the "not worthy of it's own thread" thread

I showed the avionics shop owner the pictures. I was hoping it was the “boot is longer than antenna” option. He smiled - apparently that’s not an option.
 
Does the Cirrus POH say that starting the engine should be at 2300RPM? Seems like that's what happens whenever I'm near an SR-22
 
asicer said:
Does the Cirrus POH say that starting the engine should be at 2300RPM? Seems like that's what happens whenever I'm near an SR-22
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It actually calls for the Cirrus butler to warm the plane up, get the coffee in the cup holder, etc.
 
I used the phrase "sound fishy" in another thread, in reference to a story that didn't add up.

It occurs to me that that doesn't make sense. Fish don't make much noise, alive or dead. Perhaps the phrase should be "smells fishy"? Am I mixing my metaphors?
 
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So I've been sick since Tuesday night and have barely left the house.
And the worst part is I think I can pinpoint the exact moment I contracted the illness (Sunday evening). This guy came into the steam room at the gym coughing up a lung and sat down right next to me. I excused myself with haste, but maybe not fast enough lol.
So now my doctor has put me on antibiotics and steroids, and I'm hoping I can FINALLY get some decent sleep tonight. Meanwhile everything that I eat or drink feels like I'm swallowing gravel. Bah! It'll pass, but miserable in the meantime.

Also, this trip to the doctor reminded me my medical expires 1/31. Time to get that appt booked... Random musings of a pilot almost delirious from a lack of sleep! :eek:
 
ArrowFlyer86 said:
So I've been sick since Tuesday night and have barely left the house.
And the worst part is I think I can pinpoint the exact moment I contracted the illness (Sunday evening). This guy came into the steam room at the gym coughing up a lung and sat down right next to me. I excused myself with haste, but maybe not fast enough lol.
So now my doctor has put me on antibiotics and steroids, and I'm hoping I can FINALLY get some decent sleep tonight. Meanwhile everything that I eat or drink feels like I'm swallowing gravel. Bah! It'll pass, but miserable in the meantime.

Also, this trip to the doctor reminded me my medical expires 1/31. Time to get that appt booked... Random musings of a pilot almost delirious from a lack of sleep! :eek:
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That sucks! Get well soon!
 
If I’m at cruise and I notice carb temp in the yellow, am I ruining the engine by running carb heat for the whole flight? Or should I turn it on and if it doesn’t hesitate (meaning no ice ) turn it off and just fly with it in the yellow arc ? I understand they may not be fully accurate
 
No, carb heat will not ruin an engine. Nor does low carb temp mean you’re about to get ice in the carb.

Review how carb ice forms (higher vacuum in the carb, high humidity, low dew point, etc.)

Review carb ice procedures. If engine stumbles or is low on power, try carb heat. If you loose more power initially but then regain it and then it gets back to normal power output, congrats. You just melted some carb ice. You flew through high humidity air perhaps. Continue carb heat as needed until your conditions change.

Remember, carb heat is just heated carb intake air. As it is heated, it is less dense, your mixture will go richer, and you need to lean.
 
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Nikhiln25 said:
am I ruining the engine by running carb heat
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WDD said:
No, carb heat will not ruin an engine.... Remember, carb heat is just heated carb intake air.
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In many planes, carb heat is unfiltered air. This is a valid concern, but less so aloft than on the ground. However, the benefit outweighs the concern while aloft. Be sure to turn it off before you taxi.
 
Good point. Isn’t exactly addressing your question, but after you clear the runway post landing, turning carb heat off is as important a part of post landing configuration as flap retraction.
 
Nikhiln25 said:
If I’m at cruise and I notice carb temp in the yellow, am I ruining the engine by running carb heat for the whole flight? Or should I turn it on and if it doesn’t hesitate (meaning no ice ) turn it off and just fly with it in the yellow arc ? I understand they may not be fully accurate
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Wait . . . you have gauges that are at least partially accurate?
 
WDD said:
Good point. Isn’t exactly addressing your question, but after you clear the runway post landing, turning carb heat off is as important a part of post landing configuration as flap retraction.
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Flap retraction . . .? Dang! Where's the handle . . .? (PA-15)
 
I don't know who needs to hear this, but someone in New Jersey please tell everyone not to shoot drones tonight...just in case.
 
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WDD said:
turning carb heat off is as important a part of post landing configuration as flap retraction.
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Actually, with some low wing planes I sometimes leave the flaps down so that passengers don't accidentally step on them when debarking.
 
