bilby54

What sort dollars is on the Aerovee price tag??

That would be a great idea Ben as it is dammed hard to get anywhere near a CASA briefing at times. Do you have a phone number for Stewart?

At last, a positive step in the right direction by the RAA. The book has all of the information readily available without the need to log on to a computer and go searching in all of the obscure places. How many dusty hangers have the internet in any case? It would seem to me that the technical side of the organisation is way in front of operations when it comes to things that actually help. Bill

Hi Ian, Ask most pilots how they judge the landing approach from their favourite aircraft and most will not be able to do so. Put them in an unfamiliar type and they can usually relate the attitude and visual perception quite well. Seb is right when he says that "it becomes an subconscious thing" so landing a Drifter is no different to getting used to landing any other aircraft type, it just takes a bit of time to get used to the lack of visual attitude clues. Cheers, Bill.

Hi Tony, An interesting response to an age old problem. What intrigues me is the reason why the original factory Thruster ended up with the angle of incidence set so high as to cause the aircraft to get a fearsome reputation in the first place. I can appreciate that there was an overwhelming rush to get a two seat training aircraft on line but the type had to be approved by CASA so why did they not send it back for redesign in the early stages? On the other hand, maybe Drifter got that part right but ended up with a reasonably docile machine purely due to the aircraft design as a pusher. I had swamp tyres fitted to my Drifter for a while and the handling became much more challenging so it would be interesting to know what the designers were up to (who was watching who?). I did hear a rumour a few years back that it was a political decision, after the HORSCUT enquiry, to get a training aircraft in the air but it may have also been that there was no one in CASA qualified to test an "ultralight". Would the Thruster have been better accepted by the general flying community if it had been better developed? Cheers, Bill

Hi Rocketman, I have operated 582's for several years on a Drifter and your symptoms makes me think that it is possibly not the engine at all. I had to wear the expense of a new engine when the Rotax agent could not find the problem with the vibration in the engine. The note in the logbook says that the bearings in the gearbox were replaced as part of the overhaul. To make a long story a bit shorter, the real problem was with the gearbox and overhauling it did not solve the problem. The vibrations can cause some very dramatic effects and finding the cause can be a real challenge but I would not be convinced that the rotary valve is at fault. Cheers .... Bill

Hi Nev, Just wondering how you came to that conclusion?? My Drifter has a modest 2500 hrs of mostly training time with not much more than the usual wear and tear. The biggest damage was caused by so called "experienced" pilots who pancacked it which always makes me wonder how they were trained??? I know that Seb could land it OK!! Maybe the instructor needs instructing:big_grin:..... Bill, Roma.

Hi Motz, Great to see someone having a go with a string bag (whichever breed) in the Sydney area. The views down that way can only really be appreciated at 60 knots... lol. For what it is worth, I really think that the two stroke engine has had its day and good quality four strokes will become more prevalent due to rising fuel costs and the inefficiency of 2 strokes. You only have to look at trends in motor cycles and outboard engines to realise that this is most likely the way of the future. The Drifter factory offers a Jabiru engine as an option but the real potential is in the motor bike engines. This might even spark a bit of a renaisance in ultralight design until a major engine manufacturer takes up the challlenge similar to Rotax in the earlier days. Imagine a Thruster with "powered by a HOG" painted on the side.... you might have a full time job teaching all the bikey gangs to fly!! Maybe a BMW .... "We have ways of making you fly" or Honda with a whole new meaning to "Goldwing". The European based parts have become ridiculously expensive and TBO for flying school operation, 300 hours, needs to be considered. My Drifter has had a bunch of trouble with the gearbox that is not considered when it comes time to overhaul so get that checked out. Cheers, Bill

Hi HPD, A C6 C7 injury prevents any feeling or use below the high chest area with limited use of arms and hands. The injury causes great difficulty if any, of body temperature control and no bladder or bowel control. Sam broke his neck in a car accident many years ago but is one of the 'larger than life' people that we rarely get to meet. Sam flew my Drifter in an Australian Story episode and regularly flies his Quicksilver MX, drives tractors and runs a property. Sam and Jenny are are just the best people that you could ever wish to meet. For more info on the project visit www.sambailey.com.au

