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rgmwa

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Everything posted by rgmwa

  1. No guesses? Pander E from 1926. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pander_%26_Son#Pander_aircraft
  2. If the 737 is swooping at low level around houses to put out fires, then the situation must be pretty dire and most people should have left those houses long ago. I suspect that those remaining would be only too pleased to put up with a bit of noise when they can see smoke and hear flames nearby.
  3. I usually don't make many landings. That only happens when my arrivals went better than expected.
  4. RV-10 has been mentioned and would seem to suit your long term requirements. KR might sell you his RV-9 to tide you over if the price was right.
  5. The two happiest days of boat ownership - the day you buy it, and the day you sell it.
  6. That's my understanding too. The PPL is forever unless CASA takes it off you for some reason, but it's having a current medical that allows you to `exercise the privileges' of the licence. The medical can now be a Basic Class 2 issued by a GP.
  7. Thanks. My comment was a bit tongue in cheek, but I find an empty one litre plastic Acetone bottle does a pretty good job. Helps to have an autopilot to keep things straight and level though, and could be exciting if you hit turbulence at the critical moment.
  8. Out to the heavens or blow-back into the cockpit? Sounds OK in principle, but I'd like to see some more research work to verify the concept first. Placement of the outlet could be critical.
  9. I also responded properly, but I agree with SSCBD. Drinking in flight isn’t a problem. Getting rid of it is where the innovation is needed.
  10. Good job! Lucky they had a nice paddock handy. Landing in the surrounding hills may not have had such a good outcome.
  11. I've wondered the same thing. The centre section between the two fuselages must take a lot of bending and torsion that you would think would be reduced if the tails were joined. Still, maybe there are more complex resonance modes if the tails are joined that might affect its effectiveness as a rocket launch platform. Having just one connection point near the centre of gravity is simpler in that all the forces have to go through one main structural member, and maybe that improves stability. Who knows, but I'm sure there will be a good reason.
  12. This topic has come up before. Some of my favourites, in no particular order: Fate is the Hunter - Ernest Gann A Higher Call - Adam Makos North Star Over My SHoulder - Bob Buck Weather Flying - Bob Buck Wind, Sand and Fire - Saint-Exupery The Hardest Day - Alfred Price A Man on the Moon - Andrew Chaikin Hustling Hinkler - D.R.Dymock Sagittarius Rising - Cecil Lewis War in a Stringbag - Charles Lamb First Light - Geoffrey Wellum The Flight of the Mew Gull - Alex Henshaw The Man who Saved Smithy - Rick Searle Gallipoli Air War - Hugh Dolan Forever Flying - Bob Hoover Boyd - Robert Coram Killer Caldwell - Jeffrey Watson No Moon Tonight - Don Charlwood The Final Hours - Johannes Steinhoff The Last Plane Out of Berlin - Jeffrey Watson Messerschmitts Over Sicily - Johannes Steinhoff I Flew for the Fuhrer - Heinz Knoke The First and the Last - Adolf Galland Flying Doctor - Clyde Fenton Mustang Designer - Ray Wagner Fighter - Len Deighton The Flight of the Condor- W.E Johns
  13. True, Galland was a fighter pilot, so he saw its advantages from that point of view. Many 262's initially intended as fighter-bombers ended up being transferred to fighter squadrons (and there weren't many of those), or were abandoned. From memory, I think they built about 1,400 but only had a fraction operational at any one time. I suspect high speed is not as important in an Amy support aircraft as the ability to carry a lot of ordnance, have good endurance plus good acceleration and manoeuvrability. Douglas Skyraider and Warthog are examples. Typhoons and Tempests were pretty effective too. For what it's worth on this idle Saturday afternoon, in my view the FW190 would have made a better hit and run weapon that the Me262.
  14. The Me262 wasn't very manoeuvrable, which would be a disadvantage for a ground attack aircraft. It was also slow to accelerate and the engines had to be handled gently. However, its speed made it an excellent interceptor despite its rather short endurance. Galland certainly thought Hitler's idea was a serious blunder and misuse of the plane's major speed advantage over allied fighters and its ability to knock down bombers with its 30mm cannon and missiles. However either way, it was a case of too little too late to alter the outcome of the war, so whether Hitler was right or not is probably a moot point. Goering eventually conceded that Galland was right despite initially backing Hitler.
  15. My download speed is 1.3 Mbps from a Sydney server and 0,2 Mbps upload which probably explains no noticeable difference. We're about 40 km from Perth CBD. What's this NBN thing I've heard about?
  16. Dan Horton also did some practical tests on fire retardant sealants that were written up on VAF. His conclusion was that 3M Fire Barrier 2000+ performed best. Not expensive either. https://www.3m.com.au/3M/en_AU/company-au/all-3m-products/~/3M-Fire-Barrier-Silicone-Sealant-2000-/?N=5002385+3293123941&rt=rud
  17. Marty, this might be what you're looking for. Haven't tried it myself, but looks like a good alternative to steam gauges and the price should be right:
  18. Mostly because they remind me of the old days. Besides, they look nice.
  19. Most Dynon and Garmin panels have the ability to display 6-pack analogue `dials'. After getting my licence in decades old aircraft about ten years ago I decided this was the way to go when I built my own plane, at least initially. However, after the first half hour I'd got used to the ribbon displays and never bothered with the analogue option. I agree that the position of hands on a dial are quicker to interpret at a glance, and did put a round ASI, Alt, compass and vintage 8-day clock in the panel in case the electronics ever gave up.
  20. Have you tried a heat gun or hair dryer?
  21. QwikEFIS might be worth considering. http://members.iinet.net.au/~ninelima/efis/index.html I have no connection with the author and don't use it personally, but it looks like good piece of software for Android devices.
  22. Is there a link to John Brandon's tutorials?
  23. The current system seems fine to me.
  24. ... and the Thruster!
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