JG3

Yeh, it sure is a costly place to go on a beer swill. But those xxxx tins are specially printed for the Races, collectible souvenirs eh, I still have one from '95 on the shelf. So a couple for refreshment, then discreetly into the port or whatever that's easy to pack and doesn't need refrigeration..... Need to arrive prepared.... Speaking of being prepared, try to find room for a folding chair. There's not enough room on the curb for everyone......

The attached photo says it all..... I did meet a 701 flyer who lived near the Zenith factory and his contact in there had told him that they themselves were disappointed with the performance of the 750...... I didn't look close enough to compare baggage sizes. But then I've extended the baggage compartment considerably in my Savannah, as have many others. Back to the next frame, and deeper. Only use it for light camping gear, and CofG is within limits. JG

For a start that Zenith folding wing option is really only viable for minimizing storage space when the aircraft is laid up for some months, as is often done for the winter in Canada. It's way to cumbersome for frequent use, and no use at all for trailing. The weight of the 750 would be a very real problem in Aus with the 544 MTOW. Zenith quotes an optimistic 350kg, but then they also quote 263kg for the 701. Hans's 701 weighed in at 274kg and he couldn't have done it for less. Using a Rotax will save some on their quoted weight which is with the 0-200. But we really do find that for legal x-country travel in the 544 category, the empty weight needs to be no more than 300kg. I haven't tried the 750, but did see the first one at Oshkosh. Nearly everyone looking at it was dreaming of carrying BIG men and complaining about "...not enough baggage space..." If they load up like that behind an 0-200 they're going to be disappointed in performance..... JG

For a start that Zenith folding wing option is really only viable for minimizing storage space when the aircraft is laid up for some months, as is often done for the winter in Canada. It's way to cumbersome for frequent use, and no use at all for trailing. The weight of the 750 would be a very real problem in Aus with the 544 MTOW. Zenith quotes an optimistic 350kg, but then they also quote 263kg for the 701. Hans's 701 weighed in at 274kg and he couldn't have done it for less. Using a Rotax will save some on their quoted weight which is with the 0-200. But we really do find that for legal x-country travel in the 544 category, the empty weight needs to be no more than 300kg. I haven't tried the 750, but did see the first one at Oshkosh. Nearly everyone looking at it was dreaming of carrying BIG men and complaining about "...not enough baggage space..." If they load up like that behind an 0-200 they're going to be disappointed in performance..... JG

Also on the track from Arkaroola to William Creek is the 'Marree Man' artwork at S29*32', E137*28'. See Marree Man - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Well worth a look. About 3000ft is needed for a good view. An impressive bit of work to lay out this image so that it fits exactly in the space selected. JG

I've never got avgas at Innaminka, but premium at the servo. Only problem is distance to the airfield, too far to carry. But ask likely looking 4WD's, offer a short flight if necessary.... Last time I was at Marree avgas was only in full drums, and in town was only regular unleaded, no premium any more. Leigh Creek doesn't have fuel any longer. Arkaroola has avgas, premium, and regular, and very aircraft-friendly hospitality, so they deserve support I reckon. And cabin beds for $15 last time we were there. Just call on 126.7 while overflying the resort. Signal is blocked by mountains from on the ground at the strip. JG

If I was going from Melbourne I'd go by way of Broken Hill and Arkaroola. Those northern Flinders Ranges are really worth a look, and Arkaroola is an excellent overnight stop, with both premium and Avgas. Then up the Birdsville track with maybe a diversion to have a look at Lake Eyre. The Birdsville track is a wide highway these days so it's like one long runway if you have engine problems. It's about the safest place to fly of anywhere. And it does run through some spectacular desert country, much more interesting than the mulga country. Unfortunately Mungerannie airstrip is closed now, so if you are fuel limited for exploring the Lake then might have to figure on going across to William Creek for fuel. The 'desert' country of northern SA is much safer flying than than all that mulga scrub in western NSW. There's lots more opportunities for a safe outlanding in open areas. And of course follow the main roads whenever possible. They provide even better landing possibilities, and with lots of 4WD traffic these days to be of assistance if necessary. But whatever, do get up and go! JG

