cscotthendry

LOL, No help at all Mike. He's looking for a pressure sender.

Skippy: I just remembered that I have an old Honeywell sender here and I decided to measure the thread. It mics out at exactly 10mm, but the thread pitch looked like a 28Ga on my thread gauge. So I'm not sure what the actual thread is. It might be some kind of pipe thread. It was definitely not a 1.0, 1.25 or a 1.5mm thread which seems to rule out being a standard metric thread for 10mm.

I'm a bit puzzled by what you mean by "degrade". Are you seeing erratic readings, or just lower than normal readings? If they're just lower than normal, I'd have a look at other aspects of the engine to make sure that excessive wear is not causing the problem. To replace the sender, if Speco do not do a metric thread sender, it may still be possible to use one, by getting an adapter, either buying one or getting one made by someone.

Glenn: If you plan to fly into Agnes Water, best to give Bruce or Woody a call first. It is a private strip and the take a very dim view of people just lobbing in without permission. Having said that, they are very friendly and quite happy to let flyers use the strip. From memory, there was a landing fee expected, but I forget how much. Bruce or Woody will fill you in on the details there. If you are going in numbers, ask Bruce or Woody about contacting Macca for ground transport. He drives a small school bus and is a really great guy, very helpful.

Paul: When my Legend was delivered, the factory had set the prop pitch (Woodcomp) at around 4800 static RPM. I flew it like that for most of the first year. Later on I put a new Bolly on and set it the same as the factory prop. Then Rotax put out a service bulletin (Letter?) stating that the minimum was 5200 or 5300 (I forget which). So I decided to re-pitch my prop (Now Bolly). I expected that I would have to use higher RPM to get the same cruise speed and that I would use more fuel. In fact, I do have to use higher RPM to get the same cruise speed, but I still use the same amount of fuel! Takeoff and climb performance is better with the finer pitch but I was surprised that the fuel consumption remained the same (or nearly so). I asked a few people and they said that props are optimised for a certain forward speed and RPM range. If you set the prop too steep, it ends up working against itself somehow. The aerodynamics are fairly complex apparently. In my experience, at cruise RPM, a Rotax uses a certain amount of fuel per hour, regardless of what it's towing through the sky. What varies is the resultant airspeed and that is related to the amount of drag the airframe generates. High camber STOL wings generate lots of lift, but also lots of drag and so those airplanes fly slower than ones with lower camber wings. Airplanes with two struts have more drag than those with one, which have more drag than those with none. Airplanes with wire braced wings have more drag again and cloth wings are draggier than metal or composite wings etc etc.

I think the problem is that developers see large tracts of cleared flat land and see dollar signs. Those same developers donate *generously* to councillors and so get favorable treatment in many cases. Finally, councils see their small airports as large costs, and they think in terms of dollars only, so the outcomes are fairly predictable. I would like to shout out to those councils (like the council that oversees Gayndah) that not only recognise the traffic and income that their airport brings to town, but are willing to develop and improve their airport rather than trying to flog it off to the carpet baggers.

The OP's phrase "check me off" is a bit confusing. Is he wanting to get a familiarization flight in his plane? When he says he has "just completed my pilot certificate" does that mean he has received his actual certificate, or does it mean he's completed the requisite hours? If, as others have assumed that he's wanting to finalise his solo work to get the actual certificate then robinsm is correct to say "If you built the aircraft you can be trained in it.". But to be more precise, you can ONLY do ab-initio training in a 19 reg aircraft if you ARE the original builder. Ab-initio training includes being "checked off" for your final solo work. What I understand to be the case is that if you are not the original builder of the 19 reg plane, you can only do endorsements and further training in it, AFTER you've finished the ab initio stuff.

