Steve Donald

Did he do a lot of flying in circles?Seriously though, did the plane get delivered like that?

 

How could it pass a test flight?

 

At what stage was it discovered?

 

No offence, but I'm having a great deal of difficulty in believing this is possible.

Hi hey that put's one wing about 150mm higher on 1 side at the wingtip, it would fly like a duck with a broken wing, hell it would look odd and so obvious Hmmm it would take 2 bottles of scotch and a hack saw to manage that mistake.

 

 

:clap:Just back from a 38 hour Cape York, Lawn Hill, home. Via QLD coast over 12 days. I never used the choke once. Cold at Birdsville and White Cliffs Sat and Sunday am.The mods done have fixed the cold starting problem for sure.

I feel that the mods worth doing including the larger battery in order are the 1.2 mm choke jet drill out, Irridium plugs, 3.8 mm main jet, new solenoid valve.

 

This is the order I would fix first and continue on if still giving problems.

 

I did all my mods except the plugs at the one time, so not sure which one (or two) fixed the problem.

 

Cheers.

 

Phil

Good on you Phil, glad to hear your Plane is going well in the cold now, yep those Iridium plugs sure make a difference, at 1/3 the resistance much easier on the whole ignition system and suppressed as well, i get instant starts as well in the cold with my 2.2 with no choke, well your trip sounds like a blast it is just great getting away on trips like that and good on the engine, happy flights cheers Steve

 

 

Mistakes happen

 

As careful as one can be things sometimes go wrong, parts failure or human factor combinened , Just recently a near new Cessna 206 in Darwin had a routine service and the lame noticed that in the tailplane had a whole row of rivet's which had missed the stringer rib they were into nothing but the skin. Just shows it can happen and does happen, hence keep a close eye on everything especially new Aircraft or anything for that matter, even if the percentage of build faults are very low you never no when it will occur but rest assured it will. keep a regular good look for the first 100hrs check bolt tensions engine mounts' exhaust, intakes, carb mounts, under-cart, wheel bearings brake ajustment , i recently saw a 912 hanging on loose bolts at 50hrs not good. Happy flying

 

 

whats the problem

 

We're still not getting much specific information on the in, dividual Jab models yet.

Hiya guy's, hey the Jabs are pussy's to fly, i have flown many types of aircraft low performance rag and tube to high performing types, all of the current series of Jabs are a joy to fly.

 

speed control is essential and trim for all operating conditions, maintain the correct speed and decent rate on final with power to adjust sink rate light touch on the stick all the time hence maintain good trim.

 

High drag machines are easy as they don't tend to run away when you drop the nose and slow down quickly when you remove power, so precise trim and power manage often is not learned, however it does still apply and you will fly all types better with good power and trim and speed control and not just rely of the inbuilt braking of the airframe.

 

The Jabiru can land very short using full flap and power to place it on the ground in a controlled decent i use this method to work out of a 350mtr landing zone no problem in the J120, saves brakes as well.

 

JABIRU'S are often landed way to fast, and then pilots find themselves in ground effect for ever the Most vulnerable time of the flight. ooooh low and slow, hope this helps some

 

 

hi i would be checking each electrical connection as well as looking for voltage drop at each point including engine on and off, this has been a problem with some, if you find a drop check the resistance on that wire first as it could be just faulty wire or a poor connector. Good luck hope you get it sorted

 

 

Air switch time

 

Jetr you're on the money, you can pretty well forecast engine life by the kilometres travelled by a piston over the period. On a well built engine,fueld, lubricated and serviced to its designers recommendations the life cycles are remarkably similar.On a fleet of 1800 trucks I was progressively able to predict to about 30,000 km in over 500,000 km when engines might start to drop.

 

Once you start ignoring piston travel (as in not counting start up, taxying etc) you are fudging life cycle figures so you don't know where safety ends and nasty surprises start.

Air Switch Time, was introduced a long time ago and approved internationally, the concept was to provide fair time in the air for hire and training, but a major concideration was that it would encourage correct warm ups ect from the hire and fly pilots mainly as the service life of engines are greatly reduced by full power departure on a cold engine, ie the P@W RADIAL handbook says for each full power cold engine take off reduces engine life by approx 50hrs, scary stuff, service time should still be made by real running hrs and is the opinion of many maintainers, as the low speed operations create most of impurities that we change oil for.

