'98C Won't be in Michigan

cessna170bdriver · Post by **cessna170bdriver** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 2:56 pm

cessna170bdriver wrote:
I get this show on the road about 6am tomorrow. I don't yet have the technology to take the internet with me , so I'll be offline for a couple of weeks. Some of you I'll be seeing soon; for the rest, we'll let you know how it went when we return.

Miles

I was barely out of the starting gate on Tuesday morning, only about 160 nm from Mojave when '98C swallowed a valve, punching two holes in the piston.

To make a long story short, I landed safely on unattended Desert Center (L64) airport, and with the help of several very good friends from the 170 Association and the Tehachapi pilots group, got the debris cleaned out of the engine and a spare cylinder installed yesterday. (Moral: don;t leave home without a well-charged cell phone!)

Because the engine has over 1700 hours total time I just couldn't see risking another problem even further from home, so '98C is now safely back in her hangar in one piece, and I have a ticket on a Friday night red-eye into Detroit.

Miles

PS: I guess I need to change my avatar now, eh?

cessna170bdriver · Post by **cessna170bdriver** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 3:03 pm

OOPS! forgot to post this link to the best looking airport in the world about 8:45 last Tuesday morning:

http://www.airnav.com/airport/cn64

Miles

zero.one.victor · Post by **zero.one.victor** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 4:57 am

Miles, it's good to hear that your forced landing was (evidently) a non-event. I'm glad you're OK, engines (and even airframes) can always be repaired or replaced.
Unless you're a braver soul than I, your avatar isn't the only thing that must need changing!

Eric

doug8082a · Post by **doug8082a** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 12:23 pm

Man, that is one lonely lookin' piece of real estate, but I bet it looked like an oasis after your engine started munching on itself. Glad to hear you are ok and that the plane is still in good shape.

Post by **GAHorn** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 4:59 pm

Miles, I noticed you mentioned the time sinch overhaul on that engine. I wonder, if it's possible to discover the total time on the failed cylinder/valve assembly? Do the engine logs indicate whether or not that failed assy was installed: 1. Part way thru the SOH life? 2. Were new when installed? 3. Or were they "used"/"serviceable" when installed. 4. Or were they "repaired" at any time during the period SOH?
I'm a person who's leery of "used" or "serviceable" parts and just being curious about this.

cessna170bdriver · Post by **cessna170bdriver** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 5:14 pm

doug8082a wrote:Man, that is one lonely lookin' piece of real estate, but I bet it looked like an oasis after your engine started munching on itself.

AMEN!! on both points.

Miles

cessna170bdriver · Post by **cessna170bdriver** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 5:54 pm

gahorn wrote:Miles, I noticed you mentioned the time sinch overhaul on that engine. I wonder, if it's possible to discover the total time on the failed cylinder/valve assembly? Do the engine logs indicate whether or not that failed assy was installed: 1. Part way thru the SOH life? 2. Were new when installed? 3. Or were they "used"/"serviceable" when installed. 4. Or were they "repaired" at any time during the period SOH?
I'm a person who's leery of "used" or "serviceable" parts and just being curious about this.

George, it's probably a moot point now, as I doubt any of the cylinders currently on this engine will ever see another combustion event while attached to an airplane. That said, I'm curious too (duh!), and I'll research it.

I thought I remembered a notation somewhere in the log book about #5 being serviced, but I couldn't find it after a quick glance. I do remember that the last major overhaul occured in the ealy 1970's and there were years it flew very little, and some that it didn't fly at all. When I bought it in late 2001, it had been flying regular round trips over the Sierra Nevada Mountains between Reno, NV and Visalia, CA; and it gave me good service for about 175 hours since.

I'll stop by the hangar on the way to LAX this evening and pick up the log book and peruse it more carefully on the flight east.

My plan now is that when I return from Dearborn, I'll take the disassembled bottom end of '98C's factory original engine to LYCON and get them to do what they do, and have them build it up with brand new cylinder assemblies. I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with engine currently on the airplane.

Miles

cessna170bdriver · Post by **cessna170bdriver** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 6:15 pm

Here are some better photos and some interesting info on the history of the Desert Center Airport.

http://www.desertusa.com/airports/airport_dc.html

If you're ever driving or flying through the area and have an interest in WWII history, Chiriaco Summit about 20 miles west of Desert Center on Interstate 10 has a very good musuem of General Patton's activities in the area. There is a very useable airstrip adjacent to the museum, as well as a $100 hamburger cafe:

http://www.desertusa.com/mag99/feb/stories/airport.html

Miles

KMac · Post by **KMac** » Sun Jul 10, 2005 12:18 am

Glad to hear everything turned out OK. Did the engine quit? I have been told that the c-145/o-300 can still keep the plane in the air on 5 cylinders in some conditions (at least long enough to land somewhere). Is your seat cushion still attached to the seat frame?

rudymantel · Post by **rudymantel** » Sun Jul 10, 2005 8:00 pm

The O-300 engine wll not only fly on 5 cylinders, it will take off on 5 !
Don't ask me how I know- it's not something I'm proud of...
Rudy

KMac · Post by **KMac** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 4:41 am

Wow. Sounds like you made it back OK too. No wonder these old girls are such good airplanes.

cessna170bdriver · Post by **cessna170bdriver** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 9:18 pm

KMac wrote:Glad to hear everything turned out OK. Did the engine quit? I have been told that the c-145/o-300 can still keep the plane in the air on 5 cylinders in some conditions (at least long enough to land somewhere).

When I got on the ground, the first thing I did was put a wet finger on each of the cylinder heads. Numbers 1 and 5 were only luke warm while the other 4 caused a "sizzle". This means I was running on 4! (Glad I didn't lose 2 on a 4-banger!

) As I stated before, I only lost 1500 feet in 12 miles. Had I slowed down a bit, I probably could have maintained altitude. The engine was still turning in the neighborhood of 2000 RPM, and was actually somewhat smoother than the couple of times when Iâ€™ve had stuck valves. Number 5 was the one that shed the exhaust valve head that beat the piston into submission. Number 1 spark plugs were fouled with oil and aluminum (presumably sucked through the intake manifold, as there was no damage to the number 1 piston or cylinder.)

KMac wrote:Is your seat cushion still attached to the seat frame?

My seats have long been in need of rebuild, and when I unloaded â€˜98C after getting it home I did notice a substantial pile of powdered foam in the floor under the pilot seat.

Miles