eastmeg2

G'Day Alf, Long time no hear. Hope everythings ok in your part of the world and the recent fires have not come too close. I've taken the trike frame into the hangar and put it together to see what needs replacing and whats missing. I hope Airborne are in a good mood this week. Cheers, Glen

Hi Bill, You're spot on about the seat cushion looking like a 2 seater. But I was always assured by the previous owner that Buzzards were only ever registered as single seaters. HGFA has backed this up. I have no intention of challenging this since the relative freedoms afforded to single seaters will add to the appeal of this project. I"ve already started speaking with Punkinhead about a new single seat cushion with a luggage bag/box where the rear seat currently is. Cheers, Glen

Slarti, that must have been you I saw doing the right hand circuit, 35 I think. I was suprised that I recognised the silhouette of a Cheetah in circuit. Cheers, Glen

This time

This time I hope, have shrunk it to 126k this time . . . difficult because I have to type in the entire file path every time, starting with "c:"

I've decided to try my hand at restoring an old Airborne Buzzard Trike Base. Ive' picked the Buzzard not just because it may (hopefully) have some parts in common with later Airborne trikes like my friend's 1995 Edge Executive trike which shares our hangar, but because it was legally a single seater trike which, as a single seater should give me the freedoms to enhance it with goodies like rear wheel disc brakes, or fit a HKS-700E motor (versus 2nd hand Rotax 503) if I'm feeling that rich further down the track. Needless to say I'll need to find a good source of aircraft quality bolts & nyloc nuts & possibly 6061 Aluminium tubing, although the tubing I've seen on the trike frame so far all appears to be in pretty good condition in spite of it's age and I may even be looking for ways to confirm this (for example if there's corrosion on the inside surfaces I can't see), or even get the tubes re-anodised. Attached (I think, 268k) photo shows its current state of (dis) assembly, which is how I bought it. It also came with a fibreglass pod and Rotax 532. Not too sure if the 532 will ever see action again, but will see how it goes on a test bench when I get around to it. Cheers, Glen

I hear you there Oz. I have both memberships just so I can fly any trike whether it be HGFA or RAAus registered. CAO 95.32 applies to both but apparently it comes down to insurance, and you know how insurance companies love to over insure . . . thumb_down

There are aircraft out the which prove that you can pretty much place the propellor anywhere along the centreline of an aircraft provided that the thrust line is aligned correctly. Just look at the Sapphire, Vampire, or any trike for that matter. I'm pretty sure I've even seen a picture from the USA of a plane in flight with the prop positioned at the very rear of the aircraft behin the horizontal stabiliser.

Hmmm, . . . interesting thread, because the old Buzzard trike base I am getting comes with a Rotax 532 - condition unknown except that it's living under a few layers of plastic at the side of the sellers house and the carbies (Bing 54's) look like they need a lot of work, if not replacement. Although at this point I think the most likely outcome will be to get a 2nd hand 503 as a replacement (simpler with its forced air cooling) but keep the original Ivo 3 bladed prop and maybe the gearbox. Cheers, Glen

Hi John, That's a good idea with the golf balls. Bluey, Something John probably should have mentioned is that if you're ever going to fly with only 7 or 8 psi of air in your standard front tyre, don't ever jam on the brakes or the tyre may roll off the rim and roll your trike over. Cheers, Glen

I'm starting to think about restoring an old Airborne Buzzard trike base (Single seater) to flying condition, if it's allowed to be flown with the Edge, Wizard or Streak wings. Anyone got any ideas on this?

I got a reply . . . AUD 28k incl GST, "Top of the range Dragonfly", landed in Adelaide factory, freight and charges paid. Discus 15T wing, Bailey 4-stroke, fairings and retractable undercarriage. 85kg empty weight. Apparently at least one has already been RAAus registered. Wouldn't mind seeing one in the flesh before deciding if it's worth $28k.

