onetrack

The Pogue 200mpg carburettor lives again!!

 

Charles Pogue's 1929 Imperial

 

Sorry OME, the burning of vaporised fuel in an engine has never proved to be a workable, commercial concept - for multiple reasons.

 

One, it is barely controllable. Two, the excessively-lean burn with its high combustion temperatures, will destroy the engine. Three, vapourised fuel explodes, it doesn't burn, thus we have detonation which causes engine damage.

 

 

Standard crossfall on a road is 3% not 15% and it certainly looks like 3% to me

You are confusing crossfall, camber, and road shoulders.Crossfall is the measure of the flat slope across a road, on a curve. All properly constructed roads should have a certain amount of crossfall on curves, exactly the same as rail lines do - and for the same reason.Camber is the curved shape of a road formation where the centre of the road formation is higher than the outsides of the formation, to assist in draining water from the formation to stop it from puddling and creating potholes.

 

0.5% is an adequate amount of fall from the centre of the formation to the outside, for camber - but it can be a little more.

 

Too much slope on the camber, and semi-trailers at maximum legal height of 4.3M, with a high C of G, have an increased tendency to fall over.

 

The road shoulder is the edge of the very steep drop, off the road formation, into the roadside drain (sometimes called the table drain).

 

That drop into the drain from the formation can be 15 to 20% slope. The aircraft would need to be moved right off the sealed section of the highway, into the roadside drain, to allow heavy traffic to pass, on the sealed section of the highway.

 

Getting the aircraft off the road into the roadside drain, would be easy enough - getting it back up onto the road formation, afterwards, for takeoff, is where the potential problem of damage to the aircraft would likely occur.

 

Road shoulders can become very soft after heavy rain - as more than one heavy vehicle driver has found to his dismay, as he pulled over onto the shoulder with his fully loaded rig, and felt his LHS wheels sink to the makers name.

 

There have been trucks that have rolled over, simply by pulling off onto the shoulder after heavy rain, and the road shoulder gave way. The red-dirt country is notorious for road shoulders becoming treacherous after rain.

 

 

So, if Earhart crashed near enough to Nikumaroro to be able to swim to the island - why hasn't TIGAR or someone else found her aircraft?

 

Can't be that hard - after all, David Mearns found HMAS Sydney, and the Kormoran as well - and they were down 2000 metres. The Earhart aircraft wreckage can't be that far away from the island.

 

 

I can't believe this!! All the talk is about the AN-2? - yet no-one has noticed the most glaring and grating dress error, ever seen, in any movie before or since!!

 

The bloke carrying the suitcase is wearing a light brown overcoat over grey trousers!!

 

My God! Doesn't anyone know, that that glaring colour clash, is totally unacceptable!! How could those wardrobe people, do this??

 

Vintage Fabrics & Fashion Illustrations from the 1930s — Gentleman's Gazette

 

 

It is his aircraft on all the official records. Isn't that all that matters to inquiring officials?

 

 

I think Ashby is on pretty firm ground. He has an RA pilots licence that allows him to carry as many pax as he can fit in the aircraft. He's not accepting any payments directly to his own personal account.

 

The Jab 230-D was bought by property developer Bill McNee as a One Nation "contribution" - but the aircraft is registered in Ashbys name, and there's no official record of the aircraft being a direct political party donation.

 

No doubt the fuel and maintenance is being paid for by ON - but that's not the same as "commercial hire and reward".

 

It's all about "shadow" operations, exactly the same as directors such as Clive Palmer operate as shadow directors, running supposedly "independent" businesses.

 

Clive claims he has no control over the business, and officially appoints others to the CEO position - but that CEO continuously refers to Clive for directions and instructions - with no official or written record of instructions.

 

Just the reason Clive Mensink isn't coming back to Australia any time soon, unless he's arrested and dragged back, kicking and screaming.

 

Outlaw motorcycle gangs have been known to operate the same way - running legit businesses, with "clean" shadow directors, appointed by the bikies - yet laundering bikie gang drug money through the "legal" business, to make it "clean money".

 

Ashby is safe, because he, Pauline, and McNee have done their homework, and what Ashby is doing, CASA class as "business flying". CASA's definition of "business flying"? ...

