rgmwa

Happy to try again for a good cause but I can’t fly a helicopter so I’ll have to trade it in on something that has wings. Maybe an RV-14.

Interesting interview. Good to hear the details of what happened. If I’m ever in the same situation I hope I do as well as she did.

Well, it went to someone in WA, but not me unfortunately.

Unqualified, inexperienced and now dead. What a waste of two lives.

Here's a link to the Production Acceptance Procedures for the RV-12. Although it's RV-12 specific, it's probably a pretty good guide for any homebuilder. https://www.vansaircraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/RV-12-Production-Acceptance-Procedures-R14.pdf There is a fuel system flow test on page G4-1. Under the system in the USA Vans is the registered builder of an ELSA RV-12, not the actual builder, so they need evidence that all the tests have been completed.

Here's the story: https://www.vansaircraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Notification-2018-07-12.pdf

The RV-12 ULS originally used a Facet 40105 but Vans upgraded it in 2018 to a Facet 40135.

The biggest cost per hour for me is insurance. Flying and maintenance is cheap by comparison, although when you own the plane there always seems to be something that needs fixing. Our annual club membership and hangar costs are very reasonable, although I know that isn't the case for everyone.

That was an 80hp UL with no slipper clutch in the video. A 100hp ULS would be more challenging.

Glad it was useful Marty. Van’s documentation is really good.

Probably not that useful but this plans link shows the oil cooler and radiator installation on the RV-12iS. https://www.vansaircraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/50iS-U_12iS.pdf

Very sad.

The other one that flipped was one of our local aircraft. The pilot was quite badly injured but has since recovered. Luckily his passenger was more fortunate.

Perhaps because Vans no longer sells RV6/6A kits, although it does seem odd that the SL only lists the RV7A/9A given the similarity between these models.

That is a lot of money for an LSA!

The energy involved in the head-on between two cars colliding at 40 mph is half that of one car travelling at 80 mph. I'd much rather be in the head-on.

My niece had only ever flown RPT and was pretty hesitant to go up with me because the plane was so small, but after some persuasion, a careful walk around explaining how everything worked and a pax briefing she finally plucked up enough courage to fly. She’s a doctor and currently in the NT. She recently sent me a text saying she had to fly in a small plane to one of the remote communities but she remembered our flight and didn’t panic. I asked her how big the plane was. She said it was small, so I asked how many engines did it have. She said two! I guess ‘small’ means different things to different people.

Looks pretty hair-raising to me. I admire his skill but I wouldn't be arriving by air when there's a perfectly good road up the hill.

Kavlico

Serpentine has about 140 aircraft but no Thrusters as far as I know. There's a Quad City Challenger that is probably the closest to it. Your could try the Superlight Aircraft Club at Bindoon: SLACWA WWW.SLACWA.ORG.AU Making aviation fun

I don't mind either way but if it makes things easier/cheaper for you, then go for it.

Aro is correct. For W&B purposes it depends where you define the zero datum to be for calculating the moment arms.

You can put a one tonne weight at the zero datum (pivot point) of a seesaw, and provided both sides are identical the seesaw will remain horizontal. If you hang a weight at the cg position of an aircraft (zero datum for that particular loading configuration), it won't change the balance point either, just increase the total weight.

I spent half an hour in a B737 simulator a few years ago. Takeoff and flying around was OK but the best I can say for my two landings was that I didn't crash it. It wasn't that easy, mainly because the sight picture was so different to what I was used to. Luckily I didn't tell the instructor I had my own plane so avoided that embarrassment. I suppose we have all wondered how we would cope if asked to volunteer in an emergency. I would rate my chances of pulling off a landing in a real emergency with no instructor sitting beside me at about 1 in 10.

I can only speak from my experience but the practical and theoretical training I received not that long ago at RACWA (late starter) was pretty thorough. W&B and fuel calcs were normal procedure for any nav’s, as you would expect, and also covered in test papers when doing AFR’s. All nav work was pencil, paper, whizz wheel and charts. I don’t know if they use electronic aids in training these days, but I’d be surprised if they didn’t still have a heavy emphasis on the old way of doing things.