Had a chance to work on closing-out some small squawks on LuluBelle this week.
Doinky stuff such as cleaning & re-lubing the brake calipers, etc. All minor maint. and not a single issue is a show stopper ... but sure does feel better after you complete them.
Of course I had to fly her to verify airworthiness .
I hate to admit this but this is only the second time I've ever taken her aloft by myself. Holy cow, what a difference between this "lightly spirited" D-model compared to the Aerobat (Sassy is an easy 200 lbs heavier). The 'ol straight tail feels very "Cub" like to me. Sandy caught me goofing-off as I was "swooshing" the grass runway at X39.
Going to miss the LuluBelle Lady.
Needless to say, I had a lot of fun that afternoon
I'm pulling LuluBelle off the market for now. It's amazing what people want for $16k. My attempt at selling "as is" wasn't pleasant.
It has been a very frustrating experience, and there are a couple of things I think we want to address before selling.
The new carb stumbles around 1500RPM at lower outside temps, and requires an awfully rich setting on the idle mixture screw). The AvStar technician agreed a richer idle jet is needed, especially at lower air temps. Runs great at all other RPM settings, and we sure have learned a lot about carbs, Bottom line is that we have to pull the carb and have AvStar tweak it. Royal pain in the rear.
I think while we deal with this we will fix a couple more cosmetic items, and likely re-list at a higher price. It think the lower price actually resulted in some buyers wondering what was wrong with the plane.
And for now I'm just ready for a break from this experience....and I think the market may improve as we get into spring time, and as this driver license medical legislation moves forward.
Too bad for the potential buyers. As a buyer, you can't ask for or expect more with such an enthusiast owner, disclosing as much as is known. Although I'm kinda happy inside, because I have to wait for my 2nd home to sell to purchase a plane. Perhaps this will be on the market again when I'm ready to jump in.