Drifter Heaven

[Kyle Communications]

I think I saw some pics of it recently...nice aircraft

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Have you got a link to any pictures?

 

 

[Kiwi]

It's from down near Gatton ( Forrest Hill). It's Ken Edwards aircraft. Really nice build, I believe it won best aircraft a couple of years in a row. Should be a fun machine once I get the hang of it.

If you own a RANS, check out http://www.ransclan.com/forums/forum.php

 

Kiwi

 

 

[BJFly]

If you own a RANS, check out http://www.ransclan.com/forums/forum.phpKiwi

Hi Kiwi,

Almost a Rans owner. Had to delay hand over until I can lay my hands on some documentation. Fingers crossed maybe the next couple of days.

 

The Rans forum looks good.

 

 

[BJFly]

Hi All,

 

Picked up the Rans Courier today from Watts Bridge and flew her back to her new home in Childers. So I guess this is my last post on a Drifter thread, at least for a while, but never say never!

 

Here's a pic of the new baby, I'll post some more on a different thread.

 

P

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Looks great...More pics please

 

 

[kevb]

Looks great, I would love to have a drool over her when I come down to pick up the drifter.

[Geoff13]

Looks great, I would love to have a drool over her when I come down to pick up the drifter.

When are you coming down to get the Drifter. I am planning a flight to Darwin in late March/Early April?

 

 

[kevb]

Hi Geoff,

 

At this stage it will be around mid April, the wife wants to do a road trip to see the family and I was going to pick up the drifter on the way home, works out well for me, the missus can be my ground supportNo walking for fuel for me.

 

 

[ave8rr]

Hi All,Picked up the Rans Courier today from Watts Bridge and flew her back to her new home in Childers. So I guess this is my last post on a Drifter thread, at least for a while, but never say never!

[ATTACH=full]40862[/ATTACH] P

Will need to start a Rans Thread now Brett.

I might have to open the boxes that hold my Rans S6ES kit.

 

CU at the Feb Breakfast flyin.

 

Mike

 

 

[BJFly]

Looks great...More pics please

I posted a few more pics under "other Rec aircraft" "Tail Dragger Heaven", thought I would keep the same theme running.

Geoff, Looks like I'll be following you and Kev north, I'm keen for a trip!

 

 

[BJFly]

Will need to start a Rans Thread now Brett.I might have to open the boxes that hold my Rans S6ES kit.

CU at the Feb Breakfast flyin.

 

Mike

Hi Mike,

If you get your Rans built we can form a RANS squadron at Childers. On the weekend I had a good look at Alf & Sue's pride & joy, a Rans Courier which is also at Childers.

 

We are getting a good mix of aircraft at Childers - Jabiru's, Terriers, Drifter, Cessna, Lightwing, Savanah, Airbike, Auster & Rans Couriers.

 

See you in a couple of weeks.

 

 

[boleropilot]

g'day m8, nice video - but - the head movements give me vertigo - I had to stop watching - maybe I'm just getting old - forgive me Drifter Drivers, for I have sinned - 0455 has been languishing in a hangar at Boonah since 27 September 2014 - engine is out of hours (silver head), 500 hour blue head purchased from Trevor Bange (Clifton) - it is in perfect condition - I struggled for months to get the framed section of the engine mount off, finally ended up taking out the tube from under the centreline of the wing with the frame still attached - Richard Eacott tells me that the earlier Drifters had this 'mating' of 'tube into frame' too tight and later models had different machining clearances to avoid said problem - tube/frame/new inner+outer undercarriage legs now powder-coated and ready for re-install - then the 'new' motor goes on...I need to source all the bolts/nuts/washers for the frame and tube, plus all the little plastic top hat thingos - Drifter Factory at Kupunn???

 

the good news? the Drifter airfield at Woolooman (Google Earth number 620 Woolooman Road) is finally starting to grass up and I am hoping to run a Drifter weekend later in the year, camping overnight, biggest firepit in the Southern Hemisphere...

 

BP

 

 

[boleropilot]

sorry guys, the post above was in reply to the vid with camera mounted on the helmet - my camera is a Drift HD 1080P - I'll try to figure out how to post some of the vids already taken...

 

BP

 

 

[kevb]

Hi Guy's

 

I thought that I would give an update on the Hornet now that she calls Darwin Home, yesterday the members of the Top End Flying Club ( TEFC ) were invited to attend and provide a static display on open day after the two week exercise Pitch Black held every two years in the top end and attended by a host of different country's military forces. A big hat's off to the RAAF and CASA in the top end to enable us to fly into Darwin Airport,flying a Drifter into an international airport is an experience that I will never forget. The club attended with nine aircraft, three Drifters, three Jabiru's, a Trike , Gyro and Lightwing. Pretty much as soon as we set up the aircraft we were kept busy with interested people making the most of the opportunity to get up close to the aircraft, I reckon that the Hornet would have had at least 400 plus kid,s photos taken from the front seat and plenty of dad's and some mum's wanting to go for a fly in the back seat. All up it was a fantastic day and a great way to promote RA-Aus and the Drifter with plenty of people expressing their interest in what we have to offer. Sorry about the lack of pic's of aircraft at pitch black, we were kept pretty busy and didn't get a chance to look around that much. Cheers, Kev.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[facthunter]

Great effort, and I echo your sentiments and commend the RAAF and CASA for their part in it. Nice Pics A few places (with water), I wouldn't want to put down at because of the "bities". What's the strip at Batchelor like? Nev

 

 

[kevb]

Batchler's a fantastic strip Nev, quite a few aircraft are based there. Kev.

