I had been thinking that maybe the old fashioned pilots were right and the ten grand Skyview system I fitted in my little Experimental was overkill. I could have stuck with steam gauges they said, way cheaper and all, eyes outside the cockpit - all that stuff.
That was until I fired up my twenty five grand Rotax for the first time. This clutz had left a plastic blanking plug in the radiator water inlet. I was too busy dealing with other issues to notice. After about 2 minutes (2:17.5 actually) the temperature exceeded limits Skyview engine warning sounded in my ear and I shut down immediately.
The user data log showed I was well within Rotax line maintenance tolerances for a simple visual inspection after over temperature of about seven degrees and not engine removal, strip, hardness testing etc., etc. which would have been needed if I’d gone over 135C.
To borrow a phrase from an iconic australian movie: Skyview “paid for itself” right there and then.
That was until I fired up my twenty five grand Rotax for the first time. This clutz had left a plastic blanking plug in the radiator water inlet. I was too busy dealing with other issues to notice. After about 2 minutes (2:17.5 actually) the temperature exceeded limits Skyview engine warning sounded in my ear and I shut down immediately.
The user data log showed I was well within Rotax line maintenance tolerances for a simple visual inspection after over temperature of about seven degrees and not engine removal, strip, hardness testing etc., etc. which would have been needed if I’d gone over 135C.
To borrow a phrase from an iconic australian movie: Skyview “paid for itself” right there and then.