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kiwiaviator

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Everything posted by kiwiaviator

  1. Sir Tim Wallis, the founder of Warbirds Over Wānaka, died peacefully on Tuesday. https://www.facebook.com/100064626048241/posts/pfbid0eG52X3rDcVWMUmPibaeuUNXnoRiQJFaWsNRaMEAtc6QTEEBwCdikkDBSrqqrgAzMl/?mibextid=cr9u03
  2. The CAA report has been released https://www.aviation.govt.nz/assets/publications/fatal-accident-reports/22-4516-ZK-MGB-Fatal-accident-report-Final.pdf NZ Herald article https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/franz-josef-pilot-tragedy-pilots-wife-mates-urged-him-not-to-fly-on-day-of-fatal-mountain-crash/CL6OGDLYFZCH3NNP4HZM2MPAWM/
  3. Battery may be 'light' however moving it from forward of datum to rear of datum can make a difference. You can use Ozrunways W&B to do what if's. You can add new stations easily. If you do add weight near the tail, you need to be mindful of structural limitations as there is 'less aeroplane' back there.
  4. Good to see you getting around in your Archer. I just got my Cherokee type rating in an Archer in the weekend. Good solid easy to fly machine with plenty of power.
  5. Glad you were able to tell the tale Glen. I hope the supervising instructor has been fully briefed on this incident. We lost two fine pilots and people on a base leg collision a few years back. They weren't as lucky as you. I also think training aircraft should have ADSB fitted for many reasons.
  6. I used Skyfuel when I was in Australia. Great service and network so very disappointing to see. We have a similar issue in NZ at the moment. Gofuel was a AIr BP carnet provider however decided to go with Z Aviation. Air BP got wind of it and shut down the Gofuel cards. We only have BP on our airfield so its made it very difficult. Most of us have applied for RD cards who provide Air BP cards. We have been told that we can apply directly with Air BP however the general feedback is that its a nightmare trying to get a personal or aero club card. Recommendation at the moment for NZ aircraft operators is RD if you need Air BP pump access.
  7. The ADF was also useful for listening to the current cricket or rugby game. Good to see you using the old tech.
  8. No recession Glen. A bit more info. Double springs installed. Non Jabiru forged pistons were installed at the last rebuild hence the lack of valve relief. This was due to the problems we had with the then supplied Jab pistons (that's another story/thread) I'm going to remove at least one more head (#2 which runs the highest temp) Thanks for the comments so far.
  9. Good suggestion Nev. Used to dealing with cryogenics (mainly LHe in MRI scanners) and LN is readily available. Maybe I wouldn't need to heat the cylinder head if I used that method? My research so far indicates 7 thou OD oversize seat for aluminum heads.
  10. After a couple hundred hours of trouble free motoring since a major rebuild, I have experienced the first issue with my 3300A engine (SNo 33A1240) I had completed the usual 25 hour oil/oil filter change along with leakdown tests (>78 on all cylinders) A ground run was completed. No issues were observed and after a visual leak check, the aircraft was put to bed. The next morning I decided to go for a few circuits to ensure all was well. During the preflight, I rotated the propeller to check for normal compression, noises, etc and I noticed a lack of compression on one of the cylinders. I narrowed this down to #6 cylinder exhaust and removed the head to find a dropped exhaust valve seat. Photo attached. It obviously happened during the ground run. This cylinder has reasonable temps sitting around the average (130 deg C in the cruise)and runs a little rich (as does #5) I predominantly use Mobil 95 mogas. There seems to have been minor contact with the piston so I intend on replacing valve, valve guide and seat. I am an engineer with a background in avionics and mechatronics and do not profess to be an engine expert, so anyone with ideas, similar experiences, questions or other comments very welcome.
  11. As the prospective buyer in May 2020, this crash is close to my heart. My initial inspection was enough to decide not to purchase the aircraft. The engineers inspection confirmed it was the right decision. If I had decided to go through with the purchase, it would have been a new engine. My thoughts go out to all involved with this tragedy.
  12. I made the mistake of buying one of these. I have finally retrofitted the POS % gauge with a real gauge and it seems to work ok. Didn't check the orifice in the block. Maybe I should....
  13. Point 1: Airfields can be great waypoints if you are well above pattern altitude. Point 2: A lot of pilots now fly direct from A to B following the magenta line so waypoints slightly off track can be a good thing to avoid being on the same line. Point 3: Use your recommended cruising altitudes when cloud cover allows.
  14. I brought this Chinese made VHF antenna a few years ago for my boat. Works fine however I still keep an eye out for Winres. Nothing worse than being kelled!
  15. After a bit more research, I am looking at a Dynon Fluid Pressure Sensor Kavlico v2 15psi (103755-000) Recommended by Dynon to replace legacy sensors.
  16. Jabiru 230C. It has a fuel pressure sensor hooked up to a light on the dash. Recently this light has been flickering in flight (without electric boost pump on) No indications of poor performance at all throttle settings. Instead of this red light, I would like to get an actual fuel pressure reading on my Dynon EMS. I have never been a fan of red lights that come on 5 seconds before everything stops. Can anyone steer me to an appropriate sensor? In the meantime, is there anything else I should be checking?
  17. A recent trip in the J230 over the central North Island, NZ volcanoes. One of them looks flat enough to land on!
  18. Has anyone seen any official release of the pilots name? I can't find anything including WAPOL media releases? (NOTE If you know the pilots name and it hasn't been released officially, please don't post on here)
  19. Totally agree Jim. When I lived in Australia, I found the team at Jabiru to be very helpful. I even got to visit them one year ago when they containerised my 230 for export to NZ. Friendly and accommodating. I own an engineering company in NZ and buy bearings on a daily basis. It would be the definition of insanity for me to order a common bearing from Australia in terms of cost, freight and lead time. Having said that, I encourage Jabiru owners in Australia to buy local and support the manufacturer.
  20. Much the same over here in NZ except as of 31 Dec all aircraft flying in controlled airspace need ADSB. Also no need for a CTR endorsement. Regardless of licence type, the requirement for use of radio and hence entry to Class C airspace is that the pilot must be the holder of a current Flight Radio Telephone Operator rating (FRTO). This rating can be gained by the pilot passing an exam based on the CAA approved syllabus, and a practical training exercise and assessment conducted by an Instructor. Approved bodies for holding these exams are ASL, SAC and RAANZ. Written test papers and syllabus for these organizations are assessed by CAA against AC61-3 I could never understand why I could not fly into C or D airspace in Australia on my RAAus licence.
  21. Certainly not boring CC. I remember the Avgas quality issue in 1999 as it also affected NZ supplies. I was doing some work in Nelson and had to made a decision on returning home in a hired C172 across Cook Strait. Even though I am no expert in the industry, I have heard that water slugs in shared pipelines are used often. Always do a fuel drain, always...
  22. avtraffic.com provides audible FLARM info. As long as you understand its limitations (eg. internet based, latency, etc) it is another great tool in the box and allows you to keep those eyeballs looking out most of the time. Yes, its not much good if the glider doesn't have it or its not turned on..
  23. Agree however the standard overhead rejoin is unsafe with meatbombs descending onto a DZ on the airfield. The more I think about it, the more I believe that the DZ should not be permitted on multiuse airfields. The other consideration with overhead rejoins is that there is still an element of risk with multiple aircraft arriving overhead at 1500' AGL.
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