drifter_driver

hi John, as you correctly pointed out different people have different landing techniques. I usually use a mix of wing down and crab method (wing slightly down and crabbed) and the wheeler landings I explained above were based upon that. In calm conditions I normally use three pointers. JL's situation with the wind gust coming from opposite the prevailing cross wind, was probably as tricky a scenario as can get for a taildragger pilot. I think in addition to instinctive inputs to control the aircraft, luck will have some say in the final outcome as well in this situation.

Drifter Landings Hi JL Any taildragger aircraft is highly venerable doing three pointers in cross winds. Even though Drifter is not a full-blooded taildragger but still has the potential to bite you. In my experience of flying wire braced 503 Drifter, anything over 8-10 kts cross winds I come pretty hot (60-65 kts) on final and after bleeding off speed you plant the main wheels on the ground by pushing stick forward with the aircraft still flying. You might have to plant one wheel only in strong cross winds(with one wing lowered into the wind) as you drag the aircraft on to the ground. Once the wheels are firmly planted on the ground there is less chance of veering off. My articulation is probably a bit crude, may be other drifter pilots will be able to expand on this subject. cheers

so he has done it, is it ? looks like I have missed a major happening at the oaks. have`nt been to the airfield for couple of weeks now (bloody bills + more bills)

and finally mowers have discovered the true reason why they were being stripped of there engines by El-Cheapo aviators :clown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT60SkXN1UY

Assortment of rag & tube doing night flying. Fascinating but crazy

hang gliding pics The following photos were taken in 2003 by a friend. They are somewhat grainy because they were not digital photos and I have scanned them from old photographs. I was taking off from stanwell park in Moyes XT-165 hangglider.

you should be able to get stainless steel thimbles from any boat shop (I got got them from Bias boating warehouse for 50 cent each). you rip the electrical connectors off to take the metal bit out and also check if its the right size (it should just be enough to pass two inner cables firmly,not too loose) cheers

Wayne from spectrum aviation mentioned the following arrangement (among many used) for making throttle cables. If you are making a solder joint I think they use silver solder for that, I heard its bit tricky to do. probably the easiest way to make it would be to buy 1.5mm inner cable with end already made and grinding it to required size using bench grinder. for housing use 5mm with nylon liner. the photo is pretty self explanatory for making the other end using electrical connector. hope this helps

if you keep same setting on both the carbies you should`nt have any problems. cheers sunny

hi chris, you can adjust the mixture in 503 engines by adjusting the position of the circlip(retaining clip) on needle. the needle in 503 usually have three settings.to lean the mixture raise the circlip one or two notches higher.if it is already in the top position consider buying another needle next size up.it is relatively simple to do and you don`t need any special tools.just open two top bolts of carby and pull out slider mechanism(carby piston).then squeez down the spring with your thumb and push out throttle cable through the bottom of slider and move it sideways to release it through larger hole.vice-versa for putting it back togather. to reach correct mixture setting I usually run EGT`s in the range of 1100 and also keep an eye on the colour of the spark plugs. cheers

yeah mate and you don`t need complicated firing mechanisms either, just a windproof lighter will do

foot pedal redesign!!Hmmmmm That is something to think about. is`nt this forum great. thanks john

