Xenon trouble again
Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2016 6:06 pm
I thought I would post some info of my ongoing woe's with the xenon...
Seen in my previous thread wherein I rebuilt the Xenon I documented in great detail what I found, what I liked, and what I thought were good and bad, along the way I made new Friends and further alienated myself from some other quarters for being rather outspoken...after-all who am I to have an opinion? who am I to pick on AP's and the workmanship we see daily from these back yard mechanics who work on our Gyrocopters?
Ok so whats this all about, the Xen was rebuilt test flown signed out and by all accounts a nice gyro (with the Best Panel ever seen in a Xenon ) ...well being the anal perfectionist that I am I went in pursuit of a vibration I feel exits, despite my local AMO (AP) saying it cant get better, I even had another well respected AMO (AP) and helicopter builder fly it and again confirm that the vibration I seem to think is there??? is in fact not, moving on we did find the following rather alarming The rotor made a slight ticking sound as it spooled down after a flight, so I was told to check the bearing... in Springs they mos check things out like we do in Benoni
Here is how we do it in Cape Town
The craft has 200 hours on it so the thought of a head bearing being faulty was unlikely? not detoured I consulted with a piece of equipment that could remove any doubt, the dial gauge, well IMO the bearing read as if it had over 2000 hours on it.
So out it comes
Myself not known for my academic qualifications decided to follow the OEM manual...for once
and while Im not a great lover of burning things did this by the book, so some heat...
Now for the kick...out it comes.... with the help of a press (its so lekker to have all the toys in the workshop)
Get on with it Vos where is this going
Gosh its a 6206.... a single row ball bearing and not to be used in the Rotor head of a gyro copter (unless you have two, as seen in say a Magni arrangement) The Xenon OEM manual says it must be a 5206, so I decided to contact Oliver Bennit Head of Technical at Xenon in Malta and a test Pilot, he confirmed that the craft should not be flown with a 6206 and that I must fit the 5206.
So guys be very aware of what monkey tinkers with your plane, most Ap's are to old to be BEE compliant but the work I have seen the work I have repaired makes think that many AP's are now very qualified for BEE and the standard we associate with BEE type qualifications..
In a day or so I will assemble the head to OEM specifications and can only hope that RDY does not throw another curved ball into my net.....I may not catch it
He he and and some of these AP's have god like status....Eish here is the comment from Oliver copied from my email
oliver.bennett@celieraviation.com <oliver.bennett@celieraviation.com>
1:36 PM (4 hours ago)
to me
Hi Greg,
PLEASE DO NOT FLY, it is a single row bearing ! The correct part is 5206.
For clarification a single row B/bearing does not offer the integrity for this application, and this head could have come off in flight, and then people would say ja well greg worked on the thing.... I can post a schematic drawing of a 6206 and a 5206 if any one wants to see the detail? the drawing i paste below will make it clear
5206 OD62mm x ID30mm x 23.4mm
6206 OD62mm x ID30mm x16mm
In the mean time Im going for cold one
Seen in my previous thread wherein I rebuilt the Xenon I documented in great detail what I found, what I liked, and what I thought were good and bad, along the way I made new Friends and further alienated myself from some other quarters for being rather outspoken...after-all who am I to have an opinion? who am I to pick on AP's and the workmanship we see daily from these back yard mechanics who work on our Gyrocopters?
Ok so whats this all about, the Xen was rebuilt test flown signed out and by all accounts a nice gyro (with the Best Panel ever seen in a Xenon ) ...well being the anal perfectionist that I am I went in pursuit of a vibration I feel exits, despite my local AMO (AP) saying it cant get better, I even had another well respected AMO (AP) and helicopter builder fly it and again confirm that the vibration I seem to think is there??? is in fact not, moving on we did find the following rather alarming The rotor made a slight ticking sound as it spooled down after a flight, so I was told to check the bearing... in Springs they mos check things out like we do in Benoni
Here is how we do it in Cape Town
The craft has 200 hours on it so the thought of a head bearing being faulty was unlikely? not detoured I consulted with a piece of equipment that could remove any doubt, the dial gauge, well IMO the bearing read as if it had over 2000 hours on it.
So out it comes
Myself not known for my academic qualifications decided to follow the OEM manual...for once
and while Im not a great lover of burning things did this by the book, so some heat...
Now for the kick...out it comes.... with the help of a press (its so lekker to have all the toys in the workshop)
Get on with it Vos where is this going
Gosh its a 6206.... a single row ball bearing and not to be used in the Rotor head of a gyro copter (unless you have two, as seen in say a Magni arrangement) The Xenon OEM manual says it must be a 5206, so I decided to contact Oliver Bennit Head of Technical at Xenon in Malta and a test Pilot, he confirmed that the craft should not be flown with a 6206 and that I must fit the 5206.
So guys be very aware of what monkey tinkers with your plane, most Ap's are to old to be BEE compliant but the work I have seen the work I have repaired makes think that many AP's are now very qualified for BEE and the standard we associate with BEE type qualifications..
In a day or so I will assemble the head to OEM specifications and can only hope that RDY does not throw another curved ball into my net.....I may not catch it
He he and and some of these AP's have god like status....Eish here is the comment from Oliver copied from my email
oliver.bennett@celieraviation.com <oliver.bennett@celieraviation.com>
1:36 PM (4 hours ago)
to me
Hi Greg,
PLEASE DO NOT FLY, it is a single row bearing ! The correct part is 5206.
For clarification a single row B/bearing does not offer the integrity for this application, and this head could have come off in flight, and then people would say ja well greg worked on the thing.... I can post a schematic drawing of a 6206 and a 5206 if any one wants to see the detail? the drawing i paste below will make it clear
5206 OD62mm x ID30mm x 23.4mm
6206 OD62mm x ID30mm x16mm
In the mean time Im going for cold one