boingk

Well said Sapphire and Joey - I'm currently a bar manager and earning better wages then the flyboys out at the aerodrome. I'd wager the barstaff are as well, seeing as I'm on the same wage! Anywho, this whole debacle is pretty much why I didn't get into the game commercially. Why would you if you need to spend tens of thousands of dollars just to make it happen, while kissing ass all the way to the top? I'll take my private, meticulously maintained craft and a sunny weekday morning, thankyou very much. - boingk

I see yo 10... and I raise ya 20... - boingk

Flying is flying. You fly within a few limits - rules of the air, limits of the plane, your own limits as a pilot and lastly the limits of comfort and expectation. Fly your plane, always be in command of it. If you are always in the mindset of control then you should be alright - you are making the craft behave as you wish. If it doesn't for some reason, then you must adjust your flight to work within those limits - a forced landing for example. One thing that irritates me is people thinking a forced landing is the end of the world... its just another landing. Make it a good one and look beforehand for the best spot, you shouldn't have a problem. Cheers - boingk

True, but more powerful engines are definitely a possibility. Hell, look at motorcycles - I ride bikes every day that are putting out 120hp per litre. I ride them day in, day out and have yet to have anything go wrong. The engine in my Minicab is putting out 23hp per litre. Politely, thats sod all in the way of engine stresses. You can definitely do more to develop engines, but you must beware of developing them past a certain specification. Most engines will give a 10~25% hp increase quite readily but going over that you may start to run into the limits of the engine, mechanically and reliably speaking. You can certainly squeeze 50hp out of a Briggs & Stratton, for example, but there won't be much left except for the engine case when you're done! CHeers - boingk

Well summarised, turbo. One thing I'd be careful of especially is the recommendation by manufacturers of motorcycle oils - generally these are specified for their antiwear gear additives designed for particularly high stress environments found either in a motorcycle gearbox... or aeroplane PSRU. Rotec specify Shell VX 10W-40 for both their R2800 and R3600 engines because of this, for example. Also might point out that you said you may use high viscosity oil to squeeze through a gallery bottleneck... you'd want to use *low* viscosity oil (ie 10W-40 instead of 20W-50) in that case. Sure you meant to say that but thought I'd clear it up anyways. As for testing without proof of concept... I thought thats what we were doing whilst piloting many of our aircraft? Many designs are being flown that have been either user designed or at the very least not factory backed. I am in no way condoning people just rush out and use any oil in their engine, but I suppose you get my drift. On petrol... modern engines tend to be more sensetive than older style lower compression engines. You'd be mad to run anything less than 98 Mogas in a Rotax 912 for example due to their high compression and high specific power output. My aircraft on the other hand is quite happy with 95 Mogas due to its Continental A-65's low max rpm (2300), low compression ratio (6.3:1!) and low specific power output (23hp/litre). Cheers - boingk

Cht on hottest cylinder if only one fitted, but really not that hard to fit four. Hell even my plane has full cht and egt. Very useful for leaning at altitude not to mention diagnosing any problems. - Cheers

I reckon! What would the engines be... small 10~15hp units? I've heard of people powering hangliders with them. As for contrarotating... the sound on takeoff alone would be enough justification! - boingk

Highly agree with you on the motorcycle test. Loving my motorcycles shift feel and general smooth running on Dello 400 / GW Top Dog. I'm speaking about a little CBR125R and a VTR1000F here, too; engines producing about 120hp/litre at an operational redline of 10,000rpm in each case. The compression ratios are in the order of 11:1 and the crankcase also shares its oil with the transmission. Both are regularly ridden hard and for extended periods of time, the little 125 especially. Its rarely below 75% throttle and generally at maximum under acceleration as its a hoot to ride and won't see you exceed the freeway speed limit without a hill and tucking in race-style. You cannot imagine a harsher environment for a lubricant than a motorcycle, and yet there is widespread evidence that diesel oil is about the best stuff you can get for this environment. Diesel oils 'dieselness' is essentially in its high quality base stock oil and antiwear compounds, namely molybdenum sulphide and zinc diphosphorous. These compounds help with any metal-to-metal contact (shouldn't happen but will negate any damage by forming a last barrier if it does) and also reduce engine friction. The amount of ZDP is limited to about 2.5% as it will cause plug fouling in excess of that fairly quickly - most manufacturers cap at 1.2~2% or so. Diesel oil is also able to withstand a huge range of temperatures while still conforming to its stated levels of protection, generally as a result of high quality base stock and superior methods of refinement. Compare this to an 'ashless dispersent 100wt mineral oil' as is used in aircraft and we're talking about 50 years of evolution. It simply boggles the mind once you have the facts - the difference is night and day. Cheers - boingk