 

Personally i would prefer a 1000hr engine which has done all long haul flights over a 500hr weekender that might have done say 2 hrs per month, assuming both are serviced per schedule .

 

as for the other stuff around this posting, yep get an inspection an always audit the books even phone the maintainer i have seen fabricated data and found unreported crash repair in the past, so check it well. enjoy your shopping .

 

 

Oh GUESS , i will have humble pie for tea, yep there is more to it, ....

 

 

If you want to help the brakes from fading,you could try fitting the callipers to the rear of the wheel so as the disc can get some clean air and cools the disc better, we have our brakes fitted in this way and have never had any problems with braking performance.Brian

I Have noted on a few Jab"s on single caliper that they have not been ajusted correctly, they must be square i use a feeler gauge about 30 thou even all the way through the pad and disk both wheels, and use a high performance brake fluid , this worked for me and other i have helped out, about 50% better or half as crappy, but not as good as them great USA systems.

 

 

Valid point Turbo!I think that the complaint is not what these inspectors are doing, but the way in which it was carried out.

 

I honestly believe that people in general have no issue with the need for security and for DNA (Drugs 'n Alcohol) Testing, but more with the way that they are carried out by a few, out of control, individuals who are on a power trip.

 

I work out of Point cook where security is controlled by the RAAF. The few times that I have been checked, either for my ID not being visible or for being somewhere I shouldn't have been they always been polite and curtious, whilst being effective in getting their message across. (Rank doesn't come into it either, as the SP was a Leading Aircraftsman, one bent stripe, and I wear three)

HIYA YOU ARE absolutely correct, we were in no way sujesting the testing is wrong, on the contrary we think that this is a good safety program for all, however we objected to the agressive conduct of this twit, if he was a prison officer testing prisoners he would have been in big trouble with his boss, same as the Police code of conduct , be respectful of the public ect, CASA has spent a lot of time building good relations with airmen and this can be so damageing, remember it wasn't that many years ago pilots lost their lives in a few incidents due to them being fearfull to ask for help ie radar assist or lost, and died for it, now CASA encourage you to ask, they understand humans will make mistakes, fact, so lets hope they get rid of any twits like this.

 

 

and should u be 2000mile offshore and a non tax payer.........You are still entitled to activate the SAR organisation

I Think you missed my point or i did not explain myself well, but SAR service is paid by the taxpayers of Australia and there to use when needed and as others pointed out make sure you regisiter you epirb beacon, makes their job easier , i listed my survival equipment as well as many others do, ie 2 days supplies food and water shelter first aid kit, list of contact phone numbers ect.

 

what i do object to is non residents using this service and not paying for it, as this desolves funding for our own operations. up goes our tax again for freeloaders. give them the bill i think.

 

 

Turn it on

 

Turn it on as soon as you know you have trouble you may not get an opportunity later, you can cancel it if you sort out the situation, but at least from the moment you activated it help is happening, life threat is time and minutes can decide your or your passengers outcome, be smart switch it on as early as you can, remember you are not 2000 mile off shore and a non tax payer you are entitled to this help, use it.

 

 

hi, our club has made a complaint directly to the PMO but as it is now under investigation i probably should not disclose names ect, however it is great that the process has been actioned.

 

 

hiya, Well the CASA Principle Medical Officer, is making an imediate investigation' it is a shame when an individual does things like this, it drags the whole show down down the tube, concidering the efforts Recreational Pilots and RAAUZ has put into safety and professional flying operations, so lets hope we all encounter some respect next time when a CASA request is made, good relations is paramount for all so we can communicate needs and proceedures, i am sure this was not how CASA wanted things done. Happy flying all.

 

 

as a professional govt dept when they contract workers they are responsible to provide them with appropriate training, as well as having a total understanding of the legislation and the code of conduct, in effect whilst in their employ he is acting on their behalf and and entity of CASA,they are in fact responsible and accountable for his actions, we would like to recieve a formal apology from CASA and that they publish the details to pilots Nationaly of the correct policy surrounding this issue, because i can"t find anything in relation to private property and farmer John getting busted on his Fergy in the Paddock for over doing the PORT just because he has a plane in his Hanger, remember they record the + test or - test and keep the details of that even if you are not flying, it is quite an invasion of privacy.

