Date: 01/08/2013
Time: 18:50 - 19:20 (17:50 - 18:20 GMT) & 19:40 - 20:00 (18:40 - 19:00 GMT)
Aircraft: EuroFOX - G-UFOX
Steve
This evening I had intended leaving work a little early, fixing the flap control lever and go for a bit of a flight, with Ian joining later. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to get some new split pins and it took me an hour to get some. No one seemed to have any of the right size and most so-called hardware stores didn't even know what they were. Very frustrating. In the end I had to go back to AHC in Camberley and wasted at lot of time.
Should I leave the flap and just go flying? Could do, but I did want to achieve the flap mod. The flap was occasionally slipping forward when on full flap. I had tried tightening it up by one flat of the nut, but this made it too tight. So I made a 4 thou shim, which is about half a nut flat and fitted this. To fit it involves removing the seat tub which means removing the seatbelts and seats etc., so not too trivial. By the time I have finished, Ian has turned up. He kindly lets me share his time. First he takes his son up to demonstrate the plane to him.
My instructor Steve (who taught me to fly rather than the one who did my tailwheel conversion) has been repetitively asking for a go in our new EuroFOX. Sadly this was always when it wasn't possible - i.e. before we had it signed off and our tailwheel conversion signed off. "Go on Dave, give us the keys" he would say. Since we have all been signed off, I have offered to take him up, but each time he has been busy with student, so couldn't come. Today is different, so when Ian is back, off we go!
I take off on 21 and once we're up hand over the controls to Steve. Straight away he is at home with the plane and absolutely in balance (something that even now I occasionally find myself failing). He flies over towards Whitchurch and tries some medium/tight turns. Then further east he tries some stalls - nothing dramatic happens as it is quite well behaved. Then joining the circuit he elects to do a missed approach as we can't really let him land the plane. This goes well (as you would expect). My turn now and I continue the circuit and land on 21 (which also goes well).
So what does he think of it? Well the visibility is excellent and we didn't even open the doors. The general handling is good, but he does complain that he thinks that there is a bit too much friction in the aileron control. I have never noticed this before, but now that he has mentioned it, I'm sure it will bug me. I think he enjoyed himself.
After this, I go up with Ian for a couple of circuits - one of which, the landing was quite unimpressive.