BlurE

Swamp gas. Or a weather balloon..... Or a weather balloon filled with swamp gas.

Regardless no cause for alarm. Move along.

Someone on this site recommended "windytv" a while back.

I suspect it uses BOM data, but presents in a much better format. For example you can look at the wind direction and speed at different altitudes.

You can also 'play' a video over a period and see the wind pick up during the day or a front come through. And you can see the forecast several days ahead.

Very, very good.

I still check NIAPS first for the official story, but windytv for a more complete picture.

Web based: Windytv, wind forecast

Android app: Windyty - Android Apps on Google Play

Ok so here's some fun.

The centerfold of the recent "clear prop clear mind" contain some interesting statistics.

Looking at 2015 for a whole year.

- Total hours flown 211431.9

- members 9117

- average hours per member 23.19

So far so good.

- Average age of pilot 60

- Average number of hours flying experience 1780.

Now to accumulate the average number of hours (1780) at the average rate (23.19) would take 77 years. But the average age is only 60....

lies, damned lies, and statistics!

wow!

I don't know if there are any potential liability issues, but I would suggest a new factory built aircraft is wise.

The foxbat A22LS at AUD $99k inc GST flyway is decent value. Aeroprakt A22LS prices and options.

Giving this 436HP beast full power

Thanks Octave - looks like fun.

I wend down there last night but didn't hang around and didn't land on this occasion. The Cloud was starting to thicken and drop over the ranges and I got squeezed down more than I liked. Still above my LSALT, but would have certainly put me in the trees if the fan stopped. Additionally was becoming a bit concerned about remaining daylight also due to the cloud.

I had a good look at the strip but had trouble gauging how steep it was. The information phone line does recommend a precautionary search. Not sure about wind a ground level, but it was a pretty strong at 2000ft. (I had had 45-60kn from the East) I think it would have been a down hill/ into wind or nothing.

Decided to play it safe and came straight home via Anglesea where the cloud-to-hill gap was much bigger. Wye River looks pretty sad from the air.

Awesome thanks guys! I'll check it out.

Just wondering if anyone has some recent information on Apollo Bay/Marengo YAPO?

I assume anyone in the area would be on Peterborough CTAF 127.1

Google earth makes it look like it has a reasonable gradient up away from the water. It this correct?

I found the post below which as some good info. Any other tips appreciated.

http://www.recreationalflying.com/threads/nearest-strip-to-lorne-vic.9748/#post-96557

There's one at Apollo Bay that I have flown into once or twice. The strip runs at right angles to the coast, pointing at the hills in one direction and the sea in the other, so beware the rotor off the hills if the upper wind is offshore...its HUGE. I didn't know about it. It was a very hot turbulent day, I was in my syndicate owned Cherokee 140, my wife was very anxious for a break and we had our 3 month old daughter Sarah on board too .. luckily in a cradle and strapped in ..... I noticed that the boats in the harbour all indicated an onshore wind and flew my circuit at normal height ... just below the ridge level!! ... STUPID. I thought the wings might fall off, my wife was crying and I kept hitting my head on the roof. The airspeed indicator was flicking from something below? stall to close to Vne with no change in attitude ...... Then miraculously at about 400 ft everything smoothed out and we made a normal touchdown .....

 

Also there is a ravine that you cross at the threshold when landing towards the sea, an interesting visual just before touchdown .....

 

At the time there was no one to ring to tell you about all this, you just flew in and put your landing fee in the honesty box before you walked down to the harbour to buy your fresh seafood!! If there is a number to call, I recomend a conversation with a local, but the strip is actually fairly straight forward if a little different.

VFR into IMC resulting in a death spiral ?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graveyard_spiral

ATSB Preliminary report:

https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2016/aair/ao-2016-006/

The tight turns over Ocean Grove are concerning - and it's hard to image they're sightseeing on a day like that.

"Wreckage examination indicated that the aircraft’s fuselage and associated components were subjected to high impact forces and subsequently failed in overload. The aircraft’s wings were not located. A number of aircraft components, including the engine and propeller, were recovered for later technical examination."

How sad.

Is this it? "Plane Resurrection"

(preview only)

Thank god it's not an American psuedomentry the quality of some of those is dreadful.

- setting up a "syndicate kit" would make purchasing / maintaining an aircraft more achievable. Maybe RAA could seek input from syndicates as to what does / does work

The numbers in the scenario and the conclusion "probably resulted in an accelerated aerodynamic stall" come from the ATSB.

In level flight I think the analysis is solid. I am not so sure about the application in a high rate descending turn.

Some numbers have come up in another thread which caused me some trouble.

I thought I might discuss this scenario in a new thread but with no reference to the source. Please let's just discuss the physics here not the incident.

Scenario: Slow descending turn - possible accelerated stall.

- Stall speed 48kn

- Angle of bank approx 48 degrees

- descent rate >1500 ft/min

- speed during turn 59kn

Let's agree a stall is caused by the angle of attack exceeding the critical angle.

We use speed as an indication of when a stall will occur and we are told that stall speed increases in turns.

Firstly:

Lets consider a 48 degree level turn.

Say vertical component of the total lift is 1 - in order to keep the turn level.

