Captain

Is anyone going to fly themselves over ... and if so, from where?

Lots more elbow grease in preparing the finish of the fuselage, filling and sanding and filling some more to get everything nice and smooth. :black_eye: There is a lot of work in that but I am probably being too fussy.However a baby would be please to have a bum so smooth.

Roger from Naranderah (from this forum) and 2 of his partners called over a week or so ago for a chat and a look. They have a J230 being built in the factory, so this gave them a chance to see one part built. It looks like it is now a race to see who will be flying first.

I've been told today that the delivery on factory built aircraft is now out to April 2007, so well done to Jabiru. What a great success story :star: for a Skippy company. It looks like buyers are voting with their wallets and are also prepared to wait.

Progress has been made around the firewall, see pic below, as has the trial assemply/mock-up of the panel .... also see pic below. The panel is yet to be tricked up and painted, so that is nowhere near the finished product.

Am still enjoying the building and I have to say that the staff at Jabiru have been terrific in answering my questions and requirements, so 3 thumbs to them ;) ;) ;) .

Now back to the shed.

Captain

G'day Robbo,

All the things you mention are real and available .... so do it.

My main advice is to have a good chat with the various schools and find an instructor whose company you "enjoy" and with whom you get-on easily.

That makes it just that much more "fun".

My 2nd advice would be to do an intensive live-in course if you have the dough available, even if you have to travel to some of the country locations to do that. If that is of interest I can offer a strong recommendation.

Hope this helps as I am pretty new myself.

Regards & welcome aboard

Geoff

Thanks for that Nos,

That is noce to know and I'll get the application under way.

While I understand what Bruce is getting at, the big issue with this stuff is that if you do the wrong thing and get caught you will lose ALL of your firearms and all of your related privilages. And that isn't worth the risk when you like those sports and also needthem around the farm.

Apart from that, I am sure that all on this forum would not even think of breaking the rules.

Regards

I am a Trap Shooter and have been told by a GA pilot that it is forbidden to carry any registered firearm in a private aircraft.

In my case I will be commuting to a registered competition in an RAA aircraft with a 12 gauge shotgun that is disassembled and locked in a case in the luggage compartment.

Does anyone know any more on what the Regs are on this?

Regards Geoff

I am surprised at thecriticism of LFA, the SAAA &their keyExecutives in this months RAA magazine, let alone the vehemance of what the Pres & others have said.

They must really have a burr under their saddle on this ... and I hope that it isn't a personal thingy.

Surely such"dirty linen" would have been better washed less publicly, although I guess that the Exec might think that the members have a right to know.

I would have thought that such a public bunfight and slanging match does nobody any good, splits the meagre resources of experimental aviation andI shudder to think what the Poli's must think .... let alone the forces of darkness who want to sink our form of aviation.

Regards Geoff

HAVE JUST REALISED, AFTER POSTING THIS, THAT THE SUBJECT IS COVERED UNDER "A SAD DAY" ... SO WILL RE-POST IT THERE.

I am surprised at thecriticism of LFA, the SAAA &their keyExecutives in this months RAA magazine, let alone the vehemance of what the Pres & others have said.

They must really have a burr under their saddle on this ... and I hope that it isn't a personal thingy.

Surely such"dirty linen" would have been better washed less publicly, although I guess that the Exec might think that the members have a right to know.

I would have thought that such a public bunfight and slanging match does nobody any good, splits the meagre resources of experimental aviation andI shudder to think what the Poli's must think .... let alone the forces of darkness who want to sink our form of aviation.

What do you reckon?

Regards Geoff Captain

G'day All

It's been a couple of weeks since I last posted any pics and I have really been clocking the hours .... although in retrospect it is a little hard to see in the photos below.

Have just gone through 175 mhrs in my building log, and a lot of hrs have been spent in the past 2 weeks on surface preparation of the fuselage. I assume/hope that the hours spent sanding andsmoothing will show dividends in the final appearance. I'm just learning all aboutthis& reckon that this is not a Jabiru specific issue as all kits will need good preparation to get the paint & appearance right ...so I hope it pays off when we paint it in a month or 2.

Given all my aching muscles, yards & yards of used sandpaper and the fact that every square inch of my shed & its contents are now covered in white "bog" dust, please don't criticise the finishat next year's Natfly. If you don't like the way it looks, just stay schtumm or I'll get depressed.