Rene said:
Flap retraction . . .? Dang! Where's the handle . . .? (PA-15)
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Which is why my CFI was so adamant about being stopped and clear of runway before pulling levers up. Gives one a second chance to look at and double check you’ve got the right lever.
 
WDD said:
Which is why my CFI was so adamant about being stopped and clear of runway before pulling levers up. Gives one a second chance to look at and double check you’ve got the right lever.
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I've never accidentally retracted the gear :cool: (on the Champ, Cub, ERCo, or Vagabond).
 
I’ve once left carb heat on after landing to do a stop and go. Taxi with it on and took off with it. That was stupid. Since then I’ve never forgotten to remove it first thing after I land. Checklist checklist checklist
 
I've never overheated the starter in a cub.

Re carb heat, I know of two reasons to use it in the air - to maybe clear carb icing, to maybe prevent carb icing.
I know of three reasons to not use it - may bring in unfiltered air, slightly reduces performance, and doesn't leave you with many options if you get carb heat anyway.

That third reason is the primary reason I don't use carb heat in cruise unless I've already had carb ice.

The best way, IMO, to detect carb ice? Noticing an unexplained gradual RPM drop in cruise. That happens well before you get engine roughness, in my experience. You have an unexplained RPM drop, you put on carb heat, RPM drops a little immediately, you wait a bit...engine and condition dependent...it gets rough and the RPM comes up a bit. Like magic. I've had it happen twice, two different PA-28's, a 150 and a 180, both in cruise. One in light showers at night, one a little over 500' below an overcast layer, both times in summer. The temp AND dewpoint are what matters, not just carb temp. With no humidity there is no ice. Never had a problem in the NE winters on a dry day w/ carb ice. It's just too dry here.

All that said, I do put on carb heat in descent to land, pretty much always, because none of the 3 reasons to not use it come in to play for me. I don't fly anything where I'm so close to the limit that a go around with carb heat would be a problem.

If you wait until the engine gets rough before you figure out you have carb ice, depending on the conditions, you might not be able to get rid of it. Friend of mine found that out, not in a catastrophic way, but had to divert/declare/land because he couldn't maintain altitude.

That was rambly, sorry, but I believe accurate.
 
Albany Tom said:
I've never overheated the starter in a cub.

Re carb heat, I know of two reasons to use it in the air - to maybe clear carb icing, to maybe prevent carb icing.
I know of three reasons to not use it - may bring in unfiltered air, slightly reduces performance, and doesn't leave you with many options if you get carb heat anyway.

That third reason is the primary reason I don't use carb heat in cruise unless I've already had carb ice.

The best way, IMO, to detect carb ice? Noticing an unexplained gradual RPM drop in cruise. That happens well before you get engine roughness, in my experience. You have an unexplained RPM drop, you put on carb heat, RPM drops a little immediately, you wait a bit...engine and condition dependent...it gets rough and the RPM comes up a bit. Like magic. I've had it happen twice, two different PA-28's, a 150 and a 180, both in cruise. One in light showers at night, one a little over 500' below an overcast layer, both times in summer. The temp AND dewpoint are what matters, not just carb temp. With no humidity there is no ice. Never had a problem in the NE winters on a dry day w/ carb ice. It's just too dry here.

All that said, I do put on carb heat in descent to land, pretty much always, because none of the 3 reasons to not use it come in to play for me. I don't fly anything where I'm so close to the limit that a go around with carb heat would be a problem.

If you wait until the engine gets rough before you figure out you have carb ice, depending on the conditions, you might not be able to get rid of it. Friend of mine found that out, not in a catastrophic way, but had to divert/declare/land because he couldn't maintain altitude.

That was rambly, sorry, but I believe accurate.
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So how long do you truly have until ice starts accumulating to roughness?

I ask because I did get carb ice this week. I took of in -4C -9C dew point with no clouds in the sky. I take off full power, immediately pull back to normal climb which I always do. At 2000 I level off for about 2 mins before starting a climb again. I noticed when I put in throttle for the second climb the throttle was stuck at the same MP. That’s when I looked over to the carb heat temp and saw it as in the yellow and applied carb heat.. and I got a huge cough/2 to 3 seconds of hesitation from the engine before it cleared up again. It was very clearly carb ice. I wonder how long it would have continued for before coming a problem. MP held at cruise it never came down but wouldn’t go up
 
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