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Methusala

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Everything posted by Methusala

  1. As I have reported I drove a VP-2 for 550hrs behind a fuel injected 2180 VW using a Halltech ecu and a single Bosch 009 distributor with no problems. No need for heated induction air. Very smooth operation. Don
  2. Stayed 1 night in Lugarno, and have traveled by train through Domadossala. I think this is on Lake Como. Stunning scenery! Don
  3. Good lookin' dog , mate!
  4. Hey! I posted a story about 3 years ago asking exactly the same question. A national Disgrace!!! Don
  5. Yes. That's the one. A beautiful thing but won't be out anytime soon unfortunately. Don
  6. My brother, who lives out of the country , has a Rutan Solitaire stored in John's hanger. This was the winning entrant when the US soaring body held a design comp for best home buildable , self launched sailplane in the 80's. It is a lovely thing but not without problems. It is a monowheel design with in-line skate wheels on outriggers trailing from the wing tips. This gives it very poor ground handling. It is powered by a Zenoah 320 opposed 2 stroke twin which retracts into the nose via a lovely piece of electronic/mechanical leverage. Once in the air it climbs adequately and has an l/d around 38:1. It utilises 'spoil flaps' similar to a club Libelle for glideslope control which induce no pitch change in operation. I, as you know, once had a Pteradactyl, which was lovely in mild conditions and would have been quite safe but for the spar tubes being too light-on in wall thickness. Like every thing aeronautical, there are good and bad sides to most designs. I never would have believed that a Europa could crash so tragically as happened up near Hervey Bay but I don't know the details of that one. As I say,"a million ways that an aeroplane can kill you!" Don
  7. Not stopping...raise flaps, power on and go around! Don
  8. I would guess that the zinc coated ones would be for galvanised wire. The copper against the zinc (galvanising) would make for great electrolytic corrosion. Don
  9. This insultingly amateur bunch of wannabees won't do anything that doesn't involve a) Sticking their noses deeper into the public funds trough; 2) Seeking to defend and extend the "right" of their mates to do the same thing; or 3) Use any means at their reach to try to blacken the image of their political opponents. Don ( BTW what about getting rid of that odious piece of red tape BS the ASIC card?)
  10. Had an Aeropower conversion about 2070cc built by Mike Muninger (snr) with through bolt conversion in my VP-2. Did 350hrs with no trouble. Drove a 56"x30" Sweetapple prop at 3600 max and 3200 continuous. Would cruise at 60kt and climb was gradual (250fpm) from 2500ft but I had a long strip. Aircraft was about 450kg full weight. No cooling issues, although the barrels were out in the breeze with scoops. Efi kept cht's to around 250C and egt's about 1100 F. Oil pressure sat at 38psi and temp at around 75C. Don
  11. The water pump does not open into the crankcase. So the sealing between 2 crankcase halves will not result in a water leak. The water pump will allow water into the labyrinth seal between the two case chambers. As Nev says this will show up as water contamination of the oil in the small reservoir. The problem with sealing the water pump was all but eliminated when the 99 came out with ceramic seals. Therefore the most likely place for a leak is on the gasket sealing the coolant manifold to the case. Don
  12. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turboencabulator link for anyone interested to follow. Don
  13. Maybe heart attack/natural causes?
  14. Make sure that the engine is well primed before attempting to start. Full choke and pull through 8 blades with throttle closed, switches off. Then open throttle a little and flick. should start within 2-3 tries. If it is flooded then open throttle fully and flick (with some one in the cockpit and chocks in place). As fact hunter says, correct adjustment of tappets is vital. Regards, Don
  15. Bought a 2nd hand TOM TOM today for $50. Loaded with US data. Thanks, Don
  16. Thanks for the info. I have a Samsung Galaxy 2s which should support the apps. Will give it a try. Don
  17. My flying mate and I are in the advanced stages of planning a fly/drive trip across the US in April next year. We will be renting cars at various stages and require a gps based nav system. If anyone would have such a thing and could lend, hire or sell it we would be most pleased. Regards, Don
  18. I didn't wish to make an offence or to intrude into anyone's private business...just couldn't resist the funny side. Don
  19. No Ross, I said that I can't stomach beer brewed by CUB. I think that the wonderful XXXX is brewed by Lion Nathan. Don't have any problems with that (in moderation...of course). Don
  20. John, could you please affix to your list an indication of the type of beer they serve...can't drink anything by CUB. Thanks in advance, Don
  21. Hongie stole a Zenith 601 Zodiac. Don:roflmao:
  22. The hyphen, as a safety device has a lot to recommend it. Not too sure about a serif! Just sayin'. Don
  23. If they can stop the registration process because of a missing hyphen in the fuselage rego nos then they would probably hang you if you were found aviating without a stall warning thingy! Don
  24. I was flying my Volksplane back from Tumut some years back when I noticed that the round pill in a plastic bubble started to turn black. I had climbed about 3000ft out of the valley and so did not want to return particularly. It was about 70 nm to my base which normally would take a little over an hour to go. However I encountered a stiff breeze on the nose which slowed progress to barely 40kts. I spent the next hour doing mental arithmetic, touching the end of my nose, feeling my fingertips for any numbness and hoping that the forest in the distance which marked home base would hurry up and arrive, When I landed I found that the sharp 180 deg bends on the exhaust headers had corroded through. This is the only time that I have had a CO scare, but the cheap chemical indicator worked a treat. Don
  25. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/19/pilots-death-fire-service-to-investigate-claims-of-intimidation Just saw this news article on the Guardian, Don
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