River

G'day Arthur, no, you have not shatter any illusions... I tend to agree with most of what you have said especially with the Skyfox/Gazelle but part of my writing up this issue, if that's what one calls it, is to hopefully generate discussion and though on our RA oz aircraft scene. We both appear to be doing fairly well on this... Let's hope others take up the 'charge' too. Now that Howie has got has new low wing baby up and running that he now may be able to put some time and thoughtinto a upgraded LightWing for our RA training market. Either way Arthur, enjoy your flying. Rodger

Thanks Arthur for the comments, very informative and quite interesting on both the aircrafts history and your views. Carrying the question further as to whether it’s time to see if a ‘Mark 2’ version of the LightWing should be given serious consideration, my personal view it that Howie should produce one. There’s a number of training schools around oz that have or are using the Skyfox Gazelle. Yes, of-course there are many new training aircraft coming online. Most of these are overseas produced aircraft both built with either the newer composite fibre materials or the well known steel/aluminium variety. The steel/aluminium versions are reasonably easy to repair if required whilst although the newer composite aircraft are becoming more popular they require more specialised knowledge and materials to repair. Whether or not they can take the level of wear-an-tear and stand the time of many years of being exposed to our extremes of ultraviolet sunlight, etc is yet be reckoned with in my humble opinion. An example of this line of thought is with our fabric covered aircraft, when the fabric is ‘time expired’ it’s a reasonable simple task to replace the weathered fabric, but how you access, test and know when a composite fibre material’d wing or tail feathers has been structurally weakened requires some serious professional knowledge. It would appear that we are beginning to lack any good oz built aircraft with-in this market. Tony Hayes in and earlier thread gave and made some very good points on the reasons why this may not be a viable process but I beg to differ with Tony’s views in that we should continue building and supporting our oz ‘ultralight industry’. I note the Gazelle’s days a numbered due to a number of reasons however I see a European company has taken a lead in this area and produced what appears to be totally upgraded version of the Gazelle calling it a Eurofox. (See photo comparison below). This does seem be quite a major re-make and it’ll be interesting to see if any make their way out here to oz for training, etc. A question? Other readers who have Gazelle’s and are using them as training aircraft or pilots who own a Gazelle - would you consider purchasing a LightWing if there was a major upgraded version available? If so what modifications would make it a workable attraction… Oh, I’d better say from the outset, no – I have no business interests with the LightWing company, just a healthy interest in trying to keep flying the Australian flag – read recreational aviation oz industry… Ok, Arthur, like yourself I’ve jumped up on my hobby-horse (Buy Australian) but it’s all I hope in the interests of generating a healthy oz debate on our recreational aviation Australian outlook. Yours, Rodger

Could someone indicate the reason as to why the LightWing's engine oil tank is mounted inside the pilot/passenger cockpit area? This goes against all the reasons of having a firewall. Firewalls are just that, put all hostile items in front ofthe firewall. Very hot oil in my personal option should must certainly be as far away from us Mark 1 humans as possible. (And yes, I am a great supporter of the LightWing though, just this oil tank location concerns me...) Here's a very hot item with associated oil plumming coming into the cockpit area. I once flew a hire Lightwing which had an overfilled oil tank that caused an blowbackout of the oil tank and onto the passengers shoes and cockpit floor. To say it did not go over well was and understatement. I take it the reason is to do with a weight and balance of the aircraft. Rodger

Thoughts on LightWing 'Mark 2" version??? Hi 'team', I wrote a brief few comments in the Training section of this forum about some views on what would be nice if Howie was to bring out a Mark 2 version.... Anyone have constructive ideas here? Yours in recreational aviation, Rodger

This is the company's home page http://www.fk-lightplanes.com/ and this is the Polaris page http://www.fk-lightplanes.com/html/fk_14_polaris.html Cheers, Rodger

