Thruster Photos

[nickbunfield]

Thanks mate, it was a fun little project, it's also got cessna style toe brakes which were a nightmare but a bit unique on a thruster!!

 

 

[kermit]

Here are some photos of my Thruster T83 which I have just finished fully restoring....it has a rotax 447 and flies very well!!

Boootiful Nick. its a bit strange to see big wheels im used to go cart wheels, now my friend you have to set up a camera like the gopro type and enjoy revisiting your flights above your head behind you on the support struts you can set t it up angled down it will show instruments when you move around and show through the screen your view revisiting the landings is worth the set up I have hours and hours of flights an never get tired of looking at them I also have one set up on the wing strut remote controled so I can take a view of me flying and swivel to the ground or where ever once again well done Regards kermit

 

 

[terryc]

Well done Nick a top job

 

 

[SDQDI]

Now that is real plane:thumb up: I think when you put big wheels on something that flys it makes it real:gangnam:

 

 

[microman]

Fabulous Nick - my first aircraft was a T83 - with a Robin 440 engine - took me everywhere - and I learnt a lot flying it. There are still a few flying in NZ but like most early aircraft have generally been superseded by later stuff. Those were the days.

 

 

[shafs64]

here is a picture of my thruster I think its a T85 please correct me is I am wrong. it was restored by Bevan an ex Qantas engineer and test flow by Dave king.

 

 

[microman]

As I recall the T83 had a Robin 440 engine, whereas the T85 had a smaller wing and the Rotax 503 - hard to tell from the picture which one yours is, but I suspect its a T85 because of the fuel tank which is borrowed from the Gemini.

 

 

[shafs64]

it did have a rotax

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

Can you find the serial number on the airframe? The original manual will have the serial number as well.

 

If you can't find either then try and find a copy of the Thruster History by the late Tony Hayes. It has a full history and the differences of each type.

 

I really don't think that there are to many original Thrusters out there now as most have been upgraded over the years. Especially the 83 model.

 

 

[shafs64]

I don't own it anymore but I am trying to find out more info about it. which sounds odd. I owned it for a short time. guy based at Holbrooke took it off my hands and I don't know where it is now.

 

 

[Tom Brearley]

 

Here's a shot of my TST (what I think you'd call a Gemini in Australia). She was manufactured at the the UK factory at Camelford in Cornwall in 1987 and was the 35th UK-produced aircraft. Initially she was used as a training aircraft by the flying club at RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire. Unfortunately she was 'pranged' a couple of times and consequently rebuilt with many T300 parts, which is why she's sporting a T300 pod and undercarriage.

 

Engine is a Rotax 503 DCDI. Max all up weight 380kg (the original UK weight limit for microlights was 390).

 

I've owned her since 2004 during which time we've been across the English Channel to France twice (the first occasion to mark the centenary of Louis Bleriot's first crossing), to Scotland, and taken part in the Round Britain Rally a couple of times. The shot above shows us landing at the Navy airfield at Yeovilton for their annual airshow in 2011 (to watch not to participate).

 

A cracking little aircraft which makes every flight feel like an adventure.

 

 

[kasper]

here is a picture of my thruster I think its a T85 please correct me is I am wrong. it was restored by Bevan an ex Qantas engineer and test flow by Dave king.[ATTACH=full]35768[/ATTACH]

Its a T85.

Give-aways are:

 

1. Rotax not Robin (not definitive)

 

2. side rails outside cockpit between the two cross members (not definitive - but it was a retrofit to the T83 as the boom supports came direct off the front crossbeam at the tube cluster)

 

3. the uprights for the A frames and the engine support go to the side of the fuse tube not the bottom - this is definitive, the T83 had all A-frames and boom/engine supports coming together under the fuse tube

 

4. tail boom support struts com onto the fuse tube as part of the the tail group mount - definitive - the T83 had the boom supports coming onto the tube forward of the tail group

 

5. the tail fin is the later T85 type with the frames bolted into end caps after rolling the tube to make a right angle joint - definitive - the T83 had riveted straight leading edges to the tail fin and had wraparound ali plates.

 

6. it appears to have the 25ft short span wings with under-surface batons that are profiled - this is definitely a T85 wing, the T83 - in all its lengths of span - had flat under-surface batons and very few of them.

 

7. it has a tail spring - T83's had a shopping trolley wheel welded up with a SSteel rod for steering and was pivoted off the lower fin plates with bungee shock through the lower fin (a cutout). Many got changed to proper tailwheels but the tail group lower fittings appear to be proper T85 without the early pivot bracket - T85's were originally a mix of pivot/bungee and later full spring

 

The T85 and T83 fuel tanks were and remain a mixed bag. The T83 started with the 20L plastic drum with a simple flop tube and it was mounted on short straight extensions of the two longitudinal floor tubes in the fuselage, later T83s had longer rails that were slightly bent up (to keep clearance on a full undercart use arrival!) and moved to the moulded fibreglass tank that was shared with the Gemini - not really retrofitted because the Gemini came from the TST glasshouse which was a 'fat' and beefed up T85. where and how the T85 tank was mounted depended on which tank they used - the fibreglass one needed high mounting (as per your pic) as it was too wide to fit lower between the tail support struts, but if they had the welded ali tank instead they remained within the booms and fitted lower on the lower floor tube extensions.

