JG3

Here are some excellent photos posted by an American friend flying a Rans S7. Come along for the ride. http://picasaweb.google.com/griffthewordsmith/GriffSUSTripFall2010# JG

Have a look at this one. Very well proven, and very versatile. Krucker Manufacturing JG

Not so in my experience. I did thousands of idle power glide approach touch-and- goes in the 1000 hrs that I flew a Rotax 447. Never a problem. JG

I double those comments on the South Grafton Fly In. Not a great turn-out, considering the number of suitable aircraft within striking distance. the rest of you really do need to make the effort next year, and join in the fun! The more the merrier! Always welcome new BS to add to the pile...... See ya there next year. JG

Unfortunately I don't think they allow aircraft on Somerset Dam...... But do drop in to Kilcoy airfield and show us your Cheetah. Sunday is the day most of us are out there. 0429 943 508 for local info on the day. JG

Also Heck Field (Jacobs Well). We have a very welcome invitation to come and stay in their new upstairs accommodation. Call Roger Porter 3807 0790 or resident caretaker Clive 0403 038 239.

Listen carefully and determine if the revs really do drop the at much on each ignition. For some unknown reason, sometimes the gauge shows more drop on one side than the other, but the true rev drop is the same. Something to do with wiring........

Yes, definitely spray. Aerosol cans are ideal - it's only a small area and the enamel paint adheres well.

That's a Brolga prop, and this is how I had mine painted for years. No problems. Just clean the blades thoroughly with turps then scrub with a jex pad and paint. Keep the paint as thin as possible. Balance by spraying more coats of clear laquer on the lightest blade. If you've already tried ArmorAll then the paint won't stick at all......

I was just sent this link from a friend in USA who knows this company well. They make carburetor boots and other rubber parts for Rotax engines. Apparently it's a much superior rubber compound than the original. Also stainless exhaust springs. Rotax Parts Sale Carburetor Socket Boot Intake Vibration Isolators

Get Avtours quote by all means, then before you commit, talk to a couple of travel agents, you'll be amazed at the difference!

At William Creek I had the thinnest steak sandwich ever. The 'steak' would have been about 3mm thick. Must have been sliced in a bacon slicer..... But it is a sad fact that so many of the outback roadhouses have been bought up by merciless quick buck artists. Those businesses are real goldmines now, what with the vast amount of road traffic these days. They know that most customers are just passing thro one time, and no local competition, so they don't care about reputation or repeat business. One exception is Mungerannie on the Birdsville Track - warm welcome, excellent food, and helpful service. But the airstrip is not theirs, and is now closed to visiting aircraft......

We have three very active 701s at Kilcoy Airfield, also three Savannahs for comparison, about one and half hour drive from Brisbane. We're out there every Sunday morning. Most welcome. Probably get a fly in one.... JG

How's this for a real handy, affordable amphibian

Yeh, weather forecasting is really getting good these days, especially for those inland areas. Just keep an eye on Water and the Land: Forecast Rainfall I've been watching this site closely ever since that wet Narromine a couple of years ago. It's always been very accurate several days in advance, especially for those weather systems that move across from the west. The forecasters can now watch the progress and monitor the influences by satellite so well. An iphone puts those images, plus the weather radar and satellite view right in your hand. NextG signal just about everywhere at altitude. We also used an iphone and that Forecast Rainfall site on our Centre Trip. Because of that service we were able to fly a clear spell, then get out before the next big wet system moved in. Absolutely invaluable, wouldn't go anywhere without it! JG

Yeh, I've never been able to find a suitable static port on my Savannah. I have six different ports on different parts of the fuselage, and have also made up and tried one out on the wing at the pitot. None gave correct readings. The best I have found is inside the cabin, which gives accurate readings within 2 knots over the used range at 2000 ft when flying 4-way GPS. Of course the problem with in cabin static is the effect of opening vents, etc. Just opening the snap vents doesn't change more than a knot, but opening my opening window which I installed for photography jumps the ASI 6 knots. So have to be careful to keep it closed at t/o and landing when such an error could be serious..... I look forward to hearing how that Jab style static works. JG

A had an experience that makes never fly right at 5000 ft again. I was riding in the right seat of an Aero Commander courier flight from Horsham to Melbourne. The pilot requested IFR at 5000 and was granted permission, with the usual, ".....no IFR traffic..." I watched him very closely, and for the entire flight I never saw him do a scan out the windscreen! It took quite awhile for him to adjust and synch those twin engines, then he was busy filling out paper work. The only time he did look outside was to check on a thunderstorm that was just off our track, but he never scanned the rest of the horizon. I think that procedure is fairly common for aircraft flying IFR, and not expecting VFR aircraft to be at that altitude. 5000 ft is the lowest commonly used IFR flight level, and is used quite often for such short flights. When it says that we must be under 5000 I think that really means that our max altitude should be 4500. JG

Birdsville is going to be washed out, but we're all loaded and ready to go somewhere. Turns out that Calide Dawson Fly-In at Theodore is a good alternative for SE Qld. Weather is still coming, but if we go on Friday then watch developments and come back Sat or Sun. JG Hi Folks… Only 4 more “sleeps” until our fly-in!!! ………. If you’re not organized better start thinking serious about it! …………… Everybody start prayin’ for fine weather! Attached please find “Dave’s site plan” Regards Liz and Dave See ANNUAL FLY-IN When: Saturday 4TH & Sunday 5TH SEPTEMBER 2010 Where: FROGS HOLLOW, THEODORE Co-Ordinates: S 24* 49.355 E 150* 08.396 Address: 326 Colombo Road Theodore 4719 Phone: 49931120 I can't figure how to post the attachments showing the strip, but ring Dave and get it sent direct.

