with polytone finish, I keep finding shit on it thats way too heavy for the application. ( It had one of those oil filters that used a roll of toilet paper!) Think thats funny? its STC'ed fer heaven sake!

[Armstrong]

Re: 10,000 & Climbing

Took mine up to 13,500. It was over 100 degrees and 90 percent humidity that day. I had the doors off and was in a t-shirt ,sandals and shorts and froze.

[Ed O'Brien]

Re: 10,000 & Climbing

Over the Rockies of Colorado the winds are most often West Northwest at anything from 15-75mph. Flying west upto the leeward side and a deep rotor will cause a steep decline. It is both surprising and disturbing, 1500-3000 ft a minute. Meaning if you're 500 feet above the ridge... you can be even with the ridge in 10-20 seconds. Always good to fly as high as possible and stay away from the downwashing rotor. Believe me one trip through the bastard and you'll remember it for the rest of your life... however long that is. 14,500 will keep you above it on all but the windiest days. On the truely windy days it'll jump
to 20,000.

The point is, if you've got altitude use it, all of it you can get. Don't worry about airspeed (Of course don't stall). You can convert altitude to airspeed. If you've got altitude that is. If not think about going through the low spots along I-80 in southern Wyoming or through Central New Mexico along old Route 66. Avoid Colorado. I've done this in Bonanza's, Turbo Commanders, 310's, 182s and a couple of times in a 150hp 7GCBC, and a 118hp Taylorcraft. Flying early mornings and watch for traffic in the low spots. Everybody is trying the same thing at the same time. I'd do it on a nice day in an 85hp lightly loaded. Not sure about a 65 hp.

When you're flying the mountains "not sure" means don't. Otherwise you're working an awful geometry problem. Will the updraft lift me before I catch a rock. I don't know about you but I'm just not that good at math under that kind of time pressure. Wind x Gravity - airspeed + altitude
+ updraft - downdraft (this test should take no longer than 5 seconds) How'd YOU do?
With regards;
Ed O'Brien
Denver, CO.

[fearofpavement]

Re: 10,000 & Climbing

Well I don't remember ever being very high in a T-craft but all the talk of updrafts and downdrafts and wetting one's pants reminded me of an "interesting ride" in a Baron that I had just been flying as PIC as the sole occupant. I got in a "dry" thunderstorm one dark night (one in the lifting stage before there's enough moisture coming out of it to show on the radar) and I was going up at 2000 feet per minute with the throttles closed. That should have given me about a 1500' per minute descent so the vertical lift was amazing. Me? scared? nah, I always carry a change of clothes so it didn't bother me... Ok, I didn't wet my pants but if I figured that would've helped I sure would've given it a try. Just held it level, prayed, kept praying and next thing it was all over. Center was understanding on the altitude deviation. Vowed that would never happen again and sure enough it only happened to me one more time...