R-44 Clipper I
I've got a few questions, maybe some of you can help. I just started flying an r44 Clipper I. It has fixed floats and according to the POH, yes, the VNE is reduced. But the airspeed indicator has a placard that reads, "80kts VNE with floats". I'm not sure if this is correct or if one of the spanish speaking mechanics mis-read something regarding pop outs or if, in fact, that is the actual VNE of an R44 Clipper I with fixed floats on it? There is a placard under the collective regarding VNE 80kts "when floats are deployed", which I take is referring to pop-outs.
Also, when I first started going through the weight and balance I read that this aircraft has 7 unusable gallons of fuel. Is this common or is this possibly another mistake? I certainly use the 7 gallons in all my fuel calculations, but I spoke with a couple of guys I work with, also pilots, and they said that it is not correct.
I'm going through about 1q of oil every 1 1/2 hours, seems excessive to me? There's definitely some bleeding going on around the engine and head covers, I see it everyday.
Lastly, when shutting down the R44 at what cylinder head temp do you look for before closing the throttle and disengaging the clutch. I've heard and read many different things. It's not terribly hot here, stays around 30-32c almost everyday. I know this aircraft feels a bit underpowered and I'm wondering if there are problems regarding the amount of oil being used, possible loss of compression from the oil leaks, and if this R44 hasn't been cooled down properly in the past and I've got a valve issue. A lot of these guys that fly in this area just say 2 minutes at closed throttle and then you're good. But people I talk with are telling me completely different stories.
I'm new to the R44 and pretty low hour, so don't kill me over these questions, I just need some insight from pprune instead of getting advice from some of these guerilla pilots that fly down here who say not to worry about anything.
Last edited by Fracturelines; 5th Apr 2012 at 03:09.