shipchief
New member
N8533R a 1966 14-19-3A made it's first flight in 15 years!
The IO-470F required complete new internals due to corrosion, and the 3 blade McCaulley got a new hub. Over 200 hours of new owner maintenance (supervised) including removal of old avionics and carbuncle antenae resulted in break in speed of 158 Kts (181.7 MPH) @ 25 Sq. That is essentially Viking 17-30 book performance on a 260!! Some airframes are just lucky!
I was a 14-19-2 owner, and received the first flight honors. Trim was wonderful, and the landing was 'on rails'.
As for the "squirlyness on runway": Not squirlly, but not stable either, being very active with rudder, like a taildragger, in regard to needing to keep those feet working. It wouldn't dart to the side, but it wouldn't just straighten out like a Cessna if you let up on the feet.
This airframe was right at the brink of scrapping. Peter had faith based on my murky tales of Bellanca. Now he has that unmistakable grin. Total cost: Still less than a used Cessna 172!!
I'm not sure how we will know it's "broke in", the oil temp ran 185F - 190F, the whole time, which is normal. Head temp about 280. EGT 1250 - 1300F. I wouldn't expect to see that 10 dergree drop which signifies break in. Outside air temp was about 33F. Next flight OAT will probably be warmer, so I don't expect a good comparison can be made.
Although I'm nearly done building an RV-8, I think I feel the need to save a Bellanca Cruisemaster... Now let's see...a 14-19-2 or a 14-19-3A?
The IO-470F required complete new internals due to corrosion, and the 3 blade McCaulley got a new hub. Over 200 hours of new owner maintenance (supervised) including removal of old avionics and carbuncle antenae resulted in break in speed of 158 Kts (181.7 MPH) @ 25 Sq. That is essentially Viking 17-30 book performance on a 260!! Some airframes are just lucky!
I was a 14-19-2 owner, and received the first flight honors. Trim was wonderful, and the landing was 'on rails'.
As for the "squirlyness on runway": Not squirlly, but not stable either, being very active with rudder, like a taildragger, in regard to needing to keep those feet working. It wouldn't dart to the side, but it wouldn't just straighten out like a Cessna if you let up on the feet.
This airframe was right at the brink of scrapping. Peter had faith based on my murky tales of Bellanca. Now he has that unmistakable grin. Total cost: Still less than a used Cessna 172!!
I'm not sure how we will know it's "broke in", the oil temp ran 185F - 190F, the whole time, which is normal. Head temp about 280. EGT 1250 - 1300F. I wouldn't expect to see that 10 dergree drop which signifies break in. Outside air temp was about 33F. Next flight OAT will probably be warmer, so I don't expect a good comparison can be made.
Although I'm nearly done building an RV-8, I think I feel the need to save a Bellanca Cruisemaster... Now let's see...a 14-19-2 or a 14-19-3A?