Reasonable progress up the sharp end as you can see. The nose leg is off to the powder-coaters tomorrow.

Initial instruments have arrived and I hope to be able to post some pics of the panel soon.

Regards to all - now back to the shed.

Captain

Thanks Dave. I'd appreciate that. Regards Geoff

Dave

This is a little off Shifty's subject ... so apologies to him/her for that ... but there has been some doubt cast elsewhere on the ability of the Avmap to drive an autopilot, so please advise what brand Autopilot is in that Texan and whether you know of any issues with them talking to each other.

Regards Geoff Captain

G'day Nos,

Is that yourmachine in the background?

G'day Roger from about 95 kms to your east.

I am also building a J230 that is shown in the Kitbuilding section. When is yours due?

I'm trying to finish for end Sept and my engine is coming end Aug.

Welcome aboard & if you'd like to see one partly done, just let me know.

By the way ... there is a freight group in Wagga that have a daily service from Bundaberg to the Riverina. I used them, they did a good job and saved a bit ....EDIT - BUGGER, JUST REALIZED THAT YOU'LL BE FLYING YOURS DOWN, SO IGNORE THAT.

Regards Geoff Captain

Spotted at Caboolturelast Saturday.

Brand new Sting with near zero hours& immaculate paint job which I understand took 2 weeks solid to paint!!!

Variable 3 blade prop with Rotax 912S (100HP), Blue Mountains EFIS and Garmin 296.

Nice looking machine indeed.

<?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

It has now been a while since I asked the original question and I wonder if there are any more opinions on these units or whether anyone has started using one over the last couple of months.

I've been speaking with the Distributor today and they are very helpful and knowledgable .... but how do you find the units in every-day use?

Regards

Has anyone seen any reports on the new DC X11 ENC headsets - see below.

Weight looks reasonable at a bit over 12 ozs.

Price is $US, not Skippy.

See http://www.davidclark.com/X11/index.htmlfor details on features.

Regards Geoff

All David Clark headsets come with a FIVE YEAR Warranty and include a free nylon padded headset bag.

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<T>

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<TD width="84%">David Clark X-11</TD></TR>

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<TD width="84%">Price:$799.00</TD></TR>

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<TD width="84%">Shipping early August</TD></TR></T></T></T></TABLE>

Imagine a headset so comfortable you may forget you're even wearing it-even during long hours of flight. A headset with comfortable features that fit so perfectly, you'll think it was designed for you personally. A headset made from new, handcrafted materials that refuse to sacrifice lightweight comfort while providing long term durability. A headset that is backed by unprecedented customer service and support. Now imagine it's yours, the new X-11 ENC from David Clark.

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<LI>Intelligently engineered, low force, dual hinge suspension assembly provides perfect fit

<LI>Super lightweight headband, crafted from genuine carbon fiber for maximum strength

<LI>Low-profile volume control knobs with detent settings

<LI>Modern design provides compact storage

<LI>New dual voice coil ENC technology reduces pilot fatigue

<LI>Features cell phone, aux./music input-all cables provided

<LI>Sleek, lightweight control unit powered by two AA batteries(avg. 30 hours)-Auto Shutoff capability

<LI>High fidelity stereo ear phones with dual volume controls

<LI>Super soft, fabric faced, contoured gel ear seals

<LI>Every X-11 headset comes with DC headset bag

<LI>Weighs 12.1 ounces </LI>

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John,

FYI - Following are 5 posts on PIK20's from a Soaring Forum that I inhabit.

It looks like there is some relevant info there.

Hope this helps.

Regards Geoff

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I am wondering what people think about Pik 20D as a first ship. Any thoughts?

I am looking for a something in the $20k range that will be fun to fly cross country and will not be a particular hassle to own. Pleasant flight characteristics, comfortable, stays up on less-than-perfect days, just basically a nice plane to fly. Does this describe a 20D?

Where do you Pik owners get parts?

Anything to watch for when viewing Piks for sale? Any other advice?

Thanks.

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Greetings

I'm sure most D models are fine but do read Johnson's flight report (26-1979-01.pdf). There's some evidence that the wing mould had warped over time and the wing was manufactured around 6% thicker than it should be resulting in poorer performance than earlier B version.

