skeptic36

Thought some of you might find this interesting: http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2011/06/01/337911_country-living.html Regards Bill

Why I Am now Divorced …. Last week was my birthday and I didn't feel very well waking up on that morning. I went downstairs for breakfast hoping my husband would be pleasant and say, 'Happy Birthday!', and possibly have a small present for me. As it turned out, he barely said good morning, let alone ' Happy Birthday.' I thought.... Well, that's marriage for you, but the kids.... they will remember. My kids came bounding down stairs to breakfast and didn't say a word.. So when I left for the office, I felt pretty low and somewhat despondent. As I walked into my office, my handsome Boss Rick, said, 'Good Morning, lady, and by the way Happy Birthday! ' It felt a little better that at least someone had remembered. I worked until one o'clock , when Rick knocked on my door and said, 'You know, It's such a beautiful day outside, and it is your Birthday, what do you say we go out to lunch, just you and me..' I said, 'Thanks, Rick, that's the greatest thing I've heard all day. Let's go!' We went to lunch. But we didn't go where we normally would go. He chose instead a quiet bistro with a private table. We had two martinis each and I enjoyed the meal tremendously. On the way back to the office, Rick said, 'You know, It's such a beautiful day... We don't need to go straight back to the office, Do We?' I responded, 'I guess not. What do you have in mind?' He said, 'Let's drop by my place, it's just around the corner.' After arriving at his house, Rick turned to me and said, If you don't mind, I'm going to step into the bedroom for just a moment. I'll be right back.' 'Ok.' I nervously replied.. He went into the bedroom and, after a couple of minutes, he came out carrying a huge birthday cake ... Followed by my husband my kids, and dozens of my friends and co-workers, all singing 'Happy Birthday'. And I just sat there.... On the couch.... Naked.

Yeah your probably right, I think he probably just copy and pasted it from the German Home Security Offices web site:loopy:

The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide." The only two higher levels in France are “Collaborate" and "Surrender." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country's military capability. The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent events in Libya and have therefore raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved." Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross." The English have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from Tiresome" to "A Bloody Nuisance." The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish Armada. The Scots have raised their threat level from "Pissed Off" to "Let's get the Bastards." They don't have any other levels. This is the reason they have been used on the front line of the British army for the last 300 years. Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing." Two more levels remain: "Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides." The Germans have increased their alert state from "Disdainful Arrogance" to “Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs." They also have two higher levels:"Invade a Neighbor" and "Lose." Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual; the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels . The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy. Australia, meanwhile, has raised its security level from "No worries" to "She'll be alright, Mate." Two more escalation levels remain: "Crikey! I think we'll need to cancel the barbie this weekend!" and "The barbie is canceled." So far no situation has ever warranted use of the final escalation level. Author: John Cleese British writer, actor and tall person

