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Happy New Year, everyone! Just letting everyone know I`m still going strong, the Drifter is still in Demand and they just keep coming, wanting to experience Drifter flying, with me... I took up several people over the Christmas period! These guys are two of them. Fred is an airline Captain! He learnt to fly, with Peter Reid, in the Drifter at kooralbyn Valey, at 15 years of age! He has flown the A320, A330, B787 and currently flies the B747. Stephen is a Helicopter pilot, who flies workers out to oil rigs, off West Australia. Andrew Dunning, a facebook friend of mine, whom I`ve never met, gifted me the T-shirt and a mug, with the same design on it. Franco. Ps, I`ve just paid my Drifter Rego, for another year.

I've seldom seen so many column inches wasted by people wishing to blame the system. This is so obviously a case of an individual making the wrong decision. Regulators, instructors, qualified bystanders and family and friends cannot be blamed for the rash decisions of the victim of poor decisions. Coroners will often try to scapegoat by looking for 'system failings'. Recreational flying has and will always be potentially dangerous and, in common with all risk activities, will punish poor choices. Blaming instructors, regulators or regulations is a trap. The attraction of recreational flying is that it assigns the risk to the pilot. The obvious lesson here is to carry in mind, at all times, the knowledge that this thing can kill me.

At the moment there's a bushfire in Snug Tiers national park, which is only about 10km or less from our place as the crow flies. For the last 2 days there's been between 3 and 5 Air Tractor AT8T's constantly bombing the fire. For the first part of yesterday they seemed to be going to the upper Derwent near New Norfolk to reload with water, but later - and all of today - they've just been touching down on North West Bay near Margate, obviously loading very fast (they're only on the water for 10 or 15 seconds before going again), doing the 3 or 4 minute flight to the fire and back for more. Apparently the fire is very difficult for regular vehicles to get to because of the terrain, so it's been fantastic to see these planes scoop up water every 10 - 15 minutes and hit the fire. So to the pilots of these planes, as well as the Bell 214 choppers that have been bucketing water - you are bloody heroes, thank you for your efforts to keep our properties safe. (Having said that, I really hope it doesn't spread quickly and burn us out!) Not to mention the people on the ground - the firies, police, coordinators, volunteers and everyone else involved - very grateful to you all. Tried to get some pics after work today but my phone camera is crap.

Forgot a pic

Another beautiful weekend in the eastern isles. Headed to one of my favourite strips for an overnight hunting trip in the J230 ute. The dog is getting used to flying finally. D'Urville Island is the largest island in the Marlborough Sounds. Once again Wellington Approach very helpful with radar monitoring across the Strait. Its always reassuring knowing someone is keeping an eye on you in a single engine over water.

Just some more guys, who wanted to experience Drifter flying with me, over the Christmas holidays! Alex is in the Royal Australian Air Force! He told me it was the most exhilerating flight he`d done! Being in the breeze, feeling free, did it for him. Lauren is a medical Doctor! Said she`d deffinately do it again! Amelia, Happy as! and Yes! I did make reference to Amelia Earhart, to her, and she did know of Amelia Earhart. Franco Ps, It`s the joy that those who fly with me in the Drifter experience, that keeps me wanting to do, what I do. Facebook

……..and a few more rivets later

Its about to ship. So in a few months I will start a Kitfox build and a you tube. Stay tuned Lyndon

I went up and took the wings off just in case I need to grab a car trailer and get the plane away. Most stuff in the house is replaceable, but that thing owes me 15 years. With the "T shirt arms" of the cover drooping, she kind of looks like a floppy eared dog...

The Bolly hubs are precision CNC formed, gold anodised Duralite and the blades are micron perfect fit. Every bit of hardware down to the washers is fully documented, with batch numbers, weights etc as of course it should be. They are quality products locally manufactured and are up there with the best in the world. They all come with detailed instructions & charts on assembly, installation, balancing, pitch adjustment etc. There are not many Australian manufacturers left that I can say that about them.

