Hi Bart,
Comments interspersed below"
On Mar 28, 2009, at 09:18, bbartsey wrote:
Quote from ercoguru:
"installation of a 5" nose wheel and tire for the previous 4" nose
wheel and tire,"
What? We're supposed to have a 4" tire on the nose gear?
All Ercoupes from Serial No. 187 through the 415-CD model came out of
the factory with the 5.00 x 4 wheel and tire on a single-fork nose
wheel support.
In August of 1948, Ercoupe Service Memorandum No. 51 was issued "...to
strongly recommend..." the installation of
5.00 x 5 and 6.00 x 6 nose wheels on Ercoupes "...which are subject to
unusually rough landings or operating from unusually rough fields."
Because ERCO did not change the length of the nose strut taxi spring
when fitting these larger nose wheels, and no main gear spacers were
installed, it must be presumed that planes equipped with larger nose
wheels DID NOT emerge from the factory with level sills (weight and
balance sheet diagrams and service instructions notwithstanding).
After the spacers, my sill is very close to being level, but not
quite, so maybe it is the 5" nosewheel tire?
Undoubtably. Current spacer information includes a formula which
acknowledges that the spacer is NOT a "one size fits all" solution.
If so , I need to change it. Somebody let me know.
Don't change the 5" wheel/tire and support. Just increase the
thickness of the MLG spacer(s).
Also, I used to get the Ercoupe JC maneuver while landing in a
crosswind even though I touch down with the yoke full aft. (I have the
1320 STC installed so the speed is about 47 mph). I attributed part of
the weathervane swerve to the effect of the "down aileron", as you are
trying to keep the airplane from weathervaning, increasing the lift of
the upwind wing enough to allow it to start rising. To stop the wing
rise, the reaction is to lower the wing by rolling into the crosswind
but all that does is magnify the weathervaning tendency.
Ahhhh So! You didn't learn to fly in the Ercoupe did you? ;<)
If you are/were thinking about aileron action, as you found out, to
"...lower the wing by rolling into the crosswind..." as one would in a
conventional (aerodynamically primative) aircraft actually accelerates
departure from the runway heading to such extent as you still have "on
the ground" yoke steering authority. This is contrary to every Ercoupe
instruction ever written, and inappropriate even if you have rudder
pedals once the nose wheel has steering authority.
Also, just finished the annual and found a couple of interesting
things. First, I have been fighting a "generator" problem since last
year. Generator was not charging the battery. At Sun-n-Fun, I
installed a new voltage regulator and found a working generator at the
Fly Market and installed it. Neither fixed it.
And then, the rest of the story.
My intrepid IA pulled the voltage regulator and found the RCR points
remained open all the time. I believe the points are supposed to
close when the generator is powering the battery and open when the
battery tries to power the generator. Hooked up some test wires, held
the RCR relay closed manually and viola' - generator begins charging
the battery. (Old voltage regulator that was replaced had RCR points
burned so bad the were gone, like in the wind). New voltage regulator
on order.
There is no substitute for knowledgeable trouble-shooting when
resolving such "problems".
Also, I had didn't have suction guage or a functioning attitude
indicator since I bought the airplane. Intrepid IA pulls the vacuum
regulator and finds:
a. The filter screen is clogged with years of wheat/corn/milo harvest
debris.
That's what it is supposed to do. It appears someone lost the
instructions to periodically clean it ;<)
b. On disassembly, the spring is out of position and the interior
valve is sitting somewhat crosswise. Smoothed up valve, cleaned
filter, reinserted spring and yippe! 4-5 inches of suction at 100 mph.
Fun to watch the attitude indicator start working again.
All butchers are not working in meat markets, therefore Ercoupe owners
need to understand that many newly-
minted A&Ps and IAs don't have a clue about how these quite different
birds actually work. It (unfortunately) becomes the owner's
responsibility to acquire necessary Ercoupe-specific authoritative
information and to each become sufficiently knowledgeable with it to
guide the incremental further education of mechanics as necessary when
necessary.
All of their considerable knowledge about large airframes, turbojets,
superchargers and radial engines has no applicatiion on the Ercoupe;
and their training likely did NOT employ the Ercoupe Service Manual,
Parts Manual or Bulletins and Memoranda as references. Again, when it
comes to mechanics, all are NOT equal when working on an Ercoupe.
Also found the fuel pump leaking slightly, (or I should say Lynn
Nelson did at a fly-in a few weeks ago) and couldn't fix it by
tightening up fuel lines, so new fuel pump is on order.
These can be repaired if one can acquire the necessary parts. For this
reason, I would recommend owners keep
the old pump inasmuch as the good parts therein may be worth much more
to you in the future than the trade-in value.
This is going to be one hell of a plane when I get through with it.
Of course...it's an Ercoupe!
And, oh yes I must tell Lynn I am cleaning the oil off the bottom of
the plane that blew out of the cowling from the botched oil change I
did.
Ahem.
Ah. Too much information. I gotta quit.
Bart
No such thing as "too much information". ;<)
My compliments on your dedication in acquiring knowledge you needed and
again on sharing same.
Regards,
WRB
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