Complements of Joe starting the thread on turning the page I got to thinkin about all the good n bad times with our LE. its a good ole bird.
I was remembering when I took off one time on climb out was past the point of landing straight ahead. When I noticed the wind screen wettin up with sumthin but it wasn't raining. About that time I noticed my arm getting all warm n wet. looked over and my entire arm was covered in oil. man was frightening as I recall. Oil pressure started droppin like a rock. I had some altitude and engine was still runnin strong so I swung it back around and when the runway was made only then did I slack out of the gas pedal. prop came to a stop while I was still about 5 ft above the runway. I greased it in and I mean GREASED.....it looked like I just did a touch and go in Paul Bunyan's skillet after he was fryin bacon. Got to lookin and the oil plug had backed out. lost all the oil.
The engine was at that time a 92mm X 69mm so best we could tell something like 30-32HP seemed ok for us cause we all run around 125-145lb soakin wet but being we had to tear the engine down we got a 78mm crank from cassler and new pistons, rings and jugs. Put it all together and had us a BIG!!! motor.
I had just got it all together and was gonna try it out.
It ran fine on several ground runs made acceptable RPM static so I took it down the runway. took off but it seemed doggy. Initial climb seemed like it would fly but at about 1.5 light poles high it just wanted to quit flyin. I was milkin it for all I could and was going into the wind. Strait ahead I had another corn field to go before a tree line and to the right I had an open field for about a mile. My thinking was if I could amble it out to the right with the huge field I could possibly gain enough air speed and altitude to swing it back around to the runway. The wind was runnin abut 15 out of the south which was my initial take off direction. I knew that when I started the turn I would loose some alt until the airplane caught back up with the wind.....problem was it never caught back up. I had the hammer down and was loosing my precious alt as I slightly turned down wind. Hard to explain it all real well but I was getting cornered with either forced to turn more downwind or trees. I chose more down wind. thought for a little that I was gonna make it. I had made it past directly downwind and was about 45 deg quartering tail wind when I saw there was just no way it was gonna work out. At this time I gave up making it back to the runway and committed everything to flying the plane as far into the crash as possible. Still had the hammer cobbed as hard as possible and with the tailwind I would guess I had about a 50-55 MPH ground speed felt like I was doin a hundered. The corn was abut 3-6 inches tall so it wasn't ready for cutting yet but I cut some. Was at about a 45 deg angle to the rows and I was sure they would tip it on the nose. I barely grazed the top of 2 rows at that time I chopped the throttle and hung on for the ride. Let me tell ya the hammering was terrific. I eased the stick all the way back and leaned back to shift much wait at possible to the tail. All worked out good. Came to a stop sittin on the wheels.
found out with the displacement change the carb was so lean that it was running lean of peak. Richened it up and flies like a rocket ship now.
Weasel
