sain

Looking forward to seeing you all. (c:

Hi all, Goulburn Aviation (the flying school at goulburn airport) is holding its annual christmas bbq at 12 noon on Saturday dec 22nd. Everybody is welcome to attend what should be a wonderful afternoon of eating, flying, and looking at the pretty aeroplanes. Please let us know if your coming, so we can ensure we have enough food for all! Hope to see you there!

Well, its probably time for me to fess up and say that i'm Yak-Happy - i.e I have a tendancy to throw up at the slightest bounceyness. This hasn't gone away at all, despite me having 35 hours or so in my logbook. I feel very sorry for my instructor. However, hopefully some of the stuff i've learnt is helpful: The thing that i've found works very well indeed is Kwells - with these i just don't get sick. However some people go to sleep once they've been given these, so try them out with another pilot in the plane - ready to take over. Personally i get about 3.5hrs before i start to feel mildly drowsy, and i don't seem to get worse than that. Take 30 minutes before departure (40 in rough conditions). They also make me thirsty, and I develop a sore throat if I dont drink, so take plenty of water (camelback is good for this - gets it out of the way, and easy to take a drink from even while flying). Ginger travelcalms work so-so, that gives me about 40-50 minutes of flying in slightly bumpy conditions. Normal travelcalms are a no go for me. I get very drowsy about 20 minutes after taking them, sleep is about 5 minutes after that. The maximum i can handle is a quater tablet, and i got sick about 25 minutes into that flight (relatively calm day). Blackmoore's ginger tablets dont seem to work at all. Sea-Bands I cant really tell for sure - I've always had them with something else. They seem to give me another 10-20minutes on the ginger tablets, with kwells i probably don't need them, but at this point i'm not risking changing what works. Ginger beer doesn't seem to make much difference, apart from an added ability to burp in a fantastic manner. Avoid dairy products - definately no yoghurt (not even on the top of muesli bars)! Inflight meals should be leafy salads, maybe with a small amount of meat (beef, lamb, chicken, whatever) for flavour. Lay off the oil based dressings (lemon juice is nice). Dont have too many lollies. When you start to feel sick get on the ground again as soon as possible. Fresh Air helps, as does being comfortable temperature wise (or even slightly cold). Being too hot is definately a problem. Give it at least 1 hour before going back up (longer is better), and dont if your still feeling queesy. Apparantly there is a kwell's with caffine, which would get rid of the drowsyness problem. If you can find a chemist which sells it, please let me know. Looking up and out at the scenary is much better than looking in at maps/gps/in dash tvs (anybody got one?)/laptops or cameras. Don't look down out of the side of the plane - this puts your head in just about the worst possible position if you cop a bounce. Looking down, out the side and backwards is worse. If your doing a nav, keep the looks at the map/writing on the plan, doing calcs, etc as short as reasonably possible (but dont skimp). Hold the wizzy wheel up when you use it, so you can see out as well as the wheel. Turtle - the lemon idea sounds like it would work quite well, i'll have to try it. Hope it helps. Being air/sea sick sucks, though it provides endless amusement to others ;) sorry for the long post.

Actually they would be calling ASIC (australian securities and investments commission). ACCC has nothing to do with that (being the australian competition and consumer commission) Best bet if you object to ADSB is to call/write/email your local member for parliament, senator, or the transport minister (phone numbers/emails available here: http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/index.htm or here: http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/senators/index.htm ). If your calling ask to speak to an electorate office staff member or the mp/senator themselves. Chances are you'll get a staffer (unless its a really quiet day, or its a newbie poli and their staff havn't arrived yet), but its their job to tell the polis the issues. If you can give them an easy out (i.e let them pass the buck) then you'll be more likely to succeed - something like "can you please get the member/senator to ask the transport minister to seriously look at the ADSB proposal as it appears to be flawed due to... <blah>" Make sure you give them logical and consise reasons/problems with adsb, that are easy to understand - especially for non-pilots. The thing with GPS (and the russian equiv) is its a recieve only thing - so the US can't actually charge for it (how do you tell whos receiving a radio transmission?). Even if the signal was encrypted, you could still use it to triangulate your position - just the devices to do it would be more complicated and less accurate. They can however turn it off and otherwise stuff with it. Also jamming or spoofing of GPS signals (and the proposed ADSB) is relatively simple. Yacht owners around Sydney could probably tell us a few stories (apparantly there was a gps jamming problem there a couple of years ago).

Welcome aboard, and congratulations on passing your GFPT.

Great news Wayne - congratulations!

That article anoyed me a bit. It would have been good for the editors to swap Adopt an attitude giving 65kts with Adpot an attitude giving best glide. Why is that important? for a lot of aircraft 65kts will not be best glide, so you may not get the range you need to get into that safe paddock.

