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F10

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  1. F10

    Affordability?

    F10 replied to F10's topic in Skyfox/Gazelle

    Bit of a mute point in a way…I find my daughter (next to no experience) finds the Gazelle challenging…no doubt a Thruster pilot will find a Harvard challenging….There was an amusing saying which is “Spitfires and Mustangs are good trainers for the Harvard”. This statement I can tell you, is remarkably true. 🙂
  2. F10

    Winscreens?

    F10 replied to F10's topic in Skyfox/Gazelle

    Assumption my aircraft has this problem…it doesn’t in fact. Could be, but I’m pretty sure I’m wings level in flight, most of the time anyway. In the Gazelle, you don’t adjust a tab, but rather a set of thin cables and a spring, which bias the stick aileron neutral point, left or right. Quite a neat little system.
  3. F10

    Affordability?

    F10 replied to F10's topic in Skyfox/Gazelle

    Yes you have, many times. I may have said this before, suits me, I fly for fun, not to scare myself brainless with something that keeps trying to kill me on weekends.
  4. F10
    Thoughts on doing a 180 turn, basically your only option, but don’t delay….the tricky part is rolling out of the turn….by then the fluid would have settled in the semi-circular canals of your inner ear, so rolling out will feel like rolling into a turn. The US Navy in the early days, saw lots of guys diving into the sea, on night carrier take offs. They realised the rapid acceleration of the cat launch gave the pilots a very strong sensation of a nose up pitch, as thefluid rolled back in their inner ears…getting shot off into a black hole horizon wise. If you look at carrier launch control deflections today, the pilots have the stick fully back on launch, nose up, so even if you inadvertently moved it forward, you will just level off, not dive towards the sea. No matter what, force yourself to believe your AI…if you even have one in an RA aircraft! Hope you get out very soon after the turn.
  5. F10
    😂😂 yeah, those flat shoes allow for some high kicks…during discussions about measuring distances, what relates is, looking at some rec’ aircraft, you need a pair as big as bowling balls to fly them!
  6. F10

    Winscreens?

    F10 replied to F10's topic in Skyfox/Gazelle

    Yep, I planned to use the old screen as a template. But thickness, I recon about 3mm?
  7. F10
    One thing about the old Skyfox Gazelle is, you can pick up a pretty nice one these days, for around the $25 000 mark…this probably makes it one of the most affordable conventional three axis aircraft out there. We bought one that yes, needed a good shot of TLC (Rotax 5 year rubber and an annual) but has come up very nice and in partnership with a good mate, ended up costing us $11 000 each….not bad for what is a safe fun aircraft. In fact, at today’s prices, you could buy two, re-build one to mint condition, then sell (or keep) the other and still spend less or not much more than what a new single seater kit would cost. I think this window is slowly closing….in a few years, they might not be worth salvaging. Yes our Rotax is on condition, but it’s an amazing little motor and showed the same compression test values, when checked, as a 500 hour engine would have. Yes, it’s basically an “around the cabbage patcher”, with an 80 Kts cruise speed, but I don’t care! Very happy with it!
  8. F10

    Winscreens?

    F10 replied to F10's topic in Skyfox/Gazelle

    Ok! So confirm, Lexan, about 3 mm thick? 1 m square?
  9. F10
    Yeah, Coastal Aviation also makes main gear leg replacement struts, my aircraft has them. They look a lot stronger than the original legs. I have the job details in the aircraft log book if anyone interested.
  10. F10
    Sorry, my Gazelle hangared a bit far away, will have to get back to you….one comment, a company called Coastal Aviation Unit 4 3-5 Runway Drive Marcoola Qld makes replacement gear leg struts for the Gazelle. The phone number I have is 07 5448 8991. They might have some measurements. Not sure why the old struts needed replacing, but a few Gazelles have these new struts.the do look stronger! The point is, if your strut bungee chords are a bit old or stretched, the track will be splayed out or wider, so this is probably not a consistent measurement.
  11. F10

    Winscreens?

