cscotthendry

Luxury! When I were lad we had to play wi ourselves in middle of 'road! Couldn't afford 'ouse, nor window.

No, I think he means businesses that are oriented towards what they do rather than how much profit they make. When I was growing up, shoe companies strived to make better shoes, now they strive to make more profitable shoes. There's a world of difference between the two.

Well isn't that interesting. Just about every ad for every retail business spruiks that they provide all three. And BTW, we customers have as many horror stories about retailers as you do about customers. The difference is, we CAN shop elsewhere if we're badly treated and we DO. It's the golden rule, He with the gold, makes the rules and as customers, we're the ones with the gold.

Shafs: Staying away from the caffein before flying is a good move. Caffein is a diuretic (makes you want to pee) and is imcompatible with long flights unless you're flying something with onboard toilets! Drink water in moderation on any flight to keep yourself hydrated. Dehydration, even in a mild form reduces your mental acuity and reaction time.

Which is a very strong argument for owning your own airplane. It doesn't have to be a million dollar machine, but having your own means that you can choose when to fly and how long to fly for. It also has the advantage that you can go to overnight or multi day fly ins. People who rent out aircraft are reluctant to let you rent them for overnight trips as they lose the availability of the plane for more hours than you will put on it eg, it costs them money.

That IS a seriously sexy design. I'd love to see that on the track!

I deleted the other video and re-edited it to improve the sound. It's best at the highest resolution your internet connection will accomodate.

I soloed in the trike at 12 hours. Was I ready? I thought so at the time, but as time went on, I realised that a few more hours under instruction would have better prepared me, especially for the turbulence. I remember that my instructor asked me the night before whether I thought I could get the trike safely on the ground if something happened to him and I answered "yes". Landing has always been strongest part of my flying so I had no fear that I could get the trike back down safely. The next day, my instructor took me up for three circuits, then he got out and I did two solo circuits. It was a bit of an anti-climax. I was already aware of the existing conditions and the only thing that was different was that the trike climbed faster and wanted to float more on approach. My confidence in my landings was put to the test the day after my solo when we flew our respective trikes to a nearby airfield that had trees very close to the runway and there was a 10-12KT direct crosswind. When I got to the tops of the trees, the rotor off the trees hit and slewed the trike smartly sideways. I hit the noise pedal and went around, but I was shaking like a leaf all through the second circuit and for a while after the landing ... but I DID get it back down safely.

Absolutely agree but it takes time to get confident enough with the bumps to let go of the controls. Yes, bike racing IS a lot more dangerous than flying, but we're not dealing with rational fear here. We're not riding a motorcycle 3,000 feet up in the air. The fear of falling is a powerful one and can only be overcome with time and experience. It CAN be done and the key is not giving up or letting it beat you.

Shafs: I'd rather be a live chicken than a dead duck.

All too often the yobbs end up smeared across the countryside like a thin spread of Vegemite. Unfortunately they sometimes take innocent victims with them.

Shafs: Filming your flight is also a good way to resolve the bumps. (BTW I agree strongly with FH that it is courageous of you to admit what we all feel but rarely speak of) Filming your flights will show you how little the airplane actually moves in the bumps compared to what it feels like when you're experiencing them. When you go back and look for that "big hit" you had and maybe you'll have trouble identifying it on the video, you'll start to think "WTF? Where was that "big hit?" Then you might start to think "It felt BIG, but it looks kind of "meh" on the video!" Confession time: I also had the turbulence monkey when I had the trike. It ended up getting so bad, I swapped to three axis flying and eventually got over most of it. I still get a little wobble in the early stage of the flight if it's significantly bumpy. Having said that, flying a trike is a whole different ball game in turbulence as Alf mentioned. Weight shift flying is VERY physical in the bumps.

Doug: Thanks for the comments / compliments. Yes we were on the "chat channel" (123.45) for most of the flight but also monitoring the area frequency. In the video, near the end you hear both of us say "changing back to the CTAF". The beep shortly after is my radio swapping back. Just sayin' ...

