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Thirsty

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Everything posted by Thirsty

  1. Thirsty
    Off topic Tim but I said I'd upload the photos of the Lightwing so here you go:
  2. Thirsty
    Thanks frank. Yeah we do leak downs every 50 hours as well and on the first aircraft the figure was something like 75 over 80 whereas on the other it was about 68 over 80. I make a habit of taking the head off and re-seating the valves if the leak down indicates that's required, its so easy to do so might as well.
  3. Thirsty
    Thanks guys. These aircraft are owned by the school I teach at and there is no engine monitoring apart from the standard cht gauge on #4. The aircraft are lsa55 so we tend to not run the engines too hard otherwise we end up way over 90knots which is where vma starts on these aircraft. We use shell optimax premium unleaded almost exclusively though they do get a bit of avgas every now and then. The engine that failed first and most destructively has been torn down and there appears to be no further damage other than the piston, rod and barrel. Those parts have all been replaced along with the big end bearing on that rod. Everything else looks good with no runout in the crank being evident. The engine of the aircraft I was flying is back in service as there was very little damage due to my shutting it down very quickly after the initial noise. We replaced the piston and head with everything else being ok. Sp6 - I don't believe we can use non standard parts due to their operation in a flying school so we are stuck with what jabiru supply. With my own aircraft (j160) with a low time engine I am installing cht and egt monitoring on all four cylinders this weekend. Instrument and leads are from Mgl avionics. Hopefully that will help me with stopping something like this happening to me again!
  4. Thirsty
    My dame only charges about $90 plus the casa fee of $70 odd makes $160. $225 seems a little high doesn't it?
  5. Thirsty
    I joined the Jef this week. Had an exhaust valve fail halfway on downwind with a student in the plane. Shut the engine off immediately and did an uneventful glide approach to the departure runway. We also had a low time pilot have the exact same failure two days before. He didn't shut down straight away and kept the engine going which eventually ended in complete engine failure with a destroyed piston, head and rod on number 2 cylinder. So 2 exhaust valve failures in 3 days. On the first engine it had all the new mods and had done about 500 hours and on mine it had done about 900 hours. It's all well and good to be trained to always fly with somewhere to land but until you experience an engine failure it's all just theory. I now religiously fly from paddock to paddock! Last thing, I was on the last of three circuits before I was going to send the student solo! So if the engine had of held on for another couple of minutes he would likely have had an engine failure on takeoff, sobering for us instructors.
  6. Thirsty
    Or for control line speed try this
  7. Thirsty
    Check this out for fast I have no idea how the cameraman or the pilot can keep up with it.
  8. Thirsty
    The engine I my 160 has 100 hours on it and we have low compressions in 2 and 4. Rings it appears. We had both heads off today and have lapped all the valves and still low compressions. We run the engine at 2900 rpm and also use avgas exclusively on jabs recommendation. The engine though does run very well and uses bigger all oil so who knows!
  9. Thirsty
    Thanks bluey. What's the terrain like that way? Anywhere to go if the noise stops? I don't mind extending the trip if it s safer.
  10. Thirsty
    Have a look at zerksus.com/airCraft_cabling_info.htm for an example of neat cabling? I think it's important to get it as neat as you can as it will help with fault finding and repairs later on.
  11. Thirsty
    Hi merv, thanks very much for the info. Sounds like golbourn, mittagong and ywol is the way to go. I have a ppl But the aircraft isn't transponder equipped. I can't work out how to send a pm via this forum so if you could email me your number to [email protected] I'll definitely take you up on your offer of a local weather report on the day, Ta tony
  12. Thirsty
    Hi all, Planning a trip from Adelaide to Wollongong next week and just after any tips anyone might have to offer when navigating around that area of nsw. I'm particularly interested In routes into Wollongong and what to look out for ie local knowledge from those of you that know that area well. Also is it possible to tie down Our 160 for a few days at Wollongong without too many dramas? Thanks all.
  13. Thirsty
    Jeez, Ian is getting such a big head after your posts John! I know what you mean about formation though. I've done about 4 hours now (towards my endo) and it's starting to come together but it's certainly a change when you do it first time no? First time I did it was with Ian also and I was ready to grab the stick and get out of there - I thought he's lost it and we were going to collide :) Hope to see you up there again soon.
  14. Thirsty
    Welcome Alan. Any pictures of jabirus? (kidding!) Seriously though, love your stuff.
  15. Thirsty
    I learnt to stall and spin in 1987 when I got my PPL. I don't think they teach spinning any more though. I was taught in a c152.
  16. Thirsty
    I understood that its ok to land and refuel at a secure aerodrome so long as you keep away from the rpt aircraft if there are any there. I've landed and refueled at many secure airports with never any issues so you should be good to go.
  17. Thirsty
    I'd be interested to hear what mod status this engine was at. We've recently changed the thru bolts on a 600 hour engine to the new bolts and nuts and it recently broke a flange on number 4 cylinder. The thru bolt was fine. I think detonation is the main problem with these engines as well.
  18. Thirsty
    My understanding is if the pilot has a ppl and ra cert AND the ra reg aircraft is properly equipped eg transponder and certified engine then the pilot can exercise the privileges of his ppl including cta. Is that not right?
  19. Thirsty
    Good on you John. I'll be up Sunday morning so may run in to you.
  20. Thirsty
    Yeah rpa is a great place to train so hopefully you can work something out.
  21. Thirsty
    Hey john, I assume you are learning at rpa. If so they have a 160 available and yes they are definitely wider than the lsa. I like the lsa (even though I own a 160) but its not for everyone. Ring James and have a chat to him about it, his number is on the web site.
  22. Thirsty
    Mine is an analogue longines. Has a date but that's it as far as bells and whistles. I've had it 10 years, never take it off and change the battery every 3 years or so. I've never adjusted the time except of daylight saving and it's very tough even though it looks like a going out watch. I'm an l2 and I also work on motorcycles and cars and it doesn't have a scratch on it. All stainless steel and looks like new. Even the luminescence still works!
  23. Thirsty
    re: landings try not to think about actually landing and don't assume you will actually land. Just plan to fly along the runway in the landing attitude. When I do this I make my best landings. As far as spending your dollar while flying, you hit the nail on the head when you mentioned your bike riding. I too ride bikes and it all comes very naturally. If you persist with flying you'll most likely end up with the same feeling. Eventually it all comes naturally and you can just enjoy the flying. In my opinion the best times inn flying come when learning, keep learning and you'll never get bored with it.
  24. Thirsty
    Djh, agreed! I too learned on the 55 and if one of them and a 160 is available for a local flight I'll take the 55. Much better performance and more fun to fly in my opinion. If you search for threads I've started you'll see my story I one of my first posts. I felt much the same as this thread starter but it doesn't take long to get the hang of the 55.
  25. Thirsty
    Yes and even though it looks like they don't have many options when they're flying almost level to the ground and very low I reckon they must have some margin there and could likely trade some of that speed for a slower rate of descent - if not then they're crazy man!
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