boleropilot

Hey Marty I see your postcode is 4310 = my necka the woods too - my Drifter is currently undergoing 'serious maintenance' at YBOA but I hope to be in the air again in a couple of months time - the recently constructed 'airstrip' at my place is slowly getting enough grass to be usable, STOL only @ 200 metres and surrounded by hills...really looking forward to getting my Drifter in/out of here! Only fly in the ointment is trying to find the dollars for a cheap hangar so I can keep it here 24/7. I'm a Flying Tiger so I might see you at Boonah sometime? Cheers, BP PS hey facthunter, do you know your avatar pic is now complete at 1:1 scale and soon to take to the air at Boonah ?

Yenn, you are not the Messiah - you're a very naughty boy....

Yes it's true - Pastafarianism is a registered and approved (?) religious organisation in the good old U S of A - who wooda thunk? I am a convert, but it has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that Pastafarian Heaven has a stripper factory and a beer fountain...honest! I'm about half way through the Pastafarian Bible - I keep having to put it down because my face starts to hurt from my hysterical laughing...got myself a chrome (plastic) FSM emblem for my Drifter too...only fly in the ointment is that my long-suffering wifey won't be seen with me in public with me colander on me head - so sad. BP

Don't forget that the Drifter u/c legs have an insert at one end, and I think the bolt hole diameters are different? As for your avatar mnewbery, just wondering if you ever go out in public with a colander on your head? I haven't been that brave yet, but I'm quite looking forward to getting to Heaven - a beer fountain and a stripper factory sounds good to me...... and now we shall see some interesting posts from folks asking w t f I am talking about..... Arrr me hearties !!! BP

takes one to know one, Lilo....

G'day Redski, nice photos - imho the F4E would be the ultimate warbird (a Pig would top it, but...just too expensive probly) I worked on the Army Aviation flight line when the Phantoms were at Amberley, man they were a class act - imagine what the Canberra pilots thought during their first flight in one....probly something like "goodness me, this is jolly fast" Sitting in a Lysaght Hut close to the runway when an F4E slipped through the barrier - apparently he was doing a 'high speed low level' pass for a VIP in the tower - loudest noise I ever heard Literally thousands of windows broken all over the base (and Ipswich) - the poor old BP servo at the top of the hill didn't have a pane of glass left intact... As for the tandem take-off by two RC135s going back to the good old US of A - still gives me the shivers - not pretty, but nobody died (miracle) so it's all good - yes, it went wrong... BP

my favourite kind of airshow? one that Geoff13 isn't attending!!! just kidding m8, just kidding - don't go accusing me of stalkin' ya... on a more sensible note, I went to Wanaka this year and the highlight (not just for me but a lot of guys commenting in the stands) was the brilliant 4 ship by RAAF Hawks - man they were tight! we planned our trip a week either side of Easter, staying 3 or 4 days at various places, with the 4 day Easter long weekend at a winery near Alexandra (Weaver Estate - 10/10) the airshow is: practice on Friday, identical airshow programme sat and sun, flights day on Monday - as such, going on sat or sun is all you need unless you want to go for a fly in something on the Monday... traffic to/from Alexandra on the day was easy as, no problem at all hey IBob, did you know about the 4 x Habicht gliders that performed formation aerobatics for the crowd at the 1936 Olympic games in Germany? I've got two RC Habichts, one 2.4m and one 2.7m wingspan (both still in boxes) BP

in my Army Aviation days there were numerous incidents with helicopters (and real aircraft) that never happened... like the guys piloting a Sioux with floats that were sick of army rations, went fishing with a whiz-bang (artillery simulation device) and brought back a bin full of reef fish for the camp... and the Sioux pilot who landed in the main street of a small town to pick up his dry cleaning...got a finger wagged at him for that... and the Private soldier who flew a Caribou (up front by himself) all the way across the cape (back to Cooktown) while the rest of the crew played cards in the back... and the Caribou that flew at 50 feet along a croc infested river, with a crewey sitting on the open ramp, and the pilot calling "big one, left bank, passing.......NOW' - and then bang bang bang in those days guys had brought all sorts of stuff back from Vietnam, including Armalites etc. I was offered a box of 10 brand new (US) 9mm handguns for $1,000... and the RAAF boys that got in an 'altercation' with some army lads at a Cooktown pub - Caribou crew and Armoured crew - the next day a big line-up of armoured vehicles was getting ready to depart when a Caribou flew over low and slow on the flat underside of the 'boo in huge letters (tape of some sort) were the words - ARMY SUX - laughed so hard I nearly wet meself - our armoured friends were not impressed and my very first flight in a Sioux? Sat on a hill with a smoke grenade and a 25 radio and told to only throw the smoke if the student couldn't find me via the map refs he'd been given - pilot flew all around me for about 5 minutes then said "Ah fuggit Tonxy, I don't know what bluddy hill you're on, throw the smoke willya" - the reply was "one six-pack - deal". As it was a casevac, the pilot then TIED me to the rack with ROPE, then flew me back to camp. After landing, the bastid left me tied to the rack for a little while - the things they did to me during that time cannot be printed here... did I mention that none of this happened? I just made it all up. btw, the fish was delicious...

