billwoodmason

When I was learning to fly way back when the Trevor Thom Flight Radio Handbook was the publication of choice for learning radio procedures. It covers most commonly encountered situations when flying. You occasionally see the entire Trevor Thom series of books for sale on Ebay (2nd hand). Good luck. Billwoodmason

Hi Funcher, It might be worth checking the crank case seals. If they leak the fuel cannot be drawn in to the crank case. Cheers, BW.

Mardy, You'll have a lot of fun with your new Jab, but you will have to do tappet adjustments at regular intervals. As I understand it Jabiru went to hydrolic lifters to prevent having tappet adjuster failures caused by ham fisted owner/operators. I've owned both types and I used to think that although a relatively simple task, adjusting the tappets was a pain in the you know what. I don't believe there is sufficient evidence to suggest hydrolic lifters are a backward step, only speculation in some quarters. Initially they did have to change the profile of the camshaft and I think they had a couple of versions before being satisfied. The key to safe operation is to be vigilent with maintenance (use an L2/LAME where necessary)and get the cowls off often for a good visual inspection for anything that may need attention. Do leakdown tests every 100 hrs and keep a close eye on the oil level as it will use 50ml/Hr or more - don't overfill as it will expel excess oil out the breather. It's a good idea to do a pull through before each start of the engine and get a feel for what's normal and you'll be able to pick any problems before they arise. Common sense really.!! Cheers and happy flying, Billwodmason.

Eric, Glad to hear all went well. I know you'll have some great times with your new toy (as I have with mine). P.S. I love the pay forward idea. Billwoodmason

Congrats, it's a great feeling to go solo for the first time - it,s something you'll never forget where ever your flying career takes you. Cheers, Billwoodmason

Pud, Your problem could be as simple as stale fuel. Many years ago I owned a Drifter and used to run it on ordinary ULP - ran great!!. I decided I would give it a treat and start running it on higher octane "Ultra" ULP. The first fill with the new fuel was shandied as there was still old fuel in the tank and the initial difference in RPM was only a couple of hundred RPM - but the situation worsened on subsequent refills. It took a while for the penny to drop (only after a flying mate had considered the situation after witnessing my frustration and offered me some of his fuel.) What we concluded was the "Ultra" was stale when purchased because it had gotten old in the bowser (underground tank) because the consumption rate was very low. (Mostly only used by the owners of high performance expensive cars.) It may not be your problem but it's worth a thought. P S. I used the remaider of the "Ultra" in my Yami 4 wheeler - it seemed to run well on it. Cheers, Billwoodmason

Proved the fault is in my radio by swapping with a known good one today, phoned microair and they think they know what the problem will be, so off it goes for repair tomorrow. Bill.

Admin, I'd love the problem to be something as simple as that to fix. I'm yet to check aerial continuity (2 person job). Bill.

Jim, the noise is either loud ambient noise or RF interference. I can't identify which. Bill.

My J 230D has a Microair radio which has given me grief since I bought the plane second hand in sept 2010. It works beautifully when receiving but on occasions I've had people in other aircraft tell me my transmissions are barely readable and somewhat garbled (only when at cruise throttle setting). When I press the PPT button the noise in the headset is quite loud. I've tried all sorts of solutions for only small improvements. I've adjusted the side tone and mike volume, checked for faulty earths and added half a dozen ferrite coils in strategic locations. I have read on google that the noise canceling qualities of the Microair are not as good as some others. My next move is to prove whether it's the radio or the engine or wiring by swapping the radio with a proven radio. Has anyone got any thoughts. Billwoodmason.

Hi Studentbiggles, in the AOPA national airfield directory I found an entry for Dunkeld in the name of J.Maconachie of "Meadow Bank" at 37 38'S 142 26'E. I hope this helps. Cheers, Billwoodmason.

RR, speak to CFI Tony Franc next to the terminal building - he'll know what's available. If you are in the south west (Vic) mid week - Cobden Aero club (20 min by air from Warrnambool) has a meal and get together every Wednesday night- you'll be made most welcome and could stay overnight in the clubroom if required. Cheers, Billwoodmason.

OK, you've got my interest !! What the hell happened at the members meeting at Temora. Can someone post a credible report on what transpired?. Woody.

Evan, I didn't make the trip in the end. Cheers, Woody.

Hey, does anybody know how to access the live streamed (internet) coverage from natfly. Did it eventuate?. Did they cover any of the forums or was it to be just snapshot of the flightline etc. Woody.

Very sad news, Peter Franks was an experienced builder and pilot and was held in very high esteem by his fellow aviators at Geelong Sports Aviators and will be greatly missed. Condolences to his family.

Ah work!! - the curse of the drinking classes. Too bad Evan, - would have been too easy !!. Woody.

Hi all, Due to PAX cancellation I have a spare seat (J230) to Natfly. Leaving Cobden (Vic.) Thursday 10 am. and returning Saturday early afternoon. Can pick up enroute if required. Contact 03 55 954348 or Mob. 0403498005. Deadline - Wednesday PM. Cheers Woody:wave:

I think RKW has hit the nail on the head. I've had a similar experience with the Alt in my LSA jab a couple of years back. Did a lot of fiddling - thought I had it right, but it kept going haywire. Bought another one - problem solved. Cheers, Billwoodmason

Pud, A few years back a person I know was fatally injured in a thruster which had a strut attachment failure due to straightening bent brackets - which weakened and changed the radius of the bend. Throw the bent bracket(s) away and save your family the grief. Cheap insurance I reckon !!. Cheers, billwoodmason

Tragic news, I recently spoke to Jim re the Jab motor he had advertised on this web site. Sincere condolences to his family and friends. Kind regards, Bill Woodmason Cobden Aero Club

Hi all from Bill Woodmason, Just loggged on for first time yesterday - have been a member of the RAA/AUF for 15 years. In that time I have owned 3 aircraft, a Thruster, a Drifter and currently a Jabiru (last 7 years). Just home from natfly in Temora - it was a great weekend, the weather was perfect, the event was well organised and catered for. Lots of things to look at - new planes and products. Congrats to the RAA organisers. One thing that took my interest was a low cost alternative to the commercially available GPS's created by Slarti. The details of which are posted elsewhere on this website. I'll be following up on this one. Anyway that's enough from me - bye all Bill Woodmason