Speaking of Weird

[flyguy]

I decided yesterday PM to do an alignment of my tail feathers and flying wires. Leveled the plane and tweaked all of the adjustments to level the horizontal stablizers and make the vertical--vertical. Very time consuming.

Test flight this AM: elevator is noticably smoother and there is just a little excess left rudder trim at cruise. Very minor change, but in opposite direction than before. Had to watch for overcontrolling on flare.

Now the weird stuff. On startup she tried to roll away at 550 RPM when I took out the last chock. NEVER did that before. Coming back in I taxied all the way from the turnout to my hanger, across an apron, and down between hangars with the power all the way back, 550 RPM again. I know this plane, NEVER did that before. No wind. Tires are actually slightly underinflated compared to my optimum 20 lbs, and the temperature was in the low 70's (rolls easier when it is hotter.) The plane was just like "gotta go go go" on the ground: I could feel it.

Totally strange, I haven't a clue as to how getting the alignment of the vertical and horizontal stabilizers correct would affect the rolling resistance of the aircraft. Oh, I have some ideas, but they are pretty far out there in wo wo land. There is no end to the strangeness of airplanes.
Darryl

[Howard Wilson]

Re: Speaking of Weird

Well in the wo-wo land department, maybe she appreciated the extra attention and is showing a little more enthusiasm.
Wouldn't think that you could change tail wheel geometry with moderate tweaking of the tail wires, but maybe it cambered the wheel just enough to be running on a different part of the bearings?????
I'll stick with the wo wo land theory for now

[crispy critter]

Re: Speaking of Weird

More likely it changed the angle of the tail surfaces enough to take some down pressure off the tail making it lighter while idling. Or it simply could be a carb mixture change caused by changing weather seasons which might have changed the idle by a small rpm increase that isn't noticable on the tach. Then again, maybe now that you got the shit straightened out on it's tail it just wants to fly more....always makes me feel better to get the shit out of my tail.

[fearofpavement]

Re: Speaking of Weird

Well, it is apparent this is a result of earth tilt. This time of year the earth is rotating in a different axial orientation which changes the actual tilt of the ground. If you had turned the plane around you would have noticed that it took more than the usual amount of power since you would have been going uphill then. Come late fall everything will return to normal.

[astjp2]

Re: Speaking of Weird

Broke Tachymeetteerr?

[flyguy]

Re: Speaking of Weird

Aren't we having tornadoes much farther north this year than ever before? Maybe my airplane's carb is responding to global warming in some previously unrecorded manner to produce extra power that doesn't manifest itself on the tachometer. You know, like using water to fuel your car.
DC

[Len Petterson]

Re: Speaking of Weird

Planet erarth is a fun place to be, nomatter how it tilts, with a website and topics like this how need to watch a comic show on TV. Thanks for some good laughs!
Len

[flyguy]

Re: Speaking of Weird

Well, before I took the 12D apart for my annual today I took it out for a flight and made a little rudder trim change before I took off. It was a little too bumpy to be sure, but I think I got it close.

One of my wo wo thoughts on the idle power taxi thing was maybe being down to less than half a tank in the main might do it, lighter weight and all. Filled up the main after the flight and it still does it.

It isn't like it blasts down the taxiway with me riding the brakes, but it just rolls along about as fast as you would care to go, say between buildings. I actually did have to slow it down with the brakes between buildings today. Seems to run a little longer in a straight line without as much correction too.

Whatever it is, it's fine with me.
Annual went pretty good today, one cylinder down some on compression.
DC

[Dano"T"]

Re: Speaking of Weird

Global Warming

[birdlegs]

Re: Speaking of Weird

I decided yesterday PM to do an alignment of my tail feathers and flying wires. Leveled the plane and tweaked all of the adjustments to level the horizontal stablizers and make the vertical--vertical. Very time consuming.

Test flight this AM: elevator is noticably smoother and there is just a little excess left rudder trim at cruise. Very minor change, but in opposite direction than before. Had to watch for overcontrolling on flare.

Now the weird stuff. On startup she tried to roll away at 550 RPM when I took out the last chock. NEVER did that before. Coming back in I taxied all the way from the turnout to my hanger, across an apron, and down between hangars with the power all the way back, 550 RPM again. I know this plane, NEVER did that before. No wind. Tires are actually slightly underinflated compared to my optimum 20 lbs, and the temperature was in the low 70's (rolls easier when it is hotter.) The plane was just like "gotta go go go" on the ground: I could feel it.

Totally strange, I haven't a clue as to how getting the alignment of the vertical and horizontal stabilizers correct would affect the rolling resistance of the aircraft. Oh, I have some ideas, but they are pretty far out there in wo wo land. There is no end to the strangeness of airplanes.
Darryl

Dude, you gotta be careful what is said to these guys,you know like back when you thought you had lint in your belly button and it was really hair?