The Clunk

My Libelle has developed a clunk. Seems like something big moving around.
I appreciate the leads on where you looked for yours.

David Grah
Bishop

"JJ Sinclair" wrote in message
...
All season long, I have heard a clunking sound every thme I hit a bump.
Checked
over everything several times and found nothing, battery secured with a
strap,
oxygen bottle tightly secured in its cradle, push-rod guides tight against
the
push-rods, no side play in the gear (retrasted)? I thought it might be the
main
wheel bouncing in the wheel-well, so I glued in a piece of foam to the top
of
the wheel-well, so that the retracted wheel would just touch it and
prevent any
vertical movement. Still had the clunk. Normally, I would forget about it,
but
this ship was "totaled" by the insurance company, about a year ago, and I
had a
nagging feeling that I had missed something in the rebuilding process.

Last week I lost all electrical powar, didn't have my back-up battery in,
because it was just a "fun" flight. Wasn't much "fun" after everything
stopped
working. Where am I, exactly? How far to that duster strip? How much
altitude
do I need? DAMN, I'm going to be forced to do some of that "Piloting
Stuff". No
audio. No vario, we need some altitude, right now or getting home isn't
the
most emediate problem. Boy, I miss the audio, Can't keep looking inside or
I'll
run into this other guy (in my thermal) Oh yeah, the B-40 has a back-up
internal battery (thanks Mike Borgelt) Getting home, just might work.

Lets see now, I'm about here, so how far to home? Should have put some of
those
"old-fashioned" distance circles on this "old-fashioned" map. OK, at 1000
feet
per 15 statute miles, I will need, Hmmmm, 30 miles divided by 10 = 3 times
1500
feet = 4500 feet. No that doesn't sound right? Oh, yeah, that's 30 miles
divided by 15 = 2, times 1000 = 2000 feet + 500 for pattern. Now what's
the
elevation? Let's see now, that's up one page on the GPS, Oh hell, it's now
working, remember

Anyway, I made it home and found the electrical problem and the "Clunk" at
the
same time. The clunk was the battery plug, clunking at the end of its 6
inch
lead. All this clunking broke the wire at the solder connection to the
battery.
I now have the plug epoxied to the battery and I'm clunk free at last,
clunk
free at last, Thank God all mighty, I'm clunk free at last.
JJ Sinclair

All season long, I have heard a clunking sound every thme I hit a bump. Checked
over everything several times and found nothing, battery secured with a strap,
oxygen bottle tightly secured in its cradle, push-rod guides tight against the
push-rods, no side play in the gear (retrasted)? I thought it might be the main
wheel bouncing in the wheel-well, so I glued in a piece of foam to the top of
the wheel-well, so that the retracted wheel would just touch it and prevent any
vertical movement. Still had the clunk. Normally, I would forget about it, but
this ship was "totaled" by the insurance company, about a year ago, and I had a
nagging feeling that I had missed something in the rebuilding process.

Last week I lost all electrical powar, didn't have my back-up battery in,
because it was just a "fun" flight. Wasn't much "fun" after everything stopped
working. Where am I, exactly? How far to that duster strip? How much altitude
do I need? DAMN, I'm going to be forced to do some of that "Piloting Stuff". No
audio. No vario, we need some altitude, right now or getting home isn't the
most emediate problem. Boy, I miss the audio, Can't keep looking inside or I'll
run into this other guy (in my thermal) Oh yeah, the B-40 has a back-up
internal battery (thanks Mike Borgelt) Getting home, just might work.

Lets see now, I'm about here, so how far to home? Should have put some of those
"old-fashioned" distance circles on this "old-fashioned" map. OK, at 1000 feet
per 15 statute miles, I will need, Hmmmm, 30 miles divided by 10 = 3 times 1500
feet = 4500 feet. No that doesn't sound right? Oh, yeah, that's 30 miles
divided by 15 = 2, times 1000 = 2000 feet + 500 for pattern. Now what's the
elevation? Let's see now, that's up one page on the GPS, Oh hell, it's now
working, remember

Anyway, I made it home and found the electrical problem and the "Clunk" at the
same time. The clunk was the battery plug, clunking at the end of its 6 inch
lead. All this clunking broke the wire at the solder connection to the battery.
I now have the plug epoxied to the battery and I'm clunk free at last, clunk
free at last, Thank God all mighty, I'm clunk free at last.
JJ Sinclair

I'm clunk free at last, clunk
free at last, Thank God all mighty, I'm clunk free at last.
JJ Sinclair

I fly a Pilatus B4 sounds like a coke can when you stress it a bit. I've
heared tails of people jumping out because they thought it was breaking up.
It can be quite noisy when the air gets lumps in it.