Here is a reality check from a bloke who was lucky: Greetings All, Just got home from a refreshing holiday back home in Wales and jumped on to see what has been going on and came across this water thing (again). In case you are reading here and never read the original thread on the water landing ideas/arguments, I will refer you to that listing and not rewrite all that I originally wrote as my feelings/suggestions on the matter. I will reiterate that what I wrote was what I feel about the matter, having experienced a water landing in a land trike, and would suggest to someone to think about what I said I would do in future, should the need arise to once again enter the water in a land configured trike. I am not demanding that you jump, I stayed with the trike on my one and only experience of this type of incident, I would NEVER stay with the trike in a future episode, not that I ever expect there to be a repeat of such a thing. Monty sometimes refers to those who fly over open water with no chance of a glide to land, as brave soles and refers to himself as a coward. First off Monty, you sir, are no coward, you are a very smart pilot and one who keeps uppermost in his mind, all those family and friends who he would leave behind on this earth. As for those who do fly low over open water, I would suggest that they are bloody fools, and ignorant A$$holes if they are doing this with a poor unknowing passenger on board. No, change that to cruel, despicable, ignorant A$$holes... there, that's better. I can tell you from first hand experience that all the practice, forethought, self assuredness and expertise goes out the window, the moment the trike hits the water. You go from flying - to hearing bubbles while soaking wet in the blink of an eye, accompanied by shock and no awe, if you are still concious that is. And, for those first few seconds or so, you have absolutely no idea of which way is up, so forget about your ideas of getting out the back of the trike or the side or what ever, because you will not know in which direction you are pushing yourself, for safety sake. As for a facility to practice crashes, like helicopter traing etc. don't even waste your thoughts on this, because a helicopter and a metal fixed wing do not have a wet sheet wrapped with cables around them to egress their aircraft. No easy task without this added problem, but with this added to the fray, almost an impossibility to get out of. Yes it might sound helpful to be dropped into a pool from a cable with a wing overhead, if you are expecting to go in under a parachute, but if you are just thinking of practice for a fly in scenario, don't even bother. Why, you may be asking, well the why is because you have absolutely no idea what will happen to the wing as the trike enters the water so you can't practice for that. Forget about your airbags on the nose wheel or in the side wheels or under the pod or trike keel, they would probably get ripped off in a water landing anyway and they would add more confusion with, in my opinion, no additional help to keep afloat. When you hit, anything could happen to the trike in that last millisecond which would change the way the trike and wing are going to react with each other in the water as the inertia dissipates. And those air mattresses in the wings, those were mainly to help keep your trike afloat for a possibly recovery when you got rescued, but they would not help you really, in a crash into water. I thought, just as many, if not most of you, that I would land in the water, the trike would come to a sudden stop and the whole thing would sink nicely downwards, all set up as if on land and dropping into quick sand. It just doesn't happen that way unless you are reading it in a fairey tale book. In reality, I found that a straight in level flared flight resulted in my Port rear wheel hitting a fraction of a second before anything else and the last thing I recall was trying to get that wheel and trike back level and last little bit of bar out movement and then darkness and bubbles, panic and fear. The shock of it all will probably have you exhale any air you thought you could hold in your lungs, IF the bar has not slammed back into your chest from the nose of the wing going in and the trike unit continuing forward. I was lucky, the bar never did slam into my chest and from what I thought would be a straight in level sinking, turned out to be 90 degree right hand turned postion in yaw of the trike and wing from entry point with a 90 degree port side roll of the trike and wing when it all stopped. How it ended in that position I'll never know, all I DO know is that I'm so thankful it did end up that way. The port wing was folded and bent and snapped backwards and under the trike with the cables all over the place, but luckily the starboard wing remained intact and was straight out and pointing skywards as I sank, so nothing on that side wrapped around me, and that was the area to escape into. At first, when forward motion stopped, in a panic, I tried to exit my seat and found I was trapped, but then, I recall a calm came over me, and I suddenly remembered that my seat belt was still clicked tight. I released that and distincly remember moving the straps well away from me to each side, then sliding out and starting up to the surface when the next thing tugged and held me, my headset radio cable was still connected. I unplugged that and feeling for any more wing cables as I went, I got to the surface. Again, I was lucky, another person may have continued to panic and never realized that it was simply the seat belt that prevented them from getting out or may have still been held by the headset cable to the intercom and may have drowned right there. Or they may have gotten out of the seat belt but a wing cable may have become wrapped around them or onto their helmet and with no air in the lungs, would again panic and not be able to free themselves. The water conditions play yet another part that no one seems to have thought about here. Again I was lucky, I went down in calm water with just a gentle direction flow of water and no passenger to worry about and get entangled with. Image what it might be like in an ocean with all that open water and current turmoil. Ever jumped into an ocean off a boat? You'd be shocked at how that water throws you about (I don't mean dead calm flat water here, nor a rough seas) even in standard day conditions with just a little wind. Now image being wrapped in a trike and wing with bent or snapped wing tubes and cables all around you. Lets suppose the trike went in dead straight, the main wheels hit, then a millisecond later the nose wheel hits, pulling the nose pod down into the water with all that drag and then the nose of the wing impacts the water. Well... you'd better have jam in your pockets because you are about to become TOAST! When the wing's nose goes in there is still forward interia from the rest of the trike unit (engine and fuel tank etc.) that will be thrown right into the under surface of the wing and everything will wrap around the trike like a huge wet sheet complete with cables and extremely strong but now bent or snapped and jagged tubes from the wing. Trust me, you are not going to be able to bend these tubes away from you at all. It was next to impossible on land when we came to try and unfold the bent wing of my trike, and that was with several people helping and no water resistance and the grip of dry land under my feet and resistance of the trike on the dry land against our tugging, and it was still almost impossible to move a wing tube. Those wing tubes are amazingly strong when bent or snapped to a shape. I hope I have given you more food for thought regarding what happens when you go into water in a land trike. Yes it is great to think about airbags and floatation devices and wing limiters and practice sessions into real water, but that is not what is going to happen to you. Just put on a breathing apparatus and then put on a 50lbs back pack and spread a large sheet or pool liner over a swiming pool and jump from about ten feet up into the centre of this, then you'll get an idea of what it might be like to free yourself from such a water crash landing. And as for a BRS, well there have been a few cases of people deploying them and they failed to fire and they lived to tell about it, so remember that they are not fool proof either. There were a number of listings on the old list of saves that said ran out of fuel, as I recall, as well as like Ole said, a stated, "Lost Control". Then there were the ones that mentioned structural failure, but not as many as you would think. When added up I think the lost control and ran out of fuel were greater than the structural failure reasons for pulling the handle. The best thing is to first of all preflight properly, then fly safely and in conditions that are within your capabilities and don't add to your risk factor, something as stupid as flying low over open water or flying over water without the chance of a safe glide back to land. Don't be an Icarus, be his dad who lived to tell about it. This has just been something to bring you back to reality about what will be going on in a water crash. You may do what ever you think is best, but for me as someone who has been there, done that, got the t-shirt, well, like I said, I was lucky, I will jump every time in future, just before the trike hits the water and with my helmet on, if I ever find myself in that situation again. Though, I shall never place myself in that situation again, so it's a mute point for me. What about you? Fly safe always, Lucian Bartosik Regards Bill