 

 

[BJFly]

Hi Guy'sI thought that I would give an update on the Hornet now that she calls Darwin Home, yesterday the members of the Top End Flying Club ( TEFC ) were invited to attend and provide a static display on open day after the two week exercise Pitch Black held every two years in the top end and attended by a host of different country's military forces. A big hat's off to the RAAF and CASA in the top end to enable us to fly into Darwin Airport,flying a Drifter into an international airport is an experience that I will never forget. The club attended with nine aircraft, three Drifters, three Jabiru's, a Trike , Gyro and Lightwing. Pretty much as soon as we set up the aircraft we were kept busy with interested people making the most of the opportunity to get up close to the aircraft, I reckon that the Hornet would have had at least 400 plus kid,s photos taken from the front seat and plenty of dad's and some mum's wanting to go for a fly in the back seat. All up it was a fantastic day and a great way to promote RA-Aus and the Drifter with plenty of people expressing their interest in what we have to offer. Sorry about the lack of pic's of aircraft at pitch black, we were kept pretty busy and didn't get a chance to look around that much. Cheers, Kev.

Hi Kev,

Great to hear the Yellow Hornet is serving you well. Those photo's look great. It is certainly the right climate for doing some Driftering. As I write this I'm at Bitter Springs a few hundred km's down the road from Darwin, we are doing the tourist thing for a few days, certainly a nice part of the world. Happy flying!

 

 

[kevb]

Hi Brett,

 

The Yellow Hornet is going great, since arriving in Darwin in May she has clocked up close to 80 hrs and hasn't missed a beat. She's flown Kakadu, Litchfield Park, Dundee Beach and a host of other great locations. If you make it up to Darwin I would be more than happy to hand you the keys for a flight. Enjoy your holiday and stay safe.

 

Cheers,

 

Kev.

 

 

[kevb]

Thought I would try to keep this thread going, here's a couple of the Hornet doing her thing.

 

kev.

 

 

 

 

 

[farri]

Thought I would try to keep this thread going, here's a couple of the Hornet doing her thing.kev.

That`s it Kev! Keep the spotlight on the Drifter.....Onya

 

Frank.

 

 

[kevb]

Hey Frank,

 

Not a Drifter, but still a great bird. The wife will be a little more comfy in this for those longer trips. The Drifter will still be getting plenty of hours, more so that the dry is just around the corner and the camping gear is getting dusted off. Can't wait.

 

Kev.

 

 

 

[boleropilot]

did a TIF in 1810 at Boonah in 2007, loved it so much I started training for my licence with Trevor Bange (Clifton) - my Pilot Certificate was certified on 12 April 2008 - and believe it or not yesterday I sat down with my wife yesterday and we decided that (a) flying is no longer an option for me, and (b) my Drifter 0455 will be put up for sale asap. I only just looked at the dates as I sat down to say goodbye to old friends (and the occasional enemy)...been a nice 9 years

 

and the reason? pretty basic really - one of the doctors surveying my recently incurred injuries told me that if he didn't know better he would say I'd been hit by a car. twasn't a car, just the new deck I've been building alongside our Old Queenslander...

 

I decided to build 'platform' steps, using 150x50 bearers and spotted gum boards, each panel 1500x700, and standard 170mm step heights - should look great when it's finished.

 

the joists I was working on are about a metre above the ground, and I was about to fit a new unpainted joist, it started to rain lightly, so I grabbed the decking oil and gave it a quick sloppy coat of oil, just managing to get all my tools away before the rain started up properly. it looked really nice tapped into place there...glad I got that coat of oil on before the rain...three days later (well and truly long enough for my old memory) I went back to the job - and as I stepped out onto the joist in question, it slipped perfectly out of it's position. I had nowhere to go but over the side of the deck, doing most of a 180 as I 'descended' - the outside joist running parallel to the deck was well and truly bolted in place, and my back met it with considerable force just as my feet hit the ground. the angle was from high left to centre low, right across the length of the 150x50 beam edge. if I'd twisted a little further to the right and fallen a little slower I would have copped the beam straight across my lower back (and I would not be typing this now)

 

so - the ambulance is on it's way, and I am sitting in my little boxed prison of 150x50 joists, with no way for the ambos to get me out. how many times have you said to your wife "Hunny, just watch this because you might have to help me with something like this one day" - so - the little prison was still in place, but at least my Hunny had managed to find the tools I knew would be needed to unbox me! well folks, from here on, it just gets worse. Sue and I had just got back from surveying our (dirt) road before My Slip - after 200mm of rain in 48 hours, the road was ripped to pieces and was in fact running a bumper along the road in places about 2 feet deep - so a 4WD ambulance was going to be necessary to get me to the bottom of the hill...you know, those 4WD ambos that ride like a TRUCK...thank God the hospital was only 40 minutes away (nah can't go that way, it's flooded too)

 

after lots of x-rays, guesses and little prods to check "if it hurts", the initial score is: 3 broken ribs, 'numerous' cracked ribs, a punctured lung, and broken skin lesions/abrasions that make me look like I just got hit by a train - tiny bit of bruising there too, bro...and after 6 days of trying unsuccessfully to arrange a transfer to a private hospital (for which I have been paying a motza for so I could have my own room) I am finally told I can bugger off home - thank you so much....but wait, there's more...

 

I need a rest from this post, it's starting to depress me, so I'll stop now and finish the sad tale a little later

 

BP

 

 

[Cosmick]

Sad to hear that news, with a punctured lung lucky your still with us. The bones will knit and the pain subside hopefully. The urge to fly won't go away and if your unable to PIC im sure a pax seat will await within our flying community.

 

Best wishes.

 

 

[storchy neil]

sheeeeet don't through away the keys yet young fella could be worst at least 9 years of fun you musta pissed god and the devil of cause they don't want you all the best and speedy recovery neil