Hi Bluey, It's hard to understand how Airborne can say the Tundra undercarriage on an Edge X is uncertified, when that it exactly what the Edge X Outback is, which they're probably hoping you will buy. I have seen Edge X Classics retro-fitted with Tundra undercarriage in the past and dont mind saying they look pretty good. As for beach landings with the standard undercarriage, it can be done with care and avoiding the soft bits if you have any choice. However I do know a trike pilot who had his 582 fail in his Edge X classic Streak wing at 500ft over the beach at high tide, so only the soft sand was available. With the standard undercarriage he estimated his landing roll touching down at 45kts to be just 20 metres, no brakes. Much to his credit he kept it upright. In addition to that I've also seen heavier XT-912's with standard undercarriage landing on a beach, but at low tide on well compacted sand. Cheers, Glen

I have to wonder how balancing the prop could correct an imbalance in the engine since there's a 2.27:1 gearbox between the 2. Perhaps it's more likely both had previously been damaged by a prop strike for example.

That's ok, I'm a double agent . . .

There is a very short article in the Feb 09 Soaring Australia, (Yes I can admit to being a HGFA member) advertising the Single Seat Dragonfly Trike. I've sent an email to the Adelaide based importer asking for more details. Can anyone here shed some more light on this rather tidy looking and ultimately transportable toy? Adelaide Airsports: Dragonfly Flylight Airsports Ltd. - Flexwing Microlights Cheers, Glen

Another interesting thing mentioned in the RAAus mag about RAAus using CTA was where it said some CTA will require the use of a Mode C transponder. This makes it sound like there will be some CTA that do not require the use of a mode C transponder. A question I've asked before and never seen an answer on is whether transponders might be available to rent now or anytime in the future. Surely they can't be too hard to configure for a quick mount system, or is it that their installation in the aircraft has to be signed off by an approved person? Such a person might be able to rent them out . . .

Hi Andy, You've pretty much nailed my own thoughts. Even 2 years ago before upgrading to a 912 trike I considered whether my hard earned might be better invested in a 3-axis machine. Mainly for the reason that another family member also flies trikes I stayed with trikes, for the time being at least until that situation changes. So I have just sent my email of support to the RAAus email address in Pauls post, as it may increase the range (Models) and capability of aircraft available under RAAus when I do get around to doing my 3 axis conversion.:thumb_up: Just responded on CASA's website too. Cheers, Glen

As a Trike pilot with no formal 3-Axis experience I'm finding it difficult to justify a response as (1) the increase won't apply to Trikes and (2) I have no formal experience or training on 3 Axis machines. (Where's the Shrugging shoulder smiley?) Rgds, Glen

It's interesting to note that the rudder action only seems to occur on the bottom third of the tail. Perhaps Airbus don't want to see another tail fin snapping off . . .

Hi Ian, I assume you're not refering to my post where I indicated I would use G.S. in certain circumstances in my trike at my site due to its turbulent nature. Can have 20kts headwind on final, patches of still air on the strip punctuated by 15kt gusts from the left then the right and so on . . . Cheers, Glen

Did I read someones post on this forum somewhere (can't remember where) that medicals would be required for the CTA endorsement ?

I managed to get a reply more on the positive side from Steve Bell - RAAus Technical Manager last week. "For the single seat trikes, If the aircraft is factory built, it can be registered under 24 (outside of 19), it is built from a kit then it would probably fit in 19 (24 and 19 are CAO 96.55), a scratch built then would fall under 95.10. Some may even fall under CAO.32. What I am trying to say is that we would assess each aircraft individually and then make a decision at the time. A lot of this depends on the weight and stall speed only, for instance 24 is anything less than 544 kg MTOW with a stall speed at MTOW of less than 45 kits. and factory built." Hoping this will pave the way to register a USA FAA Part103 single seater trike here in Oz, which I'll most likely purchase as a kit.

Glad I found this thread as I'll likely be switching my own trike across from HGFA to RAAus near the end of the year, though in my case the trike is 18 months old.

Yep, Will be leaving Sydney Wed 1st Oct morning, minus a wing and a wheel.