david0tey
Line Up and Wait
I am now an airplane owner! My dad and I bought a 1972 Musketeer B19 and got our insurance-required checkouts today. The plane just came out of annual and I do have a couple questions/concerns.
1. When I opened the left fuel tank cap after the first flight, there was clearly a vaccum built up within the tank. Air rushed into the tank and I could even see the aircraft skin around the tank "inflate". Obviously, my first thought is a clogged fuel tank vent. We did remove a small piece of debris from the vent, but it didn't seem significant enough to cause such a noticeable problem. I plan on heading out to the field tomorrow or Tuesday to do some engine runups using that tank to see if the problem has been fixed. In meantime, has anybody ever had a similar problem? If so, could there be any other explanations for this happening?
2. In flight, the plane has a seemingly significant left rolling tendency. The ailerons (which I believe are spring loaded?) always return to center after being turned in either direction. There is a bendable tab on the right aileron which seems to be designed to offset this tendency. Should it be bent up or down? If this does not solve the problem, is there anything else that can be done aside from spending $ on maintenance already!?
Other than that, I love the airplane and the way it flies. It ain't pretty, but it will get me the hours!
1. When I opened the left fuel tank cap after the first flight, there was clearly a vaccum built up within the tank. Air rushed into the tank and I could even see the aircraft skin around the tank "inflate". Obviously, my first thought is a clogged fuel tank vent. We did remove a small piece of debris from the vent, but it didn't seem significant enough to cause such a noticeable problem. I plan on heading out to the field tomorrow or Tuesday to do some engine runups using that tank to see if the problem has been fixed. In meantime, has anybody ever had a similar problem? If so, could there be any other explanations for this happening?
2. In flight, the plane has a seemingly significant left rolling tendency. The ailerons (which I believe are spring loaded?) always return to center after being turned in either direction. There is a bendable tab on the right aileron which seems to be designed to offset this tendency. Should it be bent up or down? If this does not solve the problem, is there anything else that can be done aside from spending $ on maintenance already!?
Other than that, I love the airplane and the way it flies. It ain't pretty, but it will get me the hours!