Kenlsa

I've been a member since the AUF days and I think that we have always chosen CFI's as it was the easy thing to do coz they know flying right?

But as we are no longer "clubby" with now 10k members, not just 50 of our mates, I really feel that the board has had enough CFIs for now and we need to look at business, corporate and large community organisation type of candidates. It seems that i have seen some of these faces 20 years ago. Am I wrong?

No way am i going to keep rehashing the same people with limited corporate knowledge any more. We have outgrown the "mates club" .

It was this type of thinking that got us into trouble a few years ago if you remember.

Further, I have taken the time to talk to some of the board and staff a few times over the last 3 years at meetings, flyins and workshops and been impressed with the direction we are heading, and none of the were of the old guard.

Ken

Back to the origonal owner?

Sounds like most have it easy! At my club we have gliders and pawnee tow plane doing their own thing. Can be interesting at times.

I may know the aircraft , what is the rego

Purchased a Colt in need of a rebuild so I am hanging out for the 760kg. I hope it comes through before I make it airworthy or I will have to go RPL and that will put me under 2 systems. Working on my Jab will be OK but not on my simpler Colt. Hmmm,m Ken

Initially I was sceptical of the L1 theory session but learnt a few things,it just wasnt compatible with iPad, (that pissed me off)

So all up ---I have built my own jab, maintained it for 13 years, now done the L1 theory and L1 practice, the Jab factory course and help out our level 4 from time to time to keep my skills up. I have got something from every course and session I have attended. It has all been worth it.

Now I am about to restore a Colt for the 760kg limit but looks like I won't be able to maintain it........Back to square on again as it will have to be Lame maintained.

I do worry about Casa though as I filled out a transfer form of 6 pages that needed an 8 page explanation document to complete the 6 page rego form, go figure!!!!

Hopefully I will eventually be able to maintain it as it is as simple as my Jabby.

Ken

Like the rest of you I have the 98 Mogas smell and when I first noticed it I stripped and replaced my lines and tap, examined the tank and all was good as far as I could tell and still smelled for a couple of minutes after the door was opened. Spoke to others and all had the smell. So I filled all my plastics jerry cans with 98 and left them in my car over the day. Got to tell you the pong was overwhelming but had no leaks. So I just put up with it over these years and nothing has happened to cause me to change back to avgas Ken.

One thing of note with this engine is that power is rated as 100 hp at 2900rpm. This would be handy as most VW based engines max power is 3200 to 3600. So a larger prop can be used maximising the lower rpm range AND the higher power output over the normal 76 to 80hp.  Ken

Working from memory (risky) this company already cast the VW Brazillian engines, so took it over when VW wanted to sell. They then hired a Continental engines design engineer and this motor is the result. 

Ken

I have about 350 hrs on 98 in my 2200. All good. I keep the tank half full and top up each time I fly with the amount I will need for the flight. Ken

I get sea sick looking at a wet sponge! Used to be a glider jockey and tried aeros but felt sick the entire time so gave it up and flew power instead. It is all about straight and level for me I'm afraid to say. Ken

Sophie, Roland Flat is 600m grass and a private strip, ( I would not recommend it in your aircraft ) you are still 5 minutes drive from Tanunda ( where I live) so will still need a taxi. Best bet is Gawler, then taxi from there as the Barossa is a large area. I don't know of any hire cars in Gawler. Tanunda is the centre of the region and there is a husband and wife taxi car business, they also have a plane of their own so can talk the lingo. As an alternative I think there is a local bus service, best check with the Information Centre about that. Ken

Gawler in South Aust. You are only 20 minutes from the Barossa and 45 from Adelaide. We have fuel and accommodation , but I'd rather stay in the Barossa.

Ken

Hi all, just musing over the topics of the last few years with some more depressing than others.

I fly a SP 500 Jab, that I built and maintain myself but I am lead to believe that;

My engine will fail and CASA confirms this.

I have to inform my passenger that we might crash and get them to sign off on it.

I did not put photos of the right hand side of my plane grounding me for a few weeks, thanks RAAus.

I don't fly a tail dragger so I am not a proper pilot.

I have to fly 760kg so I can have 8 hours of fuel and every IFR instrument available.

I live in the Stone Age as I have steam instruments, even though most of you with flying flat screens still run steam coz you really don't trust them.