Last weekend was the AWPA annual conference held in Roma, Queensland and a great time was had by all of the people who were fortunate enough to attend. The 'Flying Fossils' band provided the entertainment at the bowls club on Thursday night and a navigation trial was held on Friday with the only Cessna 120 on the register competing. The event was one by a west Australian crew that I was fortunate enough to have had dinner with at the bowls club the previous night. I would like to thank Sue, Robyn and pilot Wendy for all of the red wine and can assure all that it had no influence on my decisions as one of the judges! The guest speakers for the formal dinner were Nancy Bird Walton who is the founder of Australian Women Pilot Association and just a delightfull lady, and Sam & Jenny Bailey. For those of you who have never heard Sam Bailey speak then you are missing out on one of life's characters! Sam Bailey is a C6/C7 quadriplegic who has defied the odds to become a farmer, pilot, inspirational speaker and best selling author. His next goal is to become the first quadriplegic in the world to fly a helicopter. To top that off, Sam and his wife Jenny will be taught by an ex Blackhawk pilot who lost both legs in an aircraft accident! The next time that you think that things are a bit tough, then have a go at this mob and the day will be a breeze! If you ever have the chance to be invited to a function with this group of female pilots, then don't knock the opportunity back.:thumb_up:

Thanks for the moderating comments Ian, I said in my first post that I did not want this to become a mud slinging exercise against the RAAus but was concerned with how some of the posts had progressed. I wanted to know how members had been treated when they contacted the board or RAAus management with a request and I gave my case as an example. That is an interesting comment that you made about the MFTF being a trial as I had not heard that before and I have had a very indepth association with the subject. I was very unhappy with the way a previous ops manager treated me and said that it was a board decision not to allow the school to continue in new hands. The post by JohnMck said Quote "Fourthly, This matter is the responsibility of the Ops Manager. If the rules are followed and there is still an issue then it becomes a board matter." and this was the whole point of my post; the twoing and frowing between the board and the managers that causes great frustration for members. I would like to correct one thing in closing; I emailed every board member with the same request and I only received one reply from a Victorian based member and I appreciated that. I hope this does encroach on defamation as it is an area that needs to be sorted by the RAAus. Bill Bendall Roma, Qld

A few months back a discussion was started about a rogue operator in a mobile flying school that caused all manner of flying grief, poor training practices and outright dismal airmanship. The person was a con beyond belief and managed to pull the wool over the collective eyes of the RAAus with threats of legal action.:yuk: I mentioned in that thread that I was the idiot who bought the school in the complete confidence that it was sanctioned by the same organisation but was denied the oportunity to operate it.thumb_down A major contributor to these forums and to rec aviation in general, Tony Hayes, challenged me to confront the RAAus board to explain the reason behind that decision and their stance on mobile flying training facilities in general. (I hope Tony does not mind as I have a deep respect for his knowledge and distant friendship). I emailed the president and every member of the board with roughly the same requests as outlined above and got a Maxwell Smart 'cone of silence' response from all but one interstate member. I have waited for almost two months for a reply or acknowledgement but nothing! I wonder how many others out there have asked a question and received a similar reply? I wonder how many have waited with baited breath to find out how many members there are in the latest issue of the glossy magazine but not received a reply to their question. Yep, I am dissappointed with the organisation that I have supported for many years but I do not want this to become a mud slinging competition against the RAAus, just a simple question; Are you happy with how the organisation responds to your particular situation? Is a nill response a sign of a progressive organisation or are you happy with how things are? Oops, that's two questions, silly me.. Remember that you might one day be faced with a similar situation so consider how you would feel with a blanket of silence. Any board member response would be greatly welcomed. Bilby54

Not quite sure how membership cannot be legal unless you are a member??? I know of several pilots and aircraft that do all sorts of safe flying but are far removed from the mainstream clutches of flying organisations. It seems to many that the AUF was overrun by an influx of GA pilots that were disgruntled by regulation and overwhelming costs so of course it is cheap to belong to the RAAus. If this is the only organisation that controls recreational aviation then it has to be cheapest so I don't know what you are on about unless you are a board member. Cheers, Bilby 54

