onetrack

Two aircraft in your airline out of action at once, must cause some heartburn in management. I'll wager someone has a lot of forms to fill out. Maybe the lines are getting worn and hard to see at the angle of approach, and into airport lighting?

As the old saying goes - with some people, their taste is limited to their mouths. Why you'd want to spend 8 hours lying in bed staring up at what resembles the underside of a pile of wooden pallets - suspended about what looks like, a distance of a metre over your head - beats me! You'd bang your head on the pallets, if you got up in the middle of the night. Even just having your bed inside a wooden mockup of a Huey, seems like a strange obsession to me. I can admire the wooden Huey, if it was garden art - but in the bedroom?? ..... No way!!

Every parcel gets x-rayed today and they don't often miss much. But the problem lies in sea containers and ships that pick up "travellers" and dirt/weeds/seeds that are not picked up. Fortunately, the constant searches for drugs also uncovers other undesirable imports. But I never cease to be amazed at the illegal imports that show up in the Border Security TV show - and how so many of the travelling idiots play dumb, as regards our quarantine laws. The fines need to go to $5000 and $10,000, so they really learn their lessons.

..... a large number of feathered headdresses were ordered, because these were deemed to be highly necessary whenever meetings of chiefs were held. As there were now a vastly large number of Chiefs in the organisation, and a vastly lower number of Indians, it was deemed that no less than 5000 headdresses were required. The order was placed and the headdresses supplied - which then led to more meetings over whose headdress had precedence over others headdresses. They decided that another meeting had to be held, to thrash out the headdress precedence issue. Meantimes, there was a rumble from...........

I think it's a bit harsh to say Vans can't be trusted. It's obvious a lot of people still trust them. The problems appear to stem from inadequate QC, and inadequate specifications to suppliers. As Boeing found out, when you outsource manufacturing, you must have intensive QC and strict specifications, that cover every foreseeable angle. In Vans case, it appears that they didn't consider that the laser-cut parts supplier would "make adjustments" to cutting processes, that caused the parts problems. With all laser or plasma cutting procedures, the cut is initiated away from the desired finished cut alignment. The cut is initiated either in the inside of the portion to be cut out, or outside the cut-out area. Ideally, the cut initiation is carried out inside the cut-out area and the cutter then moves to the finished outline and completes the cut, moving constantly to avoid blowouts or excessive heat buildup, if that is an important factor. When the cut is initiated, there's always a small blowout from the heat generated at the start point, that enables the cutter to cut right through the material. But the laser cutter employed, apparently started out doing their cuts from the inside - and then, without consultation, moved the start point for the cuts to the finished cut line - obviously to improve productivity. This change to edge initiation of cutting caused a tiny blowout and excessive heat buildup on the finished edge, which led to small crack initiation when the plate was dimpled. Van's have done the right thing, examined the problem and released the details of their examinations. The concern is that any small cracks caused by the undesirable cutting process might propagate when the aircraft is in use. Van's have studied the potential for the tiny cracks to propagate, and have determined that it's not a safety concern for a large percentage of the parts. But where there is a safety concern, Van's have undertaken to replace those parts. Boeing's problems developed from an attitude that safety took second place to profits. They suppressed and intimidated whistleblowers within their manufacturing operations, and lied to the FAA. Boeing assumed more power over safety issues than they should have been allowed, and this was all to do with Boeings overbearing power over FAA employees charged with overseeing Boeing safety issues. So I don't think it's fair to align Van's with Boeing, as Van's have shown they didn't put profits over safety, and their problems were more likely related to an inadequate number of employees engaged in ensuring QC processes were watertight.

Van's have released the technical reports on the use of parts with laser cut holes, and they have determined there are no safety or durability issues with them. But they have also pledged to replace dozens of parts they have identified as being structurally critical, in each of the plane kits they manufacture. The comments below the story are vastly more revealing and interesting, as regards the laser-cutting problems. Van's Says Laser-Cut Parts Safe, Will Still Replace Some Of Them - AVweb WWW.AVWEB.COM KITPLANES is reporting that Van’s Aircraft has released the technical reports on the use of parts with laser cut holes and it has determined there are no safety or durability issues with them. But it has also...

