Phil Perry

OMG. . .I've bin CAUTIONED . . . .Listen Phil. . . .If you Don't like my Post, then SAY SO.. . . .Lets have a sensible argument. OK ?. . .My OPINION is just that. . . . .doesn't make it right does it ?. . . throwing yellow paint over it doesn't make sense really mate. . .If you disagree with me, then let's hear the reasoning in your argument lad. . . ..otherwise you're simply chucking shyte up the wall of my house for no reason. . . .

I once 'ferried' a C-180 from Darwin to Brisbane i the 1970s. . .it had an HF rig radio and a morse key protruding from the panel on the RHS.with a plastic base to hold your wrist ! I tried ( for a larf )to send a position report using CW to Darwin FSU, but they called back and asked for it to be sent on 'Phone. . . so I had to wind out the longwire antenna 105 turns on the handle and talk to them on shortwave . . . .bloody amateurs. . .!

Not wishing to be a wet blanket here. . .. It is My personal belief that Not all pilots are capable of being INSTRUCTORS in the art of flying aeroplanes. . .however 'Brilliant' they think that they are,Nor how many hours that they have in their logbook. . . .. It takes many many hours, nay Years of varied experience before ANY pilot has sufficient, all round experience to effectively pass on their garnered, brass plated knowledge to an innocent person. In the same way that not all people can become effective schoolteachers. . unless they have the 'Spark' that makes them GREAT teachers. . .we have all met instructors who seem to be lacking in some aspect or other. .. if you have not,. . then you are a lucky aviator. . . . In my own experience of various 'Instructors' I have to say that when you have around 5 -600 hours of flight experience, in all sorts of wildly different weather conditions,. . and have made all of the horrible mistakes and errors yourself AND SURVIVED. . ,. . .perhaps then, you MIGHT be able to become a useful mentor for NEW pilots. . .until then,. . .build your experience and don't try to make money out of innocent people until you fecking KNOW the subject inside out.. . . Otherwise,. . .you are not helping to make safe aviators, and doing them NO favours in the process . . . .Just helping to add to the other thread on here,. . accidents. . .etc. . .

I'd have the hots for 'Jenny Knecht' the gorgeous SFO,. . .if I were forty odd years younger ! Some of the BTL comments on this vid are funny. . . Herr Kapitan Frick is a bit of a comedian also . . . runtime approx 13.20

Sorry if I gave that impression Mr. Kasper Sir,. . . .I was not suggesting that it would be suitable for someone in Australia . . .it has been kept covered for quite a few years, it had complete new skins when it was finally hangared. It was extensively Betts tested 6 months ago and the fabric is fine, apart from a small 'Hangar Rash' cut around 50mm in length on one side of the fin. An airfield maintenance guy has looked after the engine so that is also in good condx.. This aircraft was built by Mike Whittaker, with additional nuisance help from myself, and test flown for 26 hours by Eddie Clapham and 12 hours further 'Sales' flights by me. The Owner (finally licensed ) flew it to a North Coates fly-in with me in my Gemini Flash 2 / 503, but I couldn't keep up with it with the bar firmly planted in my ample guts and he lost me in his wake very quickly. I still think that it could be resurrected for a moderate cost as a starter machine for someone with reduced funds. . . but I agree that it would be important to strip it down for close inspection of the frame.

Same thing Peter, from some other site. .. posted 2 days ago on twatter apparently. . . . . If this were true, then I would imagine a surge in B-737 orders. . . . John Mara on Twitter

We have a CGS Hawk 2 at Otherton. . .I flew it to many fly-ins to see if there was any interest, including a large event at Cranfield. . . The Importer had a restricted licence only. .It wasn't a bad machine actually, 65 Kt. cruise, very pleasant to fly with no apparent vices. . . although it came in too late really, 503 engine, max fuel 25 litres, so range was going to be an immediate problem since the authority ( PFA I think ) refused to allow a second fuel tank mod, mounted beneath the engine , ( as with most Flexwings ) citing the risk of fire ( ? ? ? ) The importer lost interest in it after that. There have been several attempts by various people over the intervening years to purchase it as is, but in each case, the Owner asked far too much money. So there it remains. . unloved. Shame really. . .could perhaps be re-rigged as single seat deregulated, leaving a nice space in the rear for a jerry can.. . .! Apologies for my misunderstanding of the CHINOOK name. . .I'd never heard of that one !

They are a bit of a bugger to fly mate,. . .I KNOW. .. I've had the pleasure ( ? ) of three simulator flights. If the actual beast is as bad,. . .then I'd prefer the Jetranger or an old Huey personally. . . . I have circa 250 hours on various whirlygigs. . . . and this has given me the DISTINCT impression that I would be a lot safer flying Aeroplanes.

The ROYAL AIR FORCE. Buying crazy looking aeroplanes since 1918. . .

Your faith in the potential dexterity of oldies is humbling Sir !