 

"Flying by the aircraft owner, his/her employees or the hirer of the aircraft, for business or professional reasons, but not directly for hire or reward."

 

 

Week 6 report is now out, and again, nothing of significance has been found. The weather for the week ahead is forecast to be favourable for the searchers.

 

https://oceaninfinity.com/wp-content/uploads/MH370-Search-Weekly-Report-6.pdf

 

It's interesting to see the searchers are now approaching the junction of the Broken Ridge plateau and the Diamantina Fracture Zone.

 

This area features a very steep escarpment drop of around 3000 metres (9800 feet), known as the Diamantina Escarpment, where the seabed plunges from the relatively shallow 1000 metres depth of the Broken Ridge plateau, to the depths of the Diamantina Fracture Zone.

 

Around 250NM to the SE of the dedicated search zone is the Diamantina Deep, at 35°S 104°E. This trench is the second-deepest seabed trench ever found, at a confirmed 8,047 metres deep.

 

To the WNW of the Diamantina Deep is another trench known as the Dordrecht Hole. This 50km long trench has been logged at 7,079 metres deep.

 

The Dordrecht Hole is located at 33.42°S 101.48°E, and this trench is still over 200NM away from the current search zone. However, these trenches give an indication of the ruggedness of the Diamantina Fracture Zone.

 

If the aircraft wreckage is located on the Diamantina Escarpment, the sheer ruggedness of this region could be one of the reasons why it has not previously been found.

 

Steep slopes abound in this zone, and no doubt there are trenches and other areas of difficulty there, that will test the searchers to their limits of their ability.

 

 

Gee, it's lucky for Ashby, then, that Pauline hasn't posted videos to YooToob of Ashby doing excessive bank angle manoeuvres - he'd be done like a spit roast and made an example of, by CASA.

 

 

That's a pretty impressive setup - and particularly the accuracy of the arrestor hook arrangement, upon return!

 

How come 3rd world countries are beating us with technology?? Does this mean we are now below 3rd world standards??

 

 

Yes, I recall that episode. That Capt Tim Lancaster had some guts to go back to flying again after just 5 months. He endured the episode for over 20 mins with initial temperature of -17°C - and the wind buffeting must have been unbelievable.

 

There's some images on the 'net of him recovering in hospital with his crew gathered around him. He suffered frostbite as well as fractures.

 

The FA who held onto him ended up suffering from PTSD and retired early, because he was facing the captains face, as he was bashed repeatedly against the side window, and he reckoned it was a sight he would never forget.

 

 

Look, the MH370 disappearance problem is simple. They ran out of motion lotion, and now they're stuck up there!

 

Can't someone run some JetA1 out to them??

 

 

The problem with pushing the aircraft off the road is the steepness of the road formation shoulders. At around 4500kgs, you would need substantial manpower to get it back up onto the sealed section of the highway again.

 

You usually move aircraft around on nearly-dead-level surfaces. Make that surface a 15% or 20% grade and you have serious problems with aircraft movement - unless you have a tug.

 

Yes, they could probably use a 4WD as a tug, but the chances of damage to aircraft increase when people untrained in aircraft handling, start becoming involved in moving aircraft.

 

 

China isn't so far behind America now, nearly 200 million cars Vs the US at 250 million.

Ahh, but you're talking total number of IC vehicles - I'm talking car ownership at per capita levels.The U.S. currently has an estimated 270M vehicles (IMO, a fairly low estimate. This figure covers only registered highway vehicles). The U.S. population stands at 323M. That's 0.835 vehicles per capita.China has 200M registered highway vehicles (as of March 2017). Chinas population is currrently an estimated 1,413,000,000. At a per capita vehicle density equal to the U.S., China would have 1,179,855,000 vehicles!

 

 

I'm sorry, Doug, I fail to see how the Balandin cross-beam system transfers its reciprocating motion to a rotary motion in the crankshaft. Does it use gear teeth on the crankshaft cranks?

 

The CAD drawing in the YouTube video is clumsily and badly drawn, and seriously lacking in fine engineering detail.

 

Is this the principle in the design?

