Crankcase Breather Tube

[Beefitarian]

Hi everybody, I'm here to belabour the brutally obvious. What's the proceedure for drilling holes in this thing while making sure I'm not dropping sharp metal into the crankcase and or oil?

I presume the tube comes off fairly easily and once you drill it you can clean it off really well maybe even use a cloth with a magnet in it to help collect metal shavings. Then put it back where you took it off from.

[fleet16b]

My first aircraft was Cub with a 65 hp Cont.
At the front r/h side of the crankcase was an elbow fitting ( breather) that had a rubber tube attached. The tube went down to the bottom inside of the cowl.( Some engine have metal tubes but they will ice up easier than rubber)
On extremely cold days it would freeze from condensation and plug the tube end. No matter because I had a hole in the tube half way up.
I also drilled a small 1/8 hole in the vertical half of the elbow as a precaution.
No issue with drill swarf getting into the crankcase as the pressure is all outbound.
This method worked really well and I never had any issues

[Colonel Sanders]

Cam: on the subject of not extremely cold days, I took
this picture with my cellphone at Key West a few days ago:

http://i.imgur.com/Uv91v.jpg

Can you spot the different biplane types?

[Big Pistons Forever]

Stearman (220 Continental) Pitts S1T, Waco UPF 7, American General AG5B Tiger

[Colonel Sanders]

Close! In foreground, Waco UPF-7, then Pitts S-2C, then
second UPF-7 in distance. Bonus points for the Grumman
Tiger peeking out on the right.

It was nice to see both UPF-7's flying overhead in tight
formation. Probably a better sight than me walking in my
first parade in Key West (annual dachshound walk, 31 Dec).

Never thought I would be in a parade in Key West unless I
was dressed as a nun with fishnet stockings and garter belts.

[Big Pistons Forever]

Close! In foreground, Waco UPF-7, then Pitts S-2C, then
second UPF-7 in distance. Bonus points for the Grumman
Tiger peeking out on the right.

It was nice to see both UPF-7's flying overhead in tight
formation. Probably a better sight than me walking in my
first parade in Key West (annual dachshound walk, 31 Dec).

Never thought I would be in a parade in Key West unless I
was dressed as a nun with fishnet stockings and garter belts.

Dang! I missed the metal ailerons on the near one, I should have got that one.

[Colonel Sanders]

You spotted the W670 Continental, so you're not doing too bad

PS Picture of dog in Key West parade (photo credit to Eric who was NOT in parade):



http://www.fla-keys.com/news/news.cfm?sid=8269

[fleet16b]

Cam: on the subject of not extremely cold days, I took
this picture with my cellphone at Key West a few days ago:

http://i.imgur.com/Uv91v.jpg

Can you spot the different biplane types?

Nice !
Love all biplanes
I'll be in Fla. for the last w/end of Feb
A friend in Hernando has a Biplane Fly In at his Fly In Community Home
Close 100 Bipes show up
A nice little break in the winter to get in the mood for spring.

May do a bit of winter flying this w/end with the Fleet
I set up a pre heat system and have my winter flying suit ( no cabin heat)
Incidentally , the Kinner has no breather tube but does have a nice "mushroom vent" located on the port side top of the engine

[Colonel Sanders]

winter flying this w/end with the Fleet

I hope you get warm temps for it! Winter flying with an open
cockpit can get pretty rugged!

Enjoy the trip down south! Flying in Florida in the winter is
wonderful - even when it cools off to 60F (horrors) and
everyone is running around dressed in winter coats, gloves
and toques, I walk around in shorts and show off those
glow-in-the-dark white Canadian legs

[fleet16b]

winter flying this w/end with the Fleet

, I walk around in shorts and show off those
glow-in-the-dark white Canadian legs

HE HE HE
I do too......it drives my wife nuts
She is forever trying to get me to go to a tanning salon before we go south
Not for me !
You can always tell who the Canadians are in Fla.
We are the ones that are out in the ocean while the natives sit on the beach shaking their heads cause they think the waters too cold

[fleet16b]

winter flying this w/end with the Fleet

I hope you get warm temps for it! Winter flying with an open
cockpit can get pretty rugged!

