winton

Hello AllWas after some info on the Sapphire, if you'll have the time type.

 

I'm looking a the sapphire aircraft as my first aircraft. Have looked at the info avaliable and was impressed.

 

But there is one thing, SIZE not so much the aircraft but my size as I'm 6' 2" and will be around 100 to 105kg flying.

 

So is there any taller sapphire owners out their? and if so how do you find the fit?

 

I'm trying to find on in WA as so I can go have a look and a fit up, but as of yet haven't found one.

 

I fly gliders as well (as you can see via my photo) and this is why the little machine struck a chord.

 

So any info would help.

 

Cheers Marshy

Hi all, I have not flown for a while, a long time ago I put my Sapphire in moth balls. I dont think it will ever come out. To many things to be done. I have recently restored a destroyed aircraft back to a flying state. I have an aircaft on paper that I would like to make. But I will need someone to help me in the project. I have played with flying wings for 30 years and I find them very enjoyable to fly. I did miss out on a fly in the Facet Opal, only by a day.

Cheers

hi ozzie. No guns or missiles, may happen if 007 gets holded of it. But the idea was straight out speed record. An airshow attraction.

Scotts idea with this aircraft was to prove how much can be done in the back yard, and for little money. Because of the rules we have in front of us, Scott wanted to show that anything is possible and you dont need all of the red tape shoved in front of us. The dept was very negative, and threw as much as they could to restricted the fun of flyin. There idea at the time was, no flying no prangs no problems.

Scott reason was to shove it up them, look what I did! Now what are you going to do. He never liked there negative attitude.

Dean has been Trivia: When I was 15 I did a fibreglass job and signed it Dean has been. I also have a DHB on the market.

Just thought I would give you all a look at Scotts Diamond. This is were he started from, a drawing. As you can see the size of the canopy, it will give you a good idea how small this was to be. I made a model for Scott and it performed very well. The Diamond was to has a turbine. A small one was made available when Scott drew this. We can only dream.[ATTACH]13376.vB[/ATTACH]Dean has been

hi It might be the smallest jet. Until some one comes along with some money to build the Diamond. The Diamond is a single seat Jet desiged by the late Scott Winton. I have a free hand drawing of it. It is a 95-10 Minute FA-18. Many years ago I made a model of it for Scott and it performed very well.

Dean has been.

thank you for the link to Scotts report. Its been a while since I last read it. I went through the procces to have it change to the truth but at the last meeting with BASI, The boss got stuck in melborne with the first fuel strike, and never made it. So Scotts report was never changed. They did not take into account the hole in the spar and the way it affected the strength of the airframe. I saw the damage and studied it, used a bit of common sence. When Scott turned left (So he did not fly over the road or did he think, Ill land at doylo) his wings loaded up and the sheer web bulged out and tore bringing the spars together but now the control system takes over and makes the wings go down. ****! poor Scott. It was easy for them to put the blame on Scotts piloting skills and his aircraft, there was no third party involved so that will do. thats how I read it then. I dont think any one has any idea how stable the Opal is, taking the human element away and flying it with a fly by wire will get it back to how it was designed to be. Flat and fast. Thats up to me now. I have not done any work on the Facet Opal for two month now and it will another two before I can get back to it . I did do 100 days staight and a 1000 hours of work on it. If you want to push me off a hill, its ready to go. A paint job would be good. DHB

david you need to see dean for that

hi

Just a bit of trivia about the Sapphire. Every Sapphire was made to FARs 23 standard. At the time Aust had no standard to go off.

Made with a safety factor of two, 8gs positive 4gs negitive. Just stay under 100kts! OH, And thats a problem I have when I here someone has a 503 in there Sapphire! How fast, I wounder? I know the terminel verlosity of a Sapphire, it was done once. He all so put 4 pound of lead in the tail boom (no motor) and rolled off Stanwal tops, got a slap on the wrist for not have a hangliding ticket. Scotts view on the elervator was it had to have some stick pressure. If he moved the pivet point fwd it would trim well, yes. but what would happen now is the lightness on the stick would allow for sudden piching up or down,(at speed) where before, the stick fell fwd.