Another thing to look for is cracking in the wheel retract mechanism (the wheel hangs down a little and this gets worse over time). There's more detail and some useful links at:

http://www.cofc.co.nz/pik20/pik20.html

There's been similar recent discussions on the forum (try a search).

cheers JR

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And check out Jim Tsillas's PIK web site,

http://www.appledor.net/tsillas/soaring/index.html

Bob

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The model B is rated "experts only" by Piggott because of its flaps-only configuration. I have owned a D for some years. It is the most forgiving ship I have ever flown. Parts can be a problem. I think that you might be under-budgeted if you are west of the Rockies.

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Clem

It seems to me that if, as an example, you were required to travel to a destination on business and you decided to use your private aircraft instead of driving or flying with a commercial carrier, you could then claim the alternative cost, at an ATO agreed car allowance or the cost of commercial flights etc (& maybe even overnight accommodation if dictated by commercial timetables).

But it would be a stretch to claim all costs associated with a private aircraft unless it is used 100% commercially.

RegardsA Bush Lawyer

Since the last post have been working mainly down the blunt end.

Pics show horiz. stab end caps on, elevatoron, elevator end caps on, rudder fitted and playing around with panel location to suit long legs.

Apologies that shed is such a mess. Will do better next time.

Heaters working well. Gas Co share price is going thru the roof

Ian

Were your Bose units straight or coil leads .... and do you have a strong preference?

Regards Geoff Captain

Your 500 mA limit might be an issue.

I have a Kuntzelman tail fin strobe (www.kestrobes.com). They quote it as 2 Amps but Claus Grimm has just tested it for me running direct off the lighting coil and he advises that it draws 1.2 Amps average when pulsing.

It seems to me that LED Headlights are just around the corner and (bright) LED landing lights are soon to be here, but I have tested an LED strobe ball and while it would be fine at night, they are not yet bright enough in daylight IMHO.

Let me know if you want a link to the LED Strobes and I'll dig it out.

Hope this is of some help.

Regards Geoff

The latest Jabiru Newsletter is available at http://www.jabiru.net.au/news/jabachat/index.html#current

Certain secret messages in the Newsletter are only visible to those reading it thru J coloured glasses.

The rest of you will have to just dream.

Ian ... it's not too late to cancel the CT and get with the J program.

Regards Geoff

You are right Paul and there are several Motor-Gliders in the market.

The key decision appears to be whether you want to have a self launcher withTOP class sailplane performance. If you do then it costs an arm and a leg for that latest performance and something like an ASH 25 or a Stemme is needed.

S/H 5 year old Stemme's are about $US210,000 or so.

But if you will accept the somewhat reduced Sailplane performance of atypical "Motorglider" then prices are back somewhere near Ultralight levels.

Regards Geoff

G'day Arthur

All administered by the FAI Gliding (see www.fai.org/gliding ) but I don't know if this is a class here in the GFA, however I understand that there may be some who have chosen to put their Sailplanes thru the RAA. Chris Kien is a gliderphile anyway so should be able to tell you more.

I'm no expert on the FAI Regs, but there is a Microlift Class that is meant to just chase upward airmass movements, not thermals, with a MTOW of 220 kgs and max 18 kg/sq.m wing loading ... see the following link where there are some drawings, photos and Specs ... http://www.fai.org/gliding/documents/microlift.pdf

From the following excerpt from the FAI Rules it looks like Ultralight is the same MTOW without the limitation to wing loading ...

Quote

d. ULTRALIGHT a glider with a takeoff mass not xceeding 220 kg, and a MICROLIFT glider is an ULTRALIGHT glider with a wingloading not exceeding 18 kg/m2.

MICROLIFT gliders do not have separate world records.

Unquote

Interesting, isn't it?

Good stuff doing over 970 kms in an all up 220 kg sailplane.

What do you reckon?

Hope this helps

Geoff

Captain

John,

As an indicator there is a 1987 DG400 self launcher available in Nth America with 2473 hours @ $US87,000.

I'll see if I can find my latest Gliding Mags and post whatever else is listed here and in the US.

Regards Geoff

I thought that the following examples of current world records in Sailplanes might be of interest to a few power pilots here:

Best free distance in an Ultralight Glider: 972.04 km

Best distance using up to 3 turn points : 2 129.9 km

Best speed over an out-and-return course of 1 000 km : 199.79 km/h

Regards Geoff