Diversion to Compton Abbas
En Route from Popham to Henstridge in the Luscombe on Saturday the mighty C85 started to falter so I diverted to Compton Abbas.
I was very happy to pay the landing fee but they insisted that as it was a precautionary diversion they wouldn't take the money.
Draining off some fuel showed some specks of dirt but not enough I thought to be the cause. Ground run and take-off OK but en-route back to Popham the same thing happened. Symptoms - reduction in max RPM to around 2,200, uneven running, vibration and a fluttering noise from up front. Carb heat had no effect. If left on full throttle it cleared after several minutes but any throttling back made it recur. I think we have a sticking valve. Any engineers with experience of the C85 care to comment?
Many thanks to Compton Abbas, one of my favourite airfields.
Mike