Harv

CASA website still has the official ADs. RA-Aus will have the post VH rego stuff. I think Coastal Aviation still have a STC for making bits for them including a new bungee style gear. There is limited life wing spars (4000 hours) and some other things which I can’t remember right now but are covered in the maintenance manual. Wing spar being the main one. I have heard of one gazelle that has done well over this but the wings were opened right up, inspected, and recovered. I’m not 100 percent certain how Raaus feel about this these days. The tech manager at the time was OK with it. The main AD to check is the strut carry through. If there is a tube bolted to the underside of the fuselage between the two strut mounts it’s been done. there is lots of discussion on this site about gazelles. But the key things to look at are the ailerons and aileron hangers and the older landing gear which use vulcanised rubber blocks rather than bungees. if you get stuck PM me and I can hunt around for the ads for you. With the exception of the limited life wing spar I can’t think of anything negative to say about the Gazelle. They are a brilliant aeroplane.

Hi all With the help of a generous member of the forum I now have a B box but I am after a gear set now. I have a 2.24 to 1 set already but wanting to know if anyone has a 2.58 to 1 set they would be willing to part with? Cheers Alex

Hi - does anyone have a left hand side main gear leg for a Gazelle they would be willing to part with? Mine is bent, not enough to be U/S, but I would like a straight one.. I have also got a call into Coastal Aviation. Cheers Alex

I've advertised for sale a brand new unused SUB4 redrive to suit an EA81 in the classifieds section. Was purchased for $3500 NZD and has been in storage since. I'm open to reasonable offers. I also have some EA81 engine bits. Located just outside Canberra.

I can't add much but Graham did tell me that he had to literally hang his arm and much of his body weight out the sides to get the thing to roll. After he got it on the ground for the last time (which was effectively a crash landing) he kicked the shit out of it to ensure it '....would never fly again'. He was a huge fan of the concept and the aircraft itself but its flight characteristics unfortunately left a lot to be desired.

My description of Techniglue's consistency would be: a bit less paste like than toothpaste. Perhaps like yogurt. Or good old Araldite mixed with some micro balloons (or sawdust). It's good at filling gaps and not running out of joints. I guess the noteworthy thing about being 'built to a standard' - and carrying a MIL spec - is that you have a baseline. In general, MIL spec on aeroplane glue is a bit of a Furphy, but I would much rather repair a certified aeroplane with glue that has a MIL spec than one that doesn't. Especially when it comes to the regulatory authorities. I certainly wouldn't consider using Resorcinol in this day and age. Cheers

It's been awhile since I did my research on adhesives, but somewhere along the way I came to the conclusion (as you probably have also) that adhesive manufacturers are pretty sharp with marketing techniques. They tend not to report data on their products in the same way their competitors do, obviously making it difficult for a consumer to make a direct comparison with other products on the market. I'm using Techniglue on my Himax project. Not sure if you've given it a thought - It's relatively cheap, quite forgiving with it's gap-filling properties and I believe you can buy two different speed hardeners for it these days. It is also readily available around here. I've used T88 and the Bote-Cote products in other projects and found Techniglue to be as good as, if not better, to use. It doesn't come with a MIL spec like T88 (which gives some people that warm fuzzy feeling), but it's more than adequate for the application. My Dad built the fuselage and empennage of my Himax project using Techniglue and there is absolutely no sign of degradation in the glue joints after some 15 years of it being stored in a tin shed, in a temperate climate. Some slight yellowing of the epoxy which is to be expected, but it's held up well, as have the test pieces that were made up with each batch of glue. The proof is in the pudding for me.

Normally, I wouldn't bite. Ok, I think it would do you good to note that even the true linguistic experts of this world say no to zero tolerance on grammar and spelling errors. Enjoy what everyone who attempts the English language brings to it - it has travelled a long road with no end in sight. To whine publicly just seems so arrogant... Or, perhaps ignorant is a better descriptor.

