Tell us about your last flight

[facthunter]

You want to take into account landing into the sun  also just before it goes down. If the destination wind is from the west. Give at least 30 minutes and more where there's a hill obscuring the setting sun. A tennis type shade is useful there.  Nev

[Flightrite]

Facty that reminds me of a flight many years ago (probably near 40 yrs ago) where I found myself landing towards the setting sun at YIMT in a C210, (with a bunch of less than sober YBDV race goers who wanted to leave the races quickly, found out later the local cops where looking for them!) with the windscreen covered in bugs, I struggled to line up with the rocky strip (no GPS then), had to abort, tried 3 times, ended up diverting to YBHI & now at night!  A WAC chart, whizz wheel and an ADF dancing to a tune I didn’t like! Thank Christ the FS guy stayed back at YBHI for our arrival! The setting sun, the bugs, the enemy!

Edited June 20, 2022 by Flightrite

[RossK]

17 hours ago, sfGnome said:

They help you to know/remember when is last light, but until you’ve discovered for yourself just how dark last light is, all the reminders in the world won’t help. A number of years ago, I took a few friends for short joy rides out of Mount Beauty late in the afternoon. By calculation, I was fine for the last run to finish before last light, but it gets really dark, really quickly down there between all the mountains. That was a very uncomfortable landing, and one that I’m not going to repeat any time soon. 

Yep, that was my take away lesson.

10 minutes before last light may be legal, but smart, I'm not so sure?

I would hate to be trying to find an unfamiliar grass strip 15 minutes before last light.

Pic is 25 minutes before last light

[RossK]

Anyway, here is some pics from the enjoyable part of my last Flight 😁

Edited June 21, 2022 by RossK

[RossK]

 

Edited June 21, 2022 by RossK

[F10]

Sorry, no pics, but had a fun flight to, West Sale-Yarram-West Sale, this last Sunday. Smooth air except for a few kicks near one lonely small Cu cloud over the southern side of the hills. I flew via a waypoint that allows for some open fields FLWOP options, otherwise going DCT you are over dense forests. Fuel was sufficient, planned landing with almost twice fixed reserve...93 kts GS going there. Had a good chat, laugh and coffee with the Yarram lads, visiting pilots in an RV12, and watched a huge "Dromedar" (spelling?) crop duster land and taxi in. On startup, RH tank lower than left, but total still plenty.

 

Coming home, hit a transparent brick wall...63 kts GS! Anyhow, you like flying don't you!? But then the old Gazelle decided to have some fun with me...and the tanks fed unevenly. Only 1 psi pressure difference will do it...I watched the right tank drain away, like my face colour...to an unreadable quantity level. Then came the question, is it a blocked vent, or fuel line, or her tricks again? over forest, I edged a bit close to those forced landing fields. I kept looking at the fuel pressure light.....trying to force it by sheer willpower to not start flickering! Bit of wing rocking to shake things up a bit, in case...

 

Then relief....I could see the level had started to drop in the left tank, masses of fuel now! I love flying again! 🙂 finished off with a bit of a greaser at West Sale. Never a dull moment in the Gazelle!  

Edited June 22, 2022 by F10

[Blueadventures]

3 hours ago, F10 said:

Sorry, no pics, but had a fun flight to, West Sale-Yarram-West Sale, this last Sunday. Smooth air except for a few kicks near one lonely small Cu cloud over the southern side of the hills. I flew via a waypoint that allows for some open fields FLWOP options, otherwise going DCT you are over dense forests. Fuel was sufficient, planned landing with almost twice fixed reserve...93 kts GS going there. Had a good chat, laugh and coffee with the Yarram lads, visiting pilots in an RV12, and watched a huge "Dromedar" (spelling?) crop duster land and taxi in. On startup, RH tank lower than left, but total still plenty.

 

Coming home, hit a transparent brick wall...63 kts GS! Anyhow, you like flying don't you!? But then the old Gazelle decided to have some fun with me...and the tanks fed unevenly. Only 1 psi pressure difference will do it...I watched the right tank drain away, like my face colour...to an unreadable quantity level. Then came the question, is it a blocked vent, or fuel line, or her tricks again? over forest, I edged a bit close to those forced landing fields. I kept looking at the fuel pressure light.....trying to force it by sheer willpower to not start flickering! Bit of wing rocking to shake things up a bit, in case...

