Jan 13, 2023     Exhausting       Category: Engine

I'm a firm believer in CO detectors, particularly those that will alert you to any CO in the cockpit. Over the first 200+ hours my CO readings have always been 0. However, beginning after my last condition inspection, I began to see low levels of CO, generally less than 10ppm during climb only. These resolved when cabin heat was turned off or air vents opened. Over the next 2-3 flights I also saw levels up to 15ppm during taxi operations. Given the change, and apparent worsening of the CO situation, I grounded the plane for further investigation.

Findings included the exhaust no longer centered in the lower cowl opening and the upper slip joint in the Cyl1 exhaust slipped out and jammed (see photos). A call into Van's support was helpful. They noted the slip joint needs to have anti-seize paste applied regularly to prevent jamming (there is motion in this joint on startup). If inadequately lubricated, the joint may slip out and jam. This distorts the relationship between the exhaust stacks and the muffler, allowing CO leaks. They recommended frequent lubrication and a spring like brace around the joint (ordered from Van's). I also identified several holes in the SCAT tube between the cowl NACA intake and the heat muff. These may have allowed additional CO into the system.

Lessons learned: 1) Any CO in the cabin, even if at "safe" levels may be a sign of problems with the exhaust or heat systems. 2) A change from never seeing any CO to seeing CO without obvious explanation is an indication to ground the plane and investigate. I should have done this sooner. 3) Van's support is outstanding.

Note: The spring like brace for the slip joint has subsequently been released as SB-00064

  May 30, 2022     It's the little things       Category: Avionics

Over the 140+ hours I've flown N122B there have been few problems. One of those was an intermittent electrical glitch which caused the Lane A fault indicator light to stop working at 100 hours TT. Trouble shooting revealed a blown fuse (associated with indicator light circuit) in the Rotax engine fuse box. I was unable to find the cause of the blown fuse, but on replacement, everything functioned normally.

At least until 140 hours TT, when the fuse blew again. At this point I decided to ground the plane until the underlying cause was identified. This time around, trouble shooting included wiggling all the wire bundles containing leads to the indicator light. Manipulating the wire bundle between the ignition and HIC modules blew the fuse again, suggesting the cause was an intermittent grounding of the power lead. Tracing the wires, the cause was identified (chafed area touching an avionics support, grounding the power lead; see pic below), and repaired. Sometimes it's the little things!

  Apr 02, 2022     SB-00053       Category: Inspection

Completed SB-00053. This service bulletin included inspection of the lower tailcone skin for cracks adjacent to bulkheads and installion of new tailcone stiffener clips to prevent future cracks from developing. If cracks were identified, an external patch was to be installed as well. Crawling, sliding and wiggling into the tailcone was no small feat, and much dreaded. However, once pads were fabricated and placed in the tailcone and external rivets drilled out, it only took 1.5 hours to crawl inside, remove necessary internal bulkhead rivets, install the clips and vacuum up any metal/rivet debris. Fortunately, no cracks were found, so external patches were not needed. Still, something I'd rather not do again! I also took advantage of access to the tailcone to replace the ADHARS unit, per updated SB-00028.

  Nov 25, 2021     Painting Complete       Category: Paint / Decals

Looks great.

  Nov 21, 2021     Getting close       Category: Paint / Decals

Painting almost complete

  Nov 03, 2021     Progress       Category: Paint / Decals

Continued masking and spraying. Metallic colors require very careful application to achieve uniformity. Clint at Northeast Wisconsin Aero is doing a great job.

  Oct 15, 2021     Teaser       Category: Paint / Decals

  Jul 11, 2021     G5       Category: Instrument Panel

Added G5 to the panel. This will provide backup to the G3X for altitude, airspeed, attitude and HSI. It can also drive the autopilot if the ADAHRS or flight displays fail. Installation was straightforward and involved wiring into the avionics CAN Bus (two wires) and power/ground leads. I added connections to the pitot and static lines to complete the installation.

  Mar 28, 2021     Speed mods       Category: Landing Gear

Changed nose wheel fairing attach screws to countersunk/flat head with countersunk washers. Will need to perform appropriate flight testing to determine impact on fuel consumption and airspeed.

  Jan 17, 2021     Vent controls       Category: Fuselage

In my previous RV12 I had installed servos to control the air vents. I added similar controls to the current RV12. Routing the pushrods was a bit more complicated due to the headphone storage brackets. However, by carefully positioning the servos, and keeping the pushrod as close as possible to the fuselage side, I was able to complete the installation.