Hey your Gramps and his buddies did it and thats why I do !
I consider it a badge of honour

[Colonel Sanders]

Heh. I will only fly open cockpit in the winter in Canada
when it is freakishly warm!

Looking at my grandfather's logbook, here's an entry
from 23 Feb 1917: "Instructor's hands got cold and
had to come back" - that was in Maurice Farman
Shorthorn #4143, a real piece of sh1t btw.

[fleet16b]

Heh. I will only fly open cockpit in the winter in Canada
when it is freakishly warm!

Looking at my grandfather's logbook, here's an entry
from 23 Feb 1917: "Instructor's hands got cold and
had to come back" - that was in Maurice Farman
Shorthorn #4143, a real piece of sh1t btw.

Being able to open your Grandfathers log book and read that !!!
Now that is awesome.
BTW I still have that Shorthorn prop if you know anyone looking for one

[Colonel Sanders]

Here's a neat page from my father's logbook, which I keep
on the shelf beside my grandfathers, and my row. It's
handwritten:

Commendatory Endorsement While On Operations

On 20th April 1956 while flying #2 in a four plane Zulu Exercise
205429 F/O PC Boyd, because of mechanical failure, experienced
a flame out. With the assistance of GCI and his section leader,
F/O Boyd despite fairly adverse weather conditions made his
way to, and successfully forced landed his Mk V Sabre at an
unfamiliar airfield.

The flying skill and airmanship displayed by F/O Boyd, avoided
the loss of, or damage to, one of Her Majesty's Aircraft.

By authority of the AOC 1 Air Division
Royal Canadian Air Force
J Somerville G/C
CO 1 (F) Wing RCAF

Those short-igniter F-86's were more prone to flameouts,
than the later long-igniter versions.

A dead stick instrument approach in a jet fighter through a
thick, low cloud deck is pretty cool, though, with the clock
ticking on the now battery-powered flight controls.

I have no idea how my Y chromosome ever made it this
far. Not sure if I mentioned this or not, but my Grandfather
flying for the RFC in WWI experienced structural failure - wing
folded in on top of the cockpit. Precisely how he survived that,
I have no clue. He didn't hold a very high opinion of WWI
aircraft, for some reason.

[Beefitarian]

WW I aircraft were still a matter of, "We've just recently figured out how to make kites big enough for an engine to barely make enough wind to get a guy airborne." fighter planes are still an example of, "I wonder if this will make it better or just more dangerous?" a combination like that seems cool when you're 20, but once most of us start getting aches we realize we're not invincible anymore, so we look to have fun with tamer planes than original Sopwith Camels and Gee Bee model Rs.

Don't get me wrong I'd take a hysabusa out for a ride, I just would not be trying to see how fast it'll go with the front wheel off the ground anymore.

[TBM3E]

Turbine engines also have them. They don't generally cause problems, but on the PW120 they sure do make a mess!

[Shiny Side Up]

WW I aircraft were still a matter of, "We've just recently figured out how to make kites big enough for an engine to barely make enough wind to get a guy airborne."

I always think its amazing that anyone survived being a pilot during the Great War.

The following safety tips from the Daedalian Foundation are excerpts from a Royal Flying Corps monthly safety report. The report was signed C. St. John-Culbertson, Royal Flying Corps, Colonel, and was dated 21 December 1917.
INTRODUCTION Another good month. In all, a total of 35 accidents were reported, only six of which were avoidable. These represented a marked improvement over the month of November during which 84 accidents occurred, of which 23 were avoidable. This improvement, no doubt, is the result of experienced pilots with over 100 hours in the air forming the backbone of all the units

