wanabigaplane

Thanks all. Thanks for the circuits Sain. Interesting. However, the tanks with resistive senders are already installed. Ozzie - the existing gauges give a different reading when the engine is running. I will overcome this by using a voltage regulator as you suggest. Also, yes, we could put known quantities of fuel in the tank, and mark the face of the gauge for each amount, but the aim of the exercise is to make the gauge linear and read full scale from full to empty. Maj - you say you calibrate fuel gauges, so what type are they and how do you do it ? And Facthunter, this type of gauge may be notoriously erroneous, but they are consistent. I often hear a car owner say something like “when the meter shows empty, you have a quarter of a tank left†In New Guinea, the Nationals would say “E†stood for “enoughâ€. The consensus indicates that there is nothing available to do this - I had to check because I don’t want to start out on a design, only to find there was something already commercially available. Thanks all. Jack. :):)

So, real pilots don't need .... You are right, Big Pete, that didn't help one little bit ! Nor did any of the other posts. The consensus seems to be that real pilots don't need fuel gauges. What this really means though, is that no one knows of an after market add on device for correcting fuel gauges! The fuel gauge in my own aircraft does work, and it seems to be quite accurate right round the scale. I always start with a full tank and do my calculations anyway, but I really like being able to cross check as I go. I really appreciate being able to reliably read the fuel level at any time, even if that doesn't make me a real pilot. Cars have been using the float and meter type fuel gauges for years with excellent results. The only reason they are a problem many aircraft is that the shape of the tank is not the same as in the car, and the aircraft manufacturer has no means of correcting the reading. Since so many pilots have this problem with their fuel gauges, someone must have come up with an after market device that makes the gauges read correctly ! Jack.

Correction of fuel gauges ?? A friend has an aircraft with the normal two wing tanks, and two standard VDO fuel gauge arrangements to read the contents. Not only are the gauges hopelessly non-linear, but the empty and full reading on the gauge have nothing to do with the contents of the tank. “I think I can help you with that “ I says, thinking all I had to do was add a resistor or two to bring the endpoints into line, and maybe even fudge a more linear response over the span. Simple. I poked around with my trusty multimeter while he was filling the tank, and I discovered things aint so simple after all. The circuit did not even work the way I expected such a simple circuit had to work. Everything goes in the wrong direction! In fact, adding a few resistors would make it worse, not better. So, forum members, before I launch into designing an electronics gizmo that corrects the reading of the gauges, I ask if any of you know of a simple fix, or a commercially available correction device that will solve the problem? Remember - the senders are already exist. They are already mounted in the tanks, and the gauges are already in place on the dashboard. They cannot be changed now! A friend in need is a pest indeed! Jack.

Wot, no one got a .... What, didn't anyone get a copy of ERSA? Jack.

So then... So then a surface moving under stationary air will cause a low pressure close to it and hold the aircraft down on the coveyor belt! Jack. :big_grin::big_grin:

on the terps I have found old adhesive is more easily removed with turpentine than metho, petrol, or orange cleaner. It is even more effective if allowed to soak a bit. However; I have no idea what it does to fabric, so try a small area first ! Jack. :):)

agahst Not an unexpected price for what goes into it I suppose. I'll certainly be looking in another direction now. Jack.

Yes Satmstr, I visited the seaport. I have an interest in float 'planes, and I fly radio controlled models off the water. The sea port is the most fantastic spot I've ever seen ! The Ford Trimotor was very busy and always seemed to be taking off or landing. Someone said it had wicker seats, and no seatbelts! You could buy a radio and listen the flight services in action. New arrivals were informed in Notams to approach in along the highway and call in when over such and such, and not answer to the controller unless asked. You would hear "Yellow low wing aircraft - waggle your wings" ..."OK follow the Cessna in front of you and land on the red spot runway right".....and so it would go on, sometimes landing six aircraft at a time. The air was full of motor noise. Jack :):)

