wanabigaplane

http://www.airventure.org/news/2011/110609_electriclazair.html

Done

I concur. I was surprised just how heavy the bare metal bow was, so I weighed it. 20 Kg! :strong:Jack.

Yes, I heard about it. I think the aircraft was a Kitfox from Jaspers. I understand it flew North on Victor 1, ran into low visibility weather, and had to back track into a headwind, consequently running low on fuel in the vicinity of Sydney Airport. Jack

Definitely on my calendar. Really enjoyed my last visit. Jack.

A compromise How about a compromise? Start learning in a club/school plane, then make your decision later with more experience and knowledge. Support your local school/club - they are most likely to need it anyway. Converting from one plane to another is nothing to worry about. At a club/school you learn more than just what you need to know to get your certificate. You meet many owners and you learn a lot more than you possibly could from outside the game. Suddenly your ideas are changing - storage may not be the problem you think it is. Trailering a plane WILL be a bigger problem than you would believe. Travelling by air and hiring a car at the destination, is far better than trailering and assembling to fly at your destination. I first thought I would love to fly locally, chase thermals, and land in local fields. I thought I could rig and de-rig my sapphire in no time and trailer it home. Boy did my ideas change!! I always stored it in the club hanger, and I mainly travelled long distances in it! Most planes are advertised as being able to be put on a trailer in no time. However, unless they are designed for it by having hinges, and just being able to pull a pin and fold - forget it. Yes, you want to be able to put it on a trailer after you have had a mishap at a remote airfield, but you just aren't going to do it every time you go flying. Also note that most mishaps involve damage to the undercarriage, and how do you get your plane on the trailer? The distance you can travel in a day is mainly determined by the size of your fuel tank. Don't worry about the last ten or so knots. If you have to stop more than once in a day for fuel, you are not going to get very far. If you don't believe this, just consider a trip you want to make, then work out your fuel stops where you can get fuel at the airfield. Remember - you are unlikely to meet dozens of willing Recreational Flying people waiting to help you out at remote airfields during the week. Hope this helps. Jack.

no problem I have a sapphire with no flaps or spoilers. Yes it does float on when landing - but I got used to it pretty quickly, and after a while I realised I wasn't worried about it after all. I used to side slip a fair bit prior to reaching the threshold, and I have on occasions side slipped nearly up to the point of stall. What's wrong with the 447 ? Mine pushes the plane along at 83 knots cruise - full canopy, but no spats. Jack.

You've got me thinking You have got me thinking about my choice now. At that price I am sure you would be able to sell it if you change your mind. Can you bring forward your visit to Morgan Aeroworks - even if you just fly down there for the day commercially, or fly down there with someone? Just the relief from weeks of indecision and apprehension would be worth it. You might even enjoy your holiday. Jack.

Anyhow.. The plane is advertised in the latest RAAus mag. I only made this post so that any other forumites who might be interested in it would be forewarned about a possible difficulty of registering it under RAAus. Thanks Cameron, but there is no need to make any further investigations - I am fully satisfied that the plane is in excellent condition, that the owner is fully above board, and that all work has been done by your local lame. It is really good value for the money, and I don't question the price at all. Thanks for the info on VGs - they lowered the stall speed of that one particular plane by 3 knots. A little too close for comfort for me. As Steve said, if I bought the plane, and I could not prove it stalled at under 45 knots CAS, I would be stuck with an aircraft I could not register. I really cannot afford the time to be trying this and going for tests, then trying that and going for tests, and be chasing down variable after variable. Jack.

VH. When I enquired it the 100 hourly had to be done before test flying. Jack.

Collapsible jerry can Have you checked out Clear prop? I see the Sky Shop advertisement inside the the front cover of RAAus shows a 20 litre one - I think the cost is $100. Bunnings have a neat little collapsible aluminium trolley for $40. Only a smidgeon heavier than I would like, but so neat and so cheap, its is hard to go past. You can see in the photos from my Lake Eyre trip under the "Trips and spare seats" heading. Jack.

[ATTACH]11932.vB[/ATTACH] I attended the recent Moruya fly in and saw this plane for sale. In excellent condition. Jab 3300, Low hours, does 105 knots. $48K. It sounded too good to be true. I did my due diligence and it checked out fine. My only concern was that it lived by the sea with subsequent concerns about corrosion – but it had not been there that long. Hmm. A bit more digging. That Zenith website says it stalls at 47 knots. Well that’s pretty close to 45 knots. Would RAAus let it be registered? I decided to visit Steve Bell at the RAAus offices to make sure. The conversation went pretty much like this: If it does not stall below 45 knots, it cannot be registered under RAAus. But aren’t some already on the register? Yes, but I don’t know how they got there – before my time. Could they have done something like lowering both ailerons, or some modification? I would be surprised if that would be enough to do it. If you bought the aircraft and the mod was not enough, you would be stuck with an aircraft you couldn’t register. 45 knots, 47 knots – there is not much difference. Is the ruling that black and white? Yes it is - The ruling is by CASA, not me. Recently they reviewed two aircraft already on the RAAus register, and they had to be de-registered. It is hard to tell that precisely what speed it stalls at. If I say it was 45 knots, that’s good enough isn’t it? No. I will ask you to demonstrate it. So, as you can see, I did not buy the aircraft.

