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REFLECTOR: 173-BPE-FG, It Lives!!!



At 12:15 pm EDT Saturday July 16 Th. the Agnew 173-Bullet Proof Elite-FG
came to life!!

At the appointed time I entered the plane after the last of many pre
checks with Sam DaSilva and several others standing by with fire
extinguishers.

On with the master, left mag on, throttle slightly open, mixture open,
boost pump on for 3 seconds and I hit the starter button.  The high
torque MagnaFlite starter easily spins the engine very fast and spins
and spins and absolutely nothing happens.  I stop and Sam sniffs around
and says that he can't smell any gas, I wonder why until we both think
of the Fuel Cut Off Valve and turn it on (unplanned test & it works).
On with the boost pump and we find a slight gas leak at one fitting
which we tighten.  Boost pump again, hit the starter, two blades and the
Lycoming IO-360 C1D6 roars to life.

The engine settles into a 1500 RPM fast idle, all guages in the green,
EGT & CHT scanners working, alternator cranking out 62 amps,  Fuel flow
& MAP all working.  Pull back to 900-1000 RPM and the engine is smooth
and steady as a rock.  Instant throttle response and the plane surges
forward as I push it to 2400 RPM.  We now have a audience of the other
hanger owners as we shut it down as CHTs reach the 200 degree range with
an overall span of 26 degrees after about 7 minutes.  Everyone is
commenting on how smooth and powerful it looks and sounds.

For inspection after shut down we not only have an A&P but about ten
others looking for leaks, loose parts etc. After a cool down to 100
degrees CHT we restart it for another 4 boring minutes of nothing in
particular happening and shut it down.

And so goes the story of an 173-BPE-FG coming to life.

Jim

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//------10--------20--------30--------40--------50--------60--------70--------80

// James F. Agnew
// Tampa, FL
// Velocity 173 FG Elite ( http://www.VelocityAircraft.com/ ) under
construction