fatmal

Well done Solomon. I've been watching your progress since seeing your story on the ABC (viewable at http://www.diretube.com/abc-news/a-young-ethiopian-building-his-own-aircraft-in-melbourne-australia-video_2696beb6d.html for those who are interested in the back story). From your video of your last solo before your flight test, I would be happy to jump in the passenger seat with you right now! I wish I had discovered flying at your age - I might be better at it! There is a lesson in every flight - never stop learning. Mal

In a bizarre twist, the NTSB has had to call in the Canadian Transport Safety Board (TSB) to investigate a midair crash in the United States, involving US-built aircraft, and piloted by US citizens. Why? Piloting one plane, a Beechcraft, was the NTSB's Chief medical Officer, and in the other, a PA28, was a crash investigator with the FAA. The TSB has been called in as an impartial investigator. Story at http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/05/31/u-s-turns-to-canada-for-help-after-planes-from-two-federal-air-safety-agencies-crash-into-one-another/

Evelyn Bryan Johnson died May 10 - 102 years old, 57,635 flight hours, and over 5,000 students taught. What an amazing woman! http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/evelyn-bryan-johnson-dies-mama-bird-was-a-prolific-pilot/2012/05/13/gIQAFrVFNU_story.html

A hybrid (petrol/electric) four seater begins testing (northern) spring. 300 miles on electric, and a further 700 miles once you start up the petrol engine. About $US500k. More at: http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/127981-the-chevy-volt-of-airplanes-the-volta-volare-is-ready-to-fly

Discovery Channel crashed a Boeing 727 passenger jet Friday in the Sonoran Desert in Mexico as part of its documentary series "Curiosity." Story at: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2012/04/discovery-channel-crashes-plane-for-documentary.html

AUD79,752.10, according to http://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/. Are they mad! Mal

A DARPA test aircraft 'lost significant portions of its outer skin and become uncontrollable after three minutes of sustained mach 20 speed': http://www.recreationalflying.com/threads/hypersonic-test-aircraft-pealed-apart-after-3-minutes-of-sustained-mach-20-speed-network.37904/ This could get anywhere in the world in less than 60 minutes! A bit faster than most of us go! Mal.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/16/us-aircanada-incident-idUSBRE83F10120120416 Well, I get grumpy and clumsy when woken up from a nap too! Mal.

I used to live in Thailand, so bought a few from street vendors. I'm sure that if these guys set up a website to sell them then the copyright police would be onto them pretty quickly - as it is, when they see the police they either bribe them or run!

I used to use one of these http://www.justpilotwatches.com.au/contents/en-us/image_viewer.html?lmd=40888.809722 but I broke the glass - not sure how, but went out drinking one night, and noticed it the following morning I also have a Thai knockoff Breitling Navitimer, which is still going after 6 or so years, but the strap broke - not bad for $AU20. Currently I'm using a Thai-knockoff Tag Heuer. Basically anything with a large analogue dial Also use one of these - http://www.asa2fly.com/Flight-Timer-2-P599_product1.aspx velcroed to the panel. Mal

Tony, congratulations on completing a build! A question - why VH reg and not 19-nnnn? What are the benefits vs. downside? Mal

Starting a new job (on the 10th - today), and didn't want to get stuck at Temora due to Wx or other problems - wouldn't have made a good impression with the new boss!

I use a kneedock, same as mentioned by Acky. I also use a standard kneeboard for paper copies of my flight plan - ipad on the left, and kneeboard on the right (I'm right handed, so can write on the paper plan without crossing my arms!). The iPad is quite large, so if you've got space for one on your panel, then you obviously haven't spent enough money on instrumentation! Mal.

"A Navy F-18 fighter just went down smack in the middle of a Virginia Beach apartment complex, demolishing buildings and leaving others ablaze after multiple explosions—the jet itself is an enormous flaming heap of jet wreckage." Full story, and a few pictures at: http://gizmodo.com/5899790/f+18-crashes-into-apartment-building-and-explodes-updating-live

GAFA, I did ab-initio in a Texan, and my Navs in a SportStar, so have some time in both. They are very similar in their flight characteristics, i.e. great handling, a very mild stall (just nods the nose a bit), and both are very easy to fly. Cruise speeds are very similar, and both have great visibility. I went from the handbrake (texan) to the toebrake (sportstar) so found going that way quite easy - the only issue with the handbrake in the Texan is if you haven't tightened the throttle friction nut - you let go of the throttle to get to the brakes, and the revs go up! Both get really hot in summer though! Mal.

