kgwilson

The jabiru invoice for the tacho sender I got in 2017 shows item No PI11763N. I don't know if this is a Jabiru number or manufacturers number. The sender is quite small. I reckon about 25-30mm long & 1/4 unf sound about the right thread size. I've got 2 hours before my next 100 hourly & annual so if you haven't sorted it out by the end of the week that will be close to me pulling the cowls of & I'll photograph it. The 2 wires are integrated, there are no terminals. It seems odd that Jabiru have no stock. They need one for every engine & have produced about 7000 of them so far. I haven't called them for ages but one of their best blokes was called Cody. If he is still there he will know everything you need to know.

When I replaced the tacho sender it cost $49.22 plus freight, total $62.50 in July 2017 & that was from Jabiru. They can't have gone up that much. The VDO senders with part numbers are listed on the Tacho installation instructions I attached to my first post. Google those or check out the VDO web site. The sender is threaded and screws into the holder and secured with a lock nut. I overtightened the first one. & the sender housing split. Any inductive sender should work. There are only 2 wires. The only issue would be how big they are. The one suggested by Lee-wave is huge at 65mm in length with a 12mm thread size so would not fit the mounting bracket. It has an LED & a 3rd wire, unnecessary extras.

Maybe it was not clear. I replaced the sensor and oil pressure readings were then back to normal.

The VDO tachos installed in some Jabirus had the Jabiru logo on them so they would have been specifically ordered. I only bought the engine & it was supplied with the tacho & sender, oil pressure, oil temperature and Cylinder head temperature gauges plus a bunch of other stuff like the airbox & filter, carb heat control box, cylinder head plenums & the only extra I ordered being an expended prop flange. It was the 5th 3300 Gen 3 roller cam follower off the line built by Camit & cost $18,633.00 delivered in March 2013. Included in that price was the tacho & sender at $324.19. Dunno what all that cost now. I have replaced the oil pressure sensor on my engine. This is a VDO unit & apparently they are not the best largely because the unit is bolted to the engine and subject to all engine vibrations. The good part about it though is that there is no oil line needed so that is one less thing to fail. I was cruising along one day & the needle just pegged at maximum pressure on the gauge. I figured it was the sensor but went & landed ASAP anyway. After landing & taxiing back it worked normally again.

The Jabiru supplied tacho is a standard programmable VDO tacho designed for all engines. It has a 0-4000rpm range an hour meter and is configurable for Diesel or Petrol engines 2 or 4 stroke, 2 to 8 cylinders and 0.5 to 200 pulses per revolution. The analogue pointer can be calibrated to get it right comparing the values to other speed testing equipment & even a fine tuning option to allow for alternator slippage at different engine speeds.

Jabiru tachos are VDO brand so pretty common. Are you sure the tacho has died as it may just be the sensor. I buggered my sensor by overtightening it and stripped the thread so got a new one from Jabiru. The sensor is magnetic inductive (hall effect) and there are 2 tabs on the Jabiru flywheel. The gap is about 0.5mm. The tacho needs to be set up for 2 pulses per revolution. There are good instructions for setup when you install the tacho. If you are also using new wiring be sure to keep the cables away from other wires or you may get fluctuating values. I found this out the hard way. Prices vary so check out what Jabiru charge & also check Ebay. There are heaps there in the Cockpit Vision range and the price is from about $180.00 to $350.00 for the 80mm (3 1/8") tacho. They are available with & without a hour meter so make sure you get the right model. I have attached a copy of the installation & setup instructions FYI. VDO Tacho Installation Instructions.pdf

A Qtar A380 appears to hover as it attempts to land at Heathrow. There was a 56 knot crosswind. The UK was being battered by Storm Eunice with winds that reached 196 kmh. In the end the pilots decide to go around. It landed on the third attempt. The Speedbird producer said "Never before have I seen that and I have been live streaming Aviation for 10 years".

True. You have to buy those. Not required unless you are going to the middle of nowhere though & then you don't really need them as a good relief map of the outback will have far better detail.

I'd like a solutions cap as well.

I should have mentioned they are free to download but to reproduce/use for commercial purposes etc then you need Airservices permission. It is standard disclaimer so no big deal. When you access details you have to sign the disclaimer. Link is HERE

All of the WMC, VNC, & VTC charts are free to download by anyone from Airservices website & that also means software developers. They are in pdf format but can easily be converted to whatever the developer uses to build his navigation product. Simples. As I have mentioned on other threads I use free navigation software called Airmate & it always has the latest AIRAC cycle, Charts and full ERSA available & will tell you when new versions are available to download & update.

Me standing on the wheel of a US helicopter aged 4 or 5. This is my youngest photo with any sort of flying machine.

More importantly is the CEO of CASA an Aviation person. That is an emphatic No. Pip Spence is a career Public Servant. Notably in establishment of the NBN another complete clusterf@##k. It doesn't make any difference though as previous directors who were Aviation people have not been able to change the culture. I called it toxic, Susan McDonald called it Rotten. What is in the letters has certainly caused a major furore and CASA reverts to its legal position. It doesn't look for solutions only punishment. Remember the Jabiru engine restrictions. There was a senate inquiry into this as well. There were major failures within CASA & at the inquiry they didn't have answers. Nothing has changed. It seemingly has got worse. I think McDonald telling Spence she was doing a great job was a greatest sarcastic remark of the session when she said "You must be because everyone tells me you are"

A pair of see through anything not solid glasses and a pair of anti stall pants would do the trick. I am sure that Marvel studios have got those.

