DAVID SEE

I know of a case about 30+ years ago, (I was doing subdivision work around Brisbane and Gold Coast at the time) a bloke was stripping topsoil with an excavator for? I can't remember whether it was the Bank or P.O. to be built at the time. Anyway it was/is on Kerry Rd. towards the Beaudesert Rd. end or Eastern end of Kerry Rd. he was stripping the soil back and doing the footings when he hit concrete, started to uncover it to see what it was or how big, found the edge and got it lifted enough to look under....his eyes nearly popped out of his head..it was a room half full of WWII Harleys and four or five of the small fold up motor bikes the S.A.S.used if they had to parachute down with them. He was smart enough to cover it up and race into town (Brisy) and take out a miners lease on it. Got a couple of his mates with ropes and chains and lifted them out, some only had as little as 50mile on the odometer, the underground hallways etc. let towards the airfield at Archerfield. Remembering that it was a very busy area for the Americans during the war. and it was common practice back then to go out and do these jobs on your own. I have personly seen one of the Harleys and one of the little fold up bikes that came out of that. I asked the chap who had one of them what would it be worth? his reply was something like "at this low millage and condition, you can't really put a price on it, maybe that's why he retired early so he can ride his bikes around"

 

Cheers Davo:cheers:

 

 

I have been reliably informed that Wayne has ceased to be our tech manager, that's three in 18 months, who will be the next head on the chopping block ?.....So much for timely information from our current executive or GM, there has been time to post this info on the RAAus site, but nothing there yet, obviously not a priority to keep the membership informed....................Maj....

Hi Maj. can you give me a call when you get this please mate..

 

Cheers Davo :o)

 

 

I suppose getting old is better than the alternative.........

 

 

Good on you mate, it's a feeling you'll never forget. A big congratulations from a QLD. flyer

 

Cheers Davo.

 

 

I for one don't have time to sit and read a magazine on-line. Isn't it the advertisements that cover the cost (or the greatest percentage of it) of the mag.

 

Because of the 'sport pilot' mag. being passed around at work after I've finished it has caused a fair amount of interest among the crew, two of them have become members and gone on to achieve their pilot certificate. This would not have happened without the magazine being in print.

 

Just my opinion.

 

Cheers Davo.

 

 

Done...haven't used it yet, but fly over it regularly.Will start dropping in there now.

 

 

Hey Maj any chance of the owner of old No.2 getting a copy too?????

 

and a big YES on a Lightwing fly-in somewhere

 

 

R.I.P. Lance, your knowledge on two-strokes was incredible. I was fortunate enough to have shared many coffees with Lance, Barry and Nick before Sigley Field was buried under tiled roofs and you moved to Dunwitch.

 

 

Years ago I manufactured a soft knee board that attached to the leg with wide Velcro. It had two separated clear plastic compartments that could be accessed separately, so that gave you three separate A5 size areas to look at as required. It was actually a copy of one used by the Mirage pilots, if fact some pilots used one on each leg.I did sell a few at the time, and I think I still have a couple laying around in a box somewhere.

I am going through the process at the moment of removing my old trusty Garmin 12 from the Lightwing, and fitting a simple mount for my new IPad mini with Ozrunways installed. Boy I do like the instant wx radar button, which gives you instant route weather radar from bom superimposed over the map. The Lightwing has a very handy bar just ahead of the panel which is great for mounting stuff on..........Maj...

Hi Maj. when you get it sorted, I'd appreciate a pic. of the finished job so I may copy your 'masterful engineering feat' if that's OK.

 

Was good to catch up at Old Station, as always

 

Cheers Davo.

 

 

An early start today saw us leave Bourke to Roma via St George. A quick stop at Roma to top up fluids in the Sportstar and offload fluids from me, then we set off for home via Taroom and Thangool.Total for the trip was 24.6 hours over 6 flying days. Apart from the tyre incident the Sportstar performed flawlessly. Overall a great trip that I would love to do again at some stage when I have more time to deviate from the most direct route and have a good look around.

Good on you Mick. I've been watching your progress with envy

 

Cheers to you both Davo & Lizzy

 

 

I just thought I would try and see if there was anyone else out there with knowledge of the Amethyst Falcon, obviously not....

 

Hi Bill, firstly welcome to the site, the last time I spoke to you was at Neil Lenards funeral some years ago. Good to know your still hanging in there.

 

The yellow falcon above was built and is flown by Ron Bock of Theodore, he keeps it hangared along with his J160 on a private strip a few km. out of Theodore, during the building process Ron went down to Heck Field a couple of times to look at the one you built. Ron flys his falcon on a regular basis, he just loves it and wouldn't sell it for anything. I like his saying..."every man should have tho planes in the shed or hangar"...

 

Cheers Davo.

 

 

[ATTACH=full]20980[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]20980[/ATTACH] this is what I have of my she was 544 kg but they have dropped my back too 400 kgHope this helps

 

Hi Doug, was talking to Myles about the different weights, like you 400 and me 450, when mine was re-built it had 'strengtheners or spar braces' added to the spars, it's alloy plate complete with 90* angle top and bottom that runs from the wing root to the strut attach point or just beyond. this allows the increase to 450kg.

 

See you at Old Station. Cheers Davo:wave:

 

 

Hi Maj, see you there. Got to keep the numbers up for the Lightwing badge hey!I think Doug Evans will be there in his 'old new' machine 032 also.

