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Permalink Reply by Bob McDonald on July 10, 2010 at 11:16am

Congrats on the "first flight".. its alway a dry mouth nervous affair.
Check the wing trim servo wiring perhaps it has the servo moving backwards to the effect you want on ailerons. In that case just reverse the switch labels and leave the wiring alone.

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Permalink Reply by Jerry Latimer on July 10, 2010 at 12:31pm

Thanks for the input. The aileron trim is correct. I will just need to lengthen the left aileron pushrod and shorten the right aileron pushrod a couple of turns and the best part is I have a reason to fly the plane again. The HDS has a center wing section with aft fairings. I probably don't have these exactly true?

I won't be able to fly again until Tuesday. I hope to spend a lot more time in the air this.

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Permalink Reply by Bob Pustell on July 10, 2010 at 12:37pm

Congratulations! About those fumes in the cockpit........ Even if the source turns out to be manufacturing oils burning off the exhaust pipes, it proves that you have engine compartment air entering your cockpit, which is not good. As long as you have a leak free engine that is not burning, getting engine compartment air into the cockpit is not a huge deal. However, it becomes a VERY huge deal if you have noxious fumes and/or fire in the engine compartment. You do not want those things in your cockpit.

If you have a tricycle gear, I would ask if you sealed the "mail slots" where the nose wheel steering rods go through the firewall. If you do not have nosewheel steering slots, I cannot offer any suggestions for finding the leak, but find it (them) you must. Then, make it not leak. You may have several small leaks instead of one big one. The cowl area is pressurized, so even small leaks can pass a fairly large amount of undercowl air through the firewall.

Enjoy the flight test phase of homebuilding, it is fun, tedious, exciting and rewarding.

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Permalink Reply by Jerry Latimer on July 10, 2010 at 2:18pm

Bob,
Thanks,
I do have a tricycle landing gear airplane. I have sealed the steering rods with engine baffling material. Obviously I haven't sealed it good enough yet. This is just another thing to do during phase I testing.

What a kick the first take off was though.
Jerry

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Permalink Reply by Greg Browning on July 10, 2010 at 10:31pm

A friend of mine got me some shifter boots for my steering linkage slots. Don't know where they came from but they are a perfect fit for the job. Maybe someone else knows where to get them at? Greg

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Permalink Reply by Phill Barnes on July 11, 2010 at 2:52am

Hi Guys
These boots work great with a piece of 5/16 fuel line on the steering rods.
http://www.zenith.aero/photo/steering-boots?context=user
Phill

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Permalink Reply by Jerry Latimer on July 11, 2010 at 9:50am

I have some email posts saved from the Matronics list several year backs. The builders were using boots from a Yamaha snowmobile, which is what Phill is talking about. I will dig through the matronics old postings and get the part numbers.

Larry MacFarland had a solution that keeps the fumes out of the cockpit plus will probably do a better job of keeping flames out of the cockpit.

http://www.macsmachine.com/images/controllinkages/full/steer-rod-ai...

I will do something before I go much further.

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Permalink Reply by Bob Pustell on July 11, 2010 at 9:52pm

I strongly agree with Jerry-- The shift boots, rubber bellows, etc will keep fumes out but will not stop a fire. Larry MacFarland's "metal plate sliding in a cage" seals the opening from fumes and fire, both. Much better. Much safer.

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Permalink Reply by Mack P. Kreizenbeck on July 11, 2010 at 2:32pm

Congrats on the first flight from Idaho
Mack

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Permalink Reply by Chris Aysen on July 12, 2010 at 8:53am

Congratulations from Louisiana. TEN YEARS. Glad to see you stuck with it. Its worth it. I second Pustell's comment. I made some slot boots out of fiberglass cloth and RTV spread all over it. Works very well.

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Permalink Reply by Matt Archer on July 12, 2010 at 4:22pm

Congrats, I had a rolling tendency at one point. It turned out my flaps were slightly out. Adjusted the torque tube and now everything is trimmed out.

Good Luck.

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