sfGnome
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Everything posted by sfGnome
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This is nothing to do with the content of the video, but while I was watching it, I discovered the 'sub-titles' button on the U-tube player. Turn them on. The errors will make your day!
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Yep, having seen what a fast electric sports model does to the side of someone's head (weeks in ICU for a start), having a club, insurance and some level of field control can only be a good thing.
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When I started flying models (without tuition/assistance), it took me about a year before I got to bring the model home in one piece. I used to fly it each weekend until it crashed, rebuild it during the week, and repeat ad nauseum. Got a bit wiser on the second attempt a few years later and joined a club. Then I only crashed every second weekend! :)
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The amusing aspect of using a soft plastic bottle comes later. The combination of the warm contents cooling and the altitude dropping from 7000 ft to sea level - it's only half the bottle it used to be!
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My copilot manages to sleep on every long trip, regardless of the beauty of the scenery or the sheer joy of being aloft. Don't understand it myself, but I guess that it's better her than me sleeping, and I suppose I could take it as a vote of confidence in my flying skills.
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Another advantage would be that, as you are measuring the resonant frequency of the container, there should be no need to penetrate the tank. A sensor attached to one wall would do the job. However on further thought, I have my doubts that the frequency wouldn't change with orientation; ie with a long flat tank, that there wouldn't be a change when the fuel moved to the back of the tank (pitch change) or to one side (roll) or both (yaw). Sadly, it won't be me who is going to research it; it seems that when I'm not at work () or maintaining the Domestic Harmony Quotient (), then the only thing I'm researching is the inside of my eyelids ()!
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There's another problem with the belite fuel sensor. It works on the pressure (or weight) of fuel, which varies depending on fuel type. If you always use mogas or avgas, then no worries, but if you swap between the two depending on availability, then you'll never be sure. I guess in that case you could calibrate with the heavier fuel then the lighter fuel will under-read - ie there will be more fuel than indicated which has to be better than the alternative... Hmmm... Here's a thought. You know if you blow across the top of a bottle, then the sound changes depending on how much fluid is in it. Likewise if you tap a glass. The resonant frequency of the container changes with the volume of the contents. So, if you set up a sensor to measure the resonant frequency of a rigid tank (wouldn't work on bladders), that should give you a measurement that is independent of both the fuel type and tank shape, and it should be independent of contaminants too. Just like the Belite pressure sensor, the instantaneous reading would vary wildly, but filtered with a time constant of something like a minute, it should read very well. I wonder??
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Hey! I resemble that remark! Actually, I fly in bifocal sunnies where the lower part is focused at arm's length, so I have no problems at all with the mini. It is panel mounted so I don't have to have the touch screen lock turned on, meaning that if I want to read something more closely, it's one 2-finger salute to make the writing as large or small as I want. Works well (and there's another full size pad in the flight bag as backup, and printed maps if it's a major cross country as well. Belt *and* braces!). Actually, I'll modify that "no problems at all" slightly. I've taken to wearing dark coloured shirts because the reflection of a white shirt on the iPad screen makes it a tad hard to read. The joys of a low wing conveyance.
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Getting closer... Pity it will have cost $1,000,000, but the first computers weren't real cheap either!
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Must admit, I'm more interested in what people are flying than what qualifications they possess.
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Microair transmit issue in new Jabiru
sfGnome replied to Roscoe's topic in Instruments, Radios and Electronics
Years back I walked around the transmitting station at Shep, and you could hear the program they were transmitting because it made the metal around the aerial cables vibrate. Then again, as a teenager, I had a mate who lived next door to 2CH's transmitter, and their oven played the radio all day and all night. As 2CH was the 'old folks' station in those days, it was a bit hard for us 'cool' teens to cope with... -
Sorry gents, but you're all missing the main point. What the hell was Planey doing looking at Flightradar 24 at 5am?? Go to bed man!
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He He. Lots of years ago, as an experienced project manager, I put together a project plan for the house extensions we built. Bearing in mind that we'd already done it once before on our previous hose, and allowing for all sorts of contingencies and very low worker availability (ie me), I confidently forecast a 12 month project. It only took 5 years, and there are parts of it still waiting to be finished when I retire.
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I used to fly a Jab160 and found the seat to be rather uncomfortable on a long flight. After an overnighter, I put the self-inflatable I'd been sleeping on the night before onto the seat (slightly deflated), and had a much more comfortable return trip. Even if you never camp out, they're well worth buying just for the Jab seat.
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O.K., that's brilliant. I'd like to pretend that was what I meant all along, but that would involve bending the truth well past the elastic limit!
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My brother used to have a farm at Crookwell. He was mustering sheep one day when an F111 came over the ridge, very low and very fast. He said that he didn't hear it until it was passed, and then he had to go and regather the flock from the four corners of the paddock...
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Yeah. The pictures in question were carved on a cave wall!
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Reading about Louis Blériot's flight over the channel, looking at the pictures and thinking "I could build that!"... Must have been about 8 at the time, and the thought has never left me.
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My vast(??!!) experience of the younger folk is that they're all different. (Amazing, really). My younger son is simply not interested in coming aloft. My daughter came up once to keep me happy. My older son was keen, but after a bout of airsickness his keenness diminished somewhat. Just about to give up on the lot of 'em, when recently I took my son in law up. "Wow. Awesome! This is amazing. My dad is going to be soooo jealous". Looks like I finally found one with the nascent bug... :)
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I had an 'interesting' moment fairly early after getting my X-country endo. Heading north into a strong headwind, crossing an east-west mountain range, I only left a bit over 500' ground clearance. Approaching the range, she started descending at a fair rate of knots. I was on the edge of chucking a U-ey when it flattened out and I could climb again, but I've always approached mountains with a lot more respect (and a lot more clearance) since then.
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That's a pretty impressive "least impressive"... :)
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A little learning... and a new item on my checklist.
sfGnome replied to ExJourno's topic in AUS/NZ General Discussion
I generally include a comment in my briefing about some "really stupid" passengers who've let their feet get near the pedals. That seems to do the trick... :) -
Thanks for asking the question. I'd given up looking for it. I like OzR, but geez I wish they'd just write a few sentences of instructions on each new feature. It doesn't need to be big power points or anything, but saying "We've got feature XYZ" without explaining how you access it (or even what it is on some occasions) just isn't helpful.
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No, GG. What he said was to wait for an announcement from the people involved rather than going on rumour. Didn't look like 'scoffing' and 'ripping' to me.
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Saw Robert Redford's latest flick tonight ("All is Lost"). Now *there's* a bloke who could have used an EPIRB...
