Spin

Quite right Willie, although I think the Honeywell engined aircraft is the L-159, which although superficially similar is quite different under the skin. Many of those are single seaters. Interesting change in operational philosophy, the L-159 was developed with a Western engine and carries Western armament, having been widely marketed against the BAE Hawk etc.

Thanks Owen, that certainly lifted the spirits on a grey and soggy day. Always worthwhile to take a step back and remember why it is that we chose to fly in the first instance.....

They are impressive aircraft; I spoke to an owner years ago who reckoned that it was simpler to operate than a piston warbird. He was a reasonably experienced PPL and used it to commute to various business interests around the country - when I met him, he dropped in at a gliding field because of wx and spent the night in the bunkhouse with the rest of us. Next morning fired it up and blasted off the grass runway with no more drama than if it were a C182. Hmmm better work on those lotto numbers...:D

So what do they do for relaxation, play Russian Roulette? Spectacular footage though.

Or any other aircraft for that matter! I am amazed that the L-39 survived that impact, those Roosians obviously built their trainers to take a bit of abuse. http://www.takeofftube.com/view/4386/l39-albatros-very-hard-landing-at-maks-2011/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsZqN-uEgQUHope this hasn't been posted before; I found the link on an overseas forum and must say I think it outdoes the old Kai Tak (Hong Kong) approach - looks like the sort of place you would expect to see C185's and Twin Otters, not an A320. Rather long, the interesting part starts about half way through.

Thanks Willie, I find that sort of loading and rigging fascinating, there wasn't much room to spare there!

I know this one has been discussed several times on various aviation sites, those involved normally quickly splitting into 2 camps "BS, Photoshop etc" vs "I, my uncle, my dad..was there and it's true". Probably not helped by the fact that the pilot involved, had been subjected to a barrage of misinformed comment and the photographer (John Miller) generally declined to become involved in the debate, apparently having gotten the rough end of the pineapple in the deal with a magazine. Anyway someone applied a little diplomacy and herewith the story from Capt. Darryl Tarr; Boeing 707 Display Flight.pdf Boeing 707 Display Flight.pdf Boeing 707 Display Flight.pdf

?? Is it just me, can't see the image Col.

No actually there is no comparison with old mate and his drowned Sapphire, if you re-read the submissions above you'll see that Jones' supposed "antics" had nothing to do with the public whatsoever - private property anyone? Don't get me wrong, I think he was daft to give every holier than thou, nitpicker, ammunition but it is difficult not to see this as a manifestation of the tall poppy syndrome.

Methinks Casa has been drawn a little too deeply into the concept of reality TV - everything is exaggerated and overhyped, reality being a fairly elastic concept. That said from my limited exposure to the Aussie GA business, there is undoubtedly a commercial competitor standing behind Casa-man whispering accusations in his ear and driving the witch hunt. I wouldn't be amused if someone started playing those games at the local lake, over Joe Public, but I think it is a bit precious to get over involved in what someone is doing with his family, in his aircraft and on his property.

Bit of Aussie Bleriot info here: http://www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au/exhibition/objectsthroughtime/bleriot-monoplane/ Somewhere in my files I have a photo of what I believe to be a replica, beautiful piece of aviation art, taken out at Watts Bridge - will see if i can dig it out.

Nice looking machines, I'm surprised that they haven't filled the gap between the 2 seat LSA's eg P92 Eaglet and the new 2010 though. Jabiru's J430 and the latest Sling 4 seater with 120 and 115hp respectively have shown that you don't need 180 thirsty hp to lift 3 (or 4 with fuel and payload tradeoffs). Something like that would make a good step up model for those going from RA to PPL and wanting to retain the livelier handling compared to a good old C172 or equivalent.

