Methusala

Thanks Wayne for posting your stunning images taken from Frank's Drifter. My wife and I were in Cairns this week. Frank and Frances treated us like kings (as usual) and I was accorded the extraordinary privilege of taking the front seat (after an audition). Frank shows us the true delights of ultralighting to which I'm addicted. Recreational aviation is not necessarily the same as this. When I want to travel I use cars, airliners, trains etc. Flight like this is the true expression of freedom and adventure. While in Cairns we were also able to catch up with another group of aviators as well as reef gazing and visiting the Atherton tablelands. I recommend all southerners take a trip up there at least once a year. It truly relaxes and invigorates your winter depressed soul. Don

Read an article in Air Asia's in-flight mag written by a check captain about the relative utility between Boeing and Airbus. He stated that with side-stick control one can place a work table in front so calculating in-flight by the non-flying pilot is natural. He also recalls that eating a meal with control column in front obviates moving the seat back. This removes the second pilot from reach of primary controls. I've heard waitresses in flight parrot,"If it's not Boeing, I'm not going ". Ask Richard De Crespigny about Airbus! By the way, the A350 is a superior plane to the 787.

Great job for Thrusters and Drifters and circumvents the stupid bar on using these great machines as working tools. Fence and stock inspections and getting fodder to stranded stock in floods as well. They can also be used economically for small scale chemical application. Boo to 'jobs for the boys' CASA

The Napier Sabre, according to a history that I read, had far more potential than the Merlin. However Rolls Royce had the inside running through connections with the Air Ministry "done 'cha know", and so got the inside running. Sabre's development was severely curtailed. All Sabre engines were destroyed at the end of the War.

The US blew any chance of claiming moral authority at least with the unleashing of WMDs upon Japan when she was on her knees in the dying days ofWW2. Australia, objectively has not done any better since the 1st Fleet declared Terra Nullius , poisoned and shot natives and stole their land. Anzac was an illegal invasion and Vietnam, Korea and Iraq? Let's just trying to forget the chestthumping and stickwithaviation. Don

Translation of the passage by Google: The crash was observed by several eyewitnesses, including a military pilot from the region. He assumes that the pilots had a serious control problem. The pilot could watch from his garden as the plane flew over the valley, made a left turn - and then suddenly abruptly tipped to the left front. "Such maneuvers were done earlier to simulate the failure of an engine. But nobody does that with passengers, "says the man to the Tages-Anzeiger. Thereupon an engine had howled loudly, seconds later the airplane had been balanced again and continued the flight normally

FYI from my brother overnight in Luzern: Well, over lunch & since my eml of Mon, Aug 6, 2018 at 8:36 PM [your time], I read the 20min.ch article, which had the "turned 180 degrees to the south and fell to the ground like a stone" = «Sie flogen [better = flog] eine 180-Grad-Kurve Richtung Süden, dann fiel sie wie ein Stein vom Himmel.» A search shows this as published by 20min.ch on “05. August 2018 17:11; Akt: 05.08.2018 17:18” – and is described as «Ersten Erkenntnissen» = “1st reports,” so why didn’t the TV in general and SRF in particular report this ‘back then?’ Never mind. Then, also in your citation: {Der Absturz wurde von mehreren Augenzeugen beobachtet, darunter auch ein Militärpilot aus der Region. Er geht davon aus, dass die Piloten ein ernsthaftes Problem mit der Steuerung hatten. Der Pilot konnte aus seinem Garten beobachten, wie das Flugzeug über das Tal flog, zu einer Linkskurve ansetzte – und dann plötzlich abrupt nach links vorne wegkippte. «Solche Manöver machte man früher, um den Ausfall eines Motors zu simulieren. Aber mit Passagieren macht das niemand», sagt der Mann dem «Tages-Anzeiger». Daraufhin habe ein Motor laut aufgeheult, Sekunden später sei das Flugzeug dann wieder ausbalanciert gewesen und habe den Flug normal fortgesetzt.} You may translate that with google-translate, but the sense is ‘turn, stall, recover’ with power added somewhere in that sequence. And so the ‘struggling’ idea. Now, reports say ‘no pieces lost, no visible [pre-]damage observed.’ IF the pilots were ‘struggling’ THEN I would think they would head for the next known landing-place - like Mollis, say [~30km, one valley all the way], but if I understand correctly, they continued and some time later initiated the fatal 180 to face south, exactly the ‘wrong’ direction for Mollis or home-base Dübendorf. So now if report-snips here are correct, we have two turns, two stalls but only one recovery. "Your guess is as good as mine?" Don

One can only wonder how this JU 52 came to dive vertically into the earth with 2 very experienced pilots aboard.

