Riley

Merci Miz Kaz. I'm on my bike!

Thanks Brian. BladeSlapper was where I first picked it up and, yes at that time the lass stated she was taking it off the market. However, she also mentioned there were 12 other 8A/E's in Oz and two years passage of time can foster a lot of changes. Her previously listed tel nr is no longer in service but I'd still like to make contact in order to assess my chances at any of those Luscombes. Thru persistent sleuthing over a long period I was ultimately successfull in discussions leading to the purchase of my 7AC Champ (even tho I was 'hand-balled' by the penultimate owner) so ya never know. Old chinese saying "If you don't ask, you don't get". cheers Riley

About two years back there was a recently-imported and unregistered Luscombe 8A needing some work offered for sale by I believe a Tasmanian owner from a maintenance hangar in Tyabb, Vic. Does any Forumite have knowledge of the current whereabouts of this aircraft or the contact details of anyone who is (or might have been) connected with it? Grateful for any leads. tks all Riley

Brett I need to know what followed you home from Oshkosh! 'Fess up dammit!. cheers Riley

You can also buy all Shell Aviation oils direct from the Shell Agent at Jandakot (case lot of 10 and phone first to make sure it's in stock). Don't have my last invoice handy but I'd bet my spare testicle that it was significantly cheaper than Western AirExpensive. cheers Riley

Wrecks? Hell, they follow me home!! Am waffling at present about rebuilding the hair-lipped, radial-engined Lightwing that mysteriously appeared in my hangar a while back. The engine is at Rotec now for a bulk strip & whatever upgrades/repairs are deemed appropriate and, dependant upon my being successful in procuring a suitable aged classic (Chief, Luscombe, T'craft et al) AND can work out how to get it unto RAA 19 experimental category, the damaged Lightwing (less FWF) will be going out the door cheap. There also rests in my workshop at home a Sapphire that came to grief with 87 hrs TT from brand new that has the accident damage mostly repaired but hasn't seen the light of day or felt the blow of a hammer for about 18 months. Still curious? how about an old Thruster Gemini wearing an R532 but no clothes (fabric)? Or - the basis of a T300 Thruster Special with a 3 cyl Suzuki, 4-stroke modified w/ Rotax E box and Stitts-covered wings and empennage?......and we haven't even left my front gate yet! If you are seriously looking for some more misery (have you so soon forgotten the saga of Gay Girl's ressurection?) give me some guide lines and we'll find something to keep you poor and off the streets. Good to hear from you. cheers Riley

As promised, here-in the dimensions of the seating area/personal space in the 1st class section of a Lightwing GA55 (with seat positioned in furthest adjustment from firewall): - rudder pedals to front of seat cushion (under knee) = 600mm - rudder pedals to back of seat cushion (base of spine) = 940mm - rudder pedals to top of seat back = 1210mm - stick (in neutral position) to middle seat back = 670mm - centre of instrument panel to top of seat back = 800mm - door openings width = 1000mm height = 780mm - seat cushion to top of cabin = 1040mm - seat cushion to O'head diagonal brace = 900mm - cabin width at hip and shoulder = 940mm Hopefully this will be enough info to further confuse you as to whether Big Kev is too big to travel first class in a Lightwing. Incidently, I know the little GA55 Lightwing that's for sale at Serpentine and it's an absolute credit to both the builder and the current vendor. cheers Riley PS. what's the issue with the 'damned' throttle?

For a goodly sum I arranged solitary long term hire from the previous owner (in truth, I bought it a couple of years back ), Come up to Bindoon some weekend and I'll show you how not to fly a taildragger. Cheers Riley.

For your info Nareman, MGO lives on (albeit still in a state of repose). She's with her her second owner since coming down from the rafters of Kingie's hangar and is currently residing not far from Northam sans FWF. Present owner has purchased and intends to mount a Rotec R2800 radial in the airframe. "Twill be a most unusual aircraft when it happens. cheers Riley

Originally booked to fly the Champ down for the weekend but later when browsing the Club's web page in order to arrange a hangar to doss in, I see where ASIC card is required. Game over! Schools out! Buses gone! Full stop. To the point of cutting off my nose to spite my face, I refuse to bow to the bureacrats bullsh!t. Not a condemnation of the local Club but fancy having to display a useless PITA token to participate in a country airshow. I expectorate! Riley

What a sad response to what should have been an unecessary question. Maj, I applaud your grit in sticking with these unwholesome matters despite the shite being chucked about by the stirrers. I read in your terse and measured replies, the determination to see it thru and for that we of the great unwashed are truely thankful. With the strengthening of Board quality over the past year, it is not only your friends that can see there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. Hang in there. Riley

Don't know specifically but if you tell me the dimensional areas you're interested in, I can give you comparison figures after next weekend. Have both a 912GR and an earlier (slightly 'hair-lipped'), GA55 fuselage (shorter wings w/ VW eng) in the hangar that I'll be measuring up come Fri. Riley

Am I correct in thinking 'stinky finger'?

Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, hugely outnumbering and thus confident of victory over the English, proposed to cut off the middle finger of all English soldiers captured in the conflict. Without the middle finger it would be impossible to draw the renowned English longbow and as such, the archers would be useless for any future fighting. This famous longbow was made of the native English Yew tree and the act of drawing the longbow in medieval times was known as 'plucking the yew' (or, 'to pluck yew'). Much to their bewilderment the French were soundly thrashed in battle by the English who then took great delight in mocking the defeated frogs by waving their middle finger and proudly proclaiming "See, we can still pluck yew!" The wearing of a leather & chainmail archer's helmet made the statement of "Pluck Yew" rather awkward and clumsy to enunciate so as a consequence, the difficult consonent cluster at the beginning gradually evolved to a labiodentials-fricative 'F'. Nonetheless the words were still used in conjunction with the one-finger-salute and (particularily in the British colonies of Canada and New Zealand) it remains to this very day an APPROPRIATE SALUTE TO THE FRENCH! It is also in recognition of the pheasant feathers on the arrow fletching that the symbolic gesture is commonly known as "flicking the bird". Here endeth the lesson. So, until now, yew probably thought yew knew every plucking thing!

Am genuinely sorry to hear that Ozzie. I don't fancy the RAA chances of the rest of us if early AUF founding members are giving up in disgust. All the very best wishes at whatever you do. We'll miss you. Riley

The ute driver obviously must have done the deed because what's described as being Lang's old C172 is currently offered for sale (in a dis-assembled and very rough state) and she's standing on both her main gear. Like the old cowboy said "Reckon I wouldn't sell my horse for a million dollars but if it could talk, I'd have to shoot it!" Likewise with LH's plane I'd guess. cheeers

As are all the rest of us!

I call it crap Oscar and you've gained premier member status on my ignore list.

A person would go a long way to find a GA55 in more presentable & better condition than the Lightwing you mentioned. I know the man and I've pored over the aircraft - it's a peach!

Damn! (but I'm not surprised) Thanks for checking it out. Will now end the thread drift and revert to thinking about Hummelbirds & Lightwings. cheers

I'd be asking for a lot more detailed clear photos and some photocopies of log book entries. Skins look pretty shabby/dirty considering they're only 8 years old with purportedly no use?? An early model T300 without the CrMo axle carry-thru insert bar upgrade (which are near impossible to locate now) and unless its been re-powered, it's most likely a free air, R503 single plug per cylinder, Bosch points-type ignition system. Shouldn't be any, but look long & hard for cracks where the engine mount 'shovel handle' joins the 5" CrMo boom sleeve. The 40 litre alloy fuel tank and removeable doors are quite desirable plus points to a Thruster owner. Like FT says, it's priced at a number that could warrant further interest if all is as described. Happy hunting. Riley

Arthur I've just been perving the Murphy website and learned the fact that there is a Rebel 'Sport' model that has a 600kg MTOW. Any chance you could check and advise whether either of the two stalled Rebel projects that you have knowledge of could be of this model rather than the conventional Rebel with an MTOW of 750kg? If so, I'd be dead keen to investigate the possibilities and am more than happy to contact the owners myself to do any sleuthing if you are free to relate their contact details. Subsequent to any favourable response I'd also like to make contact with the owner/operator of the R2800-engined Rebel you mentioned. cheers Riley

pylon500 Much appreciate the snippet regarding the existance of the 2 Rebels but unfortunately I'm restricted to looking for a project thats under the RAA 600 kg MTOW. Tho it would broaden the horizens immensely, I'm too long in the tooth to attempt to go GA now. Anyway, keep me in miond if you do happen to hear of something that might suit. cheers Riley

Thanks for the enlightenment. I hear what you're saying regarding CASA's current game of holding everybody's feet to the fire irrespective (in many cases) of what has been proven operationally acceptable over the past two decades. At times I ponder whether I'll be giving up flying because I got too old or I give it away because of the ever-increasing curious crap that the authorities (both of them) have heaped on us in recent times. I'm all for any serious safety reg improvements but some of the issues raised in the past year have been beyond belief. We are but senseless sheep in the eyes of the higher-paid-help I fear. Went upcountry and pulled the wings, empennage and engine off the wrecked GA-55 over the long weekend. It came apart quite easily so on reflection, the airframe damage may not be anywhere near as horrid as first assessed. The R2800 is now boxed and ready to go back to Rotec for a bulk strip inspection but I won't really have a good picture of the rebuild prospects of the fuselage until I get it back to my hangar where we can 'square it off' and do some measurements. In the interim you wouldn't happen to know of a suitable 'firewall-aft' project laying around that would support the R2800 (say, L'wing, Chief, Luscombe, et al?). Godspeed with your rebuild. cheers Riley

Upper right hand corner, flying parallel to highway. heading towards bridge???