alf jessup

Road tolls are worse.

Just sayin.

Hope the outcome is good but not sounding like it.

Shame it doesn’t work like that at West Sale, we cannot even get off the ground when they are active

Bad year for me only 72 hours this year, mind you I work away 6 months of the year and only get to fly on weekends when I’m home because of the RAAF being active week days. Also did a trip to the USA for 3 weeks and a 2 week tour of Tassie in the caravan so all is not lost, still averaging 100 a year since I started flying again 15 and a bit years ago.

 Skippy,   yes . Fuel  burn would be a better indication than flight hours for oil change.

 

   Also  Rotax engines are NOT magic.  An exhaust valve has a fairly hard time in all engines.They operate at above red heat and even hotter when turbo charged. It also doesn't matter WHERE something is made these days as long as the Quality control is effective and the metal spec is right for the job.  

 

 5,000 hours equals about 500,000 kms  in a car and few cars will get that out of their valves  and still perform as when new even though they have a real easy time compared with an aero engine. One would expect a bit better life in a liquid cooled engine but if you upped the output /litre it would reduce.  You should replace such parts long before they have a chance of failing, because the consequences of a failed valve is always serious.. Rusty and pitted stems happen as well on lesser used motors .Nev

 

Nev,

I’d say 5000 hours in a car would more likely be around 200,000 - 250,000 kms as cars idle at lights, do a lot of time at 40 & 60kph and not many do 100kph for the majority of their life.

Ended up where it did because we are all human and not perfect, not one of us, only the pilot knows why he misjudged the force landing, at the end of the day he is alive and that’s all that matters for him and his passenger.

Rotax engines are much more expensive than Jabirus. My 700hour Jabiru engine can be replaced by a new Jabiru engine and the total outlay for them both will still be less than one Rotax.

 

Of course, the Jabiru engine has about half the parts count of a Rotax. And among the parts difference, there is the liquid cooling system which makes the Rotax better to operate in hot weather. 

 

Yes Bruce they are.

But you get what you pay for i guess.

yes a Rotax valve cost $240 bucks and a Jab one $40, but the Rotax one will do more or less 5,000 hours compared to 500 for the Jab.

Alf - Are you using AvGas in your Rotax ?

 

If not, what is the rational supporting your 1/2 of many of the Rotax recommended service intervals? 

 

Skippy, 

Nope, only use avgas when I have no other option, to me oil is cheap and so are spark plugs.

Can’t for the of life of me let the oil go to 100 hrs it is dirty enough a 50 in my book.

plugs, I have let them go to about 150 on the odd occasion, I mean realistically you could probably get 300 or more out of them if you go by how many miles people do in cars in them.

Each to our own I guess, I can afford it at this point in time.

What I don’t agree on but abide by is the bullish!t hose change every 5 years, that is a con imo.

Wirraway,

Hard to get an approximate as I don’t really track the costs.

Oil change and filter every 50 hours about $60, plugs every 100 about $55.

Engine replacement at 2000 hours about $13 per hour put away every hour flown.

5 yearly hose replacement is about $1100 in parts including the fuel pump ( but you don’t get every hose you need from Rotax)

L1 you can do it yourself or price would vary with different L2 maintainers.

odds and sods with exhaust springs ect.

i would say it costs me in the vicinity of about $50 per hour as I owe my plane outright that includes fuel.

Hope this helps

Alf

Soar aviation, it must be difficult dealing with repeated incidents.

 

Repeated incidents in the sausage factory, might start feeling it in his bank balance of rupees one day.

This one Alf?   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-05/plane-crash-at-stawell/10343032

 

Yes Turbs that is the one.

Regardless of causes there have been a number of Bristell crashes. I think the first was when one got into a flat spin killing both the instructor and student, the student at Moorabin and this one this week. I seem to recall at least one more but can't remember any details.

 

KG, 

i seem to recall  another flat spinning in at Stawell in Victoria, both survived but have long lasting injuries.

When landing without brakes this method will get the friction required to stop on the runway.

 

 

X Navy pilot me thinks, carrier landing that one so just smack it on.

Wasn't human factors training meant to stop accidents almost completely ?   At least that is what I was told when I did did the course which was a waste of time.

 

Flyboy1960,

Won’t matter how many training courses the regulators administer and make us do, it will not stop people from killing themselves in aircraft.

As you would be aware no pilot has really invented a new way of dying in a plane.

“We”as in us (pilots) are responsible for a safe passage from start to end of a flight and some of us are quite the contrary.

The biggest issue I see is the majority of us always think it happens to someone else when I fact no one is immune and by the statistics it shows.

How does one survive one asks? I Can’t answer for others but only can for me.

Attitude has a lot to answer for, being aware that a simple mistake can be costly, flying as disciplined as you can, not allowing others to coax you in to a beat up, watching the weather and diverting to an alternate, subduing the urge to get there to your  destination at all cost.

There are hundreds of scenarios which you can overcome by being smart and decisive as long as you stick to them.

Me my motto is, I have nothing to prove to anyone, it is my decisions that count , fly as professional and as disciplined as you can all the time and never stop learning.

Me am I perfect? Far from it, difference is I accepted that and realise that it can happen to me if I become lazy, reckless, foolhardy and more

The floats are OK, I have the fuel at half inch down in the bowl when it is removed, which is the stated level. Seems a bit high to me as the floats will cause the level to be nearly overflowing when it is all assembled.

 

I am pretty sure the main jet assembly is correct.

 

First thing in is what I believe is the diffuser which has a shoulder to locate it, a small tube sticking up into the venturi area and holes around below the shoulder for air flow through the air duct.