There was a woman pilot used to fly the 'Pink Panther' ultralight in SE Qld many years ago. Very good pilot, won the day at the spot landing comps at Watts Bridge one year. She carried her poodle everywhere in her little aircraft. Just wrapped his big furry ears down with an elastic bandage around and around the head. Then bundled the dog up like a baby and tucked it down beside the seat, with it's head just over the edge of the cockpit so it could see around. Dog seemed to love it, better than riding in a ute even. Of course the dog does have to have big floppy ears to do that.... JG

The Savannah is an even better bush plane than the 701. Hans (701) and I (Savannah) each have about 800hrs flying and comparing these aircraft. See results at StolSpeed Aerodynamics - Performance Enhancement for Light Aircraft JG

I had another idea last night, that should always have a phone number and address in there, in case some well-meaning person happens to find it laying around and doesn't know what to do with it..... JG

A couple of months ago I reminded everyone to periodically photocopy their log books in case of loss. Well, I'm sure glad that I did, cause I seem to have lost my Pilot's Log! Can't find it since we got back from the Centre trip. Hopefully it's just mislaid somewhere, but been through all the camping gear and corners of the aircraft, etc.... So, another very strong reminder to make copies....... JG

There's a big advert in the last RAAus mag. My mag is out at the airfield so I can't check it, but if the contact isn't in the ad, get back here and I'll put you in touch with someone who has made a booking. They said that there were few left, but they should be able to arrange more at this stage if the demand is there..... JG

Glad to hear you're keen, Dags. Hans is now planning on going as well, just doesn't want to miss out.... It'll be two days out with overnight at Charleville, and two days back with an overnight probably at Eulo. If someone wants to include Lake Eyre, then it would be three days back, one day over the Lake to William Creek and overnight at Arkaroola, and then two days back along the Darling probably overnight at Bourke. JG

It sounds like the Birdsville Races, Friday and Saturday, 3 & 4 of September, is the place to go this year! I already know of quite a few flyers planning to go from SE Qld, a couple of aircraft from Gladstone, several from Kilcoy, several from Boonah, probably one from Gatton, and at least one if not more from Gympie. Already that’ll be the best turn up of RA aircraft yet, and as the word spreads, I’m sure there’ll be more. I was there last year so don’t really need to go again this year, but will go anyhow just for the get together. The Birdsville Races gathering is a unique experience, and a real blast! Definitely an experience to remember. An account of my last year trip is at StolSpeed Aerodynamics - Performance Enhancement for Light Aircraft From SE Qld, Charleville is good for the first night stopover. They’ve always allowed airfield camping in the past, and walking distance to the RSL for a good feed. Then there’s the Cosmos Night Sky Observatory near the airfield if you haven’t seen it before. Next day a stop at Windorah for fuel, then into Birdsville mid-afternoon. To make it a round trip, probably come home by way of Innaminka, Dig Tree, Noccundra Pub, Eulo, Cunnamulla, St George. Innaminka has premium fuel but too far to carry, so need to beg a lift, but lots of helpful 4WD travellers around. Noccundra and Eulo both have convenient regular ULP, which I am satisfied to mix with some avgas remaining in the tanks to make a suitable blend. Eulo is a really nice place to camp for a night, water and toilets at the airfield and the pub just across the road. For flyers from NSW and Victoria, Milparinka is a charming overnight stop. Old sandstone buildings and evidence of gold mining boom days. Taxi to ULP pump. Food and drink at the pub. From Victoria and South Australia consider a route to overnight at Arkaroola, then William Creek for fuel and across Lake Eyre to have a look at the water and on to B’ville. While in W. Creek talk to the charter operators about routes and procedures over the Lake. It’s very busy airspace these days, with the operators flying routes and calling landmarks that are familiar to them. I’ve compiled a map of known fuel stops for southern Qld and western NSW at StolSpeed Aerodynamics - Performance Enhancement for Light Aircraft If travelling on Sunday, remember that callout fees often apply at airfields, and sometimes no service at all without prior notice…. Probably no fuel service at St George on Sunday. At Birdsville during the Races, the gate that’s handy for carrying PULP is locked, so it’s a l-o-n-g way to carry jerry cans. But the price difference to avgas is about a dollar a litre so that’s a saving of $22 for every carry. It’s always dry that time of year, but winds can be lively. The cycle is, increasing north/northeasterlies, followed by a strong southwesterly change that can blow really hard for a couple of days. So it sure is good if you can have flexible timing, and watch the pattern, so if you see a SW change coming just when you want to be going west, it’s best if you can go out a couple of days early to avoid a headwind slog, then ride the tailwind home. Be sure to bring good tie-downs…. From the response to the story of our recent trip to the Centre, it sounds like there are quite a few flyers out there eager to go travelling x-country in their aircraft. Well, Birdsville would be a good trip to fit in this season. And don’t figure on leaving it too long…. Fred Brophy’s Boxing Tent won’t be around forever, and the whole Races event is becoming more and more commercial. Don’t listen to those who claim it’s not worth going cause it’s “not like it used to be”…. Yeh, maybe not, but it’s still a really unique experience that you won’t find anywhere else, and I say again, it’s a real blast!! Look forward to seeing you there, JG

