Mentioned elsewhere, he first demonstrated to all that even fliers of his experience and skill level need a few flights to get back in the groove. It was actually inspiring to watch him pull out of reverse wingover Waaaay High, bobble bottoms, loosen up loops, miss intersections and so on.
But the big problem was that he couldn't get in a full pattern. Four-ounce tank, L&J Fox 35, B-Y&O 10-6 prop, all the right stuff. Kept coming up short.
We talked about it, for some reason I had been thinking he was using 20% fuel in his Fox. Wrong. But if the 10/29 GMA blend of Powermaster wasn't delivering mileage, what hope would there be of my fuel, SIG 10/25, messed with in order to come up with 10/25/3/62 (the 3% is Klotz), would be worth trying?
Especially as this was the last time this year I'd be flying a Fox 35--had my OTS Zilch X with me--and so had come with mere dregs of fuel in bottom of a gallon jug. Enough for me, I'd at least taken that precaution. But to feed two models? Didn't look good...
Still, PW took offered bit of fuel, put up a practice flight. Full pattern plus another 5 laps. Good to go, although a run-time discrepancy of 30 seconds or so seemed worth talking about. At least it was until we remembered there were home-grown, vine-ripened tomatoes on-site. And talking wasn't going get more mileage out of his fuel; it came down to using what I had or packing it up.
I flew in OTS, and while it is rare for me to call an attempt, I took every precaution possible. We didn't have a tank of fuel to spare.
At completion of OTS, it appeared as if 9 to 10 ounces were in the jug. Plenty if we didn't waste any. Plus I was flying a 20FP-powered Super Combat Streak in Classic, had switched over to SIG 10% Champion fuel.
First round PW set the engine off a little lean. No mileage concerns, although flight was hardly representative of what he and model can do.
Second round came up, PW was lookin' for a burner, all was going well, needed to keep going well, there was enough fuel for a single flight and not much more, as he pushed on ketchup-pump fueler, I thought back a couple weeks...
...to when I was fiddling with this very pump. A new fuel filter, a unit designed for dirt bikes, had been installed just downstream of pump. As you can imagine, there needs to be some form of reduction here, pump to Big Ol' filter to normal toy-airplane fuel line, to Commie Filter, to more Prather medium, to fueling probe.
I had used really large AeroTrend blue tubing in the past, but it is really fragile in my experience. In going through a bag of odds 'n ends of fueling- and tank-related stuff, out popped a length of really durable bladder material, this from our own "ferocious," Phil Cartier. Thick walls, yellow--and protective--outer layer of material. Perfect.
I plumbed in a 3" length, immediately after dirt bike filter, but before the CF, a piece which has a very fine screen, gets *all* the stuff, but sometimes can get clogged.
First time out with refurbished filter, all was well. But after a number of flights, last filter in line was beginning to resist the flow. No problem, I put more pressure on the pump. Causing the bladder material to blow up, well, like a bladder.
I thought this was riiillllyyy kewl! You're in a hurry, plus lines need to be cleaned. No problem! Hit pump with required number of licks, bladder accepts for temporary storage what filter won't pass, you don't care as you've got a 120- to 140-foot round trip to make.
As a bonus, sometimes friends would see bulge and think there was a problem, affording opportunity to make fun of them.
Back to PW's second-round flight in Classic, I had neglected to mention above modifications, fitments and considerations.
As if all might be--should be--normal, Paul kinda casually stroked the pump four times plus just a bit for good measure while he's looking around to confirm wind direction, placement of the judges, etc.
Nothing came out the vent. Hmmm, four strokes plus, four ounce tank, where's the overflow? A couple more strokes ought take care of it, right?
"Oh, I forgot to mention it, but see that expanded yellow bladder? That's where some of the fuel is; it's coming along."
Like all of us, PW has a set routine. Complications are not welcome. Ya know, things like having only one full tank of the only fuel we know works that day, a refueling line bulging like a garden snake digesting a mouse, no confirmation from overflow tube that all is well directly preceding the last shot of the day at puttin' in a good 'un.
Right then the overflow began to dribble fuel. The operative word is "dribble," as it should have been gushing; Paul knows as well as I do the power behind Phil's bladder tubing, having used exact same material in the second bomber.
I suggested the reason fuel was dribbling from overflow was same reason line extension/bladder expanded, last-in-line Commie Filter was partially blocked. And that in order to confirm this he could remove fueling line from vent and squirt it out onto the ground.
Which he did. I thought it done to excess as it wouldn't have been a big deal to open the jug and squirt it back in.
Punishment, I suppose. But it was all worth it to see effects of the unexpected upon someone with Paul's level of experience.
And those effects were? Not much, to be honest. Puzzlement over tank not being full when it should have been. Acceptance when seeing the bladder, even if it truly is a goofy looking thing. Mild frustration when the volume at overflow vent did not come even close to what it should be. And again acceptance at what I thought was confirmation that we were actually in good shape and ready to go when fuel dribbled out of the fueling probe.
Contest this weekend in Salem, Oregon. I'm thinkin' we need to stage a more serious situation of some sort just prior to Paul's second-round flight in PA. As always, open to suggestions...
As to "another PAMPA controversy," as Larry Cunningham has and might say, "Made ya look!"
Dan
