Jump to content

gavinl

Members
  • Posts

    26
  • Joined

  • Last visited

About gavinl

  • Birthday 10/10/1971

gavinl's Achievements

Active member

Active member (2/3)

  1. Greetings Gavin Sorry to hear that the Skyranger did not sell. Pity it was not down here where he might have been more keen. Anything that I can do to help move it do not be afraid to ask I am only too pleased to show anyone interested my version ot the Skyranger. Question who did you go for the v-fun and not the v-max? I understand that you are on your way os so I do hope that the plane is moved on before too olong. best of wishes David Hill
  2. SkyRanger? They seem to win a few world championships.:))
  3. There are quite a few SkyRangers on floats in the USA. You can check them out at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skyranger/ and search for floats. There are two main options for floats. Full Lotus Floats are popular, (http://www.full-lotus.com/index_new.html) but most seem to go for Puddlejumper amphibian floats: http://www.puddlejumper.com/eindex.html If you chat with Patrick he can suggest which planes they have found the best suited to float flying. There are all different types including: Challengers, Jabirus (they call them a Calypso there), Titan Tornados, etc. When I last spoke to Patrick he suggested that the Jab is very good because it can cruise at a fast speed (over 100Knts)and is composite in construction (good for salt water), however he said they need a fair bit of room as it takes a while to get off the water. Canadians seem to go for Challengers and Americans like the Skyrangers. The latter is favoured due to its low empty weight (my is only 251 kgs) and ability to get off the water quickly. I would think that the Savannah or Foxbat would have similar abilities in that regard. Apparently they have a competition in Nth America every year to determine which plane can get up the quickest and in the shortest distance...landing is also rated. :) Hope this helps gav PS: NZ has a Bantam on 14 foot puddlejumpers that seems to go well. PSS: if you have a trike endorsement than there is a trike/boat out called the Ramphos, which looks interesting (http://www.ramphos.com/e/home.html)
  4. I use both Ozi and PocketFMS. Both are very good, but PocketFMS is probably better in my opinion as you can keep the some detail regardless of whether you are in a VTC or WAC area. With Ozi and maptrax maps, when you fly over areas not covered by VTCs, the programme automatically uses the closest WAC, which is not that detailed compared to pocketfms maps. Ozi has the advantage though as when you are in controlled space, the maptrax maps show the actual heights very clearly, whereas in pocketfms you can see the control area, but the actual heights aren't as clear. Hope this helps gav:)
  5. Hi Matthew:) No worries mate. I should be home in early Jan and am 1 hr South of Mackay (just passed Koumala) - 5 kms off the hwy. Drop by with your family and have a coffee, check out the plane and if the weather's suitable, we'll go for a fly. Just send me a pm and I'll give you the contact details. gav :)
  6. Hi Just guessing that the power required and the consequent fuel use would not make it a desirable option. The time it would be needed most would usually be while doing checks or taxiing, which would also be the worse time for the engine as it would be quite a drain at idle revs. The extra weight would not be welcomed either. If a pilot is warm, most times they could always fly a little higher. gav :)
  7. Hi Jason:) I am very happy with my SkyRanger at 62 hours. I also fly off a small strip (340m) with a downslope of at least 3 degrees. I am a new pilot however, so can't offer you too much in the way of comparisons. Other planes I have flown include a Jabiru, Skyfox Gazelle and Bantam. Personally, I really enjoyed the VSTOL performance of the Bantam and the angle coming into to land. The Skyranger can't land in as short a space as the bantam, but it' not too shabby considering it also cruises at 75-80 at 4500rpm with a Rotax 100hp - I have the long wing with dacron, but heard that the short wing with xlam is a fair bit quicker. The take offs are again, not as short as a bantam (which seems to be able to go up in about 40m), but I am off the ground and climbing quickly at 100-140m. I find the SkyRanger easy to fly as a new pilot, with my main difficulty getting used to the yaw if adding throttle when landing - but this is sorted pretty quickly and seems to be a result of the larger Rotax engine. I bought my kit through Jean-Claude and he was excellent. I am also very impressed with Tony (who I've meet once), who helped me fix an aileron (hanger rash) in one day (travelled from Caloundra to Southport), by driving me to an aluminium machinist who did a good job at a reasonable job. If you would like to ask any further questions, just send me a PM. gav:) PS: you can always join the SkyRanger forum at yahoo groups, where you will find a large number of members, who are willing to help. Both the US and UK distributors are also on the site and know exectly what they are talking about.
  8. G'day Ian I suppose the question is cost, convenience and strength and what degree of each is most important to you. I went through this process about 2 years ago and found the most difficult task was to get a well-priced shed with cyclone ratings and someone to build it. I noticed that as soon as the shed changed to a 'hangar' the price seemed to go up drastically. This change in terminology usually revolved around an open span of 12m and hangar doors. In the end, I ended up getting help to build it from relatives and a shed builder, used crusher dust mixed in with cement for the floor and used a centre mullion design with 2 x 5.5 metre roller doors. The whole process ended up being a series of compromises, but I ended up getting a good priced shed, with a reasonable amount of strength and a fair amount of convenience. All up, with footings, 3 roller doors, colorbond and labour, the hangar cost $27000. The shed size is 12x12 with a 4m lean-to, so 12 x 16m. I bought the shed through http://www.shedsonline.com.au Hope this helps gav
  9. Thanks John:) Things aren't sounding too good...I'll have to have a good think about it. gav
  10. No worries John...I've got heaps of time mate...planning really early for Christmas. If you could send a pm, it would be greatly appreciated. Cheers gav:)
  11. Drugs and flying never...:) Spent some time round Lismore, Alstonville, Lennox and Nimbin some time ago. Heard that Nimbin had changed a fair bit with the introduction of hard drugs, but was hoping it wasn't so, as it was a great place to have a cuppa and watch some amazing sights...including a once a year bath from a 'tribe' that lived near Nimbin and sometimes made their way to Byron for their annual rinse...used to crack me up to no end to watch the tourist's faces at the top pub, as their distictive aroma and bare arses went by.:) gav
  12. Pocketfms here I use pocketfms, mainly so I can use it on my Pocket PC with gps. It has regular updates and maps have many zoom levels. Additionally, I have also used Oziexplorer and digital VTC and WAC maps with my Pocket PC - also works well. gav
  13. Hi all:) Still planning my South Grafton trip and was wondering if there any strips near Nimbim - might be interesting to see how things are going there. All the best gav
  14. Thanks Mazda:) Only been to Port Mac once, but really liked it. It reminded me of a bigger Yaamba. Cheers gav
×
×
  • Create New...