April 2012
Q: Dear Steve,
I have a tire problem. Actually, it’s more of a pilot error problem. I am the proud and happy owner of an Archer III. This is a good airplane for me because it’s simple, it performs well enough for what I want, and doesn’t cost a whole lot to maintain.
I almost always fly by myself. Not always; I enjoy flying Young Eagles flights, and am planning to sign up to do Angel Flights as soon as my new business gets going.
However, I’m going through tires like Starbucks goes through a Seattleite. I just can’t seem to keep my feet under control while landing in crosswinds, and the airport I fly to most often always has a crosswind. I get worried and nervous because I have locked up the left brake—and scraped off hundreds of dollars’ worth of tire rubber—three times now.
Do you have any suggestions?
—Gotta ‘nother flat one
A: Dear Flat One,
I also have a pair of dancing feet. And I have also left a few pounds of expensive aircraft tire rubber on a runway or two. . . or three.
I think you have two problems. The first is a fear of losing control during crosswind landings. Without flying with you I can’t say for sure, but one thing to check for is flying your approach at too high a speed. High speed on final causes you to touch down much farther down the runway than you should, which translates into heavy braking.
The rule of thumb for airspeed on final during normal conditions is 1.3 Vso. The bottom of the white arc on your Archer III airspeed indicator is 45 knots IAS. The bottom of the white arc is Vso at maximum weight. Applying the rule of thumb yields an over-the-fence target speed of
59 knots IAS.
It’s suggested that half the gust factor of a crosswind be added to the normal approach speed to arrive at a safe gusty wind approach speed. For instance, if the crosswind is 14 knots with gusts to 26, the gust factor is 12; add 6 to the 59 knots, and fly the approach at 65 knots.
According to the Information Manual, the demonstrated crosswind component for the Archer III is 17 knots.
The Information Manual cites 66 knots IAS as the correct final approach speed (with flaps 40 degrees). Sixty-six knots turns out to 1.3 times 50 knots, which is the speed at the bottom of the green arc on the airspeed indicator.
The other contributing factor could be confusion about which crosswind landing technique to use. The two most common are the crab/kick-out method and the sideslip to landing method.
If you’re unsure of which method to use, or the one you’re using isn’t working, hire an instructor and practice. Find which method works best for you and for your airplane. I fly a Piper Comanche and find that the crab/kick-out method works well.
One way to save money on aircraft tires is to use recaps. Although some pilots have strong feelings against using recaps, test after test have proven that recaps are safe and are a prudent and money saving option when buying tires.
For instance, a new Goodyear Flight Custom III 6.00 x 6 with 6 ply rating lists on the Desser Tire and Rubber website for $186. The same size retread with the same ply rating lists for $69. Desser Tire and Rubber sells both aircraft recaps and new tires and tubes.
I believe your tire woes will be relieved when you fly crosswind approaches at the correct speed and get instruction to help you determine which crosswind landing technique works best and feels most comfortable for you.
Happy Flying.
Q: Hi Steve,
I have a 1997 Piper Malibu. The chrome plating is coming off the spinner and I want to get it re-plated. This spinner is made of carbon fiber. Where should I send it?
—Not so shiny
A: Hi Not So,
I checked with TCB Composite, a company in Florida that produces composite spinners for many GA aircraft, for information about chroming composite spinners.
Nick at TCB replied that paint is the answer, and suggested I contact Gold Touch. Gold Touch’s Cosmichrome is not a chroming process but is used widely in the custom automobile industry to apply finishes that closely resemble chrome.
The process—there’s more information and videos on Gold Touch’s website—consists of prepping the spinner by spraying a polyurethane base coat. Then, a metalizing layer (which doesn’t have to be silver; it can be gold or tinted) is applied by spraying. That’s followed by a finish coat of hard polyurethane paint. The polyurethane coats are applied with a standard auto-style spray gun, but the metalized layer must be applied with specialized equipment from Gold Touch.
Innate Technologies advertises “chrome” paint. There’s a photo on this company’s website of a painted fiberglass Piper wing root fairing—and it looks good. The site lists the sales price of a ¼ pint kit at $69. Call or email Innate for more information or to order. (This website, and the others mentioned in this answer, are listed in Resources at the end of this column. —Ed.)
It sounds to me as though the easiest solution would be to take your spinner to competent local auto body shop and ask them to apply chrome-looking paint using the clear coat process.
Happy Chroming.
Q: Dear Steve,
Avgas is over $6 a gallon here in Ohio where I’m based. I used to calculate my flying in “hours-to-destination,” but this ramped-up fuel cost has me thinking in “dollars-to-destination.”
I am strongly considering an auto gas STC. Both Petersen and EAA have one for my airplane engine combo.
Based on the cost of auto gas here, I’ll save about $25 per hour of flight. What do you think about this idea?
—Shallow Pockets
A: Dear Pockets,
There are certainly advantages to burning auto gas, but auto gas users have to be careful. Much of the auto gas in the United States is spiked with ethanol. Unlike Avgas, which does not mix with water, ethanol-added auto gas is miscible with water. This means any water will immediately mix with the fuel when the two liquids are brought together.
Water in ethanol-added auto gas remains in suspension; unlike water in Avgas, it does not settle to the bottom of tanks where it can be sumped out. Since ethanol is an alcohol, it is also harmful to aircraft since it degrades flexible hoses and causes corrosion in fuel system components such as fuel pumps, fuel injection components and carburetors. The point is NEVER pour auto gas containing ethanol into an airplane fuel tank.
All auto gas must be tested before use. There are lots of test kit options listed on different sites on the Internet—EAA sells one—but you probably have everything you need in your kitchen to create a simple, foolproof test kit. If you have a tall glass bottle like the one that olives are packed in, you’re halfway home.
Eat the olives, wash and rinse the bottle and make a solid, easy-to-see mark around the bottle one-third of the way up from the bottom of the bottle. (A Sharpie indelible marker does a fine job.) Fill your tester bottle to the line with water. Then fill your tester the rest of the way with the auto gas you’re testing.
Put on the cap and give the bottle a good healthy shake. Set it aside to settle. If there’s any ethanol in the fuel sample, it will have combined with the water, raising the level of the water in the bottle.
There are at least two websites that list sites where ethanol-free auto fuel can be purchased. (See Resources in the next column. —Ed.) According to one of these sites, there are over 4,600 locations listed by state, town and address.
Happy Flying.
Steve Ells has been an A&P/IA for 38 years and is a commercial pilot with Instrument and Multi-Engine ratings. Ells also loves utility and bush-style airplanes and operations. He served as Associate Editor for AOPA Pilot until 2008. Ells is the owner of Ells Aviation and the proud owner of a 1960 Piper Comanche. He lives in Paso Robles, Calif. with his wife Audrey. Send questions or comments to editor@www.piperflyer.com.
Know your FAR/AIM and check with your mechanic before starting any work.
RESOURCES >>>>>
Composite Spinners:
TCB Composite Company
www.tcbcomposite.com
“Chrome” Paint:
Gold Touch Inc.
www.goldtouchinc.com
Innate Technologies Group, Ltd.
www.innate.com
New Aviation Tires and Recaps:
Desser Tire and Rubber Co.
www.desser.com
Auto Gas STCs:
Petersen Aviation Inc.
www.autofuelstc.com
EAA:
EAA.org
Ethanol-free Fuel Locators:
www.pure-gas.org
www.buyrealgas.com
