What kinds of flying "fun" have you or "your friends" engaged in?

[Immelman]

Not if it gets stuck, then until you tap the carburator or release the float manually.

We ended up momentarily killing the engine many times doing (mostly) positive-G aerobatics in the Citabria (gcaa -- no inverted system). It always instantly sprang back to life.. but then, we were always 3000-4000 agl over a large area of fields to land in when doing aerobatics!

 

[Flechas]

We ended up momentarily killing the engine many times doing (mostly) positive-G aerobatics in the Citabria (gcaa -- no inverted system). It always instantly sprang back to life.. but then, we were always 3000-4000 agl over a large area of fields to land in when doing aerobatics!

I've seen that happen too, but that happens when there's a gap of fuel flow due to the positive G's in the botom of the fuel system. When the pump gets stuck, it stays, and the engine doesn't come back alive.

 

[VNugget]

Because when you push on the yoke it would tend to "float" just like you and everything inside the plane.

What about the fuel in the bowl? Do the concepts of density and displacement then just disappear during negative Gs?

 

[Flechas]

What about the fuel in the bowl? Do the concepts of density and displacement then just disappear during negative Gs?

What does this have anything to do with the float?

When there are negative Gs the float goes up, if it stays up, the carburator doesn't get any more fuel, so when the engine uses up whatever fuel was left in the carburator, it gets very quiet and stays that way.

 

[VNugget]

What does this have anything to do with the float?

When there are negative Gs the float goes up, if it stays up, the carburator doesn't get any more fuel, so when the engine uses up whatever fuel was left in the carburator, it gets very quiet and stays that way.

What does the float do on the fuel? It floats. If the fuel is at the bottom, the float goes on top. If the fuel's on top, float goes to the bottom. Right?

 

[Immelman]

All right since people have provided some stories, here is another one a 'friend' told me about.

Flew out to a place on the Oregon coast several years ago for a camping trip with some buddies who were already there. There is a particular state airport that is grass, encroached by sand-dunes on one end, right across the two-lane highway from the Pacific Ocean... magnificent place. There are no aircraft permanently based there but when he landed, a couple was there camped out with their C172 enjoying life. The field was pretty unique too, with high trees on one end and rising terrain on the other. It favors landing one way and taking off the other. When my friend arrived, he buzzed the runway to check for obstacles and debris and then setup to land.. which required a dog-leg final... no problems and nothing too tight, just good-old-fashioned fun. The aircraft, by the way, was a Citabria.

All was well for the camping trip, off in the woods a couple miles from the airport... a buddy picked the pilot up and drove him to the campsite where the rest of the gang was. After a couple of days enjoying life he got a ride back to the airport. Airplane was still there in one piece, and the other couple who were camping had already departed.... the little Citabria was the only aircraft on the field. About the same time as he arrives at the airport and is loading his stuff, a local drives up in an Astro van with a set of golf clubs and balls. Pleasantries are exchanged. Seems this guy uses the airport (which, coincidentally, is labeled as such) as his personal grass driving range.

The pilot figures this guy knows its an airport and will leave once he starts up the airplane. Preflight completed, camping gear loaded, and the airplane untied he fires up and taxies out to the runway, past the golfer, towards the end for runup. He waves at the golfer taxiing by, who gives the pilot a funny look... the golfer then resumes hitting balls.

The pilot gets to the end, about 100 yards from the golfer, and turns sideways to the threshold to do the runup. Golfer looks at the airplane kind of confused (figures, since the engine was being run up, airplane sideways to runway, and not going anywhere). Golfer then resumes hitting golf balls... when the pilot's ready to go, he lines up with the runway, opens the window, and revs the engine a couple of times -- time to clear the runway buddy. Golfer turns around and gives the same funny look -- pilot motions to leave -- pointing to the end and making a "move over" (friendly) gesture. Golfer proceeds to turn around and hit another ball... the pilot thinks that maybe the message doesn't get through, and runs the engine up to about 2200rpm on the brakes. Golfer turns. Pilot motions. Golfer doesn't move... an interesting cycle, eh?

At this point the pilot decides the guy is too numb to get it, and decides he needs to taxi up, shut down, and ask him to move please. He applies some power (again on grass), releases the brakes, and starts to taxi. The golfer finally takes his cue and begins to walk with his bag-o-clubs. At this pilot, the pilot figures "what the hell, he's moving clear" and applies takeoff power... well the golfer then apparently gets scared and RUNS to the side. As the airplane's tail comes up the pilot notices that he is in a taildragger, can't maneuver too well without risking a groundloop, and is quickly approaching the golfer's former position where he dropped a bunch of his crap in the grass where he couldn't see it when he started the takeoff run - clubs, balls, hitting surface, etc on the runway in his sprint to the side - SH!T!. Fortunately the little Citabria was just at liftoff speed as it got there, and no harm was done.

The moral of the story is to always clear the runway of FOD and communicate well with the locals who aren't used to airplanes using the airport.... but in this case, scaring the s#it out of the golfer was probably worth it.

 

[Kream926]

viking takeoff in a fity duece.....nuff said


and then there was this one time a buddy of mine and i decided it would be fun to take one up to 10,000. ink still wet we did it. took us like an hour, 10000, 52, august in oklahoma didnt mesh well.

 

[WizardPilot]

I talked to a military guy who was in tweets, and in texas there is a whole lot of nothing and just some old roads traveled infrequently. At night, they would see the head lights, drop their gear, pull the landing light breaker, fly along the road head on or by the rear, and when close enough for the plane to look huge in the cars window, they would hit the breaker for the light and hi-beam the sucker. Many UFO reports after those nights.

I watched a guy launch a model rocket at a plane flying about 300 AGL over the park. It passed within 25-50 feet to the 10 o'clock posistion. I couldn't stop laughing! He circled us a few times and gave us on the ground the bird. It was funny.

 

[TDTURBO]

If you are flying a carburated plane, the float in the carburator can get stuck in the "up" position, which means no more fuel for the engine... then you get to test your gliding and deadsticking skills....

Fletchas, after further thought, how can a carb'ed airplane get certified for up to one negative G if there is such a risk of the float sticking permantely?

I have done hundreds of them, the engine always stumbles or quites but comes back after pull back in a few seconds. If what you say is true, can you back it up with an AI or A&P that say's so?

Seems to me it may be a design flaw on some airplanes that are AD'ed for that, otherwise I doubt they would get certified.

Anyone with first hand knowlege of an engine failure in a carb'ed plane that crashed from doing negative G's causing the float to stick?


Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[FN FAL]

All right since people have provided some stories, here is another one a 'friend' told me about.

Flew out to a place on the Oregon coast several years ago for a camping trip with some buddies who were already there. There is a particular state airport that is grass...
...The moral of the story is to always clear the runway of FOD and communicate well with the locals who aren't used to airplanes using the airport.... but in this case, scaring the s#it out of the golfer was probably worth it.

I guess dumbass didn't hear your buddy in the Citabria yell..."Fore!" (or whatever it is those guys in plaid pants say when their lobbing one your way!).