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Posted By:
Hal Brown
Date Posted:
Dec 21, 2012
Description:
The first sight of my new Australian SeaRey was disconcerting. I had purchased her unseen based on discussions with my flying mate, Rob. He had accurately described her technical features. What he had not known was the sadness stuck to her.
It wasn’t that there was anything obviously distressing about her. She was a simple SeaRey, painted a uniform white. She looked older than her age. That she was a bit dusty and dingy wouldn’t ordinarily be of concern to me. It highlighted, however, that she had not known flight in more than a year and half.
Despite my first impression, I was committed to changing her extended grounding.
The trip to the dusty shed at the Polo Flats airport was long and tiring. “That probably accounts for my poor impression of the airplane,” was my quick rationalization.
For me the trip started late night in Los Angeles. The sparkling new Boeing Triple Seven was an elegant transport west through the night. We flew right on through from Saturday night to Monday morning with no evidence of a Sunday.
My mate, Rob, retrieved me from the Sydney airport for a three and a half hour drive through the mountains into the interior. The dramatic scenery slipped by with little enthusiasm stirred in a sleep deprived brain.
Date Taken:
Dec 21, 2012
Place Taken:
Polo Flats, Austrailia
Owner:
Dan Nickens
File Name:
1924_Introducing_VI_CHI.jpg - Photo HTML
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Category:
518, VH-CHI
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Read what others had to say:
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Dan Nickens - Dec 21,2012
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The day looked brighter after a brief nap. The sun sat brilliantly over Rob’s aerodrome development. Dinner was found in a country pub after a quick trip into the nearby little town of Rylstone.<br /><br />“You must try the house specialty,” Rob recommended.<br /><br />Rob is a good friend. I quickly accepted his suggestion.<br /><br />Our friendship was briefly shaken when dinner arrived. It was “pork belly.”<br /><br />“Pork belly” is different Downunder. It was unexpectedly lacking in the disgusting properties I anticipated. In fact, it was quite palatable: a nice cut of pork over rice with rind added on top. I don’t think I’d like it as ordinary fare, but for a hungry, tired traveler, it was both exotic and filling. It was proper punctuation for all of the slight but significant distortions associated with being a world away from home. <br /><br />The next morning came early for me. I waited restlessly for my Aussie mate to awake. The beautiful, quietly breaking dawn offered solace for the hardships of travel.<br /><br />
| | Attachments:
Red Dawn at Rylstone
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Marty Corr - Dec 21,2012
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Jeez Dan, you must have been awake EXTREMELY early. Rob is the <br />most consistently early rising guy I know!
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Dan Nickens - Dec 21,2012
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Jet lag was a contributing factor, Marty, but after a short time I figured out why Rob gets up so early: every night before going to bed he will say, 'Tomorrow is going to be GREAT!'
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Dan Nickens - Dec 21,2012
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We flew Rob’s immaculate SeaRey south along the eastern spine of the mountains past Canberra. The wind in our faces forced an unplanned stop for fuel. It was mid-afternoon when we finally touched down on the narrow blacktop at Polo Flats.<br /><br />We were immediately greeted by a slight, elderly gentleman. David had been my newly purchased SeaRey’s caretaker since the death of his son.<br /><br />Rob had told me that the sale of the airplane was necessitated by the tragic accident. The father and son, previously estranged by a divorce, had forged a new relationship by building the airplane together. His son was killed in another seaplane, leaving a wife and young children to Dave’s care. The money from the sale of their SeaRey was needed for their support.<br /><br />After brief introductions, the three of us turned to the SeaRey. The only break in its white dress was the registration, VH-CHI. There was also some lettering advertising the dead man’s web site, “<a href="http://www.seaplanesaustralia.com.au”/">www.seaplanesaustralia.com.au”</a><br /><br />Inside the cockpit were simple, old-style seats and a crudely crafted panel. Of immediate concern to me was the odd, clunky, landing gear system.<br /><br />The landing gear system was unlike anything I had ever seen in a SeaRey. It was loosely based around one of the early hydraulic systems. It had been extensively modified, however, with industrial valves and a massive hand pump.<br /><br />Dave did his best to explain the complex operation. “First, you’ve got to select the proper position for the over-centre lock,” he explained. “Then, you open these two valves below the seat, turn on the power, and select the proper position for the gear. Mind you that I can’t get the micro-switches to work anymore. You’ll just have to stop it manually when the gear gets right. Then, you close the two valves.”<br /><br />“What about the other four valves?”<br /><br />“I can’t be sure. I’d just leave them alone if I were you.”<br /><br />“What’s the manual pump for, Dave?”<br /><br />“It’s meant to be an emergency pump should the electrical hydraulic pump fail.” He paused, somewhat flustered. “It never worked properly. Takes a pile of pumps to move the gear. You’d best just leave it be.”