alf jessup

I guess it all relates in the end to where your foot or hand throttle is set and how well tuned your engine is.

If you want to fly fast you use more power which = more drag which = more fuel. but in a headwind could relate to using less in the end as you spend less time to get there.

My 912 in the trike uses around 22 +- lph full noise (5500rpm)climbing out, cruise hands off (4250 rpm) depending on the density/humidity/temp about 9 lph, wind the trim full on and 3800/3900 rpm straight and level between 6 and 7 lph. but the ground goes past slower

She is well run in 650 hrs, mind you balanced carbies make a difference too with creating efficency in the engine.

My 2 cents worth

Cheers

Alf

Bill,

I cant say for other areas but us down here at West Sale it has improved dramatically since I first started flying trikes 5 years back, I was the first trike at WSL and now we have 5 in the hanger and one base at East Sale and all fly regulary.

I will be honest though that I think trikes are getting alittle to expensive these days to buy new.

If I was just starting out flying now I would probable spend 15 grand more and buy a new J160 jabby with an efis panel as I would have 100kts, cabin heat and a 1000 odd nm range.

I really cant see nearly 70 grand in a 912 trike even if it has a strutted wing now.

I absolutley love flying the trike and dont think many other aircraft match the feeling you get flying one other than maybe an open cockpit banger like a tiger moth or similar aircraft.

Me i will keep hold of 912-001 for a long time yet with the only update in the forseeable future is 13 odd grand for a new strutted wing and a new mast to suit.

If I was in the future to spend 70 g's it wont be on a new trike but i cant see that happening anyway.

Cheers

Alf

Congratulations Ray,

On getting your licence to learn it is a great achivement on your behalf and now the fun begins.

If your anything like myself and most other trike pilots when we were at the stage your at it is the next 30 to 50 hrs on your own until you will start to become more comfortable with those dreaded potholes and turbulence and actually get to enjoy the view that flying has to offer.

Patience is a big thing mate as you have nothing to prove to anyone, you being pilot in command has the ultimate decision in whether you fly or not, never feel pressured by your friends or others into going for a fly if you gut feeling is to stay on the ground.

Remember it is better to be down here wishing you were up there than being up there wishing you were down here.

Cheers and have fun

Alf

For me it is the ultimate freedom as I can get up there and leave all the problems of the everyday life way below m.

I often wonder what the poor people are doing when I am aloft.

It also comes with some added bonuses

1. View is fantastic.

2. No traffic lights.

3. No giveway signs.

4. No idiots coming the other way in regularity.

5. No corners, they are an optional extra as if I want to make one i will.

6. No speed cameras

7. No speed limit.

8. No road rage.

9. No potholes other than the thermal type.

I guess there is plenty more but I just can't think of them at the moment.

Downsides

Hmmm

The danger of the drive to the airport.

Other than that bad weather and not being able to fly.

Cheers

Alf

Scott,

Your not taking sides and it doesnt matter if you do as you are a member and have the right to voice your opinion in more ways than one seen as though your fees are much higher you have the right to a louder gripe if that is to become the case later on.

It's your hard earned and you can do and spend it where you want lol.

Bill,

It's just a matter of peeling the old stickers off and putting the new ones on, pain in the butt getting the old ones off.

Also a few more things that have to be done if going from Hgfa to Raa like trike inspection/airworthiness ect.

I will see what the new board has in mind before I make a decision.

If they intend to treat us as it has been in the past and reap our fees for their pleasure activities I will happily move camps as atleast the previous board was intending to make change for the better of us WSM pilots.

Time will tell i guess.

Cheers

Alf

Welcomed to the world at 10:07 am today 10 October 2009 my first granchild Blake Gregory Tatterson to my eldest daughter Melissa and her husband Matt.

Father is as pleased as punch, mother and son doing well and Nanna is a as happy as a pig in .

Poppy is stoked and just aged 10 years in 1 day, 46 to 56.

Look forward to seeing them all on Tuesday when I get off the rig.

Just got to con Blakes dad into letting him come flying when he gets a bit older.

Cheers

Poppy Alf.

(Yeah I know it dosen't sound right when your only 46)

Glen,

Yep be interesting to see what happens now, guess the tea bags and kites will benifit once again from our higher fees we pay and now will we continue on how it has been since I have been a member(nothing).???

