Methusala

I frequently comment to my associates, 'There are 1,000,000 ways that an aeroplane can kill you! We haven't found them all yet.'

This is usually greeted with 'indulgent smiles' and shaking of heads.

This is another example of a wake up call. I agree with Mark that we are involved in a very serious and potentially dangerous activity. Beware of comlacency.

Please note that my comment on 'lightly-built' airframes was never a reflection on pilot behaviour. I feel every one of these sad losses.

Technams seem to be built very lightly. Not a lot of structure around the crew. Compromises must be made to build a 'very light Cessna'.

Interesting story with comments below. Worth reading. 

Slashdot
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/24/01/13/1841233/wsj-boeings-fuselage-factory-plagued-by-production-problems-and-quality-lapses

Square holes include free stress risers?

NTSB interim report released last week. Says the aircraft landed fairly flat left wing low. Maybe flat spin. Difficult aircraft to recover from a spin.

I've logged almost 900 hrs over 45 odd years. I fly for the joy of it and the marvel of levitation. Don't use lighties for transport, that where Airbus excells. Fly in good weather and (mostly) can glide to survivable terrain. Don

This is the same financial cancer that destroyed Boeing, AMP, Leighton and so many firms around the capitalist western world. Beware the MBA's. 

FWIW my VP-2 originally had an aluminium leaf gear braced with steel diagonal cables. as Nev stated this undamped spring gear would launch you high into the air on a heavy arrival. An SAAA engineer in Brisbane designed an alternative brace using rubber donuts in compression and also rebound. He said that, unlike steel springs, rubber has a progressive compression/decompression rate so provides natural damping. In practice it worked as well as described. Just an alternative idea if original dampers are impossible to source in Russia (though India does seem more friendly that other western countries).

Yes me!🤣

Tony, your plane is very lightly wing loaded. In any but the calmest of air it will move. This is something that ultralight pilots accept and is very natural. If it is rigged as accurately as you say then it is safe to fly in mostly smooth air. I flew for some years aircraft wing loaded to 2.5 lb/sq.ft and enjoyed the experience. However in thermally turbulent air it became more challenging. Hope this helps, I expect others will add their views as well. Cheers Don

On 25/06/2023 at 11:51 AM, Markdun said:

Yes, VW conversions were notorious for icing

I fixed the problem by eliminating the inlet manifold. Installed EFI based on Bosch hardware scavenged from an old 1600TS. Same thing can be done using BMW hardware. Mark knows all about my efforts but I would still prefer a 2200 Jab. Kills the VW for low mass and power output. Jabs rarely suffer icing.

I have seen Thrusters ruined by shortening the boom. I think Terry Medway at Gerogery was trying to adapt to a BMW and shortened the boom to compensate for heavier engine. Didn't work. Replacement material  could be impossible to source. 

No knowledge of this strip. There is a private strip south of Michelago but no access and a powerline across it.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-23/man-hospitalised-after-small-plane-crashes-into-tree-in-nsw/10843668

This accident occurred on Currandooley airstrip in very similar conditions. Moderate to strong easterly causing lee-side sink as he tried to climb over a ridge following touch and go. Very lucky pilot to walk away unscathed.

1 hour ago, facthunter said:

Who is worth 24 Mill a year? 

Not an obvious sociopath who will strand untold numbers of his companies customers in cold, impersonal airports who are innocent of any misdeed. These anti personnel managers should be given a taste of their own medicine. 'Obligation to shareholders' is no excuse for blatant disregard towards those who have trusted one to 'do the right thing'.

I was returning to Aus from Zurich and as we taxied out I saw the Brietling Connie taxi in. Must have been one of its last flights as it was withdrawn from service in 2016 because of corrosion in the spars.

Only have to cross the Tasman Sea now to see the last flying Connie in the world!

Oil was $US14-15/bbl...HaHaHa!

a friend inadvertently replaced one of his tank caps with the vent holes facing aft. Sucked a lot of fuel out on a short flight. Don't do this!

23 hours ago, facthunter said:

There's a lLAG in the AD system.

Here we go again. Can the cognicenti please not make it difficult for us dumb c...s by avoiding opaque acronyms. I could not get a workable expansion of this from Google. Thanks in advance, Don

Check out Grand Rapids Technologies Engine Information System. 2x cht, 2x egt, RPM, Total engine hrs, Volts, OAT; all with selectable limit alarms. Good value for less than $800 I believe. (Or go with T88 - good engines and reliable.)

On 20/01/2023 at 8:43 AM, Love to fly said:

Media and many others monitor FlightRadar24 and similar for any aircraft squawking 7700.

30+ years ago. I had a spar failure in a Pteradactyl on take off. (Yes, in those days safety reports were written on such events, look it up!) Anyway, my point is that the local commercial radio station, obviously through monitoring emergency vehicle frequencies, had reported an ultralight aircraft crash had killed the pilot. Thus my family were aware of my premature death before I was. Don't trust the media! Don

4 hours ago, kgwilson said:

Their first 3 aircraft have been named Shazza, Bazza & Sheila.

4 hours ago, kgwilson said:

Their first 3 aircraft have been named Shazza, Bazza & Sheila.

4 hours ago, kgwilson said:

Their first 3 aircraft have been named Shazza, Bazza & Sheila.

I hope that the pilots will wear AC/DC singlets in the summer, flannies and hoodies for winter. Thongs for the waitresses?