G'day Gregg, yes saw that program too... Choice... Argggg! How true Regarding the Polaris, I take it you are referring to the B7F FK-14B model. There is quite a good review/write-up on this model in the European aviation magazine, Today'sPilot. Issue 38 starting on page 90. By all accounts this is one fine recreational aircraft and the review model also had a balistic parachute system built-in too. The performance figures were quite amazing with a crusie speed of some 143 kts, Vne 156 kts, Roc 1500 ft/m and a stall speed of 34 kts! And this form a Rotax 912s 100hp engine. About the only points that I pondered about was, (1) Being a low wing aircraft, sitting under the wing for shade is not easily possible (Australian sun). (2) The engine cooling and the air intakes appeared quite small. Again referring to ourhotter weather here from the origins back in Germany. (3) The size of the main wheels may be a little small for our AU conditions where many an airstrip is somewhat rougher than our european friends airfields. All these items can be reasonably easily modified (by the manufacture) if they were to introduce the aircraft to AU, though. If you are interested in reading the review and don't have access to the magazine, let me know and I'll run-up a PDF file of the pages or what ever format you desire and email it to you. Cheers, Rodger

G’day Tony, your points on the LightWing are well taken. I’ve often wondered as to why Howie has not brought out a ‘Mark 2’ version of the LightWing for to-day’s training/recreational market. The basic LightWing has the makings of a good new robust ship with a number of mods (My personal views only). I’d upgrade the brakes from those questionable outer drum band mechanical versions to hydraulic disks with toe activated instead of the sliding heel version currently in use. Move the damm engine oil tank from inside the passenger area to where it should be in the engine bay. Hot oil in the pilot/passenger area, not a good mix. Have pilot and co-pilot/passenger flap controls. There are some airframe/airflow mods that would allow for less drag and improved performance. Modify the flight control system to have dual control sticks. On the tri-cycle version there is 'something' that does not feel right with the undercarriage layout, just can't put my finger on it but when one compares the undercarriage with that of the Skyfox gazelle's tri-cycle undercarriage, the Gazelle feels, tracks and rides with a higher degree of err... robustness and feel for the want of a better description. Personally I’d stay with the taildragger version but it appears market forces/costs have pushed most training schools to the Tri-cycle gear version. Of-course this will require the usual testing, etc, etc and a re-certification and but like the current LightWing, it should be around for a very long time – and it’s easily repairable with day-to-day off the shelf materials and know-how… What's the thought on others who have flown or own/owned a LightWing. Cheers,

Paradise Flight Centre is the flight training school of the company that designed, manufactured and sells the LightWing at Ballina NSW... Their web address is; http://www.lightwing.com.au/Paradise.htmlwith the main web address of;http://www.lightwing.com.au/and you can phone them on (02) 6686 8658. There are some LightWing photos shown at the site but a Google search on LightWing should give you some further photos, etc. Cheers,

Ok ‘team’, I’ll throw my $1’s worth into the training ring too… Yes, the Tecnam is a very good training ship indeed. Throw me money and I'll buy one tomorrow Though, and this opinion may be a little biased as I support aussie designed and made aircraft but the Howard Hughes (Howie) LightWing Sport 2000 is a damm good training aircraft. It’s overall quite a rugged and tough fabric and steel designed aircraft which fly’s and handles generally speaking as a recreational aircraft should. It’ll drop a wing in the stall. Though it’s a somewhat gentle drop and even then you sometimes can’t get the wing to drop. Stalling is predicable and the aircraft can be put close to a spin or spiral dive to demonstrate recovery procedures and it does have enough drag to teach you the associated problems and the aircraft has flaps too. About the only area that I would draw attention too is the Sport2000 models front undercarriage, caution here as I believe the front gear is a ‘little fragile’ and requires flying work to unsure you don’t land heavy on the front gear. It you were to train out of say, Ballina with Howie’s operation (LightWing) you would have the advantage of further airfield choices to fly to when training of Evans Head, Lismore, Casino plus beach areas too… Makes for pleasant flying with variety and choice. There's a number of other aircraft too that would make for excellent training aircraft, the Drifter and Fisher are two other aircraft that I believe have training operations in your area too. yours in recreational aviation,

