Welcome back Diesel Fan

[andreb]

Nice to have you back in the air DF. I enjoyed our flight on Saturday. Looking forward to many more hours sharing the same airspace.
:D :D :D

[DieselFan]

Thanks Meneer, was good confidence booster to fly with you guys.

PS Can't see the pic

[andreb]

try again

[RV4ker (RIP)]

Mooi. What trike is that - Airborne?

[DieselFan]

Mooi. What trike is that - Airborne?

Thanks, a very very dirty air born Air Creation trike

[cobra]

Great to see you back in the air

[andreb]

Sowaar...there really is a brown tinge to the wing!!
High pressure wash for you on Saturday DF.

[Smiley]

Welcome back DieselFan

I've been stuck on the ground for a month now, and it's killing me....!

Hopefully one day the bank will call me to tell me I've got some money to spend again...

[DieselFan]

Sowaar...there really is a brown tinge to the wing!!
High pressure wash for you on Saturday DF.

I blame Big D for that pic

He said to me "There comes a time in a pilots life when he has to make a large and serious decision and stick by that decision no matter what, to be a man of his word. Clean...or...fly." Ok perhaps not in so many words


BTW How to work out windchill factor, FAJS reports -2 and 44km/h S?

PS
My rotax manual say the engine can go way below zero...but with the bleedy cold, electric starter is hopeless and had to pull start for first time. Is the norm?

[DarkHelmet]

Got a good tip from Philip for starting cold - drip some juice (just a drop or two) on both carbs,

I also keep a spare fully charge battery in the boot!

[RV4ker (RIP)]

Big aeries all use ground power units, so why not the smaller ones

I used to fly an Arrow I. It has a p!ss poor battery starter combo. The battery will swing the prop 10-12 times and then no more. I spent 6 hrs in Bloemhof and managed to flag down a tractor to help jump start (I don't prop metal props if I can help it ) Offered to take farmer for a flip, but he refused - strangely...

Since then I fly with one of these...


Some come with torch, compressor and 12v point. Very useful and it charges on the way to the field in the car's lighter socket. Smaller ones are available and I am sure would fit in pannier (sp?) bags of a trike. Def worth the R400ish bucks. Available at most autospares shops. Will also obviously start the car when you have left the lights on from that pre dawn drive to the field....
2c

[DieselFan]

When I cranked the starter this morning it was a slow whine like battery was flat from the word go, but it proceeded to crank slowly not slower and slower if you get what I mean. I thort the starter itself was frozen? Normally with a flat bat, it's starts fast and winds down eventually not turning, this kept turning but slowly. At the time it was -3 in the hangar out the wind.

Was it my battery? Yet on Sunday it was on the swing. Took 5 pulls with the rope, thereafter electic starter was fine

[Tumbleweed]

If it get progressively worse, just change your battery. After each pre-flight gym, changed my battery and solved.

I was advised 2 years is average life for a (bike) battery??

[GR8-DAD]

Hand starting a 912S is just not possible

Why not Demon? Haven't been necessary yet, but will be good to be prepared.

[DieselFan]

I always have one of those portable jump starts in the hangar and on away trips. Hand starting a 912S is just not possible
Do you have antifreeze in the coolant DF? It does sound like the battery tho.
Go to Dions or Makro and get one the portable jump starters

Yip did radiator flush in Feb, same day as a GT450 flew over .

I will check again tomorrow morning. Like I said earlier normal battery symptoms are the turning gets slower and slower as battery power drains. Here the starter was turning slow. I swung for 10 secs, then waited 2 mins, swung for 10 secs, both times there was no audible or visible change in the swinging speed. After trying manual via rope stater was fine.

Lets see what happens tomorrow, it's meant to be even colder, so good test.