Peter S
DLA

I appreciate the leads on where you looked for yours.

David Grah

Hi Dave,
Check your main wheel, bouncing in the retracted position. I found my 301
Libelle, "clunk" was that.

Nobody has jumped me for my obvious mistake in posting, The Clunk. Come on ras.
Who will be the first to jump old JJ?
JJ Sinclair

first time I flew a Libelle.. I must have been slightly yawed when I lifted
the gear.. the yaw held a gear door open...

sounded like a bowling ball rolling to the tail as that door closed..

now that is an attention getter...

and I have never been able to repeat it.. but that's the only thing I can
think of that gave that errie sound.. CG rolling Aft...

BT

"Marry Daniel or David Grah" wrote in message
...
My Libelle has developed a clunk. Seems like something big moving around.
I appreciate the leads on where you looked for yours.

David Grah
Bishop

"JJ Sinclair" wrote in message
...
All season long, I have heard a clunking sound every thme I hit a bump.
Checked
over everything several times and found nothing, battery secured with a
strap,
oxygen bottle tightly secured in its cradle, push-rod guides tight
against
the
push-rods, no side play in the gear (retrasted)? I thought it might be
the
main
wheel bouncing in the wheel-well, so I glued in a piece of foam to the
top
of
the wheel-well, so that the retracted wheel would just touch it and
prevent any
vertical movement. Still had the clunk. Normally, I would forget about
it,
but
this ship was "totaled" by the insurance company, about a year ago, and
I
had a
nagging feeling that I had missed something in the rebuilding process.

Last week I lost all electrical powar, didn't have my back-up battery
in,
because it was just a "fun" flight. Wasn't much "fun" after everything
stopped
working. Where am I, exactly? How far to that duster strip? How much
altitude
do I need? DAMN, I'm going to be forced to do some of that "Piloting
Stuff". No
audio. No vario, we need some altitude, right now or getting home isn't
the
most emediate problem. Boy, I miss the audio, Can't keep looking inside
or
I'll
run into this other guy (in my thermal) Oh yeah, the B-40 has a back-up
internal battery (thanks Mike Borgelt) Getting home, just might work.

Lets see now, I'm about here, so how far to home? Should have put some
of
those
"old-fashioned" distance circles on this "old-fashioned" map. OK, at
1000
feet
per 15 statute miles, I will need, Hmmmm, 30 miles divided by 10 = 3
times
1500
feet = 4500 feet. No that doesn't sound right? Oh, yeah, that's 30 miles
divided by 15 = 2, times 1000 = 2000 feet + 500 for pattern. Now what's
the
elevation? Let's see now, that's up one page on the GPS, Oh hell, it's
now
working, remember

Anyway, I made it home and found the electrical problem and the "Clunk"
at
the
same time. The clunk was the battery plug, clunking at the end of its 6
inch
lead. All this clunking broke the wire at the solder connection to the
battery.
I now have the plug epoxied to the battery and I'm clunk free at last,
clunk
free at last, Thank God all mighty, I'm clunk free at last.
JJ Sinclair

JJ, I want some of that stuff you are putting on your wings so you can
count on gliding 15sm and only losing 1000 ft

On 02 Nov 2003 15:04:24 GMT, (JJ Sinclair) wrote:

All season long, I have heard a clunking sound every thme I hit a bump. Checked
over everything several times and found nothing, battery secured with a strap,
oxygen bottle tightly secured in its cradle, push-rod guides tight against the
push-rods, no side play in the gear (retrasted)? I thought it might be the main
wheel bouncing in the wheel-well, so I glued in a piece of foam to the top of
the wheel-well, so that the retracted wheel would just touch it and prevent any
vertical movement. Still had the clunk. Normally, I would forget about it, but
this ship was "totaled" by the insurance company, about a year ago, and I had a
nagging feeling that I had missed something in the rebuilding process.

