Vev

I read the White Paper and my take is there is a solid recognition the RAA's self administering model has been a success and this model could be extended to allow CASA to focus on “higher priority passenger carrying operations”.

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The paper recognises the fact recreational aviation is growing and GA is declining owing to over regulation and slow reform by CASA. The paper says there has been a wide spread call to extend the self administration for private GA and would only be contemplated if a body could demonstrate it can competently manage regulations and improve safety….. again this is said in the context that the RAA approach has been successful and is only subject to external audit by CASA to ensure compliance.

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To put things in context re JR’s 1<SUP>st</SUP> post .. It’s my opinion the introduction of a Safety Strategic Framework and a Sport Aviation Officer is an investment as well as an endorsement that self administration has been a success and has a green light to grow.

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The RAA has and will always be subjected to CASA audit .. in my view the White Paper is about putting in place sufficient resources to allow self administration to grow and allow CASA to show due diligence around safety and aviation regulations. The other good piece .. this formalises and hard wires the RAA’s access onto CASA’s agenda when we are seeking reform e.g. MTOW increase and controlled air space etc.

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I think this is good news and its clear the RAA have done a good job in lobbying and position our sport in such a positive way in the White Paper.

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Have a read and see what you think?

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http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/aviation/nap/index.aspx

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Cheers

Jack

I’ve heard a number of excited suggestions in these forums about how we could use the collective buying power of the RAA memebers to obtain a better pricing option on Avgas… whilst this would be great, the discount available would only equate to may be +/- 3% (5-6 cents) discount.

Yet when you think about it, the average cost of insurance (lets say $2600) is often close to the cost of fuel for some one doing say 80hrs a year… the exact numbers aren’t important so please don’t get too hung up on the exact detail.

The point is, I don’t think it would take too much to build off what already exists (public liability insurance) and ask the RAA take a deep dive into this opportunity and see what can be achieved …. I wouldn’t be surprised if we could do better than 10% (eqiv 16-18 cents off Avgas) discount off insurance if we had a single schedule for RAA members.

May be something for you to look at Ian?

Cheers

Jack

In terms of access to CTA and McCormick statement suggesting we obtain a PPL if we have a need to access a CTA environment.

Ok this will work, but it seems to me there is many and varied interpretations on what it takes to transition from a RAA Certificate to PPL…. The forum is full of personal experiences with no two sounding the same when it comes to a license transition.

It would be really useful if the RAA could formally agree with CASA what we need to complete to qualify for a PPL.

Regards

Jack

Ps. Wags, many thanks for your report very good of you to provide the feedback.

It strikes me that aircraft hull insurance could be one of those collective services the RAA could build upon from the existing public liability insurance we have included in our license/membership fees.

A number of years ago the yacht racing fraternities of a number of clubs established a boat insurance scheme that allowed boats to be included onto a schedule of a single policy. Many of us participated in this as it substantially reduced our insurance cost and claim deductibles. The management of the policy was awarded to a broker who managed all of the administration as well as provided direct support for the participants between the underwriting insurance company when making claims, which was a great help.

As I said, this could be a great opportunity to use the RAA membership scale and build on the current public liability policy and help reduce our flying costs.

... May be this is a project that someone in the RAA could look into?

Any thoughts or comments?

Cheers

Jack

Hi Geoff,

The little cap on top of the breather snorkle is actually a surge valve which should have a 3/16 ball inside... lets air in, no fluid out.... if you give the cap a shake you should hear the ball in it rattle.

Every now and then i blow and suck through the small holes at the top of mine just make sure it's working.

I hate to think what I would be doing when I slip the jab to drop some hieght if it wasn't working.

Cheers

Jack

Hi Geoff,

Isn't the fuel tank vent a one way valve on the Jabs ... it lets air in to displace the volume to prevent an air lock but wont let fuel/vapour escape?????

I didn't think it possible for fuel to escape out of the fuel filling vent during flight???

Cheers

Jack

Same experiance in my 160 ... the trick is to use the rudder and stay coordinated as per the last couple of posts.

Cheers

Jack

Maj/Nev... Thanks for the input .

I did ask the question of the owner re oil on the screen and he said that he hadn’t experienced any so far. He did say however that a major oil leak could be another story but also said a major oil leak would easily find its way between the cowl joints??? I didn’t think of the fire consequences, but mind you, I think any fire in the front end of a jab wouldn’t be a good look anytime.

May be the answer is to just pop the oil dip stick inspection door after landing to let the heat out, although this doesn’t address the taxi holding the Major mentioned or the inflight cooling?

Cheers

Jack

G'day guys,

Keen to hear your thoughts?

I was looking at a 430 Jab a few weeks ago which had a fixed louvered outlet vent inserted in the rear section of the top cowl.

The owner claimed this modification allowed the hot air trapped inside the cowl to escape after shut down, which he said was good for extending the life of the electronics.

