kgwilson

At the current rate of battery development I can't see much future for internal combustion engines at all. CATL have just unveiled a new EV battery that has a range of 1500km on a single charge and can be recharged to provide 520km of range in just 5 minutes. https://carnewschina.com/2025/04/21/battery-giant-catl-showcases-three-innovations-1500km-range-battery-520km-in-5-minutes-ultra-fast-charging-and-2025-mass-production-sodium-ion-battery/

You need a RCD (residual current device) for this protection. These can be combined as a RCCB (residual current circuit breaker). I have these installed in my house.

For clarification the wiring from your meter box to all of the 3 pin sockets and light fittings in your house is generally TPS (thermoplastic-sheathed cable) and is called "twin core and earth" and comes in numerous diameters. In most houses lighting circuits are 1.5mm, 3 pin socket cables are 2.5mm with things like ovens and cooktops 4mm to 6mm. It all depends upon the current required and the distance the wire has to run. The colours are Live = RED, Neutral = BLACK and Earth = Yellow/Green. That's it. Wiring from the socket or fitting is usually Live=Brown, Blue = Neutral & yellow/Green =Earth. Specialist equipment with comms capability can be different colours depending on the job it has to do.

Rain all day today to the North. 80mm at home. Very wet Anzac parades. Not looking flash for tomorrow either.

Boeings stock keeps declining after their disastrous failings ever since the Max 8 crashes. When things go bad a company usually begins to divest interests that are not core to its business. The US government is keeping Boeing going with its military contracts. Their foray in to space didn't go well leaving Astronauts stranded & doors falling off because they forgot to secure the bolts doesn't inspire confidence. I'd say that Ozrunways/Foreflight will probably become combined but will be in better hands (possibly).

Plus a different wing configuration & no prop ducting

The photo is not as described. No front canard or retractable nosewheel. Either these were dropped or they were a later modification.

R22s & R44s seem to appear in a lot of rotorwing crashes. Maybe that is because there are a lot of them in service (AFAIK they are the largest selling choppers in the world) or some other cause. I have not done any research at all. A friend of mine flew R44s for some years in the NT & QLD doing survey work for mines & had an auto rotate incident in the middle of nowhere on a ridge when he had both magnetos fail.

I guess things must have changed. I built my aircraft & test flew it plus flew off the first 25 hours. I had bugger all recent hours because I'd spent most of the previous 4 1/2 years building the plane. I bent the nosewheel at 12 hours when I'd adjusted the idle too high & finally put it on the ground , ran off the seal on to wet & muddy grass. Reported that to RAA. Finally got a new nose leg & made it an inch too long. Broke that one plus the wooden prop. Reported that to RAA as well & had to remove the engine & replace the flywheel bolts. Reported the repairs & videoed flange runout which was perfect. No issues & now over 400 hours. RAA never even commented.

It looks like the so called "Jesus Nut" failed dramatically in this mechanical failure. Helicopters are very reliable these days and also due to the requirements of very high strength components and rigorous maintenance regimes luckily don't have too many main rotor separations.

Just a comment on Electric trucks. There are plenty of these especially massive dump trucks in the mining industry, many of which are autonomous. The main reasons are reduced emissions (none out the non existent tail pipe), lower operating cost, improved safety and most of all improved performance especially on steep grades due to electric motors producing full torque from 0 rpm. https://reneweconomy.com.au/fortescue-strikes-4-billion-deal-for-electric-trucks-and-dozers-to-eliminate-fossil-fuels-at-giant-mines/ Also Janus Electric are converting diesel B-Double tractor units from diesel to electric and have a replaceable battery that can be swapped in 3 minutes and has 600km of range. The cost of conversion is apparently cheaper than a full diesel engine overhaul. They will operate on the main highway between Melbourne & Brisbane. https://www.januselectric.com.au/

Brendan posted a video on this last September. This is one of many under development using drone technology so they are able to fly under full automation or with pilot input. Drones are already pretty big & a few weeks ago when floods threatened in the Northern rivers, NSW a drone was practicing the delivery of hay bales to stranded cattle. That one had a lift capacity of I think 45 kg.

Avalon is an Aviation Industry event more akin to Farnborough or Paris where all the latest civilian and military aircraft are on display & sales teams abound. Oshkosh is the US Experimental Aircraft Associations annual fly-in & everyone is welcome. About 10,000 aircraft fly in for the event. It is aimed at a completely different demographic.

The last Avalon I attended was 2005. Then they had a mock up of a F35 with it's V or STOL capabilities, a B52 made a flypast, the Connie flew, there were lots of other flypasts & aero displays & even hang gliders towed up behind Utes. There were several new plastic fantastics & a Foxcon Terrier Camper. Did they become a thing? The indoor stuff was all commercial & of not much interest. I was never inspired enough to attend another Avalon.

This is an issue that is there due to the rules around RA where RA pilots do not have access to CTR. If they did then Camden CTR could include the Oaks & everyone would be on the same frequency. A similar situation is at Blenheim in NZ where the main RPT (& also a minor military presence) Airport (Woodbourne) & the recreational, gliding & sport pilot aerodrome (Omaka) are only 5km apart & at the same altitude. On arrival you contact the tower & they clear you to enter the circuit & report back when on the ground. You must get a clearance for takeoff & departure from ATC. I've flown in there a number of times & it works well & there is a lot of activity as well. I think it is still the same. The difference is that all RA aircraft are on the same register & RA pilots must have a CTR endorsement & I assume a transponder. If RA finally gets access to CTR (30 years later than the rest of the world) then this problem would go away.