This is the closest training group that I know of... There may be others closer but a brief search did not show up any Boonah http://www.airsportqld.com.au/This being to the west ofGold Coast by around an hours drive. Then there's Howard Hughes operation (Australian LightWing) out of ballina in northern NSW. Good plane to lean on the LightWing... Cheers, Rodger

Ace! Greg, Well done...You make a very good point really... It's disappointingly rare to see any good-news or positive news being reported in our media those days... Reminds me of a small 2/3 minute video clip, though it could have actually been movie film of a light hearted spoof with Howard Hughes (of Australian Lightwing) and his band of merry men designing and test flying a flying aluminium tinnie boat. Damm it was funny. It was shown on the digital ABC free-to-air late one night possibly as a fill-in… We need more of these lighter an genuine moments of our aviation pursuits. But at the same we should not forget the real world too about flying safely too. Cheers, Rodger

Powerline incident with 'Ultralight' at Milang, So Newswire from ABC indicatingincident with 'ultralight'... Anyone have further knowledge of this reporting? "ABC New Online - Last Update: Saturday, May 13, 2006. 4:08pm (AEST) Lucky escape for ultralight crew A pilot and his female passenger escaped serious injury when an ultra-light aircraft clipped powerlines and made an emergency landing in a paddock near Milang on the Fleurieu Peninsula south of Adelaide. The incident happened on the Milang to Finiss Road just after 11:00am ACST. The female passenger suffered an injury to her shoulder."

Heard on the 6.00 am news services (ABC Radio 612 Brisbane) that an incident had just occurred up at the Caboolture airfield just north of Brisbane this morning, Friday 5th 2006. Report indicated a 'light aircraft' had a heavy landing and that the pilot was conscious and rescue authorities were rushing to the airfield... No further media info has been available. Anyone know if and what occurred? GA or Recreational? Rodger

G’day ‘team’… Noted this report in one of our newsfeed aviation sites in the US. While it is not an incident about us here in Australia I feel it is an incidnet that we all should consider... MarkOne common sense! On the information presented I find it difficult to understand why, the person, who appears to be an experienced aviation flyer would attempt to continue a take-off experiencing engine performance problems… Fairdinkum, If the report is correct an aborted take-off was the order of the day, and it reads as if he had more than enough runway left to effect a successful safe stop. Why in heavens name attempt a take-off with an engine producing only 4000 rpm from a Rotax 912 which is severely low in the power curve with an obvious performance problem and still try…? What worries me more(with due respect) is this aviator is both a aviation writer and experienced pilot as we are lead to believe by the acticle. Yes, I know there may be more to the story and facts but as this has already been written up in the public domain and media the damage is doneto our recreational aviation/ultralight industry by someone who should have known better. Rodger Attached is a (File) photo of the type of aircraft "Aviation Writer Injured in LSA Accident Dan Johnson Suffers Back Injury In Take-Off Accident A Lakeland bound LSA went down in Southern Florida Tuesday after a takeoff went awry. The departure reportedly fell victim to a lack of power from the four-stroke Rotax engine. Aviation writer Dan Johnson, who had flown the aircraft previously, was enroute to Lakeland FL, for a Fly-In, from South Florida's Naked Lady Ranch when he went down at the side of the runway in small trees and brush. Johnson suffered serious back injuries, including a compression fracture, and is scheduled for surgery Wednesday morning to repair the damage, though the prognosis is positive for a full recovery. No control difficulties or other issues appear to have contributed to the accident. The aircraft involved, a Czech Aircraft Works (CZAW) Parrot, had approximately 120 hours of time in service. ANN spoke to CZAW Parrot Manufacturer, Chip Erwin, a witness to the accident, about the situation and Johnson's unfortunate injury. Chip reported that the aircraft failed to make power on takeoff, a fact reportedly confirmed to him by Johnson, developing only 4000 RPM or so on the Rotax 912 (where revs well above 5K are considered minimum). Despite the lack of take-off power (audible to those on the ground in the immediate area), Johnson attempted to continue the flight, continuing most of the length of the runway, before attempting a partial turn attempt to line up with a crosswind runway -- a decision that was apparently aborted after nearly 90 degrees of turn was completed. Attempting to turn back, the Parrot, a two-place high-wing Certified LSA, settled into small trees and brush at the side of the runway, injuring Johnson and pretty much destroying the aircraft. Erwin noted that the airframe remained fairly well intact throughout the accident, but that the attendant sink rate contributed significantly to the damage suffered by Johnson. Erwin and others rendered aid at the scene, and kept Johnson hydrated until medical help arrived, whereupon Johnson was treated for transport and moved to a St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, FL. The CZAW Parrot is a fairly new LSA. The all-metal Parrot utilizes a fully-cantilevered metal wing, with surprisingly curvy fuselage, a forward-hinged canopy, and a 530 pound payload. The aircraft is powered by a single Rotax 912 ULS, offering 100HP."

