Carbon Canary

Yep ! Well done Onetrack. This one was going through its final airworthy checks last month at Lachen-Speyerdorf airfield. CC

I have no idea on the legalities, but there are replicas of the Southern Cross. It certainly is a historic aircraft that should be celebrated.

The training area for Camden + Bankstown in Sydney currently sits over the top of the rapidly developing new Badgerys Creek international airport. Its listed as a danger area for a good reason. Its congested with lots of student traffic doing what students need to do. In this area ADS-B with aural alerts and relative position data has identified a heck of a lot of traffic. Many alerts may be regarded as a nuisance, but on occasions, potential conflict has been real. The circuits at both Camden and Bankstown are managed by ATC, so no problem there. Many, many years ago there was a fatal mid-air over a VFR approach point for Bankstown which I believe was the catalyst for creating Class D. To this day however, the VFR approach points are possibly still the riskiest location within what is already a danger area. The (rental) aircraft I routinely fly is also fitted with FLARM, but to date I haven't experienced any FLARM alerts, possibly because the gliders at Camden are well separated from power traffic. I have heard other pilots mention they have had FLARM alerts around Temora. It was this experience that encouraged me to order both ADS-B in/out and FLARM for my own aircraft. I can tolerate the occasional nuisance alert rather than never getting the critical one. As mentioned previously in another thread, it maybe out in the boonies where two aircraft are flying the same or reciprocal magenta line that ADS-B may make the difference to being around to fly another day.

Cost/benefit of ‘new’ technology is in the eye of the beholder to a large degree. In low traffic areas, its quite possible it just adds extra weight to the aircraft and removes weight from your wallet. However, I suspect ADS-B will eventually become mandatory in high traffic areas….and ‘eventually’ may be sooner than we think. One risk scenario in low traffic areas is flying the magenta line between two locations without displacement left or right of track. You may be in the middle of nowhere, but another aircraft is on exactly the same or reciprocal track as you. EFB’s may help in identifying other aircraft - if the aircraft are fitted with the appropriate tech. Ultimately all this tech and EFBs cost money and it comes down to our personal acceptance of risk and what we are prepared to pay to reduce the risk. Dare I mention BRS ? I was in Germany a few weeks ago where BRS is mandatory in LSAs. A long time German pilot said he now wouldn’t let his children drive in a car without airbags, and he views BRS in LSAs in the same vein. Cost/benefit is a personal calculation, sometimes biased by regulation.

Coincidentally, I have ordered avionics with both ADS-B in & out + FLARM today.

....a small point, but the club I'm with strongly encourages flying a minimum of 3 legs of the circuit at any uncontrolled airfeld. Of course communication is key. I've flown into a number of airfields with active jump aircraft operating and always sorted out separation over the radio. Maybe I'm a bit sensitive to this as years ago, I was called in as a witness to a court case involving a jump aircraft scaring the crap out of multiple students at a particular ALA. The ALA and flying school operator banned the jump school which then sued the ALA operator for denial of access. CC

Speedway ? I never knew they could go that fast in travelling gear ! 🤣

Col Pay flying the Wright Flyer at Narromine.

We had some short lengths of railway line bolted to the front. It was a case of trying to retrieve the digger from a hole using the hydraulics. Without any power steering when the front wheels hit a rock or something you could lose your thumbs. Newbies learnt quickly how to properly place hands on the steering wheel. Sold the Fordson a year ago - it was still going strong after ~70 years.

I'd recognise a Fordson Power Major anywhere............but can't comment on their aerodynamics. However, I did get one to rotate once....with a heavy post-hole digger on the back. Did someone say CoG ??

Of course a 'flyable' Wright Flyer which has indeed flown, is housed at Narromine. Worth a look if you haven't already seen it. There is another Wright Flyer replica in the Technik Museum in Speyer, Germany....which coincidentally has a large space exhibit, including Buzz Aldrin's space suit and the CO2 absorption canisters from Apollo 13. Anyhow, it's also worth a look. Of course we should also remember Ehrich Weiss who supposedly achieved the first 'controlled flight' in Australia in his machine at Diggers Rest in Victoria in March, 1910. Better known as Harry Houdini - a great showman. Gotta give credit to all these guys - they pushed the boundaries and achieved breakthroughs.

