Old Koreelah

My PowerMate regulator seems to do the job, letting 14v get to the LiFePO4 battery. Its resting voltage is 13.2v, which it holds for weeks.

Good point! An often-overlooked dimension to landing control. I had mobs of problems with idle revs until a LAME showed me how to adjust the idle screw. 800 rpm is now a reliable idle speed, but some have reported it as low as 350 rpm on Jab engines with EFI. I had major problems stopping my early single-disk Ducati until I replaced the standard master cylinder (which I assume had been designed for a dual-disk setup) with a smaller-diameter one off a Honda 500. Bicycle shops might be a good source of very light-weight hi-tech hydraulic brakes.

Flighty would you please explain how the Govt gains from this.

Back to the Sierra: years ago I dropped in to Garry’s Taree factory for some industrial espionage- I was looking for design ideas for my wing flaps. Garry is the sort of energetic, Can-Do bloke this country is running short of. He insisted I go for a fly. His son took me up in a Sierra and impressed me with its stability and speed.

They’ve grown soft in their old age; no more tents, so accomodation is the issue.

Another dimension: Air tractors are usually idle for months during droughts and a water-bombing contract could save the company from financial collapse. If Australia wants a credible fire- fighting force, we should give these Airtractor operators some priority.

Wow! It’s older than me and still flying! Can’t help comparing that with America’s car industry, which managed to convince people to buy a new one every year or two. Imagine the roads filled with well-maintained Plymouths and De Sotos. Like Cuba.

My old bike mates are planning a trip down the Darling. I presume there a lots of airstrips with pubs, but fear the place will be swamped with caravans.

I flew a few circuits yesterday, then like, Kevin, did the mowing. We will be charged landing fees after this month, so I’m getting in all the STOL circuits I can! As with Sth Grafton, our club maintains the airport terminal grounds.. We have two ancient mowers, a Husky and a RAM zero turn which get the job done in a couple if hours. Best season we’ve seen, so need to mow weekly. I alternate between mower and wizzer, which keeps the edges neat. Biggest problem is hammering given to my bad back by the deep ruts left when huge harvesting machinery uses our grounds.

Octave’s analogy is the best I’ve seen; so good I shared it with friends. Perhaps Flighty could explain why he finds it funny.

An early round engine: https://youtu.be/0I-xLhLquMA?list=RDCMUCOC84qwgDHkUPwfeLKL40tQ

I’ve read that the Allies were quite impressed with the build quality of the Zero, or at least those made early in the war. Saburo Sakai was skilled at leaning his radial engine for economy and claims he once flew for over 12hrs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saburō_Sakai#/media/File:Saburo_Sakai_Zero.jpg I have a part-built 75% replica in my shed, based on the one in Canberra. (Wikipedia claims it was Sakai’s plane, but John White, in charge of restoring it, never mentioned that to me.)

Thanks Nev. Its a big old 9-cylinder unit on a 301. Uneven popping at idle, some pops while speeding up. After some work behind the engine, they have it running better, fewer pops.

Nev I’m just watching a round engine being ground-run and at idle its popping every second or so. Any ideas?

I’m tired of hearing that’s cliche; the empty spaces barely matter to this, and so many other arguments. The populated part of Australia to about the same size as Japan. What matters to this discussion is urban density.

Thankfully that that is still true of Australian politics, but for how long? Too much American madness is being imported. Our society is being riven by misinformation, much of it coming from the US. Scomo and his backers are obviously closely following the Republican playbook to secure future control of this country; the Murdoch empire is spreading its tentacles to ensure that. The recent spreading of free Fox “News” to rural Queensland media is clearly aimed at ensuring those electorates remain firmly under the control of the LNP.

Flighty we are sitting on the edge of our seats, waiting to read what you think they should be doing...

Duncan I can’t comment on the ideal CoG, but ground handling would benefit if you can slightly toe-out the main wheels.

Beautiful aircraft, looked a world-beater.

That’s deserves a thread all its own, Nev. How to travel super-light. I like to browse bicycle shops for light gear. That’s where I got my helmet, brakes, drink-holders and a few other bits. My accommodation is a 1978-vintage Big W tent my wife cut down to fit over the left wing. I carry a Shellite stove and cooking kit given to us as a wedding present 43 years ago. All the camping, emergency gear and tools come to about 10kg.

NP I totally agree; this thread has wandered a little away from aviation. Meanwhile, the busiest thread on this forum has even less to do with flying and my efforts to drag the discussion over to “Off Topic” have had little effect.

...then it will be too late. Would you wait until a bushfire is roaring towards your house before climbing a ladder to clean out the gutters?

I watched the first video, but didn't get far into the second. We used to look up to America, but I fear the place has gone to the dogs. Must be something in the water. Funny cattle.

My normal cuppa is green tea, but not when I’m going to fly. It goes thru you in about twenty minutes!