Issue 1 - January 2011 ASL Camguard Introduces a Full Range of Products. It s the start of a new year and new chapter for CamGuard users. ASL has introduced an expanded line of CamGuard products tailored to enhance automobile, marine and small engine oils. It seems many pilots use CamGuard Aviation in their other engines anyway, so Ed Kollin, ASL s technical guru, formulated the optimum CamGuard blend for each of these applications. Each formulation addresses specific challenges for example, CamGuard Automotive has additional antiwear and friction reducers for increased performance and fuel economy while CamGuard Marine employs elements to address the additional moisture in aquatic applications and Small Engine has additional anti-scuff properties for those hard working smaller engines. CamGuard users can now provide all of their engines the remarkable benefits of CamGuard just by selecting the appropriate formulation. Many of our fine ASL CamGuard dealers are now stocking all four CamGuard products, if you have a problem finding one, just call (800)826-9252 and we will put you in contact with your nearest CamGuard Dealer. We hope you enjoy this issue of the newsletter as Earl has out done himself this time with some great stories.
Mall Shopping Can be Fun at the Aviation Superstore Do you need some CamGuard and intend to order it on-line? Take a look at www.pilotmall.com and you ll not only find CamGuard, you ll feel like you have just walked into a pilot s candy store. Plan some time to look at all the goodies on your way to the CamGuard department; I ll bet there is something there you just can t resist. PilotMall.com offers aviation enthusiasts the perfect place to shop, or to just look at all the neat stuff. Neil Glazer, owner of PilotMall.com, got into aviation because he wanted to be an airline pilot. As he progressed in his flight training, he began selling pilot supplies to make a little extra money. Selling products over the internet, he first filled orders though other companies, but as his part-time business started to grow, he opened his own warehouse. Neil continued his flight training and progressed to the point of earning a commercial pilot certificate with an instrument rating and changed his plans for an airline career. He said, I m glad I made that decision. The success of PilotMall.com seems to prove that his change of course set him in the right direction at the right time. Neil is also the proud owner of a Mooney Ovation. While PilotMall.com is primarily an internet company, they now have a walk-in retail store locate at Albert Whitted Airport (SPG) in St Petersburg, Florida. The PilotMall.com warehouse store has both ramp and parking lot access. Pilots in the southeast are able to either drive or fly in to see what they can t resist. The airport facility is open Monday through Friday from 8AM to 6PM. However, the SPG Warehouse is not the only place to find a walk-in facility. PilotMall.com opens a 4,000 square foot store at the Sun N Fun Fly-in every year. Starting last year, PilotMall.com sponsor s the Hangar B display facility at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. So, if you hit Sun N Fun or EAA AirVenture, you can pick up some CamGaurd while you re there. Neil Said, We offer superb customer service, orders ship the same day, our prices are competitive, and we have match pricing policy. We just recently started offering aviation oriented I-Phone and I-Pad applications. These include flight planning services, government and aviation publications, and a new flight computer application has just been released. Thirteen applications are available now, and more will come. Neil continued, When I bought my plane my mechanic recommended I use CamGuard. I wasn t too familiar with it before this, but I liked what I saw; this is the reason I initially started to market it. Over the past couple of years, demand for it has been increasing. CamGuard is a great company to deal with. For some real flying fun, check out the 2011 Bahamas Pilot Challenge at: www.pilotmall.com. By Earl Downs
Engine Failure at 500 Feet How Can this be a Good Thing? It all started at an airshow in Muskogee, Oklahoma several years ago, said airshow pilot, Randy Harris. CamGuard had been on the market a few years but was not certified for FAA type certificated planes. Greg Merrell, founder of CamGuard, asked if I would like to give CamGuard a try in my experimental Skybolt 300. I put some in my Lycoming engine and was going to see how it worked over the long haul, said Randy. On the very next flight Randy started his airshow routine with a low-level pass down the runway followed by a high-g vertical pull-up. Then he recovered to level inverted flight at about 500 feet AGL. However, when he rolled out of the inverted position, his engine power dropped to idle and the oil pressure was reading zero. Because the last time the engine was running okay was in inverted flight, Randy rolled back upside-down and, sure enough, he got some power back. He continued an inverted approach for landing, rolling right-side up just prior to touchdown. Randy said with a chuckle, it was a very interesting flight. The engine had suffered a catastrophic internal failure due to an improperly installed part on the previous overhaul, and Randy s plan for trying CamGuard came to a sudden end or did it? Greg Merrell had been planning to obtain FAA approval