Methusala

Warning! Thread drift) I'm just back from 1 of my frequent sashays to Tumut Aero Club where, once again, I failed to enthuse the membership with my dream of a club owned, 1 seat, Thruster, Jeep, Mustang ultralight for circuit bashing on calm mornings/ evenings. Just think, a simple lighty for pure fun. Oh the dreams...& joy!🤣

When I'm at the Men's shed, I tell them about going out in those really dangerous little planes to do some 'death stalls'. That usually shuts them up.

I flew a VP-2 over an 11 year period, 1995-2006. I had firstly a Revmaster 2180 followed by an Aeropower 2074. The Revmaster suffered a crankcase crack due to my carelessly misaligning the no 3 bearing when closing the case. The aeropower løgged over 400 hrs with no issues. I would climb initially at 3,600 to 300ft agl then cruise climb at 3250. The jugs hung out in the breeze with air scoops to the heads. No issues with cht or oil temps. The Aeropower was set up with Bosch Jetronic D hardware driven through an Haltech F-9 ECU. Starting was to use injector to the throttle body, turn 8 blades with zero throttle then switches on and 1 or 2 hand flicks. No alternate hot air source and never any icing. The Revmaster has been re-built with new Revmaster cases and Maule 94mm barrels and pistons. I have a high opinion of these engines being simple and reliable. Parts are redily available from severaal specialist suppliers in the US.

Glenn, what was that about people in fragile, transparent houses? I know that you recently had a Rotax!

Hey mate, you can buy O2 sensors with digital gauge for about 40 dollars off ebay. Why pay more when you only want it as a diagnostic indicator? Just my 2c worth. Rgds Don. PS. I used one when setting up EFI on a Aeropower vw conversion.

Related to this story of fuel contamination being most likely during manual handling at delivery, I read that jet A is to be supplied to the 2nd Sydney airport by tanker trucks. Does this mean we should suspect the quality of fuel supplied to airlines at this terminal?

Onetrack, I post on this forum when a. I think that my experience can be useful to other readers, and b. when something strikes me as being either false or deliberately misleading. I am used to the mainstream media deliberately misleading and why not? They are after all owned by the rich and powerful. In this case I noted that you gave no attribution for your claim that fuel retailers operated on ridiculously thin margins. The fact that the best information I could find was a year out of date is perhaps not surprising. Who is going to bell the cat. As for quoted info on 'at the depot' pricing , supplied by the industry, that can be easily manipulated if not intentionally misleading. Recently, when traveling to Tumut, I found the pump price for unleaded 91 was 10c below the best price available in Canberra. This shoots down the argument that high volume results in lower margins. I apologise for my fishing comment regarding your possible links to servos. But being obviously busy, keeping up with every topic is very time demanding. No one knows everything, not even (ahem) me! Many fishy things about the fuel industry including the restricted number of major participants. Coles and Woolworths , in particular, are huge retailers but have meant bugger all in terms of discounting grrrr! The fact that increases in prices occur almost instantaneously over an area lead me to believe that fuel is sold on consignment and the majors dictate prices to the stock holders. This leads me to be sceptical on the evidence you quoted of prices 'at the distributors gate'. As on many things we will just have to agree to disagree. But don't be sucked in by mass media sources; seek information widely. Don

Oh no! Oldmate is at it again! Where does he troll his information from? https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/petrol-prices-low-but-gross-margins-at-record-highs The article linked above states the exact opposite of Onetrack's statements quoted above. In fact it states that gross retail margins on fuel have never been higher and that the record fuel prices charged recently have given cover to operators to hike their cut. It states,"Across the five largest cities, annual average GIRDs in 2019-20 were 14.7 cpl, 2.7 cpl higher than last year’s average. Brisbane had the highest annual average GIRDs at 16.8 cpl and Perth had the lowest at 12.3 cpl. Admittedly these figures are from 2019-2020 but anyone with a memory knows that fuel prices are still high and tend to rise rapidly when international oil prices lift but descend slowly as the fall. I think that retailers for a long time have effectively snowed the public with claims that retail margins are around 2-3c/litre . Perhaps Onetrack owns a string of servo's.

I feel that I must add my long held and not very scientific view on this question. It is my belief that the IC engines that we rely on have been engineered such that age effects on fuel does not compromise their performance to an appreciable extent. Most of us have encountered very old fuel and recognise quickly the foul smell and even the dark appearance. We recoil from such a mess. However, I have kept fuel in sealed containers for sometimes over 6 months before use in aviation. It has smelled, appeared and performed in a satisfactory way such that I don't worry greatly over its age. This applies to 2-stroke pre-mix, 95 pump auto petrol and avgas. In fact, I once did a job for a LAME and was paid in avgas that he was required to drain from GA aircraft and I had no problems with it at all. I know that others are convinced to the contrary. Knowing this I have to say that this is merely my opinion and I am not wishing to tread on anyone's toes.

By which time any evidentiary value of the crash site had been completely and irretrievably destroyed. Ergo, any story is as good as another. Hogwash.

The debris field was never sealed as we are so used to seeing in crime dramas. Remember,'This is a crime scene and no one gets access till forensics are done". That some objects allegedly obtained by a journalist, then handed to"authorities" counts as proof of anything doesn't pass the sniff test. I believe some other story is behind this tragedy. An alternative states that Putin was flying in the vicinity and the Ukies thought they had him in their sights. Truth is no one will ever know what the truth is. I don't accept the validity of the Dutch investigation any more than the corrupt findings of the Lockerby stuff-up. Merely one person's opinion. BTW Jeroan Akkermans sounds like a European Ray Hadley clone.

