Coming alive after six month's hibernation

[Jan Olieslagers]

My plane (a Halley Apollo Fox, with an 80 HP Rotax 912) , left the factory in summer 2010, and acquired +/- 30 hours until March 2011. She hasn't flown since, nor has the engine ever been started. She is hoped to take to the skies real soon now, and I was wondering what precautions to take.

-) the obvious first thing to do is charging the battery. I must find out the exact model (motorcycle type, most likely), then acquire an appropriate charger.
-) engine oil would certainly have to be changed. But perhaps I best run the engine for a limited time on the old oil?
-) tyres: she was rolled about a couple of times so I am not too concerned about uneven wear/deformation. Pressure must of course be verified.
-) any cables or tubing that might have particularly suffered from the long standing?
-) other things to check, or even replace right away?

TIA,

[Zulu Alpha]

Try one of these chargers. AccuMate Smart Chargers (http://www.accumate.co.uk/)

The Rotax manual will tell you what you need to do to the engine. I think nothing will be required for less than 6 months and maybe an oil change after 6 months, but check the manual. I seem to remember that turning it over regularly by hand reduces what needs to be done

It would have been much better to have changed the oil before storing it!!!

[BackPacker]

- Flush the system with fresh fuel. I assume there's Mogas/Euro95 in the tank right now, which might have gelled to some extent. Particularly in things like carb bowls.
- Check/replace hydraulic brake fluid, bleed the brakes?
- Check any cavities, holes and other empty spaces for birds nests etc.
- Check spark plugs?
- Lubricate/re-grease all control and control runs as required.

Personally I'd simply take out the 50-hour check checklist and go from there.

Oh, and don't forget your own currency. One or two flights with an instructor or safety pilot might not be a bad idea if you've not been flying for the same amount of time.

[Rod1]

The UK Rotax expert recommends running the engine every 4 weeks and not leaving the aircraft standing for more than three months without inhibiting it.

The fuel will be past its sell by date and will probably need draining off and replacing. If it was Mogas then I would be concerned that the carbs may need cleaning.

When you have got it sorted and running I would check the compression (leak down test) and the max static RPM before committing aviation.

Some battery types (eg red top) will not stand being completely discharged for more than a few days so you may need to replace the battery.

Rod1

[Jan Olieslagers]

Thanks for these quick replies.
-) all fuel had been drained for the long road trip, no worries there. But the lines and joints have been dry for half a year...?
-) hydraulic brakes I hadn't yet thought of. Must be looked into indeed.
-) if the battery won't charge properly, it will obviously have to be replaced, yes. Will ask for recommendations as and when required...
-) what about the coolant circuit? Better drain that, too? Immediately or after some ground running?
-) yes I will certainly take several hours with an instructor. Actually I have little experience, and none at all on this type, so I will have an instructor check me out on it like (s)he would do for a club plane. This will be also serve as a measure for the instructor's confidence in the machine's reliability.

[IO540]

I wonder if the engine will be corroded inside? Depends on where stored.

If this is a possibility, I would change the new oil after just a few hours.

[Genghis the Engineer]

In the absence of anything else, I'd suggest either a Check C, or even an annual, in accordance with MMS-1 (http://www.bmaa.org/files/til020_1_microlight_maintenance_schedule.pdf) which will be pretty much ideal for your aircraft.

G

[Rod1]

Is the coolant glycol or Evens? Either way you should be ok without draining but if you can avoid Evens I would.

Rod1

[Ultra long hauler]

She is hoped to take to the skies real soon now, and I was


Jan, what´s the hold up??

My hold up is a faulty EFIS-screen which takes time to be send back to where I live etc. Kind of thought you´d beat me to it……….when is the 1st flight expected to take place?

Looking forward to pics / video of your beast……in the sky, that is.

###Ultra Long Hauler###