Seal

OK, I'll bite. I just arrived back from Natfly after an entertaining flight. The all singing, all dancing electronic box dropped its lunch over the weekend so it was home on (very) basic instruments, map and whizz wheel. I missed my ETA by one minute after 300 miles so I guess all that old stuff still works. First up, let me say I enjoyed the few days, apart from half a day spent stuffing around behind my panel. The organisation was pretty much invisible which means it must have been functioning OK. The food area coped but it was a near thing at times and better weather may have put catering under severe pressure. The talks were OK in general but I would like to see some practical, hands on instruction sessions. eg: how to drive rivets; how to weld steel tube; how to lay up a bit of glass say for a scoop; how to scarf joint a piece of timber; how to lockwire a turnbuckle; etc. Give people a feel for some of the practical tasks, help to demystify the process of building your own plane, spread skill among those already doing it. Making an entertaining air display within RAA limitations is a bit hard. After the first few handling displays and the first bloody noisy gyro it all begins to look a little ho hum. If commercial firms are going to give handling displays then they ought to work up some decent commentary to go with it. Most of them were bumbling. Unfortunately, one of the better ones was associated with the aforementioned BNG, oh well, can't win em all. A good display of aeros is certainly great to watch but it also serves to highlight what RAA is not. How about something different. A few RAA designs have STOL pretentions but can any of them beat a fully tricked out Super Cub? Could we not have a STOL competition? Don't know if we could get away with the flying under a ribbon tunnel trick or one of its many variations but it sure would be interesting to try. See if we can do something to promote the idea of airmanship and flying for enjoyment. Temora is a great town with great people. We should make our appreciation known to all. The airport shuttle bus was a bit of a disaster. There did not seem to be a defined circuit or the bus was not completing the circuit much of the time. We were staying at the Temora Motel which was probably the furthest extent of the run and there were many times where the bus did not appear for an hour or more and we had to walk up to Paleface Park to secure a lift. Once on the bus the drivers were invariably cheerful and helpful in getting passengers to where they needed to go. Not only was the functioning of the organisation invisible, sometimes the organisation itself was too. When trying to register after flying in it took a while to find the RAA site, there was a banner on a side taxiway but on the road side, where all the people were, not a sausage, completely anonymous. It took some fairly broad hints and most of a day before a small sign appeared on the road side entrance. Likewise, when leaving I was looking for the ops area to get a forecast and so forth. No signage to be seen. Luckily there was some logic to this one because when I went in the door near the man in his dinky scissor lift control tower there was the briefing area complete with sign. Inside the door. A banner on the side of the building would be good! How about some name tags, perhaps with some colour codes or something to identify those flew an aircraft in, those who built the aircraft they flew in, things like that. Write your name and aircraft type on the tag. This would help to promote interaction, enable builders to link up, enable intending builders to meet someone knowledgeable on the aircraft they are interested in and perhaps provide some gentle social incentive to get construction started or completed, get training completed and so on. I hesitate to suggest increased use of the PA system as they can so easily become a royal pain in the butt but an announcement of the presentations a half hour or so in advance would be helpful, I missed a couple because I got sidetracked. Doesn't need endless repetitions, just single run through, in half an hour, X in hanger A, Y in hanger B etc. Remember Anzac Day and the people who defend us.

That's about right, it is a CASA regulation rather than SAAA and it is much the same as the RAA regs. If you build it then you can maintain it. In either code, if you buy it then you can't maintain it, even if it is experimental (VH-) or 19- registered. The problems with chequebook building are common to both organisations and there are some fairly blatant examples which will no doubt come back to bite us sooner or later. Both organisations are running maintenence training courses and we can expect completion of these courses to become more important in the future.

Fuel, noise, let's go!

The wiring can be a bit more tricky with push-pull trhottles but a quadrant type is no harder than a stick mounted setup. The main issue I see with throttle mounted PTT is that most RAA planes do not have a full HOTAS implementation so you need one hand free for a variety of knob twiddling and switch throw tasks and you can guarantee that someone will want you to talk during the middle of the most complex of these. You generally have at least one hand on the stick with a finger or thumb free to operate the PTT. If you don't have a free digit then you must be in the middle of something which is causing the knuckles to glow white, in which case forget the radio and do what needs to be done. Aviate, then navigate and, after all that, communicate! The potential stuck switch issue is common to all installations but most radios come with some form of transmit annunciator and produce a different sound in your headphones when transmitting so its a matter of being aware of what's normal and investigating anything unusual.

So why choose that type of fuel pump in the first place? Did it just happen to be the one lying around gathering dust on the shelf?

I agree, on the limited information available, the new Dynon seems similar to the Voyager, if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then MGL should feel flattered I guess. As far as I know, availability and price for the Dynon is still "indicative" so it is still in never never land.