Weather is now looking really doubtful for Birdsville. See Synoptic chart - 7 day isobar and rain forecast weather maps When they mention "...possibility of heavy falls...", it's pretty serious, especially in that country that's already sodden from last week...... We might well be hearing news reports of stranded road travelers. Disappointing...... JG

Nope no pictures.... Must be pretty spectacular scenery I'm thinking. JG

Yeh, I don't know how all this stuff works..... So here is a cut and paste of the text. ......................................................... I worried about the high altitude performance of the Savannah prior to purchasing my kit. I live in Denver, CO and fly out of Erie (KEIK) airport – elevation 5100 feet. I completed the kit in June 2010 and now have about 50 hours on the plane. It is a Savannah VGW with a 100 hp Rotax engine. I use 91 octane Mogas. I flew it to Oshkosh in July without any problems. I recently flew the Savannah round trip from KEIK to Leadville (KLXV – 9924 feet) located in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. I used "normal" techniques on all parts of the flight. No attempt was made to achieve maximum performance. I departed KEIK with full fuel (21 gals) and two adults (200 & 140 pounds). My plane weighs 633 pounds. Takeoff weight was 1099 pounds, well below the max gross of 1234. With calm wind, density altitude(DA) 7300 feet and one notch of flaps, the takeoff roll was ~400 feet. I climbed to 14,500 feet to clear the Rocky Mountains (peaks at 14,000). Initial climb was ~600/min. Climb at 14,500 was ~100/min. Typical speed for my plane at 5200 RPM and 7000 feet is ~100 mph. Speed at full throttle (4900 RPM) and 14,500 was ~70 mph. The take off at KLXV erased my worry about high altitude performance of the Savannah. KLXV has a 6400 feet long paved runway. With full fuel, two adults (1099 pounds) calm wind, DA of 11,300 feet and one notch of flaps my take off roll was ~600 feet. Initial climb was ~200/min.

There's a really interesting account of flying a Savannah at 14.500 ft, on the Yahoo forum at http://au.mg4.mail.yahoo.com/dc/launch?.rand=eoakulfspom13 Flying at 14,500 over terrain at 14,000 must be somewhat exciting! JG ps- I just tried that link and it doesn't straight to the post. You have to click INBOX then the particular post. I hope it works for you.....

Yeh, real good point Walter. I didn't the use both pumps in combo for many years because I was afraid of over pressurizing the floats. When my fuel pressure gauge failed I removed it, so now can't tell if the mechanical pump is working, and that's why I've taken to using the electric as well. I guess a better solution is to get a fuel pressure gauge again, and monitor as you do. Point taken. JG

The six litre reserve tank is just about right for the Savannah, gives 30 minutes at economy cruise. (This is not to be included in the 45 minute reserve for flight planning.) Sure is a good safety feature. With these large flat bottom tanks it's not possible to know how much flying time left when they are near empty - could be nil or could still be an hour left. Wouldn't want to run to nil and then have to ditch wherever without power. Also would be a pity to do a damaging pre-emptory landing only to find an hour fuel left in the bottom..... The reserve tank allows to continue to the alarm, and maybe get to an airstrip, but if not then still gives 30 minutes to set up for the best outlanding option still with power. This is the first float switch failure I know of, but indicates that it should be part of routine maintenance checks. Gravity flow from the wing tanks in a Savannah is NOT SUFFICIENT for high power flight. I've tested it on the ground, and it's only sufficient for low power settings. Which could be a real trap if the fuel pump is u/s, in that the engine runs fine at taxi/run-up power, but won't be able to hold climb power. There's enough fuel in the carb bowls to start the climb but it will starve suddenly at climb angle while still too low for an easy recovery..... I didn't used to bother with the electric pump on take-off, assuming that gravity would be sufficient, but since I did the tests I always use the electric pump on t/o. JG

For those planning to go to Birdsville, the gates nearest the service station are locked for the duration of the races, so it's a l-o-n-g carry of jerry cans if you want PULP. Avgas is available on field but is a dollar a litre dearer..... To help this situation Dags and I have modified two golf carts into trolleys for carrying jerry cans. They work really well and make it real easy. They'll be available for loan, just ring JG on 0429 943 508 or Dags on 0418 780 355, or watch for any of the Kilcoy Frequent Flyers fellas. JG