A bit more Hey Spin, gees, you got in quick. Just let me finish! [ATTACH]11920.vB[/ATTACH]The punt at the Cooper Creek / Birdsville Track crossing. Yes, time to spare, go by air - tell that to the hundreds of tourists stranded at Birdsville without the races, and all those stranded on the impassable roads in the area. I was the envy of them all. Jack.

The rest The rest For the next two days I had a bit of a headwind, but in two days the aircraft was tied down at Boonah where my brother picked me up for a stay in Brisbane. During this time I visited Heck field at Jacobs Well by car. As I arrived I saw Allen Buckley (who I had met at Broken Hill) had just landed from a local flight. “want to come up for a quick flight?” he said. We then took a flight around Jacobs Well and did a few aerobatics for good measure. Thanks, Allan. A nice High weather pattern had settled over the area, and the Warwick fly in on Saturday was a great day. The good weather persisted on the Sunday and I was able to make it back home despite a buildup of cloud at the Tumut end of the flight. Jack.

Birdsville [ATTACH]11916.vB[/ATTACH][ATTACH]11917.vB[/ATTACH][ATTACH]11918.vB[/ATTACH][ATTACH]11919.vB[/ATTACH]Birdsville Well the races had been cancelled. The mass exodus of aircraft had already occurred, and camping facilities under the wing with it. There were only ten aircraft left. Hundreds of four wheel drive and coach line tourists had been stranded for four days and all the roads were firmly closed. The only Birdsville pub was at full swill, and the ground was covered with discarded beer cans. It seemed be accepted practice to just throw empty cans on the ground. Rowdy groups were playing cricket outside the pub. Tour bus passengers were having a race hauling their busses by rope along the street. You could hear the yells of a mob playing two–up down by the river. RPT were arriving occasionally for the many people that had decided to fly out, and also to bring in more beer. The only accommodation I could find was a dry section of road in the local caravan park. Avgas was $2.60 a litre. I had a neat little fold up aluminium trolley which I found very useful in this situation. As I trundled my camping gear to the campsite, quite a few people stopped me in the street, and asked me how I got into Birdsville – was one of the roads open?

Lake Eyre [ATTACH]11914.vB[/ATTACH][ATTACH]11915.vB[/ATTACH]Lake Eyre The roadhouse operator came looking for me in the morning to give me a lift out to the airfield. Another aircraft had called in for fuel, and I could fill up without paying the callout fee. I was glad to get out of there. Great weather. A few wisps of cloud, and still air. I sat at 3000 ft, and cruised up over lake Eyre. There was water as far the eye could see. Between the islands and multiple channels it was hard to discern exactly where the Cooper flowed into Lake Eyre. I saw some wildlife, but not the great masses one hears about. I was told that because of the rain in the north, a lot of the birds had flown up there, and in reality you had to know where to look to find the mass bird populations around the lake. And I did not have the fuel to go around looking if I wanted to make it to Birdsville. All the same, it was a great experience. I flew East along the Cooper to where it cut the Birdsville track, and the punt had been reactivated for the first time in 15 years to ferry vehicles across. From there I followed the Birdsville track past all the destinations I could not land at, right up to Birdsville. I did not see a vehicle moving on the track at all. The thermal activity grew stronger during the day, and I was soon at 5000 ft.

Leigh Creek/Marree [ATTACH]11912.vB[/ATTACH][ATTACH]11913.vB[/ATTACH]Leigh Creek / Marree The weather was not too bad the following day. It became cloudier as the flight went on, and there came the inevitable build up over the Flinders Ranges where I had to alternate between trying to go under the clouds, then over, then turning for my alternate field, and then finding a way under. I didn’t really enjoy the majestic beauty of the ranges everyone talks about in this situation. At Leigh Creek there was only one broken down aircraft. No fuel. No tourists. Just the wind, and a surprisingly green desert. I followed the highway up to Marree. The road was cut by water in a number of places, and I did not see a single vehicle on it. At Marree there were only four aircraft tied down and deserted – a departing pilot gave me a lift into town. There were a just few trapped tourists in town. No ground based tours were operating – all the roads were closed, and the tourists I was hoping to share a trip to the lake’s edge or up to the punt couldn’t get in. Worse still, the roadhouse airfields on the Birdsville track, and the small local airfields at resorts and the Kalamurina and Cowarie strips were all closed. Innamincka and Arkaroola were closed too. The pilot dropped me at the roadhouse so I could organize getting fuel. I was told that if I wanted less than 100 litres, there was a $50 callout fee! At Marree the 3G network was down. I couldn’t access the internet, or phone. How used one becomes to these facilities! The pilots however were on a local network, and downloaded the Internet Briefing Service for me.

