IanR

Saw the Harley parked outside your work today - looks very nice - hope you are enjoying it

I talked it through with my engineer this afternoon - he agrees with the comments made here - will end up needing recover - his estimate for getting it done professionally is about $10K per wing !! I think I will probably pass and keep loking for one that has already been done. Anyone know of any good Austers for sale ?

Thanks guys

You could be TAS eighty knots ?

The colours are very unfortunate - lime green and an off white. The fabric is clean under the paint. There is one section shown on the green where the tape has frayed a bit where the paint has come off but no damage to the base fabric. I think the real issue was the type of paint used rather than the fabric application.

Yeah - should have been more careful with wording !! I have taken lots of photos of the bad areas and will be talking to my expert this week - I am not very knowledgeable on fabric.

I am thinking with this one if I buy it that I would touch up some of the bad areas initially where the paint has cracked and peeled, fly it for a year or so, and then do it completely. Problem I have with sanding back rather than stripping completely is that I don't think the paint on it has bonded as well as it could to the fabric.

Thanks for the response - I was thinking that may be the case - I guess all paint would have to be chipped off somehow so as not to damage the fabric Anyone got any idea as to approximate costs of complete wing recover ?

I had a look at a fabric aircraft yesterday - Auster J1B - basically a very good one but has had an absolute crap paintjob which is now peeling badly. The fabric is ceconite. My question is, is it possible to strip and repaint a fabric aircraft successfully ? Are there any people out there who do this ? Only other mid-term option I see to it is recover the wings - not sure how much that would cost.

That sounds like the ASIC - but just checked - exactly credit card size

ASIC is a credit card sized ID card - mine is red border but I think there are various types. The AVID I got initially was just an insert into my licence book approx 12 by 9 cm

Funny thing is despite all this I am actually looking for a good Auster !! A friend emailed me with the following - not sure what he was getting at : I still think that Austers with Gypsies are something that only a mother would love

Came across this the other day You know it's an Auster when :- people on the ground mistake the aircraft for a kite. the pilot says he's worried because his aircraft ISN'T leaking any oil. ATC asks the pilot to report his position and it's the same report he gave 15 minutes ago. you are charged with five landing fees but you've only visited the place once. the tower requests you to increase your speed in the circuit- and you can't. the longest leg on a trip is determined not by the amount of fuel in the tanks, but by the amount of padding in the pilot's backside. the pilot describes a ground loop as a normal aerobatic manoeuvre. the landing roll is completed before its even reached the runway numbers. the pilot complains he can't read the compass because the mirror's broken. the engineer charges $50 for calibrating the instruments, and $800 for changing the bungees. the pilot enters his ETA on the flight plan as "Wednesday". your car costs more than your aeroplane. the pilot mistakes the local aero modeller's airstrip for the real thing. the glider pilot behind you releases the tow rope because he figures he can climb faster without the tug. every place you've landed has an oil spot on the tarmac. the Air Force pilot sent out to intercept you decides to configure his targeting computer for a stationary object. you slow down for your final approach, and the Cessna-driver sitting alongside you glances at the airspeed indicator, turns white, and starts praying. you make an error of navigation, and instead of Violating Controlled Airspace, you just irritate it a little. you're charged with polluting the airfield, and the engine wasn't even running. the pilot reports turning downwind and the tower controller sets his alarm clock to remind himself to issue a landing clearance. the pilot thinks his carbon footprint is the puddle his aircraft leaves on the hard standing. CAA charges you with low flying and your defence is that you were operating at your service ceiling. 40 apparently identical aeroplanes turn up at a fly-in but no two of them are the same model.

Interesting reading this - I am not an RAA member and am no further enlightened as to what the problem is - seems to me that lots of discussions about an undefined issue actually is helping in the potential demise. Certainly doesn't make it appealing to join !!

Here are some I took - unfortunately didn't get a closeup of Kaz's Auster as there were too many people hanging round when I walked past with the camera - its in some of the distance shots though

Kaz, had a chat with you on Saturday - didn't make the connection though !! What a nice Auster you have. We were in the C180 VH-MTF Fantastic day, nice place and lots of great people - and plenty of Austers !

Is Camden Haven still operational ? looked a bit overgrown when I drove past a few weeks ago - not that its that easy to see from the road.

Raining today !! Hope it dries out by the weekend. We are planning on flying in for the Saturday

Yeah - and the weather is looking great for this one - we will be going from Camden first thing Saturday

This weekend the Antique Aircraft Association has its annual flyin - at Cowra this year. Should be a huge collection of old aircraft to look at. I believe they will be celebrating 75 years of Cessna in Australia.

Its not so bad round Sydney - although it has started raining again. NSW country has been hit a bit !!

Went for a quick fly over the dam today - long time since I have seen it like this !

And she is certainly very relaxed while waiting for the next load - deck chair and a book under the wing !!

Many operators are happy to rent over a few days - and as mentioned only charge hours used. However read the fine print as some require minimum hours - for example at least 1 hour average for weekdays and two for weekend days.

I guess the main questions is when will you have it at Camden for us locals to have a look ?