If Burt Rutan designed the B-29 Superfortress

Meet Ripper. It already has a name and we haven't seen it yet. I've just organised the freight..... 😀

Mike and I talked a lot about this when he was writing this article in Sport Aviation. Sorry I had to borrow so much from our older movies - and everybody else - REMEMBER! - "Area Rule for supersonic - Arnold Rule for subsonic"

If it was Spatial Disorientation it is well known that pilots disbelieve what their instruments are telling them because their mind is saying "No I am S&L". I once got sucked up into the base of a CU in my hang glider & got spat out the side. I thought I was S&L but was almost 90 deg to the horizon when in the clear. I also flew deliberately in to IMC in My Archer 2 about 30 years ago as I was in a valley surrounded by hills with tops in the cloud and no safe landing area. I set my original heading & climbed, eyes glued to the panel and saying to myself continually "believe the Instruments". I came out the top at over 9500 feet. I continually had to fight the urge to turn. The 5 hours under the hood was some of the best spent time while training for my PPL.

I chose the tip of the spinner as the datum when I did the W&B. The advantage of this is that is a fixed point as far as you can go forward on the aircraft so it is easier to do another one somewhere else using the same point. It is a pretty common practice. My COG limits are 15% to 30% aft of the leading edge wing root cord. I have a forward baggage area and one behind the seats and a forward fuselage fuel tank. Wing tanks are within the COG limits. It is all in the phone & easy to calculate when I chuck things on the scales before heading off. If I am bringing something heavy back with me I need to know what it weighs or it gets left behind.

I bought a car parking tent and erected it in the workshop. It was early spring, so heating was required. At one end of the tent I had two bathroom extractors venting to the outside. At the other end I cut a hole to take a 2.3Kw electric radiator...one of those cheap ones on little wheels. So with the fans on, air was drawn into the tent via the radiator fins. This gave steady gentle air movement that didn't kick up the dust. In the 'booth' I had a cheap wall thermometer. With aircraft part/s in place, I would switch on radiator and fans, then wait until the temperature stabilised at an appropriate level: as I recall, I would suit up and start mixing once I had about 23'C. The painting itself is pretty quick, I think I turned off the radiator before picking up the gun, as there would be plenty of residual heat in the radiator. This worked well for me. As mentioned by others, you need lots of light. This may not be essential for skilled painters, but I found the only way I could see what actual finish I was getting was to move my head so as to get direct lighting reflections off the surface. With just a few points of light you can't do this. I had lighting all down one side of the tent, that worked okay if I ran round the other side of the job. In a perfect world I would have had lighting down both sides. And if you look at professional high quality spray booths, the walls and ceiling are solid banks of lighting. (As an aside to that, if you get a 'dry' spot or area (too much air or gun held too far away) you can sometimes remedy it by loading up quickly with thinners and applying a light overspray of that. But you do have to be quick to spot it, before the paint hardens.......which requires that good lighting.) So, yes, lighting: you can't have too much. As a complete amateur (I once applied a coat of paint in an orange-peel finish to a Fiat Bambina, 40years ago, and that was it) I figured I would need all the help I could get. So I spent some time making supports to hold the wings tilted up towards me, as that was the easiest angle to be working the gun. And I rotisseried the fuselage with a suspension rope round the engine mount, which allowed me to paint it in four stages. Initially I had too much air at the gun, and had to clean back one complete wing underside and start again. I bought an air gauge to go on the gun, as the gun pressure is not the same as the compressor when you are spraying. Once I got that sorted out, and with careful focus on gun distance and speed, it went quite well. I did the colour last, and found it much easier to see how that was going on than with the white.