 

It appears You had a short wing T85 with R503

 

 

[kasper]

Here's a shot of my TST (what I think you'd call a Gemini in Australia). She was manufactured at the the UK factory at Camelford in Cornwall in 1987 and was the 35th UK-produced aircraft. Initially she was used as a training aircraft by the flying club at RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire. Unfortunately she was 'pranged' a couple of times and consequently rebuilt with many T300 parts, which is why she's sporting a T300 pod and undercarriage.

Engine is a Rotax 503 DCDI. Max all up weight 380kg (the original UK weight limit for microlights was 390).

 

I've owned her since 2004 during which time we've been across the English Channel to France twice (the first occasion to mark the centenary of Louis Bleriot's first crossing), to Scotland, and taken part in the Round Britain Rally a couple of times. The shot above shows us landing at the Navy airfield at Yeovilton for their annual airshow in 2011 (to watch not to participate).

 

A cracking little aircraft which makes every flight feel like an adventure.

Nice to see you hear Tom, seems a long time since the RbR ;-)

 

 

[Methusala]

Any body got a good T300 pod sitting around? Don

 

 

[kasper]

Its a T85.Give-aways are:

 

1. Rotax not Robin (not definitive)

 

2. side rails outside cockpit between the two cross members (not definitive - but it was a retrofit to the T83 as the boom supports came direct off the front crossbeam at the tube cluster)

 

3. the uprights for the A frames and the engine support go to the side of the fuse tube not the bottom - this is definitive, the T83 had all A-frames and boom/engine supports coming together under the fuse tube

 

4. tail boom support struts com onto the fuse tube as part of the the tail group mount - definitive - the T83 had the boom supports coming onto the tube forward of the tail group

 

5. the tail fin is the later T85 type with the frames bolted into end caps after rolling the tube to make a right angle joint - definitive - the T83 had riveted straight leading edges to the tail fin and had wraparound ali plates.

 

6. it appears to have the 25ft short span wings with under-surface batons that are profiled - this is definitely a T85 wing, the T83 - in all its lengths of span - had flat under-surface batons and very few of them.

 

7. it has a tail spring - T83's had a shopping trolley wheel welded up with a SSteel rod for steering and was pivoted off the lower fin plates with bungee shock through the lower fin (a cutout). Many got changed to proper tailwheels but the tail group lower fittings appear to be proper T85 without the early pivot bracket - T85's were originally a mix of pivot/bungee and later full spring

 

The T85 and T83 fuel tanks were and remain a mixed bag. The T83 started with the 20L plastic drum with a simple flop tube and it was mounted on short straight extensions of the two longitudinal floor tubes in the fuselage, later T83s had longer rails that were slightly bent up (to keep clearance on a full undercart use arrival!) and moved to the moulded fibreglass tank that was shared with the Gemini - not really retrofitted because the Gemini came from the TST glasshouse which was a 'fat' and beefed up T85. where and how the T85 tank was mounted depended on which tank they used - the fibreglass one needed high mounting (as per your pic) as it was too wide to fit lower between the tail support struts, but if they had the welded ali tank instead they remained within the booms and fitted lower on the lower floor tube extensions.

 

It appears You had a short wing T85 with R503

Oh and the ailerons are on push/pull cables - that's T85, the T83 had push rods and arms running up the back of the seat.

 

 

[skez]

My T500 in mackay qld

 

 

 

[kermit]

gday skez any more pics kermit

 

 

[skez]

gday skez any more pics kermit

 

 

 

 

 

[kermit]

AWSOME PICKS thanks for the look... great fun to fly aren't they regards kermit

 

 

[Blueadventures]

Hi Skez

Where yo you fly from at Mackay. I'm hoping to get flying in October around Mackay and to the north and south. You airstrip looks a good size. Its been a long time since I flew in a thruster and they are a nice aircraft.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

 

 

[skez]

That airstrip was near Townsville were we bought it from....its in mackay now in the shed half pulled apart. ..ive got a fair bit of things to fix on it including fabric replacement...im a fair way off flying it i still have to finish my licence fix the thruster and find somewhere to hangar it in mackay or close to it...but yeh its just no $$ holding me back to broke atm

 

 

[AussieB1rd]

Kermit what a beautiful walnut panel, reminds me of of my old 1955 Vauxhall Cresta I had many a year ago.

 

 

[AussieB1rd]

Should be arriving in the first week of December !

What an amazing machine, now that's a Thruster, sorry chaps.

 

 

[kasper]

OK Thruster fans ... lets play Top Thruster ... pulling together all of the Thruster variants build your imaginary ultimate Thruster by listing what you would want from which models.

 

Mine is:

 

T85 single seater wing and tail ... but with T600 ultralam skin material

 

Tailwheel undercart from the T600

 

Enclosed cockpit to rear bulkhead of the T83E

 

Enclosed rear cockpit like the T500 with fabric

 

R912 from the T500

 

Yes its a frankensteins monster and with the R912 on a single seater I am going to ascend to the heavens quickly.

 

 

[kermit]

What an amazing machine, now that's a Thruster, sorry chaps.

Kermit what a beautiful walnut panel, reminds me of of my old 1955 Vauxhall Cresta I had many a year ago.

Well thank you for that aussie bird ...I just didn't want to look at a bland uninteresting panel regards kermit