HEY! I just bought a SportCruiser!!

[ttabs]

Hello everybody!  Newbie here!  I go by the name ttabs on these things and I look forward to sharing my passion of flying with you!   

I'm really thrilled to be a new owner of a SportCruiser and to be flying it around the pacific NW.  I'm an LSA pilot currently based near Spokane WA and have been spending my last 8 years flying Trikes all over the place out here.  Now - if you just said "What's a Trike?!?" ....   I have over a hundred vids posted on youtube.  If you're interested in having a peek - just click on this link  ' TTABBS'   You'll get an idea of my playground out here and the type of flying I enjoy. 

So I felt it's time to get into fixed wings to accent my trike flying and what better way to learn than in a SC.  Eventually my flying's going to take me out into the backcountry of Idaho so stay tuned as I'm sure I'll be posting vids of my SC experience in the area I call home.  

There are similarities between my trike and the SC - for instance both run a 100 hp Rotax and I've been very involved with maintenance of this engine type.  Perhaps I can bring a little something to the table here on my experience with this engine and things I've done with them.   As for flying 3-axis, there are some totally reversed things I need to 'un-screw' in my head.  For instance foot steering a Trike is 180 degrees out of sync with rudder control.  And in a trike, we push the bar forward to go up and swing it left .... to go right!    This is going to be a challenge! 

And speaking of aircraft problems -  right out of the gate I already have  issues with my SC from it's flight from Houston trip, so I'll use this thread to post problems, fixes, thoughts, suggestions, or pose questions for you to comment.  Also who knows -  you may see a video or two on here.  

I bought this beauty a month ago where it was located in Houston TX.  

 

It has an analog instrument panel with the old garmin 496 GPS and cloth seats.  Also it's one of the few SC's that did NOT come with a BRS.  I've got some work ahead of me! 

Pearl Tip #1

So here's my first pearl for you regarding the seats - after about two hours of flying, my butt would start to feel the wood panel underneath the cushion. The stock cushion was just not thick enough for both my co-pilot and I.  We both also felt we were sitting a little low in the aircraft to begin with.  What's the fix?   WALMART!  Yes I said the 'W' word cuz we had to do something!   We bought two memory foam chair cushions at a Phoenix Walmart that were about 2" thick.  The brown color matched my interior perfectly, the height was perfect for me (I'm 6'2") and my butt was spared the remainder of the flight from the butt eating wooden panel below.  The seats went from being just comfortable to 1st class!!   This is about the cheapest mod you'll ever do to your SC.  The cushions are only about $15 - give it a try and let me know what you think!

BTW - in Phoenix we visited George who is my Trike wingman.  Him and his wife are snowbirds.   He's 6'5" and we put him to test in the SC .... with the Wally-World cushion.  It passed the George test!   (and that says a lot about this little bird!!!)  

 

 

Pearl Tip #2

If you don't have the Bose A-20's - just get them!  ... with bluetooth!  You will not regret the investment!   nuff said.  

Here's roughly our flight plan to Seattle from Houston.   It was a hell of a XC and we had a blast flying into all the small airfields for gas and eats.  (or do I say eats and gas? ) We decided to head up the W. side of the Sierras in CA due to poor wx in the NW.  I must admit, I really wanted to cut through the heart of NV and fly through Utah and the Columbia Gorge near Portland - but hey - the wx had different plans for us and that's now saved for another trip!!

 

 

My co-pilot  (a good  friend of mine)  accompanied me on this flight - and it didn't hurt that he has a little flying experience.  Such as he's a retired 747 driver, with ratings in PPW, WSC, Rotax cert this and Rotax cert that, CFI in all kinds of stuff, and for a while - was an FAA examiner.  He probably has more flight hours than you and I have sleeping.  And for the record, he let me fly nearly the entire trip back and I got to use the auto pilot a grand total of .... about 5 min.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ttabs]

As for our initial problems we experienced with the SC, our Airspeed Indicator blew a gasket somewhere over CA.  It was reading 20 kts faster than what it should have been.  We didn't know it at the time other than nearly stalling on an approach and wondering what just happened.  To troubleshoot, we did a high speed run down the runway and compared our groundspeed vs airspeed.  We had to use the GPS ground speed the rest of the flight and ignore the ASI.  