Just got back from Oshkosh. What a blast! A once in a lifetime for every aviation enthusiast. I went with Avtours Australia, and would do it the same way again. What impressed me the most? The enormity of it. There was just so much going on that you could not see everything. It was well organized and strongly supported by an army of volunteers. There were more interesting forums that I wanted to attend than there was time. I could have watched lots more of the flying - but I would have missed out on other things. Shopping - well my Zenith 601 XL is no where near the stage where I need to sorting out what I need, so this was not one of my priorities, but of course, I did spend hours looking at all the toys. The neatest item was a typical Garmin GPS with an additional satellite receiver for on line flight services information and realtime weather display overlaid on the GPS screen! I did look for headsets with noise cancelling and bluetooth for wireless comms with my mobile phone. The only one I found was the Lightspeed Zulu. However; at least one vendor is due to offer a bluetooth device that that goes in series with your own headset cable, but I failed to keep the brochure. Big stuff? The Dream Lifter, Raptor, SR71, Osprey, all flying and also on display close enough to touch. I was often asked - why do so many Australians visit, there seem to be more each year? True or not, I suggested our having had similar rules to their Light Sport for many years has attracted many more into people into recreational flying than there would otherwise be. I was impressed by the organization, the information, the on site transport, the daily newsletters. You could even send your goodies home from the FEDEX stand, or the US Post office. You did not have to wait long for local transport to the university for accommodation. There must have been more than a thousand staying there, making use of the facilities during the semester break. See http://www.leadingedgeairfoils.com, they had good prices on Rotax parts. I bought a magnetic plug for $37 instead of the usual $50 everywhere else. See also http://www.lockwood-aviation.com. Got some very small satchels of the proper heat transfer compound for spark plugs for $2.80 each. After the show George and I hired a car and went touring. We dropped in on a mate of his and went for a flight in his Stearman. My first loop! We visited the Wright Paterson Air force base museum at Dayton, Ohio. An excellent museum with lots of aircraft, but the dark background and use of spotlights made for very difficult photography. Our main target was the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in the center of Washington DC. Although we found this to be in the not-to-be-missed category, the presentation catered more to thrill the non aviator than aviation aware visitors like ourselves. Next was the Udar-Hazy centre of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum a few miles away in the suburbs. For the aviator this museum was the piece de resistance. This featured an expansive range of aircraft from all ages, including an SR71, Concorde, The Enola Gay B29, and the full size test vehicle for the space shuttle Enterprise. A cross country trip took us to the Zenith aircraft factory in Mexico City, Missouri. The factory was smaller than I expected, and on a pretty quiet and remote airfield. The 19 staff seemed very happy working there, and many had been long term employees. After staying a few days with some more of George’s friends, we headed back to Detroit. With a bit of time on our hands, we followed the coastline of Lake Michigan side of the city. We visited what used to be Meigs Airfield, with which I had some familiarity from my Flight Simulator days. In general, during the tour, we noticed the difficulty of buying a simple sandwich, drinkable coffee, and a small serve of anything. The lack of rubbish left around. The number of people smoking. The number of people overweight. The number of people driving electric scooters along paths and in supermarkets because they were too overweight to walk. It did not take long to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road. My sense of direction was thoroughly shot because the sun was in the wrong place. We could not have got by without the Garmin GPS - not only did it save us having to buy any local maps, but it found the closest ATM, the closest motels, and the closest restaurants on many occasions. Overall, we had a really good trip, with restively few hassles.

Contact Thanks 'modest pilot'. Look for my note at the international tent 'Wanabigaplane was here' We are hiring a car for two weeks after Oshkosh, but we have no fixed plans for this period. Jack. :):)

Who's counting? Run that by me again. What has a faulty solenoid got to do with the choke adjustment, spark plug gaps, magnet gap, choice of oil, craking and fuel pumping ? Slarti carefully explains the fault was down to the solenoid shorting to ground on activation. An interesting and unusual problem that would defy the logical process of fault finding ! Yes it was broken, and he fixed it. Any Jabiru engine owner with engine starting problems might really benefit by checking the solenoid, which was the reason for writing the post. So what was the point of the subsequent posts ? Jack.