 

 

Your cross-beam engine would benefit from dual combustion chambers top and bottom of the piston, resulting in a vast improvement in balance in operation, as well as power.

 

You are then only left with a sealing problem on the conrods for the lower combustion chamber.

 

I understand Balandin used this principle in an engine he designed in the early 1950's.

 

The important aim in engine efficiency is the utilisation of as much of the waste engine heat into power. To this end, the Elsbett Diesel Engine with the Elsbett Duothermic Combustion system appears to be a winner.

 

The Elsbett Combustion System was so effective at heat transfer minimisation, it dispensed with water and air cooling and only used oil as the engine cooling medium.

 

However, it appears development of the Elsbett engine has stalled, and nothing has come of it for over 10 years. Elsbett apparently went off on a tangent with vegetable oil conversions - which now, also seem to have stalled.

 

My favourite revised engine design is this one (link below) - but development seems to also have stalled on it. They have produced some engines commercially for trikes, but apparently, no major manufacturer has shown any serious interest in it.

 

The trilobate crankshaft design lends itself to very high torque at low RPM and is ideal for aircraft use. The designer has moved engineering development to Turkey, and I don't think that has achieved anything.

 

Power& Torque (Revetec engines)

 

 

There would have been a concerted effort to get the aircraft off the highway as fast as any repairs allowed. We're talking National Highway 1 here, and it's the only route for North-South traffic in W.A., for that region.

 

Close that road and nothing moves North or South from that point. But that highway carries a very substantial amount of important traffic and supplies, both ways.

 

Petroleum fuel distribution, food, and other vital supplies for the major towns such as Broome and Kununurra, all rely on Highway 1 being open. Produce from the Ord River is trucked to the South via this highway.

 

Heavy equipment of all types - from Mining to Marine, is trucked along this highway. Cattle are moved in large numbers by multiple road trains, from stations to port for export, along this highway.

 

The oil and gas industry is a big player in Broome, servicing the offshore gas fields, and vast amounts of oil and gas infrastructure support and supplies, move to Broome from the South, along this highway.

 

The recent Kimberley floods of January and February, which seriously damaged and closed large sections of Highway 1 for a couple of weeks each time, have caused havoc to the townships in the Kimberley, and to many business operations in the region.

 

The major supermarkets in Broome were recently forced to transport semitrailer loads of supermarket supplies to Broome, by barge, from Pt Hedland - a very expensive exercise, no doubt, and I'm not sure who picked up the tab for that.

 

 

Malaysia has now outlined that the set search time of 90 days by the Seabed Constructor, will be based only on search operational days - not a fixed time period from the date of the current search start.

 

This means, that with days off due to excessively rough sea conditions, days off for refuelling and crew changes - as well as any other hold-ups in searching - the expected cut-off date when this search officially ends, will be around June 2018.

 

Malaysia reveals when the search for missing flight MH370 will end

 

 

That grin on your face will take a while to wipe off!

 

It's looking good, that Viking/Honda is a neat package.

 

 

So how was the engine(s) problem fixed? Put some fuel in? Nev

We'll only get to find out in about 2 years time.The word is the pilot did nothing wrong, and everything right.

Can't see any fuel dripping on the highway, so that eliminates someone leaving a fuel line fitting loose.

 

So the only conclusion is, misfuelling, a fuel pump failure, or fuel supply blockage.

 

The fuel supply system has multiple pumps - so, for both engines to stop, would mean multiple mechanical failures.

 

Fuel Systems

 

I suspect the 1500mm of rain and massive flooding around the Kimberley during the last month or so, just might be a factor here.

 

Water contamination in underground tanks is a pretty regular factor in fuel handling, you have to be on top of it at all times.

 

 

 

A lot of people either seem to have forgotten that a Mr Ferdinand Porsche had a moderately successful hybrid electric car in 1899 - and one William Morrison of Des Moines (who was actually Scottish) produced a successful electric-powered horseless buggy in 1890 - which vehicle was Americas first successful, powered, road vehicle (excluding electric trolleys and tramcars, of course).

 

Not many know either, that Henry Ford owned and utilised a Detroit electric car, while he was building his first IC-engine powered car!

