bushpilot

Guys, Wondering if there are any views out there on this one: Using my one-way, uphill E-W strip, I sometimes land with up to 10kts of tailwind, up the hill (Westerlies), and take-off with up to 10kts of tail down the hill, in Easterlies. Of course my GS is then 10kts higher than normal - on touch down or lift off.. So I'm wondering if this has any real impact on my Jab 160C undercarriage? (It looks pretty solid compared to earlier Jabs - especially the nosewheel assembly.) Also, is there any difference between gusts and lulls? i.e. when Im landing with tail, I tend to be on final with a bit more speed than normal, in case I get a tail gust. But is this any more of a risk than a lull when landing into wind? (Can a gust vary AS more quickly than a lull?) Cheers Chris Pic. The top 70% of my strip

and another; but this one does look real. If so, the pilot has done an amazing job of - 1) missing that hotel, and 2) doing a 180o turn to run back along the beach and a ditching that looks survivable... YouTube - Plane Crash caught on video.

Its real interesting how many of us have gone thru the hang-gliding phase.. and learned a lot about the flying fundamentals, the hard way... For me it started in Adelaide - self taught, then instructing based on what I thought was right, and comp. flying for the then local hang-glider manufacturer "Freeflight". One comp. at Mt Buffalo in Vic. - took off in light conditions, scratched back and forward along the cliff face for awhile; wind dropped even more; got in closer to the face - right wing tip (38' wingspan "Jaguar") dragged on the cliff face; glider turned 90o and nose plate hit the cliff; bounced back a bit and pancaked 200' down into canopy of gum-trees.. Took the recovery team about an hour to get down there and pull me and rearranged glider out of tree.. Happy ending, apart from dislocated shoulder. But the positive thing about this type of experience is I think I understand the first principles of flying and meteorology fairly well.. I sometimes cringe now as a passenger in someone else's RAA a/c when they fly low into situations where I know there will be some rotor or turbulence; you tend to inherently read the terrain and wind direction / speed... which has to be a good thing.. Likewise when flying near 'active' clouds..

"There is also accommodation very close to the airport (in fact it shares the same boundary fence) owned by a current RAA aircraft owner and he could also use your support." Hey Michael - Do you have more info on the contact here? Website? Thanks

So Brent, what is your short field take-off technique? On grass or roughish ground, do you think it is worth pulling the a/c off the deck as early as possible to get into ground-affect?

I had the same thought, before seeing your post.. Any views out their on over-inflating to round it up a bit??

No problem with oil... Should there be?? I have now done 25 hours and added 1 litre at 20 hours and it is still bang on the full line.. (Wound all the way in.. which I assumed is the normal measuring position). Cheers, Chris

Cant beat wing-tanks: When I collected my J160 in July, I went Bundy to Chinchilla (to avoid high gound, with 700' AGL cloud), then direct to Bathurst. 5.2 hours non-stop.. (Trick is to go light on fluids before departure.. :-)

Any link to the vid.???

And the fix is available as a retro kit.... just 2 metal channels that rivet on. Speak to Jamie at Jabiru..

re "Fuel gauges can break".. But on a J160 (the a/c in question here) there are 4 gauges - 2 directly in the wing tanks and 2 LEDs in the dash; I assume all with seperate sender units.. (Can someone confirm this?)

My factory J160 tanks do drain unevenly, but I find if I deliberately fly with the ball a poofteenth off centre (which way depends on the tank that is lowest), then they even up over about 10 minutes.. I'm sure it's not necessary, but it feels better to have them roughly even...

I often get the urge to do an even earlier call - say at 15NM.. 10 sometimes seems close when you are moving into a busy aerodrome at 100kts and can see activity about... Do others get the same urge??

Welcome Joe!.. I also have ultralights and hang-gliding / trike experience (currently Jabiru)... but have no desire to climb into a gyro... They don't look as they should be able to fly to me i_dunno But enjoy yours - and these Forums... Cheers, Chris

ROMs observations are worthy of underscoring. My little contribution relates to the point about great ideas / innovations being bought out by larger entities / corporations... I have an example from about 12 years ago... and there would be many others.. I read an article (with photos) in an inflight magazine (ANSETT, I think..) that talked about a small business in Tamania that built a fully stainless steel barbque that had a big benefit over all others - it did not drip any grease on your concrete, because of a well engineered hood design (that closed inside the frame, not outside or on it, like most) and a unique system of channels under the burners that took the grease and oil down to a collection point. I tore the article out and about 2 months later got around to calling them. A guy answered the phone and advised that he had been the owner of the business (employing 5 people), but after the article was published, he had been contacted by Barbeques Galore, who had then made him too good an offer to knock back, to sell his business - and, of course his IP. He went on to tell me that Barbeques Galore had no intention of keeping building his designs, so they just closed the business - having buried the 'competition'. To this day I've been checking at Barbeques Galore and nothing as good as that guy's designs have emerged.. Sad really...

