sfGnome

Was it ApplePay that caused the additional surcharge, or did the iPad take you renew via the AppleStore (without actually taking you to the store)? If I recall, OzRunways used to say to renew through their website, not via Apple’s update because Apple add a hefty premium (which is subject to current litigation over monopoly control and restrain of trade, I believe).

As an amateur carpenter, I love laminated timber construction. You walk into a building with exposed laminated beams and it just feels warm. So much nicer than lumps of steel. I’m intrigued by the ETFE pillows for the roof. I wonder how they’d go with large hail? Would the springiness absorb the energy and cause the hail to just bounce off it like a trampoline? Impressive.

How high do you have to be in the middle of the crossing (worst case engine failure point) to be guaranteed a glide to the other side?

I’m not an RF engineer, but I don’t think that the angle is an issue. Most external aerials appear sloped back. Possibly the problem is that the aerial (if I read your description correctly) is running along the aluminium upright which puts a big earth plane in totally the wrong place. I think that dipole antennae work well in composite aircraft where there is little metal to get in the way, but you have lots of metal tubes running everywhere.

I can add nothing except that I hope it goes well and look forward to seeing trip reports and photos.

It didn’t at first for me, but I came back a little later and it was there. Try again.

If you’ve ever watched Grand Designs, one of the questions he asks at the end of the episode is “you said it was going to cost $XXX. How much did it actually cost?”. Be prepared to go over budget, and enjoy the whole process regardless. I’ve just been hit with a budget-buster and it hurts, but it’s still worth it!

Yep. Fire is fairly low on the risk scale when cycling. 😛

Yes. Thermals made of fine merino wool are really good.

It’s just occurred to me (sorry to bring the tone back down) that stockings/thermals/etc are all going to be a disaster in case of in-flight fire. Isn’t it recommended that you should only wear cotton-based clothing in the air because it won’t melt into your skin in a fire? I guess it’s a trade-off. Which is more likely; losing all your skin in a fire or freezing to death? 🫣

I’m in the same position as you, Lyndon, so I asked Jared at RAAus. Here’s his reply. I’m pretty sure that others on this site have already done this too, but I’ll leave them to leap in and comment. If the worst comes to the worst, I can delay the actual claim until closer to June ‘27 (the cutoff date). It just means that the bank balance suffers for a while, but the purchase has to go ahead now while I’m doing all the wiring.

Lucky there wasn’t much weight on that front wheel. It looks like something off my wheelbarrow.

Which parachute do you have? Junkers/Stratos or BRS? I’m looking for some dimensions of the Stratos 601 so I can put the mounting bars in the right spot but I don’t want to buy the unit until I’m almost ready to fly as I don’t want to wast half its lifespan sitting in my shed while I’m still building.

Ski thermals (long sleeve and legs) under your normal warm clothes. If you’re lucky, Aldi might be doing a Wednesday special. Uniqlo also do good stuff relatively cheaply. The only down side it that you’ll rapidly overheat if it’s warm on the ground, although then it’s just a matter of removing the outer layers.

11 degrees? Luxury! We were -2 C on Saturday morning, and that wasn’t abnormal. The heater is being built in from the word go. 🥶