New Thruster Manuals - Preliminary Notice

[Guest TOSGcentral]

This is a preliminary notice only.

 

I have bitten the bullet and have gone ahead with re-writing the Thruster aircraft manuals that I have threatened to do for years.

 

These days many original manuals have been lost and replacements are unobtainable now. I have been stop-gapping by providing photo copies at cost price but those days are now drawing to a close.

 

Please read carefully -. I am NOT the holder of the Thruster Type Certificate and therefore what I am producing is NOT an official or legal replacement of the Type Manuals.

 

We have to deal with realities and the reality is that you cannot buy a new Thruster now so there are no new or replacement manuals available! I deal with realities and that is as follows:

 

There are several hundred Thrusters out there and they may have been through careless or unknowing hands. The original ANO/CAO 95.25 design criteria is no longer available via AUF/RAAus or CASA (and via my research probably never has been). The Thruster manuals themselves were of limited use in operating aircraft of this age.

 

But TOSG has been fighting back. Several years ago was produced the Thruster Owners and Inspectors Two Seater Identification Guide. This manual, in consultation with the AUF/RAAus Tech Office contained a list of approved modifications – so effectively put a benchmark on Thruster compliance to the Order in the absence of anything else.

 

This next step goes a stage further. All of the essential technical information from the original manuals is included in the new manuals. But the new manuals are advisory only and contain many hundreds of percent futher information, based on practical operating experience, where the owner of a current second hand Thruster has practical advice for all of the Thruster construction, maintenance, servicing, systems, compliance etc etc.

 

There is one central generic manual (that is currently nearly finished) and to this I will apply overlays to produce 5 manuals:

 

1. The Glasshouse. This is restricted issue only and will not normally be available
    
    
   
2. ALL the single seaters. These will be comprehensively covered in a single volume.
    
    
   
3. ALL the Geminis models including Pitch Instability research and findings.
    
    
   
4. The TST
    
    
   
5. The TST L, TST E, T300 & T500 again in a single volume.
    
   

 

The manuals will start becoming available hopefully in about a month. At the moment I have not got a clue how much they will cost as they have to be finished before production pricing may be done. But they are going to be big so will not be just a few dollars!

 

I will post again when the situation becomes more definite.

 

Tony

 

 

[Guest TOSGcentral]

UPDATE.

 

Manuals 2 to 5 are now complete and at the printers. The Glasshouse manual is complete in draft form and just requires assembly for the printer.

 

I should have firm prices and availability times towards the end of next week - once the galley proofs have been examined.

 

Tony

 

 

[Guest TOSGcentral]

The new Thruster Type Handbooks will be available as of next weekend (3rd February). They will cost $48 each inclusive of postage and packing, which compares very favorably with the now unobtainable Thruster Factory Type Manuals that were sold for up to $70 and were less than a third of the size.

 

 

The Glasshouse (Thruster 84 TPT & Thruster 84 Utility) handbook is not finished. Partly because I have just found a new model and partly because Steve Robards kindly gave me new information on type development. So I am writing both areas in.

 

 

What you can get are:

 

 

Thruster Single Seaters: T83, T84, T85SG. T85BG & T85CG. Some treatment is given to the various Prototypes (T1, Sprint & T100) in passing. 201 pages.

 

 

Gemini: Gemini X, Gemini A and Gemini B. (I have not included the Gemini X Utility crop sprayer as this is more of an historical curiosity). 192 pages.

 

 

TST: TST, TST L & TST E. 197 pages.

 

 

T300/TST L, T500/TST E: T300 and T500. 192 pages.

 

 

The handbooks are only available from myself via mail order. I will be keeping only limited stocks as there is not normally a large demand – so a short delay may entail if more printing is required. However, a long standing information gap has now been filled.

 

 

Tony

 

 

[hihosland]

Tony

 

have you considered not printing

 

but issuing the text as a CD?

 

just a thought

 

Davidh

 

 

[Guest TOSGcentral]

Hi Dave,

 

Yes - I have struggled with how much to go print and how much to go digital etc since the inception of TOSG.

 

The eternal problem is that most of the actually useful stuff you want to take to the hangar or workshop for reference - that may not be practical to take a computer as well!

 

For example there is about ten pages on how to rig a Thruster step by step. Nobody can read and remember all of that so you need it with you!

 

The step by step 'how to do a Benchmark Rebuild, or tension your skins and so much more is really orientated to 'hands on' scenarios.

 

Sure there is a lot there that is 'read me' stuff - historical, evolution of type design etc that is for quiet reading and orientation.

 

I had a lot of thought in construction on how to cross refer and make accessible such a lot of information in a practical manner. There are over five pages in just the List of Contents which includes 20 annexia.

 

Maybe I am too traditional and not that far from writing on clay tablets, but I have done the best I can and think it will work practically. That is what I am mainly after - making things of practical use rather than academic exercises etc.

 

But thanks for the comment.

 

Aye

 

Tony

 

 

[hihosland]

Tony

 

I did not build my Skyranger but I do have a CD of a build manual produced and regularly updated in the UK.

 

.

 

If I want to check up on something I first read it on the computer and if I need to check that info against the actual aircraft I just print off the relevant pages and take them to the airfield.

 

.

 

If those pages get dirty, torn, scribbled on or lost it is of no matter because I can easily replace them.

 

.

 

And because the CD is up dated every now and again I can down load either a complete fresh copy or the relevant amended files.

 

.

 

As the end user I find it a very convenient system.

 

The author/publisher does not have to to pay for printing nor stock holding costs.

 

Considering the very small market for these volumes I would presume that there is no real profit for the author in either system.

 

just thinking

 

Davidh

 

 

[Guest TOSGcentral]

Quite righ David!

 

But I have also to consider than a fair proportion of my rag and bone 'market' do not have computers or printers.

 

You are entirely right - there is no money in it - it was something that just needed doing. To me that is what the bottom end of aviation is all about. Those with facilities and experience help those along who do not yet have that - but may well do in a couple of years, remember, and help others.

 

Tony

 

 

[hihosland]

Those of us Tony

 

who have but sat on the side lines while you and others of similar ilk and motivation have invested the time, the effort and the dollars in such tasks can but offer you our thank you

 

our words of thanks are such trivial things

 

but they are what we have to offer and we

 

offer them with sincerity and admiration.

 

best of wishes

 

David Hill.