The first was a broken bungee cord after only 2.5 hrs. of flight time. The bungee acts as a suspension system for the front nose gear and I apparently was shipped a defective one with the kit. I've had the new one on for over 42 hrs now and it seems to be holding up well.
Second issue has been my oil temps. They started out getting too high, 225 degrees and climbing, & would exceed the temp. limits if I did not back off the throttle. It was in the upper 90's when I began the test flights plus I was breaking in a new engine, both factors that contributed to high oil temps. I have made cowling modifications to improve & increase the airflow around the engine and I now have the oil temps in a managable range of 197-212 degrees, depending on how hard I'm running the engine.
I've got to re-paint the cowl to make her presentable in public again. After that, I plan to take a week off from work in November, throw a tent & sleeping bag in the plane and move about the country a while. I may end up in Kentucky, Missouri, & Arkansas if I've got the time and the winds are favorable. This has been one cool thing to do, so glad to be flying now & fortunate to have the opportunity. I want to get involved with the EAA Young Eagles program to help introduce young people to flying. As a kid, I always loved aircraft & the world of aviation, but never really had a chance to go up. Now is my opportunity to do something about it.
