WestCoast

Having recently returned to general aviation after an absence of about 40 years, I am staggered at how avaricious the government have become when it comes to charging for their “servicesâ€Â!<?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Back in those days the government actively encouraged young pilots by every year providing a number of flying scholarships sothey could attain a Commercial Pilots License. Most documentation (AIP’s , visual flight guides, RNAV charts, TAC etc) was providedto all pilots at no charge. (the only charts one had to pay for were the WAC charts). There was no additional fees for medicals etc etc etc. Having to replace the ERSA every 3 months is criminal when you consider the few changes that are made……and yet we all have to pay up as we are required to carry it. If Air Services (and what a misnomer that is) want pilots to have these documents, then they should be provided free or heavily subsidize them. There is no encouragement for Air Services to do things economically as when they feel the need, they just jack up the prices to cover the COST (sic). I guess priorities have changed…the government would rather hand out $4000to unmarried mothers for every baby….even when they have multiple children to different fathers and end up spending the money on a trip to Bali or the latest ‘plasma’. Ugh….don’t get me started!

Hi Peter, That is certainly an impressive looking aircraft.....also the performance figures read well. Was there any indication as to price for the factory built Pioneer 300? Who are the Australian agents? This linkprovides more information on performance etc. http://www.pilotmix.com/index.php?pgid=11&lang=en&maxInfo=59 Regards Dave WestCoast

Hi Paul, YCOM for the fly in eh! Trouble is, we "sandgropers"can't handle those high field elevations....3088 ft is way beyond our comfort level ;) (glad they don't play the AFL grandfinal at Cooma....WA would never get a look in!) and if we are going to travel that far we will need to get an autopilot retrofitted! (my only regret so far with my choice of options when I ordered) Regards Dave WestCoast

Thanks Ian....now I understand. I assume I have the bigger fin and elevator as I ticked the LSA 2006 box when I ordered. As there are no others (older models) over here inWA, I have nothing to compare it with. How about the Barossa Valley for the fly-in.......that is fairly central and a nice place as well! Regards Dave

G'day Ian, Interesting to hear about the CTsw available in 2 months. ......you mentioned a larger fin and wider elevator....has there been another change recently or do you mean the 2006 model? We would be definitely interested in attending a CT fly-in 'weekend' next year...any ideas as yet where it might be held & when? (YBAS maybe) :big_grin: Regards Dave

Thanks Ian....sounds good and I will be ordering some .....guess you will post details on the forum when supply is established. Regards Dave

Try and find a product that is Ph neutral. Many car washes are fairly alkaline which is not good news for Rhohacell.(see Safety Directive #1 at http://www.flightdesignusa.com/CAS.asp) I recently bought a carwash which stated on it that it was Ph neutral (which is quite rare)........name of the product escapes me at the moment as it's at the hangar, but will check it out and post the name here. Regards Dave

Thanks Paul.....have you only recentlychanged over to Evans NPG or have you been using it for quite a while? I would be interested to know how the CHT behaved over the hottest months during summer. Thanks Dave

Iam not sure if anyone else has had the "too cool" problem with their Rotax 912S temps however this has been a problem with mine as you willsee from the engine log figures below.(where there have been two pick ups for a parameter, I have averaged the reading)<?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Alt 5500 ft RPM 4600 MP 810 FF 19.5 LPH OAT 8C TAS 115 EGT 770C CHT 75C OIL T 76C Alt 4500 ft RPM 4800 MP 860 FF 22LPH OAT 11C TAS 117 EGT 776C CHT 80C OIL T 81C RPM 4670 MP 830 FF 19.5LPH OAT 11C TAS 115 EGT 790C CHT 80C OIL T 77C RPM 4590 MP 830 FF 20LPH OAT 10C TAS 115 EGT 786C CHT 78C OIL T 75C Alt 2500ft RPM 4710 MP 910 FF 21LPH OAT 8C TAS 115 EGT 809 CHT 74C OIL T 70C My CTsw came from the factory in May 06 with 50% BASF Glysantin Protect Plus coolant & 50% water. I have just replaced the coolant at the first 25 hour service with Evans NPG+ (as recommended by Rotax in the 912S manual) and what a difference it has made! I flushed the system twice using the Evans prep fluid (4 litres in all) and then added the Evans NPG+ at 100% as recommended. CHT's are now sitting around 107C and OIL temp at 90C during cruise...when you compare that to what I was getting previously....the change of coolant appears to have solved the problem. Figures after Evans NPG+ added:- Alt 5500 ft RPM 4540 MP 824 FF 19.5 Lph OAT 15C TAS 115 EGT 746C CHT 107C OIL T 90C Alt 4500 ft RPM 4500 MP 850 FF 20 LPH OAT 17C TAS 115 EGT 765C CHT 108C OIL T 85C Regards Dave.

Hi Mario.....I have been away and have just seen your post regarding the impending arrival of your new CTsw andthe Dynon.....congratulations on an excellent choice! My CTsw arrived in late May 2006 so I have only been usingthe Dynon D100& D120 for a short time however I have found it to be very preciseand so far very reliable. I have just updated it with the latest 'firmware' from Dynon and it just keeps getting better! I note that Dynonnow have an option where the'brightness' can be doubledto 800 nit howeverI find that thestandard 400 is more than adequate in the CT. Ciao, Dave

JL...thanks for the report on the Telex Stratus 50 headset...did you happen to try the cell phone adaptor and if so, how did it go? Regards Dave

My aircraft came with Dave Clark H10-13S headsets however last week I made the mistake of going flying with someone who had Bose X headsets.........so this topic is very relevant to me as I now want to replace the DC's! Would also be very interestedin any feedback on the Telex Stratus 50 Digitals as having the phone adaptor is an advantage and I understand the Bose X do not have this facility. Regards Dave

