Riley

Bad form Dazza and I reckon you're treading on very thin ice when, by name, you cast unverified aspersions on the Tech Mgr in a public forum. Were I in his shoes I'd be calling for more than an apology.

FFP Celebrity (86 hrs fm new) w/ R2600 Rotec radial. Have imported a couple of classic cars in the past but first time for an aircraft.

Will definitely do so. I have irons in the fire at the moment re purchase of a homebrew biplane out of the US (nothing so auspicious as a DH.82 though). The nation can blame the current crappy state of the Aust dollar on my making a significant purchase overseas - it seems to happen every time! cheers

I found your blog on the saga of VH SAC most interesting. Blues skies and the best of fortune in your restoration. cheers Riley

Hey Rat. Whilst it doesn't behoove me to take the piss, I'd be truely amazed at an aircraft (or anything else for that matter) that had 'circumcised' a continent. Large undertaking I'd guess.

Not having got into the Air Force till twelve years after the Germans got dismissed from the War, I'm unqualified to postulate (but I will anyway) that the term would have been utilized to describe those brief periods of time when the military temporarily gave over the responsibility of 'screwing the troops' to the local female civilian population? A good friend is an ex-Lancaster crewman (93 yrs young and still going strong) so I'll attempt to get a proper answer when next we meet.

Always amused - never offended. Keep em coming!

Perry, where do you dig this stuff up and when do you sleep? The boys at the sign shop had a slack day I'd guess as no Co name and/or phone nr so it's gotta be a set-up. The van wouldn't last twenty minutes on any curbside in any of the lower states before being torched. The perpetrator's ribald sense of humour is exceeded only by the size of their testicles I reckon. Cheeky though.

Nope, the details obviously have escaped me but...... Czechoslovakia was, is, and always will be Czechoslovakia as far as this old codger is concerned. I accept your guidance however and thanks for identifying the locality. The Hungarians took on the Russians fifty odd years ago out of necessity with tremendous loss of life , this Hungarian seems to be fighting his own personal war with ultimately the same results. cheers

Definitely not Oz Bob. Note the vehicles driving RH on roads. Their intercom prattle seems to be an eastern block language - perhaps Czechoslovakia? Like Kaz says, the clown has a death wish yet to be satisfied but he'll make the evening news at some time. They are amongst us. cheers

I believe the question should be, 'which is the least impractical of them all in the long run?' Compare useability to cost and we'll probably find they all end up a modern version of the 'Amphicar' of the late fifties .....curiousity value only. Could you imagine CASA and the Motor Traffic Authorities ever getting into bed on the concept? cheers

So it raises the question - is the Mr Minute, so-called 'static-proof funnel' actually a conductor or generator of static electricity? If so, must I assume that it too, has to be included in the grounding cable sequence viz, A/C to ground; Mr Minute to A/C; jerry can to Mr Minute; etc? Could it be that I've been luckily living a lie for the past decade despite my begrudging faithfull use of Mr Minute & Co? cheers Riley

Have completed same but feel that Yes/No only choices are too vague & could lead to mis-interpretation. Mission statements looked like they'd been extracted from a Dale Carnegie correspondence course on waffling. (and no, I didn't do his 'How to win friends and influence people' seminar). Riley

Home Safe At Last I've torn out my residential alarm system, shot my Rottweiller and de-registered from the Neighbourhood Watch. Also I've got two Taliban flags raised in each corner of my front garden and the black flag of ISIS in the middle. The local police, ASIO, ASIS and all other intelligence agencies are watching my house 24/7. I've never felt safer or more secure!

A closing statement. Received both the 1/2 wheel parts fm O/S and am happy to relate that the Champ is now back in the air. Should anybody end up in the same situation, there is now a back-up for the needy. Thanks all. Riley

Still looking folks. The best local price I could get for just the necessary tubular stock (no cutting, no shaping, no freight) was in excess of $650. That would double the effective worth of the Gemini if & when it were finished. If anybody has even a few Thruster wing ribs laying around in their hangar/shed with no immediate purpose, I'd be pleased to put them to work. Give us some inspiration gentlemen. Tks Riley

Planey, if I were closer I'd have come around and give yah a smack on the ear. Reading your post, I was completely absorbed (and sucked in) with 'what Victa have I missed? Good one mate. cheers

Perhaps another Furphy gentlemen. A year or so back David Cundall did spend a bunch of money and a lot of sweat digging somewhere not too far from Rangoon looking for these 'Ghost Spitties' (it probably cost him as much to 'grease' the local authorities as it did to conduct the fruitless excavations). Short to say the erstwhile cavalier went home much poorer. It is of much interest however, that over thirty years ago whilst living in Singapore, at a local noggin & natter evening with the local vintage car club, I listened in on discussions relating to a couple of un-assembled crated Spitfires preserved in cosmolene resting in a 'godown' (warehouse) in Rangoon that at the end of the war were struck off register. Burma was a closed 'locked-down' country for many decades after the war but it's been an urban myth for so long that even I (the original disbeliever in all things), wouldn't be too surprised if it came to pass. When you get to the age of three score and ten (plus some more), dreams are more rewarding than reality. I wish them much luck but I ain't gonna donate to the search cause. cheers all.

I am not! (mind you, I've never accepted the mis-appropriation of the word) cheers Riley

Guernsey, ya might only be 70Ks and I'm not a betting man, but I'd wager that you'd be hard pressed to pass the 'test' in a Thruster, on the ground, in a hangar & behind closed doors. Rebut that you dirty old dreamer! cheers Riley

This was a crew of Canucks from the land of 10 months hard winter and two months poor ice hockey. These guys aren't tough, they just don't ever thaw out enough to sense the cold (although I did observe one 'nancy' wearing gloves). Loved the pilot's statement "I put it in there, I'll drive it out"! All kidding aside, I reckon they did one hell of a job and RKW is probably correct in presuming that it had to come out at any cost. cheers

Does anybody have, or know where I can obtain wing battens to suit either a Thruster Gemini or a T300/T500? Local (Aust) metal suppliers only seem to stock 12mmOD alloy tube which won't accept the plastic duck's bill fitting. I need 24 top and 24 btm but would happily purchase smaller lots. This Gemini will fly again once I round up a few more items. cheers Riley

Any pretty pictures Kaz??

Tomo You mentioned 'we' so I assume your lovely lady is to be part of your crew? On that assumption I'd suggest that a Thruster might be a more suitable 'lead-in' to her participation. I cut my tail-dragging teeth on a T300 and it not only taught me so much but it also survived my brutal ignorance (in fact, my marque admiration is such that I acquired a Gemini a few years back which awaits resurrection). Ive flown a 582 Drifter & rode shotgun in a 503 and was suitably impressed on both counts (who wouldn't be) and I'd have one in my hangar in a New York minute if circumstances permitted but if Mrs Tomo is planning to participate in this aviation lark with you then there's a comfy togetherness in a Thruster that you cannot achieve in a Drifter. Happy hunting old son. cheers Riley

Could this situation could be described: Not as an incident; Not as an outlanding; but simply and correctly as an 'In' (the water) landing? Levity aside, it's super good that the pilot suffered no injuries. cheers all.