Dodo - Tony Lamarra from Goulburn would be your best bet. He owns plenty of hangar space, seems to mostly be storage for his furniture business at the moment but he does lease space when it's available. Tony is also one of natures true gentleman and can tell you all you would ever want to know about the airport and Goulburn. I Havent got his number handy but Google should turn it up. There is a private strip on murrumbateman road at the Gundaroo end - I live just around the corner (just moved here) I haven't yet plucked up the courage to ask the owner about it but the place has been advertised for sale in the raaus mag. If your interested in buying/building a hangar at Goulburn I would be quite interested in a joint venture/syndicate/long term lease if your considering other options. The airport fees may make it prohibitive but split two three or four ways it could be a good option. Cheers

FFS, the last thing we need now is for RAAus to toss about wasting time following 'due process'. Darren has been helping out since the proverbial hit the fan last year. He is hands down the best fit for the job right now. He's got the skill, experience and now, the 'corporate knowledge' to get us through this mess. He (and Dean Tompkins) are being good Samaritans. They could just as easily throw up their hands and say 'this is all too hard , bugger the lot of you'... But they have chosen to try and sort this technical mess out and neither of them played any part in creating it. As for the 'jobs for the boys' comments. Appointing Darren is not even remotely like that. If you ask me it's a solid and affirmative action on our new managements behalf. Like someone else said above, lets stand back and let the new mob give it a red hot go before we sit comfortably in our arm chairs and fire out the ' expert' advice/opinions. And just quietly, I don't think Darren is even close to the retirement age.....

Howdy Wondering if anyone has been through this before. I've purchased new shock struts for my Gazelle from Coastal Aviation (they werent cheap, but I am not complaining). Any pointers on installing them? I'm thinking I will need to use a saw-horse type framework to support the fuselage and take the load off the mains. (I would have the aircraft balancing forward slightly with the weight balanced on the saw-horse and nose wheel) then unbolt the old and bolt in the new. Other ideas/suggestions? I'll get the local level 2 to have a squiz, but thought I would put the feelers out there to see how others have done it. Appreciate hearing from anyone that has been through this before. Cheers

It's been more than two months since the last update. Anybody heard anything more? Cheers

You can put me down for the course Bubbleboy. I'm located in Canberra. Cheers

I reckon the best place for us to direct our energy is at CASA, its board (or even particular individuals within the agency that are personally responsible for this intractable situation, if you happen to know who they are); the Department of Infrastructure; federal and local MPs; and dont forget the opposition. I've copied in a list of email addresses for all the Senior Executives (and MPs) that carry the aviation 'baton' in this country (that I know of) - at least at a federal level. A quick Google search will unearth them. The only way to get us 'ungrounded' is to get CASA to be reasonable with RA-Aus and their approach to the audit and arrive at some sensible alternatives to the current situation. Sure, there may well be/have been some admin deficiencies at RA-Aus; and we can probably all be accused of being either a little confused at some point about what the Techincal Manual and its previous carnations really required/meant, or complacent, or just down right ignorant of the paperwork that gets us in the air. After all we're mostly in this for the fun of it. I think the reality is, the vast majority of our registered (or currently awaiting renewal) aircraft are perfectly legal and only missing a photograph or two on their paper work. The aircraft (and individuals) that have caused the bigger problems for RA-Aus are outliers (there is politics in every 'club', just seems to be a little magnified in the aviation sense) - this is why CASA needs to be much more circumspect and grown up about what they are trying to achieve here (i.e. is someone really trying to stitch RA-Aus up? - after an exercise like this, you would have to start to think very seriously about their modus operandi, wouldnt you?). These people will no doubt have triage systems for managing their email, but I know from experience - they see everything that is sent to them - they might even be readng their email on their Blackberries, in bed. [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Thanks for the update Mick. Mind if I ask how many hours you put into the build? And was it plans build or did you buy any prefab stuff? ie. wing spar.. Sounds like you've got all the 'bells and whistles'. I've run the materials list through Aircraft Spruce and Wicks and there is a fair amount of difference between the two. But, they are miles away from local Aus prices.... Anyone know why al extrusion costs so damn much in this country?? More than happy to purchase plans from David himself and agree he is on to a good thing here. I just thought I'd see if anyone had bought a set and decided not to build - give them an opportunity to recoup their outlay too. Cheers Alex

