bushpilot

Good tip Kev; I'll order some. Thanks. Cheers

Come over to the West side of the Divide...;) .. Plenty of room here... and no dramas with restrictions. Even Bathurst airport is OK with trikes flying in.. And Mudgee airport has a big ultralights presence. Since I put my strip in, I've discovered 3 other private strips within 5NM of my place. Cheers, Chris

I made the following post to another thread - regarding a fuel line problem on a Jab230. But I thought it also relevant to post here: My Airborne trike (Redback) has done just 52 hours TTIS - but over a period of 3 years. I pre-flight check it every flight (as you should..) and had not noticed the deterioration of the rubber fuel lines (approved fuel line material to some USA standard) - until a friend visited our farm, and he is into large scale model aeroplanes; he walked up to the engine and straight away said "when are you going to replace those fuel hoses?" I looked closely and couldn't believe how many fractures were in all of them. I took them off and when they were bent a little, some of the fractures opened right up and you could see the linen separator between the 2 layers of rubber. This trike has been hangared or garaged all its life and has an engine cover placed on it after each flight. No UV and no excessive heat. I cant see how top grade material like that could deteriorate so quickly - in these conditions. Also taught me that a fresh pair of eyes from time to time is one of the best annexures to self pre-flighting... Cheers, Chris

Andy's report prompts me to tell of my experience this past week: My Airborne trike (Redback) has done just 52 hours TTIS - but over a period of 3 years. I pre-flight check it every flight (as you should..) and had not noticed the deterioration of the rubber fuel lines (approved fuel line material to some USA standard) - until a friend visited our farm, and he is into large scale model aeroplanes; he walked up to the engine and straight away said "when are you going to replace those fuel hoses?" I looked closely and couldn't believe how many fractures were in all of them. I took them off and when they were bent a little, some of the fractures opened right up and you could see the linen separator between the 2 layers of rubber. This trike has been hangared or garaged all its life and has an engine cover placed on it after each flight. No UV and no excessive heat. I cant see how top grade material like that could deteriorate so quickly - in these conditions. Also taught me that a fresh pair of eyes from time to time is one of the best annexures to self pre-flighting... Cheers, Chris

He He. It is also real unlikely that the humidity would be 0%...

Hey trikers - Since I moved my trike into its new hanger on our farm, starlings have decided to sleep in the rafters and are poopin on my nice white dacron wing.. I have worked out how to dissuade them - but does anyone have any ideas on best way to remove the sh*t? (It has stained thru the dacron). Thanks Chris

Welcome Greg.. You will find a lot of 'friends' and useful info on this forum - irrespective of what u fly.. I have similar background to you (700+ hrs hang gliding) and 70 hours in GA, and nano trike, and now ultralight trike.... I'm also planning to refresh my 3-axis experience via the RAA route.. Stay in touch... Cheers Chris

Gosh! What a quality report! Detailed yet succinct, and written in language that even I could understand... Some really sound lessons here. Lucky guy to have a Dad so into aviation. Chris

Great effort Sam and Ian.. That weekend was good for me - until today when my employer decided I am needed in one of our o/s offices that same week.. So cant make it - but wish all attendees a great weekend; it looks idyllic at Camden Haven. Cheers Chris

Having checked out the Camden Haven website, I have to say it looks very good; all the facilities a travelling aviator could want... and more.. ;)

Pretty impressive how quickly 'they' can get their initial accident reports out... Even though there is no analysis at that stage - it's helpful for other pilots, in particular, to understand the fundamentals..

AvMap comes with a wide knee-mount strap; or can be fitted into panel.. Ive been doing some homework on it; spoke to 2 users at Narromine - both said it is "great" but get occasional lock-ups, requiring reset in flight.. Anyone else out there have one?? http://www.avmapnavigation.com/index.php?swt=12&sec=1&ipr=9

Isn't Paul Haines also very ill?? If I have that right then he is having a real bad run of luck...

Why not get a poll happening? Sam and Ian agree on a shortlist of 4 workable options and then members get voting...

I suspect that there are not many of us out there who would be as honest as this account ; and it includes a few lessons for all of us.. Thanks Crash Lander.. (But dont live up to that handle.. ;-)

I think that is a good idea - provided the thread doesn't degenerate to 'Board Bashing'. This has happened in other Forums that I have been a member of, and it tends to turn people off; particularly those that are obliged to defend the position of the Boards - i.e. a Board member.

The difficulty with this approach is that glider pilots (or those interested in gliding) will not readily find this Forum. Telling those that have found it to tell their friends to come to this Forum, can only work if a significant number are already here. I found the Forum through an advert. in RAA mag. So an advert. in GFA mag. (which is also the HGFA mag.) would likely attract an audience. But to justify the expense Ian has to decide if they are really a target audience segment... Cheers Chris

Hey Darren - Just checked out your own website for the first time; cool site - and great pics from Narromine.. Cheers, Chris

Ditto Welcome, Dave. Lucky man to own a Tecnam...

Nice lot of experience you have between you Gary.. And lucky to have a spouse who is into aviation as well! Mine likes to be a 'fly on the wall' - but wont get much higher than that... Welcome (to you both) to the Forum. Cheers Chris

Hmmm - Yes, it appears that your recall is correct .. I would love to host a mini-flyin one day - and sling a Hereford on the spit - however my strip is really only one-way for 3-axis 'heavies', so needs winds of SW/W/NW to work; hence a bit difficult to fix a day/s. That's why I suggested Bathurst Soaring Club - they have long strip, great facilities and is close to the city centre, with lots of history + Mt Panorama + shopping + restaurants... I also figure it is reasonably central for Mexicans and Banana Benders and Crow Eaters. Cheers, Chris

Gotta say that package sounds appealing: High wing (best vision) All Metal (low maintenance) Gullwing gas-strut doors (easy access - low maintenance) Air-cooled engine (more reliable system than water cooled) Cessna reputation (Will appeal to some...) Now it all comes down to price.. Wonder if 'they' will bring them into OZ? Cheers,

Hi John - I wasn't replying to your point - just addiing to the observations in this tread in general. Thanks for clarifying anyway... Cheers Chris

My point on timeliness is this: * In some intances reporting of an accident can be a matter of 'life or death' (beyond whatever has been suffered as a direct result of the accident) for other pilots that might encounter similar circumstances - whether they be conditions, state of the a/c, pilot judgement, or whatever. * Waiting for a full investigation followed by a quasi-inquest, then reporting, can sometimes mean a year or more of delay in getting vital information out. * The investigating agency should be bound, in normal circumstances, to issue an "interim finding" as soon as the basic facts and circumstances are understood This could be qualified as necessary, if for instance exhaustive metallurgy and static loading tests on components are required. This qualification might say something like: "The port-side wing appears to have folded upwards at 90o from its normal orientation, at a point about 900mm in from the wing tip, prior to impact. Tests will be carried out in an attempt to ascertain the cause of this failure." * This and other known information could act as a guide to other pilots / owners to check for any problem in the area in question (on type). Cheers,

My view on the various format options, suggested below, is: The 'drop into to several locations' approach would be good as an event spread over several days - that people can treat as a holiday tour.. It will not appeal to all, but it has a place in the calendar. The 'one location' approach is better suited to getting as many Forum members as possible together, over say 2 days, to meet, socialise and exchange views. This also means it can happen on an ordinary weekend, avoiding conflicts with other events and family commitments that often apply on long weekends, Easter, etc. Then the location could be moved each year - giving access to most members in most regions. Cheers