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Thruster88

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Posts posted by Thruster88

    Rotax 912 Movement

    in Engines and Props

    Posted

    I think my solution of bump stops has some merit. With a piece of 50x10 or 12mm aluminium bar under the head of longer bolts it can work in both directions at each mount. The bump stops are only needed for starting and stopping. The existing mounts remain unchanged if they are doing an acceptable job in flight.

    • Like 1

    Rotax 912 Movement

    in Engines and Props

    Posted · Edited by Thruster88

    Rogerc's post has given me the idea of having bump stops installed. These could be out board of the isolation, something very stiff with a mm or 2 of clearance. Automotive engine mounts have this design. Isolation when running, travel limited when stopping, win win. 

    • Like 1

    Mansfield to licola Victoria

    in AUS/NZ General Discussion

    Posted

    On 26/12/2023 at 1:21 PM, BrendAn said:

    Hi . Is there anyone here that has flown from Mansfield to Gippsland via mt skene and licola / Macalister valley.  I have never been past licola and would like to know if it's all tiger country or if there are a few clear areas along the way.

    Looking on Google there are no clear areas. Even the road is not accessible for a stol aircraft like a thruster. It would be a beautiful fly if the engine keeps running... A BRZ is the machine for that route, planning is in progress 😁.

    • Like 2

    Vans Aircraft suffering cash flow difficulties

    in Aircraft General Discussion

    Posted

    2 hours ago, kgwilson said:

    A quick search shows the LS1 weighs about 425lbs and an IO360 about 280 to 330lbs so it would appear to have a reasonable weight penalty plus the redrive and rear counterweight for balance.

    The LS 350 ci engine may be more suitable as a substitute for the six cylinder Continental 520ci or Lycoming 540ci engines in terms of weight and horsepower produced. Not really a fan of automotive conversions, the devil is in the details.  

    • Like 2
    • Agree 1

    RAAus is getting a new CEO

    in Governing Bodies

    Posted

    The current CEO Matt is moving on. The scary part is it seems like only yesterday he came on board, not three years ago. Fly and fly while you can.

     

     

    From the CEO

    Dear all,

    2023 has been another busy year here at RAAus. We’ve had our 40th birthday celebrations, promoted RAAus at the Australian International Airshow at Avalon, joined forces with the AMDA Foundation to make ‘Fly’n For Fun’ 2024 at Parkes in April a reality, supported numerous initiatives such as the award winning Touch the Sky series and Loss of Control series, and our staff have been busy attending various locations around the country to meet with members, audit flight training schools, and generally promote recreational aviation. We’ve also been involved in assisting members achieve their dreams, like Hayden McDonald who the week before last completed his solo circumnavigation of Australia to promote inclusion, particularly for neurodiverse people such as himself – so great!

    This year we’ve spent a significant amount of effort on finalising the approval for our new Group G that will enable members to operate aircraft up to 760kgs maximum take-off weight. We’re so close now and our final approval from CASA is imminent. Now that we have a high degree of confidence around the requirements for Group G, your RAAus team is now working feverishly to finalise internal processes, and develop training and educational material so members understand the requirements and can easily take advantage of this new privilege.

    So what does 2024 look like? I can confidently say that Group G will finally become a reality in early 2024, and with CASA having recently consulted on controlled airspace access for recreational aviators, I’m also confident this won’t be too far off either. RAAus members have eagerly awaited both of these for more than a decade and therefore we’re so excited to make these both a reality.

    Also in 2024, our Board has been clear with their direction to diversify our business model to ensure we keep recreational aviation affordable for all. What this means is that we will be seeking other revenue opportunities to enable, in effect, a cross-subsidisation of the aviation side of the house, because that will always be our core function as a company.

    From a personal perspective, having seen out my three-year contracted term, I’ve decided to move on from RAAus to a different role within the industry. I’ll be taking some leave over the Christmas break before returning to the office in late January, then finishing up in mid-February.

