Bill's Aviation Log
Hobbs meter: 22 hours
June 19, 2009 (F) - Logged another 2.5 hours after work. Didn't do anything especially noteworthy, just flew to the southern edge of my test area and worked my way back up the eastern shore. Shot a couple of landings each at Smyrna and Massey grass strips. The RV continues to run well. I've been running it hard at 23 squared but I think it is probably broke-in by now.
June 16, 2009 (Tu) - The weather wasn’t that hot – 3500 broken, high overcast, squirrely crosswind – but I headed out to the airport after work anyways. It turned out to be a very enjoyable flight. The air was very smooth. There was a big open spot around Ridgely. To the north, it was broken around 2500, where I had a good time diving and weaving around the clouds. A high overcast darkened the sky. All the different shades of gray were kind of beautiful.
June 14, 2009 (Sun) - Flew another five hours today. One three hour flight, refuel, then another two hour flight. RV still running great. Tried out the autopilot for the first time; worked great.
June 13, 2009 (Sat) - Finally put some serious time on the RV, logging five hours. Joined up with Mike R. over Ridgely at 6000 feet and flew around with him for awhile. After Mike R. left, flew over to Cape May. The RV ran great; engine temps were normal.
June 12, 2009 (F) - Took Naveen from work for a Cub flight, then took a short flight in the RV so see it fly.
June 3, 2009 - I havn't been posting much because the RV was down for maintenance the last three weeks. It's been frustrating. But today I think I nailed it. After today's test flight, I finally feel the plane is fully operational and flying the way an RV should. Over the last three days, I replaced the stock Niagara oil cooler with a new, more capable Stewart Warner. I also fixed the Electronic Ignition system. Lightspeed had tested the Ignition Module box and found nothing wrong with it. In the meantime, I had discovered I had not wired the IM box up correctly -- I had neglected to run the ground wire! Also I discovered the Electronic Ignition crank sensor wire bundle had a big chunk out of it near the starter plate. There is not a lot of room between the starter plate -- which rotates -- and the engine itself. Obviously the starter plate had cut the wire bundle. It's amazing the EI worked at all. I installed a ground wire per the Lightspeed installation instructions. To repair the crank sensor wire bundle, I had to take off the prop which was a major ordeal. Bruce's engine hoist was a big help; it allowed me to remove and re-install the prop by myself. It still took a long time to splice the wire bundle, re-install the prop and safty-wire it.
Today, after all the above was done, and a couple of other things, I tested the engine on the ground. The EI worked perfectly. No oil leaks. I put the spinner and cowl back on and took the RV for a test flight. It had gradually dawned on me that the engine was overheating during the climb. So right after takeoff, I pulled the RPM back to 2500. I kept my climb very shallow, and climbed to 1200 feet at 110+mph. The cylinder head temps (CHT) were locked around 370 which was amazing because I was used to seeing them in the 400s. The oil temp started around 180 and very slowly climbed to a max of 220 after about 25 minutes.
I zoomed around a large triangular pattern from Essex to North Point to Miller's Island back to Essex at 150+mph. I made about four circuits before having to land because of an approaching thunderstorm. Now I think I'll really be able to log some serious hours and finish my Phase I test period. I'm not sure what was responsible for the dramatic temperature drop but I'm sure the Stewart Warner oil cooler was a primary factor. To you builders out there, do yourself a favor and go with the Stewart Warner from the start. And make sure that crank sensor wire bundle is kept clear of the spinner plate!
Aviation Log (2008 & 2007)
- May 31, 2009 - Building Xenos Rear Spar
- May 31, 2009 - RV Maintenance
- May 30, 2009 - Glider Disassembly/Cub Flight
- May 25, 2009 - Soaring at the Flycow Airpark
- May 12, 2009 - Watch Blue Angels at the U.S. Naval Academy from the water
- May 9, 2009 - First significant flight, Massey Fly-In
- April 9, 2009 - First Flight!
- April 7, 2009 - DAR Inspection
- March 29, 2009 - Last Things - The RV is done.
- March 28, 2009 - Canopy complete
- March 22, 2009 - Tune-up Flight
- March 21, 2009 - Inspection Pictures
- March 15, 2009 - Polish Party/Cirrus Down
- March 8, 2009 - Odds & Ends
- March 7, 2009 - Weight and Balance, rivet forward top skin
- March 1, 2009 - Organizing wires, OAT Probe
- February 25, 2009 - Royal Air Force Museum, London
- February 15, 2009 - Taxi!
- February 14, 2009 - Canopy Seal
- February 11, 2009 - Canopy work, Camlocs
- February 8, 2009 - Miscellaneous
- February 7, 2009 - Engine Start!
- February 1, 2009 - Charged brakes, miscellaneous
- January 31, 2009 - Torque and Safety-Wire Prop nuts
- January 25, 2009 - Miscellaneous
- January 24, 2009 - Miscellaneous
- January 18, 2009 - Finished Rigging
- January 17, 2009 - Finished Flaps
- January 11, 2009 - Finished rudder, hooked up Tailwheel steering chains
- January 10, 2009 - Hung Rudder, Trim Tab
- January 4, 2009 - Autopilot operational
- January 3, 2009 - Motivational flight
- January 2, 2009 - Elevator Trim operational
- January 1, 2009 - Color Coat on cowl, spinner and rudder
- Previous Years - RV-7 Builders Log 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008
I started my RV-7 slow-build kit in early 2004. Just a little over five years later I flew it for the first time. My RV-7 has side-by-side seating, tip-up canopy and is a taildragger. The powerplant is a Mattituck TMX-360, straight carburator, with one magneto and one Lightspeed electronic ignition. It turns a constant speed Hartzell blended airfoil propeller. The RV is night-VFR capable. The panel is anchored by a Dynon FD-180 which has both flight and engine instruments. I also have an SL-60 GPS/Comm and Garmin GTX-327 transponder. I have a Garmin GPSMap 426 mounted in an Airgizmo panel dock. Finally, I have a TruTrak Pictorial Pilot Wing leveler autopilot.