He also said the vent helped reduce the pressure inside the cowl which increased air flow volume through the cowl providing a reduction in engine and oil temps.

Has anyone come across this approach and does it make sense … what do you think?

Regards

Jack

Hi Pete,

I would think the Bing carbie has the odd one or two?

Cheers

Jack

Hi Lyle,

As it turned out, I ended up sending back the unit and bought another brand. The new unit is a duel gauge set up, which uses smaller probes and hose clamps. It is much more suitable in terms of the smaller dimensions of the exhaust headers.

In any case many, thanks for taking the time to respond.

Regards

Jack

Jennifer,

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Well done to you and the others for making this engagement with McCormick possible.

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Whilst there is a vocal minority that use destructive language to make their point, I’m certain the majority of RAA members prefer to use a constructive approach to achieve progress.

This will be a great opportunity to probe and learn, it will also be a great opportunity to show our maturity and how serious we take our current responsibilities and any future privileges we seek.

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Unfortunately, I can’t attend but I will be looking forward to hearing the output of the meeting and getting the real story.

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Regards

Jack

Hi JR,

I just used a motorcycle static wheel balancer. I fitted a bar (smae size as the axle)through the wheel axle slot.. the bar is then rested between two sets of over lapping bearing at each end (which don't have seals and therefore lower friction) and added stick-on weights on the high point. The wheel bearings in the wheels has too much friction owing to the seals to do directly off the axles with any reliability.

Too be honest it's not prefect as the wheel dia is so small it make it hard to do a perfect job but it does the trick in terms of a 90% outcome very quickly.

Cheers

Jack

Hi Garry,

I started out with 33psi (as per my op manual) in the mains but running now at 28psi ... only have the 6ply on the nose and running at 28psi as well.

Cheers

Jack

Please tell me? … Hypothetically, if I was to pay (or cover their costs) for an RAA certificate holder to ferry my new ac from Bundaberg to Melbourne, would that be considered commercial?

Cheers

Jack

Great question Frank … surely there must be a high number of operations (see Major Millards suggestions) a suitably qualified RAA pilot could perform using a well equipped UL aircraft that would provide a low cost, safe and reliable alternative.

This would have my vote for the RAA to scope up a discussion paper to include some limited commercial operations.

Cheers

Jack

Hi Chris

Both my mate and I have fitted 10ply Trelleborgs to our 430 and 160 and are very happy with them. In terms of my 160, I needed to add a small spacer (3mm) on the outside axle mounting point to hold out the spat a little to ensure clearance.

I bought them from M&C Tyres (talk to Adam) http://mctyresbendigo.com.au/specials.cgi for $88.00 each + tubes. Make sure you get 90 deg metal valve necks (not straight rubber as they won’t fit) tubes. I didn’t fit the 10ply to the nose wheel and left the 6ply in place as the clearance looked marginal.

Fitting is fun (not) but suggest you get access to a tyre press … For what it’s worth, I did the following procedure:

• Break the rim seal on the side opposite the value … however you will only need to move this by about 5-10 mm as you run the risk of a tube pinch if you go too far.
   
   
  
• Unbolt the wheel hub (including brake disc) and then by hand spread the rims halves apart and fit a small bock of wood (10 or 12 mm is enough) between the two halves. (NB. The wheel has almost no taper or rim well to relief the pressure off the tyre bead so you need to create a gap by holding the rim apart with a small piece of wood).
   
   
  
• Then continue to press the tyre off the rim towards gap between the halves, but do this from the opposite side to the valve.
   
   
  
• Once you have the rim half out of the tyre, remove the tube.
   
   
  
• Turn the wheel over and place your block of wood to support the inside of the rim and then press the tyre off the rim.
   
   
  

Fitting:

• Soap up the tyre bead and hand push in the valve side of the rim.
   
   
  
• Powder up the tube with talcum and slightly inflate and fit value neck and push tube into the tyre. (You only need a small amount of air in the tube to stop in getting between the two halves when you bolt up … too much air will make it impossible to push the halves together to get your bolts back in).
   
   
  
• Soap up the other half of the rim and push in and bolt up. (make sure you match the halves as per the disassembly and keep every thing is clean)
   
   
  
• Fully inflate and make sure you have an even bead line around the rim and it fully in place.
   
   
  
• Balance and refit to your aircraft.
   
   
  

The only other issue to be aware of is the speed rating on the 10ply is lower than the 6 ply, whilst this isn’t stated on the tyre it is in the tech specs. However after talking this aspect over with a Trelleborg tyre expert he said that this would only really be a concern if one was running the tyre under load over a considerable distance and allowed to get hot.

All in all I think the extra weight/benefit trade off is worth the confidence of reducing punchers in the field. What’s more, I think the side walls are so thick you would get away with a flat tyre landing without incident.

Hope this helps?

Cheers

Jack

Rob,

I would be worried too if your oil pres is dropping during flt towards the yellow.... clearly you need to top up before this happens.

