REFLECTOR: First Flight

[Ronnie Brown]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!  I hope somebody got video and audio of the sound of that big V8's first flight!!!

I had a similar problem with my airspeed gear switch. I retracted 3 times fine during the 3rd flight (I didn't try to retract during the first two flights). But on the 4th try, nothing.  Then I had to take it up to 130 knots before the gear pump would run - finally the mains came up, but the nose gear stayed out. 

I checked the set point using a water manometer and it was still correctly set to 4" of water which is about 80 knots.  I found two other problems - I had used thin wall tubing to connect the pitot to the airspeed switch and it was pinched by a too tight tie wrap.  The other observation was the other side (static) of the differential pressure switch is vented to the nose gear area.  With the nose gear doors open, there has to be a fair amount of "pitot" pressure with the nose gear doors open - certainly higher than static pressure.  So I connected a short piece of tubing to the static port and ran it into the cabin area.  No problems since - over 200 retractions at speed - (90 -100 knots).

Keep us informed on your first flights!!!!

Ronnie Brown
N713MR - First flight   - http://home.sprintmail.com/~romott/page63.html

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: velocity 
  To: reflector at tvbf.org 
  Sent: Thursday, November 25, 2004 3:26 PM
  Subject: REFLECTOR: First Flight


        After nearly five years and nearly 2800hrs N350TX made its first flight.  Everything went fine except my gear would not retract due to a problem with the airspeed safety switch.  My Chevy V-8 ran great but with the gear down and high power settings it started to run hot.  lkSo I cut short the flight and landed with no problem.   By that time the engine had cooled.  Dave B.   
               
       



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