HEON

Nanango: 1000m grass; 1180ft ASL; 05/23; slope thus land 23&take off 05; average 2% slope towards NE (short section 4% slope 300m from SW end) therefore fails warrants of ALA; 400m NE end soft after wet weather; possible horses on race days; permission required from Council; if windy tall trees cause potential wind sheer; tall trees located near SW end of strip; windsock NE side. About three years since I've been there so use above with care.

Seens not just Shell. BP was at Temora where I arrived with BP card to find it had changed, did not accept BP or my credit or debit card. Only got fuel with help of Aero Club.

Have watched five times and still don't beleave it. The skill and reflexes are out of the reach of mere mortals. I do worse landings with two wings!

While I will rebuild a twin overcam engine I have trouble getting the pos and neg correct to a battery. I think the difference is in the transducer. Ole is retired and I said to him that I will not bring him into the discussion. If I have said too much, or have not been able to answer all the questions so be it. I have tried to help but am not prepared to go any further....sorry!

Further on my post above, Aircraft Spruce replied last night that tranducer was available on 30 day special order at US$192.96 plus postage etc.

I have the same problem. Asked Aircraft Spruce for quote for a new transducer on 8 Oct. After two reminders they finally replied last night with quote of US$293.95 plus postage. This is their price for a complete assembly thus assume they do not sell seperately. Not nice! At the same time tracked down Ole Jensen who was the distributer before he retired and purchased this morning his last transducer. The new distributer is Mike Puhl. His site is www.downwindtechnology.com .His price was less than Aircraft Spruce but have not questioned him if they sell seperately as my need has been met. Ole Jensen pointed out some points that could help: 1.The marine gauge is different to the the aircraft gauge which has been modified to Aust Engr Order HEO-469 and certified for CAO 95-25 even though the body is the same. Navman offers no warrenty on marine gauge in aircraft. Ole says the marine gauge normally has a short life, 2.Naveman only sells in batches of 250+ thus the need for a distributer, now Mike. 3.The cable should never be coiled but shortened to the min length required. 4.Cable should be run away from all radio sets and antenna cables. 5.Gauge should be located as far as possible from radio sets. 6.Blowing into transducer with mouth, compressed air, water etc can stuff it up. I know this is different to the manual which rearly makes it a case of damned if you do, damned if you don't! 7.Resetting to manufactures settings then recaliberating might help. Contact me if you don't know method. I have failed 4,5 &6. Thus little hope I can solve my problems. Have got it working but the output is s**t: but now have new transducer. Have not checked mine yet but Ole said transducer wired;1(black), 2(white), and 3(earth).

Found this discussion very interisting as I've used both Lightwing and Speed individually and combined with various degrees of (non)understanding. With the soon (please!) controlled airspace entry I am thinking of using "LSA" plus rego number as at least LSA's have more equal performance for traffic control to understand instead of the large range of sub 650kg (760?) makes and models they might only come across every leap year. Comments?/Legal?

G'day Extralite (and others!), Your last post said you got 914 fuel consumption "from a couple of websites...." While researching what aircraft I wanted I was forever finding the published, and especially the verbal "real Truth" often had little relationship to the real world. Dont know how to beat it, the saying "Buyer Beware" has been around for a long time!. Just out of interest, the operators Manual for Rotax Engine Type 914 Series (May 01/2006 page 8-2) states fuel consumption at 75% continuous (5000rpm) is 20.4L/hr. I find 20L/hr a good average. A bit over on 3-5hr flights, a bit under if landing more often.

Regarding a Rotax 914. I fly one in a Lightwing Speed. Find that consumption is so close to 20L/hr at 5000rpm (around 115kt) it makes an accurate planning figure.

Lightwing Speed is a low wing without a bubble top in which you can avoid the sun as I agree a bubble in Queensland or other sunny places is as usefull as

I must have been lucky as I "only" paid $3.00 at Tillmouth Well (July). However the alternative there is a long push (after a VERY quiet landing) Tindal $1.96 Halls Creek $1.995 Cunnumulla $2.07

It seems poor airmanship is not located to one strip. Within the last week at Warwick there has been two that I have personally seen: 1.A GA school aircraft (I beleave with nav student) took of in wind/dust/rain storm which I watched develop for over one hour. I think wind would have been over 40kt with vis under 2000m. I watched it in the rain as I thought it was an accident just waiting for a place to happen. The storm was over 15 min later!; 2.A V tail Bonanza took off and did a 90deg RH turn at about 150ft over gum trees about 900m down 1600m long strip. Its a normal LH circuit! Common sense is just not common!!!

Saw Dova Skylark at Narromine08 (?) and at Moree. Looked very interesting but a bit more fuel would be nice. Think 110L usable is needed with a Rotax for a (relaxed) 500nm range. I did not expect 35knot plus on the nose Broome-Halls Creek in July but with 115L useable (Rotax), and after a revised number crunch, no problems.