 

Below that is the needle jet, which has a concave base, which sits on the carrier. The carrier has an O ring at its base to stop fuel flow via the threads. Inside the base of the carrier is the main jet, which has a loose washer on the threaded portion.

 

I never touched the starter system, so I assume that cannot be a problem.

 

The plugs are well coated with black sooty carbon, so it is obviously way too rich.

 

The only way I can start it is with full throttle, which says to me it is excessively rich, even with no big vacuum to lift the needle to a rich position.

 

Usually I can diagnose the problems with an engine, without having to strip it down .

 

Just logically work out what is happening, but this time I seem to be suffering from brain fade.

 

I have it on the workbench now and will have another good look at it later, when it cools down a bit. I cannot believe that a problem with the O ring, would make it so rich.

 

I should never have touched it as it was only running slightly rich before hand. The other thing I will check is the attachment of the needle into its carrier.

 

Yenn,

Check the gasket on the choke/enrichener, does upset the carbie if it has shrunk and is sucking air.

I’m guessing your bing is the same as the bings used on the 912.

Condolences to the families and friends of the lost aviators, terrible thing to happen at anytime of the year but awful this time of the year, that is a few for this year alone and the RAA was doing so well up until recently.

Take care out there brothers and sisters.

Can you reveal the make of the aircraft??

 

Foxbat one report was saying

What was he doing?

 

Something wrong obviously?

Most would hand over a kidney to have a BRS in a time like that.

 

Well shafs64,

Some who do have them still fly around with the safety pin in them which you won’t get out when the fhit hits the san.

The trike I sold to a bloke had a brs and he never deployed it as from what I am lead to believe it still had the pin in it.

I told him when he brought it to ensure the chute is armed and ready to go each flight.

He knew better I guess.

Sad but true.

Pretty much what Ross`s brother, who was there and witnessed it, told me when I spoke to him about it... Knowing Ross, I would say he did what he thought was best at the time! 

 

No offence meant Alf but I believe it`s wrong to say "killed himself in it" to any fatal accident! that implies the intention of the pilot was to commit suicide. Is it acceptable to say Ross killed himself in it? 

 

Franco.

 

I see your point Franco, no one intends to die unintentionally 

Hope you don't mind me asking what happened?

well before I imagined I'd actually be able to get into aviation. and if its something I could learn from, I thought it would be worth hearing

 

Spenaroo,

1 golden rule mate, if your engine fails shortly after takeoff , resist the urge to turn back to your comfort zone of the runway you just left, unless of course you have plenty of height.

i can get my aircraft around in under 300ft which is and has been practiced many times, but I set a minimum of 700ft and drill it in to my head prior to every takeoff.

Maj was a sticker for no turn backs but for reasons we will never know he attempted it and became another statistic in the long line of fatal accidents caused by turn backs.

Alf

4 years, Alf. Not a day I’ll forget in a hurry. 

 

 

jason

 

Yes Jason I stand corrected it is 4 years, was thinking it was the same year the bloke I sold my trike too killed himself in it.

Well today marks 5 years since some of us lost a great friend.

Ross Millard (Maj) left us on this day in an unfortunate aviation accident helping out a friend.

I miss him terribly even though I only met him once in person in his home town of Townsville.

Many times over the phone we spoke forming a friendship before he left us.

Wherever you are Maj, smooth skies and tailwinds buddy.

I usually speak my mind if I see someone doing stupid things. I prefer to do it privately but sometimes that doesn't happen. I was overheard ripping off an instructor years ago. Later someone dobbed him in to RAAus or CASA and I got the cold shoulder from several pilots. They said I had dobbed him in. I didn't even see what he did to be dobbed in, but it was at my local strip.

 

I was pissed off about the cold shoulder and innuendo's being thrown around. I wrote to CASA asking for them to explain that it was not me, who had dobbed him in. but It turned out it was RAAus and one of their local reps let the word out that I was not involved, he even offered to tell me who the dobber was, but I didn't want to know.

 

It is not always a good idea to speak up, if you want a quiet life.

 

Agree Yenn,

I will wear any flak that family and friends of any pilot cowboy in icu throws my way.

They might stare in awe at the magnificent flying feats of their hero right up until they bin it, while I will try to convince any pilot from killing or maiming themselves through foolhardy exploits in aviation.

They have to be doing some serious stupid stuff before I will make contact with them about their activities.

I always get a laugh when the defence team tries to defend somethings well and truly available on the persons social media page.

I mean to tell people the dog flying in the plane with him on the 9news feed was photoshopped??

Yep so are the other 4 photos on his page then??

I mean really!!! Wouldn’t you think to delete incriminating stuff from social media first before shooting your mouth off?

Anyways lot more to it than a photoshopped dog lol.

Hmm Truth. Banned??  No. You still show on the list of members. Muted (can't post for short period of time) perhaps. 

 

Yep same as banned basically, can’t comment so no difference to me.

Honest Alf Jessup. I don't think I would go THERE, A few people have applied the Honest title to themselves and it isn't convincing. Ie "Honest" John HOWARD and others . I don't mean the Hon. (Honorable) title all pollies get. THAT almost sticks in the throat when applied to some.. I think they rate above Banking CEO's currently though.  There's only 3 axis's and now you have all 3 . That's a 100% achievement. You aren't lacking where it counts.  There's one proviso. (nothing's perfect).. A good friend of mine (now deceased) flew Hurricanes during the war and he told me in some confidence (so only you and I know this,)........

 

   When they stopped using  wing warping, things started to go bad. Nev

 

Nev,  

I’m not a politician lol, 

Meet me one day I am what you will see lol

Ok disregard Honest, 

Brash, mongrel, opinionated, arrogant, deceitful, low life, storyteller, top gun, can’t happen to me?

Oh well maybe a couple of those, well maybe 1.

Better?