Dear Owen Some references which mainly deal with Self-Launching motorgliders but which also have some relevancy:
"A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operations" by Eric Greenwell 3rd Edition, downloadable from the US Auxiliary Powered Sailplane Association website. Motorgliding & Gliding International 1. Issue 10/2002 Tom Knauff "Motorgliding Emergencies" 2. Issue 3/2001 V Telhamp "Risks with Self-Launching and Engine Handling in Flight" 3. Issue 1/2002 P Williams "Living with a Two Cycle Reciprocating Engine" Hopefully these three you can get via Google. (They come up as .htm files but I save them via the option, under 'save as', of .mht so that they save as single files in one folder. This makes it easy to change the file title at a later time and move them around one's file structure.) If you don't succeed getting them let me know via direct email and I can email them to you. Turbo operations - a few issues I have encountered: 1. S-H Janus CT: Failure to air start due to pilot new to air start operating the water dump (stbd fuselage wall - forward push on knob) thinking he was opening the fuel cock (again stbd fuselage wall and a forward push on relevant knob) where the fuel control knob was inadvertently hidden from his line of sight behind the boom microphone shaft. Engine then stowed away for outlanding (paddock below was satisfactory) which was averted by 2 knot thermal turning up on downwind at 700 ft. 2. S-H turbo: Failure to add oil to fuel. Fuel tank was down to half full (with proper mix of fuel:oil) and needed replenishing. Avgas from bowser added direct to tank (removable aluminium upper tank) and addition of oil inadvertently omitted due to distraction. Fortunately engine not used that day and error was realised whilst reflecting later on that days events. Now use a fuel canister dedicated to the glider and marked with appropriate ratio data - canister is only to carry and store mixed fuel & oil. 3. S-H turbo: Slow progress into a headwind whilst trying to get home. If you increase cruise speed towards 70 kts to beat against the wind you decrease the climb to zero and/or reach the propeller speed at which the rpm overspeed protection cuts the ignition. This upper limit on airspeed limits ground speed into wind. If the head wind is significant and you have some way to go at end of day, you can watch the sunsetting on the horizon as you push home. Fortunately that day we were actually at sunset time close to home. If the engine then failed in the approaching dark you would be in trouble with visibility for outlanding. So there are some important judgements about achieved groundspeed, time to sunset and distance to home when cruising under power late in the day trying to get home, particularly if into wind. Your dataloger/GPS helps with these calculations and judgements. There will be the day, when with late in the day return to home under power, you need to recognise early on that the headwind will defeat you and you may need to turn tailwind or across the wind to another airfield, or proceed into wind towards home to a point where you outland whilst there is still good visibility for outlanding and a good range of paddocks to choose from. 4. S-H turbo: You have to keep in mind that the climb rate under power in the circumstances of high mid afternoon heat and some sinking air may be zero or negative. So the engine may possibly just move you a few paddocks further down the road if you start it at low height, say 1200 ft and below. And so you need to engine start at height to allow one to move forward into better air where you can climb. 5. S-H turbo: When retracting the engine, keep the retract switch down for a long time. Whilst listening carefully for the thump as the engine hits the stop, keep switch down longer so as to be 100% sure engine is fully retracted. This avoids gliding on with some engine bay door & residual engine in airstream drag, ie due incompleted retraction. Not withstanding the above, the turbo certainly has been well worthwhile. Engine maintenance has been straight forward with no defects or hassles so far. (But it doesn't automatically have to be that way as self-launching types seem to have a catalog of hassles). Two outlandings only in 1300 hours - Once whilst on competition flight and deliberately choosing not to engine start but to fly on down to circuit height (which is definitely too low to mess around with windmill start) and outland if necessary. And other time due to inadequate briefing of pilot leading to failure to start but then sensibly abandoning starting attempts in favour of simply turning downwind and landing in that nice big flat cultivated paddock right next to one. Then again the simplicity of operation of the jet Caproni at Tocumwal that I was furtunate to fly in last year was tantalising. Cheers Roger Druce -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Owen Jones Sent: Sunday, 25 March 2007 4:21 PM To: aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net Subject: [Aus-soaring] Safe operation of Turbos Hi all, If the thread on Jets is drawing to a close, can I say that I am also interested in reading anything that has been published to date on the safe operation of turbos (self sustaining sailplanes). I have not found anything in the Soaring Australia/Australian Gliding index. So far I have found three good articles in Sailplane & Gliding from the early 1990s: - "Some thoughts on turbo operations" Hollaway S&G Apr/May 1992 p 74-5 - "Safety in Powered Sailplanes" Strachan S&G June/July 1992 p 141 - "Self launching and self sustaining sailplanes" S&G April/May 1993 p 74-5 But the most current and informative material is the recent BGA note published in December 2006 titled "Converting to self sustaining gliders - guidance material". This is available on the BGA website. Does anyone else have any other articles that have been published on this important safety topic? Or even comments from other turbo owners would be most welcome. Owen Jones Beverley Soaring Society -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, 25 March 2007 10:30 AM To: aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net Subject: Aus-soaring Digest, Vol 42, Issue 75 Send Aus-soaring mailing list submissions to aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Aus-soaring digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Re: The not-so screaming jets... (Ben Jones) ******************************************* _______________________________________________ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring _______________________________________________ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