Great looking airplane Ross - are you going to trot it out for us all to drool over at the Chrissy BBQ (12pm Saturday Dec 22nd at Goulburn - all welcome)?

Came across an electric powered sonex on youtube ( ) For the prototype they have you get about 1 hours flight (16minutes or so on full power) with a motor roughly equivelant to the sonex aerovee engines. Interesting to see where things are heading.

because its likely to be flying around in controlled airspace? because of the high number of collisions or near misses between drifters and commercial aircraft? because of the absolutely extraordinary number of accidents involving drifters? because of the huuuuuuuuuge frequency with which they tool around above 10000ft. or just because airservices is deeply without clue? my origional thoughts were more along the lines of what the So now I'm trying to remeber where the accident/incident register is (online). Anybody know? Should be easy enough to prove them wrong.

Well, I don't know Queensland at all (being an ignorant southerner and all), but you may want to start with the list of flying schools on the ra-aus site (http://www.raa.asn.au/docs/ops/ftf_list.pdf) or with the list of clubs (http://www.raa.asn.au/clubs/index.html)

Could you let us know if it works? I'll try and put together the microcontroller idea when I finish my current project if it works.

hmm... how about just routing the fuel line up to the top of the dash? you'd see the fuel flowing easily enough then.

I guess the main problem with that is you'd need to remeber to look at it and turn the pump off, and if the difference isn't big you might have a hard time noticing. What about using a small microcontroller to count the pulses, and turn a light on when a slower pulse rate is detected - or turn the pump off? not really quick and easy, and a lot more effort to set up, but in the end a lot more convenient.

This is probably a pretty crappy solution, but its quick and dirty: Does the current drawn by the pump change when its pumping air as opposed to fuel? might be easy as sticking a (milli)amp meter on the pump.

Personally I'm really grateful to you and your dad for all the work you guys have put in on this one. Without your efforts it would be a done deed already, and the public in goulburn probably wouldn't even have noticed. so - thanks heaps.

Have a chat with the other candidates for the seat, they might be keen on trying to attract votes from an interested group.

Perhaps its time for some federal interferance, after all, they do have ultimate control over airports. Plus its federal election time, so it shouldn't be too hard to persuade one or more of the candidates that its a good idea to send the council members a letter/email saying that they don't support the sale of the airport. Failing that maybe try individually persuading a couple of other council members that the sale is a bad idea, or that the process they have followed is going to look really really bad for them if they ever want to get re-elected. Looks like there is also going to be a pre-tender meeting held at the council chambers at 11am on the 5th November. Might be a last chance for some reasoned debate about the subject. It might also be worthwhile going to all the businesses in town and getting as many as possible to sign a petition against the sale of the airport, and presenting that at the meeting.

Hmm, on the " I challenge you to come up with an aircraft that will do 170+ knots on a Jab 120hp or Rotax 914 !" front, how about the AR-5? could easily be classified as an ultralight in aus, and does a smoking 185knots on a 65hp engine (yes, i know, not a jab 120hp or a rotax 914). Mind you its is a low wing single seater so it doesnt fit Ian's criteria at all, but hey, hell of an aircraft. Just shows what you can do when you pay attention to reducing your drag. http://www.ar-5.com/

Being able to tell if they are certified or not probably depends on your build quality. If your IF, Mixer and Final stages are not "clean" enough you'll get a fair amount of interferance happening which would no doubt result in a call from ATC saying "get your transponder fixed", or "bring your transponder in for checking". As for the radio, if you don't get it right your range will be crap, you'll be difficult to understand and your transmission will be spread across the surrounding frequencies. I guess the point is, the guy who built that had all sorts of test equipment (oscilliscope, frequency counter and maybe a spectrum analyser), so he can make sure the signal is very clean. I'm not sure what the fine for operating an authorised transmitter in the Aircraft band is, but its probably pretty steep. It may be possible to get a permit for operating experimental gear... I'd stick with some of the other gear hes got, like the TCAS system, or the digital directional gyro (slaved to digital compass) - though with that one i'd change it to use a different display, probably a nokia 3510i screen or similair, so it looks similair to your normal DG. Anyway, the CO sensor that Jaycar sells looks the same as the one from that other site I listed, and it looks like i was completly wrong about the voltage output (damn it). Anyway, i'm looking for some examples of how to use the things now. *edit* yup, i was wrong, it was the CO2 sensor that was a simple voltage change. Looks like the CO sensor is a change in resistance? should be fairly easy to measure..

CO sensor should be pretty easy. I havn't seen the sensors jaycar has to offer, but the ones at http://www.futurlec.com/Gas_Sensors.shtml are pretty cheap, and should interface to a small microcontroller well (pic or similair). If your making the radios/transponders from that site be aware that in aus radios & transponders need to be CASA approved.