A friend kindly took my wife up in his plane so she could get some aerial footage of our new plane https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS5H5EVonXc

Shafs: You are DEFINITELY not alone in your dislike of the bumps. That said, the more you fly with them, the more you'll see that the plane can handle them. Also, if you're in any doubt about overstressing the airframe in the bumps, just slow down a little. It's quite amazing how slowing down will soften the bumps. Something that helped me and I know you'll hate me for saying it, I found that when I started to get the willies about the bumps, I would force myself to stay out a bit longer. What I found happened with me was that my tenseness would eventually wear me down physically to the point where I couldn't fight the bumps any more and .... Nothing happened! The plane didn't fall out of the sky and the wings didn't tear off. When I got back on the ground I was pretty buggered, but elated that I survived it and the next time I went up, I felt less intimidated. Usually after a session like that, I made a point to go back up again as soon as I could and I found my "bump tolerance" increasing. In any case, as I said, you are not alone in your dislike of the bumps. Most people go through that, but when you lose most of the fear of the bumps, you, like the rest of us will still dislike flying in them and take whatever steps you can to avoid them where possible. As for flying away from the nest, I think that's probably also related to your fear of the turbulence. Again you'll have to force the issue with yourself a bit. On a final note here's something else that helped me. If you don't yet have a passenger endorsement, get it. That way you can take friends and family up for a fly. This does two things 1) with the extra weight in the plane, the bumps don't feel nearly as bad. 2) with someone else in the plane and you in command, it leads you to show them confidence (even if you're not feeling it) and by acting in a confident manner and successfully flying the airplane and delivering your passenger safely back to the airfield, it is amazing how that will boost your confidence in yourself. You might not feel very confident while you're up there, but when you've put the plane away and you're on your way home, you'll probably do a little mental fist-pump and say to yourself "I did that!". Allow yourself that little "win" and pat yourself on the back for your success.

Doug: Picture wobble: Yep, that was the problem with the camera mounts. They're not rigid enough. Thanks for your positive comments though.

After some minor maintenance (teething troubles) We got a short flight in the Legend to try out the new camera mounts (not so successful) and to make sure all the things we worked on are working properly (they are) and generally just learn how to fly and land our new baby.

Hasse: There are some very interesting videos on YouTube about what happens to polycarbonate sheet that is rubbed with alcohol. Apparently this happens especially if the edges are flame polished. I don't have a link to hand, but if you search youtube for alcohol and plexiglas ...

Brilliant to see that footage! Thanks for posting it here.

David: At the risk of hijacking Mikes thread ... How is your purchase coming along? Still on track?

Mike: We have had a few teething issues, so we haven't flown the new plane as much as we'd hoped to at this stage. One of the issues was a clunk in one of the main LG wheels. We eventually traced it to a loose wheel bearing due to the socket in the hub being slightly oversize. We put some bearing retaining Loctite on it and the noise seems to have gone, but we're not sure if it is a permanent fix. In any case, the dealer has arranged for a replacement wheel to be sent from the factory. There have been some other minor things to take care of, all of which take time to resolve, but nothing serious or major. Having said that, we are delighted with the build quality of the plane and the finish. We're also happy with the performance. It cruises around 110kt at 5,000 RPM and although it is a European design, it hasn't got the cooling issues that I feared. We are also very happy with the assistance we've been given by the dealership. They have firmly had our backs every step of the way from the time we ordered the plane, through the configuration process, shipping, delivery and more important post delivery. Most businesses are very helpful when they want your money. It's how they treat you AFTER they have your money that tells the real tale. We cannot speak highly enough of our treatment by Silent Wings and give them a plug whenever we can to repay some of their generosity.

You have to have passed RA-Aus L1 maintainer's course. And this only applies if you don't use the aircraft for commercial purposes like hire or training.

Mike: Congratulations and have many happy flying hours in your new Nynja. They are very snappy, predictable flyers. The plane is a credit to you and I hope to catch up with you at a fly in soon. Maybe Old Station?

I had a flight in a tiger moth at Wanaka. The pilot let me fly it when I told him I had pilot certificate. Loads of fun and very beautiful scenery there.

Short final at Great Keppel Island October 2014