First Time in IMC and vacuum problem

GREAT JOB!!! Sounds like you did just fine despite having 'this is NOT a
simulation' flashing in your brain GRIN

So, when are you going to get your CFII... sounds like your instructor did
you right! :0)

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Good Flights!

Cecil
PP-ASEL-IA
Student - CP-ASEL

Check out my personal flying adventures from my first flight to the
checkride AND the continuing adventures beyond!
Complete with pictures and text at: www.bayareapilot.com

"I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery -

"We who fly, do so for the love of flying. We are alive in the air with
this miracle that lies in our hands and beneath our feet"
- Cecil Day Lewis -

I think I'll get this IFR thing more practice first. This incident
helped cement the fact that I don't know diddly about IFR flight. But
for the grace of God that I got down safely. Have you been solo IMC yet.
It is quite a rush (even without the instrument issue)

Jon Kraus
PP-ASEL-IA
Student Mooney Owner

Cecil Chapman wrote:

GREAT JOB!!! Sounds like you did just fine despite having 'this is NOT a
simulation' flashing in your brain GRIN

So, when are you going to get your CFII... sounds like your instructor did
you right! :0)

I think I'll get this IFR thing more practice first. This incident
helped cement the fact that I don't know diddly about IFR flight. But
for the grace of God that I got down safely. Have you been solo IMC yet?
It is quite a rush (even without the instrument issue)..

Jon Kraus
PP-ASEL-IA
Student Mooney Owner

Cecil Chapman wrote:

GREAT JOB!!! Sounds like you did just fine despite having 'this is NOT a
simulation' flashing in your brain GRIN

So, when are you going to get your CFII... sounds like your instructor did
you right! :0)

In article t,
"Hilton" wrote:

Gary Drescher wrote:
Cool. Pilots often get that wrong, canceling before they have the required
VFR cloud clearance in controlled airspace, and sometimes get busted for
it.

I hear it here (SJC) at bunch. GA plane gets a IFR to VFR on top, and
reports: "OK, we just broke out, tops 2400, cancel IFR" - something like
that. When I get that clearance, I feel bad spending more than a minute in
perfect visibility while the 'big iron' sits on the ground at SJC, but it's
the rules and it does prevent one of those 'big-irons' climbing into me (or
at least helps prevents it).

Hilton

Yes, you're right that it's illegal, but it sounds like a victimless
crime. Let's say you're climbing at 500 fpm. By the time the
controller acknowledges your call, you're already a few hundred feet
above the tops. By the time he releases the next guy, you're 500 feet.
Even if he climbs at 2500 fpm, by the time he hits the tops, you're 1000
feet above.

On the other hand, if your plan is to cancel when you break out at 2400
and cruise at 2500, I'd be a little more concerned.

In a previous article, "John R. Copeland" said:
Dry vacuum pumps normally fail catastrophically by shattering their
graphite vanes. Personally, I've never detected warning signs other than
gradually accumulating carbon dust around the pump outlets.
When I see that, I schedule pump replacement without waiting for failure.

Jon's doing right by getting the whole vacuum system checked.
He could have a clogged filter, a small leak, or even a bad gyro bearing.

We had an AI once that was very slow to erect. First the mechanic
increased the suction to try and spin the gyros faster, but when that
didn't help we ended up replacing the AI.


--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
I treat shops as military objectives to be penetrated and stripped of needed
resources in as little time as possible. She has adventures in them.
-- Joe Thompson

Well, I have seen signs of dry pumps show signs of failure. True, the
ultimate failure is catastrophic, but every time I found a low vacuum
reading they found some problem with the pump. After replacement, the
vacuum was back up to where it should be.



"John R. Copeland" wrote in
:

Dry vacuum pumps normally fail catastrophically by shattering their
graphite vanes. Personally, I've never detected warning signs other
than gradually accumulating carbon dust around the pump outlets.
When I see that, I schedule pump replacement without waiting for
failure.

Jon's doing right by getting the whole vacuum system checked.
He could have a clogged filter, a small leak, or even a bad gyro
bearing.

"Andrew Sarangan" wrote in message
1...

My guess is you have a failing vacuum pump. It might have been acting
up
then corrected itself during flight once you had full RPM. Even if
the
vacuum is below green during idle, it should not take more than a few
seconds to bring the gryos to full speed at takeoff power. I would
definitely have the vacuum system checked out.

(Paul Tomblin) wrote in news:cr8uan$4n2$1
@allhats.xcski.com:

In a previous article, Jon Kraus said:
1. Make sure that I have had the vacuum indicator "in the green"
for

several minutes before departing to ensure that the gyros are
spooled
up.

2. Have the approach for returning to the airport loaded or in
standby
just in case you need to return quickly. I did not do this and it
added
needless stress loading everything.

It couldn't hurt to have a mechanic look at your vacuum system.

I've had both my attitude indicator go out (itself) and the vac pump go
out in my Mooney. The attitude indicator failure was MUCH more
upsetting. A vac failure takes awhile to effect instruments and usually
gives a good warning on a Mooney(red light, voice annunicator, etc).
The attitude indicator failure was worse. It appeared to work, but just
slowly started indicating a turn to the right. However, it responded in
pitch and roll just fine, giving the impression it was good. The
failure was in IMC. I decided then to try for a backup electric unit. I
see almost zero value in the backup vac systems, they don't do anything
for the more upsetting attitude indicator failure.

Mine did that before it failed.

I totally agree and they are on my taxi checklist.

Jon Kraus
PP-ASEL-IA
Student Mooney Owner

Gary Drescher wrote:

"Jon Kraus" wrote in message
...

Allen,

Yes my preflight procedures do have a "check vacuum in the green". I might
have a vacuum pump that is worn and in need of replacement.


Another important item is to monitor the vacuum instruments, the turn
coordinator, and the compass while taxiing, especially during turns.

--Gary

It is true what they say:
"It is better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air, then
being in the air wishing you were on the ground"


Ahh that take all the fun away from flying.








































































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