First very first thing I did was to disconnect the soft start module, and closely examine all connections, especially earth connections. I never actually removed the B module. Just replaced the A with a new one. With the new A in place, then the B was found to be able to start the engine by itself once again, and continues to work now. This might seem to indicate a connection problem that cured itself by disturbing the wiring, but that still doesn't fit the clue that both old modules always worked at speed, but neither would provide a starting spark.... The old A module still works at speed, but cuts out below 2500rpm. I now always start only on the B module in order to monitor it, and it's never failed again..... JG

Gday Hank, The bike lid added 6.5kg. The bike itself weighs 12kg. And no, I'm not planning on getting into more manufacturing at this stage of life. But there has been some interest, so if someone is looking for an opportunity, they're welcome to it. In fibreglass it would be lighter and pretty easy to fabricate. JG

I just came back from a 2700nm trip with my new Aero 500. Definitely mixed feelings..... Good points: Screen is brilliant! Very visible in all conditions. Compact so fits well on then panel. Press screen is not sensitive to false touches. Bad points: Press screen often needs a second press to register. When in keyboard mode, it often registers the neighbouring letter, so have to use 'backspace' a lot... Much more complicated procedures than the old Garmins for entering a user waypoint then going to it. To enter a new user waypoint is easy enough: HOME / POSITION / MARK WAYPOINT / enter name / OK / LOCATION / change coordionates / OK But then there is no way to go direct to that waypoint. First have to go BACK /BACK to get to HOME screen. Then to go to that waypoint there are two ways that I know of: 1 - HOME / DIRECT TO / SEARCH BY IDENTIFIER / key in waypoint name / OK / ACTIVATE or 2 - HOME / TOOLS / USER WPT list / select name / WAYPOINT INFO / hold down MENU button 3 seconds / ACTIVATE In the old Garmins once you had entered a new user waypoint, or highlighted a user waypoint in the list, all you had to do was press GO TO and it was done. I used to use that feature a lot, and really miss it...... Maybe I'm missing a shortcut, and would be happy to be corrected......... I guess I'll get used to it, but I sure did prefer the old standardized Garmin procedures..... JG

