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kgwilson

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Everything posted by kgwilson

  1. kgwilson
    Many places have automated response units which is a good way to check if your radio is working. That is if the airwaves are not busy. The one at Grafton will respond if there has been no other received calls in the previous 5 minutes. Also if you are hearing radio calls you at least know the receiver is working. There is no harm in asking for a radio check if other aircraft are in the vicinity.
  2. kgwilson
    Aviation is littered with scenarios that should never have happened, many when all the procedures and communications were carried out correctly. CASA uses a lot that ended up as near misses as case studies in the hope that we can learn from them. While we continue to learn and hopefully reduce the likelihood of such events, we will never eliminate them. Every now and again, against all odds the holes in the proverbial Swiss cheese will align and we will go through the process all over again.
  3. kgwilson
    Water is like concrete if you hit it at speed & it will hurt. Water skiers can attest to that. So just like bare foot skiers with appropriate skill and speed the wheels won't dig in. If you don't have both of those it will be a very expensive exercise.
  4. kgwilson
    Most are probably MAGA nutters.
  5. kgwilson
    By the time they get this to market it will be just about all over for internal combustion engines even for aviation. All the Japanese auto makers are struggling right now losing huge ground in their biggest market, China.
  6. kgwilson
    The answer to that vid is "It depends". Practicing over an airfield is easy and the windsock will guide you to the best runway. In the middle of nowhere everything changes when the engine fails for real. You forget half of the engine failure procedures though trimming for best glide & looking for a landing spot are the 2 most important if you can't get the engine going as in changing from the empty to full tank etc. Altitude is your friend with no power so then you use that to your advantage so when you have identified the landing spot make the most of the altitude you have.
  7. kgwilson
    Quell is a well know local brand & part of the Kidde group founded in the USA in 1917. They produce fire protection, control and gas detection systems. The CO detector with replaceable batteries can be purchased from stores for about $35.00. Both the 10 year battery & replaceable battery models have a 10 year operating life. I'll probably replace my existing unit with one of these though it is a bit bigger than the unit I have but has pretty much identical features. It will be almost certainly Chinese made like just about everything else.
  8. kgwilson
    Not sure of the brand but like most things it is made in China. It is quite compact at about 70mm x 70mm. I have it velcroed on to the panel. It cost about $30.00 5 or 6 years ago
  9. kgwilson
    Me too. The engine was running perfectly & I shut it down but could not get it to start again. I did all the trouble checks and found that the mags had to be on before it would run. Who woulda thought.
  10. kgwilson
    Up to 10 parts per million is considered normal CO background level. Maximum of 30 parts per million is safe for a maximum of 8 hours exposure. From there the maximum exposure and time varies by individual. 100 ppm can be endured only for short periods not exceeding 30 minutes and can be accompanied by headaches and breathlessness depending on the individual. Above 400ppm can be fatal. Different authorities have higher or lower levels with some saying anything over 35ppm and you should leave the area immediately. Some monitors start going off at very low levels. Mine has a digital read out that displays the level from 30ppm and flashes a red LED and starts to alarm at 90ppm with loud beeps and fast red LED flashes.
  11. kgwilson
    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-22/building-the-worlds-largest-electric-ferry/104894884
  12. kgwilson
    Incat has produced some of the most innovative catamaran ferries on the planet and are a world leader in this field and now with electric propulsion. I read about this project a year or so ago. There is a great future in building ships like these & a great export earner for the country. Far better than digging stuff up and sending it offshore so someone else can reap the benefit.
  13. kgwilson
    The longevity of EV batteries manufactured since 2022 has shown that most will outlast the vehicle they are installed in & with CATL providing up to 2 million km warranties on their current batteries plus the ability to charge them in the same time or less than filling up a tank of diesel or petrol reduces the benefit of a swappable battery. Most of the earlier EV batteries are currently being repurposed for fixed storage but if that market becomes saturated or the battery is too damaged etc they are ground up to form black mass and over 95% of the minerals are recovered for recycling.
  14. 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/
  15. kgwilson
    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.
  16. kgwilson
    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.
  17. kgwilson
    Rain all day today to the North. 80mm at home. Very wet Anzac parades. Not looking flash for tomorrow either.
  18. kgwilson
    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).
  19. kgwilson
    Plus a different wing configuration & no prop ducting
  20. kgwilson
    The photo is not as described. No front canard or retractable nosewheel. Either these were dropped or they were a later modification.
  21. kgwilson
    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.
  22. kgwilson
    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.
  23. kgwilson
    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.
  24. kgwilson
    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/
  25. kgwilson
    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.
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