microman

I have already pointed out on this forum the shortcomings of the Sierra - and the earlier model - in terms of the weak noseleg and the difficulty pilots have experienced in flaring due to the main gear being too far back - we have modded two of them here to fix these problems, and although Gary Morgan continues to deny that there are issues which need to be addressed, the evidence is there - as noted above. Despite that, as I have said, the Sierra is a fine aircraft with excellent performance.

Interesting that Graham Brown (Post #121) has shortened the nosewheel to fix the problem. Somehow I dont think that will be a permanent fix.

Thanks for that - googled the company but nothing came up - how is it a Thai company but the engine is made in China? Any idea of the name of the chinese manufacturer? The price seems ridiculously low!

Bex - I understand there are now Chinese-made engines available - one being the P700/740 range of 2-strokes - 50 to 70 hp I believe - do you know anything about these engines - are they for real? The P700 is being advertised on Alibaba for US$3250 (although the freight cost is pretty steep) - seems a bargain?

Been following your build with interest - keep up the good work!

Funny you should mention that - the low-level bad wx flying you mention is not currently part of the microlight syllabus but at our club we are in the process of adding it as part of our training. There have been plenty of occasions when pilots have been caught out in worsening weather in hill country and need to know how to cope.

Getting back to the thread - I would be interested to know if anyone has any experience with the BMW 1150/1200 - good or bad - anyone?

Sigma - made in Ukraine - we have 4 in NZ - we call them "the egg"

We have one on the field here but its a kit-built replica - powered by a Rotec which so far hasn't produced enough power to make it fly properly. I suspect the Bleriot is quite heavy, and not exactly aerodynamic!

Brings back memories - of the way it used to be when we first started flying - there were a couple of Vectors in NZ as I recall - both now well gone of course. The model was the 610 I believe.

Vector?

There are VW engines and VW engines - it would need to be producing at least 60-65 hp (and most dont - even the 2180 cc model rated at 80 hp is dubious) - be very careful, even if it is cheap it may not be a saving in the long run. I had a D18 in partnership with a friend - it had an 1835 cc VW engine which produced about 55 hp at best. We could either cruise at 85 kts and have a woeful climb rate, or with a climb prop cruise at 70 kts and have a better rate of climb - you cant have it both ways when horsepower is limited. And this was a very light D18 - 275 kg empty. We spent a fortune on it, trying to get more power and make it run better (carburettor settings are critical). My later D18 with Rotax 912S cruised at 100kts at 5000 rpm, and climbed at 900 fpm at MAUW.

Geoffreywh has it right - dont waste time with a 2-stroke - a secondhand 912 is the way to go. Use the 582 as the deposit - there is still quite good demand for them. You may have to fabricate a mount yourself - its not that difficult (or get someone to do it for you).

As far as the seat back goes, the plans are fairly clear on them, but the secret is to move the seat back 100mm backwards - I am 1.8m and that gave me just enough legroom. The seat is just a flat board laid across the cockpit (glued in place) and the seat back is the same.

Another thing to consider is the fuel tank setup. I discarded the tank behind the seat, and the tank in front of the panel, (too much complexity and changes of pitch) and had wing tanks made (some reinforcing needed to the area where the tanks will sit and a rib needs to be moved outboard)

Hi Birdmanpete - welcome to the forum. I had a D18 although I did not build the basic airframe - like many others I took over a partly completed project thinking it was 90% finished (more like 10%). The trim tab should be neutral when the fully-flying elevator is at rest, ie, stick forward - because the elevator is so large it tends to sit in a forward position. You will see what I mean once the cable to the elevator is in place. As the stick is pulled back and the elevator rises at the rear the trim tab is activated by the very clever arrangement in the plans (cant remember what it was called) . What engine are you planning to put in the D18? I have seen VW's, (underpowered), Subarus, (generally unreliable), Jabirus (ok, but they have had some issues) and Rotaxs. By far the best is the Rotax - either 912 or 912ULS. Best of luck with the build. If there is anything else I can help with, let me know.

Hi Noel - as one previous D18 owner to an existing one, hope JVG is still performing well for Kevin Potter?

I've just looked at some U-Tube videos of the Capella Javelin - what a great little ultralight - reminds me of the early days when I flew a single-seat Thruster - great fun, and a really good learning experience. Now I sit in a modern ultralight/microlight which cruises at a 100 kts but isn't half as much fun! I've decided that the ideal mix will be my Alpi for longer distance flights and the little HiMax I am building for paddock-hopping round the local area. Best of both worlds!

I accept much of what you say Garry - in particular the point about the Cheetah being designed for a Jabiru engine, and the heavier Rotax adding considerable weight to the nosewheel, however in relation to the Cheetah there was a broken noseleg on the first occasion and the second time as well as the noseleg the main U/C also gave way. (I saw it and it was a lot less than 30 ft!) That was when we decided that aluminium would provide greater strength. I accept also that the Cheetah in question was not constructed in accordance with the plans and some of the mods carried out were simply righting the problems that had been caused.

As I said in my earlier post, both the Cheetah and the Sierra perform very well - we were particularly impressed with the performance of the Sierra, and once the U/C was shifted forward and the noseleg beefed up it became an even better aircraft.

Hi Pete - welcome aboard - I also have an Alpi 200 - with Rotax 912S - love it to bits - we built it from a kit imported from the USA. Watch those temps on the Jab!

Had to go and check the aircraft - 6061 T6, 100mm wide, (tapering a bit where the wheel attaches), 20mm thick.

And of course New Zealanders remember the Rainbow Warrior affair - when the French government sent a team of frogmen to attach a bomb to the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland Harbour - because the ship was about to leave for Mururoa to protest French nuclear testing. The bomb killed one crewman, however we caught a couple of the bombers, put them on trial, duly sentenced them to a term of imprisonment, and then had to capitulate to French government demands to release them into French custody, or face trade bans that would have crippled our economy. Of course the French released them as soon as they could and have never apologised for what was in effect an act of government-sponsored terrorism.

However as I will soon have a French daughter-in-law I guess even that must be forgiven - though I doubt the thousands of New Zealanders buried on French soil would agree.

We made the new U/C ourselves, simply purchased the aluminium then bent it into the desired shape - nothing difficult about it if you have the right gear. The alternative would be to order it readymade from someone like Grove Aircraft Landing Gear Systems in the US.

Alf George - pretty much all you need to know is set out above - nothing I can really add! We've done the same mods (and others) to the Sierra and its now good to go also.

Really - are you that frightened of being sued if someone dings their plane or themselves landing at your strip? What happened to personal responsibility? In the area I fly from (Canterbury Plains) there are hundreds of private strips - many of them not much more than paddocks. Any aviator can drop in at any time and will get a warm welcome and a cuppa, so long as they avoid stock and dont overfly neighbours at low level, and there would never be any suggestion that a mishap on landing would be the fault of the property owner - heaven forbid. Thats what recreational flying is all about.

That sensor, purchased from the local Rotax agent (via Floods) is NZ$370!!!!! I had to buy 2 for a second-hand 912S that I imported from the USA - it didn't have the sensors fitted. As for the ignition modules, we have had a few fail in recent times and I'm told you can only now get them in pairs - around NZ$3000! However one of our members who is an electronics whiz is planning to pull one apart and build them himself. He reckons the components wont cost more than a few dollars!

Pics?

Could be an ignition module playing up - they can cause hard starting and that then can result in the sprag clutch having to also be replaced.

Looks like a Rotec Rally 3 to me - they came out in the mid-80's. Usually had a Rotax 503 and had some aerobatic capability ( not that I would ever be brave enough to try it!)