Saturday October 22/16 we organized a trip to
Medicine Hat Alberta (elev 2350 rwy 5000 ft) for lunch. This
would be my fourth and longest cross country trip so far and would give me an opportunity to test
out the Q2 for a longer engine run time.
For this flight I also would be carrying more fuel and this would allow
me to test at higher weight and enable another fuel consumption
calculation. Empty weight is 628 lbs
with all my regular travelling items on board..
My airplane gross weight is listed at 1100 lbs but that I believe is not
practical for our 4000 ft elevation so I am using 1000 lbs as my realistic
gross weight, (aircraft was originally from a sea level airport). This flight had my full weight at 913 lbs
and the fuel on board would allow 4.0 hours flight time and still have 30 min
reserve remaining. Later flights will
test the actual weight carrying ability by gradual increases of sandbag
weight. I departed Springbank CYBW
(3960 ft) and after a standard departure procedure I was able to have a
requested flight altitude of 7500 ft.
Two other aircraft flew nearby in radio contact to watch over me and
this once again made me feel very relaxed.
Air flight time on this trip ended up being 1.4 hr to Medicine Hat and
1.7 hr returning. I was very happy with
the performance of the engine since top overhaul and again I was happy to see
temps and pressures staying in the normal range. A new bug to fix since this flight is my wind
sealing around canopy edges. Outside
temp I am guessing was +1C at 7500 ft and I got cold air coming in, the new
cabin heat I installed worked very well
but the outside air leaks will have to be weather stripped. Of course I knew this would probably be
required but I like to torture myself a bit first. Flight home was at 6500 ft and enjoyable at a
slower ground speed as I plodded directly into the headwind. Cockpit was warmer in the afternoon and
occasional direct sun really warmed up the cozy little space. This flight fuel consumption I calculated at
4.1 gal per hour including all start up and taxi use. I am not leaning aggressively as I want a
little fuel cooling of the cylinders during ring seating.
We had a fabulous turnout for lunch with
fourteen great people and eight airplanes.
C-195 Brian,
Cherokee 235 Bob, Citabria Logan, Cavalier Stu, Bushcaddy Glen, RV3 Alan, Cozy
MK4 Joel.