Many of you in this forum probably have to do the CASA Class 2 medical every 2 years and would be aware of the new ($130) fee introduced by CASA which they claim is the cost of processing the information submitted by the Designated Aviation Medical Examiners. In view of the simplicity of the Class 2 medical and the fees charged by the doctors (up to $250..........I pay $145), I consider that the added $130 by CASA amounts to cross subsidsation of Class 1 holders as the assessment process has to take in more frequent ECG's, audiograms etc. Added to this, many aviation industry employers reimburse their pilots for this medical or at least the employees can claim the costas a tax deduction. When you consider that many recreational pilots who hold a Class 2 medical only fly maybe 20 or 30 hours per year, the cost of the Class 2 medicalprocess is not inconsiderable. CASA have called for submissions and have extended the deadline to 28 July 2006. If you have an opinion on this and want to comment, this is the link:- http://www.casa.gov.au/avmed/class2/survey.htm

Roger, If you have specified the Becker Mode S transponder, it is a good idea to have the 'address module' programmed by the Becker factory prior to shipping to Flight Design. If you have a CASA (VH) registration, you will have been assigneda Mode S transponder code which is then applied to the module. Even if you don't have VH rego, the module will store all other details relating to your aircraft such as owner, aircraft performance etc. Unfortunately Iwas too late as the equipment had been shipped, so I now have to buy the program & cable from Becker (about 100 Euro I think). Dave

Roger....we are back again and hopefully we will get some decent weather again so as to get some time in on the CT so will certainly let you know how it's going. I understand that you have ordered a CT.....would be interested in what options you have chosen. Regards Dave

I would very interested to hear what others have experienced as far as using various fuel types in the Rotax engines, particularly the 912 ULS which is the one I have in my CTsw. Over here in WA it is not possible to buy 100LL Avgas however most airports have Avgas 100 (green) available. Apart from the initial fill (avgas), I have been using Caltex Vortex Premium unleaded or BP 98 RON (I think they call it "Ultimate"). I understand that the leaded avgas 100 could cause plug fowling and added engine wear, so I intend avoiding it wherever possible, however I wouldappreciate any feedback on what others experiences have been. I assume thespecifications of the fuel would be consistent (?)from state to state, even though the fuelcomes from different refineries. For example has anybody had any problems with 'vapour lock' using certain types of mogas? Do consumption rates vary using different types of fuel etc. Thanks in advance. Dave

Ian...I think it is a genuine panel...possibly not factory fitted, however it was on the Dynon Instrument Panel Gallery (4th last pic). http://www.dynonavionics.com/docs/news_customerpanels.html I can't see any reason why FD could not install this unit for you........I certainly would askif this is what you would prefer.

Ian...the AVMAP looks like a good alternative and fits nicely into the centre panel on the CT.

Here is a pic of the panel prior to the wings being attached....as you willsee on the EFIS there is an " EDC not detected" as well as " OAT not found"message as the remote digital compass and OAT probe are located in the left wing, so was at this point not connected. AOA scale is on the lower left below the speed tape.

Paul Basic empty weight as per the factory W&B chart is 319.1 kg (extra weight mostly due to the bigger wheels and heavy duty landing gear). i.e. Tundra wheels & fairings = 6.5 kg Heavy duty landing gear = 3.5 kg. The Neuform 3 blade variable pitch prop. weighs 5 kg. Regards Dave

Thanks Ian for posting those pictures of CTD. It was my intention to do so however I have not quite figured out how at this point :big_grin: The container arrived at Fremantle from Hamburg at 1730 Monday 8th May and was delivered to Jandakot at 0930 Thursday 11th. As the container was still sealed, AQUIS (quarantine) had to be present, however everything was in order and my wife and I unloaded our CTSW ourselves without any difficulty. (hardest part was finding boltcutters big enough to cut the seal!) I must say that the way the aircraft was packed and secured in a 20 ft container is a credit to Flight Design as nothing had moved so was in great condition on arrival. Now came the hard part...as Leo (from Sports Aircraft Australia) was not arriving to supervise the re-assembly until late the following Tuesday night, the days went by very slowly, however on Wednesday 17th May things began to happen very quickly and by Friday 19th the aircraft had been reassembled, gone over very carefully by the CASA LSA team and by 1500 we were doing our first test flight, having been issued with our LSA CofA and registration. The CASA team led by delegate Alan Jupp were extremely thorough and as an owner I appreciated this as it ensured that I was taking delivery of an aircraft in tip-top condition. Credit must also go to Basil Lenzo of Cloud Dancer W.A. (agent for FD in WA) as without his coordination of the various authorities, the whole process would have taken a lot longer. We are absolutely delighted with the aircraft. As many of you would have noted from the pictures, we went for the large tyres and heavy duty undercarriage. Flight Design have improved the wheel fairings on the larger wheels, making them look much more in proportion than on previous models. I was expecting some drop off in performance due to the larger wheels however at 5000 ft at 565 kg (just 35 kg below MTOW) and with full course pitch on the Neuform 3 blader at 5000 rpm we were getting a TAS of 122 kts. I had a Dynon fuel flow sensor fitted by the factory and it was showing about 20 Lph on the EMS.....this may improve as the Rotax loosens up a bit. The Dynon EFIS & EMS is a delight. An external digital compass comes standard with the D100 however I added an OAT probe, thus giving a OAT/TAS & Density Alt readout on the PFD. I also have the Dynon AOA pitot which brings up an angle of attack indicator on the lower left of the PFD underneath the ASI tape. (pic will follow when I figure out how to post!) Our CT is fitted with the Bendix/King Skymap IIIc and I am sure most of you are familiar this this great piece of equipment. Apologies for the long ramble......will keep them short from now on. Dave