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sfGnome

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Everything posted by sfGnome

  1. sfGnome
    I too work with Americans, and in a field where colour/color is very important. We decided years ago that while we couldn't change the world to fit us, there was no need for us to change (too much) to fit them, so in all our documentation colour is spelled 'color', and everything else is spelled the Aussie (Brit) way. (Having said that, I tend to use 'aircraft' or 'A/C' simply because it is quicker to type than aeroplane. Don't like to use 'airplane' though - it's just not my language).
  2. sfGnome
    Although (thankfully) I've never had the experience of an unexpected EFATO, I know for absolute certain that my brain turns to mush under stress. During training, we talked about EFATOs at length. Just before entering the runway we discussed exactly what was going to happen and how I should react when the engine went out. 45 seconds later when the CFI pulled the throttle I froze, and we would have stalled straight into the trees if he hadn't been ready for me to do exactly that. I know not to turn back; I visualise myself not turning back; but I have no idea exactly what I'm actually going to until the day when it actually happens. That's what scares me...
  3. sfGnome
    Was it purely by chance that the singer sang "we don't really have control" just as the wing dropped...
  4. sfGnome
    I sit here looking out the window at the drizzle, and the gloom reflects pretty much how I'm feeling at the moment. Like most of you, I knew David only through our conversations here, but I can't think of one person more ready to investigate the questions, to understand the regulations, to think through the safety issues and to make sure that he was trained and practiced, ready for whatever came. It's only human nature to look at terrible events and find reasons why it couldn't happen to me - too dark, too low, too cloudy, too poorly maintained; I'd never let that happen, would I? - but something did happen, David, and only you know how you reacted, what you tried, how you fought to manage an impossible situation. So now on this grey day, who among us can still sit here and say it couldn't happen to me. Vale David.
  5. sfGnome

    Here we go!!

