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Tuesday, 2nd April, 2002 - Engine run-inTook number 1 Son down to the airstrip for company, and spent an entertaining and energetic 30 minutes trying to start the engine. Hmmmm. Sat down and had a smoke and a think: fuel getting through; nice healthy spark; ignition switches on....hang on, up is on on a plane, isn't it? Stupid twat - that's me! I've even got a dash label which says "ignition - down for off", yet my standard switch oriented brain couldn't handle this! OK - switches up, try again....vroooom! About 2 hours later, all run-in was completed uneventfully. No leaks of any kind. I had to interrupt the procedure several times to allow the engine to cool, which was to be expected. This despite belting up and down the runway to get some air flow through the radiator. This had the unexpected side-benefit that my Son is now a total Microlight convert. He says anything that accelerates so fast can only be a good thing (that's my boy!). Bummer of the DayWell, switchology, obviously....but also the fact that the sodding battery won't hold a charge, so it's back to the jolly old pull start for now. I suspect I buggered the battery by using to high a current to charge it off the plane. It's not an electrical fault, as even when left disconnected and fully charged, it goes flat as a hedgehog on a motorway inside 3 days. International Bummer of the DayI received an email from a fellow Kiss owner who lives in New England, giving me tips about the run-in. This chap ran a hose under the plane and ran cold water over his rad while running-in, and this kept the temperature down nicely. No good to me, as there is no tap at the strip! But that's not the bummer - oh no - this is a bummer by proxy, as it were! This chap had a final bit of running to do after the main procedure, so he chocked the back wheels and put a big fan in front of the radiator cowling. The plane jumped the chocks under throttle, and minced the fan with the prop. The poor chap now knows first hand how expensive a replacement prop is. Name witheld to mitigate the piss-take factor ;-D |
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