Turns out the ASI was junk.  The diaphragm was probably leaking static press with pitot press cuz our mode C also was off by several hundred feet - as we were so warmly told by flight following.     I should have suspected flying over downtown Houston when the controller assigned me to 4,500 ft and then asked me how high I was planning on going.  I was only 80ft above the limit (at the time)  but he probably saw me as being higher.  

Really folks, the instruments used in our SC's are from china and not cert.  The old salty Avionics guy in Seattle that checked my ASI out calls them junk.  I called them cheap enough at $223 to replace ... and so I did.   I suspect everything's going to work just fine now ... including my mode C.  

Lesson learned - occasionally cross check your ASI with your ground speed on roll out - just to make sure things match up.

Now on another note, check out the pic below:  The ADI in the top center there also gave me fits.  Never on the whole trip did I ever once refer to it.   What do you think a good replacement for it would be?   What would be more useful than this thing?  You'll be surprised with what idea I came up with!   For now -  this ADI is history!!!!  

[ttabs]

Another issue I had to deal with was the rudder pedals.  As if being Bass Akwards from flying a trike, I also had a limp right brake pedal.  You see, the reservoir for your brakes is like that on a dirt bike or ATV.  It's a small fluid chamber (reservoir) located behind each pedal in the left seat that needs to hold reserve fluid for that brake line.   The right seat pedals are slaved to the left seat system.  So in our case, the right seat pedals worked perfectly as did the left pedal in the left seat.  My right pedal however only gave me perhaps 60% braking capability and that was with the rudder pushed all the way in and me screaming for a little help on the right side!

You should imagine what some of my take-offs and landings looked like when we were on the ground!!!  

The fix

The fix required a large syringe and a 18 gauge needle, about 4 oz of aviation brake fluid, about 20 min of time .... and a wrench monkey (me).  I had to crawl inverted down to the right side pedals to access the back side of the left pedals.  I unscrewed the reservoir cap and injected about 3 0z of fluid into the chamber.  Then I pumped the brake and wallah - problem was fixed!   I filled the chamber until 2/3rds full, replaced the cap, and called it good. 

The only real pain of this problem was I could not fix this until we were at the shop in Seattle.  It made for some interesting times at some airfields.  

[ttabs]

There was more debauchery on our flight that we had to over-come.  Low tire pressure, a canopy that does not always close right (and as we found out in Seattle - LEAKS), low oil and CHT temps,  oh - and how do you like having those worm drive clamps on your fuel lines?   All changes coming up!

Also coming up - I'm going to compare/contrast the Garmin 496 vs the Aero 660.  GPS wars! 

I'm also going to dive into a little battery talk.  Hmmmmm .... what am I thinking? 

[Crusader16]

Welcome TTABS to the flight and congrats on your new “old” SportCruiser.  When you have time, tell us a little about your plane; year, hours, etc.  This helps us answer some of your questions.

I’ll start off with the cushion issue you had.  Your Wally World solution is a good one and if comfortable keep using it.  I bought a seat cushion from Oregon Aero years ago and have been very happy with it.  Makes flying long x-country’s more comfortable.  My problem with the cushion is catching the top of my headset on the sunshade.  I’m still playing with that one and it has to do with adjusting the shade more than anything.

Anyway, welcome and have fun with your SC!

[WmInce]

Congratulations on your new airplane ttabs.

Have fun and keep it safe!

[ttabs]

Thanks fellas - and of course I should have stated up front the aircraft characteristics.  This is an '08  with 250 hrs TT.  It's had a few upgrades including the autopilot, Sensenich prop, and 3rd gen nose gear.    (I guess there was some issue with the older on'es cracking.?)   While the log books are impeccable, we still found symptoms of this being a hangar queen including low anti-freeze, low tire pressure, a gas leak, etc.  Here's what the instrument panel looks like and as you can see, there's plenty of room for upgrades .....

