eastmeg2

Thanks Don, The main reason we ever dropped in to Currandooley in the past was to socialise with anyone we might spot on the ground there if we happen to fly that way. We've previously been briefed to keep any circuits to the couthern side and trikes tend to fly tight circuits anyway. Have not overflown that strip for probably 6 months now. Maybe we'll see you at the Goulburn Airport BBQ on Saturday . . . Rgds, Glen

Don, I notice you've list Currandooley as your airstrip what's the status of that strip now? We thought it'd been closed due to a combination of wind erosion and the passing on of ownership from one generation to the next. We used to drop in there from time to time in our trikes. Rgds, Glen

Then I will and Crezzi probably should, take it as a compliment to our descriptive skills. The XT is a more relaxed ride than the Classic, lower engine note, less physical and smoother ride. Only thing that's bugged me since getting the XTS-912 has been the weather. Our strip limits our flying opportunities a bit compared to an airport and we tend to err on the side of caution. Cheers, Glen

I was just told today that somebody who works on the same office floor as me is going solo for their PPL at Bankstown on Thursday . . . First day of the APEC lockdown.

Me thinks that was a well timed exit from Sydney airspace, get out while you can, ie, after tomorrow OUR airspace will be thick with APEC.

Ian, Have you already been for a ride in an XT-912? 'Cause your actions suggest that you have. Perhaps we'll see you at the Wangaratta Trike gathering in your XT next March or April?

Well that's a development (no pun intended), I know of a couple of other trikers in the Goulburn-Braidwood area, and another Forum member Mudjeep has just bought a block at Tarago south of Goulburn. None of these people nor myself have any involvement with Goulburn Airport as far as I know, though it would be a shame to see it lost. Weather permitting on Saturday (and it looks like it might) I'll fly the 50km to Goulburn for the BBQ to show some support. Cheers, Glen

Ian, There's also the Lore of Flight (RAAus) Trike School at Yarrawonga, though it's probably a bit more of a hike from Melbourne for you. But the weather there is probably better for triking than most other places as it is so flat out there and shielded from most south-westerlies by the range. Rgds, Glen

Heard a police siren in the middle of the night last night which took literally 5 minutes to travel far enough to get out of earshot. This was in the North Ryde area near Epping Rd and I'd have to wonder if it was a Head of State convey heading from Richmond RAAF base into the Sydney CBD. Then it was complete silence, no other traffic could be heard for at least 10 minutes afterwards.

Hi Andrew, Must be too much red tape getting into trike certification these days if you cannot use a Cruze wing on an Edge X, as the Cruze wing is certified for a greater MTOW (Cruze 450kg verus Streak-2B 401kg). Also, from what I've seen from earlier visits to the Airborne factory this year Airborne are moving towards unifying their Microlight wing air-frames. ie, All Airborne trike wings will have the same frame and only the sails and battens will be different. This is to save on manufacturing costs and improve logistics. There might still be some minor differences in the wing frames I don't recall but that's the gist of it. Rgds, Glen

John raises a few interesting points which most of us have probably been unaware of so far and may stir up some discussion here. I'm suprised to read that the ADS-B OUT avionics will cost around $10k. Perhaps this is a fully fledged GA/IFR version and something more affordable will be available for the recreational flying community. The propasal seems unworkable at that unit cost. The proposal also seems to neglect the occasional need for U/L VFR aircraft to fly above 5000ft to maintain safe clearance from terrain. Is it safe to assume the RA-Aus committee are aware of "The Proposal" and providing input? Rgds, Glen

Also, simply connecting jumper leads to this small battery probably would not be adequate to get your cranking amps up to what's required (You will get some voltage drop accross the leads regardless of any claims made about them). You ought to try directly connecting a larger/newer battery directly into your aircraft.