At Broken Hill At Broken Hill.[ATTACH]11908.vB[/ATTACH][ATTACH]11909.vB[/ATTACH][ATTACH]11910.vB[/ATTACH][ATTACH]11911.vB[/ATTACH] I had planned to stopover with the Broken Hill Recreational Aircraft Club, about 9NM north of BH, but when I rang on the Sunday afternoon, they said no one was there, and it was a long way to town, and no one to provide fuel. So Broken Hill airfield proper it was. An ASIC card is required airside at BH, but I was never challenged. The gate was unlocked the first day, then on the second day a chain and padlock was installed on the gate. After that, the chain and padlock hung loose on the fence, the lock unclasped, permanently set at the opening code. I was held up a few days before leaving Tumut, fixing my radio. It seemed OK at home, but once I had started flying I found it was unusually faint in reception, and reportedly faint in transmission. Too faint to mix it with the expected busy airspace around Lake Eyre. There was nothing for it but to order a new intercom, find lodgings, hire a car, and turn tourist till it arrived. The guys at the Broken Hill aero club were great. Also in town I met aviators Allen Buckley and John White who were flying around Australia in Allan’s RV. The RV had exhaust problems and we ended up crisscrossing paths and dining out together over the next few days. The intercom arrived quick smart, but the adapter I ordered did not match my headset. I was finding my way around Broken Hill pretty well by now. I purchased a multimeter and soldering iron from in town, and spent a day making a direct connection. It didn’t work – good reception, but transmission was RF only. Apparently my headset had a dynamic microphone, and the intercom required an electret microphone. There was nothing for it but to order a new headset. And wait. More touring. Went out to Silverton where Mad Max 4 was in preparation. Production had been put off till February because the countryside was too green! Ah, ready at last. But the weather! 20 knots, gusting 35 from the North was predicted, with 30mm rain predicted locally, and 50mm rain predicted in Birdsville! After six days in BH I had seen all I wanted to see. I even drove out nearly to the Broken Hill Recreational Aircraft Club field, but the last part of the road was wet clay/mud – not navigable even by four wheel drive. Aghast!! The Birdsville races were cancelled. I spent the morning at the aero club watching escapees from Birdsville landing in strong winds on the closed dirt cross strip. Most people getting out of the aircraft were in bare feet with mud up to their knees!

Menindee lakes [ATTACH]11907.vB[/ATTACH]Menindee. Great weather from Tumut to Menindee. Some guys at the airfield at Hay heard me coming in, and stayed on to provide fuel when I landed. I know my motor is loud, but… At Menindee I rang my workmates, and found they had gone home for the weekend, so instead of exploring the town I flew around the perimeter of the lake, noting the water flow into the lake, spotting where my workmates were staying, then onto Broken Hill. Not a bad trip for the first day.

Not as planned The roughly formed plan was to see Lake Eyre, going via the Menindee Lakes, Broken Hill, Leigh Creek, Marree. At Leigh Creek I hoped to meet pilots of local aerial tours and find out from them where to go and what to see. At Menindee I planned to call in on some work mates and maybe stay overnight. At Marree I hoped to find a land based tour to the lakes edge, and maybe up to the punt across the Cooper on the Birdsville track. I had been told I could land at the Dig Tree, and Cameron’s Corner. I wanted to fly along the Rabbit Proof fence, stop over at Innamincka, and fly over the Yellow Bus. I wanted to exit the area via the north and stopover in Boonah, and also meet a friend at the Warwick fly in. It went nothing like that.

Local weather patterns Yes it was gusty and blowing stongly from the south at Boonah this morning. I expected that flying over Cunningham's gap would be inadvisable - especially since Amberly was active, and the maximum height would be 4500 ft. However; the local aviators assured me this was a local phenomenon, and the weather at the gap would be true to the forecast. And it was! Just a bit bumpy through the gap at 4500, and that was it! A great day at Warwick with beutiful sunny weather. Jack.

Mad Max I was on my way to Birdsville to be there for the races. Got stuck in Broken Hill with radio problems. Then the weather - I chose not to fly North from BH into 20 to 35 knots winds and predicted rain. I bacame a tourist in BH instead. I've been here a week now. Today I saw a series of dangerous landings of aircraft escaping the wet from Birdsville. Most of the people getting out of aircraft had bare feet! Mad Max 4 preliminaries are being filmed out at the Mundy Mundy plains near Silverton. The main filming has been delayed till February because the ground is too green at the moment! Looks like I can get out of here on Monday. I'm planning to see Lake Eyre, and maybe continue on up to the Warwick fly in next weekend. Jack.

Uhoh - can't make it Thanks for the welcome, DD, but.... I travelled to Tumut today in preparation for my flight tomorrow. I packed the plane and set up for as test run. Right before my eyes I saw an indication of the electrical problems started by the earlier failure of the Ducati voltage regulator. Sorry, but I don't want to set out on such a long flight when things aren't just right. Jack.

Inbound Inbound Friday from Tumut. Looks like the weather might let me through. Jack.