Thorp Air Command - T18.net

Gent's,

What's the procedure if I change the original engine/prop configuration? i.e. metal to wood, constant speed, etc....do I have to notify the FAA and they assign a fly off time or can I just change it?

Chuck Kincer

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Chuck Kincer
Richmond, Me
575CK
KIWI

short answer: it depends.

Really old a/w certs specify that the FAA must re-issue the a/w cert & give you a test time/area (usually 5 hrs).

Newer a/w certs have some variation on this: make a log book entry showing the (major) change & that you are re-entering phase 1 test time for 5 hrs; fly off the test time; make another log entry showing completion of test time & re-entry to phase 2 (normal operation).

Mid aged a/w certs allow this without notifying FAA; newest require notification so FAA can re-approve your test area.

Charlie

off the record answer is another question: What does your a/w cert & log book say about the original prop?.......

*** admin posted for Charlie England ***

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Forum Administrator

Chuck - probably goes without saying, but make sure to do a new weight and balance if you are going wood to C/S and vice versa - thats a big weight change on a long arm. May have to add/subtract some weight somewhere aft of your occasionaly kilt kovered keester - Blizzard Warning here today - not a good day for a kilt - I'll be flying my snow blower around the neighborhood tonight.

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Fraser MacPhee
N926WM
Serial #279-1
Angel Fire, NM (KAXX)

Charlie,

I checked my AW Cert and there isn't any reference to the prop or engine. I'll have to check the log books tonight. The AW is about 2 years old, so I guess that would be considered a new one ( I bought the plane in Canada and they had to reissue a new one here in the States).

Regards,

Chuck

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Chuck Kincer
Richmond, Me
575CK
KIWI

Fraser,

We were just discussing that very point here in the hangar (garage). I'll be approximately 15 lbs lighter when the prop swap is made, thinking about moving the battery from behind pilot seat and onto the firewall if an adjustment is needed, seems Rich had a thread about that a while back. I'm in the process of dismantling for paint,so, once the project is complete it's a definite on the W/B. As far as my Kilt Kovered Keaster (abbreviate that and you could be arrested) I hang mine up in November so as to maintain my Tenor frequency as opposed to Soprano!

Chuck
P.s while snow blowing keep your hands out of any moving parts!

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Chuck Kincer
Richmond, Me
575CK
KIWI

Chuck - something to consider before you start drilling out rivets:

In my vast experience (three months owning my first T18, no flying, and some high speed taxi runs), a wooden prop doesn't seem to have enough inertia to keep the engine idling smoothly at the low rpms, not on an O360, anyway. (Can't speak for the O320.) One cure is to bolt a Mark Landoll Silicone Filled Balancer to your Lycoming ring gear. This will return 14 lb to the front of the engine and smooth out the idle, apparently.

Does it work? I don't know; I don't have one yet but I'm probably going to buy one before spring. Some folks swear by them and some say it makes a small but detectable difference. Others say a metal ring of equal weight will do the same thing at 1/5 the cost. (Mark Landoll also sells such a ring for about $100.)

For What It's Worth

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In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not.

Chuck,

Read your Operating Limitations to find out what you are required to do when changing propellers. Some versions of Ops Limits require the owner to contact the FAA and others do not. Check to see what yours requires you to do.

Joe Gauthier

*** admin posted for Joe Gauthier ***

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Forum Administrator

What's a Snow Blower ? [:I]

"What's a Snow Blower ? "

My Dad grew up in WI and lived most of his life in MN. He said when he retired he was going to put a snow blower in the back of a pickup and head South until someone asked him what that thing is.

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darylat8750ft

Chuck,
Your Operating Limitations won't mention prop or engine directly, the section you want to look for covers "Major Modifications". Ya gotta do what it says in there.

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Bruce Finney
N18JF T-18C #262
Yelm, WA USA

Joe,

I called the FSDO today and they said to make the prop swap, put myself back
into phase 1 for 5 hours endorse the log book as before once complete for
phase II. That was easy enough. I was given the Operating Limitations to
get this plane back into the air after the repairs, I wasn't putting
terminology together with the forms provided at the time. Anyway, as usual
thanks for the direction.

Chuck

*** admin posted for Chuck (but not happy about that!) ***

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Forum Administrator