No Robbo, you haven't offended me in the slightest, and I really do appreciate your kind words. I had an idea that's what you meant, and I have a plethora of highly skilled and experienced aviators to ask for assistance in these matters, so I'm good in that respect. As per my post above, I've downloaded the RAAus tutorial on weight and balance and will be contacting the Drifter Factory at Kupunn for weight/balance/C of G data. You can be assured that I won't be slipping any surly bonds until I get the problem sorted. Thanks again for your interest and demeanour. BP

thanks C722532 - nice to see someone on this forum with intelligent and helpful comments instead of the vindictive, belittling garbage spewed forth by some here... not mentioning any names, but they pose like a weighbridge girl with their elbow on the bonnet of their 'aircraft'....

well - seeing you're all going to start being nice to me (who wooda thunk) I'll stay......btw, I prefer Puccini - Turandot in particular in respect of boring and repetitive, that concept (of course) could not be attached to those who live by the creed "ignorance is no excuse" - hmm? hey, here's a thought - shame about the Spitfire......

hey Neil - just thinking of a fitting reply - hang on - oh yeah - how about: FUCK OFF NEIL !

I AM SO SICK OF THIS BULL SCHNITZEL - ARE YOU SERIOUSLY TELLING ME (LIKE SOME OTHER TOSSER ON THIS FORUM) THAT I WAS AT FAULT WITH MY TRAILER ACCIDENT BECAUSE I SHOULD HAVE GONE TO THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT AND GOT A COPY OF THE REGULATIONS BEFORE I BOUGHT THE TRAILER (LIKE EVERYONE ELSE ON THE PLANET) SO THAT I WOULD KNOW IF SOME MORON WHO SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER LOADED MY TRAILER INCORRECTLY?????? AND BECAUSE I DIDN'T DO THAT I WAS ENTIRELY AT FAULT AND MY IGNORANCE OF THE REGULATIONS (AND ALL THE INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN) IS NO EXCUSE??????????????????????? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FAR KING MIND???????????????????????????????????????????????????????? MODERATORS, PLEASE NOTE: CLOSE MY ACCOUNT, TEAR IT UP, TAKE ME OFF THE BOOKS, I AM OUT OF HERE AND WILL NOT BE BACK GOOD NEWS FOR SOME NO DOUBT, BUT HEY, GOOD NEWS FOR ME TOO, I AM SO OVER THIS GARBAGE

some interesting comments - all read with appreciation - but - "aerospace engineer"? I've ordered a visit by one from NASA, apparently I'll need to sell the house to pay for it.....the Drifter is worth $15k tops - I might cancel it and talk to the local guys with thousands of hours accumulated on Drifters. on a more refined note - I have printed this out: Tutorial: weight and balance and I intend to contact the Drifter factory at Kupunn (good luck with that, they all say in unison) for balance and C of G data and g'day nunans, thanks for your comments, much appreciated. one thing I would like to stress is the connection of the infamous weight to the aircraft - if that weight separates from the aircraft it will be because it has broken up into little tiny pieces (along with the pilot) - as I don't normally fly into huge cumulonimbus, I feel I am fairly safe there. Honestly, folks, those zip ties are far king HUGE and are backed up by numerous strands of aircraft tie wire - the thought did occur to me to just tie it on with a piece of string, but I changed my mind..... BP

ignorance is no excuse? hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha I just shooda known, hey?

thank you

G'day Tom, thanks for your concern. Because I am a big fat fella, I am already flying 455 with a 500g weight zip tied to the tailwheel bracket - that little addition has made a huge difference to the trim-tab setting. The zip ties are checked carefully during pre-flight and are replaced regularly, and the weight is substantially secured with aircraft quality tie wire. I am also aware that some other Drifters have the battery fitted somewhere around the c of g of the aircraft, mainly for access reasons - these are possibly aircraft that have had electric start added at some time. The battery in 455 is buried down in the nose of the aircraft. From my experience with both real and RC aircraft I am of the opinion that moving the battery back toward the c of g of the Drifter (about a metre) is not going to have any effect on the weight and balance of the aircraft other than improving the balance by reducing weight in the nose - the negative is the fact that as it will be located just behind my fat arse it will give the same result as me putting on another kilo (heaven forbid), but with the added advantage of losing a kilo from the nose! At this point in time I am using a considerable degree of up trim to maintain level flight. I am also aware that some Drifters (e.g. the two at Clifton) have fittings in the nose to add weight for lightweight pilots - that also indicates to me that the balance of the aircraft can be safely adjusted by adding/deleting weight at the nose as required. I am of course open to all comments with respect to the planned modification. I am aware it will affect the 25 registration but that is not of concern at this point - if a future owner wants 25 rego the modification is easily reversible. For those of you who are considering making comments about me simply reducing the size of my fat arse, you don't need to bother - my wife is taking care of that issue on a daily basis! BP