That sounds like flying yourself but using the Automatomic Pillock instead of doing the stuff yourself. . .handy for naughty / accidental flights in cloud but a bit on the Borin' side ? ? ? Where's the FUNN. . .?

1) 'Fool Proof' - - - - - - -the designer never met ME. 2) Dunno the type / make as Wifey went into auto clean mode and chucked the carton away. She insists that the instruction manual was NOT inside, but can't recall what she did with it. . . It said 'WIFI Version' on the box. . . .( ? ) I doubt if it was really expensive. It has a bracket on the control panel for a mobile phone, and I have downloaded the Android app to allow the phone to receive pictures from the drone cam, but have not got that far in my training yet. . . the R/H stick is setup as you have mentioned,. . .if I only had an electronically enabled seat with the collective on one side and a pair of pedals for yaw control I'd be fine ( ! ) The left stick causes Up ness and Down ness to occur, but left / right movement of the control seems to be trim of some kind . . .Not being a stranger to aerodynamic control 'LAWS' I'd love to read the ethos. All I have is an overlay card which sits on the controller. That should be sufficient for most intelligent model flyers, but the truth is, I don't get much of a chance t take the thing somewhere legal and safe to practice.. . .a Ten year old Lass showed me how to fly it at a farmer's field a few weeks ago, she was an ACE, even flew it inverted. BUT. . .I don't really fancy going to see the same farmer and asking him if his young daughter wants to come out to play with a 68 year old bloke in a field. . . . it just doesn't feel right. . .. . .( ! ) Mate Glenn has a nice little Drone which is much larger than my example. It cost him £1,500.00 and has interesting features such as a superb HD camera which does stills and video,and you can pre-programme a flight into the on board ram. Plus, 'Return to origin' when the battery capacity is dropping. That's got GPS and an endurance of around an Hour. ( My 7.2 volt battery is purported to last approx 7 minutes flight time ) Fascinatin' stuff. I'll get back to you Sir, with any silly questions. ( R U Over 18 ? ? )

They're still operating something resembling Otters into Uist. . .onto the Beach. . .can't recall if thats Uist, or South Uist. . .Ma memry 'O Sco Lan' is nae as guid as it waz Jimmy. . .

I still can't fly my toy drone without it hitting me in the head / legs /guts/ or Wifey's flowers. . . .maybe I'll never get the 'Feel' of the weird control panel. . .Fortunately,. . .thus far,. .. I have NOT tried to fly it at more than 2 metres AGL. . . .Just have not mastered the control panel yet. . . .I have hundreds of hours on 3 axis flying appliances,( nay .Thousands) ,. .. and a few hundred hours on helicopters and Gyrocopters. . ..But WHY are these bloody things so Skittish to master I wonder ? ? ? ( Never had any exp with R/C aircraft models ) Most annoying. . . . Signed. . . Mr. perplexed ( of Cannock )

The Turboprop Otters in the Maldive Islands get off in around 600 metres on floats !. . .according to one of the pilots who kindly allowed me to sit in the right seat on our way from Mali to Sun Island a few years ago. . .Don't think that they would really have much difficulty getting of in nil wind on Tarmac at Saba either. . .depending upon loading Obvs.

Thank you for the link Sir. Very informative read.

Guess I'm Just having a bitch about certain OLD types of Ultralight aircraft Nev. . . The AX3 won't spin no matter What you do to it,. . .therein lies a serious training problem,. . .it doesn't stall cleanly, it just 'Mushes gently. Not a good training machine for those wishing to fly 'Proper' stick and rudder aircraft ! ( such as the nice Rans models to which this thread refers ) It wasn't so long ago that pilots trained on the Weightshift / Flexwing types were allowed to jump into a three axis control machine with no formal differences training at all. SOME of these lucky people are still alive ( ! ) There is now a Five Hour minimum for crossover instruction, which can be extended at the discretion of the Instructor concerned. It's a shame that it often takes some blood guts and grief before there is any action . .

Sorry Nev,. . .that post should have been qualified somewhat. What I was getting at was this. Manu flying schools in the UK were using the Cyclone AX3, as it was cheapp to buy and run and for small schools and One Man flying schools, ot as an ideal opportunity to make some money out of aviation. Problem was, it was a heap of DUNG, and all turns had to be made using the rudder as the primary turn control. The Ailerons produced an Awful Adverse Yaw effect, so that those being taught to fly in these crap machines were using rudder, NOT aileron to turn all the time. The only reason they used the Stick, was for pitch control. I do not know if there are any schools using these bloody deathtraps i the UK at the moment, there WERE only last year. . . The problem with being taught to fly in one of these contraptions ( Annd there are Hundreds of people who have been ) is that once they step into a type having PROPER CONTROLS. . .they are having problems. And this has been cited as the cause for several crashes and deaths when someone tries to fly a Rans S6 or similar, after having learned to fly in a piece of $hit. which should ever have been allowed to fly at all. This also applies to other Early Ultralight models which do not use proper three axis controls. There is NOTHING WRONG WITH THE RANS S6. there is a LOT wring with certain flying schools. and I hope that the CAA will sort them out.. Last local fatality : ( Shifnal Airfield Staffordshire ) Man learns to fly in an AX3. . .buys one and flies it for three years without incident. Buys a Rans S6 582. Refuses Free conversion training from a 20,000 hour instructor based on the same site and very familiar with the AX3 AND the Rans models. . . and how they have distinct differences..... This ( in the UK is Known as 'Differences Training) One day later,. . .stalls in the final turn, spins it and kills himself and his best friend. sometimes you just can't fix stupid. It is difficult to defeat the Darwin award, if the contestants are so self assured. . . .