I don't know what a Jacobs Flair is...I just land it (how have I managed so far?)

Now I read that I am probably using the wrong grease in my bearings, great.

At least most of you agree that when my steam gauges fail me causing my engine to also fail, and I glance to my right and I confirm that my pax did sign the release to fly with White Knuckle Airlines, my Jabby airframe will save us! At least that is something positive.

How ever have I managed so far?

Ken

Space sailor, While our wall of fire was 1127mts it only stood for a short time as the Yanks didn't like this so did a 2.5k. To take the record. Our show replicated a Napalm strike (very involved to do as we had to ensure our rolling wave did not go supersonic so liaised with an ARDU scientist and explosives engineers to keep the front subsonic, even though each explosion is supersonic in itself) the Yanks just used det cord to ignite the whole thing at once (way easier).

the only disappointment was altering a display with the Hunter due to mech troubles.  So we used One of our "regular" jet guys to do that part of the show.  The Hunter sure is something else; unfortunately we will never get to work with it now. Ken

As someone who has set up airshow pyro for many years there has always been a 200 foot stand off from the runways. Notam is issued for the show and some days before to include the set up. I remember doing the Bundaberg show (world record wall of fire) Notam issued and double xx marker on the grass runway as we had explosives set up! We also had personnel and vehicles on the runway. But that did not deter a light twin from putting down and running between the show items.  I was the one who gave pilot briefings on most occasions and all pyro, standoff distances, flight line and show lines were explained. Site plan issued as well.  All good.  I would be sure the same procedures would occur elsewhere.

For those interested look up you tube world record wall of fire at Bundy for the Guiness Book of Records show. I don't know how to link it, only how to blow stuff up. Ken

It is nice to read stories from other countries as it all helps to expand our knowledge base. Ken

If glass is so good , why do all of you that have glass also have steam as a backup? It just adds weight. If you love glass so much just run with it. But I guess you don't really trust it do you? We fly VFR and under RAAus we need minimal gauges. Keep it simple... Though I have weakened and got an iPad with navigation it has let me down a couple of times. So I have a gps as well. Perhaps I should just stick to my old Shell road maps for Nav! Ken

Vev, I have set my SP 500 Jab with no toe in or out and zero camber at 310 kg, (no pax and half fuel) so at normal flying (solo and about half fuel, tools etc @ 400kg) I have perfectly worn tyres. Note that this is with the old straight leg U/C. Ken

Like my previous post, I agree with Skippy.

Ken

I have read in this forum that it is cheaper to fly VH even with the cost of medical Vs the annual rego cost of RAAus aircraft.  Just been updating myself with the Jabiru site and note that it is $2k extra to have VH registration (see aircraft options and pricing) can anyone enlighten me as to why is it so? (Appologies for the glass and a half reference?) Ken

Try a number of channels to see if it still does it. Mine did exactly what yours is doing and turned out to be fritzed. Ken

Swish, do you have a website or Facebook page up and running for your a/c as the old distributor site is still around. Ken

I have a somewhat different take on this. Everybody wants something for nothing or at best, cheap. Take my club; $130 an hour ( instruction is by volunteers and our L4 does a good deal with the club) so you could solo for about $1500 to 2000 with club joining fee of $450.  At such a low price we take students from the schools in our area. So does this work out for our club?

NO! We have 4 Jabs churning thru students with training 6 days per week. But the bottom line is many of these would be aviators tick it off their bucket list once they have gone solo.  We never see them again; it was cheap; volunteers look after the fleet and grounds; time to tick off the next task on that bucket list.

I feel that if you don't work for it or it is cheap, others don't appreciate it as they just use you up so long as you get what you want.

We also run a gliding operation and we were overwhelmed with TIF customers running the cfi and instructors into the ground ( we picked up very few students as a result) so in the end we put a 50% increase on the cost and we had a few less TIFs but revenue was the same and less burnout. I wish we did this with Rec Aviation.

Flying is expensive; Pay What It Is Worth. This will ensure that the flying business survives. Ken

Hummmmm IPad, took off from Gawler (Adelaide ) after 5 minutes showed me that I was in Sydney, quick reboot then I was in Broome! Decided to map read instead. Next flight all good and never a problem since. But I don't trust anything with electrons...Ken