Nice looking CX4. What powerplant and prop combination are you using? I assume you went with the VW? What HP? I'm also looking for a set of CX4 plans and builder manual, and any info anyone has on getting the raw stock (in Aus) as cheap as possible. I note the CX4 has a lot of Aluminium angle in it and that stuff doesnt come cheap in Aus (by my research anyway). Cheers Alex

Still for sale = PRICE DROP - $12,500. Check classifieds section for up to date ad (this one isnt entirely accurate). Call on 0438 002 775 for details.

I have a Wire Braced 503 Austflight Drifter for sale. A complete package ready to get in and fly away. It's located in Moruya, NSW. Current RA-Aus registration (25 - 185) Approx 1200 hours Total Time Aircraft had a major overhaul about 2 years ago after it had been sitting in a hanger unused for some 6 years. The aircraft has done about 70 hours flying since the overhaul. About 350 hours on a single carb 503, 70 since very experienced Level 2 overhaul (new top end including cylinders, pistons and rings; bottom end measurements in spec at time of overhaul). The engine was only pulled down due it sitting unused and it runs pefectly. It's one of the later model 503s with the stronger crank, that's why we decided to rebuild it and not replace it. Brolga 3 Blade Prop New Fisher skins fitted (yellow and green) New Flying/Landing/Tail Bracing Wires fitted New tyres Most A/N hardware was replaced during the overhaul All A/Ds are current (including the reinforced Tail Boom mod which was fitted by Austflight) A number of spares are included (rear seat intruments, landing gear legs, odds and ends) Delcom VHF radio and Comtronics intercom included 2 x flying helmets Aircraft has always been hangared Full flight and maintenance history (the aircraft was used in a flying school/ club which operated just outside of Canberra during the late eighties and early nineties, we purchased the aircraft in a syndicate in the early nineties and it has been located in Moruya since, one of the current owners (there are two) has been around the aircraft since it was new). Registered Austflight built Drifter trailer may be included in the sale $16,000 ONO We are only selling this aircraft as we have purchased another one(which the wife seems to consider more appropriate than the trusty Drifter for growing children) and we cant fit two aircraft in one hangar space. It's an absolute delight to fly and will be sad to see her go. NOTE: The hours quoted above are approximate - I do not have the logbooks handy to confirm. I will check the logbooks on the weekend and update this post with actual hours. PM me if youre interested.

G'day Vorticity and jordy My old man and I are in the process of rebuilding our Drifter, also an Austflight WB 503. The skins have all been fitted, weve made a full new set of flying wires (surprisingly big job, took nearly two days to build the full set and I started to develop 'swaging elbow'..), tail bracing wires and have fitted the refurbed engine and are getting very close to taking her to the skies again. Vorticity, when you say damage after damage - what sort of damage do you refer to? Our Drifter has been hangared by the Coast for most of its life and we were very surprised at how little corrosion there was once we had all the skins off. Overall, the airframe was in very good shape. I am interested to know what problem areas you came across and whether it was general wear and tear, the result of 'dodgy' past repairs, accident damage, etc... We certainly had an unfair advantage for the fitting of wing skins as an old friend of dads who just happens to be L2 generously (and a very experienced one at that) spent a week with us whilst fitting the wing skins and making up the flying wires. It certainly does pay to have someone that knows these types of aircraft to extract info/advice from. We can definitely vouch for Wayne's assistance. A mine of experience and knowledge, and o/nighted parts down to us so there was no time wasted... Dad purchased the covers from Wayne around 6 years ago, and they fit perfectly. Cheers