gregrobertson

Well i have just passed my flight test and i am 15 and my father is doing his licence aswell, so we are looking at different aircraft and like you said it would support my level and his level of flying so would be a very good aircraft by the sounds of it and yes a very reliable motor haha ;)

Greg

It was very windy at Warwick on Saturday and it is not an easy strip to handle when there is a strong wind from the south. At least we using 27, 09 is even worse.

I believe it was a Super petrel that came to grief. It happened before I got there so I am relying on what I was told.

Greg

Go to www.ausfly.com.au you can download the arrival/departure procedure there. I guess there will also be a Notam issued.

Greg.

The Skyranger and the Nynja for that matter are 300 to 350 hours build time, depending on just what you put into them. Most builders take 6 to 12 months over it but they can be built a lot quicker. I built my Nynja in 10 weeks (not full time) from kit delivery to it's first flight but I had a deadline and it was not my first build.

Greg.

You should get your kit next week Jim as it is already in the country. I will keep you up to date and no doubt the delivery people will liase directly with you.

Hi eighty knots the injected Rotax engine will not mount in the Skyranger or the Nynja at present. The injected engine comes with its own mount which won't fit in the aircraft without some modification to the structure. It is on Phil's (designer) to do list but I'm not sure just when we will see the changes.

Greg

Great video Scott. Well done.

Greg.

Friday and Saturday are the days to be there, most of the good stuff on then. Go to www.ausfly.com.au to have a look at the program. I was talking to Mark Rowe recently and they are hoping to get the Wright flyer in the air, the weather will have to be perfect but it would be great to see it fly. They had it out last year as a static display and at one stage fired it up. SAAA have gone to great lengths to make the event inclusive of all facets of aviation so there should be something for everybody. So long as the weather co-operates it should be huge.

Greg.

Best Off Aircraft will be there. Hopefully we will have a Nynja and a Skyranger Swift on display and as Scott Hendry has already intimated we may have as many as three Nynjas there. Cant have any more cause that's all there are at the moment. Another three being built and another two on the way. Hope the weather is good for all.

Greg

Just to expand on Scott's explanation. The three Nynjas flying in Australia weigh in at between 282 kgs and 295 kgs. All three have an aluminuum long range tank which is very heavy (14 kg) largly made of 2.5mm aluminium plate. We now have available a similar long range tank made of lighter material which weighs in at about 7.5 kg. a saving of 6.5 kg.

The Brits build these aircraft at 265kg with the standard 60 litre tanks. There is really no reason why we can't build them at 270 kg. with a long range tank that we really need here. This would give a payload of 270 kg ie two people at 85kg full fuel (90 litres) and 36kg of luggage.

Greg.

Pic of the latest Nynja at Watts Bridge.

There are now three Nynjas flying in Australia. Strangely they are all bassed at Watts Bridge in Qld. There are another three under construction. One in Echuca, one in Camden and of course Mark Allen"s new kit in Brisbane. There will shortly be another kit on its way. The best value for money on the market at the moment. Yes I am biased too but with very good reason.

Greg.

In spoke to Wal before he left. He has bought a charter fishing business in the Soloman Islands, but will still be around at times. I am with Maj he is certainly a font of knowledge on Rotax engines. I appreciated his no bulshit style. I wish him all the best in his new venture.

Greg.

Congratulations Scott!!!! I had the pleasure of doing the initial test flying on Scott's lovely new Nynja today. We had perfect weather and the plane performed magnificently, with only a very minor cooling issue to remedy. Scott finished the day by flying his aeroplane himself. The grin will be well known by others who have built and flown their own aircraft. I suspect there will be some utube video shortly. Watch this space.

Greg.

Thierry's first well worn Skyranger is in the aeronautical Museum at Le Borget along with many other famous french designs. A fitting resting place for it. Phil Prevot must be very proud to have one of his designs recognised like that. When it is all said and done I doubt there is a more suitable aircraft for the work Thierry does. Thoes of us lucky enough to fly them understand. If you ever get the chance to go to Le Borget it is well worth a visit.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/rockwell-collins-new-electronic-engine-control-unit-brings-the-new-rotaxr-912-is-aircraft-engine-into-a-new-era-of-propulsion-efficiency-for-light-aircraft-2012-03-08

Greg.

A couple of big mouth Gatorade bottles for me. If your quick you can empty them on the grass by the plane before anyones the wiser, after you land. Then wash them out at the nearest tap, and their ready to go again. Some people do get a little sensitive about people dumping their stale piss around airports though. I mean your not the only one dumping it are you.Ferried a lightwing from Rockhampton to Townsville once, come to think of it , it's the one Doug Evans bought recently. So Doug this story is for you !!.......

