Drifter Pics

[Tex]

So share your Drifter Pics here... I'll start... my Bird:

 

 

Fuel lines before:

 

Fuel Lines after: (NOTE: between the two vertical lines the paint is worn off where one fuel line was rubbing previously... more of the same hidden by the lines)

 

 

An iPhools iPlane: (the radio is getting replaced soon and the hole in the panel will be filled with a small bag type arrangement as an open glove box).

 

 

 

[Guernsey]

As the earwig said as he fell down the hill "earwigo "

 

Alan.

 

 

 

 

[Tex]

Did you steal those wheels of a wheel barrow

 

 

[Guernsey]

Yes it was a Maxair Wheelbarrow.

 

Alan.

 

 

[Tex]

Yes it was a Maxair Wheelbarrow.Alan.

Of course its a WB

 

 

[skyfox1]

Hi Tex this is my latest rebuild this one l am keeping

 

 

[Tomo]

Here's one that I have used a bit, doing a bit of tidy up maintenance here at home. Notice my camera mount behind the front seat. Just a bit of inchxinch box rubber mounted!

 

 

This is the grand WB503 I got my wings on, this is me taxiing in after my first Solo!

 

 

 

[Tex]

Hey Skyfox looks like you have a real small TW on that or is it sitting in a hole? Very high AoA going by the fuse tube.

 

Nice Tomo! know them both well... also did my first FW solo in 208... had to use thermals to get to circuit height when two up

 

 

[skyfox1]

Hi Tex it is a shopping trolly assembly with a solid aluminium wheel 100mm dia.

 

works great.

 

cheers Geoff..

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

 

Tex, I used the standard drifter fuel system for several years with the black plastic boost pump and the glass in-line filter. Finally the boost pump started to leak where the lines exit ,so I replaced it with a standard Facet ticker pump, which did fine of course. Different to some Drifter drivers I didn't always leave my boost pump on. I would always turn it on/off at around 1000ft. I would of course turn it on over tiger country etc.

 

Be carefull when selecting in-line glass filters if you need to replace. Try and fine the better quality US made one,(Puralator ?) not some asian copy which can leak.

 

Additionally I permently wired shut my lower tank fill cap, and always filled at the highher rear tank. This of course drains into and fills the lower tank. This was more convienient to fill at the uppermost tank and you could only leave one fill-cap off !!.

 

I had calibration markings on both tanks with a mirror on the left wheelpant so I could see when I was into the lower tank. You would then have about 2 hours of fuel left. Remember the Drifter is supposed to have about 12 LTs of unusable fuel, and you must be carefull when the belly tank is low if you are descending nose-down as you can unport the fuel outlet which is at the rear of the tank. I personally have had the lower tank down to 9 Lts on one occassion and she was still running, but I was staying over easy landable country.

 

I am currently sharing my hangar with CB Drifter 25-352 which is ex-Rodds Bay. Strangely my Drifter was 25-452 ! Tomo, that's a nice looking Drifter there at Dalby..The attached photos are of 452 after i had sold her. She has since been re-sold and now has a new set of Wayne Fisher skins fitted. And by the way my Drifter held it's resale value very well. I purchased her around 96 for $16,000 (160 hrs TT) , flew her for 11 years and sold her at 650 hrs TT for $16,500. She never let me down once and a lot of people got rides in her, all on the original 582 which got a new set of rings at 500 hours. Still had the original water-pump seals in it when I sold her !............................................Maj...

 

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

For those 'newbies' to Drifters, the first 'Drifter' was called the Hummer, and was powered by a single cylinder upside-down 277 Rotax. It had no pod fitted, and an upright V-tail and much norrower landing gear arrangement.

 

The Drifter style as we know today by Phil Lockwood (Maxair) was introduced in 1984 and the rest is history !. Both attached photos are from 'Glider Rider Magazine in the US which was originally a hang-glider magazine, but then morphized into the leading UL magazine at the time. One shows the original Hummer, and the other the first full-page ad introducing the first Drifter model in 83/84, which also had no pod originally ..The Austflight Australian built and developed Drifter (Boonah Drifter) is of course a copy of the US model........................................Maj...