G'day gang... I thought this photo shows just how difficult it is to observe power-lines. This photo was taken as part of an ongoing tragic helicopter incident and shows the sighting of the power line in-which the chopper struck. The side arrows were placed in the photo to point out the power-line which, if it was not highlighted, could easily be missed and this image is from a stationary position. You can image how difficult it must have been to the pilot flying to readily observe this line… It just bring home the point of view when low flying (final approach, etc) to unfamiliar airfields to conduct a recon first at a safe height and even then use considerably caution with regards to power-lines. They are extremely difficult to see! Yours in recreational aviation, Rodger

G’day Greg, whilst there are always ‘variations’ to the hard sand on a beach line I basically agree with you’re thoughts on a unscheduled beach landing. Other mates would regularly conduct motorcycle drag racing on the hard sand areas just up from the waterline with little problems. Of course we’d check out the whole length on the strip we were going to use, but we were often obtaining speeds ofclose too 160 k/ph… Yes – I know that it was reckless and life threatening but when are 18 yo we all know you’re indestructible. Mind you, this was on a beach that had a very large beach sand area and there are many areas were the beach sand area is very very small indeed. Go near or into the areas either side of that hard sand strip and you’re in serious trouble. Either way I'd still aim for the sand instead of the shallow waters on a surf line... Cheers,

G'day Tony, Ace reply... especially the second part. I know I'm treading on an area where 'angles fear to tread' as it's quite a different situation when it happens to oneself but... As for opting to land in water when the beach is right next to you does beg the question.At first upon reading the incident I though the pilot may have been just too low to able to glide onto the beach. Then I though, maybe the pilot spent too much time attempting to re-start the engine and just ran out of height before realising he would not be able to make it onto the beach… But appears the pilot made a decision to conduct a water landing as indicated in the newspaper interview. Interesting decision. But as I said earlier, these events are always ‘different’ when it happens in real time and not sitting here at work behind my u-beaut operations desk. The good news is all were relitively unjuried... Cheers

G'day Ian, yes, the same thought crossed my mind too but as we all know that when it dose happen, events usually happen very fast indeed, especially at low level... Here is the latest info as per the local newspaper plus a small photo of the situation... The Morning Bulletin - Rockhampton QLD Holidaymakers helped after seeing a light aircraft go down. Two survive ocean crash 27.12.2005 YEPPOON pilot Graeme Toft didnt have time to think about dying as he crash-landed his small plane off the Capricorn Coast yesterday. Last night the shaken 53-yearold said he and passenger Desma Van Rosendal were lucky to be alive after their light sports aircraft lost power at low altitude near Five Rocks Beach about 7.30am. "You just pinch yourself to prove you are alive, he said. Mr Toft, who has been flying for 13 years, said he was taking Ms Van Rosendal, who is his sister-in-law, for a scenic flight when the planes engine failed. But he said he did not panic, instead taking his mind back to the crash landing training he had received. "I tried to restart the engine but it wouldnt work so I chose to land the plane in the water because I thought it would be a softer landing, he said. "You cant afford to think you're going to die, you dont have a chance to think about anything ... your training just kicks in. The plane landed in two metres of water and flipped over but both Mr Toft and Ms Van Rosendal were able to get out without assistance. Startled holidaymakers in the area 40km north of Yeppoon im- mediately raced into the surf to assist Mr Toft and Ms Van Rosendal as the shaken pair emerged from the damaged plane and attempted to salvage it. The group managed to flip the plane and push it back to shore as more people arrived on scene. Later, the pair was airlifted by the RACQ-CQ Rescue helicopter to Rockhampton Hospital for treat-ment. Both suffered back and abdominal injuries and were released from Rockhampton Hospital yesterday afternoon after treatment and observation. Mr Toft thanked emergency services and the members of the public who had come to his aid. "Everyone was just great, I cant speak highly enough of them. And he said it was likely he would fly again one day. "I'lll look at it down the track but I'll probably say I will.

