You know when you fly over water, you start hearing noises your engine makes which you never heard before?Well it was like that with the car - all the way dwon on the motorway I could hear whines, clicks, rumbles and the like - all of which spelt imminent breakdown as far as I could see.
Now I've got it here, it's behaving impeccably. Subjective? Nah...
Anyway, now I'm mobile again I got down to the airfield and started on the task of replacing the front steering bearing insert - when I got the plane, the front steering was stupidly stiff.
Of course, not being totally daft myself, I got an experienced triker to fly Elsie for the first time. Enter Daryl Cornelius. He reported the problem with the steering, along with a few other niggles, and just said - line her up straight before you apply power and you should be off the ground before it gets too far off the centreline... which is exactly what hapened for my first flight in her.
Anyway, with the thick fog which was present on my last trip to the field, I decided to renew the bearing.
Hmmm.... got the steering bar off ok and the front wheel/fork assy out of the tube. But then the fun started... somewhat difficult to remove the bearing! Several hours later and some serious torture of the bearing got it out - I don't think it could be used again:
I found a spiky piece of metal protruding into the steering tube - couldn't understand what it was - not a rivet or a grease nipple, because nothing visible outside. I called Graham at P&M and he couldn't elucidate. Out with the file then, and off it came.
Gently tapped the new bearing into the tube - using a wooden block between the bearing and the hammer. Then into the bearing with the forks and finally the steering bar tapped on from inside the pod.
Ah.
I'm 1/4" short. Bugger. Should have checked more thoroughly that the bearing had gone completely home. Getting dark...
Oh well, live to fight another day.
I'll take my camera next time and get a few shots of the field and surroundings - ready for anyone who cares to visit in the Summer.
Cheers for now...
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