All aircraft are a compromize. All aircraft have a job to do. All aircraft do there job well. All aircraft sould be flown within there envolope. dean has been

I'm not a total fan of flying tails (Neither is Bill Whitney who knows more about designing aircraft than I ever will). They have to be designed right. Lots of Pipers use them and you have to keep an eye on them structurally. They are a more critical component that a conventional horizontal stabiliser and elevator combo. The pivot point is critical. Too far back and it is unstable. The CT has it and has had flutter related failures in an OVERSPEED situation that you really can't blame the plane for. The feature is popular because it IS a more effective control with less drag. The Saphire is an "inspired" little plane with many adherents. ALL planes should be regularly inpected. The way to do this is best handled by having a site where all the information about that particular aircrafts "quirks" can be listed. ONE MAKE associations make the flying of their aircraft safe through time, in fact they could be much safer than when they were new because of the accumulated knowledge. Nev

maybe unbeknown to you. There is nothing wrong with the handling of the sapphire. that was the way it was designed.

The problem is people ask there aircraft to do things that they are not ment for. the sapphire is for flying. I have flown

maybe 15 Sapphires ( all new, test flys )plus my 95 - 100025 117kg 377 Sapphire. have you ever scrapped your fuse on the ground, no! and that would be because of the full flying tail. the handling of the Sapphire , In my opinion is second to nun. I have flown a variety of ultralight

as well and nothing has come close. If you have a problem with the handling of a Sapphire its proberly because of the weight you are carrying

and your CofG is out. To fly a Sapphire hands off 4 things have to come together? try flying a bit faster in a drifter and let go the stick.

Sorry! some one has to stick up for it. dean has been I love my Sapphire. and i cant wait to fly my Facet Opal,

Ozzie thank you! the truth. Being around in the early days to now, its all about the pleasure of flying.

The paper work thats needed now is a bit of a head shake, It only protects them.

The cost of the paper work let alone the fees is a bit over the top.

I have a bit of a problem at this moment in signing my paper work for the Facet Opal and paying the fees.

I shall have to abide by there rules. All I want to do is check the surf and maybe fly to work and back.

I dont wish to fly at 5,000ft. I would like to navigate like Scott did, Keep Australia on the right.

We should fight and keep 95:10. and LSA as it is, there has been too many changes already.

trivia:I made all of the 19:10 SAPPHIRES out there, and 19:25s

Dean has been.

Keep it clean.

ever flown a SAPPHIRE. NO NEED TO RE-INVENT ITS STILL HERE.

thank you for your coments on fly by wire, you are so right.

So why do it ? Well I have two control surfaces and I wish to be the one that moves them.

With a normal control colum, it moves and thats not what I want.

The Facet Opals handling can only be improved with a system thats coming.

When it arrives, I will have no hesitation taking out the old and putting in the new.

As for back up, I have it! If that does work I will fly the Opal weight shift.

I know how it works. Very simply up down right left.

thanks DHB

The Facet Opal

Winton....Facet Opal...................you have a Facet Opal ??????????....................................Maj

It's in photo gallery.

Hi Deans the name and I am still there.

I read what people write and I would like to reply, but it would take me all day to reply to the threads above.

Charles Ligeti a gentleman! I flew with Charles at Mangalor, Both Scott and I had fun with Charles playing aeroplanes.

I have issue no 1, now try issue 2 Charles did say to us that if he had seen the Sapphire before starting the Stratos,

he would have not made his. Both aircraft where conceived by the lack of any performance from the aircraft available of the day.

The Ultrabat oh what a pity, Scott was not happy. It was not made the way that he wanted, the Blert (have photos) was a

6 meter Sapphire.

Is there any Australian avionics expert that might be game enough to make me a fly by wire control system for my 95-10?

winton

alcohol and fibreglass dont mix.

be aware!

facet opal

Hi All,Anybody got any thoughts on flying wings as ultralights?

As far as I can see there have been a few attemps at a viable solution but nothing thats founda life. I think one of the originals was the "sun ray 100" from Sun aerospace in the States. I also found the "Facet Opal" and a French one called "The Pellican"

 

I've been playing with some sketches of a canard flying wing and whilst I'd be the first to admit, I'm no engineer, it sure looks like it should fly.

 

Anybody want to venture beyond the envelope?

 

David

Deans my name flying wings are my game.

dean has been!