A further update on this incident follows; Monday, December 26, 2005. 5:37pm (AEDT) Recovery attempt planned for crashed ultra-light. Police on the central Queensland coast will attempt to recover an ultra-light plane that crashed into the water off a beach this morning. A 53-year-old man had been taking his 46-year-old sister-in-law on a joy flight when his Kitfox aircraft's engine failed. The pilot failed to make an emergency landing on the beach at Stockyard Point, north of Yeppoon. Rockhampton Police District Inspector, Graham Coleman, says campers in the area witnessed the crash and rescued the pair in dinghies. "He's attempted to land on the beach but crashed into the water some distance from the beach," he said. "It would appear that both the pilot and the female passenger have received minor injuries, just some possible back injuries and some harness bruising. "They will be conveyed to hospital for observation and treatment and police will investigate the accident." The first man on the scene of the crash says he feared the worst, after seeing the splash it created when it hit the ocean. Brendan Clare, a nurse, says he was relieved to see the pair sitting on the plane's wings when he arrived. "They were pretty shaken up," he said. "It didn't hit the pilot until a little bit after, when he sat down and obviously then it started to hit him a bit. "But the other lady was pretty shaken up from the start." Footnote: For members who don't know where Yeppoon (Stockyard Point)is, it's some 300 odd nm's north of Brisbane. Appears from photos I saw,the aircraft has been recovered and whilst there would most certainly by more damage than one could see, the aircraft looked to be in surprisingly good condition other then a broken prop and some damage to the engine cowling area...

