Hydrolic lock on 912 ULS

H. Paul Shuch is a Light Sport Repairman with Maintenance ratings for airplanes, gliders, weight shift control, and powered parachutes, as well as an independent Rotax Maintenance Technician at the Heavy Maintenance level. He holds a PhD in Air Transportation Engineering from the University of California, and serves as Director of Maintenance for AvSport of Lock Haven.

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FastEddieB
Posts: 2880
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2009 9:33 pm
Location: Lenoir City, TN/Mineral Bluff, GA

Re: Hydrolic lock on 912 ULS

Post by FastEddieB »

As a counterpoint...

Though I’m not an engineer, I’ve often heard that one of the worst things you can do to an engine is to drag metal over metal in the absence of oil pressure. Plain bearings need oil pressure to avoid metal-to-metal contact. And the best way to build oil pressure quickly is just to start the darn thing. Which I do.

That said, I do tend to pull my prop through one complete revolution to check each blade in the same position. That, by itself, should alert me to the presence of hydraulic lock. And I tend to burp my engine and check the oil after flights. At least in my plane it seems to take about 1/3 as many “blades” to burp doing it that way as opposed to doing it before a flight.

But again, not an engineer. So I’m willing to be educated by someone who is.
Fast Eddie B.
Sky Arrow 600 E-LSA • N467SA
CFI, CFII, CFIME
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Wm.Ince
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Joined: Sun Nov 17, 2013 3:27 pm
Location: Clearwater, FL

Re: Hydrolic lock on 912 ULS

Post by Wm.Ince »

FastEddieB wrote:. . . . And I tend to burp my engine and check the oil after flights. At least in my plane it seems to take about 1/3 as many “blades” to burp doing it that way as opposed to doing it before a flight.
I like that.
Bill Ince
LSRI
Retired Heavy Equipment Operator
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