slartibartfast

They seem to handle forced landing really well too. Great photo on ABC today of an incident near Budgewoi. Looks undamaged and no-one hurt. Article and photo attribution here.

Escadrille, I checked mine and Henk's yesterday. He has 24046 - single pole (no separate earth but still insulated) and I have 24047. I also noticed that Cole Hershee is a USA company, not German (not that there's anything wrong with that). I got mine through City Centre Auto Electrical in Canberra. Any Auto Electrician should be able to get it though. Lucas or Bosch would also have something which would do the job better than standard. I couldn't find a price. Probably $80ish. The crux of it is that the cheap unit leaks current to earth. As it warms up, it leaks more. So after 5-10 seconds of cranking, it seems that the battery is out of grunt and won't turn the engine over anymore, when in reality, there's plenty left, it's just going into warming the earth return. I guess if you ran the earth near the carby it might help to warm things up (or light them up), but I think you're better off with a quality solenoid. I would really like a few more Jab owners to try this and report their findings. I'm confident it would end the Jab jumpstart jamboree we see on cold mornings at fly-ins. Cheers, Ross

It's the soleniod, Sol. Solenoids ain't solenoids.

Thanks heaps for jumping in here to explain your position Neil. It's very much appreciated. When I call Airservices back next week I will be pushing your last recommendation - that they get with the program and produce digital versions themselves. That's by far the best solution. Otherwise it may come down to scanning and calibrating our own. As you say, a time consuming process. I was happy to support your business too. As I recall, you're Eltham based? I went to Eltham High a long time ago. Cheers, Ross

In the interest of full disclosure David, I'm an accredited agent. I haven't sold a single aeroplane yet, but where there's life there's hope. I really believe in the planes' awesomeness, so I help Garry out where I can. He's a paid up advertiser on this site, so it's all kosher. Just waiting for me to create the advert.

I rang AirServices about this. They are aware of the MapTrax decision, but don't understand it. The price is going up, but not that much - and they informed MapTrax a long time ago. The conference room at AirServices has been buzzing with discussion about this, and someone else has emailed them indicating their interest in taking over digital sales. They suggest waiting a week and getting back to them. Dexter, I agree that old versions will do for digital copies. That's what I've been doing - just updating my paper ones. However, we would be breaking the law if we shared our files. So people who want to use moving map software would have to buy and scan their own. Although it could be argued that if they buy their paper versions, we are just helping them to get a scanned version of what they already own. Good idea to ask around for an A1 scanner. Once scanned though, the map needs to be calibrated and an ozf3 file created. This can only be done through the full version of OziExplorer on the PC (AFAIK - the demo version only allows 3 points to be plotted) and is prone to errors which would only became apparent when you flew to the chart with the error. The beauty of having a reliable supplier is having this work done for you with guaranteed accuracy.

Yes and yes. I use them in OziExplorer.

As a regular customer of Maptrax, I got an email today. It included this little pearler: Last but not least, we have to announce that we will no longer be producing the Air Services Aeronautical charts in a digital format. Changes to the licensing scheme have made it uneconomic for us to continue producing these charts, and we felt that most customers would not be prepared to accept the large increase in costs that we would have to pass on if we continued. We appreciate all those pilots and aviation firms that have supported us over the years, and we acknowledge that this is probably going to leave some of you with no viable alternative. Unfortunately we are a commercial operation, and if we can't turn a profit on the product, we can't justify continuing with it. We would advise you to stay in contact with Air Services Australia, as I am sure they will be looking for somebody else to fill this role. We will remove all Air Services charts from the website at the end of the month. What have those bureaucrats at Air Services done now? The maps were $10 each. How much have they changed the licensing to make them unaffordable? How do we get our digital versions short of scanning them ourselves? Will the paper versions be going up too? Not happy.

It's more about the training market than the weight. There's been a lot of inquiries about using the Sierra for schools. It would make an excellent school plane. Low maintenance and very hard to break.

It's well underway right now. Certification should be complete fairly soon for both the Sierra and the Cougar.

I realised an email to Henk (hangar mate and forum member) might be quicker. He got straight back to me saying it is a Cole Hersee. A look at their website reveals it is most likely a model 24047. Use "Product Search" or browse solenoids to find it. I can't link directly because of their stupid frame-based site. It looks like this, and this is the 12v intermittent version, so probably the right one. I'll try to confirm when I get back to the plane. You could do what I did - go to an auto-electrician with the requirements (voltage, amps, load, usage) and let them suggest one. It has to be better than the $12 standard part. It definitely provides better cranking than standard. Both Henk's and mine showed much slower cranking after 10 seconds or so on the original solenoid. Now they both crank as long as you are game. That extra available current translates to more spark and a better start. If it works for you, post here. Every jab engine owner should hear about it. Starting sick? Problem hard to pick? Give jumps the flick, with this slick, quick trick.

I'm trying to chase it down Andy. I didn't get to the plane this weekend and I don't remember the details. I think one of my hangar mates might know. He followed my advice and solved his own starting problems that way. I'll get back to you.

Another simple thing, and the most effective if your earth is already good, is to replace the starter solenoid with a quality German one. Mine now starts first go when it's -7C. Too much current leaks to earth on the standard one.

Thanks for passing that on Nev. I'm so sad about that. Decca was amazing. Only a week or two ago he was still positive he was going to beat it. It was fantastic he could get to Temora before he went. I feel privileged to have met him. You're flying now mate. Ross

Have you found one of these cheapo devices that's usable in the air Ian? The only ones I've seen have been too dim and badly affected by glare. I'd love to hear of any good ones.

All perfectly accurate Ian, but those cheapo GPSs are not locked, they already run a fairly complete version of Windows CE. So there's no need to unlock them. What you describe is changing the path to the program which gets run when you click "Navigation". I did that for Pud and Turbo, but they both found that the screens are not bright enough on the 7" models. Haven't tried any others. Caveat Utilisor.

Funny to find this post just after I was watching episode 5. The one being shown this week is episode 2. I have the first 6 episodes, so I'll have to wait a while to see a new one. Great series.

Good stuff Stewy. Funny you should mention Forest Gump, because stalls are like a box of chocolates. If they hit the ground then you really shouldn't eat them anymore. Never could get the hang of analogies. Welcome anyway.

Took me an hour or so to get used to the C172. It's just different. It does seem easier once acclimatised, may be because of its weight. First crosswind landing nearly bit me though. As soon as I relaxed the into wind aileron it jumped up on one wheel.

Presuming the pun was intentional - good one Tomo.

Great trip report Rob and Rachel, and congrats on the new plane. Fantastic that Bob and Nellie are going strong at Camden Haven. It's a wonderful spot. Why don't you bring your new baby to Moruya on Saturday? Otherwise I'll catch you at Wollongong sometime. Cheers, Ross

Hi Pete, Not exactly help, but my Microair 760P intercom works really well.

One from Mudgee to get it started.

So ends another month with some great entries. While we wait for Angela to judge, announce and reward with her usual fairness and alacrity, why not hedge your bets and post some more photos this month? Get yourselves a'snapping and a'posting so you can be a'winning and a'boasting. Don't forget to have a high resolution version of your photo available for publication, and to send it to Angela at [email protected] when she announces the winners. Also remember that if you didn't take the picture, the person who did needs to give permission for publication.

Hi Dexter. Many condolences for the plane. So glad you're both OK though. Sounds like a major feat of piloting. Well done.