If the new board considers us that pay higher fees all good and well, if they continue on like it has been in the past well we have lost nothing as nothing is all we as WSM pilots with the hgfa have gotten in the past.

They may find more members moving over to the RAA in the future which they might like to see anyway, up until the expenditure exceeds the income coming in then the party will be over.

I genuinly wish the new board well and I cant wait to see what they intend to do differently from the previous board, I guess time will tell and time we have plenty of not so the funds distributed at this stage.

Cheers

Alf

Qwerty,

Have a safe trip and yep your right no tigers over the pond but there maybe a few tigers (sharks):ah_oh: lurking beneath the pond so for your sake keep the wheels dry mate.

Cheers and once again safe travels.

PS I'll wave to you from the rig if you get blown off course lol

Alf

Mike'

I totally agree with what your saying, I am not at all against mandatory radios as I fly out of a CTAF® am I am radio equipped and make all the correct calls, I have found on many occasions aircraft inbound not giving the correct information when calling i.e inbound from the nth west when infact coming from the nth east' so here you are looking in the direction you think they are coming from when infact the come at you from a different one and it sort on hightens your awareness and scanning after it has happened to you a few times.

I think radio's are a great aid if used correctly nothing beats a good scan especially when in a high activity circut area like LTV on a weekend, I am lucky at west sale as we dont see that sort of activity most weekends.

A radio is as only good as the person operating it.

Cheers

Alf

Just remember the ball never lies as good as the person hitting it.

Cheers

Alf

There have been plenty of midairs in the circuts of controlled airports over the years all with radio comms i guess, how about we have a compulsory mandatory law of keeping your eyes 90%+ outside the cockpit looking out for other traffic when we fly.

Yes radios can assist very much in alerting you what maybe in your area and as long as the proper calls given by the pilots using them height, distance, correct direction they are inbound from ect and intentions they can help a lot, but nothing beats your eyesight in seeing something coming unless of course it is the bloke behind you who is going to run up your tooshy happens to be too fixated with what is going on in the cockpit instead of looking.

My 2 bobs worth if it means anything.

Cheers

Alf

G'day Brett,

Have you heard anymore details on the ultralight accident at York, what type of ultralight ect, I have searched the net and only found what is in the media releases you have posted.

Condolences to both the ultralight and Cropduster pilots families and friends.

Another sad loss of 2 pilots whom enjoyed the activity we all love.

Cheers

Alf

Bluey,

From what I have been told by the induviduals concerned, the outback tundra pilot stated his forks collapsed because of a known crack in them which is total BS, he stuffed up and wasnt man enough to admit it was his fault (he no longer flies anymore these days and has sold up).

The second in which I was involved in said that when he noted the sand becoming soft he was below stall speed, he applied full power and had the bar out to the compression strut but the trike being a pusher configuration kept pushing the nose wheel deeper into the sand right up to to the bottom of the pod, it just kept on plowing until he realised it was no use continuing.

Little did he expect that when he came off full song at about 15mph that the trike would stop dead and tip up on the nose causing the wing to hit the ground and go "snap, crack and oh S#*t".

He fully accepted the consequences and outcome of what happened, he stuffed up and admitted it for others to learn from if they wish to learn.

Cheers

Alf

Destiny,

I'd be up for a change of name hmmmmm maybe ifdismotastopsdisisgunnahurt country:ah_oh:

Cheers

Alf

I see it as hostile rugged country that the only thing that would inhabit it is tigers and not the most favorable place to put down.

Me I have plenty of it starting 17nm to the north and extending right through to Bright

Cheers

Alf

Len,

I don't think it is a common problem, I only know of 1 person out of our group that had it happen to his trike only once and he turned it off and back on and no probs since.

Mine has done 630 hrs and had no probs.

Cheers

Alf

Kev,

Thats my view on it anyway, there will be plenty out who land on the beaches and have done so quite regulary and successfully and may continue to do is successfully and I wish them continued good luck but it only takes one bad one out of a 1000 landings to make it not worth while and that is my choice not to do so.

It's no different to pilots low flying or beating it up, it only takes one stuff up for it to all turn very ugly and even fatal.

