ZULU1

Well might as well cover all aspects of flying.. A tandem jump at La Mercy KZN north coast...

Trike over Inanda Dam KZN I particularly like this shot as it really depicts the wonderful freedom that trike flying gives us, I took this on flim and scanned it and only recently changed to Digital. For our aerial work I use a FUJI 9500 do to weight after a few hours usage.

I am unsure how this was removed Ian My old plane CEW at 10,000 ft, unsure how the other pic disapperaed Ian ??

Ian I have cleared my Inbox Thanks all for the comments, this is a picture of the Kalahari, I flew a few years back through it in mid winter. Not far from this point I was fortunate enough to view a Bushman. That was a truly memorable flying moment as they are living still in the natural environment..No taxes, internet nothing..Where did we go wrong ??This is the North Western Cape bordering Namibia.

Just take a squiz at how close this is.. Just received this from the US...maybe wake turbulence ??

DTA I am inclined to agree with Perry, its what you use the aerie for determines the choice. I would agree that the DTA is possibly the toughest piece of kit made, serious brakes aon all wheels (disc) I havent flown one but the closest I have seen is the Aviate Raptor made in Jhb. they produce something similar for the defence force here and its not unlike a flying fork lift truck. Especially with the military colours. As Perry suggests the Solo Wings Aquilla is also seriously tough, several have done cross continent dashes and the cart is designed for Africa. They are available now with the 912s and are sold for game counts, Jackal shooting and so on in Namibia and Northern Cape. This would be similar terrain to you. I dont think the UK products would last ten minutes in the bush to be honest. I am not at all versed in Airborne products and cannot comment. Cheers Paul aka Zulu1

Kosi Bay Northrn KZN This photo is of the Kosi Bay world heritage site, the fish kraals are visible and used by the local tribes to spear fish on the return of the tide. They swim in and get caught like a "valve" on tide turn. This was taken before the ban on low flying over these parks was enforced. The area is rich in Elephant and the rest of the big five. Truly a wonderful opportunity to fly the region and I believe that it is a good thing it has been enforced..The previous pics of Ponto are about 5 kmms further North. Glad you are all enjoying them will dig up some more.. Cheers Paul

Does the date mean anything to you... This pic I took over the Valley of the Kings in Egypt..100 years of flight !! An awesome experience over the Nile..

Shadow in harbour This pic shows low cloud reflection at Richards Bay KZN North Coast, a trike is somewhere shown inverted in the shadow in large forrmat..

All in a row This is not photoshop but for real, taken at Ballito, I have large format.

Other side of the continent Mozambique / South Africa This is the border between South Africa and Mozambique with Kosi Bay in the distance, the point is known as Ponto "D" Ouro. Taken from Mozambican airspace.. I have all in large format..

Namibia on the Right / South Africa on the left !! I took this flying from Botswana to the Orange River, the border is the fence..miles and miles of nothing, only way to tell was the Pilot3 GPS had it marked as a "International border". more to follow Paul aka ZULU1

Only real chance of getting the magazine.. Now come on Ian..who gets the prize ?? I have some crackers for next month...we cant subscribe to it here. Ciao Paul aka Zulu1

Trike Wing Over Taken at Inanda Dam, Durban..Aquilla 582, Durban city in the background. I have large format. Zulu1

Flying Wheelchair.. Taken in Pretoria, new XC Exciter with aHirth two stroke from Germany.I have in large format..

Good Day Over here in South Africa, we have a growing trend in that Trike pilots are using the Garmin 296, they have multi roles as you may be aware.. Any way when used on a trike the tendency is to use "hand helds" as this does not require a radio station licence. This presents some problems, namely on certain frequencies they give out some horrible rf into the radio (not the intercom). We spent hours tracking it down (even changed the antenna length). It was definitely getting into the radio.. Anyway in most trikes the PTT cable is flexible and sits on the bar, this is by default close to the GPS antenna. The PTT switches through the Intercom normally and is a straight path to the radio. This is where the rf gets in. The fix; search out a rf bead and place around the PTT line. Best ones come with the Icom chargers as they clip on and the frequencies are perfect for the job. We have fixed two now, really worth the effort. I hope this helps save some people time... Paul

HKS 700e See pic of the HKS fitted to Aquilla as an option.

Two strokes Sir, If you have a large hangar door the 582 performs well as a door stop..I have flown most engines in trikes. As previous threads will tell you the 912 has 1500 hrs TBO, the 582 will require crank replacement after 350-400 hrs. The fuel consumption is probably double, sure they do have nice performance. But if you live at low altitude fly a lot on your own; other less expensive options exist with 4 strokes as well..Take a look at the HKS 700e (60 hp), Verner boxer twin (80 hp) and Verner radials. Maybe the Jabiru is an option also.. For info my first 582 popped at 190 hrs and the second one at 380 hrs, that was enough for me. I couldnt justify the 912 as we use the trike as a test bed for avionics so it gets a lot of short trips. Fuel consumption and reliability was the main choice. I installed the HKS 700 e it gives me solo 900 fpm and dual 600fpm with fuel burn solo 6 litres an hour dual 9,5 ltrs maximum. At 200 hrs now just changed the plugs, starts first time, no problems at all. BUT it has oil in it !! The 503 incidentally is not a bad option, they seem to last longer..still two stroke. Here in South Africa we have lost a few people with 2 strokes, the tendency in Johannesburg is to use the 582 as its 6,000 feet, two strokes definitely lose less power with altitude. Hope this helps a bit. Cheers Paul

Ayres turbo thrush on fertilizer duties Take at Monzi, Northern KZN last week..

