Baffle seal - proper placement

This post is for Grumman Gang feedback:

Needed a for public facing place to share this photo of my AA5A cowl cooling inlet. 

I've been trying to find ways to cool #3 cylinder, looking at the baffle seal (been like this since I bought the plane 18 months ago), I assumed it was right, but think I need to get expert ruling.

This much baffle seal hanging down seems like the airflow will bend the seal downward and cause obstruction.  Should it be on the outside of the cowl inlet like this...if so should the seal be trimmed back to prevent it from it dragging into the airflow?  My # 3 cylinder routinely stays between 430 and 440F.

It looks like there is a pocket made by the cowl's leading edge (on the other side of the fiberglass) allowing the seal to tuck in the pocket & still laying forward, so it is out of the opening all together & air pressure will still push the seal upward into the roof of the cowl.

Update - 2/6/2015

Overwhelming consensus from the Grumman Gang (thank you)...the baffle belongs in the pocket.  I feel a bit silly for not being confident in this presumably self-evident conclusion.  I had scoured my pictures from prior to annual and others on the internet, I couldn't find a detailed straight on shot of the cowl inlet...so here's my AFTER pic (#AA5A #Grumman Cheetah Baffle Cowl Nose Bowl inlet):

Last night, I flew from Metro to Centennial to meet some friends and could tell a big difference in the readings off the JPI, most notably cylinder 3 read 40F cooler on climb out.   During the short cruise segment, the cylinder and exhaust temps were more consistent between cylinders, allowing for more leaning and power.  

Lessons learned:

1. I need better familiarity with the proper configuration of my plane - The baffle seals are now etched into brain, having inspected them at every angle, might try snapping high resolution pics of every inch of the plane...that way I have a baseline.  I did this when we built our house, I've successfully used the archive to confirm locations, configuration and routes of services behind the walls.

2. The shop I used seemed to do a great job in 2013 and last year did not.  Having the JPI installed during annual seemed too much distraction and there was a new guy who did some of the work...including putting it back together.  I need to do an owner assist annual with someone knowledgable and learn it myself.

3. Received feedback from some who observed the JPI reading high by @50F, some going so far as to say I should junk it.  I'm not prepared to react without more research. It was the JPI that provided empirical data which forced me to investigate, the issue was my unfamiliarity with the proper config of the baffle. My Operation Science theory suggests keep making consistent measurements and investigate inconsistent readings. Said differently, the JPI may read high or low, it's still useful in reporting deviation from norm.  Having the JPI installed, at the exact time the baffle became screwed up, when the pilot was not fully familiar with the baffle config...that chain is broken.

Next fly to KAEG on Sunday if weather is good to attend Hypoxia training and chamber - this will give me 5 hours of cruise with a right seat pilot, we'll have some time to dial in 11U:)

Update - the transformation to EDM-700 engine monitor

I guess ignorance is bliss, the MTB hasn't been bagged up since the annual inspection.  The annual required some exhaust work but normal otherwise.  I decided to install a new vernier style mixture control and an EDM-701 engine monitor (replacing the Fuel Scan 450).  

In reading online articles and posts, some old timers seemed to suggest the information from the monitor may be distracting to a pilot.  I found once again, the wrinkles contain good experience and wisdom...for me, the data revealed a world of mechanical ignorant furled assumptions.  Over the last 6 months, my time has been spent learning to fly my Grumman Cheetah without over stressing the engine, flying high density in a HC O-320 with a tight cowl.  

The experience from the first 6 months (30 hours) on the new monitor were eye popping.  My #3 calendar on high DA days is >440 F unless I take proactive action (starting at run up through level off.  The back cylinders are normally warmer, no surprise, but #3 gets hot fast and it'll hit 460 without intervention.  

Next surprise was shock cooling on a this 160hp engine, I thought I was smooth on the throttle; not the case.  Needing to manage over cooling on a AA5A just wasn't an expectation, everything read sets a perception the over cooling issues were reserved for complex (cowl flap configured) platforms.

Then out of left field, it came appearant the LASAR's ennunciator light was not illuminating as it should on Mag check...the run up checklist specifies the light should be "verify off" following mag check...well, it was off, theough 12 hours following annual I ran up and flew with that ennunciator OFF. The problem, it wasn't coming on during the mag check as it should.  

I spent several hours upside down under the panel looking for the problem, even ran a comm cable from the LASAR on the firewall inside the cabin to connect a netbook...on an aside, thanks Microsoft for eliminating hyperterm from Win7.  This was IT, cable fabrication, USB comm cable driver meets airplane ignition.  I learned a bunch about the LASAR ignition as a result, most importantly determined the LASAR was working flawlessly, with exception of the ennunciator (root cause a bad molex crimp), a 30 second fix. My theory, the molex crimp was poorly made and the wire snagged on the EDM700 when it was installed next to the light, the pin's strain relief tab looked as though it'd never been crimped to the insulation. File this under expect collateral damage when adding technology to the panel.

Look close, white wire found disco'd next to the Molex, it's intended for the middle pin on the MOLEX and provides ground return (required for the circuit to work):

The LASAR comm port displays a vt-100 readout of the ignition parameters, this is very cool. I wish I had room on the panel for a terminal display full-time:

While hanging out under the panel, I became more familiar with the avionics wiring and feel more comfortable with it now. I worked in proximity to the pilot headset jack and took the opportunity to use super fine emery cloth on the connections and bent the connections back into shape to provide a tighter mating between plug and jack.  This little bit of effort cleaned up my intercom crackling and ATC seems happier to talk to me now.

Since my last post, my plans to MTB all over Colorado this summer were high jacked by a shiny new EDM700, but the time invested in gaining a better understanding of how my pilot techniques affect the integrated systems on my Cheetah, priceless.  

Lesson learned:

 EDM-700

1. Conventional wisdom and techniques handed down by CFI to student is safety focused...flying without dying; not getting the best life out of a power plant

2. Conventional single cylinder CHT/EGT and analog OIl temp is better than nothing, and that's about it

3. Old timers who warn the data from the monitor may be distracting is valid, in my case alarming, I invested in subtle pilotage techniques to improve temperature management, I've had to fly a little further in front of the airplane to get acceptable results; overall more gentle.

 LASAR

1. Add a checklist item to verify the light comes on during mag check

2. The LASAR comm port is really good way to know if the LASAR is really working, really the only way

3. The mechanical TACH is reading 100 RPM lower than the LASAR (reading from the mag directly)...add a Digital TACH to the EDM at annual

Intercom

If you have noise in the system, clean and tighten connections at the jacks, big improvement with $0