nomadpete

Obviously, as Nev said, 'sufficient'.

I'll bet he left some deep wheel ruts behind.

An RPT lifeboat?

Sorry guys. Out of date article. I should have cross checked the source.

Here is Something related to Rotax engines that may affect all aspects of Rotax operation.... " Bombardier's daunting debt load looms over company's plans Bombardier is staring down some US$9 billion in debt maturing over the next decade, with that debt load looming large over all business decisions. For more on this, BNN Bloomberg spoke with Karl Moore, professor of business strategy at McGill University." https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/company-news/video/bombardier-s-daunting-debt-load-looms-over-company-s-plans~1894551

Before we all bag out the failings of chinese industry, have a close look at how the 'west' operates. I reckon the chinese are practicing all the habits of capitalism, and of 'western democracy'. It's just that they exploit it's failings more effectively than us. I'm not saying it's good. Corruption is endemic in our so called democracy too, and as pointed out above, there are sharp operators here, too. For example, just look to how often scandals erupt over the way that building and defence contracts get awarded. Because of all the above, one cannot assume that simply paying more for anything sure doesn't guarantee getting a better end product.

I seriously doubt that the Chinese military manufacturing industry operates under the same quality control scrutiny as they use for our Australian Bunnings/Kmart orders.

Marty, just add it to your list of 'not going to try' stuff

It's not too flat where I live!

Boating is as expensive as keeping a RAA registered aircraft but has a lot less bureaucratic hassle. (Not none, but definitely less). I've sold my aircraft and bought a sailboat for about the same price. Self maintenance? No problem. Modifications? No problem. MARAP? No problem. Personal risk? Only my own responsibility. And amateur modifications can kill me in my sailboat just as surely as they could in my Lightwing. Third party injury probability with a aircraft is just as small as it is in my Yacht. I'm now free of the RAA bureaucratic machine morphing into the defacto GA bureaucratic machine. I sadly miss my flying but now I am more free to control my own risks and feel better off. To each their own.

Peel ply sounds great but I've no experience using it. Two questions pop into my head: Does it work with polyester resin? How do you get it wrinkle free on the inside of a compound curve such as the female mould of a cowling?

Step one is to cut your mat to fit the inside of the mould - lay the pieces out so you know whit bits fit which curves. Don't try to do the whole cowl with one big piece of mat. After applying hard Cornubia wax to the mould, followed by a thin spray of mould release, apply a layer of gel coat - brush it on. After it goes off, brush on a layer of resin (well mixed 50:1 with hardener). Just brush on a area for one piece of mat at a time. Whilst wet, press the mat onto it, stipple with brush and roll bubbles out until the mat looks translucent. Repeat with next piece of mat, overlap the joins. By the time you've got to the other side of the cowl, the first layup will be going off and you can either retire for a wash up and cold beer, our go back and continue with a second layer. Try not to use too much resin. Just enough to wet out the mat without visible air amongst the fibres. Watch a couple of YouTube's.

Chin up Ian. All the sympathy in the world does little to ease that hand you've been dealt. Rest assured that you have many friends (especially through your great forum). Take strength from knowing that. Have faith in the best advice that your opthalmologist gives you. And keep looking for those little gems of joy that do come your way, from whatever direction they come. And whenever a empty right hand seat is offered, take it. Even with limited sight, nothing can steal the feeling a steady climb out. All the best to you.

Sorry about my triple post. I had trouble attaching the picture, then had trouble deleting redundant posts. Yes, same FN. The bike now has a period wicker sidecar.

You mean this Ind of FN? This one I snapped at our local hardware. The owner has ridden it back to visit the manufacturer in Belgium.

You mean this Ind of FN? This one I snapped at our local hardware. The owner has ridden it back to visit the manufacturer in Belgium.

You mean this Ind of FN? This one I snapped at our local hardware. The owner has ridden it back to visit the manufacturer in Belgium.