 

https://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7666&context=annals-of-iowa

 

The Baker (Electric) Motor Vehicle Co was very successful in the early 1900's and a lot of American road vehicles were electric in that era.

 

History of Electric Cars

 

It was a combination of bad press and corporate scams surrounding electric motive power, that assisted in the demise of that form of power before WW1.

 

The "lead cab bubble" was a huge stock scam that led many to believe that the entire concept of electric motive power was suspect.

 

The Baker Torpedo electric car crashed at over 100mph in 1902 and killed two spectators. More bad press for electrics.

 

The great tech bubble ... of the 1900s

 

Walter Baker and His Remarkable Electric Racing Cars | The Old Motor

 

The design and introduction of electric starters, plus the lure of vastly-increased range offered by petrol-power, were the two major features that eventually killed the electric car.

 

The lure of instant go, with no delay, and a range limited only by where you could acquire petrol, were seductive winners for IC engines.

 

But no-one foresaw the problems of huge pollution once the numbers of IC-engined cars in the world reached astronomical numbers.

 

If Chinese car ownership was at American levels of car ownership, the world pollution levels would be highly visible.

 

We have little choice but to redouble our efforts to produce long-range electric motive power as a replacement for IC engines.

 

To that end, I believe the Chinese will lead the way. There's one thing the Chinese are good at, and it is electrical-based products.

 

Li Peng and the CCP have stated that their aim is to turn China into a leading electric motive power society, and I believe they will achieve that aim by about 2030.

 

CATL aims to plug into the global market - Business - Chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

I'm just amazed he even got it down in one piece. Unstabilised approach, anyone? It's not just the wind speed, it's the erratic gusts with it.

 

Was he trying to turn around, right after he landed? That makes no sense to me.

 

 

Effective electric motive power for light aircraft, by way of lightweight, powerful batteries, and new styles of electric motor design, coupled with advanced electronic control mechanisms, promise to reduce the cost of flying substantially.

 

It's highly likely "drone style" new aircraft designs with multiple small electric motors, will provide air transport much more cheaply, than the current designs of aerofoil wing design being pulled or pushed through the air by a propellor.

 

However, it's not likely that these new designs will make any serious impact on the light aircraft market for at least 5 to 10 years. The current design of light aircraft powered by an IC engine, still has a lot of life left in it.

 

What I can promise you is that the bureaucracy and regulation surrounding aviation and air transport will never get any less, it will only increase, and this factor will be a big factor in the permanent stifling of aviation.

 

Govts also have very good reason for tightly controlling any substantial or easy movement of their populations, on a large scale.

 

One - they love taxing peoples movement - and Two, they want movement control of people, because that is how populations are controlled, and grass-roots revolts and revolutions are nipped in the bud.

 

Just ask the Nazis and Gestapo, they had the finest people-movement controls, and tracking records, that have ever existed. The Americans learnt an enormous amount from the Nazis, and the FBI and CIA still use many of their techniques today.

 

 

I like how he got it right on the centre line

Winds conditions at ground level range from calm to just a few knots, throughout most of the Kimberley in the last 24hrs. I'd imagine that was of great assistance. That, plus no road trains occupying that particular section of road, right as he touched down.That'd definitely put you right off the centre line.

 

The Weekend Australian has more pics. You can see how narrow the width of sealed asphalt is, each side of the MLG.

 

I think I would have been calling for the brown-corduroy trousers change, right after it stopped rolling!

 

Nocookies

 

 

Wow, that was a good effort. A highway, even a major sealed highway, is a pretty narrow target for landing on with a big twin, there's little margin for error each side, and roadside obstructions such as big signposts, are a major hazard.

 

You get a bit of crosswind landing on a highway, and you can be in the roadside ditch and going end-for-end, or ripping a wing off, quick smart.

 

Not to mention the possibility of meeting a triple-trailer road train, right at the wrong moment!

 

 

The search report for the 5th week of the current search, dated 27th February 2018, has once again revealed, that nothing has been found in relation to MH370 wreckage.

 

The weather forecast for the week ahead is for favourable weather in the search area.

 

https://oceaninfinity.com/wp-content/uploads/MH370-Search-Weekly-Report-5.pdf