super go-cart

The taxi test was WOW !!

It was like driving a super powered go-cart. The engine started right up after Jean, Dan and I repaired the wiring to the CHTs and put the seats in and a few other details. Then I warmed up the Rotax, gave it a little gas and off I went. The plane handles extremely well on the ground, is very responsive to the pedal steering inputs, and goes like a rocket. Once I figured out how to turn on the intercom, the radio worked well. The CHTs were reading correctly and all seems well there. The GPS has yet to acquire any satellites (?)

After the initial run, I took Dan and then Jean for a ride. O.K. on the ground, not in the air. Can’t wait for the tailfeathers and wings to get painted!

Rotax break-in

Finished installing the Rotax 503 this afternoon and since I had a little time left over before dark, I decided to install the propeller and crank it up and try for a break-in run.

The run went very well, a shot of primer and the engine caught immediately and purred like a kitten. Every paramater was monitored carefully through the grueling, hour long test. The break-in run was very carefully laid out in the Rotax maual; 3500 RPM for 5 minutes, 5000 for one, idle for one, 4000 for 5, 5500 for one, idle for one, 4500 for 5, full throttle for 10 seconds, and so on for a total of 65 minutes.

Now that the engine is all broken in, I can finish up the nosecone installation and start taxi tests. Without wings, there shouldn’t be any temptation to take it for a little crow hop! 

findin’ time

Finding a few spare minutes to work on the Challenger is a real challenge right now. (pun intended)

Did get the pitot tube installed, thank you Mike Watson, Challenger Dealer.

Got the landing lights mounted but not wired.

There will be a few months until cold weather settles in so I’m not worried

out of the paint shop

Out of the paint shop and directly into the hanger. That is about all that got accomplished before our family reunion.

Today I did get a couple of hours to work on the plane. I installed the throttle, cut the hole for and installed the rear shoulder harness, installed all eight “Rony brackets”. Ronys are the U shaped brackets that attach to the airframe to hold the wing on. The four upper brackets are used to bolt the wing directly to the upper square tube, the four lower to attach wing struts. Progress, little bit of progress.

painting

I know, I know, it has been a long while since the blog has been updated.

To catch you up, the fuselage and all six of the fiberglass parts were loaded on a borrowed 20 foot enclosed trailer and taken to Shain’s paint booth. He primed the fiberglass with epoxy, then set out to spray the fuselage. Two coats of poly-brush, then a coat of poly-spray (silver UV blocker). At that point in the process we headed for the Red Sox game and to pick up four grandchildren. Here we are back in town and I need to talk to Shain to see what he has accomplished since we left.