I have just been through the same decision process and found it difficult to get all the ducks lined up. I eventually decided on the Voyager after going through the whole gamut from fully steam driven on up. My main reasons where: - Greater capability. The Voyager hasall the flight information and engine information along with built in GPS with all the nav capability, moving maps and the rest, the Dynon can't do this. - Greater flexibility. You can fine tune the Voyager to do what you want and provide the displays you want. AFAIK not easily done with a Dynon. - Ease of installation. The RDAC unit for the engine instrumentation means that all the theromocouple wires and so forth don't have to be led to the back of the panel. - Cheaper. By my calculation the Voyager ends up costing less for equivalent capability. Of course, if you already have a GPS etc then that calculation changes. You do end up with all your electronic eggs in one basket but not much of it is essential, IMHO you should have steam driven backup for anything you consider essential for immediate safety. In my case this means a compass and an ASI. If you frequent controlled airspace then an altimeter may be added to that list or the readout on your transponder may provide sufficient backup. For navigation if in unfamiliar areas then some paper maps are on the list. That's my two bobs worth, I've laid out the shekels and its half installed but I haven't got the plane flying yet so I don't have the practical experience.

Oh puhlease! That's either entirely accidental or it is a double entendre of epic proportions.

One day God calls down to Noah and says, "Noah me old friend I want you to make me a new Ark". Noah replies, "No problems El Supremo anything you want after all you're the guvnor'... " But God interrupts, "Ah, but there's a catch. This time Noah, I want not just a couple of decks, . . I want 20 decks one on top of the other". "20 DECKS!", screams Noah. "Well, OK Boss whatever you say. Should I fill it up with all the animals just like last time?" "Yep, that's right, well . .. Sort of right . . This time I want you to fill it up with fish", God answers. "Fish?", queries Noah "Yep, fish . . Well, to make it more specific Noah, I want 'Carp - wall to wall, floor to ceiling - Carp!" Noah looks to the skies. "OK God me old mate let me get this right, you want a New Ark?" "Check". "With 20 decks, one on top of the other?". "Check". "And you want it full of Carp?". "Check" "Why?" asks the perplexed Noah, who was slowly but surely getting to the end of his tether............ > > > > > > > "Don't really know , says God, "I just fancied a Multi-Storey Carp-Ark

A rabbit walks into a pub and says to the barman, 'Can I have a pint of beer, and a Ham and Cheese Toastie?' The barman is amazed, but gives the rabbit a pint of beer and a ham and cheese toastie. The rabbit drinks the beer and eats the toastie. He then leaves. The following night the rabbit returns and again asks for a pint of beer, and a Ham and Cheese Toastie. The barman, now intrigued by the rabbit and the extra drinkers in the pub, (because word gets round), gives the rabbit the pint and the Toastie. The rabbit consumes them and leaves. The next night, the pub is packed. In walks the rabbit and says, 'A pint of beer and a Ham and Cheese Toastie, please barman.' The crowd is hushed as the barman gives the rabbit his pint and toastie, and then burst into applause as the rabbit wolfs them down The next night there is standing room only in the pub. Coaches have been laid on for the crowds of patrons attending. The barman is making more money in one week than he did all last year In walks the rabbit and says, 'A pint of beer and a Ham and Cheese Toastie, please barman, The barman says, 'I'm sorry rabbit, old mate, old mucker, but we are right out of them Ham and Cheese Toasties..' The rabbit looks aghast. The crowd has quietened to almost a whisper, when the barman clears his throat nervously and says, 'We do have a very nice Cheese and Onion Toastie.' The rabbit looks him in the eye and says, 'Are you sure I will like it.' The masses' bated breath is ear shatteringly silent. The barman, with a roguish smile says, 'Do you think that I would let down one of my best friends. I know you'll love it.' 'Ok', says the rabbit, 'I'll have a pint of beer and a Cheese and Onion Toastie.' The pub erupts with glee as the rabbit quaffs the beer and guzzles the toastie. He then waves to the crowd and leaves.... ...NEVER TO RETURN!!!!!! One year later, in the now impoverished public house, the barman, (who has only served 4 drinks tonight, 3 of which were his), calls time. When he is cleaning down the now empty bar, he sees a small white form, floating above the bar. The barman says, 'Who are you?', To which he is answered, 'I am the ghost of the rabbit that used to frequent your public house.' The barman says, 'I remember you. You made me famous. You would come in every night and have a pint of beer and a Ham and Cheese Toastie. Masses came to see you and this place was famous.' The rabbit says, 'Yes I know.' The barman said, 'I remember, on your last night we didn't have any Ham and Cheese Toasties. You had a Cheese and Onion one instead.' The rabbit said, 'Yes, you promised me that I would love it. The barman said, 'You never came back, what happened?' 'I DIED' ,said the rabbit. 'NO!' said the barman. 'What from?' After a short pause. The rabbit said... 'Mixin-me-toasties.'

Other cow replies: "Pull the udder one, you'll never get of the ground, no matter how hard you flap em your ears just aren't big enough.

I wonder what Deb thought of that?

Mgl I have one in my hot little hand. Small, light, functions and facilities read well but it is yet to be hooked up to a source of electrons so it is all still theoretical.

Time to polish up the tin undies perhaps?

Ah yes, you have learned it. The big question is, have you managed to teach it to anyone not male?