Today's flying lesson was.... short.
It was decided that we'd take up 03G for some more spin training. I did the pre-flight, we pushed the plane out, got in, and I started the checklist. Everything was cool so I asked for ground clearance and was told to taxi to runway 32 Right. (Hey, I'm doing my own radio work now!)
We arrived in the run up area and I did the pre-takeoff stuff. One of the final steps is the mag check. Switch off the left magneto and observe a 100 RPM drop on the engine. Flip it back on and see it return to normal. Repeat for the right magneto.
However, when I killed the left mag, we lost 400 RPM or more. I repeated this a few times to confirm the problem and then Dave tried a few things. But nothing worked, so I asked for clearance back to the hangar so that Al the wonder-mechanic can check it out.
All other planes were occupied, so we're going to reschedule for later in the week.
Posted by jzawodn at September 14, 2005 02:07 PM
Lots of fouled plugs this time of year. Did he try to clear them?
Yup, he tried several times. It was fun trying to keep the plane from going anywhere at full power. I got a good sense of how much travel you have on the brakes.
Sorry you didn't get to fly on Wednesday but it's a much better thing to find out about the fouled plug on the ground than in the air.
I've been enjoying your posts immensely. I started flying again, after a 13 year hiatus, about the same time you began your Citabria flights. Keep flying and keep posting.
Cheers,
-- Art Z.
