Chapter 48 - Certificate of Airworthiness

Although Saratoga VH-EXS had to have an annual maintenance service and checked to ensure that all ADs had been complied with prior to being given an Export Certificate of Airworthiness by the FAA, the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority requires a further annual maintenance service, checking that all ADs (including any peculiar to Australia) have been completed before they will issue a Certificate of Airworthiness to allow the aircraft to be flown in Australia.

Since the annual in the USA the Saratoga has logged 51.3 hours Flight Time and 54.5 hours Hobbs. As most of us do, I have great faith in my particular maintenance organisation, which is Blue Demon Aviation at Moorabbin and I am more than happy for them to go over the aircraft from nose to tail before I am let loose with it.

There are a few minor problems which surfaced on the flight, being HSI out by 25-30 degrees, MAP, rpm & mixture control levers being unusually tight, elevator trim needle dis-engaged from the wheel mechanism and grease from the hub of one of the propellor blades.

The twin Garmin 430s have had WAAS upgrades and a new Jeppesen subscription is required. The Garmin GMX 200 shows the terrain and the Australian airspace but requires a Jeppesen subscription to have Departure, Approaches and Instrument procedures overlaid on the moving map.

For anyone who is insane enough to labour over figures, the following is the data from the flight:

Leg 1 - Torrance, California to Santa Maria, California
Leg 2 - Santa Maria, California to Hilo, Hawaii
Leg 3 - Hilo, Hawaii to Christmas Island, Kiribati
Leg 4 - Christmas Island, Kiribati to Pago Pago, American Samoa
Leg 5 - Pago Pago, American Samoa to Tontuota, Noumea
Leg 6 - Tontouta, Noumea to Gold Coast, Australia, via Magenta, Noumea
Leg 7 - Gold Coast, Australia to Bankstown, Australia
Leg 8 - Bankstown, Australia to Moorabbin, Australia

Maximum Ground Speeds below mean nothing as they were probably on descent to the airports.

                                 Leg 1      Leg 2      Leg 3      Leg 4   
Ave Speed                149.20    146.56   147.13    162.09 
Max. Grd Speed        180.46    163.49   176.73    179.99 
Trip Time                  00:53      13:54     07:33      07:48   
Trip Distance NM       130.6     2028.7   1113.4    1265.7   
Est.fuel @ 17.8 gph     15.7       247.4     134.4      138.8    


                                    Leg 5      Leg 6      Leg 7      Leg 8
Ave Speed                   152.57    154.68    136.84   153.54 
Max. Grd Speed           185.10    183.65    167.11   174.65
Trip Time                     09:04      05:20      02:45     02:44
Trip Distance NM         1377.5      824.0      377.1     418.6
Est.fuel @ 17.8 gph       161.4        94.9        49.0      49.0


I have been using the turbo Continental engine for around 19 years. I needed information on Lycoming engines and found a publication called the Lycoming Flyer on the web. I have used this 71 page publication as my basis for power settings in conjunction with the Piper Saratoga POH. For a Lycoming Turbo Charged engine, the recommendations I settled on were those recommended by Lycoming for maximum engine life. Whilst operating at 75% power, peak Turbine Inlet Temperature and at Cylinder Head Temperatures of 435 degrees F is approved, tucked away in little paragraphs within the publication are the following recommendations:

• Conservative climb power of 2400 RPM, 35" Hg manifold pressure is recommended for all cruise flight.
• Conservative cruise power settings of 2200 RPM and 31"Hg manifold pressure is recommended for increased engine service life.
• For cruise, a maximum of 1,450 degrees F exhaust gas temperature and maximum cylinder head temperature of 420 degrees F is recommended.
• The preceding conditions correspond to a power setting of about 63% ISA.
• For maximum service life, maitain Engine power setting of 65% or less; Cylinder head temperatures of 400 degrees F or below; Oil temperature 165 - 220 degrees F; Turbine Inlet Temperature 100 degrees F on rich side of maximum allowable. (TIT will be around 100 degrees F higher than EGT)

It also states that using individual cylinder EGT for leaning is not recommended. This renders our EDM 700 as somewhat less important than it might at first appear.

For mine, reaching maximum TBO by travelling a few knots slower and using a bit more fuel, is the most efficient and cost effective way to fly.

Knowing three owners who, in the last two years, have had an engine rebuild on a Lycoming engine at about 1/2 engine life due to rusting of the camshaft, it might pay users of Lycoming engines to read pages 55 & 65 of the Lycoming Flyer. Basically it states that to avoid this problem you must fly the aircraft more than twice per month and get the oil temperature above 165 degrees and change the oil every 4 months. This puts a totally new perspective on finding a 'bargain' 30 year old aircraft which only has a few hours on the engine. Probably indicates that when buying a second hand aircraft more emphasis should be placed on the regularity of hours flown as shown in the Maintenance Release.

Whilst a lot of the above applies to Turbo Charged Lycoming engines, the Lycoming Flyer covers both Turbo Charged and Normally Aspirated engines. Download it from the web.

Some may have noticed that the RAAF has purchased new Super Hornet F/A 18F aircraft. These were at Lemoore NAS where the Australian pilots trained. This was just 100 statute miles N/E of Santa Maria. They were to fly to Amberley, just west of the Gold Coast. We challenged them to a race across the Pacific. Route taken was to be determined by each party. The winning team would be the one which took the least time to cross from USA to Australia. They chose to fly almost the same route as we did - Lemoore, Hawaii, Pago Pago, Auckland, Amberley.

We took off on 17th March, they took off 19th March.
We arrived 23rd March, they arrived 26th March.

Clearly, we won by about 24 hours.

Admittedly they had about 120 NM further to fly but they had the advantage of in-flight re-fueling and one less stop than us.

It just goes to prove that even though Ray is 72 years old and I am 70 years old, we still have more stamina and guile than these younger men of the RAAF.

Another example of the tortoise and the hare.

Tom Courtney (left) Ray Clamback (right)

Click on images to enlarge