 

 

Are you sure this is a "CASA out to flex its wings" or a guy who has a) had a bad day and wanted to take it out on someone

b) having been abused at several other clubs, felt he was going to "get the boot in" before any of you could?

 

The guy repeatedly stating he was given a holiday to do this seems strongly like he is trying to re-enfore something to himself.

HI, yes he had a CASA Badge, he had been out to the main PT augusta Airstrip to bag the RFDS but they were closed, HE then phoned the CFI at the REC FLYING SCHOOL he got his number off the hanger there and got him to drive out there so he could drug test him and he complied, the CFI there then told him about our location and details of aircraft and he then proceeded to invade our meeting he stated a number of times about his paid holiday on Govt money, and yes lots of witneses, he tested 2 persons here a pensioner who does not fly and 1 pilot the test kit cost $30.00 per person tax payers money, the form he fills out is very detailed about yourself and is in triplicate which 1 copy stays with you, yep i think CASA have to look into this as this guy was contracted by CASA to perform what he does for them as an agent, but he should work within the law and the Public Sector Management Act.

 

 

HIYA GUY'S, WELL CASA IS REALLY FLEXING IT'S WINGS NOW , On Saturdat 5/6/2010 our Aero club was having a meeting on our privately owned 500 acre property, when this dude from CASA WALKS IN With an attitude no knock on the door holding out his badge stating i want 3 of you for Drug and Alcohol testing, we said no one is flying and we are in a meeting, so our situation is no different than some of you farmers who have a hanger at your home CASA can walk in and test you even if you are not flying, and what if you had been they record the findings ON A VERY DETAILED FORM Despite a positive or negative result flying or not and then:hittinghead: retain that information WHY? A data base this is a breach of the privacy act, i do not have a problem of ramp checks or drug and alcohol testing at any aerodrome or licenced field, it is probably a good idea, same as road users contend with, but do the Police knock on your door at home to test you in case you might go for a drive NO That is a breach of law so what the hell are CASA Doing and i might add this CASA Official stated about 4 times CASA have given me a paid holiday to travel all over the country to do this testing, What a waste of money this bloke was from Melbourne we are in PT AUGUSTA SA we also stated to him CASA would be better off dealing with real safety issues such as the military aircraft which in recent weeks here mainly BLACK HAWK CHOPPERS have caused some very close encounters with GA and recreational AIRCRAFT in this area, guess what this CASA BLOKE WAS NOT INTERESTED IN THAT he just enjoyed breaching our civil rights and the Privacy Act, not to mention Tresspass Act, but hey, it's Big brother our group will be seeking a formal appology from CASA so there you go be warned this is how this Government seems to operate without concideration of your rights. whats your thoughts.:hittinghead:

 

 

injection throttle body

 

looking at the XXXX injection system has any one got it fitted to a 3300 jabiru engine and how did it improve the performance???

Hiya yes i think it may prove a good system but XXXXX are expensive AERO VEE Make the same thing and is 1/3 the price, it has some very good reports,and has been and is being used on a number of Jab engines it would be worth a look and the company apparently are good to assist and provide all your needs, hope you have some luck cheers Steve

 

 

choke

 

The choke on a Bing carb is not really a choke it's a start circuit. Either use full choke or none. Part choke will just screw things up.

Also make sure no throtle is on as this bypases the choke circuit, so check ya carb throttle stop for correct position with full off throttle lever, common problem and yea like posted full on or off no in betweens, same as ya carb heat all on or off cheers guy's

 

 

Hiya Gavin, no worries mate, i feel sure all will be sorted out for you soon, like you say the aircraft is well maintained and operated, i cant see any issue that could cause concern to Jabiru it could well take them some time to track that batch of legs, hope it is sorted quickly for you cheers Steve

 

 

Hello sorry to hear about your landing gear problem, as for Jabiru i have always known them to be very good with warranty issues, as long as the maintaining is exactly as they instruct for your model, and the use of the aircraft was normal flight and operationaly within the guidelines of the aircraft flight manual.

