Justin Hawkins

Farri, I understand the aerodynamics and forces involved, which is why I brought this up. Having a trim tab is generally not a bad thing, however all aircraft of the same type and equipment should require a similar trim tab. IE: If one Drifter SB582 should have one, all of them operated the same way should have them also. At least in a perfect world. That said, we all know that individual aircraft have their own quirks. But having a huge tab on mine and no tab on another seems excessive, indicating something is amiss. I've been inspecting mine and measuring things to make sure it's straight. I've found a few things that concern me: My sails are worn, so I'm replacing them. This might be a small factor as the tail sails are a little loose. The Right inboard batten has poked through in the front, reshaping the wing a tiny bit. Inside the rudder, one of the lower ribs (made of styrofoam) was broken. I fixed this and I think it helped a bit. I measured the wires from the mid trailing edge of the wings to the tail where they tie into the tail bracing wires. The left wire is 1/4" longer than the right. They're both semi-snug without being to tight. I'd say there's 2-3" of movement in the middle if that makes sense. I'm not sure what the offset angle of the engine should be, or if there's any way to change it. My main tube is straight and has no cracks. Inspected it with a digital inspection camera.

I guess I don't mind paying extra for a better product. Another benefit will be that I can continue flying while they're beinge made. Are the sails Wayne produces fitted with quality zippers and velcro control surface seals like the Austflight sails ?

After talking to Wayne, it seems like his sails are almost $2500 USD after shipping. I wonder if they're worth the extra $1000.......

Sweet! i wonder how much shipping would be to the states.....

Hi guys, I was thinking that my sails could make it another year, but I believe the time has come for them to be replaced. I've found a sailmaker that'll make me a new set using my old sails as a template for $1500 USD. He's not yet made a set for the strut braced drifter, so he'll need my old ones to duplicate. Does anyone know of a good sailmaker that's got a track record for nice fitting sails on the strut braced Austflight drifter ? My old ones are tired. I'm hesitant to use mine for a template, as they seem a tad loose fitting, especially in the tail. Thanks, Justin

Thanks Peter ! I guess I should post a detailed explaination on the blog. Basically, I took the tank off, pulled out all the big chunks, then cleaned it. I put some laquer thinner in (maybe a pint) along with some various nuts, bolts, and washers. I then swirled it around for 20-30 minutes. Then I dumped it and flushed the tank with soapy water and let it dry for a few days. I then resealed the tank with Bill Hearsh brand gas tank sealant as per the instructions. I also replaced fuel lines, rebuilt the engine driven pump, and inspected the carbs. Runs like a top now, and I've got about 5 hours on her since the failure.

I'll check that, but I bet they're definetly loose. Maybe I can just twist them after disconnecting one end. That should tighten em up equally. I'll check that the wing is square with the main tube and that the washout is accurate also. It's a strut braced bird with a 582. Austflight manufactured.

What should the tension be ? I think mine may be a little loose.

Agreed. If everyone else is flying a drifter with no trim tab, I shouldn't need one. I think I'll remove it altogether and start inspecting more thouroughly.

True. I hope I have all the bugs worked out. The failure was my fault on both accounts, for failure to perform a more thourough inspection before I flew it the first time. Assume nothing. I updated the blog again, with a post detailing my second in flight engine failure. http://www.shutterflightphotography.com/stupid-fuel-filter/

Hi all. I'm hoping you can set me straight on an issue I'm having with my Drifter. After transport and reassembly, my first few flights were great. I did notice, however, that the rudder required slight left pressure on takeoff and even a bit in cruise flight. This is despite the rudder having a rather large trim tab bent sharply to the right (looking from the tail towards the nose). After a rough backcountry landing, it required a lot of left rudder. I inspected the tail feathers and controls for damage. Found a clevis on the right rudder control horn to be wrapped / tangled a bit so I sorted that out and thought I'd fixed the issue. The next flight resulted in less right rudder being required, but still not perfect. I added a bigger trim tab because when I look back at the tail in flight (not easy) it looks as though left rudder is being applied. I increase the size of the original trim tab by 2" on the top, bottom, and aft sections. I've not flown it since. My concern is this: I see several Austflight Drifters in the picture thread that have no rudder trim tab. should I be suspecting a structural issue ? I've ordered a video inspection camera and I'll use it to inspect the remaining parts of the main tube that I couldn't access otherwise. Everything on the airframe seems straight and tight. No deformation of the floor pans or rivets anywhere. All tubes look straight and everything fits where it should. Any suggestions ? Does anyone else here require a massive rudder trim tab ?

Thanks Maj ! Oh yeah, I've got 12 hours on her. 2 Engine failures so far though......So I haven't been doing a lot of quality aerial photography lately. Details in my blog and post in the drifter thread.

Just updated the blog again with a post about my first engine failure in the Drifter....Now I'll work on a post about my second. http://www.shutterflightphotography.com/stupid-base-gasket/

Hey Fellas, Check out my blog entry detailing my first impressions of the Austflight Drifter. I haven't entered it in my blog yet, but I've had 2 engine failures in flight. I'll post details about that soon. http://www.shutterflightphotography.com/first-few-flights-in-the-new-bird/

I took this one with my old cheesy Sony A100 through the curving canopy of a vans RV4, so it can be done. It's Shiprock in Northwest New Mexico.

A few basic tips: Learn your camera well so you can operate it easily, including advanced settings. On my Nikon I usually use the Shutter Priority Mode and set the fastest possible shutter speed for the given lighting while keeping ISO low enough (below 600). Most importantly - Practice! Hope that helps.

Not a real exciting picture, but I drove 3000 miles on ice and snow to pic up my new Drifter last weekend. Here she is all loaded up: And being assembled at her new home:

Thanks for the compliment ! Haze is difficult to deal with. My camera is a Nikon D7000. I try to keep the focal length low to reduce the amount of air between myself and the subject. This of course means using a wide angle lens and getting close (100-400') to the subject. It's important to get a fast focusing camera and lens setup. Also important is keeping the shutter speed high, the ISO low, and the white balance accurate. Some days are simple clearer than others. I use Adobe Lightroom 3 for the little bit of post processing I do. My brother took this photo with my older Sony Alpha a100:

Started a thread with some pics of my local area http://www.recreationalflying.com/threads/aerial-photography-discussion-and-brag-thread.31533/

Hi all, I've been posting in the drifter ultralight forum and in the new pilots forum and someone asked for a few pics of where I fly. Since I'm big into Aerial Photography, I thought I'd start up a dicussion here and show off a few pics. Feel free to post your own examples. I'll try to post one or two new pics every day. FWIW, I use a Nikon D7000 with a cheap kit lens (for now).

You got it Maj ! I'll start a new thread and post a pic every day, how's that sound ? Yep, I've got DA20-C1 time, and own one that I brought back from the dead after a flight school crashed it. It's a wonderful airplane (and yes, very slick. I'm always to high and fast on final ) I'm excited about the drifter. Leaving on the 1500 mile (each way) drive to pick her up tomorrow.