RESUME OF ACCIDENTS
Avoidable accidents
1. Avoidable accidents this last month.
a. The pilot of a Shorthorn, with over 7 hours of experience, seriously damaged the undercarriage on landing. He had failed to land at as fast a speed as possible as recommended in the Aviation Pocket Handbook.
b. A B.E. 2 stalled and crashed during an artillery exercise. The pilot had been struck on the head by the semaphore of his observer who was signaling to the gunners.
c. Another pilot in a B.E. 2 failed to get airborne. By an error of judgement, he was attempting to fly at mid-day instead of at the recommended best lift periods, which are just after dawn and just before sunset.
d. A Longhorn pilot lost control and crashed in a bog near Chipping-Sedbury. An error of skill on the part of the pilot in not being able to control a machine with a wide speed band of 10 MPH between top speed and stalling speed.
e. While low flying in a Shorthorn the pilot crashed into the top deck of a horse drawn bus near Stonehenge.
f. A B.E. 2 pilot was seen to be attempting a banked turn at a constant height before he crashed. A grave error by an experienced pilot.
2. There were 29 unavoidable accidents from which the following are selected:
a. The top wing of a Camel fell off due to fatigue failure of the flying wires. A successful emergency landing was carried out.
b. Sixteen B.E. 2 s and 9 Shorthorns had complete engine failures. A marked improvement over November's fatigue.
c. Pigeons destroyed a Camel and 2 Longhorns after mid-air strikes.

COST OF ACCIDENTS: Accidents during the last three months of 1917 cost 317 pounds, 10 shillings sixpence, money down the drain and sufficient to buy new gaiters and spurs for each and every pilot observer in the Service.

ACCIDENT BRIEFS
No. 1 Brief No. 912 Squadron 3 December 1917 Aircraft type B.E. 2C
No. XY 678, Total solo - - 4.20 Pilot Lt. J. Smyth-Worthington, Solo in type - - 1.10 The pilot of this flying machine attempted to maintain his altitude in a turn at 2,500 feet. This resulted in the aeroplane entering an unprecedented maneuver, entailing a considerable loss of height. Even with full power applied and the control column fully back, the pilot was unable to regain control. However, upon climbing from the cockpit onto the lower mainplane, the pilot managed to correct the machines altitude, and by skillful manipulation of the flying wires successfully side-slipped into a nearby meadow.
Remarks: Although, through inexperience, this pilot allowed his aeroplane to enter an unusual attitude, his resourcefulness in eventually landing without damage has earned him a unit citation.

R.F.C. Lundsford-Magnus is investigating the strange behaviour of this aircraft.

No. 2 Brief No. 847 Squadron 19 December 1917 Aircraft type Spotter Balloon J17983, Total solo 107.00 Pilot Capt. * * * , Solo in type 32.10 Captain * * * of the Hussars, a balloon observer, unfortunately allowed the spike of his full-dress helmet to impinge against the envelope of his balloon. There was a violent explosion and the balloon carried out a series of fantastic and uncontrollable maneuvers, while rapidly emptying itself of gas. The pilot was thrown clear and escaped injury as he was lucky enough to land on his head.
Remarks: This pilot was flying in full-dress uniform because he was the Officer of the Day. In consequence it has been recommended that pilots will not fly during periods of duty as Officer of the Day.

Captain * * * has requested an exchange posting to the Patroville Alps, a well known mule unit of the Basques.

No. 3 Brief Summary of No. 43 Brief dated October 1917 Major W. de Kitkag-Watney's Nieuport Scout was extensively damaged when it failed to become airborne. The original Court of Inquiry found that the primary cause of the accident was carelessness and poor airmanship on the part of a very experienced pilot. The Commandant General, however, not being wholly convinced that Major de Kitkag-Watney could be guilty of so culpable a mistake ordered that the Court should be re-convened. After extensive inquiries and lengthy discussions with the Meteorological Officer and Astronomer Royal, the Court came to the conclusion that the pilot unfortunately was authorized to fly his aircraft on a day when there was absolutely no lift in the air and could not be held responsible for the accident.
The Court wishes to take this opportunity to extend its congratulations to Major de Kitkag-Watney on his reprieve and also on his engagement to the Commandant General's daughter, which was announced shortly before the accident.

