Thread: CTSW build quality issues

We have a CTSW with less than 200hours. No heavy landings ever! 100HP engine. We have had a catalogue of problems with this aircraft and are now unsure of the build quality. Carburator rubbers fracturing, rudder pedal frcture at weld sites, (small) engine frame fracture, (large) engine frame fracture. Engine mounting fractures, hose and manifold wear points from surface rubbing, Is this realy th build quality of a 50k aircraft or what i should expect. If this was a car at this price it would be replaced called back or scrapped. Any comments on flight design or peagasus history of build quality, quality control ect greatly appreciated.
aureila

We haven't had any of the issues that you mentioned.

Sorry to hear about your problems.

I have had a few issues, (mostly the same SB's as everyone else) but they have all been resolved very well by Flight Design.

You won't find to many CT owners with these type of issues. You'll also find in this country that problems are usually handled quickly....By far and away we love our CT's, the quality and the service.

However, as with everything you will find occasional execeptions.

Roger H

It sounds like you may have an out of balance problem. If you have that many things breaking, there has to be a reason and maybe your propellers are out of balance or the engine is for some reason. I think you will find something like that. I have had some rubbing problems with the tubing but that is easily fixed. I also had the props off by 1.5 degrees and that made a big difference in smoothness when they were aligned. Good Luck.

Aurelia,
Welcome to the board ...but sorry to hear off your issues.
Whilst Oliver isn't the most dynamic person in the world he has always addressed any issues I have had. Which for reference have only been small ones.
Just had TODG inspected @ 100 hours (Engine & airframe) & everything was A OK. Slight cracking on the carb drip trays, small crack on the wheel spat but otherwise perfect!
Get hold of Oliver (he is away at the moment) or Mainair & let your thoughts be known. I am sure that they will not ignore you.
Mal

Hi Guys, I typed a real long reply last night then hit the wrong button and lost it but here goes again but much more brief. I think a lot of problems are cause by the engine, this is on a lot of rotax aircraft not just the ct. My personal beleif is the problem is at start up and especially for us UK lads with weight restrictions caused by the excuse of a battery. Lets face it the battery is pathetic but thats not FD or Olivers problem its the weight issue. I have read a lot of info from the mail Rotax agent here and he is of the opinion that a good high crank battery is a must!! We cant have them in the UK because of the empty weight so the only option is carry a second back up and connect it for start up etc. I know of engine bolts breaking on the CT and its not good but i know of plently of other problems on other aircraft. I even know of a guy locally that upon starting his flexwing the engine mount BROKE YEP it BROKE. So im very interested in the soft start option if anyone has fitted it and how they found it, but i belevie a good battery willl certainly help a long way. There is a battery kicking around here in the UK which fits real nice has high crank speed and is just about 1 kg heavier than the standard battery, and comes with a nice holder. Regards Kev

Hi Kevt,


These items I am going to tell you are a must.
The battery that you have is sufficient and if you have any hard starting problems that's most likely not it. The prop rpm has to hit 225 rpm when you turn the key for the coils to generate enough spark to fire the engine. The batteries that you and I have are good for the quick burst of power that you need, but do fall a little short if you have other problems with the engine and make it hard to start. If you are having starting issues and being in a cooler damp climate is you should close down the gap on the spark plugs. The normal gap is .028-.031. This works ok for warm dryer type climates, but when it's cold the gap should be closed down. Close the gap to .022 and try again. If you absolutely had to you could go as low as .019. I personally would not go lower than .020. The Rotax is gap sensitive. Use the a gap setting of .022-.024 for winter flying. It will make a big difference in starting. The Rotax idle rpm should be right at 1800rpm give or take 50 rpm. The factory rpm settings of 1400-1450 are way to low and cause bad vibrations through out the engine, gearbox and mounts. The gearbox takes a bad beating at those low rpm's and you stand a much higher chance of losing and engine during idle approach landings. Don't wait and get this item changed now. You should have the prop pitch checked to make sure they are exactly equal and then get your prop dynamically balanced. This is another vibration killer to the gearbox and associated parts. Warp Drive props have higher inertia output when starting and stopping and this will wear on the gearbox over time compared to the NewForm or some of the light weight props. Having a warp drive means you really need to do the above procedures. If your battery is getting old or it tends to sit for long periods in between flights without a charger on it it will slowly show the signs of age and not turn the prop over as fast as it once did. Remember the sooner the prop rpm hits 225 the sooner your engine is likely to turn over. A bigger battery is not the answer, but fixing other issues will make the difference.
I just finished my forth Rotax class. I'm now rated and certified through heavy maint with Rotax. It would be helpful if your A&P's could take some Rotax classes if they are available. There are some differences in the Rotax engine compared to others. Tell your guy not to assume or repair the Rotax like he does other engines or you may run into other issues. If you have any problems you or the A&P can write me or someone like Lockwood in Sebring, Ca.

Roger,

What battery do you have?

Cheers Kev

Hawker SBS-8, but the Odessy PC310 is an exact match and made by the same company.

More research.
I know the battery on the CT is a Hawker SBS8. This particular SBS8 battery was originally designed for the electronics groups and Hawker makes much bigger batteries for many other applications.
This battery can be found, but is a little difficult at times. It is a little pricey as it is an AGM battery, but I do have a source for about $110 out of Utah.
So off I went on my research mission. I scoured the web. Here is what I found. The Hawker battery that is originally in our plane is more out of Europe like France and the UK. This is directly from there site.
Now the battery is made or distributed by Energy Systems (enersysinc.com), but the interesting part is they also make the Odyssey battery (Hawker Odyssey) and the PC310 is the exact replacement for the SBS8 Hawker just under the Odyssey name. The size, weight and stats are the same even the color. The PC310 is more on our side of the pond. The Odyssey battery is a military spec battery designed for it's ruggedness and vibration resistants and long user life. They are widely used in aircraft because of these features. I had one in my last 912 plane. Price is around the $120-$145 mark, but readily available in the US and Canada.