Thanks Micro. . .the fatal accidents involving Rans S6 models have been down to pilots transitioning from a MUCH simpler type,. . Weedhoppers, Cyclone AX3s, . .X'Air Mk ones. . . which Don't bite you n the ar$e if you get the Base to final Turn badly wrong by flying according to Groundspeed and Wind, WHICH believe ot or not. .a LOT of newly qualified pilots have been seen to do. . . . This is because they were presented with an Aircraft which is a TRUE 'Stick and Rudder' type. . . whereas the ones that they trained with were NOT. If only their Instructors were Awake to this problem. . .then a LOT of innocent flyeyrs might well still be flying, I Cannot in all conscience blame the students. . it's the bloody Instructors who should shoulder this Horrible burden ). I've been banned from Two forums for pointing out this OBVIOUS fact. . .they don't like it 'Up 'em Mr Mainwaring'. . . ( Dad's Army ). I don't care,. . I WILL if I get banned from here though. . . ( Got nowhere else to spread me bile see. . . )

I winder if the Wing design has perhaps been addressed in the newer models,. . we have had serious / fatal accident reports re Rans S6 models in the UK,, where pilots have mishandled the final turn and flipped inverted. To my mind, there was nothing wrong with the aircraft, but a LOT wrong with the way it was handled. ( HINT : If you did the same thing with a C-152. . you would achieve precisely the same result.) Just my opinion.. . .but the information ought to be out there all the same.. . ..

ALL agreed mate,. . I just thought I might be getting a bit boring. . . . . Big signmaking shops are great. . .just ask if you can scourge their skips for bits. . . .the stuff that they chuck out are horrifyingly nice and very useful. . . .I just got asked to make some taxiway directional signs for a regional airport ( repeat work ) and checked the local skips and found sufficient 10mm foam board to make all of the signs at NO cost for the frangible Foam board faces,. . I only have to buy the 25mm Cliprails which are rivetted to the rear for fixing.to the support poles. Plus the Reflective yellow, red and white self adhesive vinyl material to make the background and lettering for use at night.. . . .saves me a load of dosh and increases the margin.

Bloody 'eck Doug. . . .that's disappointing. . .3 months back I bought a full sheet of 1.5 Mil clear ( 2440 x 1220 mm ) for £36.00 to replace 2 badly crazed side windows on a Rans S6 . . I guess there is a greater demand for the stuff in the UK, which reflects on the pricing structure. . . .

The 'Big Two' brands in the UK are MAKROLON. .and LEXAN. I don't know if these brands are available in Australia. . (Try Mr. Google) I've used both coloured and clear MAK for impact resistant illuminated shopfront signage, and lots of Clear LEX for replacement screens on many Ultralight / Microlight aircraft as.it's normally available in useful thicknesses like 1 and 1.5 Mil. Treat it like Timber when drilling fixing holes though, ie Slow speeds, otherwise it melts the material. I've used a good pair of tinsnips to ( carefully ) cut out screens using the flattened out old one as a pattern, in the event of a missing screen, made templates out of card.

25 Khz spaced Panel mounts are scarce, ( current date August 30th ) some suppliers are offering buyback deals for Icom, Becker and Garmin panel mounts. But with the hand helds, they are only bothering with Late model examples, which are 12 months old or less, and in Mint condition. Be interesting to see how many are left after the 25Khz cutoff date, ie 31st Dec 2018. The CAA were going to offer a trade - in, but I dunno how that would work, as they don't Sell radios as far as I know. . .maybe to keep the old types off the second hand shop market. . .as they could still interfere with the airband in the wrong hands. . . ( just guessing here. . )

Polycarbonate really Doesn't like any kind of reactive solvent anywhere near it. It is incredibly strong physically, compared to acrylics like Perspex, which is very brittle, but solvents and Fuel should be kept well away from it. I used to manufacture Illuminated sign faces using Poly in High Vandalism risk areas. . .it withstands a lot of punishment. . .But if you wipe it clean with a solvent, like paint thinners, it melts the surface. Not good for windows in aircrft. . .Nice and bendy though, even at 1 mm thickness, and still strong enough to thwart small birds. . . . What we REALLY need is that Star Trek 'Transparent Aloominum' stuff. . . .