 

Then relief....I could see the level had started to drop in the left tank, masses of fuel now! I love flying again! 🙂 finished off with a bit of a greaser at West Sale. Never a dull moment in the Gazelle!  

You could consider fitting a clear glass inline fuel filter in each feed line at above ear level; that way you can see the fuel fill in the line.  Being factory build I'm not sure about specifics on the fitment.  Cheers.

[Blueadventures]

On 21/06/2022 at 12:06 PM, RossK said:

 

Nice.

[F10]

19 hours ago, Blueadventures said:

You could consider fitting a clear glass inline fuel filter in each feed line at above ear level; that way you can see the fuel fill in the line.  Being factory build I'm not sure about specifics on the fitment.  Cheers.

Yes, a good idea. The Rotax uses Mogas, so I bought two fairly large paper cartridge filters from Supercheap Aerospace....they are in nice clear casings and are large, so as not to effect fuel flow I think. Didn't install them, just held them up, had long penetrating looks at them in the hangar! However, after a bit of added research, paper element filters have issues. The paper retains water apparently, bad in aircraft generally and very bad if it gets really cold! Also, I'm not convinced the filter bodies are strong enough with sun and vibration. If a filter fuel pipe attachment broke off, it would be pretty bad, no fuel feed and as an exciting bonus, an over shoulder bad fuel leak in the cockpit!...They sell smaller sintered bronze element ones, but they are small...not sure it will ensure enough fuel flow, particularly if it had picked up some debris? The other issue is, with the Gazelle, I would have to lengthen the rubber section fuel hoses, coming out the fuel tank, to install the filters. The hoses provide the flexibility in the line, when folding the wings. The fuel filters would get in the way of this a bit. so, still having a long careful look at the filter situation.

 

The Gazelles only had content markings on the side of the glass fiber fuel tanks. This was "lit up" by unpainted discs on top of the wings, letting light in to see fuel levels. I dare say a bit opaque when new and gets worse with age! I have carefully cleaned up the clear discs on the wing or tank upper surface, which has improved things. Unfortunately, no sight glass tubes installed in the side of the tanks, a far better system.

 

    

[trailer]

On 21/06/2022 at 11:34 AM, RossK said:

10 minutes before last light may be legal, but smart, I'm not so sure?

I would hate to be trying to find an unfamiliar grass strip 15 minutes before last light.

Pic is 25 minutes before last light

Won't work if cloudy!!!

[onetrack]

I've had those little inline plastic filters with the paper element, block up completely, and stop the flow of fuel to the point where the vehicle engine starved of fuel.

An experience that is annoying on the ground, but one experience that is highly undesirable in the air!

[Mike Gearon]

3 hours ago, onetrack said:

I've had those little inline plastic filters with the paper element, block up completely, and stop the flow of fuel to the point where the vehicle engine starved of fuel.

An experience that is annoying on the ground, but one experience that is highly undesirable in the air!

Spruce have a number of options. This one has a stainless mesh filter. Definitely nice to see fuel!

 

Does the Gazelle have ability to turn off either tank and if return line where is it coming back to? T in line or a tank?
 

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/eppages/knfuelfilter.php

[RFguy]

nice filter mike , although no mesh specification (easy to measure with  a microscope)

Surely if the paper ones are blocking up, you need a more frequent regime and mechanism to monitor the filter dirtyness ? So the nice clear ones are ace there.

 

Some systems have got a last chance strainer at the carb (Rotec TBI 40micron I think).

BING recommends 0.1mm prior to carb. 

 

in hoses, it wouldnt suprise me is at initial install, crap in the hoses at mfr and transport makes its way in.... so a last chance just before the carb would seem a useful addition. Probably needs to be something other than a thermoplastic body  in the engine bay. 

[onetrack]

Look up Proflow fuel filters. Australian made, and available in your choice of a 10, 40, 65 or 100 micron stainless steel woven mesh element.