 

[Deltafox]

Welcome!

[ronin5573]

2 hours ago, ttabs said:

Thanks fellas - and of course I should have stated up front the aircraft characteristics.  This is an '08  with 250 hrs TT.  It's had a few upgrades including the autopilot, Sensenich prop, and 3rd gen nose gear.    (I guess there was some issue with the older on'es cracking.?)   While the log books are impeccable, we still found symptoms of this being a hangar queen including low anti-freeze, low tire pressure, a gas leak, etc.  Here's what the instrument panel looks like and as you can see, there's plenty of room for upgrades .....

 

I could be mistaken but I think that's David Flemings first sportcruiser.... He started this forum awhile back and was a dealer.  Congrats on the new purchase. If this is the plane  I'm thinking of then the outside had the blue strips... in that day the most  elaborate paint offered at the time. ... yep its the same plane. 

[ronin5573]

2 hours ago, ttabs said:

Thanks fellas - and of course I should have stated up front the aircraft characteristics.  This is an '08  with 250 hrs TT.  It's had a few upgrades including the autopilot, Sensenich prop, and 3rd gen nose gear.    (I guess there was some issue with the older on'es cracking.?)   While the log books are impeccable, we still found symptoms of this being a hangar queen including low anti-freeze, low tire pressure, a gas leak, etc.  Here's what the instrument panel looks like and as you can see, there's plenty of room for upgrades .....

 

 While the log books are impeccable, we still found symptoms of this being a hangar queen ......

Ya think... My 2016 has more hours then this.

[rtk]

Congratulations on your Sportcruiser!  And welcome to the forum!  Lots of great members and information shared here.

Looks like you have an extra gauge on the right seat under the ELT test button port.  Is that an hour timer for the engine?  (I can’t quite make it out.)

Looking forward to reading more about your bird and flights/adventures you have with it!

[ShawnM]

Welcome Tom, you'll find this forum is priceless and congrats on the purchase.

First, what are all those round thingies in the instrument panel? 

Seats - I find the SportCruiser very comfortable but then again I have not sat in it as long as you had to. I do know of others who've used cushions with great results.

Headset - Bose? Who? I love my Lightspeed Zulu 2 headsets. Actually, they both are very good ANR headsets.

Brake fluid - it's much easier in my opinion, since you dont have to contort yourself into a Cirque du Soleil performer to get down to the brake fluid reservoir, to simply push new fluid "up" from the brake caliper itself using the same syringe and a small length of hose. But of course your way works also. I just find it easier to push it up from outside at the bleeder fitting sitting on the hangar floor. No more sore neck or back. 

496 VS the Aera 660 - no comparison, period. The WAR was over before it started.  I'm now E-LSA and I replaced my 396 with the Aera 660 and was simply blown away in the difference. Of course you can't do this if you remain S-LSA but I'll let you work that out on your own with the FAA and your insurance company. There's plenty of reading about this subject on this forum.

My avionics stack was exactly like yours except I had the 396 instead of the 496. I had the same King radio, analog 320 transponder and PS Engineering intercom. All gone now.  Here's a pic of he old and new avionics side by side. 

 

 

Canopy / Seal - Is there even one on the plane? When I bought mine it was missing. You can buy the seal online for about $20, it's Hagar 726 in white. It come sin a 20' roll and you'll need about 16'. If your seal is there then a simple adjustment of the canopy is in order. The procedure is in the maintenance manual.

Hose clamps - I too was DUMBFOUNDED that an aircraft manufacturer uses serrated hose clamps on fuel lines, or anywhere for that matter.  They still do this today on the brand new planes. They are the worst hose clamps ever for aviation. Use fuel injected hose clamps or Oetiker clamps. Is this not obvious?

