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Amelia Earhart Search Forum => Aircraft & Powerplant, Performance and Operations => Topic started by: Bill Roe on July 10, 2012, 02:00:56 PM

Title: Electra Handling? Number 2
Post by: Bill Roe on July 10, 2012, 02:00:56 PM
Speaking of Number 2 - was there a potty on that airplane?

Anyway - take a look a the pic of her personpit below.  What is the stick to the right of the left yoke?  Trim?  Tail wheel lock?  It appears only to move front to back and vice versa.

(http://e-archives.lib.purdue.edu/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/earhart&CISOPTR=808&DMSCALE=12.50000&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=%20electra&REC=11&DMTHUMB=1&DMROTATE=0)

There's not a complete personpit in the pic - I don't see any manifold heat controls for de-icing the carbs.

The engines are 550hp each - variable pitch 2 bladed prop.  I've been reading that she would play with the throttles..........huh? 

By the way - I've searched and can't find a flight manual for this airplane.  I'm wondering what the landing procedure is? 
Title: Re: Electra Handling? Number 2
Post by: C.W. Herndon on July 10, 2012, 05:38:16 PM
Jeff, while you are checking that out, see if you can find the mag switches and the start switches. I have not been able to positively identify either.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
Title: Re: Electra Handling? Number 2
Post by: Bill Roe on July 10, 2012, 05:56:32 PM
Jeff, while you are checking that out, see if you can find the mag switches and the start switches. I have not been able to positively identify either.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Perhaps under the left window?  I'm only familiar with ignition, 4 turns of the prop (16 blades), then prime her.  Off with a roar and a bunch of smoke. 
Title: Re: Electra Handling? Number 2
Post by: C.W. Herndon on July 10, 2012, 06:08:09 PM
Speaking of Number 2 - was there a potty on that airplane?

Anyway - take a look a the pic of her personpit below.  What is the stick to the right of the left yoke?  Trim?  Tail wheel lock?  It appears only to move front to back and vice versa.

There's not a complete personpit in the pic - I don't see any manifold heat controls for de-icing the carbs.

The engines are 550hp each - variable pitch 2 bladed prop.  I've been reading that she would play with the throttles..........huh? 

By the way - I've searched and can't find a flight manual for this airplane.  I'm wondering what the landing procedure is?

William, the "potty" was in the normal L-10 location. Aft of the navigator's location in the L-10E Special. See the Harney drawing below.
Title: Re: Electra Handling? Number 2
Post by: C.W. Herndon on July 10, 2012, 06:16:48 PM
Jeff, while you are checking that out, see if you can find the mag switches and the start switches. I have not been able to positively identify either.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Perhaps under the left window?  I'm only familiar with ignition, 4 turns of the prop (16 blades), then prime her.  Off with a roar and a bunch of smoke.

William, I only flew with the P&W R-985, never the R-1340. I don't know the start sequence for the R-1340, but it would have been next to impossible to start the R-980 if the start switches had been located under the left window. It was a 3 handed job without that complication.
Title: Re: Electra Handling? Number 2
Post by: Bill Roe on July 10, 2012, 06:42:55 PM

William, ..........

HUH?  Try - "Bill"

Only been here for a few days - learned a lot.  Having lotsa fun.  And met (well, y'all know what I mean) a bunch of great guys here.  All deserving of a huge amount of respect.  Don't know the backgrounds of others except Herndon here - we have a lot in common.  Hey Woody - ever been to Lima Site-20A? Over Fishface?

Anyway, leaving DE for our place on the Eastern end of Lake Ontario near Sackets Harbor for a few days.  Well, two weeks.  I won't have internet until Monday.  In the meantime, I'm goin' fishin'.  Fishin' for Smallmouth Bass and Walleye.