Hi BaronVE, To the best of my knowledge (not much it seems), the Lockwood and Austflight Drifters share the same specs as far as the basic airframe goes. Austflight kept the Drifters in production and produced the Strut Braced version with a larger pod which they sold back into the US market and I think that caused some ill feeling which was never intended. You could appreciate the original designer having his aircraft plant taken from him and then sold to another party to be manufactured overseas and eventually sold back to the original market. A bit of a kick in the face so I could understand Lockwoods stance on the matter. I have not heard of any VW powered Drifters but that is not to say that there aren't any running around. The Aus Drifter factory is offering the Jabiru engine as an option and the Jabiru factory have an engine mount design to suit. Hopefully, Lockwood will overcome their feelings and the Drifter will gain its place in the skies over there again.... which ever country they were made in. Cheers, Bilby54

That clears the Airbus side of things up!!

Roma has been honoured with the annual Austalian Women Pilots Association conference and will be attended by Nancy Bird Walton. For those who do not know, Nancy was Australia's first female commercial pilot and is a delightfull lady to go with it. The conference is to be held from April 30 to May 3 and will include a navigation trial so please give them some encouragement if you hear them in the air. Drop in and have a yarn if you are in the area, I'm sure the girls won't mind. Cheers, Bilby

I was dissapointed to hear a few remarks (from outside of these forumsthumb_down) that Middo should not have been learning to fly a tailwheel Jabiru in those conditions. This was not an accident related to pilot experience on type ...... it was due to unpredicted weather circumstances that can catch the best of us and was aptly demonstrated recently by the crew of an Airbus in Germany. I wonder how those other pilots would have faired in the same circumstances???? The fact that the prop was stopped is neither here or there and could have been caused by fuel starvation due to the violent manouvering. The fact that the crew walked away was due to the pilots skill. I think that Clemair put it nicely, well done! Cheers, Bilby

I forgot to ask if the bloke at Dalby is Glen?

No problems bp, Say hi to Trevor as I haven't bumped into him for quite a while. Incidentally, Trevor did his instructor rating in my Drifter but he might be biased towards his wire braced machine! I am doing a bit of flying for the Australian Women Pilots Association this weekend so I will post the latest shots then. Cheers, Bill

If you had real estate with the same views as a Drifter then you'd be sittin' on a fortune and you want water views to boot! Lucky bugger. Great aircraft and welcome to the forums Damien. Bill

Hi Boleropilot, I found the add as promised: "95.10 Ausflight Drifter 503 XP, completely refurbished, new two pack paint, new fabric, engine top overhaul, stand any inspection, ready to work, $17,000. Ph 0428 621 299" I do not know anything about the aircraft or who owns it.i_dunno I am reluctantly putting my own Drifter up for sale as I am in the process of buying another aircraft. It is a strut braced 582 with a factory fitted rear pod, L2 maintained with logbooks but I am asking $20,000 if you are interested and it is based at Roma in SW Queensland

Hi Boleropilot, I will get the phone number for the aircraft and email it to you but the main thing is there are plenty of aircraft for sale out there so check out as many of them as you can. An Ultralight Aircraft Condition Report (UACR) is required for all changes of ownership of an RAAus registered aircraft. Essentially, it should be done by an independent L2 and will give an indication of the condition of the machine so as you can decide if it is what you want and how safe it may or may not be. The person doing the report should have a reasonable degree of maintenance experience on type and definitely should NOT be a mate of the seller! From your description, you would not have to be rocket scientist to see that the aircraft is not fit for purpose so most L2's would not have a problem with expressing their opinion! I would request a UACR from the seller but if you want more info and advice, check out the tech manual or contact the RAAus office. Cheers, Bilby54

Sounds like the same miserable story that I had with a Thruster purchase a few years ago from a complete rogue that ended in a long legal battle. Report the condition of the aircraft to RAAus, it might not help much but at least they will be aware of it. Just a query, did you get a condition report before considering purchase? All the best and keep smiling.:) Just oout of interest, there is a 503 drifter advertised out my way for $17,000 if you are interested. Bilby54