Battery - You're probably thinking EarthX or some exotic, lightweight, lithium battery, before you go there the SportCruiser already has a slightly aft CG so taking weight out of the nose is not the best thing to do. The standard AGM battery weighs 13 pounds. There's reading on the forum about this also. Since you dont have the BRS that removed about 35 pounds already. I dont have one either and dont mind, my useful load is greater if needed. The legacy SportCruisers weigh in a lot less than the new ones. What is the BEW of the plane? Mine is 796 pounds.

Gas Leak -  Was the leak in the wing at the fittings? This happens. If not, where?

Low tire pressure and low coolant - That just comes with being a hangar queen and poor maintenance from the previous owner but I'm sure you already knew this. 

Anyway, welcome to the forum and you have your reading cut out for you for sure. I think every subject has been covered here somewhere. I'd suggest relaxing in your favorite chair with your favorite drink and enjoy the information on this forum.

 

 

[ShawnM]

21 hours ago, rtk said:

Looks like you have an extra gauge on the right seat under the ELT test button port.  Is that an hour timer for the engine?  (I can’t quite make it out.)

That appears to be the fuel pressure gage Bob.  

In BAR and not PSI.

[rtk]

2 hours ago, ShawnM said:

That appears to be the fuel pressure gage Bob.  

In BAR and not PSI.

Ah!  Thanks Shawn!  I wonder if the prior owner got an LOA for that?  ?

Sorry TTabs - just an ongoing joke we have on the forum about LOAs.  But certainly good to have one on board to ensure the fuel pump and pressure is where it’s intended.

[Hwick2000]

Wow!!! Nice plane... Welcome aboard ttabs... I too came from the trike world, a Maverick with the 447 then a Tanarg with 912... yes the transition was difficult, 180 degrees of change and a few more gray hairs for my CFI ( you may know him, 

Rebel Wallace, RIP). If you are ever in the Carson City NV area look me up at NV-54, we have lots of hangar space and a guest apartment.

[Izzy]

Congratulations on the purchase! May you enjoy many adventures and exciting destinations.

Be safe!

Izzy

[mikeomaha]

i have a 2011 sport cruiser with extra flared wing tips and have a hard time getting 105 knots indicated with 5300 rpm.  being 6'5, i can see ok over the nose straight and level. i noticed my shorter passengers had a tendency to get air sick and one day when he sat on a cushion he brought along and could see over the nose, no more air sickness. you will enjoy  yr plane with yr mechanical expertise and helpful advice from this great forum and glad yr here

[ttabs]

Thanks everyone for all your replies!  I somehow now get the feeling I'm not going to have too many new revelations on SportCruiser mods that have not already been tried here on the forum.  (But I'm going to try )   It's always good to have a few 'salty' dogs that can give good advice on mods and/or troubleshooting.  Or at least 'Been there done that' criticism.  

I had a huge weekend!!

 

I learned to land.  Not just a little bit either.   I got it nailed.   We spent the weekend in S. Seattle buzzing around airspace, squalls, rain, wind, and 1500' ceilings to get it done on Fri.  Crosswinds of 10 g 20 was a challenge - but that was my intro to landing.  Then on Sat we had similar conditions but with calm winds and rain - and I nailed it.   Finally had my 'Ah-Ha' moment and the rest is history.  Yesterday and today we buzzed all over harassing everyone including places like Olympia, Shelton, Thun, and others.  Absolute BLAST - and this little plane fly's wonderfully in the rain.    

My check ride is in two weeks and I'm thinking of a X-country from Spokane to Wisconsin in July.  

Now my SHORTCOMINGS 

I regret to also report I took no pics and there's some really cool things I wanted to share with you guys.   I ordered a travel cover from Bruces Covers which arrived and it is simply awesome!  They are custom made for SportCruisers.   I ordered the style that fits over both the engine cowling and canopy.  I'll get a pic for you guys next time.  Very nice fit and finish and it'll work well when I'm on the road at keeping the sun and rain out.  At $375 delivered, I'm giving it 5 stars - stay tuned for my review but check out the link if this interests you.  

