All's well.....just a little oops.....

[Kaye]

Got a call last Sunday from the owner of the plane I lease asking if I had noticed any unusual noises during my trip to KCRE. I said no, why? He had flown it that day and began hearing an incessant pounding noise. On the ground he could find nothing loose, buy could not identify the noise. I mentioned that it was still using more oil than before the engine rebuild (Lycoming crankshaft recall), but otherwise flew fine. One of the other pilots had put 6 hrs on it last week, and he confirmed no noise.

So the owner was going to call Lycoming, and he mentioned it might have to go back. Of course, I'm groaning because the Wings BBQ is coming up, and if the plane went back to Lycoming, the chances of it being back for Gastons could be questionalbe. But, I also want to know what the noise is.

Well, the owner took it back up for a test flight last night, and here's what he found out:

"To make a long story short, we heard no unusual noises during the entire flight. So what were the strange noises I heard during Sunday's flight? I hate to say that either my "blonde roots are showing" or the effects of age are kicking in.......apparently the cause of noise was the ANR on my Lightspeed headsets making the "popping" sound. I checked the batteries in my headsets before the flight this evening and noted the batteries were nearly dead. I replaced the batteries before flight. So what I thought was major problem, was only effects of the headset ANR circuit cycling on and off."


HOORAY!!!!!!! The flying's still on.

 

[ScottM]

.apparently the cause of noise was the ANR on my Lightspeed headsets making the "popping" sound. I checked the batteries in my headsets before the flight this evening and noted the batteries were nearly dead. I replaced the batteries before flight. So what I thought was major problem, was only effects of the headset ANR circuit cycling on and off."

BTW that is called a feature . It is an aural notification of weak batteries and the primary way in which I know it is time to replace them. You paid extra for that too.

 

[Skip Miller]

So what I thought was major problem, was only effects of the headset ANR circuit cycling on and off."

The first time the batteries died on my DC ANRs, I began to hear my pulse, louder and louder. Boy did that freak me out! 8,500 feet over GA-friendly McGuire AFB, too.

I was just about to declare a medical emergency and join the Air Force when I discovered that somehow the pulse I was hearing was cockpit ambient noise, timed to my heartbeat. Whew! Was it sneaking under the earcups (I wear glasses) with each pulse? I don't know, but that is my best guess.

An in-flight battery change and I was back in business.

-Skip

 

[Tom-D]

now you know why I hard wired my Bose.

 

[ScottM]

now you know why I hard wired my Bose.

I have a pilot ANR headset that came with the plane that has hardwired power but I prefer my DCs. It is only list to add the panel mount for them for just this reason

 

[Ken Ibold]

I recall an instructor writing up a flight school's Skyhawk for the loud banging that was coming from the fuselage when in flight. Others, including the mechanic, had seen him taxi in and report the squawk. No one said a word until after he was gone, at which point the mechanic filled out the repair form with something to the effect of, "Recommend the pilot confirm during pretakeoff check that the seatbelt is not hanging out the door."

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

I hard wired my boseX and discovered what a shock it is during an electrical failure... dealing with troubleshooting, lost comm, no nav is enough without a sudden booming in the cockpit so I now carry an old Narco ELT battery ('expired' but they actually have plenty of life) and made a 10$ power cord to it (radioshack parts). Now I can have silence, plug in my portable GPS, and it relieves a lot of the distraction while I work the problem.

Actually now that I think about it, having it aboard has resulted in, via Murphys reverse regulations; no more electrical problems!

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I hard wired my boseX and discovered what a shock it is during an electrical failure... dealing with troubleshooting, lost comm, no nav is enough without a sudden booming in the cockpit so I now carry an old Narco ELT battery ('expired' but they actually have plenty of life) and made a 10$ power cord to it (radioshack parts). Now I can have silence, plug in my portable GPS, and it relieves a lot of the distraction while I work the problem.

Dave,

Wow... That's an excellent idea!

 

[Kaye]

I recall an instructor writing up a flight school's Skyhawk for the loud banging that was coming from the fuselage when in flight. Others, including the mechanic, had seen him taxi in and report the squawk. No one said a word until after he was gone, at which point the mechanic filled out the repair form with something to the effect of, "Recommend the pilot confirm during pretakeoff check that the seatbelt is not hanging out the door."

One of the straps to the canopy cover recently went missing. When the owner started hearing the noise, he wondered if it was the missing strap......hiding somewhere, banging around. Final report.....strap still missing.

 

[ScottM]

I recall an instructor writing up a flight school's Skyhawk for the loud banging that was coming from the fuselage when in flight. Others, including the mechanic, had seen him taxi in and report the squawk. No one said a word until after he was gone, at which point the mechanic filled out the repair form with something to the effect of, "Recommend the pilot confirm during pretakeoff check that the seatbelt is not hanging out the door."

Hmmm.... So I'll bet you were embarassed and a little mad when you got back to the flight school the next day and saw that solution to your squawk huh???

 

[Ken Ibold]

Hmmm.... So I'll bet you were embarassed and a little mad when you got back to the flight school the next day and saw that solution to your squawk huh???

Actually it was Ryan Ferguson.

Not really. But it was the flight school where Ryan used to instruct. I have a good excuse, in that I am not an instructor.

 

[555Juliet]

Boy, I know you're relieved. How strange is that? I didn't hear any odd noises (but then again you know I don't have Lightspeeds. )

 

[silver-eagle]

Ah... The dreaded ANC thump. The first time I heard it, I too thought something was broken. Part of my diagnostics included turning the ANC off. Since this solved the immediate problem, I was good to continue. My issue then was now I had a broken headset (brand new and broken???). Easy fix of course was a new battery.
It could happen to anyone. Strange noises we think broken, but isn't that better than "No problem". One day, it will save our butts!

 

[AdamZ]

Kaye these are the stories that just make you chuckle. Its good to be able to laugh at yourself and smile