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Dana

Joined: 13 Dec 2007 Posts: 1047 Location: Connecticut, USA
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Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 9:07 am Post subject: EAA Sport Pilot article - two-strokes and forced landings? |
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At 09:18 AM 4/1/2008, cristalclear13 wrote:
Quote: | ..."I kept remembering forced landings from my Weedhopper days and decided
I just couldn't do that two-stroke thing again." ...I know we should
ALWAYS be prepared for forced landings, but I'm wondering does this really
happen A LOT?
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I have had forced landings in 2-strokes and I have had forced landings in
certified 4-strokes. In every case but one the 2-stroke failures had
nothing to do with the fact that it was a 2-stroke (electrical, redrive
failure, etc.)
The one inherently 2-stroke related was a fouled plug while I was running
an excessively rich mixture during break-in.
2-strokes DO require more attention than 4-strokes. You can often ignore a
4-stroke and get away with it. Ignore a 2-stroke and you WILL have forced
landings.
-Dana
--
There is always a law against doing anything interesting.
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jbhart(at)onlyinternet.ne Guest
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Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:42 am Post subject: EAA Sport Pilot article - two-strokes and forced landings? |
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At 11:59 AM 4/1/08 -0700, you wrote:
Quote: | Right now I don't have any way of putting my gas in a clear or glass container to inspect it. There's no drain hole in the tank or the line. I didn't build the plane, I bought it this way. I suppose that's a feature I'll want to add.
...............
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Cristal,
If you let your fuel get low in the tank, you can use a flashlight to see if
there is any water in the bottom of the tank. If you don't want to let the
fuel get this low, you can siphon or pump to empty the tank. If you keep
your tank filled, and if you do not completely empty your fuel transfer
tanks into your main tank, you reduce the possibility of accumumlating water
in the main tank.
Every Spring, I remove the main tank and completely empty it, and at the
same time I clean or dry out all my fuel transfer tanks. I may get a dime's
volume of water out of the main tank, and a quarter's volume out of each of
the transfer tanks. I have never found water in the carburetor float bowl.
Jack B. Hart FF004
Winchester, IN
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Possums
Joined: 03 Nov 2007 Posts: 247
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Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 12:14 pm Post subject: EAA Sport Pilot article - two-strokes and forced landings? |
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At 09:18 AM 4/1/2008, you wrote:
Quote: | As some of you might remember, I bought a Mark II with a Rotax 503
DCSI. I'm hoping to be able to start flying it by the end of this
month. Is Rick telling me that I should expect a lot of forced
landings (or even one)? I know we should ALWAYS be prepared for
forced landings, but I'm wondering does this really happen A LOT?
Are there any Kolbers out there with two-stroke engines with lots of
hours that have NOT had to have a forced landing?
--------
Cristal
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The one I've got has a dual carb 503 - almost 740 hours, never had
the jugs off.
Unless you count running out of gas, no problems so far (yeah - I
know about rebuild times).
I do change the plugs every 25 to 30 hours, check the compression and
rings every
60 or so hours, repaint the muffler every 100 hours & change out the
intake & exhaust gaskets,
I have changed the rubber mounts & rebuilt the carbs twice etc.
Besides, forced landings can be fun, just depends on how you look at it.
http://www.mindspring.com/~possums/
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_________________ Possum |
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Dana

