Coconut replaces the smell of the bar
Apache
Got Apache flying on Jan 1. Took TFT on her first flight EVAR in a small airplane on Jan 2. On 2 mile final back to Fullerton Mrs. FT pokes me and points at the right engine, the cowling of which was, at that point, covered in oil. Sweet. Still had pressure, so I didn't shut it down. We landed and it held pressure all the way to the hangar. Wiped it off and pushed it in, found out later we had only lost about 1.5 quarts, though it looked like a lot more. Worked with $mechanic to find the leak. We found 3. Big one is the high pressure oil line, it's a hard line and one of the clamps had worn through, we'll replace that with a hose. Also the vacuum pump seal appears to be leaking, as well as the oil pan seal up front, but both of those are "minor" leaks. We'll replace the vacuum pump seal and tighten the oil pan bolts, that should fix those.
$mechanic and I had flown the Apache on Jan 1, we stayed in the pattern and I practiced landings. On one climbout he pulled back the right engine to roughly zero thrust to show me that it would in fact still climb with both of us ($mechanic is a big boy) and half tanks, at ~1,000 ft MSL on a roughly standard day. So that's good to know. In fact, we got about 200 to 300 feet per minute, at 5 mph over best single engine rate of climb. I've seen less in a 152 near gross on a hot day at the same indicated altitude (i.e. a higher density altitude).
Since I've done such a poor job of posting updates, one might be wondering why it's taken so long for me to take TFT flying. Short story, it's been broken. First it was the exhaust, then right after we got that fixed in late in 2008, teh Apache quit starting altogether. Mags were so bad, the mag shop said it would cost more to rebuild than to buy new mags. $mechanic found six (!) overhauled Slick mags for less than four new Bendix mags (on eBay, so we had to buy all 6), and even with new harnesses and plugs was less than $2K. He then spent almost all of 2009 in Angola (with apparently a few trips to Russia). The starting issue on the right engine we had late last year was caused by a mistake in the way we timed them, the mags were fine.
Mags
Both mags on the left engine now have impulse couplings, though only the left mag on the right engine does. Since only the left engine has an alternator, that's fine. The right engine still has a generator, which only charges the battery at RPM > ~1,200 or so. So better to have extra insurance starting the engine that can charge the battery without blasting the ramp. The left engine also has the only hydraulic pump, though there is an extending pump handle below the throttles to pump gear and flaps down if necessary.
On some airplanes, having dual mags would be pointless. I have toggle switches for each mag, and pushbuttons to start either engine. On a typical single engine airplane with a key switch to start, the right mag is shorted (off) when the key is in the start position. I haven't flown enough twins to know how many use independent toggles for the mags. The airplane I got my multi rating in, a Piper Seminole, also had independent toggles for the mags and rocker switch for starting to prevent some bonehead from trying to start both engines at once. The Apache has no such protection, you're free to try to start both at once if you're that stupid.
Work
$project continues. $big_project might get canceled. If that happens, the company I work for, along with a lot of other companies, will have to have layoffs, it is a substantial part of our business and responsible for the majority of our growth in the past 3 years. My work on $project will probably only hold out until mid-summer at the latest, so not being currently assigned to $big_project is no guarantee of anything.
Health
Thanks to our trainer, I'm stronger than I've ever been in my life. Eating crap so waist size and weight are both holding steady. Yes, I know muscle is denser than fat, but it's been more than long enough I should be lighter and certainly should have dropped a couple inches off the waist. I know it's poor nutrition, I just can't bring myself to care enough to eat right. Also, removing rum and coke from my diet is out of the question.
Glasses
Turned out not to be cracked. Might have been a very thin spider web? It looked like a crack, I couldn't feel anything on the surface nor wipe it off with my shirt, but the next time I washed them, it disappeared. I'm happy for that outcome, if a bit perplexed.
Garage Door
Sadly, the coil spring on the garage door did not fix itself like my glasses did. We replaced the door, opener, everything. Our opener is now on the front wall of the garage, next to the door, it drives the tension rod directly. Pretty cool, no overhead unit and no noisy screw or belt-drive. The only noise we hear is the rollers in their tracks, and the hum of the motor as it starts and stop.