The wind has been screaming from the SE for the last 24 hrs, as a big high pressure system moves into the Bight, and it's coming up against a big trough running N-S through the Western part of W.A., and a low pressure system N of Geraldton. I was in the Wheatbelt yesterday, and the wind was relentless, strong and gusty - with some vicious gusts to probably 30kts. The record shows the wind from the SE at Bunbury at 3:00PM was at 13kts, and gusting to 20kts. I wouldn't be surprised if a vicious gust was behind this upset.

I can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like for early pilots, with castor oil being thrown all over them. Constantly smeared goggles, and the castor oil laxative effect. You wouldn't even need to sight a German Fokker, to sh** yourself.

........felt the bones sticking through the flesh, and decided he needed a tonic and weight gain product. He asked Turbo what was available in the Turbine Pharmaceuticals range? Turbo replied enthusiastically, "Well, we have this major award-winning product, that will put muscle and bulk on ancient, decrepit bodies, and this stuff is made just for the likes of you!! I can add in an annual membership to a Turbine Gyms facility as well, so you can pump iron, and bulk up your scrawny, pathetic-looking body, so you no longer look like the 98 pound weakling in the Charles Atlas body-building ads!" "That sounds great!", said Cappy enthusiastically. "I've been having trouble trying to develop enough strength to pull the control column in the C-150, so if you can deliver on your promises, I'll gladly......

Turbo went on a promotional drive for his new product, even displaying "before" and "after" results, which showed that the treated products developed a fine furry coating that resembled....... (and here we are again, Dear NES readers - having to explain once again, that both Turbo and Cappy suffer from the same dreadful aging syndrome - the FTKU syndrome. The Failure To Keep Up syndrome dogs many of the older members of the NES, and it rapidly shows up in disconnected posts and ramblings that disjoint the NES - sort of like the disjointed ramblings of current and past U.S. Presidents....)

Area-51 - Skippy is more concerned those bots are going to gouge out his wallet - and wallet protection is much more important than engine protection.

......aircraft component manufacturing facilities, as he'd promised them a ride they'd never forget, which bragging comment was overheard by............

.....having components supplied by a suspect supplier, in the form of Turboeinzatten Metallgesellschaft (the accent is on the "schaft"). This company had appeared out of virtually nowhere, once AS issued the build order for 1000 Me109's, and the pricing was so cheap, AS was amazed. "Ve can't build der maschinen dat cheap, even wen we use der Juden forced labour!", he muttered to Herr Speer. "He must be using some nu technologichen or some new cheap labour force ve know nuzzing about!! Get der Gestapo onto him and find out vat ve should know!!" Turbo was relaxing at the Bürgerbräu Keller, leaning on his red Mercedes 540K (because a 540K was the 1938 equivalent of a Red Corvette), chatting up the Bürgerbräu Keller waitresses, when a carload of Gestapo rolled up, and the Gestapo Oberleutnant stepped out and started striding towards Turbo. Turbo turned sighted him, and went pale. This was the Einsatzgruppen arriving, and he knew he had to talk fast. "Guten Abend, Oberleutnant!", Turbo said amiably, all the while his mind raced. What was he going to do with..............

One of the best rust-proofing paints I've used is Hi-Chems, Rust-Not epoxy paint, made by Rustoleum. It comes in spray cans and regular cans for spraying through a gun - or you can even brush it on. If you add Hi-Chem Enamel Hardener to it, it makes it even more durable for the long term. https://www.rustoleum.com.au/~/media/DigitalEncyclopedia/Documents/RustoleumAU/TDS/English/Hi Chem TDS/Rust-Not.ashx?la=en-AU

My brand of snake oil is a pretty good seller. The slipperiest of any of them.

"Branded" oils produced by companies are quite often over-priced - but not always. Purchasers have the security of knowing that the engine manufacturer backs it, and has had input into the oil QC and ingredients. Many manufacturers know full well the oils and lubricants market is crowded, so they usually don't try to make the financial killing on oils that they would, on their exclusive individual parts and components.

Yes, there is more than one type chemically, if you want to be pedantic - but the common "phosphoric acid" you can buy nearly anywhere is correctly named orthophosphoric acid, but it's always simply called "phosphoric acid". It comes in various forms and combinations, you can buy it in a jelly format, where it's called "naval jelly", or called "mag wheel cleaner", "aluminium cleaner", and it's also found under about twenty different brand names. But you'd find it difficult to purchase the other chemical varieties of phosphoric acid, because they're not readily available, and they're mostly confined to laboratory operations. The greatest variation in products found is the percentage of phosphoric acid in the solution. Some are pretty weak, some have a high percentage of phosphoric acid in them. Ranex is one of the stronger varieties. Phosphoric acid is added to a number of paints, it's added to "etch primer" to assist in chemical bonding of the paint, and to neutralise any light surface rust.