J430 yup, good points. The military does still have the capability to affect GPS, its just the common everyday fudge routine is no longer used, making it a much more reliable system. The components I picked for prices are ones which are used commonly in everyday GPS units and sold commercially. I wasn't really suggesting cludging them together, but having somebody (RA-AUS to my mind, so a cheap product is available to members, but any aircraft stuff retailer could do it) employ a competent electronics engineer to properly design and build a prototype unit. Mass-production of the unit could be then be outsourced. Price wise your probably right. My guess was based on an extremely rough add up of the major components + a guestimate of the other stuff. As i'm not familiar with transceivers in the ghz range, i'm probably way out. As i'm also not familiar with the aircraft parts market I have no idea how long it would take to make back the cost of the investment. Even at $6-7k estimate you had thats one hell of a lot better than $10k. As you rightly pointed out, compliance with standard is an issue and the task would be beyond a dodgy weekend soldering iron wielding hobbiest like myself. :) Sorry if I sound like I'm on a very tall soap box - I just get sick of seeing ripoffs on stuff just because its for flying (i.e $299 for a 512mb garmin memory stick? a quick look on the net shows it at $150!). * Edit * BrownG and Galpin Yup, that guys gear is certainly impressive. Obviously a very talented individual. For those thinking of building (or getting somebody else to do it for them) the mode a/c transponder from that guys site (or the Aviation band radios) remeber that in Australia they need to be CASA approved devices - I'm not sure about how you'd go about getting them approved.

My biggest problem with ADS-B is the cost. Its still possible for aircraft to be built for $10k-15k or so (hummelbird, little tinny, BK1 etc).. If you then have to go out and buy a $10k ads-b out transmitter to stick in, that is not of huge benifit to you, would you be happy about it? My other problem with it is GPS isn't guaranteed. Sure it works great most of the time, but what happens when the military or some brain dead moron are playing games? Like that guy who was operating a gps jammer from his boat in sydney about 2 years ago. Whats the fallback system for ADS-B going to be, when it stops working over a large area (due to a jammer next to a ground station)? anyway, that said the $10k figure seems to me to be a load of FUDP (fear, uncertanty,doubt and profiteering). Anybody know where it came from? Seems to me it shouldn't be costing that much. After all, a good quality 14-channel gps module can be had for around $60, a digital altimeter for $25, a digital compass for $12, a digital gyro for $16.. small lcd screen (if you want the in option) for $25, a couple of microprocessors for $12, bits and peices for the transceiver can probably be had for not too much more (can't be stuffed looking up prices for everything at the moment). The only really expensive bit is the know-how to put it together. Any chance RA-AUS would hire an electronics engineer for a year to design and prototype one? btw for those who are getting excited those are retail prices for components, not for finished products - i'd expect a ballpark retail price to wind up at about $1500 (for a ADSB OUT + rather limited IN functionality). In case anybody else is interested in electronics check out the stuff this guy has made: http://lea.hamradio.si/~s53mv/avionics/avionics.html (hes a ham radio operator).

Sorry about the offerings from michael coates - didnt realise there was a problem. Chalk that up to my newbieness. How about the Eurofox? Similair to your beloved Gazelle, but with a 110kts cruise speed. http://www.horshamaviation.com.au/Aircraft.html

hmm, what about the Pipstrel Sinus or Virus? Cruise is about 118kts with the rotax 912 engine. I've always been a fan of that one after Michael Coates's Aus to Nz via Lord Howe and Northfolk Island trip report (http://www.mcp.com.au/sinus/extreme/aus-nz/aus-nz.html for those who havn't read it before) Or the Allegro 2007 maybe? Cruise is 95kts (not exactly blistering, but hey its faster than a gazelle). Both seem to have a fair amount of room in them. And lots of endurance for visiting fly aways. or perhaps the Terrier 200 (http://www.foxcon.com/home.html). Not sure if its available as factory built, though a kit would give you more options for gadgetry. And then, if you really want to turn some heads, how about a long-ez? unfortunately not factory built, but hey that cruise speed of 160kt takes some beating: http://www.ez.org/feature/F0411-1/F0411-1.htm The main problem with it, besides the non-factory built, is the tandem seating arangements - making joining the mile-high club quite difficult without some serious gymnastics. On the mile hile possibilities side you may want to consider something like a Thruster with an enclosed cockpit. that way you'll spend so long getting anywhere that you'll have pleeeeeeeeeeeeeenty of time for begging... er.. i mean persausion. Then again, if you just want to have fun in the sky the thruster is a great choice, or perhaps a drifter or a trike. Doesn't fit your criteria, but i love em.