Joined: 13 Dec 2007 Posts: 1047 Location: Connecticut, USA
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slyck(at)frontiernet.net Guest
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Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 4:30 pm Post subject: EAA Sport Pilot article - two-strokes and forced landings? |
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-adding my opinion: I run the same automotive filter all summer and
would still do so up too 100 hrs.
BUT, since it sits in the basement all winter I change it no matter
how few hours it has been used.
When gas sits still in a paper filter for a while it tends to form
little films of polymer and reduces the flow.
You can verify it by blowing through it.
What's the difference between a possum and an opossum? ( When your
wife calls "Oh Possum!)
No, not delirious nirvana but time to take out the trash.
BB
do not archive
On 1, Apr 2008, at 4:07 PM, possums wrote:
Quote: |
At 09:18 AM 4/1/2008, you wrote:
> As some of you might remember, I bought a Mark II with a Rotax 503
> DCSI. I'm hoping to be able to start flying it by the end of this
> month. Is Rick telling me that I should expect a lot of forced
> landings (or even one)? I know we should ALWAYS be prepared for
> forced landings, but I'm wondering does this really happen A LOT?
>
> Are there any Kolbers out there with two-stroke engines with lots
> of hours that have NOT had to have a forced landing?
>
> --------
> Cristal
The one I've got has a dual carb 503 - almost 740 hours, never had
the jugs off.
Unless you count running out of gas, no problems so far (yeah - I
know about rebuild times).
I do change the plugs every 25 to 30 hours, check the compression
and rings every
60 or so hours, repaint the muffler every 100 hours & change out
the intake & exhaust gaskets,
I have changed the rubber mounts & rebuilt the carbs twice etc.
Besides, forced landings can be fun, just depends on how you look
at it.
http://www.mindspring.com/~possums/
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Possums
Joined: 03 Nov 2007 Posts: 247
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Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 4:31 pm Post subject: EAA Sport Pilot article - two-strokes and forced landings? |
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At 03:30 PM 4/1/2008, you wrote:
Quote: | --> Kolb-List message posted by: "Richard & Martha Neilsen" <NeilsenRM(at)comcast.net>
Cristal
I'm seeing some real good responses. The point I would like to make is that it
isn't so much the 2 stroke that makes them less reliable as it is also the
engine systems that are used |
I had a 1983 CGS Hawk, the third one in Georgia. If I had bought a second one, I
could have been a “dealer”.
Back then, it wasn't the “engines” that you worried about. Very few people had a
plane that lasted 200 hours. Most of us crashed long before that. The “crashes”
weren't fatal, mostly we just tore up the planes bumps & bruises, an occasional broken bone.
They would bring new ones up to the airport every month, put them together (I would help) and
then proceed to crash them on their maiden flight the good ole' days, bicycle wheels & lawnmower engines.
The good news was that you could buy a used engine “cheap” usually from some else
that had a mishap in their ultralight. I actually was able to get
200 hours on my old Hawk’s “ Cuyuna engine” before it started to leak oil out of every hole, seam & gasket.
But.... I was able to buy a used (30 hours) hardly broke-in engine, plus carbs, muffler
& prop etc. for $400 to replace it. Unfortunately, I never got the next 200 hours on that plane.
[quote][b]
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_________________ Possum |
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JetPilot

Joined: 10 Jan 2006 Posts: 1246
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Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 4:42 pm Post subject: Re: EAA Sport Pilot article - two-strokes and forced landi |
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Possums wrote: |
Unfortunately, I never got the next 200 hours on that plane.
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Why did you not get over 200 hours on that plane ? I would have killed for a big high performance plane like that in the early 80's. My first ultralight was a Quicksilver, weight shift with a 12 HP single cylinder Chrysler engine on it. Plane with engine weighed just 140 pounds.
Mike
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_________________ "NO FEAR" - If you have no fear you did not go as fast as you could have !!!
Kolb MK-III Xtra, 912-S |
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Possums
Joined: 03 Nov 2007 Posts: 247
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Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 6:01 pm Post subject: EAA Sport Pilot article - two-strokes and forced landings? |
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At 08:42 PM 4/1/2008, you wrote:
Quote: | --> Kolb-List message posted by: "JetPilot" <orcabonita(at)hotmail.com>
Possums wrote:
> Unfortunately, I never got the next 200 hours on that plane.
Why did you not get over 200 hours on that plane ? I would have killed for a big high performance plane like that in the early 80's. My first ultralight was a Quicksilver, weight shift with a 12 HP single cylinder Chrysler engine on it. Plane with engine weighed just 140 pounds.
Mike |
It's a long story, but I swapped my Hawk for a half interest in a 447 "Firestar"
and bought the other half out for $3000. This was after several months of me watching
that little plane smoke my arse on climb outs at the field. I could do better landings
with the nose wheel & all, but he could outclimb, out run, out turn - out everything me on anything else.
Gotta have one of those I said!
Anyway - my poor little Hawk was sold several more times. Unfortunately I got to watch
it go down in Hayhira Georgia, on the way to Sun & Fun one year. I told the guy not to
push that old cyuna engine. He wouldn't listen to me on the radio. He was going to the left of the
group & then going to the right of the group for no apparent reason. He had to have had it wide open,
he was out running all of our Rotex's. (but just for awhile - till his engine quit) Then he had a forced landing
(his first) - flared too high, no wind, big field. Broke the boom tube. Didn't hurt himself.
We had CB's back then & was able to talk to him and tell him where the nearest 7-11 was with a phone.
He said his brother would come get him (sucks for him) so the rest of us went to Florida - those were the rules.
Yes we eat our dead - but only on long trips.
[quote][b]
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