Ultralights

the only paid work you could do with an Raaus certificate is as an instructror, anything else would require a Commercial pilots licence. and to work with someone with an AOC.

have a look further into that video, and you might find it was a viral video made by a special effects company to sell its special effects skills. also wouldnt you think that taking a winglet off a B737 would have made the real news pretty quickly, or at least, resulted in an ATSB investigation or report?

i use them as a confirmation, as someone mentioned before, they wont measure exact temps, but close, if you see a reading of say 130 deg c on the gauge, but check the hot side of the oil outlet and find it hasnt triggered an 70 deg spot, then you know it might be a guage issue. loose wire, corroded terminal, or something like that. also, the oil tank also acts as a giant cooler as well. also with cooling airflow, look at the pressure difference between the front inlets and the air outlets at the bottom, some aircraft need a bigger lip at the bottom to reduce pressure behind it, which in turn, draws more air out of the engine bay, allowing more to come in. engine cooling air drag and aerodynamics is a dark art. some jabirus have a bigger lower lip added for the same reason. another thing, standing air, has higher pressure, so an inlet on top of the cowling, in front of the windscreen might actually be pushing air into the area, not letting it out. thats the reason some race cars, and nascars have a bonnet scoop pointing backwards with the opening right near the windscreen. maybe a relocation of the oil cooler might be needed, mine, in a savannah, mounted directly in front of the lip of the lower cowling exit, so there is a low pressure area created by the lip right behind the cooler, the radiator, in front of the oil cooler, and at the front of the engine cowl, has a huge high pressure are in front of it, so, the air flows easily, and fast, through both the oil and coolant coolers from the high side to the low side at the lower cowling. i have never had a heating issue, only problems trying to keep it warm, even on a 40 deg day, my oil temps are normal. even in a sydney summer, part of my oil cooler is covered to keep temps up. and winter, its about 75% covered.

http://www.wahltempplates.com/search-for-temp-plates/ or search ebay for temperature recorder labels. $30 for a pack of 10

i use these, as backups in case of instrument failure.. have them stuck to strategic locations on the cooling and oil systems. one on the oil tank, each side of the oil cooler, and lines either side of the oil pump, and the same for the cooling system. either side of the radiator, inlet and outlet, and water pump as well as higher reading ones on the cylinder heads themselves. cheap insurance as fas as im concerned. also, if you hav an issue with high temps somewhere, land and check the recorders, and find none are reading high, then you know you have an instrumentation problem

a 1.5Kg drone will do no more damage than a 1.5 kg bird... its called physics. force =mass x speed. also, the hundreds of thousands of drones already flying.. as still, not one actual recorded event of a drone strike. i have been doing a uni research assignment on this very issues. and all i can find in official reports, and investigations, is there isnt an issue.. so, if everyone has seen them, or had a near miss, why are you NOT reporting it? all whinge and carry on about the drone problem, but pilots are making no effort to report, so real data can be gathered to do something about it. or we just continue making laws based on emotion and un substantiated fear. in my well over 1000 hrs flying, i have had more close encounters with small balloons than anything else.

mixture and internal cylinder pressures are the only thing that can influence the ACTUAL exhaust gas temperature in the cylinder can reach over 2000degC, the probe location, airflow within the exhaust pipe itself can all alter the reading at the probe, which actually reads an average. 2 things influence engine reliability, Cylinder head temp, and internal pressures. especially with aluminium head engines, such as the Jabiru. as higher than normal temps do a strange little metallurgical thing called artificial age hardening, resulting in things cracking. Yes, even a pilot of jabiru engined aircraft can influence the fuel mixture.. its called Carby heat. and you will be surprised how much it can change the mixture. with an understanding of the EGT probe data you can determine which side of the peak curve you are on with the addition, or removal of carby heat. Considering the actual temps at combustion can reach 2200DegC, i seriously doubt that its possible to achieve combustion at all and keep temps below 800degC flying a Jabiru, the only temperature i am concerned about is the CHT.. as this directly dictates the health of the engine.. detonation and pre ignition can be detected by monitoring CHT, whereas EGT will not. actually, a falling EGT and rising CHT is the signature of pre-ignition. this does far more damage than even mild detonation. and what i suspect is the contributor to most Jabiru issues. http://www.gami.com/articles/egt_myths.pdf