Got Apache flying on Jan 1. Took TFT on her first flight EVAR in a small airplane on Jan 2. On 2 mile final back to Fullerton Mrs. FT pokes me and points at the right engine, the cowling of which was, at that point, covered in oil. Sweet. Still had pressure, so I didn't shut it down. We landed and it held pressure all the way to the hangar. Wiped it off and pushed it in, found out later we had only lost about 1.5 quarts, though it looked like a lot more. Worked with $mechanic to find the leak. We found 3. Big one is the high pressure oil line, it's a hard line and one of the clamps had worn through, we'll replace that with a hose. Also the vacuum pump seal appears to be leaking, as well as the oil pan seal up front, but both of those are "minor" leaks. We'll replace the vacuum pump seal and tighten the oil pan bolts, that should fix those.
$mechanic and I had flown the Apache on Jan 1, we stayed in the pattern and I practiced landings. On one climbout he pulled back the right engine to roughly zero thrust to show me that it would in fact still climb with both of us ($mechanic is a big boy) and half tanks, at ~1,000 ft MSL on a roughly standard day. So that's good to know. In fact, we got about 200 to 300 feet per minute, at 5 mph over best single engine rate of climb. I've seen less in a 152 near gross on a hot day at the same indicated altitude (i.e. a higher density altitude).
Since I've done such a poor job of posting updates, one might be wondering why it's taken so long for me to take TFT flying. Short story, it's been broken. First it was the exhaust, then right after we got that fixed in late in 2008, teh Apache quit starting altogether. Mags were so bad, the mag shop said it would cost more to rebuild than to buy new mags. $mechanic found six (!) overhauled Slick mags for less than four new Bendix mags (on eBay, so we had to buy all 6), and even with new harnesses and plugs was less than $2K. He then spent almost all of 2009 in Angola (with apparently a few trips to Russia). The starting issue on the right engine we had late last year was caused by a mistake in the way we timed them, the mags were fine.
Mags
Both mags on the left engine now have impulse couplings, though only the left mag on the right engine does. Since only the left engine has an alternator, that's fine. The right engine still has a generator, which only charges the battery at RPM > ~1,200 or so. So better to have extra insurance starting the engine that can charge the battery without blasting the ramp. The left engine also has the only hydraulic pump, though there is an extending pump handle below the throttles to pump gear and flaps down if necessary.
On some airplanes, having dual mags would be pointless. I have toggle switches for each mag, and pushbuttons to start either engine. On a typical single engine airplane with a key switch to start, the right mag is shorted (off) when the key is in the start position. I haven't flown enough twins to know how many use independent toggles for the mags. The airplane I got my multi rating in, a Piper Seminole, also had independent toggles for the mags and rocker switch for starting to prevent some bonehead from trying to start both engines at once. The Apache has no such protection, you're free to try to start both at once if you're that stupid.
Work
$project continues. $big_project might get canceled. If that happens, the company I work for, along with a lot of other companies, will have to have layoffs, it is a substantial part of our business and responsible for the majority of our growth in the past 3 years. My work on $project will probably only hold out until mid-summer at the latest, so not being currently assigned to $big_project is no guarantee of anything.
Health
Thanks to our trainer, I'm stronger than I've ever been in my life. Eating crap so waist size and weight are both holding steady. Yes, I know muscle is denser than fat, but it's been more than long enough I should be lighter and certainly should have dropped a couple inches off the waist. I know it's poor nutrition, I just can't bring myself to care enough to eat right. Also, removing rum and coke from my diet is out of the question.
Glasses
Turned out not to be cracked. Might have been a very thin spider web? It looked like a crack, I couldn't feel anything on the surface nor wipe it off with my shirt, but the next time I washed them, it disappeared. I'm happy for that outcome, if a bit perplexed.
Garage Door
Sadly, the coil spring on the garage door did not fix itself like my glasses did. We replaced the door, opener, everything. Our opener is now on the front wall of the garage, next to the door, it drives the tension rod directly. Pretty cool, no overhead unit and no noisy screw or belt-drive. The only noise we hear is the rollers in their tracks, and the hum of the motor as it starts and stop.
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