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shipchief

shipchief

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Marilyn & I flew from Seattle to Alexandria LA yesterday to buy N9800B, whick we did last night.
No we are sitting in a hotel, flight plannning our route home.
I'm thrilled to have a Cruisemaster again after 20 years.
The plane seems very well maintained and has good records. Time will tell, and this is a pretty long flight.
Thunderstorms are predicted today, so we may spend a day getting to know Alexandria from a rental car.
 
Your old hangar, D7.
I must admit, I bought N9800B on a lot of faith, yesterday, but I spent today removing more covers and inspecting.
Gus took very good care of this plane, and so did the previous owners. I feel very lucky to have her.
I hope to do as well.
I do have a question:
There is a compass card looking instrument with a knob on the lower left that moves one of two needles. The circuit beaker is labled RMI. Gus called it a remote compass that doesn't work very well, but admitted he didn't really know where the remote unit is...It's powered by a 1 amp breaker...?
The weather went foul today, with thunderstorms passing in the afternoon after stiff winds. We're holed up in a motel near the airport. Million Air, the FBO has been very kind to us, and loaned us a car. Their pilot's louge has excellent computer stations and planning programs with a huge screen.
We hope to get out tomorrow.
Scott
 
That is a Remote Compass. They work well, better than a whiskey compass. The transmitter is probably on the floor of the fuselage, maybe in front of the battery. 01B and the trainer each have one. Dan
 
Congrats getting back into a Cruise Master, there is nothing else that even comes close to the way one flies.
 
We left Alexandria about 10:00 when the weather had lifted plus the time it took me to get ready.
The door popped open after take off, and took the Houston Sectional chart in a nano second.
We landed in Nachedocia LA to get a chart and settle down. I hadn't flown a Cruisemaster with tailwheel in over 20 years, so I was greatful all the winds were straight down the runway for us. We went to centerville Tx and got some gas, but mostly to look 9800B over to make sure no problems were cropping up. Next we flew a long leg, and the overcast lifted and eventually dissipated half way to Big Springs Tx, where we got more gas, quickly blasting off @ 3 PM. Quick pit stop, but the planning wasn't so good. New Mexico and Arizona sure have a lot of MOAs and Restricted airspace. Flight following was helpful, and we spent the night at Roswell NM. It's true, the main street has lots of space alien figures in their advertising.
Great Southwest Air hangard 9800B for $25 and called Holiday Express hotel for a room and to pick us up.
We left Roswell about 8 AM to avoid expected winds, and fueled in St Johns NM which was 20K G35 but only 20 degrees off runway 21.The headwinds were strong on this and the next leg to Wickensburg NM, sometimes the GPS speed was 84 Kts.
9800b still climbs strong @ 12,000 ft, where it was almost smooth. We were trying for Needles CA, but mist/rain closed us out. We diverted to Wickenburg, were the wind was right across the runway@ 13k, G23. That was scarey. We got gas, did some flight planning on the bench, and call for a weather brief. A Boeing Osprey (Tilt Rotor)flew by.
The take off out of Wickensburg was even worse. Also, the weather shut us out to Blythe, so here we are at Buckeye Arizona, the closest with wind only 20 degrees off the runway @ 13 kts. We got a ride from a sky diver to the hotel, and will catch a cab @ 7 AM back to the airport. Hopefully the front will have passed during the night.
As for 9800B, she's been running fine. The radios are scratchy, the intercom troublesome, and the controls a bit stiff, but these can all be worked out.
I'm not finding the speed in her that my prevoius bird had, but I'll find it sooner or later.
 
