Hey guys,


Got N275CH off the ground for the first time and got a few other firsts as
well:


First engine malfunction


First declared emergency


First time in the dirt (mud)


All this took 60 or so seconds.


The good news is only the airplane and the pilot got muddy.


In a nutshell, I did three fast taxis, felt about as good as you can for
your first shot into the air, then decided to give her a go. I lined up on
the runway, hit the throttle and the takeoff went as much per plan as I
could expect. Then after about 10 seconds and at about 100 feet the engine
acted like it ran out of gas. Oh shit. I put the nose down, declared
emergency, and started heading back to the runway which at this point was
obviously too short for the job at hand. Hoping for a plan B, I hit the
throttle, the engine revved up, then slowed again after a few seconds.
Seeing a connection there I kept pumping the throttle enough to get her back
in the air and around the pattern for my "first" landing. Let's say the
approach was not textbook but I got her back to the ground without any
bounces or anything I could complain about. I let it roll out for a bit and
then started braking. This is where the adrenaline of the situation got the
better of me. I braked too hard and it started pulling a bit to the right.
When I realized how hard I was braking I let off of the brake (Johnson bar)
then ka-wam, I was headed for the other side of the runway. Damn, I was just
thinking I was going to pull the stunt off. Except for the embarrassment,
all was OK.


Yesterday, and at this point, I am thinking the engine had gotten hot enough
that fuel was boiling in the carb.

Today, to try to reproduce the problem, I tied the tail down and ran the
engine until the oil temp was 190 F, the previous day's takeoff oil temp.
This was when I noticed what may the real problem. After shutting down, when
I tried to move the prop, it moved with a lot of friction. I quickly removed
the cowl and the sparkplugs to take away the compression "resistance" and
found the engine was still hard to turn. Not knowing what to do I figured
lunch was in order. When I got back from lunch, and the engine had cooled
and it turned as light as I had known it before.


Any ideas of what might cause this "hot" friction? In any case I bet an
engine teardown is in my future.


Kevin