Suffolk Flying Hiya Rallye Yes I know the location, I enjoyed the time spent there. For viewers on the forum wishing to visit Suffolk and East Anglia and you have some time. There are some really interesting ex US Air Force bases, Framlingham has a small museum with a very active "group" the concrete taxi ways are still used by some trike pilots. The old control tower is the museum. We built the new MRF (Material Recovery Facility) for Viridor at Masons Landfill site, manufactured in South Africa and we shipped it across as a CKD. Cheers Paul

Oil in 582 Rotax Hiya I have had considerable experience with the 582, as regards oils we live on the coast here just north of Durban, SA. We (our club) have about 21 blue top 582s (except me with a HKS). We have a very high ambient as well as high humidity levels during summer, same as you guys. My first 582 popped at 180 hrs, i used synthetic oil with oil injection, second one at 320 hrs mineral oil and oil injection. I personally gave up. However the others didnt. Some tips: Use unleaded fuel and pre mix Trash the oil injection completely Pre mix just before flight (dont leave fuel in tank for a long time). Do not use synthetic oils (they are hydroscopic) and stick to mineral oils. Save up for a four stroke... The 503 is amazingly bullet proof and lasts forever, good piece of kit. Some chaps put on a auxilliary fuel pump. To change over just drain tank and fly new fuel. I have witnessed a few engine outs with that motor and seen a few used as hangar ornaments...they are also prone to carb icing. Strange though if used in a school with continuous usage they seem to give good hours and the cranks last about 600 hrs before replacement. Cheers Paul

Ipswich Hiya Rallye I didnt know Ipswich had a airport, where was it ?? I did a stint in Ipswich (Great Blakenham) two years back with our company. Did a huge tour of the ex US Airforce bases in that area. Real interesting, especally museum at Framlingham you should know them well why not post something..even Martlesham heath (Douglas Bader fame) now a play school !! was interesting as you are retired and have the time.. Cheers Paul aka ZULU1

Radios Hiya Take a look at Filser for panel mounting and if you have a lesser budget try the Icom ICA6 or Vertex Standard Pilot3, these both have the abilities to have power output turned down to about 1 watt. In SA they dont require radio station licences and work well. Just a point some GA headsets dont work so well in Ultralights due to wind ingress and so on, unsure of your aerie but may require some investigation ?? Hope this helps a bit. Send me a pm and I will forward some info.. Cheers Paul

GPS Units and trikes Good Day Brett I hail from North of Durban South Africa, as a part time vocation I write aviation equipment articles for our SA magazines. at present I am doing a "road test" on a Lowrance 600c aviation GPS. I have been fortunate enough to have used and tested many different devices and can offer some sensible advice. The question you ask is very common. First thing and I am sure your instructor will advise much the same, Are you learning to use a GPS or learning to fly ?? My experience with new students is they go buy nice expensive kit, then spend more time learning the GPS than the flying "bit". Maybe go buy a basic etrex first, inexpensive, get to know how to use it, which is very simple in layout, terminology, and so on. Then get your licence and buy something with a switchable database- Aviation-Roads-Marine. You will then have the experience to make the right choice yourself. I have a etrex vista and use it for all functions, I find its layout very small and somewhat difficult to read in daylight whilst trike flying. Maybe look at the 96 series. I prefer Black and White screens for bright daylight. remember should you run the ettrex off the plane it requires 3 volts... Good Luck with your licence. Paul ZULU1

How do you choose headsets Hi All In South Africa and mainly on the coastal regions we fly trikes with goggles and open headsets. This places extreme challenges on intercoms and headets. Most other regions of the world mandate the use of helmets and other safety equipment. Hence any system with VOX is a complete no-no as you get with a trike a vortex wind effect, test it on a motor bike without helmet at say 100kms per hour no problem (we also manufacture Motor cycle security comms helmets). Place the same kit on a trike and you will be deaf in a minute. To get the cocktail "right" is a major mission, we have wind blockers, correct foams,frequency filters, frequency limiting speakers, noise cancelling mics and incidentally any thing that is physically connected to the mic element such a a moulded housing, machined cavity etc. It just does not work. All the so called expensive brands are hopeless. The up side to all the devlopment is they work real good in helmets and extreme noise environments. We had previously tested the major European brands and with their weather they use helmets. Gave up and designed our own. When you make a choice regarding headsets dont look at the price tag, look at what it offers in noise cancelling and see what you require for your application, see its origin and its levels of development. For example you wouldnt buy snow shoes from South Africa would you !! or surfboards in Alaska same rule applies. Please dont see this as an advert but just some simple advice, I am sure that Australia has some fine kit available. Look very careful at the microphone mounting and its design.... Cheers Paul