Solo XC flight jitters

[DaytonaLynn]

Wait til you fly over water. The echo of the engine off the water amplifies the sound of every engine nuance. You can hear every RPM change. Even when it doesn't change!

This is so true for me.
Last year on my first Very long cross country after gettin my PPL, I flew from Houston (IWS) to New Smyrna Florida (EVB) and as I flew along the gulf, I kept thinking something is not right with the engine.
I could not see any change in rpm, or anything noticeable. I kept pulling the carb heat to make sure no ice and the other items listed. I don't have cowl flaps, so that's the only thing I didn't mess with.
I called back to my plane owner and CFI and asked if they experienced the same thing, they asked where did you first notice it?
Over the gulf. The they told me the same as you say, water makes you hear things that are not there, or maybe it is.
But don't just do nothing!

 

[marcoseddi]

 

[Jay Honeck]

This is so true for me.
Last year on my first Very long cross country after gettin my PPL, I flew from Houston (IWS) to New Smyrna Florida (EVB) and as I flew along the gulf, I kept thinking something is not right with the engine.
I could not see any change in rpm, or anything noticeable. I kept pulling the carb heat to make sure no ice and the other items listed. I don't have cowl flaps, so that's the only thing I didn't mess with.
I called back to my plane owner and CFI and asked if they experienced the same thing, they asked where did you first notice it?
Over the gulf. The they told me the same as you say, water makes you hear things that are not there, or maybe it is.
But don't just do nothing!

You flew over the Gulf on your first x-country? Or along the shore?

We fly the Texas gulf coast often, and always keep at least a barrier island within gliding distance.

 

[denverpilot]

For those with oil pressure issues in Cessnas...

Ask Tom how easy that is to fix -- so you know how bad your maintenance choices are by those in charge of those rentals.

(Hint: It's adjustable.)

 

[JasonM]

For those with oil pressure issues in Cessnas...

Ask Tom how easy that is to fix -- so you know how bad your maintenance choices are by those in charge of those rentals.

(Hint: It's adjustable.)

My guess is it totally relates to the level of oil. We are told to run at a certain level and that is ideally 5-6 qts which definitely differs from the manual.

 

[denverpilot]

My guess is it totally relates to the level of oil. We are told to run at a certain level and that is ideally 5-6 qts which definitely differs from the manual.

Quantity and pressure are not directly related. (Well, unless you're so low the pump has nothing to work with.)

 

[JasonM]

Would someone with experience please let me know if this scenario is safe:

when I do my runup after a cold start i am in the green, but if fly the pattern then I do a full stop and taxi, it shows a little left (approx the dial width) from the 60 mark below the green.

I have heard low oil pressure is bad. So how low should raise a flag to be worried?

 

[TexasPilot71]

makes you hear things that are not there, or maybe it is.
But don't just do nothing!

Absolutely, don't just do nothing...as long as there is something wrong. In my case, it was just closely monitoring the RPM to validate that the engine wasn't developing lower than necessary power. I was acutely aware of the sharks in the Florida waters below, but also that we had a life raft and thought we had a good deployment plan.

 

[alland]

Reference oil pressure, I've been building race car engines for some 40 yrs. if they ain't running in the green they are shut down before the rod puts an inpection window the cylinder block...
When I fly if the oil press. Isn't in the green I would not continue to fly and would look to set down ASAP ..I have no wish to become a glider driver....

 

[MAKG1]

You won't throw a rod from too much oil pressure.

You may make a leak. And an excessively rapid landing may cause more damage than it prevents. This is a minor cause for concern, not an emergency. Go back to the starting airport, keep an eye on the pressure, and if it continues to rise, make a precautionary landing at an airport with a mechanic. If it rises rapidly, reduce the throttle to keep it under control, but not so low that you can't maintain altitude. In a CS prop, reduce the prop instead of the throttle, as RPM is what drives the oil pump.

Avoid flying over open water or hostile terrain, but it's dumb to land in a field over this.