Clusterballooning - almost a sport Quite a few have flown under helium balloons, and it is almost a sport now. It only took a bit of Googling to find the following: Larry Walters in 1982 at San Pedro spent 14 hours in the air. He wasn’t the first, he just got the publicity. Kevin Walsh in 1984 at Stow, Massachusetts spent 45 minutes in the air. Kent Couch in 2007 at Bend in Oregon, travelled 193 statute miles. Reverend Di Carli in April 2008 sets out on his second trip, this time a fund raiser, at Paranagua in Brazil. He last gave his position by radio as 50 miles out to sea, and only his balloons have been found. He was an experienced hot air balloonist, and he had flown with helium balloons before. The sport seems to have become known as ‘cluster ballooning’ and flights are now quite frequent. See www.clusterballoon.org Buoyancy characteristics don’t seem to be mentioned, but it seems the successful balloonist depends on having enough ballast to arrest his descent. It seems the early balloonists got into trouble because they had not prepared themselves for this. Jack. :):)

Thanks Ange, Sounds like the international tent is the place or us to collate. Look for a card with my avatar on it. "Wanabigaplane was here" I have joined the EAA. Just waiting on the card to book online. Will also visit the seaplane base. I want to see the Mermaid. Jack. :):)

You’ve all heard of a man who tied lots of balloons to a chair and set off on an aerial adventure. I believe a priest set off about six months ago, and I haven’t heard of him being found. Question 1: Would the aircraft rise to a certain height and then become fairly stable at that height, or would it continue to drift upwards till some balloons burst? Question 2: If the pilot popped a few balloons to reduce altitude, would the aircraft become stable at a new lower altitude, or would it, once on a downward trajectory, accelerate downwards out of vertical control? :ah_oh: Consideration: As a balloon is inflated, it takes less pressure to inflate the balloon. Why is it so? Well, the material making up the balloon gets thinner. Jack. :):)

Dates at Oshkosh Ange - thanks. We'll only have two weeks after Oshkosh. We're hiring a car for this time. Inrat - I enjoyed meeting you in Brisbane. Went to Watts on the Sunday, but arrived late and everyone had met, eaten, and left by the time we found the place. Amazed at your progress on the 601XL. Meeting at Oshkosh - I don't know enough to pick a spot. I'll definitely be spending some time at the Zenair venue. Dates - 26th July to 3rd August. Then driving around till 17th August. Jack.:):)

bitumen roads only When you hire a car (including 4wd) you are usually required, by the hire company, to sign that you won't take it off bitumen roads. There is no mention of whether the bitumen road is under water or not! Jack.:):)

skidmarks ....remove skidmarks off the conveyor belt. Meanwhile, back at the ranch,.....

Rec Flying fly in? The opening sounds like a good time and place for a Recreational Flying fly in! I for one plan for a visit. Good to see such development. I hope it goes well. Jack.:):)

Gorilla Just got back from a flight to Brisbane, which included dropping in at Heck field. The field is going gangbusters with lots of new hangars and a remarkable clubhouse. Excellent facilities and hospitality. At previous events I have been able to arrange overnight accommodation at the generosity of some members. I suggest you contact the club if you want to stay overnight. I have been to a few of the CASA seminars now, and they are quite good. If I was flying in for this I would get a gorilla mask to wear. Jack.:):)

Need AOPA to enter? I access area 21 mostly for my flying. I have http://www.airservices.gov.au/brief/html.asp?/cgi-bin/avreq?area=21 set in my favourites, and I just click on it to get straight in. Was still working five seconds ago! Jack.:):)

Travel in a Sapphire ? Travel in a Sapphire.

Late response, Flyer Hi Flyer, The Sapphire is a great 'plane. An icon! Yes, 2 stroke 447. You worry, but get used to it. Distance you can fly in a day is limited by fuel tank size. The standard wing tanks are not quite enough. You really need the seat tank. Cruise easily at 83 knots without wheel spats. 5200 rpm. If you want a tent and all the gear - you really have to try. Just not enough room. Day trips, great. Just you and a credit card! Brisbane - Sydney inland in a day, no worries. On one trip I flew half way around Australia. Really enjoyed it. I wrote the story up for the mags - will PM story to you if I can work the system. Jack. :):)

If you placed the fuel squeeze bulb on the seat, it would automatically get squeezed every time the engine coughed! Jack. :):)

congradulations Pity they didn't take a shot with the canopy open, and the seat covers with the Cheater paws in view. Good to see though. Jack. :):)

solution ? 1. ..and who knows if it is being done - TV cameras mounted on the planes to locate the perpetrator. Broadcast on consumer TV channels so the public can help in identification. TV ratings would soar and attract advertising. Electronics companies could advertise all sorts of things - like laser pointers? Maybe this should be moved to the neverending story! 2. Laser guided missile Jack. :):)