mechfx

One of my previous bosses died from Mesothelioma 2 years ago, they think he was exposed to fibrous asbestos as a thickening agent for silicon moulding materials in the late 70's. Healthy to gone in 6 months. I discussed this with some Americans I was working with and they said it used to be common practise for them to rip up asbestos sheet into 2" strips in a table saw, then manually feed the strips into linishers to make dust that was then mixed into a paste to make fire proof logs ... All without masks ... and with all the home renovations over the last 30 years the clock is ticking for all of us... (un)luck of the draw..... everyone needs to Enjoy life every day !

This is a great listen, Errol is extremely well informed and entertaining . Highly recommend the Go Flying Australia Podcast too..... Makes the M5 motorway almost bearable......

Little off topic I know, but I went to an airfield in England that has an original Spitfire prototype on display. When they did the restoration they wanted to match the original light blue colour. They managed to track down a model plane that the designer, RJ Mitchell had built for his son as a toy, painted with the original prototypes paint. They then took a tiny chip of paint from the model and had it colour-matched and used that on the full size version. Nice....

Just saw the footage on the news..... Yikes....

allegedly the real reason they broke up was that she was unhappy with a Christmas present that Paul McCartney gave her. He got her a new wooden leg. She was upset because she thought she deserved more than just another stocking filler.......

I'd imagine people stopped building them because of cost as the main reason. Everyone seems to say they are a great little plane to fly (in the right hands) which implies that design/size/engineering and flight handling performance are already established as well sorted and positive. For a relaunch of the product there has to be a significant difference to the original concept otherwise I'd say it would end the same way. Interest in Electric power is on the rise and the decreasing cost and increase in motor reliability and availability can only further the possibility of success in this venture. By the way Dafydd, I'd like to thank you for all your posts and encourage you to keep involved in these discussions. I always read what you have to say on a topic even if I'm not particularly interested in that actual topic…… Thanks, Art

Just to clarify, I'm talking about an electric version…… NO point redoing what is/was already available . With battery technology developing and the constant upsizing of RC style brushless motors I can foresee an available 35-50hp equivalent Electric powered Sapphire for around $30k (yes $35k would still be in the zone) would be a sellable product. Art

Affordable is always going to be subjective……… How about I stick my neck out and suggest $30k ?

The first Aussie company that sells an affordable electric aircraft with decent performance will be on to a winner.

Saw on the news a piece of the craft damaged what looked like a Porsche Cayenne parked nearby............Ouch..... Glad the pilot is OK

Or just doing a cat scan ?????

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-23952207

The ladder is a good idea. I welded up a ladder frame, then mounted the front on a hinged spigot mounted off the front nudge bar on my ute. to unload I'd go to the back of the ute, lift the ladder and carry it to the side (still pivoting at the front) swing it out to about 45 degrees then put that end on the ground. next step was to go around the front and lift the spigot out of the mount then put that end of the frame on the ground. This way I never had more than half the weight of the wing . Installation was just the reverse process. I can dig out a picture in a couple of weeks when i get home. Seems a little complicated but I had a shoulder issue at the time and didn't want to ruin the chance of flying. Art

This is what I'm up to at the moment. How do I keep getting myself into these situations ????? http://www.novafm.com.au/audio_the-bob-katter-pult-we-have-our-mechanical-foreman_102143?s=78 Art

I use and can recommend Motion X GPS. if you'd like to pm me with your email address i can send you a "track" I flew last weekend that will automatically open in google maps for you to examine cheers Art

The trip has been done two up a couple of times already in a trike including by a blind guy a couple of years ago. Solo would still be a major achievement though...

A Mate took this footage in the early 90's. Its an awesome display of skill and trust. NO WAY it would be allowed these days, which is a real shame. I'd feel safer knowing our defence forces were so well trained... Enjoy, Art

Temora is a must see

more please !!!!!

Dont forget Little Nellie flying in ........ You Only Live Twice.......

pm sent

motion x gps is brilliant. i just press record track before i take off . it automatically emails the track to my laptop when i get home, then one click upload to google earth and then view how bad my circuits were in 3d !

I wrote down a very short summary of the things I remembered after every lesson I did, and then re-read it (in private) just before the next lesson. Much easier to remember from 5 minutes ago rather than last weekend ...... That way things were reasonably fresh and self doubt was minimised. I guess it was a log book but just for my eyes...