rgmwa

Those Slings are very capable aircraft. They've done quite a number of similar long distance flights now.

Paint or powder coating under washers can result in torqued bolts losing tension over time which you can't check easily if Loctite has been used on the nuts or bolt threads. For example on engine mounting bolts.

No visible hatch to enable the chute to be deployed, and those external shroud attachment points would not work with a chute stowed inside the plane. Looks like an April Fools joke to me.

My prop bolts are secured with Nordlocks.

Beautiful work! I would not pay the extra for carbon fibre. I don’t see much value in using it for wheel pants.

The real tragedy is the pilot's decision to try to make runway 23 by making a 220 degree turn at low altitude rather than land straight ahead in the paddock in front of him. The paddock is not that smooth but there are few good forced landing options around Serpentine and he was lined up to make use of about the best one available in terms of wind direction on the day and available space. Easy to be wise of course when you're not the one flying the plane and having to make the decision.

On the RV-12 which cruises at 110-115 knots they add about 4-5 kts to the top speed. On the faster RV’s that cruise at 150-170 kts I believe they account for about 9-10 kts.

The Aeroelectric Connection by Bob Nuckolls is another well regarded reference for homebuilt aircraft.

I considered writing but I live in Perth so the likelihood of me ever using the airfield is practically nil making anything I might say pretty unconvincing and probably unhelpful. Others may be in a similar situation.

Vans supply fibreglass wheelpants. They are optional kit items but nearly every RV has them. Pilots sometimes don't install them if they are flying off grass or rough surfaces but you won't find many RV's that don't have them.

He's got an interesting biography as a pilot and builder with over 27,000 hours in his logbook plus various records. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Handley

This one has been around for a while but always worth another look.

I hope so. I bought 4 tickets so I expect perfection when I pick it up.

Most of the users on this site are in Australia and New Zealand and although there are also many international participants such as yourself, not many here would be able to answer the specific question you asked.

Current prototype (artist's impression):

No, there's a Mark 2 Version.

From the Vans Airforce site:

Cold chisel : https://www.bunnings.com.au/stanley-3-piece-cold-chisel-set_p5560065 You most likely won't have room to swing anything much bigger and it needs to be fairly heavy. Grind to a sharp point if you prefer. Lots of opinions on this.

I'm always cautious about electrical terminals, wiring and batteries around fuel. The pumps in the above two examples are directly above the open fuel container outlet where I imagine there would be a fair bit of evaporation going on, especially in hot weather. Do you two aviators see any particular risk with those setups or am I being overly concerned?

Seems remiss of them not to include a $20 charger with $1,000+ item if you ask me.

I use a couple of these suction cup auto sunshades. They're a few dollars from Supercheap and work quite well: https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/sca-sca-window-shade---side-static-black-single/223590.html?cgid=SCA01020903#start=1 They have a springy metal frame and come folded up in a re-usable plastic bag so you can throw then in the back if it's overcast. Just make sure the perspex is clean so the suction cups stick. edit: Just noticed the ones in the link are static, although mine have four suction cups. Maybe they've upgraded since I got them. Might have to go and have another look myself.

They're OK as long as the nosewheel doesn't catch on an obstruction or drops into a hole and digs in, or you don't wheelbarrow the landing. The nosewheel on most RV's is smaller than the mains although on the RV-12 they are all the same size. Fortunate that the injuries don't appear too serious.

Came across this article which I thought was worth posting even though it's not strictly about Recreational Aviation, although she currently flies a Pipistrel Virus so that makes her one of us now. At first I assumed she was a US pilot, but she flew for the RAAF. Pretty impressive achievement by any standards and any air force. Compare the number of sun glasses in the test pilot school photo compared to the flight school graduation photo. Clearly test pilots are a lot cooler than your average air force pilot. https://groundedcuriosity.com/the-only-woman-in-the-room/#.Y8aQEXZByUl

You aren't alone in using tape and the risk is small if done properly, but AC43.13 recommends against using teflon tape on any fuel fittings.

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