The Murphy Builders Site

Thanks for the updates, Mike. I really appreciate reading about your
progress.

Does anyone know if Brian Robinson has the V8 SR flying yet?
http://www.v8aircraft.com/options.asp


Mike, wondering why you didn't use fuel injection???

Brian

-----Original Message-----
From: mike.davis@dcsol.com [mailto:mike.davis@dcsol.com] On Behalf Of Mike
Kimball
Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 5:00 PM
To: rebel-builders@dcsol.com
Subject: RE: [rebel-builders] Flight number 3

Wow, Bob! That sounds a lot worse than my situation. Awfully glad you got
down safely. I wish the source of my trouble was the same as yours though.
I'd sure like to be dealing with keeping coolant lines attached instead of
what lays ahead for me. I'm back on dayshift for a while which means only
about an hour of daylight each day to look over the engine. Should be about
+20F to make it pleasant to work on as well.

For crankcase venting I simply have breather caps on the valve covers. I
might need something more positive like a PCV valve. How is crankcase
venting accomplished on that engine? I sure hope it's not a hole in a
piston. I'll get my leak down tester out to find out.

I was climbing at 500 fpm before things went wrong. I wasn't seeking a big
climb rate but I very much doubt I could get what you were getting. What
kind of prop is on that plane?

Mike
044SR

-----Original Message-----
From: mike.davis@dcsol.com [mailto:mike.davis@dcsol.com] On Behalf Of Bob
Patterson
Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 8:33 PM
To: rebel-builders@dcsol.com
Subject: Re: [rebel-builders] Flight number 3


Hi Mike !

Cheer up ! If it's any consolation, you're not alone - "been
there, done that" a couple of weeks ago !! :-( Got 4,500+ on
climb, 2,000 fpm this time - yahoo !! Everything looked great
until 2/3 way down downwind, then - poof ! clouds of smoke from
the top of the cowling, then the cockpit filled with it ....
opened the window, tried to hold it open with my elbow to get fresh air.
(Note to self - be sure to build in a good source of fresh air !)

Yet another steepish turn from base to final, lower than I like,
All temps off the end ! Power back, but decide to try to keep it
running until on the ground .... a couple of sputters ...
Got it down and off the runway, shut down & coasted most of the
way back to the hangar. .... Whew ! ....
Exactly the same - tower asking about crash crew - finally 'negative'.
Don't think inhaling all that glycol is good for the lungs !
Yep - blew the coolant hose off the top rear of the engine.
Fortunately, everything has checked out ok - compression still
good, no burned bearings, ... will try again in a few weeks.

I think the word is spreading to towers everywhere - clear space
for V8 Meeseses !!! I think they groan now when I taxi out ! ;-)
Had a long hold while they cleared other traffic before takeoff, but
temps stayed about 200 - great ! Lots of power now !!

Two days flying, 3 emergency landings - up to 1.5 hours now ...

They say "That which doesn't kill you, makes you stronger !" :-)

Sooo .... anxious listeners want to know ... was it a hole in
a piston, or just a plugged vent line ... or ????

PS
If you really want to burn off altitude, use 3 notches of
flap & push !! Get back to 2 notches before landing, though ...
VERY difficult to do a good one with 3 notches !!
--
......bobp
http://bpatterson.qhealthbeauty.com
http://apatterson2.qhealthzone.com
http://apatterson2.qbeautyzone.com

-------------------------------orig.-------------------------
On Tuesday 24 October 2006 11:48 pm, Mike Kimball wrote:

Multiple engine runs on the ground including multiple max power runs. A

few

adjustments to the carb and distributer. Everything looking good. At the
run-up area everything looks good. All gauges in the green. Coolant and
oil temp low but off the peg. Down the runway I nearly lose it because I
wasn't flying the airplane. I was watching engine gauges. Everything

looks

good. Climb on upwind, all is well. I'm only getting 4000 RPM max which

I

don't quite understand, but running smooth and all looks good. Turn to
crosswind and there is a slight drop in RPM to about 3800. Turn on

downwind

and looks good. All of a sudden, power loss, rough engine, and smoke out
the right side of the cowl. I immediately tell the tower I'm landing on

the

runway I just took off from but the other way. Power off, nose down,
airspeed climbing, losing runway fast. Despite not having explored the
plane's flight characteristics yet, I decide on a significant forward slip
to lose altitude, S-turning to keep as much runway left for me as

possible.

