I was tootling along at low speed in my little experimental, leaning out the Marvel-Schebler carburetor one nice day, when the engine suddenly stopped. I immediately went through the restart procedures, but to no avail. Realizing that I had run out of options, I turned my little Sonex into the wind and landed on a hillside recently planted in wheat. I was later able to take off from a nearby highway and fly back to the airport. Nature had been kind to me. The throttle setting was relatively low, and the temperature-dew point spread was not too high either. It must have been carburetor ice! I should have known better. I had fallen into a trap that accounts for close to half of engine stoppage scenarios and a fair number of fatalities. Tail between my legs, I headed for my study. I did some basic calculations as well. First, I had to measure the carb's bore diameter so I could have a basis for the airflow speeds demanded by the engine. I found some interesting information in DOT/FAA/CT-82/44, a report on some ground testing to evaluate carburetor ice sensors.
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