Can second that - have switched from Avgas to Mogas in my A-65-8 powered Minicab and love it. Easier starting and seems to run very much smoother after 20 hours or flying time. Only downside is it leaves a slight soot deposit out of the exhaust, apparently this is common on Continental 65's run on Mogas though. My point is that the last owner recommended it as it did not stick up the valves, nor leave as many deposits, nor cost as much. This was a fellow who had had the engine rebuilt from the crank out and wasn't afraid to take everything out and rework if needed, too; he knew what he was talking about. Not a big fan of Avgas myself, especially in my little 65 which was rated for 75 octane and recommended to use 80 octane! Using 95 octane Mogas almost seems like overkill when you look at it like that. - boingk EDIT: Just for the record, I don't have a lot of faith in 'Aviation' branded oils. I'm heavily into motorcycle and automotive mechanics - maintain all my vehicles myself - and working with aviation oils is like taking a step back 50 years. Very conservative, very costly, very marginal. Yes, they work, but I believe there are better options out there. Personally I like the modern diesel oils such as Gulf Western 'Top Dog' 10W-40 or Dello 400 10W-40. Incidentally these oils can be bought for very reasonable sums when buying in bulk - I recently paid $90 for a 20L drum of GW 10W-40, for example.

Ha! Wouldn't it be nice? Fuel for the Minicab is 95 mogas with valvelube additive 1.5ml/litre added on filling. Standard books rate the A65-8 for 75 octane and recommend 80 octane or higher... and I have to run additive even with 100LL so why bother paying an extra $1 a litre for it? So far running fine on 95, even the last owner recommended it as it has less valvestick and easier starting. Cheers - boingk

Sounds like I might forget about this one then, guys. Last thing I want to do is stuff something up and wreck my aeroplane, or injur myself and/or others for what is essentially a stunt. I rekon I might steer clear of this. Cheers - boingk.

Had an idea! Get a homebrew vat, they are airtight from seals top and bottom. Hold 20L. Put a car tyre valve in the top where the airlock usually sits, and attach a hose to the bottom held inplace with screw-turn clamp. Connect an air pump to the air valve up top and there you go... fuel pump! Cheers - boingk

Hey there guys, as the title suggest I'm looking into the practicalities and legalities of towing a banner with my aircraft. Basically a mate is holding a combined Australia Day / birthday party and I rekon he'd love it if I were to go overhead a couple times with a banner. He's local so it would be a short flight, and away from urban areas as he lives out of town in the country. At this stage I'm just looking whether or not its legal and if I would be able to do with with my aircraft - it gets around 600fpm climb solo and cruises around 80kt @ 75% throttle. I'm assuming it would have to work slightly harder with a banner, but not terribly so. CHeers - boingk