Last week I lost all electrical powar, didn't have my back-up battery in,
because it was just a "fun" flight. Wasn't much "fun" after everything stopped
working. Where am I, exactly? How far to that duster strip? How much altitude
do I need? DAMN, I'm going to be forced to do some of that "Piloting Stuff". No
audio. No vario, we need some altitude, right now or getting home isn't the
most emediate problem. Boy, I miss the audio, Can't keep looking inside or I'll
run into this other guy (in my thermal) Oh yeah, the B-40 has a back-up
internal battery (thanks Mike Borgelt) Getting home, just might work.

Lets see now, I'm about here, so how far to home? Should have put some of those
"old-fashioned" distance circles on this "old-fashioned" map. OK, at 1000 feet
per 15 statute miles, I will need, Hmmmm, 30 miles divided by 10 = 3 times 1500
feet = 4500 feet. No that doesn't sound right? Oh, yeah, that's 30 miles
divided by 15 = 2, times 1000 = 2000 feet + 500 for pattern. Now what's the
elevation? Let's see now, that's up one page on the GPS, Oh hell, it's now
working, remember

Anyway, I made it home and found the electrical problem and the "Clunk" at the
same time. The clunk was the battery plug, clunking at the end of its 6 inch
lead. All this clunking broke the wire at the solder connection to the battery.
I now have the plug epoxied to the battery and I'm clunk free at last, clunk
free at last, Thank God all mighty, I'm clunk free at last.
JJ Sinclair


Reminds me a little of the Hornet at the loacal club. One day a guy
came down and said the rudder had jammed momentarily while doing mild
aerobatics.
After a bit of discussion and nothing obviously wrong we took the
rudder off and found the screw in bit of a panel mounted fuse holder
lying in the bottom of the rudder.

Glad the B40 9 volt battery saved it for you JJ.

Mike Borgelt

Dr. Jack wrote
JJ, I want some of that stuff you are putting on your wings so you can
count on gliding 15sm and only losing 1000 ft

Right on Jack,
Just goes to show how much we rely on our airborne computers, doesn't it?
Actually, my rule for kitty gliders is 2000 feet per 15 s/m. In the ASH-25 it's
easy, 100 foot per mile :) + or - the wind of course. Flew the Genesis again
and this time I put both batteries in. Logged 4 hours, 200 miles and got to
10K, not bad for November. It's all over now though, 26 degrees this morning
with rain predicted in the valley and snow for the Sierras.
JJ + Genesis 2 = :)


JJ Sinclair

JJ Sinclair wrote:
Dr. Jack wrote
JJ, I want some of that stuff you are putting on your wings so you can
count on gliding 15sm and only losing 1000 ft
Right on Jack,
Just goes to show how much we rely on our airborne computers, doesn't it?

I had just been flying my glider the day before but it's LNAV isn't
properly calibrated and always thinks I have a 10kt tailwind so I know
it's "required altitude" is optimistic and had been doing that kind of
mental calucation all day. So when I saw that you used 15 miles it
certainly caught my eye. (I use nautical miles, though, since then I
can use the latitude scale as a quick ruler, 1minute=1nm).

Anyway, I made it home and found the electrical problem and the "Clunk" at the
same time. The clunk was the battery plug, clunking at the end of its 6 inch
lead. All this clunking broke the wire at the solder connection to the battery.
I now have the plug epoxied to the battery and I'm clunk free at last, clunk
free at last, Thank God all mighty, I'm clunk free at last.

The best off the shelf connector between removable battery and
the glider I have seen is a male/female "electric lighter"
setup (y'know, like a cigarette lighter). They're easy to insert
and remove and large enough to manhandle.

After having wires bend and fray, I now tube/shrinkwrap my
electric connections so they don't get as much mechanical play up
and down.