 

Just a little more outlay than your average Supercheap Aerospace/Chinese Ryco rubbishy paper filter, but I'm sure you'll appreciate paying the extra $$'s to acquire a product that speaks quality and performance, that means the fan doesn't stop when your fuel turns out to be less-than-aviation-grade purity.

 

4 pages of just fuel filter products alone, below ....

 

https://www.proflow.com.au/custom-car-shop/fuel-air-system/fuel-filters-elements/

[Mike Gearon]

Those are all solid body from what I can see. 

[RFguy]

let's take this to another forum topic instead of polluting this one. , the new place for this discussion is :

 

 

 

Edited June 24, 2022 by RFguy

[Thruster88]

Mystical fog on the way to work this morning. Got to be better than stopped at the traffic light aye.

[facthunter]

Are YOU ex Queensland Aye?  Nev

[RFguy]

skills work. 5  crosswind landings with instructor present, wing down technique. have not done high-wind ones for a while. For a little bit of X-wind crab works, but for me, not in this wind. keeping windward wing down important for safety.

 

But...I dont seem to have forgetten how to do it. transition into the slip over the fence, I found it is easy to maintain  the wing down and straight down the centreline 

and once the one wheel is on the deck it nicely anchors your track along the run way. cant really describe it. maybe its because any sort of tendency to drift stops.

 

dunno. actually its probably that the crab is a very time sensitive manouver. it will be wrong if you havent got the flare timing, height, nose up, power etc all right.

in the slip, you are flying it deep in the flare under very active control, and higher drag.

 

Last one was a flapless wing down X wind. Which the extra 10 kts felt a bit quick. In my usual practice of glide approaches, I regularly do a flapless glide, but I had NOT done a flapless under power for a long time, so when the slip is added in,  needs work. everything going too fast. landing was OK but felt rushed.

 

I was discussing with my instructor why there is a low percentage of once a week GA flying pilots that do 'skills practice work and drills  '.

Edited July 7, 2022 by RFguy

[Thruster88]

51 minutes ago, RFguy said:

skills work. 5  crosswind landings with instructor present, wing down technique. have not done high-wind ones for a while. For a little bit of X-wind crab works, but for me, not in this wind. keeping windward wing down important for safety.

 

I was discussing with my instructor why there is a low percentage of once a week GA flying pilots that do 'skills practice work and drills  '.

It could be the price of avgas, not everyone likes flying with an instructor😁 or GA aircraft are very easy to fly and most have that landomatic tricycle undercarriage. Rob, cowra aero club CFI is always good to fly with. 

 

 

[RFguy]

90% of my practice work is without an instructor. 

I always have a small notebook with me and or my inline voice recorder on the mic so I can make notes

like.... hmm let me think things I have done in the past...Forgot to retract flaps on late go around...... or....was way too deep downwind for the wind, or ...didnt do in-climb engine check... or  didnt remove the carb heat at late final, or didnt do bumfish check due to distraction on that downwind or... etc etc I think all of those sort of errors occur when I not flying regularly and there is in circuit traffic and radio traffic.

Edited July 7, 2022 by RFguy

[pmccarthy]

23 minutes ago, RFguy said:

90% of my practice work is without an instructor. 

I always have a small notebook with me and or my inline voice recorder on the mic so I can make notes

like.... hmm let me think things I have done in the past...Forgot to retract flaps on late go around...... or....was way too deep downwind for the wind, or ...didnt do in-climb engine check... or  didnt remove the carb heat at late final, or didnt do bumfish check due to distraction on that downwind or... etc etc I think all of those sort of errors occur when I not flying regularly and there is in circuit traffic and radio traffic.

All easy to do. We are human.

[Garfly]

2 hours ago, pmccarthy said:

All easy to do. We are human.

Indeed!  It can happen even to the best of us:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 7, 2022 by Garfly

[pmccarthy]

That is a perfect example of the problem. We should learn from our omissions but not beat ourselves up over them

[onetrack]

I really don't understand how such an experienced pilot could fail to carry out what is the most basic preflight check, on every single thing that flies.

One can only presume that this was a developing pattern of "shortcuts" in preflight procedures on the part of this pilot, that no-one picked up.

 

Complacency, combined with familiarity, combined with developing bad habits, will get you killed every time.