Here is an alternate air door that was found to be loose and hanging in the open position. These doors, if installed and actuated by cable (as opposed to being held closed by magnets), should be regularly checked, and in fact can be checked on the preflight by using a flashlight and peering into the cowling near the exhaust stack exits. Being open like this causes dirty, unfiltered air to be constantly entering the engine. By the way, this will usually show up on an oil analysis as high silica. Also, it is allowing hot air to enter the intake system, thereby depriving the engine of the ability to make full rated power. It is like flying with the carburetor heat constantly on.
In Case You Missed it
Aero ‘lectrics, Strobes – Part 3
In Part 3 of this series about building an aircraft strobe, the author beefs up the project using off-the-shelf parts to provide a brighter, more frequent flash without running down the planes electrical system.
A Highly Modified Gyroplane and a Piper, Christavia, Bearhawk, Zenith Mashup?
Mel Asberry - 0
Question: I am building a gyroplane from pieces of an RAF 2000. I will...