FLYING SAFETY TIPS.
Horizontal turns. To take a turn the pilot should always remember to sit upright, otherwise he will increase the banking of the aeroplane. He should NEVER lean over.
Crash precautions Every pilot should understand the serious consequences of trying to turn with the engine off. It is much safer to crash into a house when going forward than to sideslip or stall a machine with engine troubles.
Passengers should always use safety belts, as the pilot may start stunting without warning.
Never release the belt while in the air, or when nosed down to land.
Engine noises Upon the detection of a knock, grind, rattle or squeak, the engine should be at once stopped. Knocking or grinding accompanied by a squeak indicates binding and a lack of lubricant.

WATCH THAT FIRST STEP. The First Marine Air Wing had this write up in their Safety publication Wing Tips

It was conceded by all that the pilot had accomplished a brilliant piece of work in landing his disabled machine without damage under the circumstances. It is not with intent to reflect less credit upon his airmanship, but it must be noted that he is a well experienced aviator with over 40 total hours in the air, embracing a wide variety of machines, and this was his seventh forced landing due to complete failure of the engine.

It was doubly unfortunate that upon alighting from his machine he missed the catwalk on the lower airfoil and plunged both legs through the fabric, straddling a rib, from which he received a grievous personal injury.

Some thought should be devoted to a means of identifying wing-traversing catwalks to assist aviators in disembarking from their various machines.

I guess that last guy wasn't one of the Colonel's ancestors.

[cgzro]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZUJLO6lMhI

I am reminded of this amusing little story.

Peter

[Beefitarian]

If only this guy learned to fly back in the good old dayyay, err... in the modern era when they taught you to get the nose down to break a stall. He wouldn't have had to get out of the cockpit to do it by accidental CofG adjustment.

ACCIDENT BRIEFS
No. 1 Brief No. 912 Squadron 3 December 1917 Aircraft type B.E. 2C
No. XY 678, Total solo - - 4.20 Pilot Lt. J. Smyth-Worthington, Solo in type - - 1.10 The pilot of this flying machine attempted to maintain his altitude in a turn at 2,500 feet. This resulted in the aeroplane entering an unprecedented maneuver, entailing a considerable loss of height. Even with full power applied and the control column fully back, the pilot was unable to regain control. However, upon climbing from the cockpit onto the lower mainplane, the pilot managed to correct the machines altitude, and by skillful manipulation of the flying wires successfully side-slipped into a nearby meadow.
Remarks: Although, through inexperience, this pilot allowed his aeroplane to enter an unusual attitude, his resourcefulness in eventually landing without damage has earned him a unit citation.

R.F.C. Lundsford-Magnus is investigating the strange behaviour of this aircraft.

Seriously though, these are some of the guys they studied to write from the ground up. Another awesome derail, sometimes I love this place.

[Colonel Sanders]

That was a hilarious WWI spoof!

At the back of my grandfather's WWI logbook are a couple
of mimeographed 8x14 pages, which contain stuff like:

-- cut --

RULES OF THE AIR AT YATESBURY

FLYING
--------

The following rules are again published for information and compliance.

(1) No Pilots whether instructors or pupils will turn under 500 feet

(2) Left hand circuits only will be made

(3) No machine is to be flown over any camp buildings under 500 feet

(4) On first solos in any type of machine the first turn will not be made under 1000 feet

(5) No machine is to be out of sight from the aerodrome, unless definite orders to the contrary have been given to the Pilot by his Flight or Squadron Commandor (sic).

(6) Attention is called to Standing Orders re Flying. These orders must be scrupulously obeyed.

(7) The Officer I/C of Flying on Tarmac will report any disobediance to Flying Orders at once to Squadron Commander and note it in his book.

(8) Flight Commanders are responsible that all Officers in their Flights understand and obey these orders.

-- cut --

It goes on. I should probably scan the originals in sometime, but I'm sure there are lots of copies in various museums around the world.