 

A couple of hours into the flight needed to go No 1 bigtime. Didn't have anything on board (pre-Gatorade bottles) so a look around the cabin for something I could use. Spotted orange plastic Chamois container. Hmmmn big enough to do the job, but it has a small hole in the end. I do my thing holding my finger over hole. OK, what the hell am I going to do with it now ???!!.......Can't put it anywhere because of the hole !.. I open the door a little and feed it into the slipstream, three or four times during the flight. On arrival at Townsville the red-headed female owner runs over excitedly to view her new aircraft with the fresh white paint.....and the very obvious little yellow stain down the pilots' side !!......................................................Maj...[/quote

 

]A variation on the Gatorade bottle. An empty wine cask bladder, the tap comes off to reveal a larger opening. I keep a couple in the plane all the time, they also make a reasonable cusion, take up almost no room and weigh next to nothing.

 

Greg

G'Day Greg, What a bloody shame, I was in Brisbane on Monday and Tuesday! Definitely keen to go for a run in one though! I may be in Brisbane around Feb so if nothing happens prior I'll be in touch!

Greg.

Just found this thread. Great idea, so many interesting places to go. Can you add Mataranka resort SE of Tindal. It is a great resort but have not landed on their strip. I checked its availability in July this year, in the end I didn't need it but I was assured by the management that it was available and in good condition.

Greg

Hi Greg, I've been trying to decide on what to buy, I've gone up from Thruster/X-Air and looked t Morgan Cheetah/Sierra and also considering the Swift and or Nynja, I particularly like the panel on VH-ELJ, what instrumentation did you put in and is that carbon dash layout standard or an option?

The carbon fibre panel is standard. I have an ASI,VSI, Altimeter, Electric turn co-ordinator. Anologue Engine instruments Oil temp,Oil pressure,CHT,Volts and of course a Tacho and Hours. Avionics include X-Com VHF, Microair T2000 transponder and AvMap GPS.

I loved the Skyranger, it did everything I ever asked of it and it was just a joy to fly. The Nynja is a bit quicker and more comfortable over long legs, I guess it is a little bit more upmarket. It is great fun to fly.

If you like I can arrange a flight in a Skyranger for you. I have a friend who has a Skyranger at Wedderburn who never needs an excuse to go flying. I will have the Nynja at Natfly at Easter or if you are up this way (Brisbane) I would be more than happy to take you for a fly in the Nynja.

Greg.

I have been flying since 1985 and have covered most of Australia in that time. Two trips stand out. 1987 with 3 other guys I hired the club 182 VH-TIN and flew Latrobe valley-mildura-Leigh Creek South-Coober Pedy- Ayres Rock- Alice Springs-Tennant Creek-Tindal- Darwin. Returned Via Jabiru-Ngukurr- Booroloola-Burktown-Normanton-George Town-Townsville-Makay-Great Kepple Island-Rockhampton-Coolangatta-Woolongong-Latrobe Valley. A total of 48 hours over three weeks. A great trip! Another standout was a trip with my brother in May last year I flew my Skyranger VH-ELS from Latrobe valley- Bendigo-Mildura-Broken Hill- Arkaroola- Sight seeing over Lake Eyre- William Creek-Coober Pedy-Alice Springs-Tennant Creek-Hooker Creek-Kununurra. From Kununurra we did a couple of trips, El Questro- The Bungle Bungles- Kununurra. and Wyndham- Coastal to Kalumburoo- Mitchell Falls-Kununurra. We returned via Timber Creek-Victoria River Downs-Tennant Creek-Barkley Homestead-Mt. Isa-Winton-Longreach-Charleville-Lightening Ridge-Narromine-Aulbury-Latrobe Valley. A total of 60 hours over nearly 4 weeks. Absolutely unforgetable. Its all out there just do it. As a wise man once said.. Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away.

Greg.

I have had a flashing landing light on my Skyranger since I built it in 2006. I just used a standard automotive two pole flasher unit, with a three position switch Off, On and Flash. Very cheap and very efective I haven' had any globe failures in nearly 500 hours and it is on all the time, although I only use the flash setting in busy trafic areas. Any thing to make an aircraft more visable is a good thing.

Regards

Greg.

Just a note to thoes who would like to follow the build process of the new Nynja. The kit was delivered last Wednesday 19th Jan. The build is progressing well and I hope to have it flying at Natfly at Easter. Follow the build at www.bestoffaircraft.com.au

Regards

Greg.

From memory a whole $3.99 you can save your tracks. I don't know if you can download them anywhere. I have never bothered with that and probably wouldn't know how anyway, it's all getting more complicated by the day.

Regards

Greg

Try Motion X GPS I think it will do all you want. GPS seems to work well and has a tracking facility also. Check it out.

Regards

Greg

I wouldn't disagree with you John, Paul is an exceptional pilot but he chose the Skyranger to compete in. There are over 1200 flying all over the world, they are the most numerous ultra light on the British register by far.

Very sad news about Milton that's way too young.

Regards

Greg