February 2006 - American Bonanza Society

Speed and fuelChristopher SextonFillmore, CaliforniaQ: (I) I have an 10-520 in a 1962P35. I have great difficulty getting thisairplane to slow down or descend unlessI pull the manifold pressure back toabout 13 or 14 inches to establish a slowdescent. This is below the green arc. Ihave a GEM and have not noticed thatthis practice causes the temperatures todrop rapidly.(2) There are yellow marks on boththe left and right fuel gauges at 1/4 tank.The POH states that you should not takeoff with the fuel below this level, butdoesn't explain why. Is this a weight andbalance issue? An issue of unporting thefuel pickups?A: (I) One drawback of addingpower to an older Bonanza is that ittakes more advance plann ing to arrive ata target airspeed. A gradual powerreduction to 13 to 14 inches longenough to slow down shouldn't hurt.Starting with a reduction in rpm mayhelp as well. You may need to adjust themixture to maintain CHTs. A more radicalsolution is to install speed brakes.See www.preciseJlight.com.(2) The "yellow arc" fuel !imitationsare designed to prevent you frominadvertently taking off into a "Iowfuel"situation with limited options forrecovery. Nonetheless, having at leastthe yellow arc's worth of fuel in bothtanks is a legal limitation on the airframe,and must be observed. This is not to beconfused with the "no tuming takeoffs"(for airplanes with unbaffled fuel cells)and maximum slip duration limitationsthat are to prevent fuel unporting in anuncoordinated maneuver. -ITTip tank troublesL.ewis WolkerIndependence. VirginiaQ: I have a problem with the automaticshutoff valves on the Osborne tiptanks on my A36. I have replaced theswitches and pumps several times sinceinstallation. John Osborne has been graciousto provide materials, but we haveno solution yet. I'm in westernVirginia, so where should I take my airplane?A: Kalamazoo Aircraft (260-381-0790) in Michigan, or HagerstownAircraft Services (301-733-7604) inMaryland may be able to help. -NPWindow air leakEric KochJasper. TexasQ: I am experiencing an air leakaround my V35's emergency windowbehind the pilot's seat. I have had themolding replaced, but there is still an airleak. Do you have any suggeslions?A: Check the new seals to verifythey are the correct ones and in positionto make good contact with the windowframe. If thi s all looks good, I would Jlythe aircraft with someone in the rearseat to locate the leak. You might temporarilytry using door/window caulkingto find the leak.Once you find the area that is leaking,try shimming it by putting some Jlatrubber behind the seal to give it bettercontact with the window frame. It's notunusual to need thi s.I have heard of people bending thewindow frame to get it to fit better.Doing this comes with the risk of breakina the seal between the window andoframe or worse yet, breaking the window.-AMGear lube and extensionRobert BisbeeEast Falmouth. MassachusettsQ: What is the type of grease andgrease gun to lube the landing gear ofmy S35? Can I do it or must an A&P?Also, what is the amount of extension ofthe nose gear strut?A: For all landing gear lubrication,you will need to use grease with a MlL­G-81322 rating. One such brand isAeroshell 22. Other manufacturers mayhave a different name; but as long as itcomplies with the MIL spec number, itwill be correct.A standard automotive grease gunwill work on most fittings; for some fittingsyou will need a needle fittingadaptor, which goes on the end of thegun to grease these type of fittings. Themaintenance manual shows what typematerial and where to lube in the servicingarea (Section 2).- An owner may lube any fitting thatdoes not require removal of componentsfor access. Nose shock distance shouldbe 3 1/16" when serviced correctly. (Asa good rule of thumb, you can use thewidth of your four fingers and you willbe very c1ose.)-BRGear tensionometerJames BrendelCordova. TennesseeQ: Can you tell me a good place tofind a "spring scale" tool to measure thelip and down lock tensions for the gearwhen doing an annual?A: You can rent this tool from IdealAviation (480-892-2529) or purchasefrom JLW Instruments (3 12-666-0595)model 800 and make a block to fit theend out of scrap stock.-NPAlternator whineThomas HainesWalkerville, MarylandQ: The alternator on my A36 (l0-550) has about 680 hours on it and I amdetecting a bit of a whine in the backgroundthrough the headsets, which tellsme it may be on its way out. Is the subtlewhine a good indicator that it is havingproblems?A: The whine could be a diode. Itwould show as AC voltage on the buss.