I have the benefit of having dealt with civil aviation authorities in both NZ and Australia over 45 years and it all boils down to one simple observation. NZ CAA acts as a coach, Australian CASA acts as a policeman.

He was attempting to demonstrate the slow flight capabilities of the aircraft to potential customers and fu#@ed it up. Pretty dumb that close to the ground.

I owned a 180B in the late 70s. At 3 years old both front mudguards had to be replaced as they had completely rusted out. It didn't live by the sea but had water traps in the body panels with next to no rust inhibiting paint. The engine was good but the body was rubbish. The 120Y of the same era was the same.

I haven't met any CASA supporters yet. I was quite surprised at the anti CASA sentiment when I first came across the ditch but it didn't take long to realise why and change my perspective. I've met a few nice people who work for CASA but they are not the managers and decision makers. CASA's culture is toxic & it needs to be lanced to the point of death. No director has ever managed any inroads so the only option is a complete overhaul with multiple sackings & redundancies. While GA has shrunk by 40% or more CASA staff levels increased by 60% or more. Anyone remember the Forsyth report of May 2014. 37 recommendations for change with none implemented fully & most not at all. The same issues raised at the Senate hearing (as well as many more) were detailed in the report now swept conveniently under the carpet as always.

Any phone with a GPS will provide accuracy up to 10 metres max these days. There are plenty of navigation Apps available for phones & tablets, a number of them free. Some are simple and some more complex. Even free apps also integrate with SE2 ADSB. I use a free one called Airmate. It has all the latest Maps & ERSA which you download free, Notams, Weather etc. I run it on a 10" tablet & on my phone as backup. I also keep a set of VNC maps (a bit out of date) on the parcel shelf as a 3rd backup.

Sure use the AP if it is there. A good instructor would not just be using this as the only option. The student should be shown how to fly the aircraft as if the AP isn't there as well. Maybe the instructor doesn't know either. If that is the case there is a serious issue with our instructor endorsement process.

It isn't any wonder that CASA has the worst reputation of any Civil Aviation Authority anywhere in the world. Susan McDonald and the other Senators expressed the same disbelief of CASA's attitude and lack of real understanding as most of the Aviation Industry and almost all GA & RA pilots. The culture of safety for safety's sake, an absolute black and white reliance on ridiculous regulations depending on the colour of the paint on the aircraft and the occupation of the passengers etc and not one based on evidence and a desire to work with Industry was clearly evident. They keep on harping about working with FAA in the US. Well that is just a crock. CASA needs to be completely disbanded and a totally new approach made with new people from within the Industry and Aviation community. The culture is so ingrained that no-one has been able to make any inroads since well before Dick Smith tried to engender change. There is too much legal speak, over regulation and fear of litigation resulting in masses of unnecessary delays in making decisions on anything. Here is a simple example. In 2005 FAA USA, CAA UK, CAA Canada & CAA NZ all implemented the RPL. It took around 3 months to investigate and publish the notice of rule change to allow older pilots that may not be able to pass a class 2 medical to continue to fly their Cessna or Piper with just a motor vehicle medical check, albeit with only 1 passenger and not at night. Modifications have been implemented since but that's OK. The UK went even further to remove the medical all together to an RAA style self certification for pilots under 70 for UK PPL holders. It took CASA TEN MORE YEARS to come up with an RPL different to everywhere else in the English speaking world and it is not recognised anywhere else in the English speaking world. How timely and smart was that, NOT?

Relying on an autopilot is not good aviation management. Get some under the hood instruction and learn how to deal with a possible whiteout situation from using a basic panel. The instruments don't need to be TSOed to work well. I have not found any that don't other than phone apps which can be really good or rubbish.

All pilots should know about cloud types, how they form and why. This is covered in meteorology exams. There are plenty of books on the subject including those specific to countries and areas. Glider and Hang Glider Pilots usually know a lot more about clouds than powered pilots as they use them to determine lift, how to get from one place to another, how to determine weather changes, downdrafts and danger and other things.

The lighter the aircraft the more you need to fly it to the ground for landing. I flew Cessnas for years and yes landing is pretty easy. Approach at the right speed, attitude and altitude, level off, let it settle and it lands. A lot more inertia than in a RA aircraft. Boring almost. But the controls are heavy, seating is like driving a bus & the panel too tall. My Sierra is super responsive, controls as light as a feather, sports car seating position & I can see everything easily. It is harder to land but far more exciting. In my GA days I much preferred the Archer as a touring aircraft and landing in crosswinds. Low wing is always better there IMO. Takeoff & landing is the best part of most flights.

A crash waiting to happen & if did with fatal results. If the pilot has any money he will be relieved of most of it & may spend time courtesy of Corrections.