Thread drift alert….. in my professional career it was clear that the best way to learn something was to be asked to teach it. CC

I was speaking with a European ELA manufacturer around a month ago, who usually purchases a significant number of 80hp Rotax 912UL engines every year. This year, when they placed an order for more 80hp engines the apparent response from Rotax was that they couldn't supply any at all due to 'supply chain issues'. This was the first time ever, that Rotax had had difficulties with supply. At that time, there was a rumour in Europe that Rotax engines were ending up in Iranian drones. This may well be pure speculation/rumour/scuttlebutt and I have absolutely no evidence other than this comment in passing in the conversation with the ELA manufacturer regarding their specific circumstances. Hence, what caught my eye, was this article in the mainstream media.............. Rotax Engine Found In Iranian Mohajer-6 Drone Downed Over Ukraine (msn.com) It will be interesting to follow this story and see how Rotax responds. Clearly an engine can be bought and sold many times through legitimate channels before ending up in its final usage, which may not necessarily be legitimate. As the story mentions, looking at serial numbers and a chain of custody may be revealing if there is any sort of accompanying paper trail. The pictured engine is a 912iS, so drone usage may not be confined to the 80hp 912 UL. CC

Hi Kiwi, in my humble opinion your choice to go high and to have Controlled VFR (I assuming that is the Oz equivalent of ATC Flight Following) was very wise compared to mixing it with the mush down low ! ATC would know exactly where you were, and as you mention, you would have plenty of time to whale watch while you found a suitable ditching place if things all went to custard. Fond memories of driving down from Marlborough past Kaikoura to Christchurch. (when I lived in New Plymouth) I’m sure it was even more spectacular trip from the air. Good luck to you ! CC

Thanks Danny ! I've also since discovered some flying schools that have aircraft fitted with Kanardia gear - no negative vibes and so far, so good. CC

Garfly, Many thanks for the feedback ! I'm considering a full panel so want to get the decision right. CC

OK, maybe I'll re-phrase the query...... Has anyone got any experience at all, good or bad, with Kanardia avionics in general ?......and in particular, experience with local support of their offering in Australia ? - I haven't found a local agent. Thx.

Certainly 'different'. I went to "Wings over the Baltics" airshow in Latvia in 2019. Also housed at the old Soviet-era airbase (Jurmala) is the 'Sky Zoo' with aircraft - mostly old MIGs and Ilyushins, etc, painted up as animals. Curious. Jurmala Airport Air Zoo - AeroResource

Any experience out there with Kanardia Nesis iii generally, and their Australian mapping capability ? The Nesis iii looks like a sound and sharply priced unit, particularly if you live in Europe, but I’m a little unsure of local support in Oz. I’m particularly interested in the local mapping capability, how often it is updated, is it equivalent to VTC, VNC and WACs, if so, is the transition from one to the other seamless, and ultimately how this mapping compares to the market leaders of Garmin and Dynon ? Thanks !

I should think so. The school has seen a bit of a renaissance over the past few years and I understand is quite popular. In particular the long term threat of airport closure has now gone, and the local council (albeit under administration) is supportive, which has given the school some much needed breathing space. I understand their fleet is still quite old (as expected) but well maintained. They have recently added a C150 with a 150hp engine. Now that should really fly ! I trained there many years ago and don't have any recent involvement, but do keep a bit of a 'watching brief' on the happenings. I also don't have any recent experience with their instructors but did fly with their current CFI (and current CEO) many years ago, and he was excellent. Just did my GA BFR last week at Camden.

The captain's name flying Shazza has gotta be Bruce.

Reasonably sure it was VH-PYW. Yes, Cessna's are also subjected to the vagaries of gravity.

I think that is one of Warnervale Air's (flight school) C172Ns.

Even the drive into Milford Sound is spectacular....and I walked the Milford track over Christmas when I was younger (much younger) and it snowed on Christmas day. Absolutely amazingly beautiful place. The circling climb above Wakatipu is pretty special in its own right. Never got to fly over Milford, but did do a flight over Mt Ruapehu about a month before it erupted. Yeah, climb performance above 6k in a max weight C172 is not great - plenty of time to enjoy the scenery !