OK, here's another one

Keith: Not too sure why the EKP would change orientation uncommanded. Did you change profiles? All the profiles have their own settings and everything you set up in a profile is stored as part of that profile. If you change profile, you get whatever the settings were for that profile, which I think includes screen orientation. As for the background color of the maps, check to see if the GPS has been switched into night mode. That could also be as a result of changing profile. WRT to having the battery in, it's probably best to leave the battery in permanently. I mount mine in a panel dock and just leave the battery in all the time.

I forgot to say, when you start flying around the countryside, take videos of your flights if and when you can. You'll be amazed at how much enjoyment you'll get from the captured memories.

Flying is a mechanical skill like riding a bike or driving a car. It's more intense at first and there is more to look after and flying is less forgiving of making mistakes. That said, IMHO anyone who can learn to drive a car can learn to fly a plane. Be patient and enjoy the process. A lot of students reach a point and think something like "I can't make this work ... I'm no good at this" and then they give up. DON'T GIVE UP because of that. It is quite a common experience and you WILL get through it if you persist. But having said that, if you find yourself thinking that the instructor is a jerk (and they ARE out there), go try another instructor. Don't let someone who's had a personality bypass ruin flying for you. An instructor should be your ally, not your adversary. As you mentioned, your TIF was no "joy" flight. This is true also for a fair while after you solo. There is a great responsibility on the PIC to keep themself and their passenger(s) safe, and there is a lot to manage. For a while you might even question whether you really like flying after all. Stick with it. It gets better with experience ... MUCH better! Spend as much time as you can manage flying, but especially socialising with other pilots. Listen to what they say, but don't take everything everyone says, unquestioningly. If you can manage it, buy your own plane. This will open up a lot of activities that aren't so easy with rented planes; like flying away to weekend fly-ins etc. If you do buy a plane, try to find a group that does flying trips and join in if you can. You will learn HEAPS by doing these trips and you will have the support and safety of being with other aircraft. All the best with your flying .. blue skies and tailwinds.

I forgot to mention that when the wifi was on, the un-squelching was not constant, meaning that it would come and go for a while, then stop for a while then start up again. It also seemed worse on some frequencies and not on other ones.

I've had occasional issues with having the iPad and iPhones interfering with the radio. I'm not certain of this, but I think it could be related to the wifi in the apple devices. Normally, I use my iPhone and iPad on the wifi at home. If I forget to turn the wifi off while flying, the radio periodically un-squelches with static. When I turn the wifi off on all the devices, it seems to stop. Could be the problem, but I'm not sure. Note: I still have the mobile data switched on so that I can see the OzRunway traffic.

I found a neat gadget at the caravan sale on now at the Brisbane show grounds. It is a dual USB charger with a built in volt meter. $25 if anyone is interested. They're at the HardKorr stand. I think the show ends today and these items don't show up on Korr's website. You'll have to go into the caravan show but it's worth a look. Be quick!

Hello Tim: I too am from Hollywood, and not CA either. Hollywood FL. Welcome to the forums. Blue skies and tailwinds back atcha.

The mechanical vertical compasses definitely do have north and south hemisphere units and are not interchangeable. The magnet in these compasses is oriented horizontally, and the position is translated to the card by gears. So these compasses require vibration to operate correctly. When swinging one of these, after you orient the plane to the heading, tap the compass gently as you adjust the appropriate compensator. The compass and the compensators are magnetic and intended to be so. I would NOT under any circumstances attempt to demagnetise any compass.

Haven't landed there as I hear they charge quite high landing fees and woe betide the flyer who lands without permission! Be warned...