i still dont understand what the exact problem is? the actual numbers on the EGT are meaningless, as they can be effected by many variables giving different indications, as long as they are rising and falling at the same rate with changes in throttle position and mixture, then all is good. as said before, my EGT probes are just 1 inch from the exhaust valve, so read a lot higher than yours, and the front cylinders are in the cooling airstream, so read significantly less than the rear cylinders. this does not mean there is a mixture imbalance. just differences introduced by probe location conditions. a EGT probe 3 inches from the valve, will read far less than ones at 1 inch from the valve. mine read in the 900's! all thats needed to know is, are you rich or lean of peak? quick question, what is hotter? 50 deg RICH of peak EGT, or 50 deg LEAN of peak EGT? The only EGT spread that is of any significance, is the spread between Peak, Rich or lean of that peak in EGT between cylinders. the actual number of the peak is irrelevant, you just need to know when the peak is and which side of it your on.

there are quite a few Searays flying around, actually saw 2 doing circuits at Bankstown last weekend, so thay cant be that bad if there are plenty flying and not many falling

i would think, if it was a spiral dive, with ever increasing airspeed, it would impact at high speed, destroying pretty much everything, or everything up to the leading edge of the wing, as seen in some aircraft after crashing stright down, whereas a pancake type landing, as what looks like could have happened looks more like a spin, hitting the ground with no forward airspeed, and only motion being the rate of descent at impact.

first lesson in aircraft investigation techniques, is.. never trust a witness report.

at least quote a few skycatchers were actually sold. and are still flying today.

i think some missed my point, the point is CASA, a SAFETY regulator, is there to ensure safety and safety compliance. its not their job to dictate how businesses do business within aviation. we have fair trading, and consumer laws to regulate the business side of things. when going through thinks like gaining, or modifying an AOC, CASA has a say on every aspect of the business, and rarely is it to do with safety. its regulation for the sake of regulation.

people die every day in cars, and no one gives up driving based on that. quite a lot of factors could have contributed to this, wait and see. even i cant thing of any plausible conclusions based on what i have seen and read. only that the aircraft was possibly in a spin?

it not an industry perception problem of CASA, its that CASA has appointed itself, not only safety regulator, but also the industries business and commercial regulator.. a prime example recently is the requiring of drone pilots who sell photos to be regulated by CASA! i can go to a deserted beach, with my Canon DSLR, take some great shots, and sell them with no need for licensing or anything, yet if i use my drone, which is nothing more than an airborne camera, and take the exact same shot, suddenly i need CASA's blessing to sell that image.. what righ has CASA got to dictate what i can and cannot do with my photography? the same level of commercial and business interference from CASA is rife throughout the aviation industry, CASA is a SAFETY regulator, but has grown to be aviations commercial and business micromanaging regulator as well. this is whats strangling the industry.

i was taught a quick backhand to the nose, will get the person, to release their grip, and hold their nose. never had to do it though

Sadly, experience in hours doesn't necessarily mean experience with unusual attitudes such as with things like spins.. but more importantly is the unknown factor of the student? did the student panic at the stall, and forcibly manipulate the controls? was the aircraft in a rear CoG configuration making entry into a spin more likely from a stall and wing drop? did the passenger freeze preventing the instructor from making an effective recovery? I have personally seen a student, overcome the controls of an instructor and cause an accident, when landing, the aircraft bounced, the instructor took over, but the student, being a quite well built fellow, and the instructor being a petite woman, pushed the stick full forward and held it there until impact. the aircraft substantially damaged, but both got out uninjured.

go over it with a good lawyer, and dont be afraid to pen amend the contract to suite you better. then if they dont sign it, they lose a sale.

according to my rotax 912 ops manual, the optimum carby air temp should be 21 deg C, to help ensure the most fuel vapourisation to get the best chance of equal mixture distribution.

