How do you say YES!!!! on the internet so that the reader can feel the excitement and smile on the face of the sender. YES, YES, YES. This morning even with the threat of AIDS and all that it entails, I returned to the airport this morning and finished the final details that cleared the way for me to start the engine. I had marked out what I thought was 12 degrees on the face of my prop hub and used a timing light to dynamically set the timing on the 009. I made one last check for fuel leaks and verified that all wires were working. I used my oil can to oil the rockers and valve stems one last time. I pored a few drops of fuel in each plug hole to prime the engine, and installed the second set of plugs. I had a friend stand fire guard and hit the switch. After a few sputters from the raw fuel, the engine began to clear and fire on all 4 cylinders. The engine ran oh so smooth!!!. I kept waiting for what seemed near 30 seconds and still no oil pressure. A few taps on the pressure gauge (direct reading) and the pressure moved to near 60. After it stabilized (I forgot to record the idle speed) I attempted to accelerate past idle. I made it to 2000 RPM before it starved for fuel. I did look at manifold pressure to see if the turbo was giving any indication and noted that it was at 15 at idle and advanced to about 18 at 2000. My observer stated that the waste gate was flapping. That is only one of many issues that I will have to deal with during the coming days in order to get flight ready. After many months of down time, I finally feel the KR is coming back to life. Since it runs smooth enough and only indicated that it wants more fuel, it's time to reinstall the big fan up front. All and all I'd say today was a good day.
Orma Southfield, MI N110LR celebrating 20 years To the gathering or bust
