never a dull moment off airport

Landing off airport this morning, I had the most unusual thing happen. Apparently this piece of wood was lying in rocks on the strip, and when I touched, it spun up and got wedged between the surface and my sidewall. I heard a thunk at touch, and thought "did I touch my TW first?" Now I know what I heard. Thank goodness for slime.



 

Paul Collins

Active Member
This is indeed impressive! By the way, which type of "Slime" are you using? I have been told that "Flat Attack" is better than "Slime". Well, that is by bikers, but I don't have the sort of experience you have!!
Also, how much did you put in?
Thanks,
Paul Collins
N337DP
 
I believe we have "slime" brand, and it was put in with the Bushwheels in whatever amount was recommended. Never had an issue in all the off airport desert flying, including running through cactus. Charlie just finished flying her machine this morning, and reports that the tire is holding pressure fine. Apparently the slime sealed it up. Call me a slime fan!

Monday, we are ordering a replacement Bushwheel.
 

GreggMotonaga

Active Member
Does Slime gum up the inside of the tire and particularly the valve stem? My new husky came with Bushwheels but I can barely get air in or out of the tire through the valve stem because it is all gummed up inside as if someone put something into the tire.

When the baby Bushwheel on my 185 had a slow leak in it, Airframes AK recommended Stans NoTubes Sealant and it worked amazingly well. Sealed up that baby bushwheel and I haven't touched it for months. Is Slime a similar product?
 

Pierre

New Member
In other words, do you put the product in your tires in advance, or did you have it handy after incident?
 
Pierre, it was put in, in advance.

I am not sure our No Tube has ever been recharged, and we frequently fly in cold temps. It was about 60F, when this happened.
 

Scott Musser

Administrator
Staff member
Does the kevlar wrap down the sidewall this far? If so, did the stick penetrate into the tire? Must have been some brute force if it did penetrate the kevlar.
 

tbienz

Well-Known Member
The only thing that bothers me about using a product like that in the Bushwheels is that it will never leave. On the mountain bike, I use Stans all the time. About once a season you need to dismount the tubless tire and clean out the inside, then refill and remount the tire. There is usually a large ball of relatively light crystalline looking stuff (resembles a goat-head cactus only about 2" wide). That is with a relatively small volume in a 2.3" tire. In a bushwheel, you can't open the thing up, and the volume of Stans required is much higher. I'm sure it does the same thing as it dries, but it's probably lots bigger...so after a while, you've got all this crap flopping around inside the tire. It may not affect the tire too much (and yes, the manufacturer does recommend its use). For small punctures it works great. I haven't used it in the Bushwheels.

Slime is a similar product, cheaper, and generally used inside tires with tubes, but I have used it to reinforce repairs on auto, wheel-barrow, and tractor tires.

If your valve stem is gummed up, you can support the aircraft so deflating the tire will not cause it to settle too much, then unscrew the Schrader core, clean things out with a small piece of plastic or Q-tip, then reassemble.
 

Ksmith

Active Member
I carry a bottle of the stuff AKB sells, a patch & plug kit and a Slime 12-volt compressor, to get it aired up, should I get a flat. By carrying this stuff, I'm sure my chances of using it have diminished 95%. :D

Leave it home, just once and see what happens, not.:(
 

tbienz

Well-Known Member
Yup, I carry about the same list. I also have a small bicycle pump in case the s__t really hits the fan and my battery is dead. Plus in my setup, the power cord and hose for the Slime pump won't quite let me reach the tailwheel.
 
It really is quite a small stick, and the odds must have been infinitesimal that it could fly up, and penetrate the tire. I heard a noise at touchdown, that puzzled me, that was obviously the stick penetrating the tire. The tire is leaking air as of yesterday morning. New tire on the way from AK.

Here is Charlie departing on this strip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWrAS_D6yvE
 
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DStewart

Member
About a year ago one of my sons and I were prowling the local desert looking for places to try getting in and out of. I landed one and before I was stopped I could hear the air escaping through a hole punched in the center of the tread.

I had previously put in some of ABW tire goop, which looks like milk. Within a minute the hole had sealed, having lost maybe half the air. At the time I had nothing with me to repair/inflate the tire.

I now carry plugs and patches (plugs work much better) and a 12v pump. One warning about the pump, if I plug it into the lighter plug, it pops the breaker in about a minute. My unit has battery clamp connections which came with it that work.
 

johnaz

Active Member
It really is quite a small stick, and the odds must have been infinitesimal that it could fly up, and penetrate the tire. I heard a noise at touchdown, that puzzled me, that was obviously the stick penetrating the tire. The tire is leaking air as of yesterday morning. New tire on the way from AK.

Here is Charlie departing on this strip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWrAS_D6yvE


George,
Do you prefer the Carbon cub or the Husky? You have both, just wondered as I have never flown a Carbon Cub. Have a Supercub now and have had three Husky's in the past.
Just wondered your thoughts on the Carbon Cub compared to Husky, other than speed.
Thanks,
John
 
My wife prefers the Carbon Cub and I prefer the Husky. The Carbon Cub lands and takes off in the distance the Husky takes to land.
 
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