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Buying a 60 year old airframe in the USA and flying it back to the UK


Still in shakedown cruise mode. Oil consumption looks good, and oil looks clean. Engine analyser will have to go for servicing. Stormscope inop and will be removed. KFC200 servo pitch switch will need investigating, but FD seems happy.

Will get FAA IFR altimeter sign off and ELT check.

Even at 18 in MP 140 KIAS so needs to fly high hence getting IFR sign off to test FL cruise.

Oxford (EGTK), United Kingdom

Stormscope seems to be alive, but haven’t managed to paint any strikes, although on the recent flight in showers no CB in the vicinity. I flew it airways and at FL80 it showed 175KTAS on 14 USGPH, 2450 RPM and full throttle. At FL100 it produced 172 KTAS and 13.5 USGPH.

Interesting how some of the early gremlins self cured, the Traffic Alert system was intermittently failing but now is behaving nicely, with a traffic page on the Garmin 530. The CD/FM sound system is working well, and it doesn’t have an ADF, which I traditionally used virtually exclusively for Radio 4 (all the way to Switzerland). I guess the FM will be line of sight only.

Unless there is an installation problem I notice the Bendix King 825 HSI doesn’t auto slew when you select a Localiser, although the GPS auto slews, and also OBSs.

Returning had my first full crosswind landing on the type, very solid, but when applying full into wind aileron on roll out you feel the rudder interconnect opposing your out of wind rudder.

Early August should hopefully get the avionics squawks rectified, and operating the airplane with a functioning AP.

Oxford (EGTK), United Kingdom

I should change the thread as technically I ended buying a forty one year old airframe :)

Oxford (EGTK), United Kingdom

RobertL18C wrote:

At FL100 it produced 172 KTAS and 13.5 USGPH.

Funny how this is exactly what an NA SR22 with TKS will do at FL100. I normally cruise at 170 KTAS / 13.0 GPH.

Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

@Boscomantico I need to keep the airframe polished more :)

Am not sure why the IO-550 performs more efficiently than the IO-520, am guessing your power was LOP. Am waiting for the analyser to be rectified so running on the fuel flow indicator.

Oxford (EGTK), United Kingdom

I would expect those performance numbers, especially when light with just the pilot on board.

KUZA, United States

RobertL18C wrote:

Unless there is an installation problem I notice the Bendix King 825 HSI doesn’t auto slew when you select a Localiser

Used to have same problem in my old Mooney, the trick I had is to load ILS from navigator (direct IAF and activate final leg instead of VTF), that would auto-slew my CRS on BK HSI, later on flip GPS/VLOC

My new Mooney has E-HSI and things ‘just work’

Last Edited by Ibra at 26 Jul 13:22
Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

As the usual Bonnie vs Cirrus banter made an appearance I thought this EAA Oshkosh Cirrus ‘streamed’ arrival worth sharing:)

Oxford (EGTK), United Kingdom

If I see any particular nice classic Bonanzas at Oshkosh, I’ll post a photo I’ll be there tomorrow.

Last Edited by Silvaire at 26 Jul 17:35

There are a few nice ones to look at, several rows like this in the vintage area plus newer ones, but none for sale that I saw…

I liked this early one.

Last Edited by Silvaire at 27 Jul 23:20
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