G'day Y'all, I have a 582 WB Drifter hangared at Boonah that I am in the process of changing motors (was silver head premix, now blue head auto mix). During the process I am doing some cockpit renos and adding some bits, e.g. strobe. I would also like to move the battery from the nose to an alloy box mounted behind the pilots seat. The electrical work required for the above is far beyond me so I need someone with the knowledge/training/experience to assist me - I am happy to pay in dollars, red wine, beer, etc..... Anybody who can get to Boonah without drama (some of you have aeroplanes, apparently) please contact me so I can finally get my baby back in the air. Cheers, Dave Tonks aka Boleropilot

ah, Enforcement Officers - God knows we need a lot more of those, folks.....

so there's a Safe Towing Guide ? is it given to people when they get their licence? does it come with every new trailer sold? but then what about used trailers?

onetrack, my humble apologies - I am so used to being pilloried for something that happened to me many moons ago that I tend to react badly to perceived criticism - something that I firmly believe was not within my power to avoid at the time One thing I have not mentioned is the awful thought that 'the incident' could have caused injury or death to myself or other road users - that has stayed with me and it is why I do my best to warn other drivers when I see trailers in dangerous situations on the road. Another incident I became involved in was when I "pulled up" a minibus towing a large luggage trailer - every time the trailer went over a bump there was a puff of blue smoke from one tyre - when we inspected it we found the load had shifted and that tyre was hitting a BOLT under the trailer - the tyre was severely damaged and about 10 seconds away from failing - imagine the carnage if that had failed at 100km/h and the minibus (with about 20 people on board) had been propelled into the path of one of the huge trucks that are common on that road. More than one poster has mentioned the need for basic trailer training (and perhaps licencing) due to the potential for incidents - I might spend a few minutes of my time and pen a short letter to the RACQ... Drive (and FLY) safe, people, lest the God of Nasty Incidents turns his intentions toward you and smites thee with unpleasant happenings.

um - what exactly do you mean by that onetrack ? I can't imagine for one moment you are referring to my "unfortunate incident".... I am one far king nanosecond away from baling out from this forum, because I have better things to do with my life than spend my precious time trying to communicate rationally with "expletive deleted" individuals Trust me, this is my FINAL post on this forum (unless someone with rational, reasonable thought processes gets involved). My final words on this (and probably any other) subject: 1. there are NO legal requirements for any person to seek or obtain weight/loading specific information with respect to domestic trailers. There should be, but there isn't. To expect first-time trailer buyers to make an effort to seek out all the relevant information about trailers with respect to loading, C of G and vehicle dynamics is, frankly, inconceivable - who would do that? 2. if an untrained and inexperienced person who purchases a domestic trailer then has that trailer loaded incorrectly and unsafely by a company selling products to the driver of that domestic trailer and it happens that the loading is both incorrect and unsafe (even though the driver asks for confirmation on TWO occasions that the load is safe), then it is OBVIOUS (to NORMAL THINKING persons that it is UNREASONABLE to consider the driver would be at fault in the event of an incident - that is in fact the opinion of the RACQ legal department and I find it literally inconceivable that any reasonable minded person would think otherwise, 3. IF there were a legal requirement for domestic trailer owners to obtain weight/loading specific information with respect to domestic trailers and a person either did not do so or deliberately loaded their trailer incorrectly knowing full well that the loading was incorrect and dangerous OR accepted a dangerously loaded trailer, then that person acted with obvious illegal intent and should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law in the case of any 'unfortunate incident'. Now I am going to bed - in the morning I will be drawn to my computer like a moth to a flame, and I fully expect that any response/s to the words written above will prompt me to reply with words that will end my presence here. I'd like to say "goodbye, it's been nice" but that would be a lie. For farks sake, someone take a deep breath and respond with some sanity. BP

Yenn - please read my post again and note these words - "neither did I until my unfortunate incident" - which means (I think) that I tried to assist other drivers AFTER my incident when I witnessed a dangerous situation - as for the ability or training to pull over drivers: ability is basic, and my training involved passing the Queensland Police Service driving course in 2000 with High Level results. Having said that, I was not a Police Officer at the time I "gave some important information" to those drivers who were smart enough to pull over when the driver behind was flashing the headlights. I don't need any authority to flash my headlights from behind, and if the car stops then I have saved someone some grief (and possibly injury to themselves or others). If they don't pull over, too bad, and good luck, at least I tried.

frankly, my dears, I don't give a fat rats rectum.......the fact that I finally came back here to see what was happening depresses me greatly

Geoff, I stand by my comments and do not appreciate being publicly ridiculed for my opinion - the fact that you are not bothered you have done this does not bother me one bit. If it wasn't your intention to do so then perhaps your wording could have been a little more positive in putting your point forward and not made the issue personal. The comment that you basically do not give a damn about someone you have publicly ridiculed being angry about your comments indicates a degree of - what's the word - arrogance? As for the RACQ, once again, we will have to agree to disagree - those who have negative results from dealing with them are likely to have a negative impression of them, and vice versa. BP