 

 

 

I also installed a Garmin G5 and wanted to rave about how well that instrument works.  VERY easy to install and a workhorse of info.  But - no pic so I'll give you guys a review of that thing when I see my plane next.  I'm very impressed!

 

 

 

We installed the new ASI and as I suspected - all the altitude problems evaporated - EXCEPT MODE C.  Mode C continues to report 300' too high which opened a discussion as to how do you 'calibrate' Mode C?  We plan on taking it into a nearby Avionics shop for testing/adj.  In the mean time, we kept our altitude at least 300' below all that B airspace to stay out of trouble.  I'll let you know what they find and what the fix was.  

The Garmin Area 660 is on it's way and will get the install.  We also have a TruTrack Digi II autopilot and I want to get the GPS info to it so it'll track routes.  I'll report on that project when we get to it.  

ShawnM - I can see now you are going to be the guy to beat on instrument mods.  Not sure if my bank account (and marriage) will hold up to your stress test!   

Hwick - I may take you up on your hangar offer.   this vids for you .....

 

 

 

[ShawnM]

Glad you had a great weekend flying around and learning to nail the landings. Once you get use to the sensitivity of the pitch control on the early SportCruiser’s they are so fun to fly. As for the rain, I got caught in it briefly once but stay away from it. 

As for the cover, I’m surprised the plane didn’t come with one. I thought they all came with one. My 2007 came with one when I bought it in 2013. Bad part was someone applied large iron on letters with the N number on it. First thing I did was change the N number and for the life of me I cannot get those iron on numbers off the cover. I even called Bruce’s with no good answer. I’m still trying but I don’t really use it that much.

With all these changes you are doing can we assume that you have already converted from S-LSA to E-LSA? If not, read on. 

I guess I’ll be the “salty dog” here and inform you those changes are NOT LEGAL in a S-LSA SportCruiser. I don’t know how much knowledge you have in regards to S-LSA rules but your changes are not allowed without a letter of authorization (LOA) from the manufacturer and you’ll never get one of those from CSA. Ask me how I know. 

Now it’s your plane and you can do whatever you like but I feel obligated to inform you that it’s not legal to add the Garmin G5 or the Aera 660 in the panel. If you replaced your ASI with the exact same one that’s fine. If you ever have an incident or accident in your plane your insurance company will deny the claim and then the FAA will get involved and you know what happens then.

Since you’ve already made these changes I presume, now converting to E-LSA will also be difficult because the DAR will inspect the plane and look for discrepancies in the logs and in the aircraft itself.  Their license is on the line and getting one to sign off on it may prove difficult.

Again, don’t shoot the messenger but I feel obligated to let you know this information. 

As for my panel, I’m on a shoestring budget (and not married) so it won’t be hard to keep up with me. I sold ALL my old avionics to help offset the costs of the new. Who knew there was a market for analog transponders, old radios, discontinued GPS’s and mediocre intercoms. 

My girlfriend doesn’t really care how much I spend on my plane because it’s not her money that I’m spending. As long as she doesn’t make me choose between her and the plane we’ll be just fine. 

Please do some research into the changes to S-LSA aircraft and talk in depth with your LSRMA about what you are doing and it's legalities. .

I am glad you are enjoying the plane, I love mine.

[ronin5573]

10 hours ago, ttabs said:

Thanks everyone for all your replies!  I somehow now get the feeling I'm not going to have too many new revelations on SportCruiser mods that have not already been tried here on the forum.  (But I'm going to try )   It's always good to have a few 'salty' dogs that can give good advice on mods and/or troubleshooting.  Or at least 'Been there done that' criticism.  

I had a huge weekend!!

 

I learned to land.  Not just a little bit either.   I got it nailed.   We spent the weekend in S. Seattle buzzing around airspace, squalls, rain, wind, and 1500' ceilings to get it done on Fri.  Crosswinds of 10 g 20 was a challenge - but that was my intro to landing.  Then on Sat we had similar conditions but with calm winds and rain - and I nailed it.   Finally had my 'Ah-Ha' moment and the rest is history.  Yesterday and today we buzzed all over harassing everyone including places like Olympia, Shelton, Thun, and others.  Absolute BLAST - and this little plane fly's wonderfully in the rain.    