 

 

 

 

 

[country kid]

thats a great insight Millard, really interesting.... haha great to see every ones flying machines, there is some beauties out there thats for sure.

 

 

[bacon]

[ATTACH=full]15606[/ATTACH]Tex, I used the standard drifter fuel system for several years with the black plastic boost pump and the glass in-line filter. Finally the boost pump started to leak where the lines exit ,so I replaced it with a standard Facet ticker pump, which did fine of course. Different to some Drifter drivers I didn't always leave my boost pump on. I would always turn it on/off at around 1000ft. I would of course turn it on over tiger country etc.

 

Be carefull when selecting in-line glass filters if you need to replace. Try and fine the better quality US made one,(Puralator ?) not some asian copy which can leak.

 

Additionally I permently wired shut my lower tank fill cap, and always filled at the highher rear tank. This of course drains into and fills the lower tank. This was more convienient to fill at the uppermost tank and you could only leave one fill-cap off !!.

 

I had calibration markings on both tanks with a mirror on the left wheelpant so I could see when I was into the lower tank. You would then have about 2 hours of fuel left. Remember the Drifter is supposed to have about 12 LTs of unusable fuel, and you must be carefull when the belly tank is low if you are descending nose-down as you can unport the fuel outlet which is at the rear of the tank. I personally have had the lower tank down to 9 Lts on one occassion and she was still running, but I was staying over easy landable country.

 

I am currently sharing my hangar with CB Drifter 25-352 which is ex-Rodds Bay. Strangely my Drifter was 25-452 ! Tomo, that's a nice looking Drifter there at Dalby..The attached photos are of 452 after i had sold her. She has since been re-sold and now has a new set of Wayne Fisher skins fitted. And by the way my Drifter held it's resale value very well. I purchased her around 96 for $16,000 (160 hrs TT) , flew her for 11 years and sold her at 650 hrs TT for $16,500. She never let me down once and a lot of people got rides in her, all on the original 582 which got a new set of rings at 500 hours. Still had the original water-pump seals in it when I sold her !............................................Maj...

 

[ATTACH=full]15605[/ATTACH]

Hi Maj

 

Is that drifter in the photos all tarped up yours? Im looking at buying one and out here at dalby hangar space is non exsitent if its possible to tarp them like that and the skins and everything last with sun and weather it may be an option for me until I build a hangar. Got me a lil excited about it now!!

 

Cheers Bacon

 

 

[Blue Drifter]

This is my Drifter that I have had now for about 6 years. I still get out as much as I can, but not as much as I would like to.

 

 

This was taken at Peak Hill NSW while up for a visit. I rang the council for permission to use the strip and they slashed it for me. It is bagged up and tied down for an overnight stay.

 

 

Another photo showing my Drifter at home in Cootamundra, It shares a hangar with a 912 Trike.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Country kid, The Drifter is all tarped is after I sold it. It sat outside for a bit before a hangar came along. The white vynle nose/cockpit cover I made, and always used it for an overnighter, it went wherer the aeroplane went. The new owner added all the rest. No reason why the right set of covers couldn't be made up for outside long-term I suppose. Always better in a hangar of course if you can swing it....................................................Maj...

 

 

[Tex]

Went for a run out west yesterday to catch up with a mate and do some general tweaks on the Drifter. Heading out I was in a bit of a hurry so never mounted the camera, would have made for some nice shots with lowish cloud forcing me through 'the Gap' proper...

 

Here a few screen captures from the Go pro Video on the way back.

 

 

 

 

 

[Tex]

Hi Tex it is a shopping trolly assembly with a solid aluminium wheel 100mm dia.works great.

cheers Geoff..

Nice one!

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Great shots there, in classic Drifter guise with gear and fuel container strapped into the back seat !....................Maj...

 

 

[country kid]

there some great photos Tex... looks like a great day for some aviation!! haha i thought thats what the back seat was for, a low maintenance passenger :D

 

 

[XP503]

Great photos Tex, only just got to a computer to be able to load some of my pride and joy!!!!

 

 

 

[XP503]

Here are some more pictures I have on the computer of Drifters, not mine, and I didn't take most of the photos so I hope no one gets mad if it is their pic!!!!

 

 

[XP503]

[XP503]

[XP503]

[XP503]