AggieMike88
Touchdown! Greaser!
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2010
- Messages
- 20,805
- Location
- Denton, TX
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The original "I don't know it all" of aviation.
I've recently joined a flying club that has a nice C182P. This is my first airplane with the big motor and CS Prop. So I've engaged a CFI to teach me what I need to know to be safe and gain proficiency.
Yesterday was my first flight in the airplane as PIC (I had rides in it before). Plan was to have two sessions with a break for lunch. First session went great, no problems, and some good air work to gain familiarity with the plane and it's systems.
We landed at KGLE, took the cop car to lunch, returned, preflighted, started up, and began our taxi to the runway.
Per the instructor's guidance from the first start up, I leaned the mixture about 40% out and left it there as we taxied from the ramp to the runup area.
Got to the runup area, added power to 1700 RPM, and ran the checklist from memory. All good until I turn the key to Right Mag. The RPM dropped 600, but slowly.
Rut-roh.
Switched back to both, needle goes back to 1700, but same rate. Hmmm... Switched to Right again and the same result.. a slow drop to 1100RPM. Instructor says, "Try the left one". Also a slow drop to 1100RPM.
Just as I'm thinking, "Aww nutz... my first flight in this wonderful machine and something seriously broke", the instructor goes, "Oh, I see what's happening." and pushes the mixture to full rich. "Now try it," he says.
Click to Right mag, 150 RPM drop. Back to both, normal. Click to Left Mag, same 150 RPM drop.
Problem solved, and we're off continuing the lesson.
This was my first encounter of mag checking a leaned out engine and what the Tachometer indication would be.
This is shared since we have pilots hear of all sorts of experience levels, and many might not have yet encountered this. It will be something I definitely will remember from now on, especially emphasis on checklist usage!
Yesterday was my first flight in the airplane as PIC (I had rides in it before). Plan was to have two sessions with a break for lunch. First session went great, no problems, and some good air work to gain familiarity with the plane and it's systems.
We landed at KGLE, took the cop car to lunch, returned, preflighted, started up, and began our taxi to the runway.
Per the instructor's guidance from the first start up, I leaned the mixture about 40% out and left it there as we taxied from the ramp to the runup area.
Got to the runup area, added power to 1700 RPM, and ran the checklist from memory. All good until I turn the key to Right Mag. The RPM dropped 600, but slowly.
Rut-roh.
Switched back to both, needle goes back to 1700, but same rate. Hmmm... Switched to Right again and the same result.. a slow drop to 1100RPM. Instructor says, "Try the left one". Also a slow drop to 1100RPM.
Just as I'm thinking, "Aww nutz... my first flight in this wonderful machine and something seriously broke", the instructor goes, "Oh, I see what's happening." and pushes the mixture to full rich. "Now try it," he says.
Click to Right mag, 150 RPM drop. Back to both, normal. Click to Left Mag, same 150 RPM drop.
Problem solved, and we're off continuing the lesson.
This was my first encounter of mag checking a leaned out engine and what the Tachometer indication would be.
This is shared since we have pilots hear of all sorts of experience levels, and many might not have yet encountered this. It will be something I definitely will remember from now on, especially emphasis on checklist usage!