Hi Av8tor, I learnt to fly there, and now hangar my own aircraft at the field. Airsports is the school (goflying.com.au - site is a bit out of date!) at 295 Settlement Road Sunbury, and they run 2 x Fly Synthesis Texans, and 1 x Storch. I would recommend the Texan. The best guy to speak to is Terry Otway on 03 9744 1305 or 0438 002 578. Mal

You probably can do a BFR at YPJT - as you say there is no need for a solo flight. Give Adrian (CFI) a call on 0422 697 156. Cloud Dancer are in Maule drive - left at the big roundabout (away from RACWA), down past Singapore Airlines College, follow the road round to the left then right, and Maule Drive is first on the right - they're about halfway down on the left (not well signposted). I did my Nav training with them, and picked up a YPJT CTA endorsement in the process. It's a busy place!

What happens when you actually stall? Does the stall warning stop? If it does, then (as suggested above) the reed is likely in backwards.

According to my Vic Country Airstrips guide, John Tully (03) 5728 1359. Rwy's are 15/33, 600M, unsealed brown gravel. Slopes up to the south east, landing on 33 not advisable. Sounds tricky! Mal

Another lesson for designers from nature - this time not from the birds! "THE north African desert scorpion, Androctonus australis, is a hardy creature. Most animals that live in deserts dig burrows to protect themselves from the sand-laden wind. Not Androctonus. It usually toughs things out at the surface. Yet when the sand whips by at speeds that would strip paint away from steel, the scorpion is able to scurry off without apparent damage. Han Zhiwu of Jilin University, in China, and his colleagues wondered why. Their curiosity is not just academic. Aircraft engines and helicopter rotor-blades are constantly abraded by atmospheric dust, and a way of slowing down this abrasion would be welcome. Dr Han suspects that scorpions may provide an answer. As he writes inLangmuir, he has discovered that the surface of Androctonus’s exoskeleton is odd. And when that oddness is translated into other materials it seems to protect them, as well." Full article at http://www.economist.com/node/21545971

Dunno about that - from the Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falklands_War). "An important factor was military support. The USA provided the United Kingdom with military equipment ranging from submarine detectors to the latest missiles.[27][28][29][30] France provided dissimilar aircraft training so Harrier pilots could train against the French aircraft used by Argentina.[31] French and British intelligence also worked to prevent Argentina from obtaining more Exocets on the international market.[32]Chile gave support to Britain in the form of Intelligence about Argentine military and radar early warning." Those Exocet missiles are a great weapon, but if you can't get more of them, you'll soon be out of the war business. Maybe India (and Aus?) would be better off buying military hardware from a more disreputable supplier, after all, war is a disreputable business - that way you're unlikely to be cut-off if you annoy your masters. Our closest (big) neighbor Indonesia has 110 combat aircraft, including su-27's & su-30's ($35-$45M each (su-30)), and the RAAF has 95 FA-18/Super Hornets (at $55M each (Super Hornet)). If we annoy the US in any way (unlikely I know, given our craven attitude to the US), then we may be in the same situation as the Argentinians. Even our US-sourced aircraft are unlikely to have have the latest in avionics/weapons systems.

The Indian Airforce (IAF) have signed a deal for 126 Rafale fighters in preference to the eurofighter or anything American (see http://the-diplomat.com/2012/02/05/indian-military-goes-french/) to compliment their existing SU-30's. They are also designing/building their own fighters, in a joint venture with the Russians. Price and availability of spares and continuing support seems to have been a driving factor, given the major powers history of expensive and late aircraft. Lots of good discussion on the subject at http://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/02/05/0058213/india-turns-down-american-fighter-jets-buys-from-france Mal

Try not to flinch - I did! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jelae8E1s0E

Easily done - I (accidentally) left a screwdriver under the floor - I now check more thoroughly. Rudder cables and elevator control runs under the baggage area floor of the Allegro, but I got lucky - only experienced a rattle. The screwdriver was long enough to arc across the battery terminals, but they're recessed, so, in theory, no opportunity for arcing across the terminals - I don't know what effect that would have, but the battery is uncomfortably close to the fuel tank! The crew in this accident are both medico's, so would be familiar with the concept of counting tools in and out, but of course, they wouldn't have performed the maintenance on a GA registered aircraft. Perhaps we shouldn't use our messy toolboxes (well I know mine is!), but a shadow board instead - if anything is missing post maintenance, then it's time to go looking! Mal

NASA has released OpenVSP (www.openvsp.org), which, from the website "allows the user to create a 3D model of an aircraft defined by common engineering parameters. This model can be processed into formats suitable for engineering analysis" There are versions available for Windows and OSX operating systems - no Linux sadly, but the OSX version would 'probably' work. The software is Open Source (available from github) and free - gotta love open source! Mal