Thankyou to those stating options for 500nm RAA aircraft to carry 265ish kg. As for the comment concerning 25kg of "bags" being excessive and a large GA would be more suited indicates some people either dont weigh it, or dont travel distance. What would you not take for two people for two weeks for around 5000nm in July in Vic,NSW,Qld,NT,WA and SA?. Our 25kg was: two headsets,406EPIRB,sat phone,4L water,2 space blankets,small box tools,ERSA,AOPA airfield directory,PCA,19WAC,4VTC,2VNC,4ErcL,navigation implements,hand held GPS,Pilots log,aircraft manuals,Mr Funnel,camera2,binos one, plus clothing (each);jocks&sox4,shirts3,pants one,long sleaved top one,jacket one and toilet items. With a couple of bags this was 23kg! Even had to tell my wife I could not get her an Argyle diamond at Argyle as we would be overloaded!

Looked up the Remos on net as I did not know it. Looks nice with 295kg payload but 80L useable will not give you 500nm with reserves out of 912 at 100kt (plus). If I read base price correctly at US$116500, its AUST$170800ish plus delivery. Out of my price range.

I come back to my previous post with RAA aircraft requirements for use to get around Australia. I also in a previous post indercated the Jab 170 seemed one of VERY/ONLY capable of undertaking the task. It was not available when I purchased my LSA. Lets look at the weights: 1. two people. My 90kg is tempered by a wife at 65kg, plus some clothing (essencial when in ones 60's) equals 160kg, 2. fuel for 500nm plus reserves. About 80kg gives you about 113L. Would not expect less required in Jab or Rotax (probably more would be nice), and 3. bags at 25kg. NOT the tux but the essentials to not smell like a horse (or whatever), plus tools, flight bag, safety equipment etc A total of 265kg! This is not excessive and is on the low side of weights I saw in a trip around Australia this year. What can do the job? If our regulations do not allow it with regard to MTOW, should not the regulations be brought into line with the reasionable requirements...or lets forget flying over 100nm before refueling (very hard in central Oz), or taking a passenger. What else is there out there (exclubing Jab170) that can do the job: at 544: at 600: at 650 (amph): or proposed 760?

I currently own a LSA thus have a deep interest in payload capacity as my interest is longer distance trips. I personally would love to be able to obtain a RAA aircraft that would be under MTOW with a load of 160kg of people,80kg of fuel (a bit more would be nice) and 25kg of bags. What can do that at 100kt (plus) with 500nm (plus reserves) range...now?..on drawing board?...if/when 760kg comes in?

Yes, but why?

The tone that Jab stopping ability is "good" can only be by people who have not flown anything with anything approaching a partically effective method to reduce forward motion. The only thing I have been in with poorer stoppers than a Jab is a drum equiped Lightwing...and they have stoppers that are there in a visual sence only!!

Have seen second flap switch wired into the central one located above left hand throttle so as to be able to use it WHILE the left hand is on the throttle/or not holding the stick. Works real well:thumb_up:

Would anyone be able to say why we have a 45 knot stall speed in RAA? Where did this figure come from? Is the figure based on some lore of flight, or is it a figure plucked from space some time back in antiquity? If it is the latter, which I suspect, why should it be set in stone as a commandment while other "commandments" such as MTOW can change? This follows on from "jetja's" above

I have an Xcom since I liked the idea of intergrated intercom and wanted a CB linked into it. When delivered in Australian factory built aircraft its performance was poor. Via the aircrafts maker questioned Xcom and Michael took a detour on the way to a family holiday and found the problem...a substandard aerial installed by the (aircraft) maker. Not long later was receiving intermittent screaching via the radio. Raised it with Michael and his people at Narromine 08 and he/they were very helpful. Problem did not go away so arranged to fly down and see Michael on a weekend where the cause of the problem, a transponder NOT manufactured by Xcom, was isolated as the problem. Transponder as repaired under warrentry and problems stopped. I cannot fault Xcom product support. These days this is not common. When I need another radio who do you think I will be seeing first??

The last paragraph of "airsick's" post puts it nicely. Limit the exposure to two people and have something like a stall speed limitation to prevent very fast types that we as rec flyers probably cannot handle at the current training level...such as P51s and F104s;)

I think a change to 760kg would help to prevent the current overloading of RAA aircraft IF the "new" aircraft had a larger gap between empty and MTOW. I started my training in the older Jabru LSA with 430kg MTOW....if you did the sums it rearly gave you an option of either taking an instructor or fuel!!! Recently undertook a flight into Central Australia where you had to carry maximum fuel (120L) due to the distances, a flight bag/safty equipment/some clothing, and two people (not size 8s!!). The only RAA aircraft I know that might not have been a bit heavy would have been a Jabru 170. I don't own a Jabru 170!

Again, missed the point of Eastmeg 2 question to a degree. I was talking with Canberra before they had my EBERP signel as during my glide my sat phone number was given to Melbourne Radio (?) who passed it on to them. I told them I would turn it on on landing (all being well) when I was at 2000ft. After that I did not talk to anyone...was a little distracted on other things. They must have given it a bit of time before calling.