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Back a few years ago, someone had a 4 engine aircraft at Narromine. It actually flew too. Someone on the list should have some details. David

Students of the current thread might also read http://www.livescience.com/environment/050225_wobbly_planet.html It seems that there are many factors controlling the rate of rotation of the earth. David

I can see a lot of recreational aircraft being flown illegally without ADSB if it becomes mandatory and nobody will know who they are or even where they are unless they talk on the radio. It won't be any less safe than it is now if you stay away from busy airports. David:juggle:

I'm not too sure that ADSB will be a lot of assistance at busy places like Moorabin and Bankstown because the damn thing will be going off all the time. It is basically designed to stop the big boys from running into one another and they get much greater separation distances than smaller GA are used to. Someone tell me if I am wrong. We would be better off with FLARM. David

Perhaps the sceptics should also read http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/27/AR2008082703108.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

The problem with fatal aircraft accidents is that we don't have many of them so that when they do happen there is a big kerfuffle and we get a knee jerk reaction from various planning authorities with generally impractical ways in which they may be prevented. When one considers the amount of traffic at places like Moorabin it is a tribute to those responsible, that accidents are comparatively infrequent. This is particularly so when you take into account the stresses placed on a student in his early days of solo flights where not only does he have to concentrate on flying the aircraft, but also has to keep a look-out for others who may also be very low time pilots. Perhaps there is a case for initial solo flights being conducted at less busy airstrips within reasonably short distances from places like Moorabin and Bankstown. David

We keep hearing about navigating by visual reference to the ground. My impression is that these days, whatever they may claim to the contrary, most pilots navigate by visual reference to their GPS which I might suggest is much more accurate and often gives additional terrain information. (Flame suit on) David

I forgot to also include the weight and balance sheet. David

Does it have all the instruments and switches labeled and all the various placards in place and the registration numbers painted on it as per the regulations before it was signed off. David

Helmut, can you give us a clue as to which major vehicle manufacturer that was. I would like to buy one next time I change motor cars. David

Unless you have had considerable experience building, I would seriously suggest that scratch building a self designed aeroplane will be fraught with many difficulties. If you want to build something from scratch, you would be better off spending $500 on a set of plans for something like the Zenair CH650 which has just been released. It sounds from your post that you don't have the necessary expertise. If I am wrong, forgive me. Over to the group. David

I have also raised this issue with the Zenair factory, but they dismiss it as a non event. It also applies to ALL the CH601's as they use a similar method of attachment of the rudder. We either have rougher strips than they do, or we fly in rougher air. David

A couple of points on the Aerovee and similar engines. First of all, remember that fuel consumption is proportional to power.e.g. 80 HP equals about 23-24 litres per hour. My impression is that most of these engine producers overestimate their actual power output in an aircraft, even though a test in a dyno may give 80 HP. The same goes for any direct coupled engine such as the various Jabirus. What power you actually get will depend a bit on what speed your aircraft flies at. For example a comparatively slow aircraft with a wider cowl such as my CH701 will not enable the engine to develop a lot of power, whereas something a bit faster with a narrower cowl such as a Sonerai will be much better. David

My initial exhaust system in the CH701 had the exhaust made from mild steel pipes as supplied by Zenith. I initially suffered from fuel in the carby bowls vaporising after engine shut down, so I put insulation on the pipes where they went under the carbys. After a comparatively short time, the exhaust pipe on one side became completely oxidised and blew out right where the exhaust gases could get into the air cleaner on that side. It happened at about 500 feet on take off with a rather heavy passenger, so after a pan call, we did a 180 and landed with just sufficient power to maintain altitude. Made my day, particularly as said passenger kept his cool too. I got rid of the insulation after that. David

My understand of the present rules is that you are not actually legal if you fly a RaAus registered aircraft while you only hold a PPL, (even if CASA turn a blind eye to it), but when Part 103 (and Part 149) comes in, that will change, as it will no longer be mandatory for you to belong to the RaAus, and another path will be available through CAA. We are still holding our breathe. David

(David - I have sent your post on to Airsick as a PM - Ian)

It always intrigues me that there is always weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth when someone dies in an aircraft accident, but motor car accidents pass almost unremarked. I wonder, why is it so. I can't agree that we have weeded out the cowboys among us. It might be that the aircraft that we fly are a bit more expensive than the early rag and tube types, so we take a bit more care with them. Unfortunately, the more expensive ones generally need a bit more space to get down successfully in the case of an engine out, so that while the engines may be more reliable, it is still not advisable to fly them over tiger country. David

Hi John, Thanks for your information. It's good to see that you are also taking the opportunity to include some extra information. It is a pity that those without access to computers will miss out, but I suspect they are an extremely small group these days as almost every workplace has a computer to which staff can gain access, or they have friends with computers. After all, what are friends for if we can't share our computers with our mates. That brings me to another related subject which I trot out occasionally, but with a change in the administration I now might have some more success. Many organisations now send out there regular newsletters in PDF format as Email attachments. This saves them an enormous amount, both in printing and postage costs. It also gets the information out in a timely manner. I realise that if the RaAus were to do this for those members who are agreeable, the print run would be much smaller and the cost per item would be greater, but it would also save us many thousands of dollars in the course of a year. I have been told that there are legal reasons why it can't be done, but I don't buy that line. Your considered opinion would be appreciated. David

I thought that was the case. The temps seemed impossibly high if it had been centigrade. That makes me think that your gauges are reading low. David

I was about 45 when I learned to fly. I found that my hand-brain co-ordination went out the window after about half an hour during the first few lessons, but it got OK after a while. Hope you enjoy the experience. David:hug:

When I last looked, Rex was Regional Express. I'm off to the UK with Emirates today. Back in 7 weeks, so safe flying to all while I am away. David

Robinsm. According to Rotax specs, EGT should be 500 to 620 deg C with 650 C max. Seems like you got the mixture a bit lean if you punched a hole in the piston, so perhaps your gauge is not telling you the truth. David:crying:

Don't attach it to the aircraft at all, just attach it to the belt on your pants. Don't forget to unclip your seat belt before you fire it. David:help:

Would all solicitors please put their hands up. David

If you are doing an engine out approach in a wind shear situation, would it not be necessary to have your initial aiming point some way up the runway, so that you actually reach the threshold without any undershoot. In that instance, you don't have the luxury of having a source of extra energy i.e. an engine to get you there. I would have thought that even with a powered approach, it would still be prudent to do a similar thing. David