    Leading the RAAus team as CEO has been an incredible privilege. I cannot emphasise enough how hard this team of 20 staff work to make your interactions with us positive, to enable new privileges like Group G, to assist you in being safe aviators, and to support our flight training schools across the country. We take immense pride in all that we do at RAAus, which has grown from humble beginnings into a professional and modern organisation that exists to enable our members to take to the skies.

    I also want to thank our Directors who are voted in by members and give up a significant amount of their time to oversight RAAus without any remuneration. I cannot stress enough how important it is that our Board is made up of people that not only have a passion for aviation and members’ interests, but also have the experience to govern a modern business that manages risk, oversees a large remit, and understands the duties of being a Director. We are incredibly fortunate to have people that fit this bill, so congratulations go to our members for electing such a diligent group of Directors.

    As a CEO it’s typical to report to the Board through the Chairman, and during my tenure this has been Michael Monck. I can honestly say that Mick’s passion, commitment and tenacious approach for members is unwavering. Although he also has a ‘day job’, he regularly puts in 20-30 hours a week of his own time to make this organisation great. He has been a terrific mentor to me, and as a member of RAAus I am immensely grateful to have someone like him leading our Board.

    I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved in the past three years. Whilst coming out of COVID was a challenge with our staff working from home through lockdowns, we continued to provide uninterrupted service to members, managed to implement Part 149, put systems in place to maintain assurance, finally got Group G over the line, and above all, strived to enable our members to operate with as little fuss as possible. Thank you to those many members who have interacted positively, shared war stories, had a laugh with me, and supported the direction of RAAus. Just as importantly, thank you to those members that respectfully shared their grievances or concerns with me to enable us to work towards a solution. I can honestly say I worked as hard as I could to achieve this.

    The Board will communicate with the membership their plans for my successor in due course. Whomever this may be, I wish them well and for RAAus, the success it deserves.

    Finally, I’d like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a safe holiday season. Fly safely and I hope to see you around the traps!

    Matt

    • Informative 1

    Recreational Aviation Constitution Amendment - URGENT!

    in Governing Bodies

    Posted

    22 minutes ago, FlyingVizsla said:

    The AGM was reconvened for 15 minutes today 15/12/23, I signed up for the MS Teams meeting.  I clicked the link about 10 mins before the meeting, but just got the screen telling me to Wait, someone will allow you to join.  By the time I was admitted they were saying there were no further business, goodbye.  All over in about 4 mins?

     

    Our Club got an Urgent notice from Rod Birrell et al, saying there was a No Confidence vote against Michael Monk.  What happened with that?  What did I miss?

    I was admitted. Basically RAAus legal found there was no valid resolutions from the previous meeting and the meeting was closed. Today's meeting lasted less time than it took to type this.

    Ultralight crash north of Grafton 12/12/23

    in Aircraft Incidents and Accidents

    Posted

    2 minutes ago, BrendAn said:

    well i was not aware of it so i guess i am a muppet too. . wjy do i need to read it when i would never go under 500 anyway. i am too timid for that.

    Low flying is only one way to kill yourself or innocent passengers. As a new pilot by reading you can become aware of the other common scenarios. We don't get this from RAAus so I would encourage you to read at the ATSB.

    https://www.atsb.gov.au/aviation-investigation-reports

    • Informative 1
    • Winner 1

    Vans Aircraft files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection

    in Vans/RV

    Posted

    9 hours ago, kgwilson said:

    Once the writing is on the wall companies often take ever more desperate measures to keep afloat and sometimes these measure come back to bite them. For example getting parts laser cut was a very bad decision but I presume because it was fast and relatively cheap they did it but suffered the consequences.

    I dont think that is the case here. Van's outsourced to meet increased demand. With the benefit of hind sight they should have just increased the kit price to make the company profitable or more so which may have subdued demand to the point where the out sourcing was not necessary. They are not selling lowest cost widgets, it is a niche product with strong demand. Most successful kit manufacturer and I think it will remain so. Van's total performance, it is a real thing. 

    • Agree 3
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