for CamGuard, and to do this he had to offer the FAA engine data from an engine that was quantified before the testing started. It turned out that Randy s wrecked engine turned into an interesting opportunity. The engine needed a complete overhaul and this would provide the base engine required for CamGuard certification testing. Randy agreed to participate in the 500 hour testing program that would result in CamGuard being certified for use in FAA Type certificated aircraft. An engine performance recording system was installed in Randy s 300 horsepower Skybolt Biplane, and for a little more than two years CamGuard was put to the test in the torturous environment of airshow flying. The flight test program was unusual in that it was performed in an experimental homebuilt airplane. In order to meet the FAA testing requirements, the Lycoming engine had to be kept in its FAA type certificated status; no modifications were allowed for the airshow flying. Randy said, This could be the first time FAA approved flight testing was done before thousands of airshow spectators. We entertained a lot of people and got data at the same time. Our airshow flying actually tested CamGuard well beyond the FAA requirements. We flew at some higher density altitudes and exceeded oil temperature limits on some flights. I expressed my concerns to Greg that this testing far exceeded normal operation, but he said to do it. At about 540 hours the engine was torn down and carefully inspected. Randy said, When the engine was disassembled by Monty Barrett at Barrett Precision Engines, Inc. located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, all the people involved in the certification process were there. It was clean and shiny but what impressed me most was when Monty pulled a cylinder. The piston wrist-pin was removed by Monty simply pushing on it with his pinky finger: there was no varnish or sticking. I was so impressed I went home and put CamGuard in my car, lawn mower, and anything else I owned that had an engine. Randy operates his own airshow business under the name of Bearfeat Aerobatics, and you can visit www.bearfeat.com to learn more about Randy, his homebuilt Skybolt airplane, and his airshow schedule. Randy is also a member of Team Chaos that includes airshow pilot Gary Ward, and Neal Darnell driving the world s fastest jet truck. Team Chaos has been selected as a feature act this year at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Visit www.teamchaosairshows.com for more information about their airshow act and performance schedule. By Earl Downs
Q & A with ASL Technical Director, Ed Kollin What is CamGuard and why do I need it? CamGuard is a supplemental additive package for piston engine motor oils. It is a 100% active blend of 11 components and improves the performance of any oil in the areas of: Rust and corrosion protection Wear protection Deposit control Seal conditioning CamGuard offers an advanced level of protection to every engine. Infrequently used engines will see the most benefit as rust and corrosion dramatically reduces engine life. Will CamGuard work with any oil? Yes. CamGuard is designed to benefit all aircraft oils including conventional mineral oils, semi-synthetic oils, and fully synthetic oils. It is compatible with all commonly used oil components including dispersants, phosphorus anti-wear compounds, antioxidants, friction modifiers and basestocks. Is CamGuard like any other additives? NO! CamGuard is a complex formulation using proven additive technology. It is not just an additive diluted in base oil and backed up with a slick marketing campaign or some historic mystical potion. We present our data from both industry-standardized tests and in house testing along with our experimental procedures for comparison and evaluation. Can I use CamGuard in other engines? You should use the appropriate Camguard product for the application. Aircraft, Automotive, Marine or Small Engine. Each version is optimized for the application and the oil chemistries used in the particular engines.
Photo Opportunity! We would like you to share experiences and photos of your aircraft that actually use CamGuard. As for the photos we d like you to submit, they should be medium to hi resolution JPEG s. If you submit an Air-to-Air photo of your aircraft, this would put you in the running to have your plane in an actual ASL Camguard advertisement. If you are chosen in this category you would receive a complementary 4 pack of CamGuard for your help. If you have a picture of you with your aircraft on the ground, you can submit it as well because we are looking for people to interview for this E-News Letter. If you are selected in this category you will also receive a free 4 Pack of ASL CamGuard. With all submissions please include your name, address and a daytime phone or cell phone where we can reach you to arrange to get your CamGuard to you or arrange for a short interview. Submissions should be sent to us via our website ASLCamguard.com. There is a photo link that links to Shutterfly and we can look at all the photos every week. We have received many great photos so be patient and maybe yours will make the newsletter soon. Also our attempts to use customer photos in our ads has hit a slight snag but hang in there we are still working on it! For more information visit us at our website or call toll free! www.aslcamguard.com 1-800-826-9252