Hi: You didn't mention what type of engine, or how much coolant you had to start with in the overflow bottle, or how much you have lost and over what length of time, but I'll have a little stab at this. The amount of coolant in the expansion bottle should be between the minimum and maximum levels indicated on the bottle. If you check the collector tank at the top of the engine (I'm assuming a Rotax engine here) and it is full to the neck, then I'd lean towards having the coolant in the expansion bottle nearer to the minimum level. Pressurising the line between the collector tank and the expansion bottle won't really tell you much. There's never any pressure in that line even when the engine is working hard and some coolant expands into the bottle. The top cap of the expansion bottle should have an air hole in it so consequently there is never any pressure in the overflow line or bottle. Things to check: (Again assuming a Rotax engine.) 1) There is no air in the engine. Do this by removing the collector tank cap (cold of course) and lifting the collector tank as high as the hose connections will allow so that any air in them will migrate into the tank. Give each hose to the heads a little squeeze while you're doing this to encourage any bubbles up into the tank. When you're finished with this, make sure the tank is full right up to the neck with the correct coolant. 2) Check the seals on the tank cap for ageing or nicks. The tank cap causes a slight pressure buildup in the cooling system in the engine which raises the boiling point of the coolant. If the cap is not sealing, then that pressure won't build up and under the right conditions localised boiling can occur in the cooling system, which causes steam bubbles which will push extra coolant out into the overflow bottle. 3) Check that you have the right coolant tank cap for the coolant you are running. I think there are different caps for Evans coolant and for glycol based coolants, but I could be wrong here. If there's any doubt about the status or condition of your coolant tank cap, buy a new one. They're not that expensive. 4) If you can find out what the tank cap pressure rating is, see if you can get someone with a cooling system pressure tester. It's a little gadget that clamps on in place of the tank cap and has a pump handle to pressurise the system. Pressurise the system to the cap rating and hold it there and see whether the pressure leaks down. If it does, you have a coolant leak somewhere. 5) Check under the engine where the coolant pump is for signs of coolant leaks. Coolant pump seals work very hard under heat and pressure. They are prone to failure. 6) Check all your hoses for signs of coolant leaks. I put this last because, a leaking hose will more than likely lose coolant at a huge rate of knots, not just a little loss now and then.

I hate to say "I told you so..." but if anyone cares to look back at my posts about RA Aus being run by "professional managers" ... I told you so! And this week a nice colour booklet and a spiffy little foldout came in the mail. I'm guessing that everyone got one of these, yet somehow we "can't afford" to print Sport Pilot anymore??? At least they could run advertising in the mag. BTW, You're right Kasper, it's not a member organisation anymore. PS: Two years ago, at Evans head, I brought up the fact that RA Aus stopped sending out the little clear adhesive pockets for the rego cards for new regos. I got resoundingly slapped down by the two Michaels on the basis that there would be no more rego cards for planes, everything would be done electronicly, hence no need for the pockets. Yet two years on and we still have the little plastic rego cards. Methinks the two amigos get their ambitions and their abilities mixed up.

At Oshkosh this year there were NO fences apart from around the whole venue to keep non-payers out. There were hundreds of thousands of people, thousands of airplanes, tens of thousands of aircraft movements and not a single case of an idiot walking into a prop, anywhere. But here in Oz (according to CASA) we're not to be trusted!

I built a Skyranger Nynja from a kit. At first glance, the build instructions looked "thin" to me. However, once I got going into the build, I found that the important part, the structure was pretty much fool-proof if you didn't try to "improve" it. Where the instructions were thin was with the finishing part, and as Derek mentioned about his kit, with the engine plumbing, electrics and instrument/radio installations. With the electrics, I had an advantage as I'm an avionics tech (retired) so I had some ideas about that. As for everything else, it was a combination of head-scratching and when all else failed, call the dealer. My guess is that other kits would follow this same rough outline, where the structure and aerodynamic parts are worked out and shouldn't be altered but the mechanics and electrics can be tailored to the builder's needs. The main things the builder has to do are a) respect the designer's input as to structural and aerodynamic practices, b) Keep the finished W&B within specs, and c) build the aircraft as trouble-free as they can. Part c) goes to things like restraining wires and hoses from movement and preventing chafing etc. and following best aeronautical practices such as safety wiring, bolt placements and torques. I also have seen a number of kit planes where the builder either ran out of money or time. Home-built airplanes are no different to houses or boats in that regard.