the only thing an intake issue will contribute to EGT readings is a leak, leaning the mixture, causing a change depending on where the mixture is set by the carby. if you already rich of peak, then a lean mixture will cause a rise in egts, if your at peak egt, then it will casue a drop. if your already lean of peak, it will cause a further drop. EGT Exhaust gas temp CHT Cylinder head temps ICP Internal cylinder pressures HP, horsepower produced BSFC efficiency, best specific fuel consumption

if they are all reading the same ambient temperatures before start up, then i dont think there is anything wrong with them. the otehr 3 pipes may just be getting better air flow and a little more cooling of the pipes. what matters is they all rise and fall at pretty much the same rate. the actual numbers mean nothing. as there is way to many variables at play that influence the actual reading at the probe. mine, being just over 2 cm from the exhaust port read around the 850 deg mark. and around 700 at idle. the aft cylinders, about 25 deg warmer.

actual temperature recorded by the probes is irrelevant, as the temperature reading is influenced by probe position, distance from exhaust port, airflow around the exhaust pipes under the cowling eg, my EGT probes are 1 inch from the exhaust port, so of course, they will read very high compared to ones installed 2 or 3 inches from the ports. also, the front cylinder probes on my engine are in the cooling air path so read significantly cooler than the aft ones in the same position in the exhaust pipes. , the purpose of the probes is to be able to indicate when you are at peak EGT and what temperature either rich or lean of that peak, and it can be a great diagnostic tool when you learn how to interpret changes in those figures. considering the Jabiru engine, and the Rotax counterparts, do not have manually adjusted mixtures, then telling weather your X deg rich or lean of peak EGT is not really a concern, i have the 4 EGT probes installed so i can diagnose problems before they become bigger issues. eg, diagnosing a dying or weak spark plug, or intake manifold leak. the only way we can influence EGT with mixture is via carby heat. and just a quick question, whats hotter, 50 deg Rich, or 50 deg Lean of peak EGT?

depending on where your living, and in the area, also, consider dropping in to Jaspers Brush and say hi to Liz.

unfortunately, to those who are suicidally depressed, dont think of others, they want to end their suffering, and the suffering they believe they are inflicting on others they love and hold dear, when in that space, there is a disconnect between them, and reality, so sadly, i doubt the germanwings pilot, when deciding to take the course of action he did, did not even consider for a moment, all the rest of the passengers. in his mind, all that most likely existed was his thoughts of relieveing the pressure off those he loved. talk to anyone who has been down that path with the black dog, and most will say the same thing, the world outside fades away, and all your life is consumed by your depression..

herein lies part of the problem, the fear of seeking help, and ruining your career in the process. this has to change, the body count is already high enough, the Germanwing pilot, taking 130 people with him, failed to seek help out of fear for his career, the signs were there, but ignored, to save a career, but ultimately cost well over 100 lives. our regulatory environment is responsible for that, depression and suicidal thoughts are NOT an incurable disease. but we seam, as a society, to treat it as such, ending careers of those who do find the courage to seek help. I know of a few airline pilots, many 1000's of hours in a B747, being diagnosed with the likes of diabetes, boom, career ended. that person has since moved on to become an expert in aviation medicine. another great example is the CASA crusade against colour blindness. 30,000 safe flying hours, suddenly, unsafe! based on what safety case? another career destroyed. Maybe the solution is, if someone shows to their doctor with depression, anxiety, or other symptoms, and seeks help, how about supporting that pilot, as best we can to help them get through, in the mean time, keep them flying, but as a second officer, until they are recovered? then they will have a far less of a chance of becoming suicidal having to deal with a career ending at the worst possible time for that person. As mentioned, some might see suicide as a way to get back at someone, usually the heartbroken choose this path, but sadly, most suicides see it as the opposite, those people, see it as a way for them to no longer be a burden on their families and loved ones. they are suffering, see the effects on their family and friends. and decide that suicide is the only solution to end the suffering they feel they are putting their loved ones through. unfortunately, its a societal norm to stigmatise suicide and mental illness, it will require time, regulatory change, and the media to stop calling it a mental illness in a bad light, and report it as a treatable medical condition that you CAN get support for, i also think, in a bigger picture view, the current nanny state bubble wrapped society we live in also induces an increase in suicides. you simply cant have good old fashioned fun anymore without fear of offending someone, or someone being sued. where are all the fun park in Sydney? the NSW government has decided that no one should be out late anymore... you cant even fly a kite somewhere without breaking CASA regulations, in most people, just thinking of those regulations and rules and restrictions on everyday mundane stuff will cause most to feel a little upset and depressed.. i know it does me.