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Saturday 19 Sept 2009
1.0 air time
1.1 flt time
9.1 hrs to go to finish the official flight test phase

Purpose:

This had originally been planned as the second handling test flight, at mid CG. However, the intrepid test pilot was tired after the morning flight at forward CG, and decided to push the mid CG flight to the next day. This flight was used to conduct cruise power experimentation, and to practice landings. 80% of the landings are quite acceptable. 20% are hopefully not on anyone's video camera, as I'm not happy with the small skips and hops.

Events:

  1. Cruise speed vs fuel flow. The air was smoother than the last test, and the results seemed a few knots faster.

Preliminary Results:

  1. It looks like the typical cruise condition will be 2400 rpm, full throttle, leaned to 50 deg F lean of peak EGT. This looks like it produces 160 to 165 kt TAS at 8.0 US GPH at 8000 ft.
  2. 2500 rpm, full throttle, leaned to 100 deg F rich of peak yields about 178 kt TAS at about 11.5 US GPH. That is a lot of extra fuel to burn to get 15 more knots.

Existing Snags:

  1. Max rpm still decreases late in the flight. Need to take another look at the prop control cable.
  2. SD-8 Alternator - must run power wire to regulator.
  3. Small amount of right rudder pedal force needed in cruise. Need to add a wedge on the left side of the rudder trailing edge.
  4. Pitch trim speed of movement is slow during a touch and go. Need to try it with the pitch trim speed governor removed.