Arrr Mate: Welcome aboard, the Blue bird experiance! I flew the crate in a 15 kt crosswind. I was dam scared too! Lynn the crate :D
 
We made it out of Buckeye AZ Sunday @ 8:05 AM, in perfect weather. The rain front passed during the night.
9800B was soaked on the outside, but the door seal held and the co-pilot seat was dry. We got our first tail winds as we passed Edwards Airforce Base.
We gassed @ Apple Valley, which has a great pair of runways and also FBO with restaurant. Breakfast and then off to Auburn CA for a brief gas & pit stop. Weather was perfect until Medford OR. We slid in under the thin overcast and moderate turbulence to arrive at Roseburg OR for gas. The FBO let us hangar with the medevac helicopter for the night.
Today is rainy and low, but the medivac pilot was a host of local weather knowledge, and we also noticed the wind drop off in Eugene, so we blasted off into rain and lowering ceilings to Creswell OR, passing the front in the hills, and arriving @ Hobby field to 6 Kts wind down the runway and a perfect landing. During this leg we saw some pretty hight speeds with the tailwind, 150 and 160 Kts.
We're staying with friends and hope to get better weather tomorrow for the last leg home.
I took advantage of the hangar time this morning to give 9800B a good going over after the long haul from Alexandria LA. Everything is holding together. I got the door to close better, I think it improved the speed by a noticable amount. I've been running @ 2200 RPM for range, mostly @ 8500 Ft. The rest of the way may be much lower.
 
We made it out of Hobby Field in Creswell @ 9:05 AM, but only to Salem OR, due to broken clouds @ 400 AGL. We waited it out for and hour, Marilyn's sister and kids came by for a brief visit, and we were off to Aurora OR to land because of the low clouds again. It never did get better, and 9800B ended up in a hangar, and us in a rented car for Seattle.
Storms are expected tonight and tomorrow, and the clagg was in the trees from just a few miles north of Aurora, to McCord Airforce Base. I feel good about the decision to drive home.
9800B is safe and secure, I'll pick it back up in a few days after the storm passes and I get a couple days off from work.
On the way home in the rental car, we stopped in a local field and bought a new Cruisemaster windshield and a pair of rams horn yokes from an abandonded project. I'm collecting parts already!
Did I mentioon the FBO's were all great. Every one. Janet, a retried 28000 Hr freight dog called the FBO next door for the rental car. She was very supportive of our choice to 'not scud run' and helped choose resources. "I've been stuck lots of times" she said. It turned out that a rental car was $99, train tickets (if you could get them, and they were sold out today and tomorrow) were $56 ea and we needed two, plus a taxi ride to get there. The rental car was 'one way' with drop off @ Galvin Aviation at Boeing Field. Sweet. We stopped @ home, droppped off our bags, and Marilyn followed me with our car to Galvin, where we dropped off the rental car; perfect.
Gus the seller just emailed us. He is the greatest guy he just found more avionics manuals and has mailed them to us.
 
Today 9800B came to it's new home.
Today @ noon, Peter, our oldest, flew us from Auburn WA S50 to Aurora OR KUAO in 8533R, his 1966 14-19-3a. The ceilings allowed us to fly about 2500 MSL on the way down.
9800B was safe and dry in the hangar @ Willamette Air. We greeted Dave the owner, paid our bill and were on our way in less than half an hour.
The 14-19-3a is a fair bit faster than the 14-19-2... :oops: something to work on. The return was mostly @ 3500 msl @ 2300 RPM 23", about 146 Kts GPS over the ground. Probably had a tail wind :wink:
 
RMI...stands for remote magnetic indicator. Not sure where in a Bellanca the flux gate(remote compass) would be but the instrument is basically a repeater for a compass that is installed elsewhere in the airplane. Great instrument if understood and used properly. I make my living flying and in the corporate jet that I fly the RMI is one of the most basic of instruments but one of the most important.

Cheers.

RT
 
Magnesyn Compass;
Is this what I have? My indicator looks like this one. How is it powered? My panel breaker labeled "RMI" is rated 1 watt. I thought they needed 400 Hz 3 Phase power?

This is from an add for a unit mounted in a Cessna 150.
Compass PN 17-100
Governor PN 17-113
 
There is a solid state power supply available to run these units instead of the peanut inverter, I believe Castleberry has them, I will have to look at the replacement that I have for 6RJ.

Dan
 
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