Annual - Long Drivel Update

Well, Fat Albert finally got liberated yesterday, just 6 days shy of
two months in solitary at the mechanic's shop... The 'third times the
charm' carburetor works like a champ... It didn't dump fuel all over
the ramp... It didn't run lean on takeoff... It did shut down the
engine when the mixture was pulled to cut off... I haven't settled the
final bill for the 'lets put the cowls off and on, and off and on,
etc., ad nauseum', but the grand total for this annual and AD party has
been expensive... Oh well, as I said, ya gotta be nuts to own an
airplane...

The temp was 20 degrees on the ramp with the wind from the northeast at
16 knots, gusting 21 knots, 1600 foot ceiling and curtains of blowing
snow... Unicom was silent with no one flying within radio range...
Saginaw TRACON had long periods of silence between transmissions to the
few IFR airplanes flying within their area... Once airborne it was not
as rough as I would have predicted... The outside temp 15 F and the
spanking new, C&D heater is keeping me comfy with the heat control at
50% ( big smile)... I hit a wall of heavy snowfall that looked like it
was zero/zero, or close to it, between me and where I wanted to go... I
didn't feel like air filing IFR to fly through it so I elected to angle
Northeast out over the Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron to look for a thin
spot... 5 miles offshore over sullen looking, lead colored waves, I saw
a thin spot in the wall of snow and turned Southeast... 5 minutes later
I'm behind the heavy squall which is blowing from the East (unusual
direction for us in winter)... I spend 40 minutes just flying around,
changing power settings and releaning the engines to be sure the new
carburetor is good to go - everything seems OK... It feels good to be
flying again...

4:30 PM and it's dark enough that lights on the ground are bright, I
turn final for runway 5 at HYX, with the airport's rotating beacon
blinking off and on through the snow curtains... The airport is
deserted, so with no one around to watch the landing in the gusty wind
it's a picture perfect squeaker, of course... Home again, home
again...

Denny

Glad to hear that the epic is finally over!

Mike
MU-2

"Denny" wrote in message
oups.com...
Well, Fat Albert finally got liberated yesterday, just 6 days shy of
two months in solitary at the mechanic's shop... The 'third times the
charm' carburetor works like a champ... It didn't dump fuel all over
the ramp... It didn't run lean on takeoff... It did shut down the
engine when the mixture was pulled to cut off... I haven't settled the
final bill for the 'lets put the cowls off and on, and off and on,
etc., ad nauseum', but the grand total for this annual and AD party has
been expensive... Oh well, as I said, ya gotta be nuts to own an
airplane...

The temp was 20 degrees on the ramp with the wind from the northeast at
16 knots, gusting 21 knots, 1600 foot ceiling and curtains of blowing
snow... Unicom was silent with no one flying within radio range...
Saginaw TRACON had long periods of silence between transmissions to the
few IFR airplanes flying within their area... Once airborne it was not
as rough as I would have predicted... The outside temp 15 F and the
spanking new, C&D heater is keeping me comfy with the heat control at
50% ( big smile)... I hit a wall of heavy snowfall that looked like it
was zero/zero, or close to it, between me and where I wanted to go... I
didn't feel like air filing IFR to fly through it so I elected to angle
Northeast out over the Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron to look for a thin
spot... 5 miles offshore over sullen looking, lead colored waves, I saw
a thin spot in the wall of snow and turned Southeast... 5 minutes later
I'm behind the heavy squall which is blowing from the East (unusual
direction for us in winter)... I spend 40 minutes just flying around,
changing power settings and releaning the engines to be sure the new
carburetor is good to go - everything seems OK... It feels good to be
flying again...

4:30 PM and it's dark enough that lights on the ground are bright, I
turn final for runway 5 at HYX, with the airport's rotating beacon
blinking off and on through the snow curtains... The airport is
deserted, so with no one around to watch the landing in the gusty wind
it's a picture perfect squeaker, of course... Home again, home
again...

Denny

WAHOO!!! Congrats. Let us know how your mechanic and Kelly treat you.
Jim

"Denny" wrote in message
oups.com...
Well, Fat Albert finally got liberated yesterday, just 6 days shy of
two months in solitary at the mechanic's shop... The 'third times the
charm' carburetor works like a champ... It didn't dump fuel all over
the ramp... It didn't run lean on takeoff... It did shut down the
engine when the mixture was pulled to cut off... I haven't settled the
final bill for the 'lets put the cowls off and on, and off and on,
etc., ad nauseum', but the grand total for this annual and AD party has
been expensive... Oh well, as I said, ya gotta be nuts to own an
airplane...

