Stuck Valve
In “Fixing a Stuck Valve,” [May 2016], you list 180 foot-pounds as the torque for exhaust nuts. I think you meant to say inch-pounds.
–Tommy Turner
Good catch—and we are sorry about the error—especially if anyone broke off a stud trying to get to 180 foot-pounds. It’s a good reminder to always double-check the torque in the maintenance manual for the hardware you are working on.—Ed
Hand Propping
Great to see LeRoy Cook’s article [“Hand Propping an Aeroplane,” June 2016]. There’s an obvious concern with the first picture showing the person looping their fingers around the top/trailing edge of the prop. I have a friend that broke his finger doing this when the engine kicked back. Other than this, everything else was right on the money.
–Tim King
You’re absolutely right Tim and not the only reader to spot the error in this staged photo. We’ll advise our photo model to keep those knuckles on the same side of the prop next time—if he still has them!—Ed.
ADS-B Options
Lately, for obvious reasons, there have appeared any number of articles, vendor tutorials, presentations, etc. on ADS-B. I have to say that Dick Sunderland’s article [“Juggling the ADS-B Options,” June 2016] is far and away the best treatise on the subject I have seen—so well organized, so comprehensive, and the easiest to understand! Thanks for such an excellent piece.
After the required installation tests, note that the FAA offers a free service providing a very comprehensive report of how your system is working (from one of your last flights) in response to you providing them your tail number and email. It’s an awesome report, just a little unnerving to see the data they have showing where you were within a few feet. To request a report visit www.faa.gov/nextgen/equipadsb and look for the email link under the section called “ADS-B Out Equipped” about halfway down the page.
–Reinhard Metz
Thanks for the link, Reinhard. With so many ADS-B options for Experimentals, it’s good to know there’s a convenient way to test an installed system.—Ed.
Thatcher CX5
Did you note how similar the wingtips on the CX5 [“Building the Thatcher CX5,” April 2016] are to the Steve Wittman W-10 tips? I believe that those were suggested to him by August Raspet. They do work well, whether on a Tailwind or, apparently, the CX5.
–Red Hamilton
Good observation Red and a good point to make: When it comes to aerodynamics, there is often “nothing new under the sun.” Things that work well are often copied, and the mistakes are rarely seen again.—Ed.