My check ride is in two weeks and I'm thinking of a X-country from Spokane to Wisconsin in July.  

Now my SHORTCOMINGS 

I regret to also report I took no pics and there's some really cool things I wanted to share with you guys.   I ordered a travel cover from Bruces Covers which arrived and it is simply awesome!  They are custom made for SportCruisers.   I ordered the style that fits over both the engine cowling and canopy.  I'll get a pic for you guys next time.  Very nice fit and finish and it'll work well when I'm on the road at keeping the sun and rain out.  At $375 delivered, I'm giving it 5 stars - stay tuned for my review but check out the link if this interests you.  

 

 

 

I also installed a Garmin G5 and wanted to rave about how well that instrument works.  VERY easy to install and a workhorse of info.  But - no pic so I'll give you guys a review of that thing when I see my plane next.  I'm very impressed!

 

 

 

We installed the new ASI and as I suspected - all the altitude problems evaporated - EXCEPT MODE C.  Mode C continues to report 300' too high which opened a discussion as to how do you 'calibrate' Mode C?  We plan on taking it into a nearby Avionics shop for testing/adj.  In the mean time, we kept our altitude at least 300' below all that B airspace to stay out of trouble.  I'll let you know what they find and what the fix was.  

The Garmin Area 660 is on it's way and will get the install.  We also have a TruTrack Digi II autopilot and I want to get the GPS info to it so it'll track routes.  I'll report on that project when we get to it.  

ShawnM - I can see now you are going to be the guy to beat on instrument mods.  Not sure if my bank account (and marriage) will hold up to your stress test!   

Hwick - I may take you up on your hangar offer.   this vids for you .....

 

 

 

I really like your videos.  Very well edited.  I look forward to see some with the sportcruiser.

[rtk]

3 hours ago, ShawnM said:

As long as she doesn’t make me choose between her and the plane we’ll be just fine. 

Lol!  I once had a girlfriend that made me chose between her and my 1970 Mustang Mach 1.  I chose poorly and still miss that car!  (Girlfriend I kicked to the curb years later when she made me choose between my dying father and her.)

Luckily my wife is amazing and understanding.  

Ttabs, assuming you are S-LSA, you can use the Aera 660 as a stand alone unit that is not permanently installed in the panel.  As others has indicated, the G5 will not be acceptable if you had to go through any kind of annual or conversion.

[ShawnM]

3 hours ago, rtk said:

Lol!  I once had a girlfriend that made me chose between her and my 1970 Mustang Mach 1.  I chose poorly and still miss that car!

Very funny Bob!

I won't make that mistake, if my girlfriend ever made me choose, I think I'll miss her.

[Izzy]

1 hour ago, ShawnM said:

Very funny Bob!

I won't make that mistake, if my girlfriend ever made me choose, I think I'll miss her.

Bob,

I'm a fortunate man! I've never been given such an ultimatum and truly don't know what I'd do. Yeah right, who am I kidding....just for making me choose she'd be out the door quicker than quick.

SHAWNM.....I sure do hope she doesn't read your post.

[ShawnM]

1 minute ago, Izzy said:

SHAWNM.....I sure do hope she doesn't read your post.

What? I ain't afraid of her!  (But please dont tell her I said that.)

 

3 minutes ago, Izzy said:

I'm a fortunate man! I've never been given such an ultimatum and truly don't know what I'd do. Yeah right, who am I kidding....just for making me choose she'd be out the door quicker than quick.

Better not let YOUR wife read this either or else you'll be sleeping at the hangar tonight.  

[Izzy]

2 hours ago, ShawnM said:

What? I ain't afraid of her!  (But please dont tell her I said that.)

 

Better not let YOUR wife read this either or else you'll be sleeping at the hangar tonight.  

I hope that after 27 years she wouldn't allow me such an easy out! Just kidding of course.?