Cheers Davo:clap:

Dougs post came in while I was writing mine.

 

 

I'm planning on being there with the usual tagalongs from up this way, you know Savvys, jabs, the usual trash that follows me around when I want to go to a quiet fly-in .........................................Maj...

Hi Maj, see you there. Got to keep the numbers up for the Lightwing badge hey!

 

I think Doug Evans will be there in his 'old new' machine 032 also.

 

Cheers Davo:clap:

 

 

I fly the old Lightwing all the time, well, every chance I get. 450hrs. in the last three years, and the 582 still hasn't missed a beat...

 

the smallest is my fisher 303. (maybe I'll get my wife to stick a picture of it on here for me)...BUT....I did have half a hour in the FA18 simulator at Williamtown many years ago..that was a hoot.

 

 

That also doesn't mean it's true; there's a little parasite that's fond of giving out so-called "inside" information which varies between "just a thought" and outright BS.Of course if it is true then once again where are the leaders?

check the RAAus website and read the news

 

 

Keeping my eyes on the classifieds for a trailerable single seater.... Cheers for now.

 

Hi Locky, welcome to the site. I have a Fisher 303 (which my wife tells me I'm selling) I fly the Lightwing all the time, and the Fisher is just sitting in its trailer, it's a great little plane, I haven't flown it for a while now but have said to my wife over the past couple of months that I should get it out and at least fly it over to the neighbours to give it a wash as its getting a bit dusty. It's a low wing taildragger in a fully enclosed trailer.

 

If you would like any info. and pics. of it then email me on [email protected] or ph. 0414832946

 

Cheers Davo.

 

 

When i was a kid the whole neighbourhood where building go karts and mini bikes, we where all under the ages of 10.And at my grandparents farm all the kids drove the tractors and utes.

You're right about that Ozzie, as kids growing up on the farm we all drove the tractors from about age 8 upwards. My Dad had a grey petrol TEA20 which he bought new in 1949 and my brother now owns it but it lives here at Frogs Hollow just north of Theodore and spends its working hours slashing the strip.

 

Also if us kids were going off down the back of the farm, either Mum or Dad would sing out to us to go back and get a rifle to take with us as there were fox's, dogs and snakes. we would often bring home a hare or a black duck for dinner.

 

Cheers Davo.

 

 

Old Station. Are you going ?............................Maj...

 

Yes Maj. I'll be there in the old Lightwing, we are giving a hand with the marshaling and would be only too happy if anyone out there could spare a hour to help with the "meet and greet bit"

 

Cheers Davo.

 

 

Kripes, Maj... been a fair time between waxes by the looks of things!

 

Struth Maj, be careful you don't get a scratch there and some kind person slaps a band aid or a piece of sticking plaster on your leg, hate to hear the squeals when they rip it off:gaah:

 

 

The action in the video almost looks like deliberate training, for a power failure right after liftoff. I know nothing of gliders, although I wouldn't mind trying it one day........................................Maj....

Hi Maj.

 

I went for a TIF in a 'Demona H36' motor glider about three weeks ago out of Moura. What an experience, hit our first thermal on climb out about 400mtrs from liftoff, radio call and straight into a tight bank, (eng. still running but back to idle) the ASI or what they call the 'varier meter' (spelling)? which reads meters per second and it was showing 4mtr/sec up, first surprise was the lift we were getting at a bank angle of about 45*, he explained how to follow and stay in a thermal. Lost that one at 2500ft. so flew west towards a line of cloud. Hit a big load of lift over some tiger country (I was looking at the edge of the timber and mentally calculating the distance for my lightwing) when Steve said "this is a good one, we'll give it a go". so shut the engine down and thermald around there for one hour and ten minutes, Steve said we were in the right one because there was two wedges above us.

 

Took us over 1/2hr. to fly back to Moura. Shut the engine off again at 3000ft. and about 20klm. from the strip, had to pull the brakes on in the base leg or we would of over shot by a mile. Man, what an experience. I'm going to carry on with it. then I hopped in the trusty old lightwing and flew home, just that one flight has given me a different way of looking at flying and the clouds.

 

Cheers Davo.

 

 

I think it's high time that R-Aus starts manufacturing these red balls (or contract someone in China to do it for them at $7 each) and then make them available at cost price to the SEQEBs/County Councils/Reticulation providers so that people who need them only have to pay for the installation cost.

I fly out of a private strip here at home, (Theodore) SEQEB put new mains in along the property boundary, directly across the end of our cross strip. I asked them about putting balls on the lines, they said "we think we might have one in the truck, if we do we'll pop it on for you" about three days later, my wife gets a phone call from one of their offices to say something along the lines that if they put them up, it would be admitting liability if someone ran into them. We've since closed the cross strip...

 

 

Thanks Tomo, I can only 2nd. what Ballpoint said. A good little vid. those girls know their stuff.

 

Merry Xmas Tomo and lots of good flying weather for the year ahead.

 

Cheers Davo.

 

 

Thanks for the report, I'll be checking mine before my next flight. I have No. 2

 

Cheers Davo.

 

 

Great stuff Glint. It has to be one of the most awesome feelings you can experience. Congratulations mate, keep smiling cause your on top of the world.

 

We can tell by the sound of your writing.

 

Cheers Davo.