It's said that asbestos fibres can divide to diameters that are small enough to penetrate the wall of the cell's nucleus and physically damage genetic material. I knew a guy who was employed cutting asbestos water pipes with a 9" B&D saw in the late 50's. Died a pretty horrible death 30 years later. As a young plumber, I would make circular penetrations in the soffit lining for vent pipes using dividers. Dust would float all around me. Have heard that mesothelioma only gets a small percentage of those exposed. I know that exposure to dust in the construction industry has scarred my lungs but I'm lucky so far at 67.

Reno 10had a serious problem with rear end weight bias. Handling was only just acceptable with a cement bag in the(front) luggage area... diabolical without!

I imported a quantity of rip-stop fabric in the 80's to cover a project I was working on. A friend was about to re-cover his Jackaroo and asked to buy the material from me as I was a way down the track from needing it. It was heat shrinkable but never permanently tautened. It was always stretching and quite unsuitable. I don't know whether it has advanced but I would not try it. Don

I admit to being somewhat reluctant to go against Jabiru advice on this. However, the air temps are so low now and the oil takes forever to get to operating temp that I will loop a tube around the OCA and re-consider including the cooler when ambient temps increase in Spring. Thanks for your posts. Don

My engine is installed "un-cowled" so that air circulation around it is unimpeded. I am going to dis-install the oil cooler as the oil struggles to reach operating temp. As oil is forced through the oil cooler before it reaches the engine it could cause starvation when cold. The blocking action of the high resistance oil cooler(it has ID of 6mm entry and exit) could mean that when cold most oil is dumped back to the sump rather than feeding the lubrication galleries. The engine is early fixed lifter and has the deep finned sump, designed originally to run with no oil cooler.

50 ways to leave your lover?

I think that 2mm sheet is too heavy (add lightness). It could stress crack when pulled around. Try to source 1.5, otherwise, 1mm might do.

I just clicked on your avatar and it gave me the option of sending a message. Don't know whether this helps, Don

This is a very interesting and timely post. On the weekend I started the Jab engine and ran it for about 7 mins to warm up. An oil leak appeared from the oil cooler adapter beneath the oil filter. The leak was not from the base of the filter nor the facing to the crank case. It appeared to be from the nipples attaching the flow and return hoses to the oil cooler. When I had wiped it down and then re-ran it there was no oil leak. I assume that the oil was thick and the pressure was high leading to weeping from the hose/nipple joint.

On my Vision, I have installed an electric carburetor heater. the instructions say to use heat on take off. The fact that the electric heater does not heat the incoming air but instead the carb throat, the prophylactic use of heat at takeoff shouldn't degrade power and so imo, given that takeoff is the most power critical stage of flight, use of heat is a good idea. The accident report is (relatively) open on the possibility of ice as the cause of power loss but it then leaves a mystery as to what other factors may be in play. Perhaps use of heat, in my case, is a judicious course to follow. Don

“It’s when things are going just right that you’d better be suspicious. There you are, fat as can be. The whole world is yours and you’re the answer to the Wright brothers’ prayers. You say to yourself, nothing can go wrong… all my trespasses are forgiven. Best you not believe it.” — Ernest K. Gann, advice from the “old pelican,” The Black Watch, 1989.

The aircraft was carrying 110 passengers and crew, and was heading to Holguin in eastern Cuba from the nation’s capital. It crashed shortly after takeoff, killing almost everyone on board. While the cause of the fatal incident remains unclear, eyewitnesses said that the plane tried to return to the airport after ascending and apparently hit a power line. (RT News)

I saw that the red beacon was flashing - thought that would be meaningful to a "first responder". Perhaps I think too much.

Why didn't someone think to turn the master switch off? Seemed to have plenty of time.

Just got this from Tumut Aero Club newsletter: Phil O’Driscoll Out of hospital – but a series of specialist visits to go while down this part of the world (Canberra/Tumut). Still bruised and sore, and broken eye socket to be sorted properly