metalman

Wondering if anyone is heading to Kyneton this Saturday morning for their biggest morning tea fly in http://kynetonaeroclub.org/wp/ Matty

And that is the bottom line as to why there is a lack of cheap rag n tube ultralights, there is simply no money to be made, I think the last of the drifters were getting up around the $50k area, that's a lot for an aircraft that is pretty minimal. Aviation seems to be littered with bankrupt enthusiasts chasing the elusive "cheap" flying machine, although if your keen it can still be affordable ( relative to the certified/factory built scene) if you build your own Matty

Amazing that they had this aircraft certified and on the market just three years after ww2 ended ,and that the type is still selling 65 years later, it would be interesting to know how much of the A model ( actually I think the A was the second model ,??) is common to the latest offering . Here's a crazy thought ,Cessna doing another 170 as an anniversary model ,same fuse with all the later refinements ,that would be a sweet aircraft :-) There's a guy in Vic with a straight tailed 172 ,converted to a taildragger with a CSU i0-360, very nice jigger indeed, Matty

I did it,,,,but I was on my own,,,,and it was fun Matty

Fraser is a great place to fly around, took some mates into Orchid beach last year for a few days ,everyone had a ball ,very memorable visit Matty

Fell in love with his Pacer, just couldn't agree on a price, pity it was a real nice one Matty

I looked around and ended up with a Garmin 495, I looked at the aeras but the thought of trying to input something in turbulence sold me on not having a touch screen, I have an iPad which works great but if it's bumpy I'll get all sorts of stuff coming up on the screen, not the end of the world but it can be distracting. I'm all for being able to nav without the toys ,but the question here wasn't about using a GPS as primary ,it was just about what brand works best in the opinion of those that use them, maybe a good question would be " who NEVER uses anything other than a chart ,clock and compass? Matty

It would really suck to get in strife, pull the chute ,then gracefully float into the Ht lines,,,,,,,good to see it worked out well for all ,,,,,as for it being a Cessna type they do sell something that looks remarkably similar ,but I doubt the dumbass reporter would know that Matty

Gotta join in the love fest, the Cessna taildraggers are tops ,but even the old 172 is nice, I maybe fly one every two years if that nowadays but it's like visiting an old mate, compared to the pipers in all the schools that just feel tired( the last nice Piper had the little wheel on the back anyway) . I haven't been up in a C185 for a few years now but OH the memories , Matty

There was one one those at YCAB for years ,owned by a Jap Air 747 pilot, I was keen on buying the PA20 he had ,chatting to him he reckons the quickie was heavy and not that fast ,interesting to look at though Matty

The issue I have is I can get off the ground in about 200 feet but need around 300-350 to land, it's good in that I know I'll always get out of anywhere I can get in but I would like to shorten the landings a bit

Sound remarkably similar to a PA18, I've been pondering what I'd like in an aircraft, and as I've already got all the plans from piper for a supercub I'll be heading down that way, although with a few changes , the main one being widening the fuse for side by side seating ( I know a pa20 does that ,but it's certified ,and the cub does fly slower) , a 100 knot cruise is fine for me and the cubs slow end performance is what really sells it for me. Talking about going slow ,any thought on the highlanders pop out slats, I'd love to look at something like that on my Skywolf ? Matty

And if it's in a paddock ,alot less scary Matty

I think the noise angle is just an excuse, aircraft aren't that noisy at circuit height, and on final they're usually very quiet, takeoff is probably the noisiest time . Most complainers have ulterior motives ,I've found , whether it be financial ,notoriety or even fear based ( one old bird near YCEM complained that the planes were nearly crashing into her house regularly,turned out she happen to be right where the instructors liked to pull the power for an engine failure simulation, in her mind a quiet aircraft was on the edge of falling out of the sky) I've wondered about running the 912 minus muffler ,for weight of course, would be interested to hear how it goes Matty

I might be slow ,but I can lift heavy things

Not sure but I think one of the schools just north of Melbourne have one Matty

Just interested Paul , is the pilot still flying? I'd hate to see the desire die over one incident, Matty

It does shorten the ground roll quite a bit though, Matty

Flap levers ! I started out on types with little buttons for the flaps ,then the first time I got in a piper and saw the flap handle I thought "yuk, what an old heap of sh1t", now I love em , the control over what your doing is great . Watching the guys in their super cubs use the flaps to break ground quickly is almost artwork, as for dumping flaps on landing , I was taught that all the controls in the cockpit are there to be used by the pilot, learning to use them effectively is the bit we have to learn well, I won a flying competition by dumping the flaps to get a spot landing, the young instructor was horrified and marked me down for bad airmanship, afterwards in the club the CFI was talking about how effective it can be to dump the flap to nail an aim point ( whether for a comp or more serious reasons) . I've heard of giving the flaps a quick pump to clear obstacles in a forced landing, and on the Coldstream strip with the gravel ( it's now been sealed nicely) leaving the flaps down on a low wing was inviting stone damage , Matty

Pretty tough to have that on your resume ! Matty

Are you on the TAC payroll? What's next ,ban UHF, radios, hands free phones, GPS, the nanny state attitude is getting out of hand in this country and mobs like the TAC are at the forefront ,latest invasion is a camera the can detect if your eating from neary a kilometre away WTF! I've had my house vandalised several times ,the day care centre across the road was destroyed recently and our Main Street is burnout city,,,but the cops are busy looking for people snacking in there cars,,,that has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with revenue! The TAC tried to get the coppers here to start booking for ONE km over the limit,,,even the cops thought it was ridiculous and refused to do it.

Interesting the span of complaints,,,,,no atmosphere due to lack of participation = I'm not going! food was crap = I'm not going! it moved from one town to another = I'm not going, not enough sales stands = I'm not going,,,,,,,how to we fix all the above,,,,,,mmmmm,,,stuffed if I know! Matty

I've been every second year since the event went to Temora,,,does that give me the right to have a opinion, no one is saying there isn't problems but if we get the sh*ts and stay home it will fold anyway, Matty

Careful mate,,,you'll get branded a liar and a bully!