Mick

Just bumping this thread to remind all to mark this great event on your calendar & start planning.

FlyV I am going to have to convince the wife that we need your turboprop & a 5 bladed prop for our Skylark, that long nose is just begging for a couple of turbine exhausts hanging out!

There was a post on Facebook a couple of days ago by RC Depot in Japan announcing that they are taking on JR with production to resume in the existing factories & contractors. Initially they will produce DMSS receivers, followed by their high end servos and eventually transmitters. Distribution will be through JR's existing dealer network. Happy Days!!!

47 for me, must admit I think 4 of them I got right not by knowing what it was, but by knowing what it wasn't.

Skip I did not even look at continuing east along the rail line from Forrest as I wanted to fly the Bight. As I was picking up an aircraft I had bought it was a one way trip from me. Re speed & fuel burn, the first Sportstar I owned did 100 kts at 5000 rpm burning 18 litres an hour, so that was what I did my planning on. Very quickly after leaving Jandakot I realised this aircraft had the prop set finer and was only giving me 93 kts at the same rpm. I really could have put that other 7 kts to good use on a long trip like this! Some quick revision of plans was needed. The Sportstar carries 120 litres. As for persisting in the conditions it was interesting. I probably could have made it out of Kalgoorlie to Forrest the day before I did, but with all factors in mind I wanted to be sure. After losing 5 days to rain and only being at the end of my first leg, the need to get home was starting to press. I was very aware of not letting this pressure me into making any bad decisions. I,will some day do the trip again with more time to stop and look around.

Skip I flew a Sportstar from Jandakot to Gladstone Qld a few years ago, slightly slower than your Z but with similar endurance. We waited in Perth for 2 days of rain before getting out and making it to Kalgoorlie. 4.0 hours tacho time into a headwind. There we waited for another 3 days of rain. This weather of course was moving West to East so we could not count on any of the dirt strips through the middle being servicable. The next leg was Kalgoorlie to Forrest, a long one, 4.7 hours punching a headwind and sitting under a cloud base of 2500 feet. It was the first and only time I have had to mark a point of no return on a flightplan. Due to the rain there were no alternatives for a diversion, it was either make it to Forrest or go back to Kalgoorlie. Easiest nav though, just pick up the railway line and land at the airport - there's only one, so you know it is the right one! From Forrest we headed south east to Eucla ( no landing here ) to pick up the coast as I wanted to fly the Bight ( and it was spectacular ) around to Ceduna, 3.9 hours. Filled up & then overnighted in a nice cabin at the caravan park, they even picked us up & dropped off. Next day was Ceduna to Port Augusta for a fill up, 2.5 hours. Then on to Broken Hill 2.9 hours. Lost a tyre there on landing so had to drag the plane outside the gable markers & tie it down there on the side of the strip as by then we were losing light. Next morning got hold a new tube & got it fitted by a helpful LAME. Then departed for Bourke, 2.7 hours. Overnight & fuel there. Last day was Bourke to Roma, 3.6 hours, for a fuel stop. Then Roma to Gladstone 2.9 hours. All fuel was Avgas, all landings were on sealed runways at airports. Not a single leg gave me a tailwind, but that is a talent I have, I can find a headwind anywhere. I would have loved to have done the servo thing on the Nullabor, but as we were chasing rain I couldn't count on any of the dirt strips being usable. Maybe next time. Hope this helps, Mick

A Comco C42 in the background - a nice flying, typically German well made ultralight. Sadly way overpriced for such a simple construction. Underneath the lightweight composite shell is a big ali tube fuse just like a Drifter.

We have this discussion almost every time there is a fatality. These laws / rules are man made and as such can be changed. Why is RAAus not lobbying to get this changed for the safety of all? Certainly this should be of higher priority than focusing on increased weight limits or CTA? .

Check out Forrest WA. 2 x big bitumen strips & avgas. Accomodation and hangarage is also available. It is located just inside WA on the railway line. Easy to find, pick up the railway line & stop at the bitumen strips. Guaranteed to be the right one because there are no others out there!

From the ABC, being bought to light after pilot of Essendon accident still under investigation from previous incident. Air safety watchdog 'failing': Two-thirds of probes not done on time

Old Station Fly In is on again, put this one in your diary, see you there. All up to date info is on www.oldstationflyingclub.com.au

Nice pics Marty, thanks for posting.

The press release linked in the first post is dated August 2016. Alot has happened since then. JR are pretty much gone bust. However I have heard that someone else is going to pick it up. Almost none of the RC hobby gear has been made in Japan for sometime. Most has been manufactured in Malaysia for a while now. I know all of my current JR gear is Malaysian & I have had no issues with quality. If someone picks up the JR line and continues to use the same Malaysian factory, we as end users should not see any change in the quality we have long been familiar with. I really hope that happens, I have been a user of high end JR gear since the early 1990's.

Not going to help alot of existing aircraft.............

Before you get too excited about 750kg, what will the stall speed limitation be? This could mean not as many aircraft fit as you first thought.

Google Punkin Head Air Sports, and yes that is how they spell it. Really good covers.

Made the journey from Bundy to Monduran today, just a quick 22nm flight. The Monduran Aero Club hosted a lunch for members & visitors. A good turn out, about 10 visiting aircraft & plenty of locals. Not long after lunch there was a shower of rain come through, nothing like what they need though, the attached pic shows how dry it is around here.

The Sapphire has been around alot longer than the LSA category, so I doubt it would be registered as LSA. The name or term LSA was used on several aircraft, eg the LSA 55 Jabirus.

Funny you say that, I am of Irish decent . When I tell Paddy & Mick jokes I always have be careful to make Paddy the dumb one! Re the models, still very active just nothing new for show & tell.

Bad example there Planey. You won't sell many of those to Sportstar pilots, the Sportstar features a 99% UV proof canopy. Under it you don't sunburn at all . I have to admit I wish my Skylark used the same canopy material. Someone snapped this shot of me on approach into Temora for Warbirds Downunder 2015. Anyone who was there on the really hot Friday will understand my choice of headware. This unfashionable look was achieved with a piece of rag I had in the back of the plane. I had meant to remove this once we enteted the circuit but forgot, then found this unflattering pic on the internet .

Yes the 109 is significantly smaller than the Spit & other Allied fighters. I stood next to a 109E at an airshow near Detroit in 2008 and was really surprised how small it was. I am 6' 2" and could look clear over the top of the rudder with tailwheel on the ground, standing next to the cockpit I had a full view into it. I can't do that with any other WWII fighter that I have been near. No wonder it performed, alot of horsepower in a small plane!

Don't be fooled into thinking electrics don't stop. I have seen a few big electric RC models destroyed due to motors & speed controllers failing. Batteries are not infallible either.

Doc I am told this image was also taken at Maryborough. There appears to be a Fairy Firefly in the background and I have found no indication of Fireflies being based there. I guess it could have been passing through. There is a plaque in the Maryborough terminal recording which aircraft operated there during WWII although it does not indicate which force they belonged to. The information re the Corsairs being Royal Navy comes from a local military museum. Cheers!

While Australia did not operate them, there were Corsairs based here, they belonged to the Royal Navy and were based at Maryborough in Queensland. Attached pics show Corsairs lined up and you can see the "carrier deck" marked on runway 17 / 35. For those that know the airport you will see the aero club building and maintenance hangar that are still there today.

This is a genuine question, not having a go as it is not my neck of the woods. How often would weather allow you to be VFR at 9500 crossing Bass Straight?