The horizontal component is 1.2 which pulls us around the turn.

The resultant or total lift is 1/cos48 which is 1.5

The stall speed increases with the square root of the load factor √1.5 = 1.22

So the level turn stall speed becomes 1.22x 48kn = 59kn

Which is also the reported airspeed - so in this turn it is possible the airflow was starting to sperate from at least part of one wing.

But, and here is my problem. Everything above assumes a level turn. Or at least is calculated on the special case of a level turn.

This is where my concern starts. To be descending at a steady rate the system must be in equilibrium, that is the weight + lift + air resistance = 0 resultant force

weight is fixed at mass x acceleration due to the earth's gravity. (yes, apparent weight might change with g, but mass is fixed for a given fuel load and the earth always sucks the same.)

Air resistance goes up with the square of speed (from memory) In this case we are looking at the vertical speed and the vertical component of air resistance. 1500ft/min is around 8 m/s. Pretty quick really.

So I am thinking to obtain a steady 1500 ft/m the lift required is much less than the force of 1g. (Yes, technically 1g is an acceleration not a force - but it's convenient.)

Maybe pick a number of 0.8g vertical lift component. In the scenario above this would make the total lift 0.8/cos48=1.2 and the stall speed √1.2 x 48 = 52kn

Maybe 0.7g - which is 49kn. (the other 0.3g would be providing around 200kgf to work against the air resistance which doesn't seem huge at that speed over that projected area?)

These numbers would suggest a stall is unlikely.

Am I missing something here?

The GoPro 3 onward does not have a 3.5mm jack and instead uses a special mini USB plug. It's very hard to cobble one up because it uses the 'other side' of the mini USB plug - which actually allows for a total of 11 pins - where nearly all other USB cables only use 4. Where I have very hard you may as well read impossible.

These ( http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/avpages/pa80s_hero3.php ) do work well, but as you say there is no ambient noise - so it is eerily quiet when there is no voice to trigger the intercom or radio. (So yes they record both)

You can get adapters from the micro 'GoPro' USB to a 3.5mm socket and then plug in a microphone. Or just get a Gopro compatible lapel mic.

Tiedown eyelets are a conveniently located and robust mounting possibility. Underwing or tail. Not suggesting anything - just thinking out loud........

I believe CAO 95.55 then goes on to clarify ‘land‘ means a place where you could land. I certainly wore jackets on my last trip around cape otway. Not much point being in glide range to cliffs and treed mountains - i would certainly ditch first.

besides you hardly notice inflatable jackets and they are only $100, recently $59 on sale at bcf.

Good info. Thanks guys.

I'm struggling to find a definitive answer;

I am planning a flight near Western Post R323A/B.

- The chart says refer to NOTAM for operational Hrs

- The area briefing says there is no current NOTAM (but check the ERSA as it may not be activated by NOTAM.)

ERSA says refer to NOTAM

Getting dizzy. I would guess the default state is inactive - but I am not going to fly though on this assumption. Am I missing something?

ERSA:

YMMM/R323B WESTERN PORT CONDITIONAL STATUS: RA2 FIRING LATERAL LIMITS: 38 28 55S 145 01 35E, 38 32 23S 144 41 41E then along the minor arc of a circle of 16.00NM radius centred on 38 28 55S 145 01 35E to 38 44 55S 145 02 00E 38 29 07S 145 02 00E, 38 28 55S 145 01 35E VERTICAL LIMITS: SFC - FL550 HOURS OF ACTIVITY: NOTAM CONTROLLING AUTHORITY: Navy HMAS Cerberus

Thanks for the comments all I've done a bit more reading of the AIP enroute and the VFR guide and it does appear my table contains at least two errors (I expect more to come)

So to be clear;

I do not believe there is a restriction on experimental in Class E (unless it's a built up area)

I do not believe a transponder is required above 5000 (unless you're in class E) - but radio certainly is required.

I expect part of my confusion - is the condition in brackets - which, in both those statements,can apply - depending in where you are.

Thanks again. Any more input appreciated.

BlurE. I am aware of the requirement for a transponder for Class E, but it is news to me that it must be a factory built aircraft. I havn't been looking for this info as I fly an Experimental in class E. Maybe if you are correct I shouldn't

These are pieces of things I have been told or think I have been read somewhere - that give pieces of this puzzle. I just want to bring it all together into my little table and be totally certain of each piece.

Blur E... A reference as you have was something I always found necessary. Make sure none of it is ever out of date and add as required for YOUR operations. Nev

- Like the restriction to factory build over built up areas?

- or I thought over 5000 and class E both required a transponder as well as radio?

I am trying to walk the line between being very brief and complete.

I recently started to tabulate a quick reference guide for these sorts of questions and wanted to reference it back to specific information sources;

This how far I got with the draft - I would certainly appreciate some assistance (please) in expanding and checking it.

[GALLERY=media, 3664]Where-do-you-plan-to-fly-draft1 by BlurE posted Dec 21, 2015 at 9:48 AM[/GALLERY]

It's funny clearly knowing you need to apply the opposite input takes so much concentration.

I remember the first time I had a go in a trike. The pitch inputs were wrong more than once...