biggles

Hi everyone I went for a trip down south and look what somehow followed me home............ ?? VH reg. Bob

David , I respect your right to post whatever you wish on this site however submit , with respect , that the above photo's are emotive , inconclusive and worthless . Essentially the photo's tell us nothing more than if they were Cessna's or , heaven forbid , Drifters . For any intelligent discussion to proceed ,the incidents must have , as a minimum , been investigated by and reported on , by a recognised aviation investigator . Bob

I think that engine number will be well documented ! Bob

Seen yesterday at Southport .A pressurised Lancair IVP running a Walter 720 HP turbine , 300 knots , 130 l/hr . Quite a handful I believe . Bob

" Duel " controls !!

Blxxdy Jabiru engines ! Bob

Ahh , don't be Sicilly FD . Bob

Thanks for the great report Maj. I guess it's to be an annual event , so maybe we should be looking a booking some accommodation soon ! Bob

" drove " MM , what's goin' on ? Bob

It's a wonder Dazza 38 didn't get onto that one . ! Bob

Hmmm , might even encourage Farri to fly down in his Drifter , Pud may come also . He knows a few chords ! Bob

I have same set up . Both cocks normally open , and on pre-start check list . Bob

Nev , my J160 kit , and I believe all other Jab's , were originally fitted with sight glasses . I'm not sure about later kits , but certainly the ' factory completed ' aircraft , later changed to a float arrangement driving a display of LEDs . The sight glasses are not truly " direct ", as they are not directly connected to the tanks , but are mounted to the inside of the fuselage , near the pilot and passengers head , requiring separate fuel line connections back to the tank . The space between the wing root and the fuse is minimal , making it difficult for the fuel / vent lines to be connected without some degree of bending and this ,together with the low tank profile , may contribute to unreliable readings .I think the move to the float driven LEDs was designed to overcome the problem . Bob

Frank The way I see it is that the ball may well be centred when the aircraft on level ground ,as it is only responding to lateral tilt ,however it can be also off to one side when the aircraft is flying unbalanced with the wings are level . It seems to me that it is a little more than a simple inclinometer . Bob

Interesting point you make comparing the Dynon to the skid ball . I always try to fly balanced at all times but find that the starboard tank still empties first . I suspect that the inst. panel may ,in fact ,not be precisely 90 degrees to the longitudinal axis . Will do a check soon . It may be the reason many Jabs suffer from the same problem . Bob

Most fuel gauges in aircraft are unreliable . I use a dipstick that has been calibrated on level ground , and check before and after filling to establish average consumption . I estimate 20 l/hr for my J160 , which more than covers the additional fuel used , around 30 l/hr , to get to cruise altitude .It is unlikely you would be venting if the fuel caps are fitting correctly ie. O rings etc. and the vents facing forward to pressurise tank . Having said that Ihave seen older Jabs venting in flight ,when flying wing down with full tanks ,but these were fitted with the older type vent . Bob

Use Avgas as recommended by Jabiru . Bob

With the shorter wings the 160 has a higher wing loading ,giving a less bumpy ride compared to 170. As previously stated , the 160 and 170 fuselages are identical . Bob

Yeah , but not at the same though Frank ! Bob

I like that Maj. I do pretty much the same .. Bob

Anyone from Bundy going with a spare seat , PM me if so . Need to be back Sat. Night Bob

He could of course be referring to the font family Pud ! In any case I think we can look forward to many more arial posts from 3000' , at least until the new toy novelty wears off anyway . And don't forget the ' see and avoid " Maj . Bob

Interesting post Bex. Surprised you haven't heard from those over on the 'dark side' though ! Bob

Good point Yenn . Its been reported that this GA pilot did a significant portion of the trip at 1500' . He was probably using his IPad as an ' aid to navigation ', as many of us do . Not sure whether he activated his ELT , assuming he carried one . Bob

MIDAIR EMERGENCY: A Jabiru light aircraft, the type Bruce Knowles was flying when forced to make an emergency landing. A PILOT has told of the moment he made an emergency landing after the engine cut out at 1500 feet in "no man's land" in far north Queensland. Bruce Knowles said he had only 90 seconds to land the Jabiru aircraft after it lost power 15 minutes after taking off from Weipa on Tuesday. ``We felt a vibration at about 1500 feet, a couple of seconds later the motor went out," the 60-year-old Victorian pilot said. ``We had total engine failure. The prop wasn't spinning at all. "We planned a descent into the wind ahead of us." With only seconds to make a decision, the pilot of 38 years and his passenger Ivan Nunn grabbed a map to find land as they flew over wetlands. The pair scrapped their original location because it was too dangerous but found a piece of land, surrounded by a swamp, and attempted the landing at an outstation in an area between Aurukun and Coen. "There were no other options at all," Mr Knowles said. "There was no power in the aircraft and it wasn't responding. "You monitor air speed, you monitor height, then you take a descent. "We were actually flying into the wind. Providing you have the right air speed, the plane will keep flying. "Luckily the place we landed, which we found out afterwards, was an old airfield." The pair used an iPad to alert rescuers of their location and, after spending the night inside the plane, were found yesterday morning by police and rangers who had travelled to Wathineen outstation. They travelled about 30km on four-wheel-drive motorcycles because the area was hard to access. The old landing strip was covered in two feet of grass. "We were very lucky," said Mr Knowles, a pilot of more than 35 years. "I've never experienced anything like this. We were lucky that it happened when it did." Just a few points regarding the accuracy of newspaper reports . The aircraft depicted in the report is not the aircraft in the story, which in itself is not unusual . The aircraft in question was in fact a VH registered J430 I am also led to believe that the engine only stopped when the throttle was closed prior to landing . Mmm , nice of Telstra to provide an IPad reception at ground level in the middle of nowhere . Perhaps it is more feasible that the pilot radioed an overflying aircraft from the Jab radio . Yes Zibi , believe or not but the aircraft did fly out , all by itself a day or so later. Bob