    F10 replied to F10's topic in Skyfox/Gazelle

    Looking good! Like your yellow wings and blue fuselage, always enjoyed that US Navy type colour scheme. Yep the problem is that small radius curved area near the wing leading edge pins….I can appreciate you can get stress cracks there over time. Haven’t got around to this yet, not a big priority at this stage. I see it appears you have modded your fuel tank breather pipes, facing into wind. I think the original design is quite good but has tight tolerances so needs checking for blockages. I always blow through them to check. I have heard some Gazelles can suck fuel from one tank more than the other, which can be a bit worrisome in flight!
  12. F10
    Yep agree, it would be in a pretty desperate situation, but of the two, a spiral dive is the end. This I think is a small chance of survival. Just to repeat, the BEST option, avoid IMC. I think instructors should really emphasise the importance of carrying out a precautionary landing, in a field or suitable area. So many IMC related accidents could have been avoided, with a precautionary. I know this is much easier said than done….we are very reluctant to damage our pride and joy….if I can push on a bit more….I’m sure it will improve……Another sad fact is, we are all aware that an off runway precautionary will result in the usual publicity and the whole world knowing about it in nano seconds…this can possibly cloud sound judgement. I know it crosses my mind!
  13. F10
    Yeah, if someone offers me a ride in their aircraft….I always actually say to them, I DO NOT want to hear them say to me during the light….”Watch this” or “Check this out”. I want to decide on my own “watching and checking”!
  14. F10
    Well, something which has only come up now!…..I would never use anything more than about 10-15 degrees or “Take off” flap, landing in a strong crosswind. Full flap or “Land” flap only increases the crosswind effect on the aircraft and encourages the into wind wing to lift on touchdown, this flap setting will also cause you and your aircraft to work harder on a go around….remember the Golden Rule. Generally: Around 12 degrees flap, means lots of lift…for a small drag increase More than 12 odd degrees, means a small lift increase, with a large drag increase. Choose what’s best for the situation.
  15. F10
    Ironically, if you are spinning, a stalled condition of flight, you will not break up the aircraft and if you break cloud high enough, you might be able to recover…but all in all a very bad sitch….I remember being told that if your aircraft has gentle stall characteristics and doesn’t tend to drop a wing, and…if you are in a desperate situation trapped above/surrounded by cloud…holding the aircraft in the stall, as you enter cloud is a “safer” option to get through it, as going into a spiral dive is game over….of course cloud base will need to be high enough for a stall recovery. However….you should have never got into IMC….I strongly recommend anyone who hasn’t, get an IF rated pilot, to take you into cloud….when you totally lose sight of outside references, and that horrible feeling of vertigo runs it’s cold fingers across your heart…..you will realise how bad it can be……
  16. F10
    Poor 172….such a waste. I think the guy who owns the hangar with the camera on it, gave those trees a “thank you” pat on their trunks! Of note is how they struggled to open the door, guess that’s why popping doors open before ditching or forced landing, if you have time, is a good idea. Ideally, jettison them, but few civil aircraft doors built for this.
  17. F10
    Wow, checking fuel quantity regardless, is a fundamental of per flight checks. I’m amazed how many incidents of theft/fuel starvation are reported here. Any leak could have occurred overnight, never mind theft. If you have a U/S fuel quantity system, even more important. If you have serviceable gauges, what happened to “fuel contents-selection-booster pump” as part of pre take off checks? Flying our aircraft, not often, in remote locations, a good pre flight check is pretty much essential.
  18. F10
    Early attempts at cabin pressurisation, with cloth covered aircraft, were fraught with risk.
  19. F10
    Rare but can occur…during a house move, the wife rolled up the aircraft build plans along with the yacht build plans, causing blueprint sheets to get mixed up.
  20. F10
    Yeah, I remember being an age when 60 was an impossible concept. You know your old when your 20 year old daughter comments in wonder how your eyebrows have gone grey!🥺
  21. F10
    “a low wing with its side effect of boundary layer, high wing, and biplanes where you had to allow for one wing in boundary layer and one not,” Not sure here. “Boundary layer” as I understand it, is the very thin layer of air, on the wing surface. Air molecules right at the wing surface, get dragged along with the wing. They brushed Tulcum powder onto a Mirage F1 wing, flew it to 600 kts, powder was still on the wing. There is a smooth laminar flow at the leading edge area, we then reach the “transition point” where the boundary layer becomes slightly turbulent and finally the separation point near the trailing edge, where reverse flow occurs causing separation. The energy characteristics of this boundary layer, and it’s ability to stick to the wing surface, determines the stalling characteristics of an aircraft. Boundary layer breakaway, defines the stall. So, as to bi plane landings, what may refer is the lower wing being more in “ground effect”, a different concept, than the upper wing? I would not have thought this would be noticeable as ground effect can be noticed by a pilot, up to half a wingspan (in theory, 3/4 wingspan) above the runaway surface. Anyone suffering insomnia….well this should have sorted it!😴
  22. F10
    And there’s more!🤓tricycle undercarriage, have the C of G ahead of the mains, this tends to help straighten the aircraft after touch down. I landed my Gazellie last Tuesday in an “angry” wind….was actually a bit late ruddering it straight, (I like “kick it straight”….it implies be positive and quick with the rudder, a good idea), she jerked slightly sideways, but I got the rudder in, immediately straightening her out…no drama of rolling moments and still having to rudder her straight….go the crabs!
  23. F10
    “TW The aileron on the into wind wing is actually up, not down. If the aileron were down, it would lift the into wind wing.” Yes…but what I meant is touching down on one wheel in a wing down landing…the aircraft is still flying, most pilots use aileron to lower the other wheel. This roll often causes an out of wind rolling moment with down aileron, at the worst time. Watch the Oshkosh cross wind landings on U Tube….the wing down lads seem to get more out of shape immediately after touch down, to me anyway.
  24. F10
    I have been told if my Gazelle has a 24 number before the RAAus number, then it was certified with an 80 Hp 912 and you can’t change that without voiding the certification? Would be great to put in a 100 Hp 912. Another thing….the Gazelles had an alternator on/off switch installed, apparently CASA wanted it for a VH reg. What is the story here? Flight manual says with an alternator failure, land as soon as practicable basically means land at first suitable airfield….it’s not land “immediately” basically a forced landing or land as “soon as possible” basically this would be a precautionary landing on the first suitable surface…so it seems to be not that urgent? However, the manual says to NOT switch alternator off in flight? Surely engine won’t stop? The alternator windings will induce a current, you don’t need battery power surely? Rotax maintenance manual doesn’t address this as far as I can see.
  25. F10
    Crab for me…kick it straight on touchdown, stick over into wind. Wing down just complicates things, I’ve seen more getting out of shape lifting that low wing (aileron will be down, on the into wind wing….not great) than stick into wind on touchdown. But I concede, probably a personal preference. Crabs worked for 6500 hrs….not changing now. By the way, airliners gear is engineers with being able to touch down sideways, it’s actually recommended, changing a few tyres in that Bob Janes tyre shop hanging below them, costs a lot less than scraped engine pods and possibly fodded engines.
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