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Methusala

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Everything posted by Methusala

  1. Methusala
    I suppose that I inhabit the bottom rung just about here. I learnt in a Pteradactyl that I assembled in the lounge room having got the fundamentals in gliding. Moved to a Tyro, then bought a Volksplane in which I accumulated 550 hrs over 11 years. Now I have a Thruster. I found that flying x-country in the VP became quite boring and doubt that doubling the speed would improve things. Just enjoy "slipping Earth's surly bonds" once or twice per fortnight and the Thruster does that for me. I have re-built the 582 that I fly behind and, knowing that any engine can be a time bomb, I fly accordingly. Maintaining and bonding with your engine (as with your wife) is a recipe for contentment.
  2. Methusala
    The aviation regulator is investigating whether the use of a drone to dangle a man over a reservoir breached rules. (1 hour ago on the SMH)
  3. Methusala
    There is a twin Jabiru engined Zenith home built. Saw it at Wedderburn earlier this year. Two seats and did not inspire me too much.
  4. Methusala
    Well, we're just back from FNQ where we caught up with Frank and Fran. They showed us hospitality north Queensland style with a trip up and down the Mullgrave river, tinny style, and a great flight over the cane fields, rivers and foothills. We saw 2 crocs, one at close quarters, as you can see in the photo below. Frank handles the Drifter as though he was born in the saddle. Thanks once again Frank.
  5. Methusala
    Hey you blokes, I know that we are all good aviators but... Is it possible to use real place names rather than 4letter identifiers. Not everyone has an encyclopedic memory and googling doesn't always work?
  6. Methusala
    I'll take your word for it T'88. My T300 is only a little younger than myself (Nah! no kiddin' - honest) and may be a little out of trim.
  7. Methusala
    This, of course, is the correct stance for a perfect Thruster landing.
  8. Methusala
    A gent located down the Murray said, when explaining how to loop a thruster,"Gain speed till the windscreen distorts inwards." Then you know that the correct speed has been reached to complete the loop. Of course, this is all hearsay, and could well be an urban myth. ( I've never tried it meself!0
  9. Methusala
    I've flown Drifters with Frank and my Canberra mate. Prefer Thrusters in Canberra (where it's mainly cold) but Drifters really do it in style - I like the ailerons, very light and well harmonised. My VP-2 had the heaviest ailerons, sometimes needed two hands! But a very effective rudder compensated somewhat.
  10. Methusala
    Especially if they become stationary!!!
  11. Methusala
    Hey! I know that this thread is supposed to be DRIFTER HEAVEN but you have to admit that the Thruster takes some beating in the visibility stakes. Especially since you can stand them on their nose with idle power and they won't bust Vne.
  12. Methusala
    I am very disappointed that the "certainty" that we felt of being on the good side of history has been such an illusion. It is an illusion foisted on us by the established media. We had our first inkling that such was the case in the 60's when we were told that the Vietnam war was to keep us safe against the otherwise irresistible southward march of communism. Overwhelmingly it has been the rise of the www and its uncanny ability to link people around the world that is able to "lift the scales from our eyes". We discovered that every justification for war, at least since 1945, has been a cynical ploy to open up or maintain market share for one system or the other (oil being the great game changer). The story of Boeing's actions, slowly bleeding out, is just another example of how information is kept secret. Being able to read widely on the net enables a clear picture to form and the major players are powerless against this. I cannot imagine how Boeing couldn't see the potential to destroy trust in a (formally perhaps) great product. A headline that I saw yesterday stated that the assembly line workers have stories to tell of shoddy manufacturing on the 787 line. I'm unsure of the truth but unsettling is the feeling one gets. Unlike Facthunter, I spend some time in the cabin of 787's.
  13. Methusala
  14. Methusala
    Off topic is situation normal around here!!!
  15. Methusala
    This story reported today says that a report in the Wall Street Journal published on Sunday states that neither Southwest Airlines nor the FAA (Boeing’s primary federal regulator) were aware that a safety feature intended to alert pilots to a potentially malfunctioning ‘angle of attack’ sensor – in other words, a feature that might have prevented both the crash of ET302 and the Oct. 29 crash of a 737 owned by Lion Air – had been disabled on the new 737s is simply staggering. The link to the whole report is below:- Boeing Didn't Tell Southwest or FAA that It Had Disabled Critical Safety Alerts on 737 MAX - Global Research This adds weight to the argument that Boeing personnel have committed acts of reckless negligence and they should be investigated for their criminal conduct.
  16. Methusala
    I have not been able to "undo" a like in the Cunamulla Fatal thread
  17. Methusala
    My mistake. Should have been completed (including one of the first 912's in the country). Not my friend and ripped off many people. Not around to argue the toss.
  18. Methusala
    Just want to sigh with relief as my first inclination was, "Oh no, hope it's not a Jab". Did not feel up to another saga of Jab bashing.
  19. Methusala
    I understand that restoring the equilibrium of the Max 8 required the trim to be reset using electric trim before disabling the circuits. The reason for this is that electric trim operates at least 10x faster than trying to trim manually. This can be seen in the cockpit video of electric trim in operation vis the speed that the manual trim wheels revolve. When electric trim is selected I believe that MCAS is operational so electric trim is overridden. Never the less, the MCAS system requires an intimate knowledge of its full implications. Boeing (or failing this, an over-arching regulatory body)should have grounded the aircraft prior to the 2nd disaster. The primary problem was that the manufacturer, short circuited normal conservative airworthiness standards for commercial reasons, ie; Introducing a very different aircraft posing as the previous marks. Re-training was not only not offered but was considered unnecessary.
  20. Methusala
    "Actually I think that they are and they train for it a lot." Thruster 88 I don't think that they were given the tools to train for this contingency and I think THAT is the nub of the matter. To insinuate such a poorly thought out and undeveloped "solution" to a major instability issue is, to say the least, reckless.
  21. Methusala
    An 8000hr captain flying for an airline which is well regarded and has passed the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) benchmark for global safety management happened to have the worst luck; that is to be flying an unsafe derivative of an early '60's plane which had control issues which were not published by the manufacturer on spurious economic grounds. Whichever way you like to slice and dice it, this is a catastrophe greater than the de Haviland Comet disaster and haven't we learned anything yet about "deregulation" or as some choose to see it "elimination of red tape"? If I had a vote I would vote for industrial manslaughter and see that executives in Boeing served good time in the pen for this. Airline pilots are not expected to make complex decisions involving multiple factors when disaster is screaming at them as the ground is 2 or 3 seconds away.
  22. Methusala
    Better be careful making blanket statements about "3rd world airlines". Engage brain BEFORE mouth.
  23. Methusala
    I heard a rumor last week that they may be considering adding an administrative charge to CFI's lodging BFR results. Has anyone any knowledge of this?
  24. Methusala
    " Frigate Bird "- P G Taylor and " Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journey" - Mike Collins ( From memory - hope I'm not too far out in the titles.)
  25. Methusala
    Incredibly sad to once again see a person injured and a good plane destroyed. These are very safe aircraft if operated conservatively.
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