Sport Pilot

[kgwilson]

Only the US & the UK use MPH & a few tiny places like Jersey, Isle of Mann & Guam.

 

The Metric Act of 1866 decalred metrics to be lawful in the US for all business dealings and court proceedings.

 

The US metric association was formed in 1916 dedicated to the adoption of the metric system

 

The US passed a law to voluntarily metricise their measurements in 1975 & in 1988 this was amended to declare the metric system the preferred system for US weights & measures for trade and commerce. Typically some people threw a hissy fit and politicians jumped on the bandwagon declaring metrics to be un-American. They are unlikely to change given the size of their internal market place even though their military uses metric measurements. There is little hope for any place that can elect a President like Trump.

 

Sportpilot is an Australian publication and should have used measurements appropriate to the Audience. The Risen is Italian so all the measurements from them are metric and have to be translated for a US audience, It is only historical that we continue with Knots and feet in Aviation and with imperial measurement due to the source of a lot of hardware. Would you be happy to return to miles, gallons, fahrenheit, fractions, etc? I wouldn't.

[skippydiesel]

Speculation:

The only reason we are still muddling along with Imperial (of any scale) is because of the  Septic Tanks refusal to adopt  the  far more logical & intuitive system, Metric.

 

FYI:

All international scientific papers are in metric.

Metric scales are almost universally used by the scientific community

There is no logical reason for having any measurement in Imperial (including aircraft separation)

Don't know this for a fact but have heard that at least some of the Yanks bigger companies  eg John Deere, have  gone metric.

 

The multitude of Imperial scales grew organically, from the human experience of the time, and are no longer fit for purpose, completely obsolete.

 

 

.

[Flying_higher]

I was in the US recently and whilst speaking to someone about this very thing, I was told that the timber industry in the USA had been very effective at lobbying against moving to the metric system as they’d need to re-tool all their mills etc. don’t know how true it is, but it’s plausible I guess. 
 

Question. Given the passion shown here about the metric system. Should we all write to CASA and the RAA to ask for them to cancel the registration of any aircraft the doesn’t use the metric system within their POH? Surely this must be the only way forward (note my sarcasm…).
 

I think it’s pretty funny that anyone cares so much what it written in a magazine in terms of the specs of an aircraft. Would have thought there were bigger issues to worry about.  

[spacesailor]

METRIC. 

A French system.  To rule the world .

Removed the " Greenwich " meridian , the new meridian is Paris France. 

Removed  the ' standard ' calender. The new " Republican calander 1793 " which stopped the Catholics finding their Sundays for " mass ".

10 hours a day , 100 minutes per hour 100 seconds per minute. 

 

Only three countries are imperial! .

United States .  Liberia & Burma. renamed Myanmar. 

SO 

Why does the USA call ' their System ' Imperial? .

spacesailor

 

[facthunter]

As far as I know they don't. Imperial is British. CGS system is used by scientists. Everywhere. Nev

[facthunter]

Imperial relates to something controlled by an Emperor. Perhaps Trump  would like that.. How far would the Trump EMPIRE extend?  with Metric altitudes the separation vertically is 330 metres but that is not as simple as using 1,000's of feet  and DOG knows what FL's are... Used by Russia. China and north Korea.  The nautical mile divides into degrees of latitude every where and degrees of longitude at the equator .Nev

[RFguy]

In the US , it is not 'imperial'. 
it is "US or British " units  (but then there is the british gallon and US gallon) .

As for sportpilot- they should use what is recnognized by our regulator for aviation, which is non metric units, except for visibility and RWY length . (which is wierd ) .

 

Glen. (am also a US citizen) .


 

[Old Koreelah]

4 hours ago, Flying_higher said:

Seriously, you may need to talk to someone about your ‘rage against the machine’….

Too much of my life has been spent adjusting to the stupidity of others.

 

4 hours ago, Flying_higher said:

Should I ask for my money back from airlines that fly Boeings as well? They use KGS for fuel but the nuts and bolts are imperial. 
 

Did you know that China uses metres for altitude instead of feet?

 

Many nations also use MPH instead of KPH in their cars. 
 

Did you also know that Aircraft in Australia can have different airspeed indicators that quote KPH, MPH or knots?

 

This is part of living in a global society where different standards apply. In a simple world this wouldn’t happen, agreed, but it’s not a simple world. 

Yes, I’m totally aware of these things- and quite a few others that you may not be aware of. 
That does not excuse the insult of being expected to adjust to the outdate standards of a country in decline- which is dragging much of the world-and Australia in particular- backwards. We metricated decades ago, but are now are being expected to go backwards to accomodate one country’s refusal to adapt to the rest of the world.

4 hours ago, Flying_higher said:

As far as lazy journalism is concerned, if that’s what the manufacturer quotes I would think this is appropriate to be quoted by SportPilot too. 

Not the first time I’ve encountered such arrogance (or maybe ignorance) from an American firm, insisting that we adapt to their measures. If they want to sell in our country, use our language. Who in Australia uses US gallons? Sq ft? lbs? 
 

As we saw in the staff photo, RAA employs many more people than a decade ago. Tomorrow I’ll be renewing my membership (at a much increased price) so would expect their publication to at least speak my language.

4 hours ago, Flying_higher said:

Whilst having to mix and match can be a PITA, that’s life. As long as you know and don’t forget that you may have to convert, unlike those involved in the Gimli Glider, the world will keep turning.  

If I was visiting America I wouldn’t mind converting, but this outrage is happening in Australia, which metricated decades ago! The cost of American refusal to metricate has been enormous. 

