After five long days, five engine pulls and reinstalls due to various problems (4 on the right side #1 engine) Carl V., Brian C. and myself with help from Nash and Karl K. get to this point; engine run-up and testing. Late Monday evening (2/6/06) I am making lots of jet noise going through the test sequence on each engine while Carl & Brian shot critical temperature readings on the engines and along the fusalage to the aft exhaust. The engines lit up nicely and testing showed no major problems. It was cold and snowy out, but I had the best seat with lots of heat. The jet blast did a nice job of melting the snow behind. The bad news is that the weather is not cooperating for a test flight. The pictures on this page show highlights of the repair process. See more pictures & video through the "Picture Bin" page.
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Above Carl & I moving the left #1 engine into position for one of the 4 times we would have to do this before it was done. Getting it into position is the easy part, getting everything to stay where it needs to for installation and not loosing tools, critical nuts and bolts in the engine well once istalled is usually the tricky part that can lead to undoing all the many hookups, bracing and safety wiring again. We carefully & skillfully avoided those problems , but unfortunately we found other problems. Like a poor engine mount installation sometime in its past that had gone unseen for many years, a fuel leak down in the only inaccessible section below the engine and a shifting bent lower engine shroud all resulting in the multiple removals. (2/5/06)
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Nash mounting cone with modified insulation on left engine before install. 2/2/06
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Exhaust pipes needing insulation repairs. The left one looks normal, but the right one is missing 3/4 of the external aluminum covering due to insulation deterioration since 1964. Once the old fiberglass crumbles away, heat radiating from the exhaust pipe melts away the outer aluminum. We changed out the good one anyway as we knew the material was old and would not hold up long.
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Me cutting up fiber insulation for engine cone. Carl fitting steel wrap on cone in background. 2/2/06
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Carl rewrapping the exhaust pipe with Ztechplus, a fiberglass weave material from Newtex in Victor, NY. Next goes the stainless steel to replace aluminum shroud. 2/2/06
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Newly covered exhaust pipes with Newtex material and stainless steel wrap resting in fuselage tubes waiting to be slid all the way in when engines are installed.
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Right engine (#2) installed waiting for the left engine. We only had to put this one in one time.
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Carl V. & I after test flight. Finally got to test fly the Saeta on 3/24/06 after the engine repairs. Engines ran great. See videos of the flight and some takeoff & landings in The Picture Bin.
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Sneak preview of golf cart project converted to airport cruiser and tug. Painted in identical color of Stearman. Lots more work to go.
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