Sonex Waiex Legacy N930EG - First Flight!
Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2024 2:08 amThe day has finally arrived!
Oct 16, 2024 at 11:35am, I took advantage of the clear skies, calm winds, 6000ft runway, and virtually no traffic at the uncontrolled Hollister airport(KCVH). On takeoff, I quickly saw my EGTs jump past 1400, CHTs were pushing 400 and oil temp maxed at 240 degrees, all redlining. It also felt a bit choppy on the climb as I noticed manifold pressure was low. So I ended up doing a teardrop as I just passed 500 feet and landed on the opposite runway.
I took her back to the hangar and removed cowling but didn't notice anything unusual. No real oil leaks or anything concerning. So with some consultation with another builder (thanks Bryan!), I put the cowling back on and flew it again about an hour later.
This second time I saw all of the same concerns with everything redlining but was able to climb to traffic pattern altitude of 1000ft, then decided to continue climbing to 1500, and up to 2000. After about 10 mins of flying I noticed the EGTs, CHTs and oil temp all come back into normal range. I continued with my flight plan, doing maneuvers, and going through my checklist of items. Finally, after 30 mins of flying, I softly landed back on the beautiful 6000 ft runway, after which the engine then decided to die on me as a kept it at idle.
I noticed my ammeter showed -15-18amps during the entire flight, but battery voltage was steady at ~13.1 volts. I didn't notice the expected charge from alternator once I exceeded 2500 rpms and got into cruise flight. I'll need to check this. I had some coolant fluid leak as the engine died at idle as well. Otherwise, an overall successful first flight and what a rush!
Oct 16, 2024 at 11:35am, I took advantage of the clear skies, calm winds, 6000ft runway, and virtually no traffic at the uncontrolled Hollister airport(KCVH). On takeoff, I quickly saw my EGTs jump past 1400, CHTs were pushing 400 and oil temp maxed at 240 degrees, all redlining. It also felt a bit choppy on the climb as I noticed manifold pressure was low. So I ended up doing a teardrop as I just passed 500 feet and landed on the opposite runway.
I took her back to the hangar and removed cowling but didn't notice anything unusual. No real oil leaks or anything concerning. So with some consultation with another builder (thanks Bryan!), I put the cowling back on and flew it again about an hour later.
This second time I saw all of the same concerns with everything redlining but was able to climb to traffic pattern altitude of 1000ft, then decided to continue climbing to 1500, and up to 2000. After about 10 mins of flying I noticed the EGTs, CHTs and oil temp all come back into normal range. I continued with my flight plan, doing maneuvers, and going through my checklist of items. Finally, after 30 mins of flying, I softly landed back on the beautiful 6000 ft runway, after which the engine then decided to die on me as a kept it at idle.
I noticed my ammeter showed -15-18amps during the entire flight, but battery voltage was steady at ~13.1 volts. I didn't notice the expected charge from alternator once I exceeded 2500 rpms and got into cruise flight. I'll need to check this. I had some coolant fluid leak as the engine died at idle as well. Otherwise, an overall successful first flight and what a rush!