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rgmwa

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Posts posted by rgmwa

    Varieze - looking to buy - advice needed

    in Just Landed - Welcome

    Posted

    I am looking to buy an aircraft and am very interested in a varieze, I was wondering if anyone out there could give me advise on any special areas that I should check? Any assistance or advice would be greatly appreciated, I have heard that the front seat is very narrow, can anyone verify this and if so how squeezy? Does anyone have an actual measurement?

    There is one advertised for sale in the current Airsport magazine (p34). Nice looking plane, 98% complete and the price sounds very reasonable to me, but I'm no expert. Send me a pm if you want the contact details. I have no connection with the plane or the owner at all. Just happened to see the ad.

     

    rgmwa

     

     

    Contemplating a Scratch Build ch601

    in Aircraft Building and Design Discussion

    Posted

    My understanding was that any change had to be OKd by the OEM to be LSA compliant?

    This is probably getting a bit off-topic, but ....

     

    That's true if you're building E-LSA because then your plane has to be an exact copy of the manufacturer's certified S-LSA prototype or production aircraft Any deviation from the plans would have to be approved by the manufacturer, and in the case of the RV-12, Vans are very reluctant to do this. They have done it, for example for a builder in the UK who needed a backup magnetic compass by law, and for a group of South African builders who needed a parking brake as well as the compass to comply with their regulations (in fact, South Africa doesn't have an E-LSA classification, but I believe they wanted to do the right thing and got Van's approval for the modification anyway).

     

    One good reason for Van's reluctance to approve deviations, apart from creating a potential administrative headache, is that in the US, the registered builder of the aircraft is Van's Aircraft Co. It's their name on the aircraft data plate, not the homebuilder's name, so it's their reputation at stake. However, I've discovered that CASA doesn't accept that argument over here. In Australia, the name of the person who put the plane together is the name that has to go on the dataplate. Even so, CASA also doesn't allow any deviations for an E-LSA, at least not until after the plane has received its C of A.

     

    However, you can also build the RV-12 as an AB(E) aircraft, in which case you can make changes during the build, just as you can with any other experimental homebuilt. Provided the changes don't take the plane out of the LSA performance parameters, such as 600kg MTOW, min stall speed, no variable pitch prop, etc, it remains LSA compliant. LSA is a performance category, not a licensing system, and that often causes a bit of confusion. That means, that your LSA compliant plane could be registered with RAA-Aus, and be flown by a pilot with a Rec Certificate. Or it can be registered VH and flown by a PPL. However, the PPL can't fly the RAA plane (unless he/she also has a Rec Cert), and the RAA pilot can't fly the VH plane at all (well, not unless he/she has a PPL too). Same aircraft, different rules - stupid really, but that's how it works.

     

    The one potential catch that I can see with building the RV-12 as AB(E), is whether CASA will accept the FAA's ruling that the plane meets the 51% rule. As far as I know, that hasn't actually been tested yet. All the -12's that have flown so far, to the best of my knowledge, have been RAA registered. Although I understand that CASA usually accepts the FAA rulings in these matters, the first person to register an RV-12 as VH and AB(E) will be a test case. We live in interesting times.

     

    Edit: Having said that, I think that one or two of the RAA planes have been built as AB(E), so maybe that's already been resolved.

     

    rgmwa

     

     

    • Like 1

    RFDS - Worth their weight in gold!

    in AUS/NZ General Discussion

    Posted

    When I was doing my PPL, I was on a nav exercise with my very experienced instructor. The plan included a T&G on a gravel airstrip in a country town in WA. The single strip was narrow and carved out of the bush, and the crosswind was fierce - about 25kts, so my instructor changed the T&G to a strip inspection, saying that he would have had trouble himself getting in on the day. Prior to that we'd heard the RFDS PC12 report that he was heading for the same strip, and he called us up as we were departing to ask about the conditions. A little later, we heard him report his intended landing direction with obvious tension in his voice, then he changed his mind and came in from the opposite direction. I made a comment to my instructor, and he said "those guys do a great job. They HAVE to get in, we don't, but if I had my time over again, I'd love to have been an RFDS pilot ". I've often watched their PC12's come in at Jandakot and admired their consistently smooth touchdowns (like the one in the vid.). Every now and then I manage to pull off a `flying doctor landing', which is about as close as I'll ever get!