Bruce, are you talking about self-clinching round nyloc nuts? If they start to turn in the sheeting, about the only thing you can do is split them with a nut splitter, and remove them and replace them with new ones that can be locked in securely. The principle behind the self-clinching nuts is not a sound engineering principle, because the holding method only relies on thin sheet metal.

News item says the pilot had been mustering, and crashed whilst coming in to land, and escaped with bruising and lacerations.

You'd be lucky to pick up a worn-out Viscount Fleetwood caravan in my neck of the woods for less than $5000! People buy them, gut them and rebuild them, because new caravans are anywhere between $90,000 and $150,000! The Viscounts were very well built and luxurious, I owned several of them in the period of the 1970's to 1990's, both tandem and triaxle, 27 foot and 30 foot. They were beasts to tow, heavy, and strong crosswinds affected them badly. You were lucky to get them up to 90kmh, 80kmh was a good towing speed for them.

Well, Metalfix is phosphoric acid based, so if phosphoric acid is capable of reacting with the base metal, it will bond to it. This does mean it will bond to galvanised metal and aluminium. It will also bond to timber and fibreglass, and can be used to patch holes in gutters, tanks and roofs. Click on "Product Applications" in the link below to see plenty of application photos. Metalfix | Phoenix Paints WWW.PHOENIXPAINTS.COM.AU

........some nosey Chinese tourist asked where all the vast area of coral had suddenly appeared from, as it wasn't in any earlier photos taken by his friends? In a strange turn of events, this Chinese tourist failed to return from one of Turbo's organised diving tours, and the disappearance was listed as "misadventure" in the resultant inquiry, so the question went unanswered. The Chinese started turning up in ever-increasing numbers, which led to the media reporting on the Chinese tourism boom, and what a major effect it was having on revitalising the Qld economy. In fact, it was getting to the point where nearly every Qld Tourism brochure was being written primarily in Chinese and the English translation was only in small print on the bottom. However, when Turbo made application to rename the area, "Heavenly Gold Treasure Coral Garden", and a protectorate of China, the ordure really hit the jet fan, and..........

And that's the beauty of the Metalfix paint - non-toxic, water-based, only basic preparation required, compatible with any type of carbon steel, no need for complex preparation/curing/drying times, can be painted over with all types of paint. Can be brushed or sprayed on.

You will pay a fortune to have a 4M long crate moved by a transport company. Transport companies charge by actual weight (deadweight) or cubic measure, and in your case, a light 4M crate will be charged by cubic measure, so it will cost as much as transporting an average car. The webpage below will assist you. https://www.couriersandfreight.com.au/help/cubic-weight-calculator In addition, transport companies will not pick up or deliver anything but parcels from residences - and even then, some transport companies charge extra to pick up from residences. For a crate that size, the transport company will demand a commercial premises for pickup and delivery, and a forklift on both sites for loading and unloading. The best technique will be to hire a flat bed car transport (car-carrying) trailer with a deck length of at least 4M. Most have decks 4.2M long. For insurance, you will be well advised to contact an insurance broker who can arrange single-trip insurance. Your car insurance will not cover a 4M crate with an aircraft kit in it, unless you have specifically stated you want trailer loads insured when you took out the policy.

.....white shoe brigade, and make sure there's a decent airstrip (long overdue avref) to cater for the white shoe brigades aircraft!!" Turbo said, "I know a bloke, who knows a bloke, who's mates with a bloke in W.A., and this W.A. blokes earthmoving experience is legend! Don't take any notice of the official story about the Govt and the Air Force Construction squadrons building airstrips, it was all made up! This bloke actually started building all of Australias important airstrips before WW2 started, and when the War started, he simply sold them to the Govt, and cleaned up big-time! Then when the Yanks arrived, he sold more and bigger airstrips to them, as well! - and they paid even better than the Australian Govt! And the cream on the cake was, when the Yanks went home at the end of the War, he bought all the airstrips back for a song, at the Commonwealth Disposals Commission auctions!" "Who is this broke?", inquired Iwasaki - "and is he immediately available?" "I can't reveal his name publically", said Turbo conspiratorially, bending down low to Iwasaki's ear. "But what I can tell you, is.................