farri

Flying some of our high country, this morning...We`ve only had a couple of weeks without rain and already the dust and smoke is in the air. 

On 26/09/2021 at 6:24 PM, BrendAn said:

I have been told it is easier for me to learn in a taildragger from scratch rather than convert later.  

Hi BrendAn, Don`t look at it as easier or harder, rather, just as a skill you need to learn, if you want to be endorsed on both tail dragger and tricycle (nose wheel)! I`m endorsed on both.

R.I.P. KIWI.

To call Quad Bikes well known killers, is like calling Ultralight Aircraft, well known killers.  

I used a Quad Bike for many years in my work as a farmer! I still have one and ride it regularly and like my Drifter (and other Ultralights I`ve flown) to date, I`ve never so much as been scratched by any of them! that`s not to say I couldn`t make a mistake or several and become a statistic.

Investigate the accident and find the reals reason that caused it. 

1 hour ago, Flightrite said:

Not even close Farri😉

Got Ya!!! 

35,000 feet?

The earth certainly isn`t flat in my area and here`s the proof...I did this sunset flight, earlier this week.

On 07/10/2021 at 8:40 AM, Garfly said:

That's FlightRadar24's flat earth rendition of the route. The article also includes their spherical earth illustration.

 

Anyway, are you planning this route for the Drifter, Frank?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Absolutely Garry and there`s a spare back seat, just don`t bring too much luggage! you coming?

30 minutes ago, Old Koreelah said:

Franko how come a cane farmer can create more entertaining content than all the global networks?

Hey O.K. A mere cane farmer???  I stopped cane farming at 60, 13 years ago.

Just started doing videos` around this time last year! pleased you think they`re O.K.  

This is a flight I did recently! I`m using a GoPro Hero 8 Black to shoot the footage, then I create the final video, with Shotcut, a free video editing program that I`ve downloaded from the internet.

https://youtu.be/gP6hjN_2jzc

The short answer! on an average day, at MTOW, (400 Kg) about 300 mts.

Have flow the SB with the large nose pod and the Rotax 582! not as maneuverable as the WB with the small pod, which mine is.

G`Day Nev, Yeah! conditions were pretty good... These days I`ve go 3 that I can use! the one in the video is 510mt from end to end.

No shortage, up here, of people wanting me to take them up in the Drifter...Here`s a short video of my flight to the Atherton Tablelands, with Kim, yesterday....Franco.

https://youtu.be/gLL0e79bn_g

 G`Day Garry, Thank you!!! I`ve just been a lurker, for a while! watching what others are saying and keeping up to date with the accident and incident reports.

I did a couple of hours solo before taking anyone up! there`s been a few in the back seat since but my first passenger was my eldest Great-Grand-Daughter, 9 year old, Brooklyn, a veteran, , of the back seat of the Drifter, as I took her up for the first time at 4 years of age.

Franco.

Hey Guys! surely I`m not the only Drifter Pilot left on this Forum!!!

I refurbished my Drifter, a couple of months ago and fitted a new Warp-Drive prop! I had to cut the blades to 60 inch diameter, then adjust the pitch, several times, until I got the best performance.

From memory, the last time I refurbished the Drifter, was around 11 years ago, so if I can get another 11 years, I`ll be 84 years old and who knows! it might see me out.

Vanoj, Live streaming the flight to his, wife, his parents and friends, in India.

Sorry Guy`s, havn`t been able to upload the video that should have been with my previous post! any help appreciated.

Well! I`m still flying and enjoying every second of it...Yesterday afternoon I took Vanoj Danturi for his first Ultralight.

Vanoj, works at our local servo! he told me his dream was to fly so I offered to take him up! Vanoj was live streaming the flight to his wife, his parents and friends, in India! what better way to showcase the Drifter and our beautiful area of Deeral, North, Queensland.

Thanks Garry! I didn`t know about, Garmin Autoland. 👍

On 20/01/2021 at 9:03 PM, SSCBD said:

Frank you old bastard - when are you getting the "push mower" out. I notice  on the video with your departure the grass was a bit high. Stop polishing your propeller all day making these plane pornos! and do some work around the place.

 

SSCBD 

Hey! old buddy, old pall! I don`t sit around drinking coffee all day, like you! , you`d be surprised how much hand push mowing I do with my trusty Victa.

 It`s been raining here almost non stop for the last two weeks! cleared up yesterday and the forecast is, no rain for the next five days before it starts again, so I promise I`ll mow the strips.....I shot the footage for this video, yesterday...Franco.

Hi Everyone! The wet season has come to North Queensland with a vengeance! on Monday, here at home, we just missed Kimi a category 2 Tropical Cyclone, that fortunately! stayed off the coast and continued heading South before turning into a low pressure system. 

Most years, after serious rain, I go up in the Drifter and take photos of our area, so it`s nothing new or an unusual thing for me to do, but this year I`ll be doing videos! I took the footage for this video a couple of days after the rain started. 

When the strip at the Drifter shed is too wet, I come up to the one at the house...Franco.

On 16/01/2021 at 12:17 PM, New2flying said:

 I felt treated worse than a dog, when she informed me she would practically prohibit her other employees in training me for the RAAus certificate.

 

Hi, New2flying! I held an Australian Ultralight Federation (AUF) CFI rating and ran my own CAA/AUF approved flying school for 12 years before retiring from instructing, several years ago...When anyone came to me for advice on learning to fly, I would tell them to find a good instructor who they could communicate effectively with.

If for whatever reason you can`t communicate effectively with the instructor, regardless of who the instructor might be, it is going to make it difficult, if not impossible, to get the best out of your lessons! if you truly want to learn to fly, don`t take the easier, cheaper, alternative! it may be the dearest, in the end. 

Franco.

21 hours ago, kgwilson said:

Well the Drifter still pulls the women (or is it the pilot). Whatever it's more than money that talks.

Sorry for the thread drift!...This morning!!!Back to topic.

I can tell you all for a fact, that it takes more than money!!!....Franco.

Well!, it`s still happening at Deeral.....I took two of these three lovely ladies, Drifter flying, this morning! first Ultralight flight for both of them and I think the photos say it all.

Franco.

17 hours ago, Methusala said:

Anyone had 582 carby icing? Today, at 3,000 and cruise revs I had a brief engine cut (about 1/2 sec). 500 below cloud at 18deg/c. Can't think of anything else it was likely to be. When I landed there appeared to be condensation on the carb bodies.

G`Day Don, good to see you`re still flying! I`ve had 4, 582 grey head, with a total of 2120 hrs, and don`t recall ever having carby icing! not saying it can`t happen, however,  carby icing is pretty hard to prove.

Found this for you, saved me typing it out! 

Condensation is caused by a temperature difference between a surface and humid air, effectively lowering the temperature of the surrounding air to below the vapor point. I would say that your carb is getting cold as compared to the ambient air. This could be due to the low pressure in the venturi or from the gasoline flowing through the carb which will cool the metal down (as metal is generally a great conductor of heat). I think that when the engine is on it heats up the surrounding supersaturated air (since it's very humid there) and the carb has not yet heated up, creating the condensation.