The temp was 20 degrees on the ramp with the wind from the northeast at
16 knots, gusting 21 knots, 1600 foot ceiling and curtains of blowing
snow... Unicom was silent with no one flying within radio range...
Saginaw TRACON had long periods of silence between transmissions to the
few IFR airplanes flying within their area... Once airborne it was not
as rough as I would have predicted... The outside temp 15 F and the
spanking new, C&D heater is keeping me comfy with the heat control at
50% ( big smile)... I hit a wall of heavy snowfall that looked like it
was zero/zero, or close to it, between me and where I wanted to go... I
didn't feel like air filing IFR to fly through it so I elected to angle
Northeast out over the Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron to look for a thin
spot... 5 miles offshore over sullen looking, lead colored waves, I saw
a thin spot in the wall of snow and turned Southeast... 5 minutes later
I'm behind the heavy squall which is blowing from the East (unusual
direction for us in winter)... I spend 40 minutes just flying around,
changing power settings and releaning the engines to be sure the new
carburetor is good to go - everything seems OK... It feels good to be
flying again...

4:30 PM and it's dark enough that lights on the ground are bright, I
turn final for runway 5 at HYX, with the airport's rotating beacon
blinking off and on through the snow curtains... The airport is
deserted, so with no one around to watch the landing in the gusty wind
it's a picture perfect squeaker, of course... Home again, home
again...

Denny

"Denny" wrote:
4:30 PM and it's dark enough that lights on the ground are bright, I
turn final for runway 5 at HYX, with the airport's rotating beacon
blinking off and on through the snow curtains... The airport is
deserted, so with no one around to watch the landing in the gusty wind
it's a picture perfect squeaker, of course... Home again, home
again...

I can just picture it. And people wonder why we're nuts about flying! How
else are you going to have an experience like that?

Glad to hear your bird's all better now.
--
Dan
C-172RG at BFM

Sounds great, Denny!

Northeast out over the Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron to look for a thin
spot... 5 miles offshore over sullen looking, lead colored waves, I saw
a thin spot in the wall of snow and turned Southeast...

....But did you *really* fly out over Lake Huron right after major engine
work and an extensive annual?

You're a braver man than I.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

mmmm, yes.... but I have two separate engines, two completely separate
fuel systems, four fuel pumps, two vacuum systems, two electrical
systems, and so on which is why I fly a twin - albeit, old, fat, and
clapped out wait that's me

Other than the carburetor shuffle the rest of the big thrash was the
flap AD and the new heater installation, neither of which was of
concern... The stuck valve had been flown a couple of times by then
and no problems noted... What really scares me is flying over
forests... Those old grampaw trees will hand you your lunch if you go
down in them...

Denny

On 6 Jan 2005 07:17:17 -0800, "Denny" wrote:

Well, Fat Albert finally got liberated yesterday, just 6 days shy of
two months in solitary at the mechanic's shop... The 'third times the
Glad to hear Fat Albert is flying again Denny. Now It appears I have
a sticking intake valve on one cylinder of the Deb. Know any good
additives?

Roger
Roger

Roger wrote:

Glad to hear Fat Albert is flying again Denny. Now It appears I have
a sticking intake valve on one cylinder of the Deb. Know any good
additives?

Yes: a few more dollars on your mechanic's bill. :-)

- FChE

AVBLEND... Use it for the first two oil changes, then every other oil
change is good once everything seems working...

For loosening the stem in the first place I use Marvel Mystery Oil in a
squirt can... Pull the rocker cover (on the appropriate cylinder) and
slowly flood the oil on the valve stem while bouncing the valve with a
wood block and a hammer (make sure the piston is well down the bore)...
When it seems to be bouncing briskly, then rotate the engine to cycle
the valve stem full travel while lubricating... (pulling the top plugs
makes turning the engine a lot more fun).. Then add 8 ounces of MMO to
each gas tank fill-up for two times sequentially, then to every third
tank of gas... (Lotsa mechanics like a WD-40 and Mouse Milk mixture
for unsticking the valve initially... I'm sure there are other brews
that will work, but I like MMO because it doesn't burn easily leaving
carbon behind)

Fat Albert got in trouble because I became complacent after not ever
having a stuck valve and got out of the habit that my father taught me
when I still had hair... I'm sure that dad is leaning on our old J3
while looking down on me, lighting a Camel, blowing the smoke out his
nose, and saying, "That'll learn ya."
"Yup dad, it did!"

Denny

"Gene Kearns" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 00:58:01 -0500, Roger
wrote:

On 6 Jan 2005 07:17:17 -0800, "Denny" wrote:

Well, Fat Albert finally got liberated yesterday, just 6 days shy of
two months in solitary at the mechanic's shop... The 'third times the
Glad to hear Fat Albert is flying again Denny. Now It appears I have
a sticking intake valve on one cylinder of the Deb. Know any good
additives?

Roger

What would you like this additive to do?

Free a sticky valve maybe?

I know of a whole fleet of aircraft using MMO, after a 172 hung a valve or
two on takeoff. The owner says he doesn't have valves stick any more.
Of course, the valves ought to have good concentric guides and not out of
limits. I had one sticking in a new ECI cylinder, but fixed it by lapping
in a new valve, changing out the rocker arm and using MMO. 200 hours later
everything's fine.

Btw, Gene, how many aircraft engines, if any, have you rebuilt? And is
THAT a major repair?