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First, thanks to all the nice folks who have messaged me re: my

request for info about Oregon and Idaho (as a place to retire).

Believe me, all the data is very helpful and very much appreciated!!



Skidding a IV on grass at power!!?? H---, I can't stop my 235 from

sliding on concrete whenever I get over 2200 RPM or so, with the

brakes on. I could probably take off of grass with my brakes on!!

(Hmmm, wait a minute, wait a minute, let me think that one over a

bit!)



To Bob Chesley re: plugging of the tank vents. I worried about that

too and decided to provide an alternate vent source on the three

tanks for the following reasons. Some years ago, I saw the results of a plugged vent in a spam can wing tank. The pilot apparently had to

turn on the boost pump to get fuel to the engine - which, by the way,

had stopped until he did that - and by the time he landed, the

aluminum was caved in between ribs pretty bad. I don't know what

would have happened if he had to run much longer, either crush the

wing completely, (they ARE quite flimsy, after all) or the vacuum

might have eventually overpowered the pump and just stopped the flow.

Either way, it would have had an unfortunate result and I stuck that

in my back pocket for future reference.



Since I had installed the style of vents I described in the last post,

I have access to the short piece of tubing that connects the

tank to the little piece that sticks out in the slipstream with the

45 degree cut. I tee'd into the vent lines there and installed small check valves with the outer end covered with several layers of

cheese-cloth to keep the bugs out. These are positioned inside the stub wing (and cockpit for the header) just tied up out of the way of

things. I used check-valves to preserve the slight positive pressure

when things are normal (no ice or crud). The idea is for the valve to

provide an alternate vent in case the external vents are plugged, for

whatever reason. I don't even WANT to know what would happen to my

wing tanks if the pumps were allowed to pull a significant vacum on

them!



I don't have the name of the company that makes these valves handy

(it's at my hangar) but they are impervious to avgas (I use one of

their valve bodies for my over-flow sensor with the guts removed) for that reason, and they're fairly inexpensive, too. If any one's

interested, I'll get the name of the company this weekend and post it

next week.



Cheers,



San Schaefer

N235SP









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