[skippydiesel]

35 minutes ago, RFguy said:

In the US , it is not 'imperial'. 
it is "US or British " units  (but then there is the british gallon and US gallon) .

As for sportpilot- they should use what is recnognized by our regulator for aviation, which is non metric units, except for visibility and RWY length . (which is wierd ) .

 

Glen. (am also a US citizen) .


 

I think you will find that Australian flying incorporates a weird mixture of both Imperial & Metric well beyond the few examples you gave - weird indeed.

 

I believe all our Imperial units are of Pommy origin (ie no US Gallons) although Wikipedia tells me the Brits & the Yanks standardised their mile in 1959 (1609.344 m) - no word of consulting with the rest of the World  

 

As for your last comment/disclosure - I try hard not to be racist as some of my friends are American😆

[tillmanr]

The scientific world use the Systems Internationale units of MKSA 

[spacesailor]

" US or British units " .

I believe they Don't us the ENGLISH. " BA " , SYSTEM. 

" British Association of screw threads ".

AND  

England uses the French metric system .

It was France that changed , From the Right hand drive .

spacesailor

 

Edited August 27, 2023 by spacesailor
A little more !

[facthunter]

The BIG Jets are Left Hand drive so you might have to change eventually, spacey. Staying RHD puts US in the minority. Working on old stuff I have to use the original threads. You'd muck it up if you changed things. You will do what you have to as it  IS what it IS.  The conversion here was half baked thank DOG. Forcing you to change everything is not the way I like to live. Some of the brit. manufacturers went from BS to UNF then to metric in the space of about 10 year..  BA is for instruments. Brits have the biggest array of special threads  MY  "Brain' is in between. I readily convert imp' to metric.

  CGS is the early scientific metric. Navigationally I'm Nautical but, NICE".  Nev

[Blueadventures]

22 minutes ago, facthunter said:

The BIG Jets are Left Hand drive so you might have to change eventually, spacey. Staying RHD puts US in the minority. Working on old stuff I have to use the original threads. You'd muck it up if you changed things. You will do what you have to as it  IS what it IS.  The conversion here was half baked thank DOG. Forcing you to change everything is not the way I like to live. Some of the brit. manufacturers went from BS to UNF then to metric in the space of about 10 year..  BA is for instruments. Brits have the biggest array of special threads  MY  "Brain' is in between. I readily convert imp' to metric.

  CGS is the early scientific metric. Navigationally I'm Nautical but, NICE".  Nev

Add in the Whitworth spanner and socket sizing to the joys of British aircraft compared to USA aircraft back pre 1960 from what I hear. 

[facthunter]

You always needed a good fit on nuts and rounding them off is not an option. PROTO  was a stand out quality for aero work. Stahwillesp? another. The size of the drive is important. !/2" is too big for some situations.   nev

[spacesailor]

USA  uses the French left hand-drive .

As it was France the kicked England out of the America's 

It was France that changed , From the Right hand drive .

And gave us ' metric time ' , 10 hour day ,100 minutes per hour , 100 seconds per minute. 

I still don't like it,  do you ! .

spacesailor

 

[facthunter]

Boston is part of the USA last time I looked. "Boston Tea Party"? France had a lot of Canada and got on with the Indians better than the USA generally. Why not? They are people Quebec speaks French  as a lot there have French ancestry. I've never heard of the metric time of which you speak but the French GAVE America the Statue Of Liberty which was rather significant  don't you think?   Nev

[spacesailor]

They could have given the US ,

That Eiffel ltower ! 

As it was supposed to be for One exhibition only .

spacesailor

[facthunter]

They gave the US something much better, more expensive and significant. THE Statue of LIBERTY.. Nev 

[skippydiesel]

I never throw tools out, even broken worn out ones come in useful occasionally.  So I have quite a good collection of imperial spanners,  kept well separated from my much preferred/loved metric collection.

 

The imperials have come into their own, with my acquisition of an American designed metal aircraft. I still struggle to know which is the next size up/down and why do some fractional sizes fit, while others with the same fraction embossed on them do not (please don't answer I actually know the reason deep in my subconscious, I just despise the system so much, I would rather pretend not to know 🙃).

[facthunter]

I don't get emotional about any of this stuff. The AN aircraft system is one of the best I've come across.  Nev

[spacesailor]

" Imperial " from ' emperor '.

So must be French under " Emperor Napoleon " .

As England has never had an emperor!.

spacesailor

[skippydiesel]

4 hours ago, facthunter said:

I don't get emotional about any of this stuff. The AN aircraft system is one of the best I've come across.  Nev

Surly you jest?

 

The AN system operating in both fractions & decimal expression, with overly minute increments,  is at best  nightmare.

[Bernie]

I carry both metric and imperial sockets and spanners in my motorhome.

And I still work at home in imperial I'm dyslexic with numbers.

I have never changed from what they "tried" to teach me in school which I left in 1960.

Getting a ULT certificate was hard...mainly for my instructor.

Bernie.

[spacesailor]

I have ' the lot ' BA , whitworth, Af , bicycle , a few DIN , & of COURSE , French Si metric .

Oops sorry ! ,

NO Japanese metric .

Plus Pipe , gas , and gas bottle spanners and all the ' taps & dies .

A life long accumulated five toolbox set .

Were will that lot go , when I'm gone ? . LoL

not bloody going .

spacesailor

[facthunter]

There's a metric thread called ISO if I remember correctly, used on Japanese Motorcycles. The Imp and US cycle threads. Whit and NF form and 26/20 tpi and 24/20 tpi respectively. That gives you the fine and coarse threads for various purposes. You'll also come across BSF whit  on Brit  bikes.and  NF  UNC on US bikes . Nev