Sport Pilot Talk

3Dreaming wrote:For what ever reason the oil likes to climb the dipstick

I think the reason is probably capillary action due to the oil's high surface tension. In any case, good advice!

3Dreaming wrote:Hey I don't remember if this was mentioned or not, but when you are checking your oil, especially after you have had a little longer layover like this one, wipe the dipstick and recheck the quantity. For what ever reason the oil likes to climb the dipstick showing a higher than actual oil level.

Good point!

Safe on the ground near Fort Worth. 30-40 kts headwind all the way from Henderson, TX! Then had to land on Rwy 33 here with winds 290/16G24. Had a backup plan to land in the grass if I needed to, it managed to land on the runway. Wasn’t pretty, but I didn’t break anything! All part of the adventure.

Oh, and the Sentry quit halfway through, so I actually had to do some real pilotage!

Some of the biggest adventures begin when you land and then figure out you can’t taxi downwind or crosswind. Fun times.

Check with Locals on what route they recommend to AZ from there. They might have some other ideas that work with local terrain, traffic and border patrol. Low and slow with no transponder you may attract attention. I’m not sure where those cabled Border Patrol balloons are. They should be shown on the current map if they are there. Maybe not used anymore.

You will really know the airplane after this trip. Glad it is running ok. Keep taking little bites out of the milage and soon you’ll be across. What’s the Sentry? A GPS?

Yep, Sentry is Foreflight’s little GPS/ADSB/AHRS device.

Consensus seems to be to follow I-20 from here until I-10, right into Tucson. Hoping to make Previous today for the famous Mexican food!

Pecos, not Previous! Darn spell-check...

Ham - if you need an ADS-B/AHRS device to finish your trip, Adventure Pilot stocks the Stratux (a low cost alternative) and is located at TKI, on the north edge of the DFW airspace.

dstclair wrote:Ham - if you need an ADS-B/AHRS device to finish your trip, Adventure Pilot stocks the Stratux (a low cost alternative) and is located at TKI, on the north edge of the DFW airspace.

Thanks for that. The Sentry has been perfect, apart from that one shutdown.

Now in Odessa, TX. Hope to get to Deming, NM tomorrow, then Tucson the next day. Headwinds have been brutal. Had 19 kts groundspeed leaving Cleburne, TX this morning!

Made it to Odessa, TX. On the walkaround for the next flight, I saw a nail sticking up from the spar on the top of the left wing. Closer inspection revealed that the metal spar cap was no longer attached to the spar, and more nails were loose, with slight wrinkling of the fabric. I stuck my phone in one of the inspection holes, and saw what may or not be a small crack in the spar.

So I aborted the mission, and now the Baby Ace, looking rather forlorn, is all tied down in a U-Haul ready for the drive to Tucson. I really bonded with that little airplane over the last 10 days.

Although I’m disappointed, I’m also grateful for the experience of making it this far. I have learned a lot about aviation, met some amazing people, and learned a whole lot about myself.

Time to hit the road!

Ouch!

Sounds like you have a good attitude.

I opened each post of yours with mild trepidation, waiting for the first “real” problem to crop up. It seems like often, when any vehicle changes hands, these things tend to occur, at least in my experience. In any case, glad you caught it.

Hope it’s a straightforward repair, and you’re back in the air real soon.

When I ask my students the purpose of a preflight inspection, they typically answer "to make sure the plane is safe to fly." I tell them no, that's the wrong attitude. If your goal is to fly, you'll likely overlook (or shrug off) the little things that might interfere with that goal.

A better mindset is to assume there's some hidden flaw just waiting to kill you, and set out to find it. A successful preflight thus results in you grounding the aircraft.

Congratulations, Ham, on a successful preflight. Instead of being disappointed, you should be very proud of yourself. I know I'm proud of you.

Kudos on the trip - every adventure, great or small makes up life's memories. Glad you found the issue on the ground.

The Baby Ace should not have a metal spar cap. Hopefully it’s just nails from the aluminum wing leading edge skin working out.

If you need to change a spar the best way to break the bond is one of the oscillating cordless trim saws

The thin blade will work right through the glue and you can leave the rear spar in place. Sliding out the old spar to match drill and replace.

Keep the trip going. Just a little lower now.

Hambone wrote:Made it to Odessa, TX. On the walkaround for the next flight, I saw a nail sticking up from the spar on the top of the left wing. Closer inspection revealed that the metal spar cap was no longer attached to the spar, and more nails were loose, with slight wrinkling of the fabric. I stuck my phone in one of the inspection holes, and saw what may or not be a small crack in the spar.

So I aborted the mission, and now the Baby Ace, looking rather forlorn, is all tied down in a U-Haul ready for the drive to Tucson. I really bonded with that little airplane over the last 10 days.

Although I’m disappointed, I’m also grateful for the experience of making it this far. I have learned a lot about aviation, met some amazing people, and learned a whole lot about myself.

Time to hit the road!

Outstanding post. You have a great attitude.
Good luck on the drive west.

Good job on your decision. If in doubt error on the side of caution. When you get home try and find someone who is familiar with tube, woo, and fabric airplanes, and have them take a look. Like Cub Flyer said it is likely just the nails that hold the leading edge down working out of the spar. I'm not familiar with the design, but there could even be a spacer block between the spar and the leading edge.

BTW, American Champion used to have issues with nails popping through the fabric on the wood spar wings. The problem is they quit making the cement coated ring shank nails for nailing the leading edge down. The smooth shank nails find their way out.