<br /><br />It was clear the discussion was difficult for Dave. Out of consideration for his circumstances, Rob and I didn’t press him.<br /><br />A careful inspection failed to find anything that would render the airplane unairworthy. Unkempt, oddly crafted, and drab to the point of despair, true enough, but seemingly in flyable condition.<br /><br />With the preliminary inspection complete, we proceeded to remove the old fuel and replace it with fresh petrol. Dave had faithfully started the engine on a monthly basis. There wasn’t anything else obvious that needed to be done.<br /><br /> I suggested it was time for a test flight. “I’ll be coming with you,” Dave said.<br /><br />That was unacceptable to me. The airplane hadn’t flown in a long time. I had no wish to expose anyone else to the inherent risks. “I’d like to do this alone,” I told Dave.<br /><br />“You best take me to operate the gear system,” Dave insisted.<br /><br />“Not this time. Let’s do that after I confirm she is good to fly. I will just leave the gear alone for the first flight.”<br /><br />Dave was clearly unhappy. He finally relented, however, when Rob explained that a light airplane could be more safely managed in an emergency. Dave would be more than physical weight to me in that situation. With the promise of a flight afterwards, Dave agreed.<br /><br />There was no need for argument. The flight was not to be. My pre-flight run-up found a badly misfiring electronic module.<br /><br />The engine was inspected. There was nothing obviously wrong. I removed the spark plugs. Most were dark brown, two were black.<br /><br />Questioning of Dave revealed that his engine care consisted mainly of running the engine to temperature at no more than 3000 rpm. That led to a theory that maybe the carburetors had just run rich and coated the electrodes.<br /><br />Cleaning and reinstallation made no difference. The engine still wouldn’t run right.<br /><br />Some slightly used spark plugs were found in the shed. We installed them to no beneficial effect.<br /><br />An Ozzie pilot standing around and observing this operation came up with a suggestion: “You might try leaning the mixture, mate.”<br /><br />He was gently told there was no mixture control for the Rotax engine. “Well, then, I’d reckon you should just run it up at high rpm and burn the carbon deposits out.”<br /><br />That seemed like an unlikely solution. Looking over at Dave, however, I sensed he was nearing despair. He was likely concerned that the sale would not go through. I decided to give it a go.<br /><br />A high speed taxi down the runway was the plan. Lined up, I checked the two modules again. The result was the same as before. One was fine. One was not.<br /><br />I thrust the throttle full forward and the airplane accelerated down the runway. In the still air the high speed taxi was an easy matter. When a sudden gust of mountain wind hit, however, the taxi ended. In short order the sad SeaRey jumped into the rushing air.<br /><br />As long as I was flying on one good module, I decided to climb in a circle over the airport. After full throttle to a safe altitude I tried the bad module again. The result was the same: a badly running engine. I tried several times with nothing changed.<br /><br />Since I was at altitude, I decided to see how she stalled. She was a scared lady. She tried to fall off on a wing, first left then right. After a few more gentle maneuvers I entered a high pattern for a landing.<br /><br />Rob and Dave already knew there was a problem from the sound of the engine at altitude. Our plan to fly out the same day with two SeaReys was clearly dashed. Dave went off to make arrangements for overnight accommodations.<br /><br />As Rob and I stood around pondering the problem a frantic lady came driving up. “Is the pilot okay? I heard the engine stumbling. I was scared there would be a crash.”<br /><br />“No crash, maim,” Rob answered. “We’re just doing a bit of testing.”<br /><br />“Well, blimey! You’ve scared me near to death. I’m an old lady and hearing that trouble I expected a crash.”<br /><br />“No crash. It’s all good.”<br /><br />“That sound is no good. As a girl I remember the German bombers coming overhead in England. That airplane in trouble reminded me of those Germans.”<br /><br />“Hmmm. Well, the engine is made in Austria.”<br /><br />“That might it explain it then. After the bombers came, a reconnaissance plane would fly by. That sound was as scary to a young girl as yours was now. It brings back the nightmares.”<br /><br />She paused and we were quiet. Finally, she said, “I rang my son when I heard you. He said, ‘Mum, don’t you worry about that pilot. He can take care of himself.’ I almost rang the emergency number anyway. Then I decided to come over and see for myself.”<br /><br />There wasn’t much to say to her. I simply promised not to test the engine in the air again.<br /><br />Robert wanted me to take the new plugs from his SeaRey to test the engine. I had no desire to mess with Rob’s airplane to salvage this one.<br /><br />New spark plugs of a slightly different design were located. They could not be tightened in the sockets with any tools we had available.<br /><br />And there was no point to more testing in the late afternoon. We left the airport as depressed at the poor prospects for a morning departure as Dave.<br /><br />I suppose it can be said the first day’s experience was a good (bad) example for buying an unseen airplane. Rob hadn’t seen the SeaRey since he did its first test flight in 2006. His previously p
| | Attachments:
Mountain Waves
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