HPD. Just wondering what points you are making here...? Cheers, Chris

Looks like they will retail in OZ at around $95,000, depending on final specification and exchange rate against UK Pound when the first are shipped. And if you think that this price a bit high... 25 Aussies have already stumped up their $5K deposit each.. Like you, I've been interested in the Atom for many years, so it's great to be involved in getting them onto Australian roads; first should be here early '09. Cheers, Chris

One to think about on a wet Sunday :): My company is currently doing ADR compliance work on an Ariel Atom sports car... http://www.arielatom.com.au/ One thing we have found is that to make the seat belt system perform in a satisfactory manner, we are best to use a full harness system rather than the 'normal' lap-sash system. I.e. We can more effectively restrain the 2 occupants using the full harness - meaning less likelihood of bodily injury at certain crash speeds - in this somewhat unique car, that has very little actual body-work and a tubular frame.. Got me thinking about our recreational aircraft: Trikes normally have a full harness system, yet 'high performance' rec aviation and GA aircraft usually have lap-sash only.. Why is it so? Lap sash are OK when combined with crumple zone designs in cars, but aircraft dont have this requirement; generally just a big heavy motor ahead of the cabin.. I figure that in a heavy landing or crash situation, the walk-away rate could be higher if all of our a/c had full harnesses.. Views?? Cheers, Chris

Hey Arnaud, During 105 hours in my Redback, I took my Nikon D80S (digital) with me on maybe 30% of my flights. Simply had the strap around my neck and lense cap off.. Then when anything came along that would make a good photo, I'd take off one glove and turn the camera on, aim and click with one hand - with other hand firmly on the A-Frame base-bar... No problem at all - and many great results, from a photographic perspective.. (Like my Avatar here..)

Why I bought a Garmin 495 Faster Update Rate - 5 times refresh rate of Garmin 296 For added realism and safety, the 495 updates map data and "Panel" page instruments at 5 Hz, a significantly faster update rate that gives you a smoother, near “real-time” presentation of your aircraft’s analog indicators, such as the HSI and turn coordinator. And also... View Your Position on Taxiways Garmin SafeTaxi data provides detailed taxiway diagrams and position information for airports. Preloaded on the unit, this information helps you navigate unfamiliar airports with confidence and shows your aircraft’s exact position on the field. Access AOPA Airport Directory Easily look up taxi services, plan an overnight, choose fuel stops and more with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Airport Directory included on GPSMAP 495. It offers detailed information for over 850 Australian and Pacific airports. It includes the names and phone numbers of FBOs, plus ground transportation, lodging, restaurants, local attractions and more. Receive Altitude-Sensitive Alerts When in the air, Garmin’s Smart Airspace feature makes it easier than ever to identify what airspace lies ahead. Smart Airspace automatically highlights airspace close to your current altitude and de-emphasizes airspace well above or below your altitude, which gives you increased situational awareness. Enhance Situational Awareness GPSMAP 495 features a built-in Jeppesen database and a Pacific terrain database. It also includes an obstacles database for the U.S. or Europe. Using this information, the 495 displays your flight route over contour terrain mapping. The higher-resolution terrain database includes over ten times as much data as the 296’s for even more visual reference. With information from the terrain and obstacles databases, the 495 monitors your current position in relation to surrounding terrain to provide alerts. Even customize your own minimum clearance levels to receive terrain cautions. The addition of private airports and heliports to the database provides even more navigation and emergency "nearest" options. Add a Garmin Mode S transponder, and the 495 will display TIS traffic alerts that identify surrounding air traffic.

Hey Scotty - Better to make the Redback seller out there an offer...

So, can you guys with a lot of experience tell me what you consider the 'minimum' requirement for XC / Nav.? i.e. I got my XC on a trike, with basic work because of the limitations of the trike; yet that XC endorsment then applies to HP 3-axis without any more work.... I'd like to go do a bit more with the local CFI...

Hey Peter - Welcome! You are probably aware already that there are a few of us recreational flyers in the Central West and Tablelands.. I'm at O'Connell, near Bathurst. I've only had my a/c for couple of months (Jab160C as mentioned by Bubbleboy) and the best tip I can offer is - do a lot of homework b4 you buy! Are you GA or Rec Aviation? Cheers, Chris