     

    rgmwa

     

     

    Spitfire Engine Fire - Jandakot, WA

    in AUS/NZ General Discussion

    Posted

    He's in an experimental aircraft. Chances are non approved engine & possibly no transponder. I'm also not sure if CASA imposes any restrictions on experimental GA aircraft in controlled airspace, especially since most aren't LAME maintained.-Andrew

    There are plenty of VH experimental aircraft based at Jandakot and flying in controlled airspace. Quite a few RV's for example, and it's also the home of Chapter 24 of the SAAA.

     

    rgmwa

     

     

    Contemplating a Scratch Build ch601

    in Aircraft Building and Design Discussion

    Posted

    I'm with Crashley on this. I'm building a kit at the moment, and when I look at the work that went into just producing the parts for the kit, I'd be thinking twice about scratchbuilding. Not saying you shouldn't give it a go. Just be prepared for a lot of very tedious work fabricating your own kit from stock. There are a LOT of parts in a plane, and if it is anything other than a very basic design, you will be in it for the long haul. A CH601 is not your basic plane.

     

    rgmwa

     

     

    Spitfire Engine Fire - Jandakot, WA

    in AUS/NZ General Discussion

    Posted

    Ok, so heres a question of ethics for you:-If he puts the aircraft down in the Caning dam the the fire obviously extinguishes and the aircraft can probably be salvaged and rebuilt, at the same time he has potentially polluted the Perth water supply.

    On the otherhand if he puts it down in a paddock and the fire is a continuing fire (he had no idea if it was or wasnt at the time) then he doesnt pollute the Perth water supply but does potentially loose the aircraft to fire as the rural firemen work out where he is and what to do about it...

     

    So, what do you do?

     

    Andy

    Frankly, if I was in that situation, I wouldn't be pondering the ethics of where to put it down. I'd be heading for the most survivable crash site.

     

    Good story Andrew. Thanks for posting.

     

    rgmwa

     

     

    Engine Failure In The Turn!

    in AUS/NZ General Discussion

    Posted

    Has anyone watched the "Turn Smart" video put together by Wayne Handley? This is a great information! I review it regularly. If we can understand what he is sharing with us, we will all be better off!

    Just found it. Very informative video, and I will admit that his first few questions had me thinking a bit too long for comfort. Thanks for the tip.

     

    rgmwa

     

     

    Inadvertant canopy opening in Evektor Sportstar

    in Aircraft Incidents and Accidents

    Posted

    This has happened to a number of RV's with tipper canopies as well. According to the various reports, the canopy `floats' but the plane remains safely flyable, provided the pilot doesn't panic. Lots of noise and loose articles lost, but just fly the plane. Don't try to re-secure the canopy in flight. The usual cause has been the canopy not properly checked and secured before takeoff, or more rarely, the latch being accidently knocked in flight.

     

    rgmwa

     

     

    Circuit Hell

    in Student Pilot & Further Learning

    Posted

    Just keep at it. A well-flown circuit is probably the most demanding test of aircraft control, short of aerobatics. I'm sure some of the instructors on the forum will chip in, but the key things are controlling your speed, especially on base and final, controlling your attitude, and flying a neat, consistent pattern with 90 deg corners. All easier said than done (especially if there is a cross wind), but because it involves judgement, coordination and wind awareness, the only way to learn is to keep practising.

     

    rgmwa

     

     

    Website: material added to the tutorials

    in Site Announcements

    Posted

    John,

     

    Have you thought about publishing your articles in book form? The web version is obviously easy to update, the hyperlinks are very handy, and it's free for anyone to read, but I'd certainly buy a book if there was one available. You could easily sell them via the internet, and I bet I wouldn't be your only customer either. The tutorials are both detailed and clearly explained, and are a valuable reference work for any pilot. Many thanks for your time and effort.

     

    rgmwa

     

     

    Western Australia Trip

    in Trips/Events/Seats

    Posted

    Fantastic trip John, and some great photos. That Savvy of yours is a real 4WD of the air.

     

    Although you travel light and make it sound easy, I reckon it would take a fair bit of aviating skill and a lot of preparation to do a trip like that.

     

    rgmwa

     

     

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