I Agree, it might get you out of a pinch, but I wouldn't use 91 octane long term in the 100HP Rotax. I would especially not use 91 octane in an engine that uses Evans coolant as you would almost guarantee that you'd get detonation (knock) in the engine due to the higher operating temps with Evans.

I would suggest to talk to the original builder if that is possible. If you're buying it from the original builder, you can often get a good idea of how much care and attention they put into building it. Another clue is the finish and appearance of the plane. Even a superficial look at a poorly built plane will show signs. Look for things not fitting or operating correctly. Did the builder take the time to decorate the plane nicely? That shows that they took some pride in the project and were prepared to invest some extra time and money on it. The finish says a lot about the builder. By the time a builder reaches the end of the physical construction, there is a strong urge to get it into the air. It may have been built to a very high standard, but if the builder was prepared to take the extra time to make it also look nice, that suggests that they are thorough and patient, two very important attributes of a good builder. I think that how the builder finished the plane suggests how they built the plane. Also, if you are buying from the original builder, ask to have a look at the build log. If it is almost or completely non-existent then I'd run a mile... in the opposite direction. In contrast, a builder that trots out something the size of a dictionary, with lots of pictures and drawings and explanations, and then bores the sox off you describing how he solved the tricky door latch issue, has probably built a good, safe plane. Also, if you're buying from the builder, you can ask them whether they varied anything from the original build instructions and if so, why. Ask about compliance with ADs and SBs on the airframe and engine. Have a look at the maintenance log and other documentation. Look specifically for documentation of builder-initiated mods made after the first registration. Ask about damage history and look for signs of any repairs made to the plane. If the builder/owner admits there is any damage history, look for it in the logs. Damage is not necessarily a show stopper, but it must be properly repaired and documented. Also it should be factored into the sale price. Ask other people who might know anything about the plane. Ask at the airport where the plane is based and ask here on the forums. I'll probably be stoking the hornets nest with this, but did the builder put a new or second hand engine in the plane when they first built it? If they put a second hand engine in, that suggests to me that they were building on a tight budget and there might be other areas where they went for the "cheap" option. Would you buy a car that had a half-life or near-end-of-life engine installed when the car was new? I wouldn't. All of these things will be checked by a competent L2 or LAME, but a lot of them are things you can check before you start throwing money at professional inspectors. Finally, if you're buying from the builder and they show any hesitation to be completely honest about any aspect of the build or maintenance of the plane, run a mile in the opposite direction. Your life could depend on it. EDIT: One last thing, take your time buying a plane and be prepared to walk away if you're not completely comfortable with any aspect of the purchase.

Around the local area the EKP works as advertised. On long trips is where things start to go wnorg. After 1-1/2 - 2 hrs, the update of the heading line starts to slow down. It gets to where it updates about every 2-3 minutes! In two minutes I can do a standard rate 360 and the poor old GPS is none the wiser. At this point the heading appears frozen and shows why you shouldn't rely on GPS for navigation cross country. I never had problems like this with my previous GPS. I've had other problems with this GPS also, where it allows settings that either conflict with other parameters and settings or that shouldn't cause problems. One of those is the WAAS/EGNOS setting. If you set this to ON in Australia, it causes the GPS to lose lock on the satellites all the time as it searches the signal for the correction info, that is not available here. WAAS/EGNOS relies on ground stations transmitting correction data to the GPS satellites, which then send a corrected signal to your GPS. We don't have them in Oz (to the best of my knowledge) and so the GPS should ignore or not allow that setting here ... but it doesn't. Another minor annoyance is that in parts of Europe (where these GPS are made) airport codes start with "L". So when you do a search for an airport, to set up a flight plan, the default starting letter is "L" so you have to scroll the thumbwheel around to "Y" which our airfields start with every time! I haven't found a way to change this default behavior yet. It's just stuff like that, that bug me with this thing. When I'm concentrating on flying the plane, little irritations like these get magnified and they add up.