yocksurf
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2017
- Messages
- 25
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The Cherokee has been down for 6 months getting an engine overhaul. We also added a Powerflow Exhaust. So Finally got engine installed, ran the engine and then it's time to do the 2.5 hour Lycoming flight engine run.
I did a very thorough preflight and all is good. Start the engine and taxi, do the run up and off we go. Up to 6,000' and 2.5 hours all is great. Time to land and check everything out.
Descend to the airport and set up in the downwind at 80kts and all of a sudden the airplane is so out of coordination it's scary. I look at the ball and its left so I step on the ball and the ball flops to the right and then step on it and it's left. I could not keep the plane coordinated no matter what. Fortunately I get the Cherokee on the runway and it taxi's fine to the hangar. It was a bit of a handful to say the least to get it on the ground.
So what would cause this uncoordinated flight? Prior to the Engine overhaul all was fine with the plane. Could the new Powerflow Exhaust Pipe be creating turbulence causing the nose pant to move at lower speed? (At higher speed the Pant was not moving, I would guess the higher speed helped in this instance) What keeps the nose pant centered in flight? (steering dampener?? the fin on the back of the Pant??) The nose wheel and rudder move together correctly on the ground. It was only happening at slow speed as I was cruising at 105kts for 2.5 hours and all coordinated.
Any ideas on what the issue is????
I did a very thorough preflight and all is good. Start the engine and taxi, do the run up and off we go. Up to 6,000' and 2.5 hours all is great. Time to land and check everything out.
Descend to the airport and set up in the downwind at 80kts and all of a sudden the airplane is so out of coordination it's scary. I look at the ball and its left so I step on the ball and the ball flops to the right and then step on it and it's left. I could not keep the plane coordinated no matter what. Fortunately I get the Cherokee on the runway and it taxi's fine to the hangar. It was a bit of a handful to say the least to get it on the ground.
So what would cause this uncoordinated flight? Prior to the Engine overhaul all was fine with the plane. Could the new Powerflow Exhaust Pipe be creating turbulence causing the nose pant to move at lower speed? (At higher speed the Pant was not moving, I would guess the higher speed helped in this instance) What keeps the nose pant centered in flight? (steering dampener?? the fin on the back of the Pant??) The nose wheel and rudder move together correctly on the ground. It was only happening at slow speed as I was cruising at 105kts for 2.5 hours and all coordinated.
Any ideas on what the issue is????