If your aircraft battery is only 8 Ah that definitely sounds too small, great weight saver though I'm sure. The 582 trike I used to fly had a 12 Ah as fitted new in the factory and always has trouble starting the 582 if it had not been flown earlier the same day though was sometimes ok the next morning in warmer climates. My newer 912 trike has a 17Ah battery which certainly does better, and it better as the 912 lacks the lawnmower starter rope the 582 had. Cheers, Glen

These are great notes on this forum. I can say that when flying my 912 this weekend in the Goulburn area I noticed my oil temp tended to sit at about 75 celcius. I didn't take to much notice of it since the minimum take off temp is listed as 50 celcius. I'll take more care to ensure it reaches 100 celcuis on a regular basis in future. Back in 2004 when I saw the FreedomFlight Trikes with 912UL's I noticed they also had cable operated blanking flaps on the oil coolers. Probably also worth noting that a Carbon sting crashed near my area due to it's 912s putting a conrod through the block, though I think that was in the warmer months . . . ? Rgds, Glen

Perhaps not 300% better but it's certainly a significant difference, otherwise they wouldn't sell. My experience has been that virtually every trike pilot I know who has had a fly of a 912 has suddenly become like a drug addict looking for a way to get more of the same. This weekend's looking rather promising . . . Cheers, Glen

A separate post for the relative handing and stability of Streak-1 versus Streak3. The Streak-3 has much light pitch control forces than the Streak-1, making it easier to pull on more speed from it's already higher trim speed. The Streak-3 also holds a straight line much better than the Streak-1 in turbulence and requires lighter control corrections in turbulence. Vertical bumps and pitching up/down in turbulence is also greatly reduced. I've found that I can safely land in stronger winds at our strip with the Streak-3, but have be careful I don't pack on too much speed otherwise our 500m won't be enough. Rgds, Glen

I currently fly both Edge X Streak-1 and XT Streak-3. The Streak-1 trims at 48kts hands off and the Streak-3 56kts hands off. Without any ground adjustment to the wing the Streak3 Andy is correct in saying that a comfortable sustainable amount of pressure on the bar sees you cruising at 60-65kts. There are a couple of ground adjustments that can be made to make the wing trim faster. 1. Use the front hangpoint hole. (Simplest) 2. Move the whole hangpoint to it's foreward position on the keel, this requires some unbolting-rebolting and preferably after some instruction from Airborne on how to do it correctly. Given that the Streak-3 does about 75kts straight and level with 5000rpm on the 912 (mine will rev to 5500rpm at that speed), I don't see why you could not make one or both of the above adjustments to your Streak-3 to increase your hands-off trim speed up from it's 56kts and probably making 70kts sustainable on a long x-country. I've not tried either of these adjustments so can't say exactly how much difference they will make, nor can I see myself doing it in the near future as our main strip is 500m but has obstacles at the Northern end and our cross strip at 300m has more obstables. Perhaps one day when I have no choice but to fly into a 30kt headwind between decent airports. Rgds, Glen

Hi Ian, As with anything, in Trikes its horses for courses. I would have guessed that since you already have a fast glass machine you might be looking for something in a trike that would contrast that, ie, low & slow. If that's the case then the Airborne Redback would suit you well. On the other hand, if you're looking for something to replace the CT no trike will ever achieve that for speed and endurance though the P&M Quik will come closest for speed and the Airborne XT-912 will come closest for endurance and can be trimmed to match a Gazelle for cruise speed 70kts @ approx 15L/hr. I think most trikers tend towards Airborne purely for their well known aftermarket support and lightening fast parts availability/delivery with the factory being in Newcastle NSW. What are you looking for in a trike? I like the idea of the home page header. Cheers, Glen

Assuming the 503 uses the same plugs as the 582 (BR8ES), be extremely careful with oxidation of the plug head inside the plug cap if you're sourcing your plugs from the bike shop as they are the aluminium topped plugs and you need the steel topped plugs from Bert Floods to avoid that corrosion problem. Rgds, Glen

Nice collection of trikes, almost makes me want to move to Abu Dhabi.

A friend of mine is due to collect a new trike sometime soon and he has ordered it with the Microair M760, the one fitted has been confirmed by Airborne as having the "BIG KNOBS", so I'll report back on this thread when I get a chance t play with it, though that could still be a month away.

Sean, Try this site. http://www.rotax-aircraft-engines.com/a_engine_503_447.htm Rgds, Glen

Any pricing available on the P model? I think the N model was AUD 1,295.

Hi Sean, The 582 specs are: EGT maximum 1250 F, coolant tempt between 130 to 180 F. But then the 447 is air cooled, I suggest you download Rotax's PDF documentation from their website. Rgds, Glen