It is with a heavy heart that I write to follow-up on this tragedy/accident that has occurred just north of Brisbane at a popularuncontrolled airfield. In the interests that we may all learn from our fellow aviators misfortunes I further ad information that has been made public on this sad, but re-occurring accident situations. Below are copies of the various news items covering this unfortunate accident. ++++++++++++ ABC Online News Dec. 20 2005 Glider pilot dies in Caboolture crash The president of a south-east Queensland aero club says a pilot killed in a glider accident this morning was well known to the club. Ray Vuillerman says it appears the man lost control of his glider and it crashed into the ground in a council tip, just outside the club's boundaries. The man, whose name has not been released, was already dead when ambulance crews arrived at the scene. Mr Vuillerman says the cause of the crash is unknown. "All I was told was that it appeared to be a loss of control and the expression that was used was that the glider spun into the ground - whether it was a loss of control due to a mechanical failure or a piloting problem I don't know," he said. ++++++++++++ The Courier Mail Newspaper Adventurous pilot 'lived for flying' 21dec05 GLIDER pilot John Everest died doing what he loved best. The 68-year-old was killed yesterday after crashing his TST-3 TM Alpin self-launching single-seat ultralight glider while making an approach to land at Caboolture Airport, north of Brisbane. The retired geophysicist, of Kangaroo Point in Brisbane, was returning from his weekly flight around the Glass House Mountains and Kilcoy when he turned his glider towards the runway, stalled and spun into the ground about 10.20am. Friends yesterday paid tribute to Mr Everest, who had been a member of the Caboolture Aero Club for the past 10 years. Ross Leach said Mr Everest, nicknamed "Pommy John" because of his English background, was a "straight-laced gentleman with a good sense of humour". "He was an adventurous type who knew his life was running low," he said. "He always liked to try something new and was game to give everything a go." Mr Leach said Mr Everest, who married his second wife Tatiana three years ago, was admired for his remarkable fitness and character. "Take the grey hair away and you would think he was 50," he said. "He was always very, very good to his word – he was no bullsh*t artist. "He used to happily volunteer to help out with the mowing at the club." Michael McShane said Mr Everest, who spent 2000 hours over 2½ years building his glider, lived for flying. "It was the love of his life," he said. "He was a champion, a real good Pom. "He was an easygoing bloke who loved his bed in the morning and the occasional beer around the campfire at night." Mr Leach said Mr Everest was a "very safe and competent pilot", but had erred in trying to turn his glider around. "That's a no-no," Leach said. "He was too low and slow . . . you're better off just to crash your plane somewhere under control than to turn when it's too slow and stall the wing." Redcliffe District Police Acting Inspector Pat O'Loughlin said investigations into the incident were continuing. "We believe either the wind has moved or there has been pilot error and the aircraft has gone into the ground," he said. Recreational Aviation Australia, with whom the glider was registered, is conducting its own inquiries. +++++++++++ ABC Online News Wed. 21 Dec 2005 Aero club says crash victim not trained glider pilot The Caboolture Gliding Club says the pilot of an ultralight glider that crashed north of Brisbane yesterday morning, was not a trained glider pilot. The 68-year-old man from Kangaroo Point was killed when his "ultralight self-launching motor glider" went into a spin and crashed at Caboolture. It has been revealed the man built the ultra-light himself. Phil Behnke from the Caboolture Gliding Club says the glider was registered as an ultralight aircraft and the man was a trained ultralight pilot. But he says "formal glider training" may have made a difference. "Gliders - with such huge wings - and if they're going very slowly, as they turn, the inner wing goes very slowly and can therefore lose lift and cause the aircraft to go into a spin," he said. "And we learn to identify that before it happens. We also learn how to actually counter the spin." Mr Behnke says gliders are prone to "spinning". "Whether these are issues in what's happened, I don't know, but I do know that the observed situation was that the aircraft spun into the ground and glider pilots are trained from day one to be aware of the dangers of the spin and how to identify when it's going to happen and how to circumvent that problem," he said. ++++++++++++++ My heartfelt condolences and thoughts to his family and friends. River

Appears the aircraft was a Thorp T-18C... Rodger

"The Toowoomba Chronicle - Search finds kit plane pilot dead - 14.09.2005 THE body of a pilot whose kit plane crashed at Whetstone, about 20km from Inglewood yesterday afternoon, has been found not far from the wreckage. A police media spokeswoman said the plane was flying from Toowoomba to Moree with one person on board when it was reported missing around 5.40pm. People driving along the Cunningham Highway shortly afterwards reported a light plane in a paddock. Searchers found debris spanning about one kilometre. An initial search of the wreckage failed to locate the pilot. His body was found a short distance from the wreckage. The pilot, who had not been formally identified, was known to be very experienced. Police were still at the scene of the crash last night and would investigate the crash and prepare a report for the coroner. Because the single-engine craft was a kit plane the Australian Transport Safety Bureau will not become involved in the investigation." ------------------- Always a sad event when one of our fellow aviators 'goes in' and my sincerely condolences to the friendly and relatives. Notice though the unusual area of the accident site... Mid-air break-up? Rodger

Appears an incident occurred over the week-end according to AAP news service..."Crash landing: plane stalls mid-air near south coast August 15, 2005 - 6:49AMA man has escaped injury after his ultralight plane crash landed in the NSW south coast.Police say the plane was one of three aircraft which left Jaspers Brush yesterday morning headed for Point Perpendicular and back.The pilot of one of the aircraft experienced engine difficulties about 12.20pm (AEST) yesterday when the trio were making their return.The motor stalled and the aircraft fell about 30 metres into waist-deep water on Culburra Beach, Shoalhaven.The 49-year-old Dapto man piloting the aircraft was unscathed and salvaged the plane with the help of two people on the beach." Rodger River