I don't think jumper leads could crank any faster than it does now. I have an almost new Odyssey battery right behind the firewall, with a heavy lead to the solinoid, and an earth lead directly to the starter motor. I have enough experience with starting engines in very cold conditions to know the importance of no-loss connections. With that old module, I could start on B module then switch B off, so running only on A. The A module would cut out as soon as the engine slowed to 2500rpm, tried it many times. No way could ever crank that fast.... JG

Yeh, Dags, we thought of you often, and wished you had been able to come along. Next time for sure, and there will be more trips for sure.... As to planning and fuel stops, I'll write up a guide later when I can make the time. I just have a lot of issues to catch up on first, and resent spending too much time at the keyboard this time of year. Fuel and logistics are not a problem when you know where to go. It's quite doable in just about any aircraft, and sure is worth doing, so keep your dreams alive for next year. So that you can start by booking your holiday time, this is the advice from Ken Watts at Bond Springs, who's been flying out there for more than 40 years, and will welcome visitors to that airfield. Late April thru May -- cool to cold mornings - very good temperature inversions - warm days - light winds. Chance of frost late May. June thru July -- Cold frosty mornings - low level temp inversions with a higher inversion level at 5-7000 Ft. AMSL -- fresh and gusty winds associated with cold fronts moving across the Great Australian Bite. As we experienced, winter rain a possibility, usually from the same North West cloud band. August thur Sept -- Cool to cold mornings with a chance of frost -- warmer days - lighter winds - good temp inversions - diminished chance of rain. After 2nd week in September I always say that you can expect the weather to be getting hot. Late September you can expect the start of the equinoctial gales -- October defiantly with a slight possibility of cool mornings but hot days -- turbulence & thunderstorms. Tailwinds always, JG

Just a reminder that Saturday is the annual QUA Watts Bridge Poker Fun Run. It's a good chance to land at several local airfields and then gather at Watts for a visit and a feed. See ya there! JG Fun Fly Poker Run 2010.pdf Fun Fly Poker Run 2010.pdf Fun Fly Poker Run 2010.pdf

I finally replaced the A module with a new one. The old module on the A side would run once the engine was started on the B side, but wouldn't run below 2500rpm on just the old A module. Earlier on I couldn't get a starting spark on either the A or B module, but the B module now does start the engine. So I placed the Soft Start module on the B side, and always start on that side now in order to keep an eye on that module. I just did a 48hr cross-country trip with no problems. So the mystery is unresolved...... I sure checked thoroughly for bad earths and leakage, but couldn't find any problems. I note that the standard modules supplied by Rotax now have a soft start feature built in. JG

Yeh, any of those aircraft could do the trip. All those strips that you need, such as Kings Creek Station, Curtain Springs, Bond Springs, and Kulgera Roadhouse are long, well-maintained dirt strips suitable for the Flying Doctor aircraft. I have a passion for going 'off-road', thus the big tires, but that's a whole different game.... JG

Yes, by all means do it! I'll do a write up for the magazine, that will answer all those planning questions. It's really quite easy when you know the right spots and contacts. JG

Gday All, I just got back from a grand flight to Alice Springs and The Centre. 2700nm round trip. Wish we were still out there, but a rain front was pushing in from WA. Went with Hans (701) and myself (Savannah) from Kilcoy, Roger and wife Kerrie (Savannah) from Caboolture, and Brian (Savannah) from Boonah. Went Injune, Rolleston, Longreach, Lark Quarry, Boulia, Mt Isa, Boulia, Bond Springs, West MacDonnell Ranges, Hermannsberg, Palm Valley, Kings Canyon, Henbury meteorite craters, Curtin Springs, Ayers Rock, Kulgera Roadhouse, then they went south to Lake Eyre, Flinders Ranges, Broken Hill, and are now following the Darling back home. I went east into the Simpson Desert and found an abandoned oil exploration strip and landed and stayed the night. Wish I could have stayed longer, but the approaching weather pushed me all the way home on a strong tailwind. Some photos are at: Picasa Web Albums - j.gilpin - Centre Flight... Cheers, JG