Ahhh, dodgy bunch we have here, my visits were purely in the name of retail research; necessitated by the impending festivities and the social convention which demands that I provide my beloved with frilly bits n bobs. Although I must admit that I did admire the lines on some of the demonstration models, I'm particularly partial to a nicely crafted undercarriage....., with or without black lace and flush rivetting

Ok, before we all get blinded by science then, short story is that our movements through cyberspace are a long way from private and unseen. Whatsmore there are opportunities for the unscrupulous to harvest passwords and potentially create havoc in the rest of your cyber life. I remember reading somewhere in a particular friend's rants that he was able track those departed members who chose to frequent his site without logging in and kept an eye on what they were up to elsewhere - bit of a lightbulb moment. Back to our sidestep into the world of facebook, I wouldn't pretend to know how it is done, but there is some mighty clever code at work there, mostly concerned with refining the advertising that is directed to individual users. I guess that's why the site's $ value is so high. I purposely obscured my interests etc however, over time it has obviously built up a rough profile and I get a lot of aviation based ads, along with photography and sailing stuff. I can only put it down to keywords in my occasional comments to others and theirs to me, although I am a little baffled at the sudden focus on lingerie - unless it figures that men in their 40's are all likely to pay that some attention before Christmas? Otherwise there is merit in the theory that facebook is able to follow what sites you browse, because I did spend a bit of time on Victoria's Secret immediately before.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/plane-makes-emergency-school-landing-20111227-1pb36.html Spotted the story above, on the net. Great outcome! I don't imagine the beaches were too inviting, given the very high tides and storm surf which has resulted in bathing being banned all along the SEQ coastline. I know here on the Gold Coast there are metre plus scarps carved into the sand.

Nice to know that even if I was being paranoid, I'm not alone!:confused: I noticed a few minor discrepancies several years ago, shortly after a disagreement elsewhere and changed passwords on not only several sites, but also the email address linked to the problem one. Probably a timely wake up call if nothing else.

Ah the spirit of Darwin is alive and well! That one will no doubt get trotted out as an example of "bad things that happen to ballistic chutes" next time the debate is reignited.

That's rather missing the point, there is a little matter of the approximately $10k price difference between a 2200 Jab and a 912 - and don't try the old saw about what price safety, a new Mercedes is much safer than my old ute, fact of the matter is I can't afford one and that is the difference between driving (flying) or not. As regards the perception comment, I was referring to the reputation the equipment enjoys in other markets - and that is a reality. Many of us may harbour grave suspicions about Jab reliability, with some justification it seems, but this seems far less prevalent in the US and even less so in South Africa which has a large and active population of the creatures. I'm not sure that I would take the activities of plaintiff lawyers, particularly the US species as being representative of the general population.

There's a puzzle Dexter! I'd be inclined to have a close look at the plugs on the suspect cylinder and compare them to the others - if anything it sounds almost as if that cylinder is going well lean of peak, hence the drop in EGT. That said I'm not sufficiently familiar with the Rotax to say how 1 cylinder of a pair fed from the same carby, could fluctuate like that. Interested to hear the outcome - good luck!

I am uncomfortable with the assumption that what went on in one corner of Taree, applies across the field of aircraft manufacturing and maintenance in Aus; seems to harken back to the "could have happened to anyone" attitude that prevailed immediately after the incident, before the ATSB report opened the can of worms so to speak. In not distancing ourselves from what appears to be a systematic failure to adhere to accepted aviation standards, we are in effect telling the rest of the aviation fraternity that we are not capable of administering ourselves. I don't for one minute believe that is the case; yes this accident has revealed shortcomings in the oversight of manufacturers by the governing authority, but provided that RA can show that they are addressing this and quickly too, I see no reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater. The same goes for the pilot's actions I'm afraid; I've said it before elsewhere, but if the aircraft had missed the ferris wheel, he would still have been flying over a considerable crowd of people at well under 100', having barely cleared the fence and possibly not being able to clear the trees beyond the wheel. I am willing to bet that the assembled throng would have been baying for his blood and phrases like "criminally irresponsible" would have been used to describe his actions. The fact that he actually collided with the wheel does not diminish the severity of his transgressions, if anything it makes it worse, because literally thanks only to intervention of the applicable deity did we avoid multiple fatalities and injuries. We would be facing a very different legal and social landscape if the worst had occurred.

Classic clip!

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8385155/texan-model-severely-injured-by-plane-propeller Timely reminder of the dangers of propellors, I have often gone cold watching people moving around a turning prop - including some who should know better ie instructors.

Yup, you and me both! http://www.caa.co.za/resource%20center/accidents%20&%20incid/reports/2009/ZU-BEX.pdf There is also video and further photos taken immediately before the crash, search up "ZU-BEX accident" - RIP Dave Stock

And if they get too old and decrepit to be returned to airworthy status, we could possibly see an offshoot of Motoart starting up here.