So, what I'm saying is  -  don't anyone post anything until I get back.  Okay?
Title: Re: Electra Handling? Number 2
Post by: C.W. Herndon on July 10, 2012, 06:46:17 PM
OK Bill. I've never been there either. Have fun and catch lots of fish.
Title: Re: Electra Handling? Number 2
Post by: John Balderston on July 10, 2012, 09:34:02 PM
Fellows, engine controls are on, or immediately adjacent to, the throttle quadrant. 

Top row of levers, L to R (in pairs):  1) propeller pitch, 2) throttle, 3) mixture control.  The start switch/push-button is to the immediate left of these levers.

Below the levers are two rotary switches:  L - fuel tank switch (L wing, R wing, fuselage, and alternate), and R - magneto switches (L, Both, R).

Below the rotary switches are four levers, L to R: 1) L carb heat, 2) landing gear, 3) wing flaps, and 4) R carb heat. 

The gear indicator is on the instrument panel in front of the co-pilot.  (and to the right of the gear indicator is the all-important manufacturer's type/model/series plate - fingers crossed for a well-illuminated, high resolution ROV photo of this in the not-to-distant future. . . :))

Hope this helps, John
Title: Re: Electra Handling? Number 2
Post by: Gary LaPook on July 10, 2012, 09:34:34 PM
I have an operational manual for the L10 type that was published for overseas users (going by the metric information used through-out).

The long lever in the middle appears to be the parking brake.  According to the ops manual the differential toe brakes didn't come into play until the parking brake was set to '2 -3 notches' for some reason.  Seems odd - not sure how accurate that is - but it may have been a safe-guard against inadvertant toe braking at the time.

Which may drive a bit toward answering your question about AE 'playing' with the throttles - similar handling 'issue':

Mantz noted that AE had a tendency to correct heading excursions on take-off with slight throttle changes (differential power).  That works well in a twin for ground handling at low speeds, but it can be bad news on a take-off or landing situation - Mantz's concern was well placed IMHO.  I believe it was suggested by Mantz that this could have been a factor in the ground loop in Hawai'i on the first world attempt.  Not proven.

There may or may not have been carb heat controls - pressure carburetors don't require it.  NR16020 may have had float / venturi types, and if so may have had carb heat.  I'll be glad to check the L10 manual next chance and advise. 

LTM -
See attached.

gl
Title: Re: Electra Handling? Number 2
Post by: Gary LaPook on July 10, 2012, 09:48:59 PM
Fellows, engine controls are on, or immediately adjacent to, the throttle quadrant. 

Top row of levers, L to R (in pairs):  1) propeller pitch, 2) throttle, 3) mixture control.  The start switch/push-button is to the immediate left of these levers.

Below the levers are two rotary switches:  L - fuel tank switch (L wing, R wing, fuselage, and alternate), and R - magneto switches (L, Both, R).

Below the rotary switches are four levers, L to R: 1) L carb heat, 2) landing gear, 3) wing flaps, and 4) R carb heat. 

The gear indicator is on the instrument panel in front of the co-pilot.  (and to the right of the gear indicator is the all-important manufacturer's type/model/series plate - fingers crossed for a well-illuminated, high resolution ROV photo of this in the not-to-distant future. . . :) )

Hope this helps, John
The rotary handle on the right is a fuel valve, not mags, that selects which engine gets fuel from the source selected with the left valve. See this photo  (https://tighar.org/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=504.0;attach=277) and this photo too (https://tighar.org/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=504.0;attach=287). It is identified as "engine selector valve" in this diagram (https://tighar.org/smf/index.php/topic,504.msg6410.html#msg6410).

gl
Title: Re: Electra Handling? Number 2
Post by: John Balderston on July 10, 2012, 09:51:46 PM

The rotary handle on the right is a fuel valve, not mags, that selects which engine gets fuel from the source selected with the left valve. See the photo here. I (https://tighar.org/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=504.0;attach=277)t is identified as "engine selector valve" in this diagram (https://tighar.org/smf/index.php/topic,504.msg6410.html#msg6410).

gl
[/quote]
Thank you Gary - I stand corrected.  -jb