Virago

The TV report on this fire said that the destroyed aircraft was an ex RFDS aircraft That would make it Jan Ende's Cessna 180 VH-FDH. I sincerely hope Jan and his son Dan are not too seriously hurt.

Just getting back onto topic, I heard this morning that there was a brand new rotor mast found sitting on the workbench of their hangar. I guess the significance of this will be determined by the investigators in due course.

Victa Airtourer 115 at Darwin Aero club in 1970. $15 an hour (dual and solo). My instructor was Geoff Chapman and the examiner was club CFI "Johnno" Johnson, an ex fleet air arm pilot. The 115 I did most of my training in, VH-DAM, was destroyed in cyclone Tracy, Xmas eve 1974. I did my licence test in VH-APV which was also damaged in the cyclone but I believe it was subsequently rebuilt.

That was a particularly tragic case for all concerned. The engineer who fabricated the part exactly in accordance with the approved E.O. later committed suicide after the lawyers tried to blame him for the fatal crash. He was a very likeable, hard working, fastidious worker but the stress of litigation took it's toll.

The rego of the Southern Cloud was VH-UMF. I didn't know this at the time I bought a 1976 Beech C23 Sundowner which was also VH-UMF. I owned that aircraft for nearly five years in the mid 80's. I have no idea where it is now. John.

The ground temperature on the day was around 41 degrees, so there's a density altitude issue involved as well.

While it may look like a collision, the Mallard is very much larger than the Cessna Caravan float plane therefore the Caravan (which appears to be larger) is much closer to the camera.

Yep, the lower leg and wheel just falls out and hangs on the brake hose.

The diecast aluminium scissor links on the PA-28 series aircraft are known for cracking at the upper (or lower) bolt holes. This almost happened to me around 1976.

I need a rear main connector for a Narco Escort II Nav/Com. It is a 13 pin white Molex single row edge connector similar in appearance to a Com II or COM 120 connector. Perhaps someone may have something suitable lying around in a junk box. If you have one, please advise price. It doesn't have to be new. Thanks, John.

Great outcome Bill. Well done!

Bill , have you changed a headset, or had a mic changed on one of your headsets. If the two mics are perfectly matched, there's usually no problem (except both mics will be picking up cockpit noise). If there is an imbalance between the mics, one will "load" the other and you will have problems. MGL's suggestion should do the trick. Good luck! John

That's great news Bill. I've found the MGL people to be very helpful and that's why my project will have MGL gear. John

Hi skeptic36, It would seem your two headset mics are wired simply in parallel. Sometimes, one mic will load the other resulting in degraded performance. If possible, use a pair of relays controlled by each PTT switch so that the other mic audio line is opened when the pilot is TXing and vice versa when the PAX is TXing. John (retired avionics LAME).

Hi Kevin, Looking fantastic and will be watching eagerly for your first flight reports. Sadly, mine hasn't been touched since my domestic situation changed nearly a year ago but I now have my house on the market and looking for a smaller place with a large shed. Saw one today that excites me ... just have to get a nibble at my present house!

Looking great Kevin! Can't wait to see pics of the finished product! Mine is very much on the back burner due to a domestic meltdown and I have to sell my house and buy another one with a big shed. At this stage I'm looking forward to 2016! John.

Any increase in horsepower?

I took off out of Serpentine around 11pm on a real dark night in my (then) Beech C33 Debonair some years back. As I rotated, the cabin door came open. There was no moon and the whole area was like a black cat in a coal cellar at midnight. I am so grateful for the thorough NVFR training I had received (thanks George Howie) as I was able to ignore the terrible wind and noise and climbed to 500 ft on instruments. I elected to fly to Jandakot (15 minutes) with the door open as it is impossible to close it in flight, particularly at night (people have died trying). I think I have related this story here before but it was a stern reminder to me to redo my preflight checks after an unexpected interruption.

Got 'em ... right between the hangers!

Yes guys, Bex's advice is sound! Absolutely rotten luck but time will change how you view this. I sure hope you can find it in your hearts to fix it! John.

Some have made reference to photographs of the remains of this aircraft but I can't find any links to them. As I am building one myself I would like to see them. John.

Is there any news on the other occupant of the plane who is now missing?

This is shocking news! Sincere condolences to all close to those involved.

How on earth the two pilots can put in opposite control inputs is beyond me. This was a major factor in a recent "air crash investigations" episode ... I just can't remember the exact details. This is hardly likely to happen in a Boeing with dual control wheels ... but can easily happen with dual (side mounted) side sticks such as found in Airbus aircraft where the left hand can't see what the right hand is doing.

Thanks Graham, I've bookmarked that site. Sorry for the late reply! John.