Hi folks, Does anyone have, or know of someone who has an airworthy J160c that is not flying, possibly due to engine issues or simply languishing in a hangar somewhere, not being used? We are looking into installing a 100/110hp Zonsen engine into a J160c under the provisions of MARAP, and then potentially offering conversions to J160c owners to the more powerful engines. Under the provisions of MARAP, the J160c would still be eligible to undertake training school activities. The folks with the 100hp Rotax 912 conversions have all been happy with that conversion from both the performance and reliability perspectives. The Zonsen engine (Rotax lookalike) is relatively new but there are several in Europe that have over 500 hours and have performed reliably. Anyway, if you have or know of a J160c languishing away that we could potentially breathe new life into with a new engine and an EFIS display, please pm me. Another option is installing the 145hp (137hp max continuous) turbocharged Zonsen into a J230 or J430. At 10,000’ with the IAS limit for rough air (117kias), that would represent a cruise speed in rough air of 135ktas. The still air cruise speed would be higher. That level of performance would make the Jab230/430 a more serious cross country performer. Takeoff and climb would also be better than with the 120hp Jab3300. Anyway, if any of this discussion piques your interest, reach out to me and let’s discuss. Thanks. Dave

Found using a forklift with wing on a mattress was perfect for removal and refitting wings. The springiness of the mattress allows for small movements to allow removal and refit into attachments. Then when inboard is connected use a jack to support to fit struts. Doing the 2,000 hourly wing bolts and some other things. New motor to go in next on this A32. First wing removed with 3 people, owner thought up using forklift and it's a winner. I’ll be using same when I do my Nynja wing upgrade in a few weeks.

Love to see your posts Franco, with just so many you have given some flight experience never to be forgotten to. Well done mate, you are a legend!

I'm not even flying yet but I expect to have a lot of trips Cue to Perth and back. My plan is to see if I can become a member of the Northam Aero Club and use that as my southern base. It's 261.9 nautical miles each way and an hours drive to Perth. Yesterday we left Cue at 4:20pm and arrived here in Bindoon at 11:38pm stopping for about half an hour at Paynes Find for a bite to eat. We are still an hour from Perth. If my plan works out I'll have a little Mercedes van with a bed and basic extras parked at Northam for the travel to Perth. I bought the van to travel around the country a few years back. If that works out my van will be available to known visitors dropping in.

Maaate! Number points (can expand if you wish): In my limited experience - pre ASIC security, was already being practised by RPT personnel at rural airports. It was good then, no better now. ASIC adherence, by airport owners/managers/staff (non airline), is very poor at best . The few Security Controlled Airfield I have flown into, had no one, let alone a security person on duty. Most had hangers, open to public on one side, walk through to airside on other. Some had security fences that ended within sight of public access. Others have security gates, with the gate code displayed for all to see. I have seen open terminal buildings, without a sole in sight, etc etc A number of very busy airfield around the country, have no significant security, eg Camden, Cowra (not sure about Bankstown) whos aircraft movements per day, likly exceed most regional airfield, for the a month or more. Want to hijack a turboprop - go to a busy non security controlled airport. ASIC does not prevent an ill intentioned person from attacking an aircraft - technological alternatives (drones) are readily available - bad person just needs to be within range (well outside boundary). Despite extraordinary security (military & police) in N Ireland, the IRA was able to lob mortar shells, at one of the major airports, from outside the secure zone - an ASIC type system would have been a joke then and is now. Airport security is not 24/7 at most rural airports ASIC screening is flawed - look at the baggage handler/drug importation debacle at Sydney. ASIC does not prevent a pilot from landing/taking off - only from wandering around IF there happened to be a security person on duty (rare). Its questionable weather ASIC has any significant beneficial security impact on passengers & baggage being loaded at a regional airport. It also questionable that Australian domestic airports & aircraft are of any interest to the bad people - unlike Europe & USA, who don't have ASIC type regulations (for minor airports). I suggest that international (other country) terrorism could not care less about Australia, would not get out of bed for a regional airports/RPT Domestic terrorism is focused on & within our major population areas. It seems clear that a number of regional airport owners (Councils) have sort to abstain from ASIC - this has been blocked by the regional airline threatening to withhold service, if ASIC not maintained. ASIC has increased the cost of operating regional airports. This cost has been passed on to commercial operators - passengers, for no discernable gain. ASIC is just a CROCK of --------! It was a reasonable knee jerk reaction, when commissioned , in response to the Twin Towers attack, but should have been ditched long ago.😈

He is a disgusting opportunistic troll.

Airtractor 802 fire boss is a very impressive aircraft.

RFguy admiring the ? and a 1985 ultralight still being flown and enjoyed in 2025.

Nope. I'm tired of working on it. If it's safe, I'm flying it as is 😄

found this thompson prop on a sonex for sale. what a lovely looking piece.

I'd have to opine the Lycosaurus' were a lot cheaper than any high-tech FADEC, Mercedes-based diesel - and I understand the Lycosaurus produces more grunt? (180HP VS 168HP). Also, it seems the Austro AE 300 engine has a shorter lifespan, and no ability to overhaul, so you need to buy a brand new donk every time, at around US$60K? And finally, the DA40 NG has a lesser climb rate, and a higher landing speed than the DA40 XLT. Looks like a no-brainer in choice, to me. https://www.diamondaircraft.com/en/private-owners/aircraft/da40/tech-specs/

It was super generous of this young pilot to share the excruciating experience of his first flight with a pax. Things didn't go as planned. But a great lesson for aviators all. Who hasn't, at some point, found themselves confused by unexpected panel layouts (even in familiar types)? Anyway, our brand new PIC solves a sticky situation by aviating, navigating and ... well, wing-wiggling to a green-light landing into Bankstown. In his later vids we see that he's gone on to grow in confidence and competence and to nail his commercial ticket. (And we see that he's a true believer in the joy of flight.) Apart from anything else, the GoPro video is an enthralling little human drama. Who couldn't identify with and feel for these characters?

RC model. Some should like it.

Absolute rubbish. If you take off when everyone else is staying on the ground because the weather was bad at the point of origin it means you made a bad decision. You don't need hours of training to know if conditions are bad. People need to take responsibility for their actions. Always looking to blame someone else these days. If the pilot was still around he might agree he made a bad decision.

Wings sometimes just have to be forklifted. It's not pleasant, in fact it's generally quite unpalletable.

Personally I use 60 mins res everywhere drive my planes, remember min 30 mins is what you must have at the completion of landing, that’s cutting it too fine for me. some years ago I was about to join the circuit after a lengthy flight to a drome where there was a 25 kt westerly and EW & NS Rwy’s, only trouble was that a plane had flipped on landing on the EW strip and people where frantically trying to remove the driver so hence to say either take the 25 kt X wind or divert elsewhere, hence 30 mins to me is not enuf! I even double the min gas on the Jet I fly as well!

I had a few laser etched. Here’s the latest I did a few weeks ago for the friend’s RV-8

Just realised I was to post an image. Fitted a fuel tap on engine side of pump. It has a cable tie to ensure on, slide back to turn off and I check it is on twice before take-off in my checks.

I guess the real question is if everything went to plan and the two aircraft missed by 100 feet would this be acceptable. No is the answer.

If using retardant the SG is slightly heavier than water. A Fireboss normally doesn't usually carry a full load either from the water or off land, the floats are a significant dint in performance compared to a wheeled 802. Fuel load is 1400 litres plus a 3000L hopper load, the empty weight for a wheeled 802 is around 3000 kg. The only information I could find about the weight of floats is 1000 kg, that seems light as the amphib gear is pretty solid. So just allowing for the weight of the floats the load of a Fireboss would be 2/3 of the wheeled 802. Most new 8's now are fitted with the F version of the PT6-67 which is rated at 1700 SHP, they do go well 😜

All the hallmarks of a professional misinfo job - the kind that tends to "show up" in feeds and forums all over. Typically, a collection of true facts and reasoned opinions (from open sources) lends credibility to the actual punch-line, in this case involving "sincere hope". And then the clincher ... the "I know this because" part (which, weirdly, often involves a brother-in-law in the know).

Fire work takes a special skillset. Low level work (treetops), precision drops, localised crazy wind shifts.... must be exhausting work. Pic of heli work on a fireground I attended last summer. We were often looking down on the choppers! They could drop accurately within metres of us.

I was having some lessons and a lot of fun with Dave in the cub, I came in to land and his left foot shoe got jammed around the rudder pedal. We were heading for the fence, Dave swearing away, ended up ground looping in time, no damage, but Dave took of his shoes and chucked them over the fence. We then lay on the ground just laughing like crazy. RIP Dave.

Who cares? It all seems like marketing hype to me. So MOGAS is anything that isn't AVGAS.

I put glass of water with small frog in it and rest it on the top of the instrument panel.. if the water vibrates, it is bad. If the water does not vibrate, it is good... if the frog moves, the frog moves; means nothing, but is noted anyway...

The trip above was about 1982 and the Plane was a DC9-20 Operating a scheduled service Perth Pt Hedland Darwin. depart PH at about 2230 local time. Going back a bit, C-54/ DC 4s were introduce hereabout 1950 and Qantas , Ansett and TAA had them. They left here at the end of 1968 They have Full 3 axis autopilot with hydraulic servos, but not pressurised. The DC-6 was a bigger development of the DC4. Pressurised, faster cruising at higher Levels and with more range. We flew the DC4 with a crew of two Pilots and the DC-6 has a flight engineer as well. Nev

Aircraft 1 First oil change at 15 hours. We can now do the extensive test card work. Would have been today if the wild weather wasn’t a problem. We debate speed at 2650rpm 9500ft. I’m thinking 150 knots. Will report back with actual data/ video. Aircraft 2 Doors mostly done. They are just as painful as everyone says. Really should be a polycarbonate moulded piece. I guess the fact that Rans would have to make left and right tools is why it isn’t done. Getting the center where the 2 pieces meet over the door bow isn’t fun. We know of one lower panel blowing out in flight so I’ve added UHB tape under the polycarbonate where it’s specified to go on top. I’m also going Sika on top before putting on the aluminum strip. It’s not going anywhere! I’ve planned from the start to add the upper flap lever. It’s the only spot on the aircraft I’ve gone off script. The mechanism is exactly copied from Rans so nothing new going on in the ratchet mechanism. It’s proven so why mess with it? The change is just upper mount and reduced range of travel from 90 degree to 45 degree. Ready to go to laser cutter and the 3d printed console with room for iPads, maps etc, iPhone and drink bottles needs a little refining before going out. Advantages. real estate at center of seats is now fully usable. headphone jacks come from the upper cross piece. headphones have a hangar for each. 4 point harness mount points now provided. ‘’It all mounts off the seatbelt rear connect point so not an issue for seat belt security. If anything it’s just a little more forgiving in that the cross piece would bend a little in use. We do hope to never test this.

The pilot of the Cirrus S@ 22 (VH-DCB) called in loss of oil pressure and potential fire, landed safely on the Mitchell Hwy, and the aircraft has now been pushed off the highway into a paddock. Good job there was a nice big long runway right there! Roadside signs are the biggest hazard of any highway outlanding. Well done that man!

I went today. I'm so relieved, it was so different to my last attempt. Plane flies very nicely. Mahl understood what I'm trying to do. Area is of course busier than Boonah but nothing to worry about. On the wall, I noticed that Dave was watching out for me. Mahl couldn't remember exactly where it came from. We both went to Dave's service and I don't remember this flyer. I'm taking it as a good omen ☺️

When passengers were still able to come to visit the flight deck, we had one lady come up with both front windows a full blown lightning storm. It was a spectacular show but as she ran shrieking all the way back through business class and down the stairs, we figured that it may not have been such an appropriate time for a pax visit.

Yes I would, two reasons one to see any fur, filing on it and to know it can be undone. It’s a torx drive not Allen key. If it’s hard to undo try some hammer taps and vice grips to loosen. There no washer or copper washer under it just a metal to metal fit. Cheers