Sean's Lyc O-235 Panther N485PA

[F16dcc431]

Sean,
Any updates?

[Seansull]

Testing is progressing slowly thanks to unpredictable Texas spring weather. I have managed to get just over 6 hours on the Panther.

I have been working through a few minor squaks:

Rudder trim and heavy right wing - I've added a temporary rudder trim tab what has improved the left yaw tendency, but I still need more (see post in General Discussion section of forums). I still have a very slight heavy right wing which will be addressed after the ball is centered.

Ellison TBI - I was able to fine tune my TBI a bit this week. I was running too rich at idle which resulted in a slightly rough sounding engine. After a few minor adjustments the engine is extremely smooth ( for a 4 cyl lyc). The Ellison TBI has exceeded my expectations. 100% satisfied!

General thoughts - I am not going to share any performance numbers until I get the aircraft trimmed out perfectly. However, I will say the engine/prop combo appears to be VERY nice. I have seen cruise speeds much higher than I expected.

As a very low time tail wheel pilot, I have to keep reminding myself that I am testing the airplane, not training myself. I am anxious to get through the testing phase so I can begin honing my skills.

More to come soon!

Sean

[woolleys]

Sean, great to hear that you testing is going great. This is a great airplane and as you expand the testing envelope you will get that grin that all well performing airplanes bring to the pilot. Congratulations.

Bob Woolley

[Seansull]

Hi Everyone!

Today I completed my 3rd and 4th flights on my Lycoming O-235 L2C powered Panther LS. I currently have a total of 3.4 hours on my Panther. The first flight revealed a slightly heavy right wing, and the plane wanted to yaw to the left quite a bit. For the second flight, I made on adjustments, it was purely a flight to confirm what I thought I had discovered in the first flight. Confirmed.

Prior to the third flight today, I adjusted the left flap up about 1/8". This adjustment almost eliminated my heavy right wing. The yaw to the left was improved ever so slightly. Prior to the 4th flight the left aileron was adjusted up 1 1/2 turns of the push rod end. This seems to have done the trick to eliminate the heavy right wing. The left yaw tendency is still present. I will most likely be installing a rudder trim tab.

The 3rd Panther flight today was my engine reliability test, and flight lasted just over an hour. I flew a 23nm "hold" at 3000 msl (D Alt 5734) that looped around 4 local airports. Engine RPM's were held around 2400 and IAS was 125 kts +/-. Oil pressure, O temp, EGT's, CHT's , and fuel pressure were all perfect for this and all previous flights.

It will be interesting to see wat the full power numbers look like in further tests. It appears there is still quite a bit of power in reserve at the above setting. I may have to look into a prop with a bit more pitch.

Here is my current setup:

Empty weight 803 Lbs

Lycoming O-235 L2C
Sensenich WC68PK-65 fixed pitch 2 bladed prop
Ellison EFS-3A Throttly Body Injector
MGL Avionics iEFIS w/ 2 axis autopilot
VPX ECB

I look forward to posting much more data of anyone interested in the O-235 setup. If you want any specific information, please let me know.

Finally, thanks to Dan and Rachel for design/supply of this awesome little airplane!