 

I am very happy with the customer service i have recieved, hec they will ship you parts no matter what it is, the same day to anywhere if you get stuck. cheers hope all goes ok for you Steve

 

 

95.10 the original DNA OF RAAUZ

 

Unfortunately its not easy finding a school that offers training on traditional types. Litigation culture and the impossibility of insurance certainly isn't helping Cheers

 

John

Hiya John, you are quite right we are going full circle as far as training in an appropriate type aircraft to trasition into a 95.10 type, the exact problem we had in the begining where you operate within a 25 to 30kt safe flight envelope high drag ect fortunately there are still some schools arround using Drifters and Bantams, Thrusters.

I also think where some refer to this class of Aircraft as an entry class to RAA flying are incorrect, pilots who fly this type do so because they enjoy them and as far as freedom and being in the air nothing matches the experience or view, those who fly 95.10 do so by choice i guess it comes down to personal needs and preference for me if i had a choice of aircraft to go for a cruise down the coast on a nice day i would prefer my old flightstar, one of my old flying mates fly's very high performance aircraft but still misses his old Drifter, he used to fly everywhere in it. These Aircraft are a class of their own and a choice for pilot's certainly not just entry level flying. well that's my view cheers Steve

 

 

tips

 

Hiya i like the pencil trick, one thing i like on-board is my monocular 8x i find it less distracting and does not interfere with your view around the cockpit or outside orientation ect, anywhere nearly as bad as binoculars also very small and light.

 

Rational is that in the event of a precautionary landing or forced landing, you have the opportunity to view the ground from your starting altitude before decent has occurred, from 6000ft say your view will be as if you were 800ft thereabouts to the ground and you have the opportunity to use your glide distance more effectively to make it to an appropriate landing area, i think we have all seen the ground can look very different from a height, who knows you may be lucky and see one of the many bush strips that are around also you may be involved in a SAR incident where you may be looking for someone or aircraft what a great tool to have and backyard pools can look good too ha. hope this is useful to others cheers aviators Steve.

 

 

Clear prop

 

I get some smirks at my club for yelling "clear prop!" at the top of my lungs every time.

Yes i agree even the dogs at our strip know what clear prop means, and it is the sounds of the two words that gets attention even in noisy environments, but yep you do get individuals who choose their own warnings such as stand clear i am starting my engine Hmmm a lot of stuff to hear there, like our dogs who respond to sound ie sit lay, and clear prop, Beats having to buy a new prop hey CLEAR PROP:thumb_up:

 

 

below info not directly related to fouled s/p but it could be of some use.I have being using NGK Iridium spark plugs now for 300+ hours on avgas. I was told they give a better spark on a Jabiru J160 2.2L weak ignition system. I will try the 400 hour mark before changing or if i get cold feet sooner. I had to re adjust them back to .025. at 200 hours and again at 300 hours.

 

The s/p were used during a short 100 hour period when the carby was set factory rich and glazed bores, using excessive oil piston ring bypass.

 

Last 200 hours carby set on about 16L burn at about 3000 RPM below 5000 feet, 60X44 prop.

 

Ring Wayne Johns to fix your problem. I have his mob.

 

Cheers

Hiya Theo, i agree the NGK Iridium spark plugs are the go, did you notice the complete burn you get especially when you mag check no noticeable rpm drop a complete burn still occurs on 1 plug due to the spark pattern being full circle omnidirectional, std plugs fire a figure eight shape spark, then you have resistance factors Iridium plugs only have one third the resistance of a standard plug , much less work on the ignition system, here is a test you can try for yourselves fit a half shot coil and crook spark lead with std plugs it will miss and break down change plugs to Iridium you will find in most cases it will run quite well, you will also notice cold starts are better as is throttle response, i would not run any other plug better overall performance with less load on the whole ignition system, resistance = heat and heat is the killer of coils and most components. only bugger is they cost $20 each still it is better than being in the air wishing they were fitted , cheap added safety, cheers Steve:thumb_up:

 

 

I've been thinking the last little while of why flying is so addictive for us pilots? I still haven't completely worked out why it is for me yet, it just is! the View is definitely one of them, a Challenge maybe? every flight is just that little bit different.

 

Why is it for you?

Well in the air i don't have to listen to the wife nagging, or look at the list of chores she leaves on the fridge, i can look down and watch other blokes mowing the lawn, god i love flying :big_grin: