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Hi all, this site, and all sister sites will undergo some changes over the coming days as we remove the need of all US services. This includes our server in the US which will now be in Australia through a French provider which will actually end up a little bit cheaper as well. We are also looking at dropping all US produced software and minimising all US manufactured products sold in Clear Prop. This is my way of putting my own tariffs on US products and services and supporting Ukraine. It's not much but if everyone just looked at what they buy from the US and US companies and reduced the money we give to the US then collectively it just may send a message. Besides just my US server costs were around $250 a month to the US, now they will be around $200 a month with some of that staying here in Australia and NONE of it going to the US. Oh, also the server admin person is no longer someone in the US, but an even better guy that is in the UK. He will start setting up the new server tomorrow and will migrate the sites over. Thanks for your understanding and your continued support of the sites over the 20 plus years we have been going, helping you to fly safer and learning from each others experiences.

Loaded up the trusty Thruster last weekend and headed out over the hills to a Thruster muster at a beautiful grass strip. Also a nice selection of other tw aircraft.

First flight today…. Took way too long but got there in the end….special thanks to IBob for helping me through some of the tougher bits……

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.

We had a great time at the Flyin and the museum is well worth a visit to see the aircraft and history. A selection in images is attached.

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.

Took the Nynja to the beach today and caught up with friends there. Nice hard flat sand runway. Two other Skyranger’s, a Sav XL, Zephur and a Trike. Very pleasant air.

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.

I have been asked to delete this thread BUT the thread contains important discussion that could help ALL pilots so IT WILL NOT BE DELETED. Some posts have been removed and others edited so there is no finger pointing, no stating of anything as being factual to the cause of the accident. Factual information as to the cause of the accident will be released in due course after a formal investigation takes place I and I am sure every single other pilot on this site is in grief for the pilot's family and friends but if we can not discuss things openly with consideration to the family and friends then accidents will keep happening and more pilots will die. There are site rules in reference to discussing accidents HERE and as long as we follow them then this site is a learning resource FOR EVERY PILOT!!!

I'm lucky enough that I work at YESP that I can fly myself to work at certain times of the year and build time as well plus a beaut view 🙂

Update --- Drum Roll I'm happy to report after meeting my Pilot neighbour that all's well with the world and good communication goes a long way. He showed me and my wife his meticulously cared for plane and his logs which gave us alot of confidence that he knows what he's doing and cares alot about safety for everyone. He's had decades of flight experience which I think, gives our family the best confidence that we're in safe hands. So, for any pilots with neighbours ... Please Please Please ... Communicate with them. We ended up laughing about the communication issues as we left. He's a great guy actually. So ... if I have offended any pilots out there, I apologise. I came from a place of keeping my family safe and not one of restricting peoples ability to enjoy their hobby. Thank You and Fly Safely Everyone Brian

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

REQUEST TO THREAD PARTICIPANTS! Could we please keep this thread on topic? The quality of Chinese products in general, whether good or bad bear no relationship to the quality of Zonsen engines. Please could we have no further mention about Chinese products in general. This thread is specifically about the Zonsen Aero engines. If you have first hand knowledge about these engines then please contribute. If you have a direct statement from someone that has first hand knowledge or experience with these engines then please contribute. Please, no politics and no bashing of other thread participants. If someone is out of order, I will ask the Admins to address it, if they haven’t already picked it up. I have counted over 30 posts in this thread that have no relevance to Zonsen engines. As I have said before, we want to make this thread one where folks can go to find useful information. Off topic chats are not useful and are an unwanted distraction. Let’s try and build this thread as a receptacle for direct knowledge about the Zonsen Aero engines. Even as the distributor, I don’t care whether the feedback is good or bad about the engines, a lot can be learned and addressed from folks problems with a product or product support that can go towards addressing the issues to make a better product, with better product support. SO PLEASE, CAN WE STOP WITH THE OFF TOPIC DISCUSSIONS AND IRRELEVANT POSTS? Thanks, Dave

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

I may have this very wrong - Once airborne, unless subject to turbulence/wind shear/ gust, the aircraft does not "know" or care from which direction the wind is coming from. The aircraft will perform just the same with a 20 knot tailwind, as a 20 knot headwind. The ground speed will differ but the air speed remains the same.

I saw Brian today at the airfield. At first I didn't recognise him. I said "Christ almighty Brian! Did they have to remove your moustache as well as your wings to get you out of the wreckage?" He's in good spirits. Sold the wreck already. Apparently it will be used as some sort of static display. I've seen the video now. He tells me he climbs at about 1000fpm as it's a pretty spritely plane. The video shows that was roughly his climb rate that day. The engine quits only a second or so after he establishes the climb. He did a long take off so to some people it might look like he's just hauling it into the sky, but he's going pretty quickly by then. He MAYBE got 300 feet AGL. Within a second he had already pitched the nose down. I feel that's an impressively quick reaction. Unfortunately he says the glide is ball park the same as a Drifter, roughly 5:1. He disappears from view behind a large tree at that point. When all is said and done I think he did a good job. He kept flying the plane, there's not much you can do from there other than try not to hit the biggest trees as it's a pretty rough paddock. A few hundred feet higher and he could have made the next paddock, which is much more undercarriage friendly. Pic shows view from end of the field, at the road. Trees centre left I THINK is where he ended up. I sometimes have a chat with the horsies to right. I must remember to bring them carrots one day. Look at the lovely flat, green paddock just a few hundred metres too far away. Apologies for quality of the pic. Cheap phone plus overcast day equals 1999 webcam quality 😄

Just found this. Thanks people, for all your kind wishes. Lots of exercises needed with a bit of associated pain. From all reports It's going well.. Nev

Currently in my system I have a few aviation projects on the go. 1) I suspended the radio out of my schedule in March due to other commitments, and that I was feeling a bit of feature creep, and this was turning it from a simple radio into to a complex design with multiple parts, and such things cost alot of time and this isnt a high value product. So this week I've got back to it and cut it down a bit- UHF CB is now not simultaneous (you can switch to it) - it was putting too many screws and complexity on the aviation band design to have it do both simultaneously and stay simple. also, I wont have it receiving ADSB anymore, more stuff too complex,. if this is going to get out the door, it needs to be more basic- still has the 4 simultaneous receivers and 10W TX /1W switchable TX power radio, and intercom etc. Also, I was planning to use an existing radio platform I have which is a bit too big to fit into a small panel hole, like Trig, Microair etc, so I was going to run it as two boxes. But two boxes (panel and main unit together with cables, connectors, extra microprocessor for the panel display ) is another complexity , so that goes. which has meant going smaller on the PCB. The upshot of that is that this triggers a design overhaul and it will now all go into a panel hole, which simplifies everything. So, on with that show ! 2) "anywire interface" . there's a big problem with getting a new radio/intercom installed these days, is gettign someone to do it.... maybe we can skip that problem----. It is quite feasible to make a box that you connect every wire, but it doesnt matter what wire is what, IE you just connect the wires in no order and the box figures it out for connection to radios on a standard harness for that radio. IE doesnt matter where you connect grounds, mic, ptts etc nothing. 3) I'm making some Jabiru targeted alternator regulators. the big plus, they'll generate useful charge from 600 RPM upwards, instead of 1500 RPM. and they wont overcharge batteries etc, and can be told about the chemistry. They will run warm instead of red hot (at full load) , and will have no chance of going short (which generates a stator fire) .... 4) Collision warning/ aircraft proximity warning. I built one. Has triple GPS and triple barometer so it doesnt care if it has a poor view of the sky- (skyecho can generate up to 300m error if it doesnt get a good view of the sky. . has basic adsb receiver also. apart from an audio output (into aux, or a mixing port so it can go in series with the intercom/ headset with failsafe relay bypass) , the $64 question is how do you display it ? Do you send it out like the skyecho talkes to the tablet, or have some custom screen ? anyway, that's what is cooking. glen

Today I flew to Popham about a 240nm round trip nothing really to write home about except at about 45 minutes into the flight and despite really quite bumpy and thermic conditions managed to maintain control of my aircraft whilst having a jimmy riddle into the fabric conditioner bottle I keep for such emergencies and didnt spill a drop I have to admit the exercise gave me an enormous sense of accomplishment...and of course relief

Happy New Year for 2025 to all members and enjoy plenty of nice safe flights.

If it saves you money and makes it sustainable - go for it. We all appreciate what you do for us. Thanks Ian.

……..and a few more rivets later

Brilliant winter's day at west sale. Qnh 1041

Nice flight from Palmyra (YPYA) down to the Central Queensland Gliding Club (YMMD) for the weekend. Winter is on the way as 6 degrees in mornings. Good clear skies. Davo put on great feeds for all.

Been out enjoying this fantastic flying weather. 😃 Only downside around NE Vic and Southern Riverina is all the smoke from farmers burning off in their paddocks or fuel reduction burning in the bush. All necessary stuff but a bit of a pain some days when visibility is reduced. Anyhow, still getting some quality time in. Here's a video from last Friday when the young fulla and I flew up to Porepunkah for an fun day together. PS - yes he out fished me! 🥲 https://youtu.be/gOzmMPj8OZc?si=SIyGDPpa3ZiaMcDW

Having been there for the 3 days, I think you're a bit harsh Skip. For me, the Security controlled airport thing is a non issue, the event wasn't airside - we camped next to the plane, with toilets and showers on site, breakfast included all for $20 for 2 adults. It's 500m from the terminal to the event site, I was suprised they actually had a courtesy bus at all. 10mins must have been a leisurely stroll. The Courtesy bus also took you into Parkes for shopping, lunch, dinner etc. There was a truck watering the taxiway to the event site to keep dust down. Food vendors on site. Breakfast and Dinner provided by the local Rotary club Bar and evening Campfire Toilets and Showers Ground marshalling for those parking airside. So clearly some thought has gone into the event to make it easy for attendees. The pilot instructions issued were good enough. Flying in - we all new it was going to be busy, it's uncontrolled airsapce. I was 5nm out when there was 2 in the circuit, 2 more joining and an RPT on a 10nm final for a different runway. We all communicated and sorted ourselves out. We had a lot of the general public come and talk to pilots in the camping area. Most loved the idea of flying somewhere and camping next to the plane, all good promo for RA. Yes there should have been more RA focus and less GA stuff. GAP having 3 Sling TSI's was a bit much. The variety of the european plastic fantastics was good to see, prices a bit eyewatering though. Overall I thought the event was good and would go again. Narromine is in the past, time to move on. Was it bad? IMHO, No. Can they make the event better, most likely - they have improved on 2022 so indications are they will.

MAGAZINE ARTICLE recreational aviation forum Written By: [brendan Introduction For two decades, the Recreational Aviation Forum has been a pivotal platform for aviators, offering unparalleled support and resources to enthusiasts and seasoned pilots alike. This vibrant community extends beyond digital conversations, fostering real-world connections that have enriched the lives of countless aviators worldwide. The forum serves as a beacon for knowledge-sharing, where aviators of all experience levels collaborate and exchange insights on a wide range of topics. From technical discussions on aircraft maintenance to sharing flight experiences, the forum is a treasure trove of information and support. Members often recount how this resource has enhanced their flying skills and deepened their passion for aviation. In addition to technical resources, the forum plays a crucial role in the advocacy and promotion of recreational flying. By connecting members with similar interests, it has successfully organized events, meet-ups, and training sessions that have significantly contributed to the growth and development of recreational aviation. The community spirit fostered by the forum has created lasting friendships and professional relationships that thrive on mutual respect and a shared love for flying. As it continues to celebrate its 20th anniversary, the forum remains committed to its mission of inspiring and supporting aviators. It constantly evolves to meet the changing needs of its members, ensuring it remains a relevant and invaluable tool in the world of recreational aviation.

Mr FV is planning to live to 107yrs to finish all the projects he has on the go now. Any more and he'll have to live longer.... Despite all his dreaming and studying plans and kits, there won't be another plane building adventure. He's still restoring a 1951 dozer, and old grader, forklift, tractors & windmills for others etc. He reads aviation magazines in bed.

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...

I disagree Ian. My own take is that the RAAus umbrella of distinction protects us from a level of bureaucracy that is not relevant to the operation of aircraft on a purely recreational basis. What might make me less popular is my opinion that the encroachment of Ra into GA is not appropriate. (Eg controlled airspace) I was fortunate enough to have spent my entire working life as a professional aviator and I would respectfully suggest that those who are of the opinion that the ATSB should be investigating RA registered accidents should be careful of what they wish for.

I've already given the ABC journalist who co-wrote that article, a good serve over the quality of the article. It's been modified/edited several times since it first appeared this morning. First off they wrote that Keith Link was flying a Piper, and I had to remind them that VH-UVS was actually a Cessna. They state that aviation fatalities for 2024 were 27 (with no breakdown) - and took out the part that originally stated the fatalities were down from 34 in 2023. I gave the journo a serve over failing to address the complexity behind the reasons for aircraft crashes, and pointed out that the ATSB doesn't have unlimited numbers of crash investigator staff, and unlimited funding. I'm surprised that Lorraine MacGillivray would make a statement that seems to indicate that young people and total inexperience are the major reason for aircraft crashes, and seems to indicate this is leading to an increase in crashes. I pointed out that it's largely older people flying aircraft, because they're the ones normally with accumulated money that enables them to indulge in aviation. I also pointed out the fact that no-one has yet found a way to stop pilots from having medical events that can easily fly under the doctors radar. And I also detest the way the article conflates recreational flying with commercial flying, mustering and other dangerous air work. All in all, a pretty badly done article, and I expected better from the ABC.

evening summer flying. Oh the enjoyable long days and twilight. plenty of time for flying after 6pm or even 8pm this time of year. A mix of cut and uncut paddocks. Had a look at Thruster's farm. no longer underwater. I really am paying attention. although- it does fly hands-off better now than it ever did before. (post re rigging the ailerons) Hmmm time to find an airport. I can see the reflection of my tail strobe on my instrument panel.

Guys, I’d also beg you to refrain from off-topic discussions on this thread. I’m hoping that it can build to a useful and informative thread where folks can come to learn about these engines and our aircraft where the information, either good or bad can be found without having to troll through irrelevant comments. Thanks.

After several iterations and failures the 3D printed 9XX valve compressor gizmo works great 👍

Spent an hour with some mildly soapy warm water... I want to start making the cover so thought I'd better start with a clean plane! In the end I went thru 6 buckets and the water in each one was brown when I finished. Amazing how much dust gets on it in the shed. So now she's the cleanest she's ever been since the sheets of aluminium were unpacked 14 years ago! Next job is to get a big roll of paper, lay out and cut, then cut the car cover up and sew it together. Anyway, thought I'd share a pic or two of the clean plane!

My granddaughter is visiting NZ from QLD so we decided to go for a flight in the J230 yesterday. We were going to head to the central plateau to see the snow so I had about 75 litres onboard however the weather dictated a short scenic to the coast (about 20 mins away). It was a beautiful day there so I made a decision to land at a small 500m strip next to the beach. We then enjoyed some time at the beach with the dog before heading back. I picked an abort point and employed a soft field takeoff technique. Unfortunately we failed to get airborne in a safe distance. This was a first for me there and it was due to a soft surface, nil wind and pretty much MTOW. No mobile coverage there so I used my Garmin Inreach to message my partner who made the 50 min trip out by road. She brought the fuel pump and two 20 litre fuel containers so I defueled 40 litres from the aircraft. Granddaughter and dog traveled back via road. By this time the wind had picked up to around 5 knots so I lined up with the tail over the threshold and tried again. This time I was airborne before halfway. A great learning experience with three big takeaways for me. 1. Don't be landing on short grass strips in the winter at MTOW no matter how nice they look. 2. 90 kg makes a huge difference to a J230 takeoff roll in these circumstances. 3. Always carry an alternative communication device that doesn't rely on the mobile network. The Inreach has come in handy a few times now even if its just to give others peace of mind.

"'Ere, what's Mabel wearing, Stan?" "I can't quite tell, Ed, but it sure needs ironing!"

Midfield crosswind joins are, in my opinion, the safest. You get to see the windsock and everyone knows exactly where you are coming from.

I've always been taught, no flaps until you are 100% certain you are making the field. In this instance, I would say he wasn't 100% sure until he cleared the last building, and he was on the ground 2 seconds later. Flaps at the last second may have softened the landing, but hey, they walked away and from pictures, it looks like a salvageable airframe, so 10/10 to the pilot from me. Although, he did miss the centreline, so, 9.5/10 😁

It's funny, I often find myself in these discussions about performance LSA type aircraft, and the reality is, if one really need lots of speed, then one fly something fast, and stop trying to wring the neck out of a 912ULS to get past 120kts. I had this chat the other day and said, I like to sit on about 112-115 That will do. This guy says... yeah I like to sit at least 120, as I like to get there. Hmm... I had to remind him that the reality is, there are a number of factors that could speed you up or slow you down! Simply arriving at the airport and having to either wait a bit to get down or the like, and the valuable minutes you saved torturing your engine, are gone. Add to that head winds and tail winds, and well, it all goes out the window. For me, the journey is just as important as the destination!

This has been a great long weekend so far - Anzac Day, most of Friday and today I worked on getting the wings on properly. As of this afternoon they're both supporting themselves with the struts and wing bolts in. Still got the jury struts to do (bit more work in them, have to make the steel brackets) but it's a fantastic feeling to see her sitting there with wings! Feels nice and solid too. There's no slop at all - if you move one wingtip, the whole aircraft rocks.

Last weekend at the 50th Anniversary of Antiques Aeroplanes Association in Corowa, NSW. ~150 aircrafts attended the Fly-in. Great event, lots of activities, fun.. Camping under the wing - Priceless !

Doesn’t look like much, just a country town, but it’s MY country town. First time I’ve been away from the airport since getting back to flying after a break of 7 years. Been doing lots of circuits; still not entirely comfortable, but getting there. It used to be so easy… 🫤 Amusing aside. My GPS decided to not function and I had to navigate using compass and clock. Lot of years since I last did that. Lucky it was dead still and clear (and I wasn’t flying very far 😛).

This is not my last flight, it's a post I picked up from Facebook, but I thought some of the points may be of interest. "I am a pilot. Flying is in my blood. I decided at 39 years old to quit my corporate America office job and learn how to fly. Here in the US, if you dream of working as an airline pilot, you have to accumulate at least 1500 hours of total flight time. How you go about this doesn’t really matter. In order to supplement the hours one gets during training and working entry level jobs, lots of pilots in the US supplement their total hours by flying cross country flights on their own dime. I took this photo while flying such a flight from Chicago to Clinton, Iowa today. There is nothing duller than flying across the flat plains of the US. It’s completely flat and completely empty… yet it’s shockingly humbling. I’ve done this exact flight a number of times and I’m always humbled by it. Humbled by the expansiveness of the region, the emptiness, and how the diurnal heating of the ground can toss an airplane around even at 6500ft. I’m also humbled by the kindness of the air traffic controllers that are almost 100 miles away from me, yet take responsibility of my safety like I’m one of their own kids. They want to make sure that I get home safe to my wife and dogs at the end of a completely pointless flight. The kindness exchanged between pilots and other pilots, pilots and controllers, and pilots and airports in this region are unparalleled. I landed at an airport today that had a couch, a chair, personal hygiene products, wifi, bathroom and even a car to use completely free of charge, no questions asked, without any staff members present. The final frontier of trust as far as I’m concerned. I’m so lucky to live in a place where all of this is possible and to have a life where chasing a dream isn’t out of reach. Being dull isn’t a negative… I find it to be quite the opposite. It gives me the canvas I need to paint the future that I want. I hope this dull photo can inspire you as well. Your future is what you want to make of it."

A beautiful morning flight around Moreton Island with a mate, priceless.😊

Is that a ‘drag’ queen ?