I land disturbingly near the end still carrying too much speed. I pull

the

stick into my lap and apply maximum braking. Somehow, I make the turn at
the end and taxi clear and shut down. I look back at the runway and

there's

a huge cloud of smoke. No wonder the tower kept calling to ask if I

needed

assistance as I was trying to manage an emergency landing. I ignored

their

calls for a while then finally managed a "negative" on the air. I didn't
know there was that much smoke. I get out and look for fire. Just smoke.
I discover the source of the smoke. There is oil dripping out of the

right

hand exhaust pipe. Dangit! What now! I open a cowl door and find the
dipstick almost all the way out. I also see signs of oil around the
breather caps on the valve covers. Excessive crankcase pressure? Really?
Why hasn't this manifested itself during ground runs? Maybe because I

don't

keep the engine running at max power for very long on the ground. I

figure

0.2 in the logbook for this flight. That's twice as long as the last one.
I'm getting awfully tired of emergency landings though. I bet the tower

is

like, "Oh no, 744MK again. Clear some airspace for him."

Mike
044SR

Hi Bob,

Thanks for this information. I'm very interested in your progress and the
work that Brian Robinson is doing. This appears to be very promising. Under
the O-540 cowling with a turn key solution sounds terrific. I'm a
"some-day" builder waiting for a good automotive alternative for the Moose,
but I'll have to say, I'm not quite as ambitious as Mike! You should have
something close to the Bombardier solution. I did see that at OSH a few
years back and it looks great.

Please do post pictures, and keep us updated on progress and performance.
Do you intend to put this solution on floats? Are you aware of any other V8
Moose nuts working on something?

Brian J.




-----Original Message-----
From: mike.davis@dcsol.com [mailto:mike.davis@dcsol.com] On Behalf Of Bob
Patterson
Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 8:35 PM
To: rebel-builders@dcsol.com
Subject: Re: [rebel-builders] Moose Flight number 3


Hi Brian !

Brian R. is still refining the Moose package - should be ready
in a few months. The Moose I'm flying is a Pre-production version,
with a LOT of variations from the complete firewall-forward package
that Brian is working on.... it even has a longer re-drive.
The builder is anxious to get flying, so we're working through
his mods. - now refining cowling, fuel return system, cooling, etc.
as well as some airframe fixes. It will have unique look !
Will try to post some pics ...

Brian's final version will fit a standard Lyc O-540 cowling, and
will include mount, re-drive, radiators, fans, etc., so could be almost
a turn-key setup. Definitely worth waiting for. I'll be test flying
that one too, but not for several months - maybe late spring. There's
even a TINY chance it'll be done in time to fly on Ramble 2007 to
the West Coast. The Moose I'm flying now is definitely coming !!

How about some more Ramblers ??!!! Get them FLYING !! ;-)

Hi Bob,

Thanks for this information. I'm very interested in your progress and the
work that Brian Robinson is doing. This appears to be very promising. Under
the O-540 cowling with a turn key solution sounds terrific. I'm a
"some-day" builder waiting for a good automotive alternative for the Moose,
but I'll have to say, I'm not quite as ambitious as Mike! You should have
something close to the Bombardier solution. I did see that at OSH a few
years back and it looks great.

Please do post pictures, and keep us updated on progress and performance.
Do you intend to put this solution on floats? Are you aware of any other V8
Moose nuts working on something?

Brian J.