We all I bet have taken a risk at some time when we have flown and got away with, some haven't as we see in the accident reports.

Me I am no fair weather flyer by any means with still and calm days the only days I fly I fly in varing conditions up to 15 to 20kts sometimes in my local area but over the years I have learnt the local weather and from what directions the winds are coming from and what the conditons may be like through trial and error & pleasure and panic on occasions.

Each to our own on what we do and I would never condone anyone for what risk they are prepared to take unless it was downright foolish and dangerous, I don't at all think it is foolish to land on a beach, me I am just not prepared to take that risk.

+ I don't like the idea of salt and sand finding it's way into the nooks and crannies.

Cheers

Alf

G,day Bluey,

In regards to has anyone ever landed on the beach before the answer is yes plenty,

Plenty have been successful and 2 that I know of personally have been very unsuccessful as 1 was in last months soaring magazine.

How do I know this I was the one 4500ft above him heading towards Wilsons Promotory for a supposed lesiurley 2 hr flight which turned into a 8 hr + recovery after he went up attempting a beach landing in his 912 tourer.

Oh don't worry the other one down our was was a 582 outback tundra and he went the same way.

$3000+ later in repairs for both of the boys toys was enough for them to finally not do it again.

Both these flyers have landed on the same stretches of beaches many a time on previously hard pact sand with success and come out unscathed but it only took the one time and in an instant to turn ugly.

Me personally I don't think the feel good factor is worth that much money and embarrasment let alone all that salt and salt spray wanting to chew into the airframe and components.

Yeah it might look cool to all the chicks and ya mates when you plonk her on the beach and get out and give the tyres a kick but when it goes pear shaped it don't look that good.

Yep by all means if the donk quits sure put her down as it is the best option rather than into the trees.

Your beaches may differ to ours down here with the shifting sands but just be wary that it can turn ugly very quickly.

Cheers

Alf

Merv,

Where did you purchase this camera and mount from mate, is it available in the major retail stores or did you get it off ebay ?.

Looks like a beaut little camera which could stick on the pod of the trike.

Cheers

Alf

No worries Gary,

When I decide to come over I will consider putting the trike on the trailer and bringing it with me if the spouse is in agreeance with that as I guess it is supposed to be a holiday we are going on lol.

Either way as it gets closer to us deciding when to go i will PM you on here and get some contact details and definetly catch up.

Cheers

Alf

Eh Tazzytriker,

How correct you are as being in the southern most state so I appologize for that but I think you should be a country as your not connected anymore to the mainland lol:sorry:

But you are very correct is the quickness airborne gets parts to you, call them one day get it the next day so there is something to be said about buying local.

Eh i plan on heading down your way within the next 3 months for a holiday during my time off so we should catch up if you want and no I am not flying old 001 over the pond either even though I wouldnt mind it, but with the wife and 15 yo son + luggage i think she might be over the MTOW let alone a bit squishy:ah_oh:.

But then again i could slip her on the trailer and hook her on the xtrail and send her on the boat with us.

Hmmmm nice thought that.

Cheers

Alf

Eh Crusty,

I'm with you, it is up to the induvidual on what he/she trains in and what he/she likes the look of and what he/she preffers to spend his/her hard earned on.

It is just like the typical holden versus ford syndrome, mines better than yours ect when infact the all perform the same service to us, get us up in the air.

Me personally I would settle for any trike that has come from a reputable manufacturer built to a certain standard.

I have the first ever XT 912 built by airborne and as much as i love it I wouldn't dare say it is any better than a DTA, Pegasus or an air creation trike ect.

Me, I just thank all these trike manufacturers out there for making these machines to give us the opportunity to fly and leave the earthly bonds and go explore the world we live in.

Thats my 2 bobs worth.

Cheers

Alf:clap:

Eh Ray,

If it's any consolation to you I got .7 of an hr in late this afternoon as the wind died down here.

Was nice and smooth to to make your matters worse.:thumb_up:

BTW hope to get a couple in the morning also :clap:as it is looking good before i do some work on keeping the birds out of the hanger:censored:, got a cherry picker ordered for the morning to pull down their nesting areas and fix it up for good.:thumb_up:

Cheers

Alf

Nothing like a bike I meant to say:loopy:

Alf