When I say I keep my oil level below the bottom mark, this is when the oil/engine is cold,..the level tends to go up a little when hot... so please be careful not to under fill either.

If I was intending to fly for 4 hrs I would keep the level a little higher (at the bottom mark) and throttle back a tad and fly more in a cruise mode in climb etc .. the higher throttle settings tend to blow oil into the bottle a little more quickly.

However I got to tell you, 4 hrs is a lot of flying for me these days and other needs (pit stops) often take the priority.

Cheers

Jack

Hi Rob,

My 160 has a little over 300 hrs and I use about 50ml per hr as well. However I keep my oil level below the bottom mark when cold, which is recommended by Jab.

I suggest you take a look at the "Service Bulletins" on the Jabiru web under "Dip Stick & Comaprisons"... this gives you details re oil levels.

Cheers

Jack

G’day Striker,

May be stating the obvious, but have you check the Spruce catalogue for engine mounts?

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/

Cheers

Jack

I have a question on thermocouples for EGTs for my Jab 160?

I’ve bought a VDO gauge and thermocouple from Jab, but I really don’t like to thermocouple as it seems big relative to the exhaust header diameter and it needs to be welded in place.

Is it possible to substitute the thermocouple for the small probe type that is held in place with a hose clamp and still get same accuracy from the VDO guage? If so what “type” is this thermocouple … what do I need to ask for when purchasing?

Any other ideas also welcome?

Cheers

Jack

Hi Wizard,

E10 should be cheaper as it doesn’t attract the excise tax components as it does on unbelnded fuels; although your fuel consumption will go up… it’s your call if you use ethanol in your car, albeit I wouldn’t use a drop in any of my toys. You will find that all of the major oil companies (independents should too) will label at the pump if the fuel contains ethanol.

However don’t be lulled into believing it’s ok for your ac because you haven’t had a problem in your car … it is not technically suitable for aircraft engines and it WILL expose you to potential fatal consequences.

Cheers

Jack

G'day Wizzard,

I think ethanol in Avgas is a long way off (if ever) as it not considered a viable replacement on technical grounds, nor is there likely to be global agreement around a standard spec.

Mogas is a different story … E10 in 91 ULP is becoming more prevalent in some states (NSW) and less so in other states. The jury is still out as there just simply not enough of the stuff to blend off into 91ULP and meet 100% of the consumption.

Performance Mogas, > 95 Ron, is less likely to be affected with ethanol blends….. In the main the major oil companies have resisted ethanol blends as it undermines the product positioning of better fuel economy, cleaner combustion etc.

To answer your question, ethanol plays havoc with plastics (including fibre glass) by softening the materials, it is hydroscopic and absorbs water from air, you have to burn twice as much to get the same energy value and it leaves carbonised deposits owing to poorer combustion. Lastly is has a very high latent heat of evaporation and acts a bit like a refrigerant gas which will chill the induction air and potentially increase carb icing problems.

Bottom line ... never use any ethanol fuels in an aircraft.

Cheers

Jack

Hi Watto,

Not sure about where (aircraft, car, motocycle ???) you got a fuel leak when you used BP Ultimate …. May I offer you a possible answer as to why?

In the main, BP Ultimate is lower in aromatics than the Shell and Caltex perfomance fuels, which can cause seals/O rings to shrink and leak, particularly if you have been using higher aromatic fuels and make an abrupt switch.

In some instances, you need to manage the switch more slowly to allow seals to adjust to the change in aromatics content…. The fuel companies do this all the time and blend up or down the aromatic content to minimise fuel leaks, particularly with diesel fuels.

However in support of lower aromatic fuels (BP Ultimate), these are much more compatible with avgas (which have even lower aromatics) and burn cleaner than higher aromatic fuels. A simple test is to run both fuels (BP/Shell) separately and you will see a high soot deposit in your exhaust pipe from the higher aromatics fuels (Vpower) as they don’t burn as cleanly.

Personally I prefer Ultimate as its high octane (98/99 RON) is an outcome of a better refinery process and not from boosting octane with cheaper, poorer burning, hydrocarbons.

Of course you use what best suits your needs, but hope this helps?

Cheers

Jack

In terms of the Rotax engine oil recommendation… the factory spec is somewhat basic and calls for quite an old lubricant design, which the majority of 4 stroke, wet clutch, motorcycle oils will meet… although I suggest you stick with what is supported by Rotax to be sure.

Looking at the AeroShell Sport Plus 4, it’s not hard to see this lubricant easily exceeds Rotax’s minimum requirements. Whilst the product seems to have the same spec as the Shell VSX 10w-40 it does have a higher claimed API “SL” specification (compared to VSX “SG” spec) which should mean better anti-wear and soot handling characteristic. Additionally it also has the Japanese JASO MA spec which means it’s not friction modified. Personally I wouldn’t hesitate to use the AeroShell Sport Plus 4 lubricants based on it technical profile and the audit process behind the Product Release Note.

Hope this helps

Cheers

Jack