Peter Anson

I'm hoping to do a trip to Rockhampton in the near future. Was thinking of crossing the Dividing Range with a leg from Roma to Gladstone as it looks like there is a bit less tiger country on that route. Does anyone have any experience or advice on this? Peter

This Stinson Reliant actually has wind-down windows! OK if you are only doing 70 knots I guess. I'm kind of envious on hot days though. That little gold-fish bowl on the Sonex can get pretty warm, especially on the ground. Peter

OK, different aircraft, but I have seen a Zenith 701 that was built without doors, so obviously they are OK. I used to own a Skyfox and I think they were OK to fly without doors. They have a fairly crappy door latch and I had a door pop open in flight one time. After the initial shock they are easy to control. If the aircraft is flying balanced the door will open about 45 degrees and will be very difficult to close. All you have to do is apply a bit of opposite rudder and air pressure will shut the door so you can latch it. You can actually "fly" the door using the rudder pedals, making it go up and down at will. I didn't figure this out myself. Rod Birrell at Airsports Flying School showed me the trick. This works on Skyfoxes and Gazelles and I guess (but don't know) that it will work on similar aircraft. Peter

I was asked for copies of the last two years of my maintenance log when I renewed registration. In my case, with all the daily inspections it was 11 pages long. Michael Monck spoke to members at the Holbrook Easter fly-in so I took the opportunity to ask him the purpose of the random collection. His explanation was the obvious one; they were trying to find if members were keeping suitable maintenance records and carrying out the required maintenance and complying with service bulletins. I wish them well reading through all my scrawl. I think I have been doing the right thing but if not, it would be good to know.

I have had a few "problems" with my Microair and they have always turned out to be connection faults. One was the connection to the antenna. Another was the mic on my headset and most recently a dodgy PTT switch ($1.75 from Jaycar). I originally bought it 2nd hand and when installing it thought it did have a fault (it didn't, I had made a mistake in the wiring). Microair checked it for me and posted it back when they said they would. The service at the time was pretty good. I guess that makes this one more plus vote. Peter

There is a new-fangled steam gauge on the panel, calibrated in mph, that looks like original equipment, but maybe that was an optional extra. I'm still confused about the plural of Sonex. I think I'll set a new standard now and make it Sonexes. Thank goodness there was only one Xenos there.

This was my first time to the AAAA Fly-in (Antique Aircraft Association of Australia) at Echuca. Here's a link to my blog: http://www.ansoneng.com/sample-page/sonex-trips/aaaa-antique-aeroplane-association-of-australia-fly-in-echuca-1617-april-2016/ This would have to be one of the best fly-ins I have attended. There were some beautifully restored rare aircraft.

Great report - very informative. From what I have read, the dam raid would have had a far greater effect if the Sorpe had also been breached, but it seems to have been almost an afterthought. Looking at your diagram of the cross section of the Sorpe dam wall, it is little wonder that the British were unable to damage it. They did have large bombs, "Tallboys" later in the war that may have been able to damage the Sorpe but I guess by that time their priorities had changed. I was surprised at hoPeterw quickly the Germans were able to rebuild the dams. Nice that we're all friends now isn't it? Peter

For a good Victorian winery visit by air, visit Brown Brothers at Milawa, near Wangaratta. They do food and have their own airstrip. Phone them for permission. The local motel is good and did B and B quality breakfasts, and is only a short walk from the winery, so you can recover there for the flight home. My wife is totally uninterested in flying, but she really enjoyed a visit there. You probably won't save any money buying wine there but you at least get to try before you buy. Peter

Here's a link to my most recent trip to Holbrook at Easter. http://www.ansoneng.com/sample-page/sonex-trips/back-to-holbrook-fly-in/ Be warned, it's mostly a wander down memory lane, but there are a few photos.

Well done Brett. You'll notice a step in performance over the Aeropup. Have you sorted out your coil problems yet? Peter

That's a really interesting and informative article Garfly, and makes a lot of logical sense, but it still bugs me that my #5 EGT is 50 C hotter than the others. It shouldn't because there's not much I can do about it. Peter

Hi Brett, You do have to plan fuel carefully. I have a fuel site tube, a fuel gauge and a flow gauge. My engine burns 21 to 22 litres per hour at cruise which works out at 125 minutes plus 45 minutes reserve. The longest leg I have done is over 290 nautical miles, but I was carrying extra fuel in a jerry can just in case. An extra tank would be nice, and probably essential in central Australia, but I have been reluctant to add any weight. I did a recent trip from Mount Gambier to Kyneton at reduced power due to rough conditions, using about 2450 rpm, and noticed that I used about 6 litres less fuel, so there is some potential for more economical cruising. How is the turbo running?

I recently took my mother for a sight-seeing flight in the Sonex. Mum is 91. She was unfazed by a pretty rough ride in the warm conditions, but I'm sure she appreciated the smoother conditions over water. That track is 320 km which is quite a long sight-seeing trip.

One of the sad things about CASA's actions has been that many people have had their trust in their engines destroyed even though they have had no problems. I read one owner's post to a forum saying that he wished he could afford to replace his Jabiru engine with a more reliable Camit engine. He then went on to say that he had had absolutely no problems with his Jabiru engine, so presumably more reliable than 0 problems is negative problems. At the time of the CASA action, I spent a bit of time going through all the accident and incident reports I could find, essentially the 2013 and 2014 reports on the RAA website, and eliminated all the reports that were obviously nothing to do with engine failures, such as running out of fuel. The things that impressed me were: The paucity of information and how many reports were incomplete There was no obvious increase in the number of failures from 2013 to 2014 so it was hard to see what CASA's justification of the increasing rate of failures was based on. There were several failures that could be attributed to broken through bolts or valve failures - these are obvious problems The through-bolt failures puzzle me because with a rough calculation they would appear to be strong enough and they shouldn't be subject to fatigue loading unless they are not torqued up correctly. Apparently the problem didn't show up until the introduction of hydraulic lifters, but that shouldn't have any bearing on it. I suspect the valve failures might be associated with high engine temperatures - my guess only. I think it is fairly common to only measure CHT on one cylinder, usually #4 on a 2200 or #6 on a 3300 because they are the rearmost cylinders but on my engine, the #6 is the coolest. #3 and #5 run hotter, so maybe pilots are unwittingly over-heating their engines. Another consideration is that the majority of Jabiru engines end up in homebuilt aircraft, like my Sonex, which do have a higher failure rate than factory built aircraft, and over which Jabiru have little or no control. That isn't to say I think the engines are bullet-proof, they are very lightly built and that comes at a cost. All the same, it is very hard to find useful statistical evidence for CASA's action. They seem to just keep on repeating the same line without ever showing the evidence. Peter Anson Sonex 19-7898 Jab 3300 240 hours

Some people think that Sonexes are only good for local flights, and I must admit they are pretty cosy for two, but here's a link to my trip blog for those with too much time on their hands. (You should be out flying but this is cheaper). http://www.ansoneng.com/sample-page/sonex-trips/ Peter Sonex 19-7898 240 hours