From Darrens photos it looks like I was having fun but I really did have a tough time trying to control the trike base on the ground. The greatest problem was reverse inputs on foot pedals. Also when trying to apply breaks (on left peddle), couple of times the nose wheel turned to right and in trying to rectify this the throttle kicked up (by right foot –which controls left turn and throttle) any inputs / views from fellow trikers in ground handling would be highly appreciated. Original Chaser S trike (Pursuit 10 is pretty much identical) was known to be bit tricky in ground handling . Following description of Chaser S is from a UK microlight website. Originally manufactured by Cyclone Airsports, the Chaser S is a very attractive single seat microlight which features a noticeably small wing and which lends itself extremely well to competition flying. Cyclone Airsports and Solar Wings later merged to become Pegasus Aviation and subsequently the Chaser became the Pegasus Chaser and was marketed as a high performance single seat microlight favoured by the competition pilot. The small nature of the trike can make getting in and out a somewhat more difficult task than most 2-seaters yet the Chaser will accommodate tall pilots with a little practice and perfection in entry and exit technique. It has often been said that you don't sit in a Chaser - you wear it. The seating position is quite reclined and is actually very comfy. The control-bar position is quite different to most dual seaters yet its feel compliments the rest of the aircraft perfectly in the air if a little tricky on the ground handling. The Chaser is known for it's tricky ground handling characteristics but this is not a problem for the experienced pilot. The Chaser is commonly seen with the Rotax 447 engine but is also available with a 377 two stroke or the Rotax 503 engine. General Information : Type: Weightshift Seats: 1 Introduced: Unconfirmed No. Produced: Unconfirmed Price when launched: Unconfirmed

a real eye opener post john. thanx for posting the link. I have recently replaced the flying wires on drifter and got them made by wayne fisher (spectrum aviation). though its easy to make the wires yourself (to save few bucks) but really not a good idea. you have no way of knowing the breaking strenth of the joints you make and you dont want to find that out test flying your aircraft. your life depends on it.

affordability factor POST DELETED

the fuel tank is integreted in the pilot seat. it holds 42 lts fuel.

The good stuff I just driven back to Sydney today from Melbourne having picked up my single seat trike called Pursuit 10. This trike was built by Peter wood using Aerialpursuits plans (Original design based on Chaser-S trike in UK) Peter`s workmanship is second to none as can be seen from the build quality/finish of the trike. I am bit tired now having driven all day so will just post some photos. In photo one Peter and I are standing next to trike frame and the flying photo is from peter`s collection. Will post more info on the trike in next couple of days. The bad stuff I don’t know how to fly a trike as yet (hopefully not for long- and no I am not using the manual called how to teach yourself to fly a high performance single seat trike)

Disconnecting Brain From Wallet If I disconnect my brain from my wallet the following pictures fills my heart with sensations unknown to me till now and talk about that drool. probably I can use all of darren`s supply of chux wipes. [ATTACH]1941[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]1942[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]1943[/ATTACH] some specs of viperjet climb 15000 ft/min cruise 450 kts fuel(heart) burn 1000 lts/hr ooouch

getting close guys, keep working on it. Perhaps if we can post the photos anonymously on this thread(hint:Ian) it will be more challenging (without our member info giving it away) cheers

another one probably not that hard to figure this one out

very nice !! I have also noticed you have an unusual back seat for a drifter. cheers

welcome S Drifter How about posting some photos of your Drifta !!!

1000ft/min in a drifter, you are a lucky man Greg. I remember one of the flights one hot summer daylastyear (Andrew was in the back seat weighing approx.115+kgs) ROC was so rediculous Andrew was fluttering his hands(like a bird)on both sides trying to improve our rate of climb . Thanx for the info Greg

hello michael, there are two ways to get your hanggliding licence 1. hard yaka bust your guts kind of training, where you do all your training on the hills and the hardest part is carrying the glider uphill on your shoulders after the glide. takes few (3-4 if u lucky)months to get your licence. training schools generally run by solo operators. 2. easy and slightly expensive way, here you go straight to 3000ft in tandem flight with instructor towed by trike and then glide down learning controls and landing procedures. the training also involves winch towing for solo training flights. also involves some hill training as well. you get your licence in 2 weeks training(if weather is good). training facilities generally run by well equiped schools (airfield, trikes for towing, winch tows, multiple instructors, sometimes access to subsidised accomodation etc.) I dont think age 55 is any problem especially for method 2 . however if you are concerned you can always go for paragliding which is basically same as hanggliding only less hassles (less setup and packup times and are able to utilise even marginal lift to stay aloft) it only takes about 2-3 days training before you will be riding high(under supervision ) hanggliding costs: training around $2000 good used beginer glider+harness around $2000-$3000 what you get: ultimate adventure weather permitting my 2 Cents