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St. Louis Flying Club Newsletter - 31 June 2023

From The President - By Steve

Dear Members,

Thanks to John and Larry continuing to investigate the hot cylinder head temps on the RV they discovered the cracked head and got the airplane grounded. Great job preventing what could have been a bad situation.

As I write this the Arrow is going into annual and John and Larry are also finishing up the cylinder replacement on the RV. With all 3 planes scheduled for Oshkosh and a new Cessna engine coming it is a busy time for the maintenance crew! Let's all hope for some cool weather.

TJ applied for antique status for the Cessna and the Arrow that resulted in a significant reduction in our property tax bill. Not often you see a decrease in tax!

I renewed my Basic Med online course and thought I would remind all you Basic Med users of the renewal requirements. The 4 year medical exam is good for 48 months to the day while the 2 year online course expires at the end of the 24th month. Don't forget to notify our VP of any changes in your member status.

Congratulations to Beth on reaching her short term goal of 200 hours on July 7th. She has been working to get 200 hours so she can take passengers on Civil Air Patrol flights.

Steve

Treasurer's Report - by T.J

BILLING STATEMENT

Comments:

• Another great month of flying, please keep those receipts coming!
• As discussed in the May financials, we are assessing the $1,500 to fund the Cessna Engine Upgrade this month. Thus, the statement below shows that the membership owes the club $29k. As this receivable is shown as an asset on the balance sheet, the share price has increased materially, and we expect the share price to remain largely intact for the foreseeable future. As members make their cash payments, this receivable will convert to cash. Then, when we make payment on the engine (likely August), the asset will become "work in process". Then, when we place the new engine into service, the value of the Cessna will be increased commensurate with the valuation of our Cessna with the new engine.
• Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions. .

BALANCE SHEET

• Our cash position continues to be strong and will increase dramatically next month as members make the assessment payment. We expect cash to return to normal levels when we make payment on the new Cessna engine.
• The large receivable from the membership has driven a material increase in the share price. We expect this to remain as the value transfers from receivable, to cash, to work in process, in improved Cessna valuation.
• Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions.

   Maintenance - by John

N202CR RV-7A

• No. 2 Cylinder Cracks - On June 10th, Damian reported 467 deg CHTs on Cylinder #2 after takeoff, even when climbing at over 120 kts. We grounded the RV and found that the primer line going to cylinders #2 and $4 was broken which makes these cylinders run lean. Thinking this was the cause of the high CHTs, we fixed the primer line and took the plane up for a test flight. The CHTs for Cylinder #2 went down to 430 on takeoff but it was a cool morning and the CHT were still higher than we normally see for cylinder #2. We decided to do a compression check on cylinder #2 and found it was down to 10/80. A borescope check showed cracks from the spark plug holes to the exhaust valve seat. The cracks in the cylinder let additional air in during the intake stroke causing the cylinder to be very lean. Fortunately, Aircraft spruce had a cylinder kit in stock and we were able to replace it relatively quickly. After several break-in flights and the alternator replacement (see below), the RV was returned to service on 6 July.

  

• Alternator - During the third Cylinder break-in flight, we got a low voltage light on the G3X showing less than normal bus voltage. The ammeter was also showing a battery discharge indicating the alternator had failed. Damian was able to find a new replacement alternator at Autozone for $139 and the alternator was installed the next day.

  

N20843 Cessna 172M

• No maintenance actions this month

N2242N Piper Arrow IV

• Annual Inspection - The Arrow Annual inspection is underway. Compression test was good with all cylinders over 72/80. In addition to the annual inspection items, we are also replacing the pilot and co-pilot torn seat slings and adding an additional piece of foam for more cushioning. More details on the annual will be in next months newsletter.

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