barandbrew

I was advised by Rotax that if the aircraft was not used for hire then my 912 could be run on condition not TBO and they were aware of 912's with 4000 hrs!!. This seems to contradict the general thought on this thread??

I was under the understanding the Gazelle was type and CASA certified . Am I missunderstanding the rule my Gazelle was orginally VH-MCO so I believed it was CASA certified ?????

Hi Danda I am not aware of any alternative the Gazelle is certified so I don't think you can use anything else. But when you see the small amount of rubber used it makes $1400 seem very very expensive

During the DI on the weekend I noticed the starbord side bungee on my Gazelle had a small tear on the top which measured 10 mm. Being concerned I rang Gympie Aircraft Maintance for advice and was advised to replace the items. Gentleman look after your undercarriage the replacement exchange bungies have cost me $1400 and puts a big hole in my flying money:crying: :;)1:

Bushpilot My reply was to TECHMAN sorry I didn't direct this correctly. Your both Chris Regards John

Chris I have read in newspapers and watched reports on TV of fatal ultralight accidents on many occacasions but very few of the official reports have been published that I can find. I would believe that there would be an official RAA report to every incident? I asked the question where can I revue these reports and the answers given so far would make me believe that there is no such facility. If there is then please advise me how to access it as that would answer my question. Correct timely information can only be given as soon as possible after a decission on an accident has been made ,however if professional opion is that the cause was because of strut bolt failure then a notice to opperators to check this area should be made ASAP. John

This has turned into a good thread, and confirms my orginal question that we need ,correct timley information on accidents particulary fatal ones, so we can hopefully avoid the same situation ourselves

Where can I access the results of RAA investgations on accidents. There has been many fatal accidents but only a few reported in the Mag.

Hi All Had a problem with my 503 yesterday. After a hour and half flight and decending from 4000' on low revs 3500 when I applied full power the motor would choke at 4000 revs I eventually applied choke briefly and the motor then restored to normal opperation. I tried to get the motor to do it again but without success. I have new filters, plugs and fuel is fresh. Any ideas would be appreciated. John

Looks like a Gazelle to me tail stayed up when they landed

Well said Arthur The only reason I am able to fly and own my own aircraft is the opperating costs are low because I can do most of the maintaince myself. When I first started flying RAA I was also concerned the maintance could be done by "UNQUALIFIED" people however after assisting in three or four 100hr services I was confident ( and was told by the GA LAME concerned) that I had the ability to do these myself. Bring in GA maintaince ,more regulations, more restrictions and we may as well all join GA. I know the RAA has to evolve but lets not evolve into GA. John

Hi All Completed the plug test on Saturday as facthunter suggested and the results were all plugs showing a nice light brown colour. rear plugs only slightly lighter( thank God )We have a fairly long taxi from the strip to the hanger so this could be why I had such differing results orginally. Thanks again John

Hi Biggles I have owned a Gazelle for four years now and do most of the maintiance myself with help from qualified people when needed. My Gazelle was a school aircraft but was always hangered and well maintained. She has 1700 hrs on the airframe and 1000hrs on the motor. I fly about 100 hrs a year so at that rate I have about 23 years before I have to worry about the 4000 hr limit on some componets. If you use the Gazelle for private use then the cost of maintance is not high at all, composing of a 100 hrly once a year which normally costs me around $200 plus my own time. I have the Gazelle insured for ground cover only and costs $800 a year. The 912 is a very reliable motor and if not used on line can be run on condition which means that is all the vital signs are ok then the TBO of 1200 or 1500 hrs does not count. I spoke to the people at Bert Flood just last week about this and was told that there are 912's with 6000hrs flying that have not been pulled down. So if you are looking for a easy aircraft to fly and maintain and don't mind 75 knt cruise they are a great little aircraft. Are they getting long in the tooth? Well most are under 12 years of age and if you look at the average age of the cessna 150's etc flying around 30 years they have plenty of service left yet. Not everyone can afford a $120-$140 plastic fantasic so its horses for courses I think. Hope this helps John

I have been told that the rear clyinders run leaner than the front too however only no4 looks lean . I will have to wait till the weekend then I will do as facthunter suggests . I will post the results next week Many thanks again John

Thanks Facthunter We have just completed a 100 hrly I didn't see any sign of leaks on the motor at all.Compression was simular on all four pots,. Would I see some residue of some sort if I had a leak in the intake manifold ? I would have thought the other plugs on that side would have shown the same condition if air was being sucked into the manifold? Also do you believe this is a condition that could cause problems with the motor if we continue to use the aircraft while trying to sort it out ? Thanks in advance John

Just replaced the plugs on my 912 No. 1/2/3 clyinders light brown colour but No.4 were light grey suggesting lean mixture Any idears???? John

Hi Ian Yes our strip is not for the weak hearted. Total length is 600 mtrs with power lines at both ends and a large volcanic plug just to the north that produces some very scary wind sheer at times. Having said that after we were thrown off our old airfield ,Hedlow, our options were our strip at Jim Crow or Lawn Bowls. We chose the tight airstrip. I must admit that I have no problems flying in and out of our strip in most conditions and find when we fly to places like Smokey Creek I don't know what to do with all that extra strip. Regards John

Thanks again Ian I will get a copy it will be good refrence for the future Kind Regards John

Thanks everyone There is no doubt RAA pilots are very friendly people and willing to help those with more limited knowledge and this forum is a great source of information Thanks again John

Thanks Rick The information I published was from Tony Kerr . Tony supplied me with the repair kit and the tanks have to come out to get to the bottom attachments. My concern was having any play in the wing root area could magnify the shock forces placed on the front cluster attachment. I have seen one Skyfox in paticular that had considerable play in this area . If you imagine the force placed on the attachment when encountering strong + then - G's in turbalance having play most certainly will increase stress on the cluster. Much better to have no play I think! John

Just for record I have found that there should be nil play in the front attach pins of the Skyfox or Gazelle. After leaving the factory the pins needed a slight tap to be brought home. If you own a Skyfox/Gazelle have a look as all the aircraft I have seen have some play, some more than others, mine had about a half mill at the wing root this was fixed by replacing the rivited on attachments (big job fuel tank has to come out) Front pin is now very snug.

Thanks Micgrace I feel a little more confident with the above info to have a look myself now Regards John

Good greif Rick That is exactly what nightmares are made of. We had a close encounter with a very large brown in our hanger which is on a bush strip like yours. The snake appeared from behind a cupboard as we were havinging a cup of tea after a mornings flying after a quick flee outside and a long wait the snake eventually moved outside the hanger. Then a sickening thought came into my head as a looked at my Sapphire with its tail boom open and sitting just off the ground. What would have happened if the snake had gone up the boom ,which by the way leads directly to the cockpit in the Sapphire, and appeared during flight? No room to lift your legs in a Sapphire. I have made a plug for the boom and install it after every flight now. I pray I never have to have your experience Regards John

Thanks Pete any idea where I can purchase one Regards John

Thanks Ian Is there any way of telling the bearings are ok without stripping the motor John