Date/Time: 4/16/08 6:30 ish.

winds: 110 @ 5-7mph.

After getting motor started the prior 2 days. Over night on the car battery charger, she started without a single problem. Definatly had the cranking amps. I am acutally thinking that the tricle charger, looses amps, but keeps voltage.

Layed the wing out after about 5-10 minutes of untangling the lines, and making sure everything was ready.

I got the motor down, and started right up again. I kneeled down and started the motor. I throttled on for about 30 seconds. To know that it would run without stalling. On and off the throttle.

Feels right.. so I hooked in an took off. While running I looked up several times to make sure everything was good. No errors, line overs, or twisted reisers.

I was off and into the air, heading about 120 degrees

After playing for a few moments I got and going up, i noticed a slight turning to the right. While engine on, and with the engine off. I think that perhaps one of the reisers to the wing may have slightly losened. I even checked the trims while up in the air.

While typing this, and being the first flight of the year, I think I should have done a better preflight. Even if I have been working on it the past few days getting it ready.

I flew around for about 15 minutes then decided to land. I lined up for the landing approach and noticed I was to high. So I pulled the left break, and did a 360… wee that was fun. I was lined up perfectly… then started to drift down a little to fast. I added about 3 seconds of throttle and killed the engine. Drifted in for a flawless landing, and as the wing layed down it started right for me and I took a few steps back to avoid it.

Then the airport owner stopped “First time up?” , “for the year yes”. He wanted to see if I was the one that caused one of the neighbors to complain. I asked him what color the wing was. He didn’t know, but knew the color of the van. Must have some sort of camera/survaliance.

Then ended up talking to him for about an hour about gas prices, faa grants, a neighboring airport, neighbors complaining.

It was an awsome night, but I have to figure out the drift to the right.

Today, after a few months of not being able to fly. She startred.

She took a bit of convincing.

I had an motorcycle battery that I used for my starting my RC airplanes. I decided to charge it last night, and charge the battery to my PPG motor.

Today hooked up a cigarette lighter to the motorcycle battery. I had an adaptor running from the battery with a pair of alegator clips on the other end.

This did not work, as after a few turns, I heard a clicking on the ppg motor. The starter was not getting enough power was my guess.

Okay, let’s try just a regular pair of alligator clips. The motor cranked, but was just barley enough. When I disconnected them from the battery, the wires were VERY hot. The wires were about a 16 or 18 gauge.

Okay, this told me that the wire guage was not think enough for the current being drawn.

So I took some old speaker wire, it was about 8 or 10 gauge. Put some quick loop connectors on it, the kind you crimp on the end of bare wire.

This wire was connected to the battery. It was NOT mounted in the motor, and was only an “extension” to the battery. It was very difficult to work on the battery when mounted to the motor.

After a few cranks it vrooooommmm.. She started.

Once started I let the motor run for a minue or so. Letting it warm up. I check the new sparkplug for coloruation to see if it was lean or rich gas mixture.

Nothing yet.

After about the 3rd startup, the engine was warm, and I needed to adjust the low needle valve. 1) because it i heard a metal tinging sound (means it’s to lean). 2) because the ideal (when throttle off) was a bit higher than I wanted.

This will need to be adjusted sometime in march when I am able to fly again. For those of you who are not from the north. Jan/Feb/March are usually the coldest, and snoweyest months.

So as of now, the motor is disassembled, and in my basement for further tweaking.

In the mean time, I found a better Reserve placement through a new product just released.