I haven't suggested that I have a medical condition. I simply cannot justify spending money on memberhip 'just to keep the door open' to flying. At present, I'm not located anywhere near a suitable flying field that has suitable aircraft and an instructor. Also, I can't afford to fly and pay for accommodation that much now. So, in my case, RAA has ceased to be the 'Affordable flying' it once was. As far as I'm concerned, I would have to go flying at least once a week in order to maintain competency. Anything less would allow my skills to slide, and that would not be safe. So, it seems that I may as well let my membership go.

Just adding my two cents worth....... I'm not renewing my my RAA membership. For me, the biggest downside is abandoning all the training that has gone into my certificate. And the pain of knowing that I'll never fly again. I can't afford to keep paying RAA just in case I get a chance to go flying one day.

Don't expect to know when CO poisoning is happening to you. I speak from experience. I got into the back canopy of a friend's ute, expecting to catch a few zz's on our way to a campground. The rear wasn't fully sealed. I detected a very slight exhaust smell. Nothing much. Just as I was falling asleep, I felt rather stoned . It had only taken about 15 minutes before I realised I was not falling asleep, I was almost passing out. It took a huge effort to drag myself up and knock on the back of the cab to get the drivers attention. I almost didn't bother... Also important, is the fact that I felt sick, and foggy for about 12 hours after. It takes a long time to get out of your system, even at low levels. Make no mistake CO is insidious, it sneaks up on you.

I apologise to everyone for starting this thread with an ambiguous title. I didn't see it that way until someone took it the wrong way. Bruce had mentioned Bert in another thread, and it prompted my own recollections. It occurred to me that there must be many very skilled people out there and they all have had adventures worthy of retelling. Bert is one of many. I sometimes think that our modern society doesn't allow much scope for adventure. There is a wealth of knowledge residing in many of our senior fellow pilots. So many lessons and skills that should be shared. So, can anybody think of a few other unsung heroes in aviation?

Does anybody remember Bert's gliding skills? I call him the exception to the basic rule of pilots. He impressed me as being the only "Old Bold" pilot over ever met. And such a quiet gentleman. I am honoured to have met him. I recall watching him do a double loop from about head height above the deck. In a glider. At Caboolture. He also briefly held the Australian height gain record. Inside a cumulo nimbus. At Alice Springs.

A problem is identifying the speed, as many ASI gives invalid readings at unnatural attitudes. I think I was taught to feel for the G's to help identify the difference between spiral and spin? It was quite a few years ago and those grey cells aren't current (not in RAA aircraft, so relax Turbs!)

The voltmeter is at best, a rough guide. The ammeter doesn't really tell much about the battery either. It only confirms that the charging circuitry is supplying power. It cannot confirm that a battery is effectively storing the energy. The only way to confirm how much energy is stored in a battery is to discharge it at a known rate (usually the ten hour rate), until an agreed minimum battery voltage is reached. (For a 12v battery this is usually 11.8v). Clearly, this cannot be done 'on the run', and shouldn't be done too often, because even 'deep cycle' batteries don't like frequent deep cycling. There are cheap digital A/H Meters available now, but they only measure A/H in and out, to estimate the stored energy. Since they don't know the storage efficiency of the battery, they still aren't foolproof. And are not suited to our aircraft anyway. For better accurate info, go to your battery manufacturer's website and hopefully there will be discharge voltage graphs. As well as max charge current, float voltage and equalising voltage. But remember these discharge graphs only apply when the battery is fresh from factory. Car Battery World is trying to simplify a complex issue.

Your voltmeter is helpful but won't always save a bad outcome. For instance. When my aircraft's factory carried out a repair, they replaced a single 'landing' light with a neat pair of lights. Muchlater, on. A. Cross country, I had inadvertantly l left them turned on. Landed and shut down. Noted that voltmeter showed 12v. (Should have been more like 14). Couldn't restart the Rotax. Problem was that my voltage regulator couldn't supply two 50w lamps and the battery had drained to a marginal level. The message is: voltage does not indicate state of charge. PS, if fitting was shunt to allow current monitoring, it's best to have it in a insulated, protective enclosure. Historically, as an unfused part of wiring, it is a fire hazard.