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Showing posts from April, 2017

How well do you understand your piston engine cooling and baffle leaks?

Mike Busch published an excellent article on engine cooling, baffles, leaks, and hot cylinder. Every pilot and owner should read and understand this. The key insight is air isn't just rushing into the top of the engine through air intake and blowing out the back. More intricately, the top of the engine is designed as a high pressure area, like an inflatable balloon (the air rushing in blows it up, so the rubber baffles press against he cowling creating an air tight seal), and the bottom of the engine is a low pressure area, that is literally sucking the air from the top of the engine to the bottom like 12 vacuum cleaners (one for each cylinder). The pressure differential between top and bottom is just 1/4 psi so even a tiny 1/8" gap will reduce or eliminate air flow entirely from top to bottom, so bottom of your cylinder stop getting cooling. Read more: "Sure enough, I discovered that the intercylinder baffle between cylinders #1 and #3 had vibrated loose an

Extreme short field landing in SR22 demonstration 808'

Demonstration of 808' landing in Cirrus SR22. S uper short field distance 808'. At kHWO north Perry runway 10L for P1 taxi way turnoff.   Winds from 00 at 010kts   Weight: Pilot + plus passenger, luggage,, and 56 gallons fuel. Landing was 04/09/2017 730pm. DISCLAIMER:  If you are not a-highly proficient Cirrus pilot/CFI, do not try this, it can be dangerous/deadly.  If you stall the plane that close to the ground you will not have time to recover. Some hints: CFI TIPS MIXTURE RICH in case you need to quickly add power Control your rate of descent with POWER, not with PITCH! Pulling back on yoke at this low airspeed will induce a stall. Control your airspeed with PITCH. Use an abnormally low approach profile (not standard 3 degrees), you should see red-over-red on VASI. You should be flying almost horizontal when you approach your contact point. You will need to ADD POWER at last segment or else the plane will bounce increasing your stopping distance. FLAPS UP immed