President Putin enjoys around 75% support among Russian electors.

Yes Onetrack, I understand your bewilderment. The reason is because we need to constantly bear in mind the FACT that we are being continually propagandised by the powers that be. Below, for those interested in this phenomenon, is a linked study by a recognised Australian research body on how trolling of social media sought to reinforce negative attitudes towards Russia in the current, ghastly military action in the Ukraine. https://consortiumnews.com/2022/11/06/researchers-find-massive-anti-russian-bot-army/

The above statement is simply a lie. (Goebels: The big lie theory. Look it up.) It seems that I'm not the only person on Earth who remembers this point. The old memory hole works a treat in the west The photos of the remains of MH17 on the port side look like it was hit by an A2A missile fired at the pilot, followed by a burst of 30mm cannon fire. They had to dream up the BUK missile theory as there would not have been any Russian military aircraft anywhere near. The Russians do have radar traces showing a Ukie Mig shadowing MH-17 but, of course, this evidence was "not what the Dutch wanted". So it ended up in the big memory hole.

Albert Einstien was said to have opined that, "Two things I regard as infinite; the universe and man's stupidity...and I'm not sure of the universe!" Anyone who bases his view of world politics on "cartoons" is making a claim to the above.

The US are always at the same criminal game. Libya was a highly developed society with the highest living standards in Africa. Gadafi was interested in a better deal for the oil and was negotiating a Euro contract. US has had oil contracts paid for in $$$s since the Bretton-Woods deal of '46. So they murdered Gadafi and left the country the lawless wreck we see today. And so it goes...bla bla bla...ad-infinitum. Maybe the empire has got ots hands on a tarbaby this time. The Ukraine is only another victim of " the big game". On this remembrance day spare a few thoughts for the poor dead innocents and their grieving families on all sides.

You must see the bridges that I have for sale Ross. Real Cheap...buy two!!!

To be an enemy of America can be dangerous, but to be a friend is fatal.” — Henry Kissinger quote. It's fine to quote the views of people who lived under the USSR's Warsaw Pact. Russia has lived since 1991 with a western alliance creeping closer with deadly offensive capabilities installed in such countries (Poland and Romania with missile bases capable of launching nuclear warheads on their virtual doorstep). The narrative constantly changes in the west. Most people realised, ante the Vietnamese war, where the US was defeated, but the advertised consequence of dominoes falling like 9 pins didn't happen, that this war was wrong. I clearly remember Rumsfeld claiming, pre the illegal destruction of Iraq, that this would be,"A cake walk". Well they destroyed the place but with 1 million innocents dead and nothing to show. Then Libya, the most advanced country in Africa (Free universal health scheme and education), now a war torn wreck. Syria, where the US is occupying the N/E corner and stealing the country's oil. What was the reason for all of this destruction? What is our huge concern with this military action on the other side of the world? Incidentally, Ukraine was called one of the most corrupt countries in the world by the EU in 2019. No one can know the truth in such circumstances but I can't help but wonder why there is such overwhelming hatred directed towards Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin. Surely the US has caused far more death and misery in the post war era than any other country. Why would you trust such people?

Jack, I have to agree with others on this subject. I began flying in 1981 with a Pterodactyl, 2 axis very light machine. Then progressed to an Eastwood Tyro. By 1986 I'd bought a VP-2 which was a registered homebuilt. This I transferred to AUF rego. I later bought a Thruster which I owned till a year ago. I've lately joined an established country aero club and fly their Jab. I find this very satisfying and don't want to go back to ultralights. Cost wise not a lot of difference and I get 90 kts to travel some little distance. Don

This conflict is a tragedy of enormous proportions which began even prior to the western backed coup (in 2014) which replaced elected leadership with NATO backed puppets. Eastern provinces of largely Russian speaking people have been shelled and bombed for 8 years by western Ukrainian forces (over 15,000 dead). Now, these forces are facing strong, well equipped, Russian defenders on an r2p mission. However NATO and the west see this as a way to weaken and defeat Russia at the continuing cost of Ukrainian people's lives and infrastructure. The whole scenario has been carefully cooked up by NATO and the US for decades. This "unprovoked attack" line is simply propaganda. Our media is part and parcel of this conspiracy.

I've learned to hate the Russians All through my whole life If another war comes It's them we must fight To hate them and fear them To run and to hide And accept it all bravely With God on our side (But if God's on our side, He'll stop the next war) Thank you Bob Dylan, Poet and prophet to my life.

I hope so.

I wrote recently, in another thread here, that Boeing relied for its manufactured titanium components on a Russian company , as did Airbus. I apologise - I got that partly wrong. Truth is that Boeing stopped relying on them in March but Airbus still do. Boeing stated that there were enough parts in stock to satisfy current demands. Sooner or later they will use all of this stock and, perhaps by then, they expect Russia to have fallen to the US planned Russian capitulation. Good luck with that.

This is an example of the real effect of western "sanctions" on the non-western world. Really is a case of "shooting oneself through the leg". https://thesaker.is/the-serial-production-of-the-tu-214-has-started-in-russia/

https://www.rotax.com/en/news/latest/detail/statement-from-brp-on-the-alleged-use-of-rotax-engines-in-mohajer-6-drones.html "Nobody lied in concocting this (cover) story. We remain committed to the EU's plan to commit suicide by divorcing ourselves from the only sufficient, reliable and affordable source of energy left in the universe."