Why not make a single seat version using something really obtainable as a powerplant? My specs are as follows for a low power single seater: Tuned Briggs & Stratton 18hp v-twin engine, direct drive to 40x36 prop. Ply fuselage, wooden/foam wings, fabric covering... or all metal. Small baggage rack capable of 5~10kg weight. Fuel tank for 3hr+ duration. Flying weight ~120kg. Powerplant would cost about 2k depending on modifications. I would recommend simply reducing the stock engine to its core and dispesing of any plastic coverings, fan cooling etc. This alone would bump up your power some, and apparently this and a later model carburettor (twin barrel) gives 21hp from the good old Briggs. Fuselage would be fairly narrow, no more than say 24" wide at its widest and only as deep as you needed for structural and practical reasoning. The head and upper body would be enclosed in a streamlined cowl - you could make this multi-facetted or form a plug for making a single plexi piece. Essentially you're looking at something between a Robinson-Rand KR1, Leon Davis DA-11, Mory Hummel Hummelbird, Fisher Flying Products Avenger, Team Mini-Max 1600R/1650R and the SD-1 Minisport. To be honest all apparently perform well and would be great to build from kit or plans, although only the SD-1 Minisport and DA-11 are designed to use the Briggs & Stratton engine. All can be made for 15k or less by the homebuilder. My faith in the Briggs is mainly because it a lightish engine thats proven to be reliable and has a large corporate source of parts that isn't going to go anywhere quickly. It also has a large aftermarket scene and is regularly in use for aviation. Its contruction also includes electric start, altenator for DC current and an... oh my GAWD... easily accessible oil filter! Its rpm are roughly the same as a VW conversion such as a Jabiru, Hummel 1/2 VW or Great Plains. Cheers - boingk

Hope the healing goes well, if you see the little yellow low-wing out there with rego 28-0825, then thats me! Cheers, and all the best.

This is a brilliant episode, I'm on an ACI kick at the moment as I work late nights and watch it on YouTube when I get home. Not wanting to ruin the episode, all I'll say is that I love the way they remove the debris ;D - boingk

Hope you're in and out without incident mate, really good to hear that you acted on the signs and have private health insurance to back it up. Many people don't and face hard decisions without it - good on you for putting your health first in that regard. I've also heard people use the time in hospital to help them quit smoking - do that if you feel you can and have somone (wife, mates, kids) throw out any lighters, ashtrays or other paraphenalia from your home and car. Not meaning to harp on, just wishing you the best and glad to hear you've 'nipped this one in the bud' so to speak. All the best - boingk

Took a mate up in admittedly very bumpy conditions last week. He was fine until we got back on the ground hahahaha.... did a good job, too, even managed to keep the plane clean! Hot weather plus gusts equals big vertical turbulence, been crazy of late. - boingk

Check out the gear at hobbyking dot com, they stock a large variety of very efficient large brushless motors. I could see fitting a 95-10 out with some, to be honest. The largest expense though would be the batteries and the requisite high-power charger to keep them topped up. CHeers - boingk

Check out 'cri cri electric' on YouTube.- boingk

Not sure if its been posted, but the Fisher Celebrity could also tick some boxes, and kits are available from the states as well. http://www.fisherflying.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=37&Itemid=5 - boingk

And I'd rather do screw and locknut than either. Its not the actual valves that are the problem but more the fact that you need to dick around so much with the bodywork, tank, and engine perhipherals before you even get the the valves. I'm just not a fan of Ducati maintenance logic. My old XR600R, for example, had two bolts to remove the tank and then you were at the valve adjusters after undoing their caps with a large adjustable wrench or 27mm spanner. WHole process including an oil and filter change took 30 minutes. Thats servicing logic. As for racing, they do still do well, but Yamaha and Honda are the ones dominating GP races, and Aprilia and BMW are killing the Superbike field stone cold. - boingk

Its also an outdated technology from an era when you started to get valvefloat at 6,000rpm or so as they didn't have the materials needed for good valvesprings. They're also a massive pain in the ass to service... much prefer Hondas or BMW's in that regard. Do sound good though! - boingk

ABC shop vouncher, some chockies, jocks and a beachtowel from Hawaii with scantily clad and artfully posed women on it. Not bad! By the by, Steve, if you get into the riding you'll find it addictive. I love my pushbikes, great way to get around. - boingk

People, in my opinion, are defined (as a group) as self-serving, short-sighted, whinging d!ckheads. They need to be dealt with in a manner honest, straightforward and polite. Basically bordering on aggressive. In my job (bar manager) I do this mostly with words, and occasionally by using my physical size and demeanor. I imagine other professions may use different tools for similar means. If I was the aerodrome I'd use lawyers... ...or hitmen. You know, whatever strikes your fancy at the time. :D - boingk