    sfGnome replied to pudestcon's topic in Thruster

    You lucky, lucky man. I guess that's what you get for not pushing her outside her comfort zone, and just waiting for her to do it herself. A (semi)willing accomplice. Brilliant!
  6. sfGnome
    Had this problem suddenly occur last week in a Tecnam (eg metal body), just as we joined the circuit. Luckily there was no one else around because we couldn't transmit any more. Tested with both headsets individually (one Zulu, one basic type) in both sockets with no improvement. Wound the mic gain down (quite a lot) and problem resolved. Subsequent radio checks still showed the voice to be quite loud, so it possibly could have gone down even further. Yep, it could be many things, but if you have a gain control then it's a pretty good place to start.
  7. sfGnome
    Mark, I've drunk in every word and every picture from this thread, and it's been great reading the whole way. Long may she fly!
  8. sfGnome
    Works fine on an iPhone. I couldn't tell whether I was logged in or not, but found by looking at the account details page that I was.
  9. sfGnome
    Over the last couple of months, I've spent a lot more time than usual in my back garden. Now, my back garden - along with the rest of the house, I hasten to add - is situated under Sydney's northwestern VFR lane, half way between the north and south lanes. The north-bound planes fly out the back of our place, while the south-bound ones fly out the front. Very convenient for plane-spotting when I get bored. What I have noticed is that the separation between the two lanes is not as distinct as you would hope. I have witnessed a small number of aircraft straying off both paths and thus flying straight over my house. The scary part (and I hope I don't get to read about the results in tomorrow's newspaper) was that this morning I saw an aircraft flying south, right along the track of the north-bound lane. It's clearly marked on the maps, and much more so on the Sydney Flying Guide that comes as standard with the VTC. I'm going to be flying this lane in the next couple of weeks. Previously I was alert. Now I think I'm alert and alarmed.
  10. sfGnome
    As an aside, in technical specifications in my line of work, 'should' is defined as the imperative - ie it means the same as must. 'May', on the other hand, means 'optional'. Hence, "may not" actually means that you don't have to not do something... English is a strange language.
  11. sfGnome
    Funny, I got my mag yesterday, and although I haven't read it cover to cover yet, it struck me as having a good range of articles. In fact, I thought it was one of the best yet. Everyone's different, I guess.
  12. sfGnome
    Ain't that the truth, Tomo. "Yes sir. I'd never lower the into-wind wing during a cross wind landing." "No sir. I wouldn't dream of crab-and-kicking it. Always lower the into-wind wing". Flaps half. Flaps full. Fuel pump on. Fuel pump not on. Whatever you say sir - it's your plane...
  13. sfGnome
    Anyone want to guess at a price? It's got a 230hp motor and it weighs 680 kg empty, so it's no rag and tube baby...
  14. sfGnome
    Thanks Motz. I really appreciated that post. Maybe it's this sort of discussion getting through to me, or maybe I already think this way, but I read a mate's story about his solo overnight bushwalk last weekend; all about all the places where he could have slipped over a cliff in the fog and how he ran out of water well short of the next creek, etc, etc, etc, and all I could think was "you crazy dope! Why are you boasting about being so foolhardy??" I wonder how many other people read it the same way I did, or alternatively how many though "Gee, isn't he brave..."
  15. sfGnome
    Of course it's appropriate, Frank. Just make sure that bub is sitting in a cockpit in the photo, that's all!
  16. sfGnome
    If you go to google maps instead of google earth (maps.google.com.au) and right click anywhere on the map, one of the options is "Report a problem" where you can describe what is wrong and ask to be emailed when the issue is resolved. This solution presupposes two things; a) that google maps and google earth share the same database, and b) that you'll ever get an email back...
  17. sfGnome
    I'm glad David brought up the issue of boats, because they are the cause of my biggest concern about A/C ownership. How many boats do you see parked down the side of a house, going nowhere? Too many, I reckon. I used to live behind a bloke with a boat, and every weekend he'd turn the motor over to keep it in good nick, but in the years that we lived there, that boat never got near any water. $50k might seem like a good idea while we're all enthusiastic, but will it fade over time and leave you with a very expensive paperweight (and yes, you could sell, but have you noticed how many a/c are for sale each month in the RAA mag?). Having said all that, I love building things, so the retirement plan definitely includes a little(?) bit of a/c construction. All I have to hope is that the money holds out that long.
  18. sfGnome
    What is it about drumless drummers? In my first band, we had a drummer with no drums. Had to get a friendly soul to donate a kit. Sadly after a couple of years the rest of the team decided that he really wasn't a drummer after all, and it fell to me to sack him. Difficult part was that he was my older brother...
  19. sfGnome
    Ok, to be fair, perhaps I should head in the other direction. How do you drown a singer? Shine a spotlight on the bottom of a pool!
  20. sfGnome
    That is beautiful, isn't it? Early in the video I was thinking "wouldn't it be great if it had retracts?", and next thing up go the wheels! So nice. Not sure about the wheels-up (almost) touch and go in the middle though - a bit ugly if he had a ground strike with the prop. Is it a one-off design or are plans available?
  21. sfGnome
    Does this mean that we can start with the drummer jokes? Can we? Huh? Can we??
  22. sfGnome
    ...or "Do as I say, and not as I didn't" Knowing that my BFR was coming up in the next month or so, last night I looked up the details so that I could book a time with CFI while I was at the strip this morning. Guess what? Turns out my two years expired yesterday, so I'm grounded (or restricted to dual anyhow) until the review. Like I said, keep an eye on the calendar!
  23. sfGnome

    Fun with Fog

    sfGnome replied to a topic in Aviation Videos

    I'll never forget my high school science teacher telling us about flying back over the channel after a sortie and how the rainbows weren't arches, but were full circles. Ever since then, I've wanted to see it for myself. Now, courtesy of your video, I've got a bit of an idea. Thanks. Still want to see it for myself though...
  24. sfGnome
    Thanks DJ. Out of interest, how is it that you don't need a student licence? Is it treated as a TIF, or is there some other dispensation?
  25. sfGnome
    Straight and level, you still have to be creating lift, which means that there will be some angle of attack. The dim, dark and distant recesses of my memory tell me that something like 4 deg is common. So, if your wing chord is roughly 1m, then the front of the wing is going to be roughly 70mm above the back in that case. Then again, I could be wrong...
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