:thumb_up::thumb_up::thumb_up: Regards Bill

Nope it has to be cold water for pilots, ice water if you want a guaranteed result especially for instructors

The conflict between what is good for business and what is good for the student is something I have been concerned about for a long time. It you are under financial pressure then you don't want to be losing a student due to the fear of what happens when you strike thermal activity. How you separate the two I am not sure. Regards Bill

Hi all, Not much action in the trike section here lately, so here is a bit of forum fodder: Cut from the Airborne site: We are pleased to announce that it will be show-casing its new Part 103 trike The Thermalite (TLite) and Core wing at Wallaby Ranch during Sun 'N Fun (March 29 - April 2). We should have detailed information on this aircraft in the next couple of weeks but I can tell you this -- it has a 4-stroke engine!!!! The Tlite utilizes the Bailey's 4V-200 engine. The Bailey's 4V-200 is a 200cc SOHC 4-stroke putting out 22hp at 8200 rpm. These are beautiful engines purpose built for ultralights, and did I mention they are 4-strokes!!! Also noteworthy is that the wing has been tested to Light Sport standards assuming a pilot weight of 242 lbs, so even though this is a Part 103 trike it is being built to Light Sport Standards. Sounds like a lot of fun. I wonder what the TBO will be for that engine. I think I will put it on my (imaginary) list to go in the hanger alongside my(imaginary) big four stroke tourer and my (imaginary) amphibious trike. But for now Iguess I will just have to be satisfied with [ATTACH]13446.vB[/ATTACH]:clap2: Life's tough ain't it Regards Bill

Not usually, (I'm a veteran of 2 of these events) but with Alf leaning towards the dark side lately you never know, maybe the man himself will be flying one Regards Bill

Hi MM, Alf Jessup does some really excellent work hosting/organising a trike fly-in. We missed most of it last year but we're hoping to spend a lot of time there this year (if Alf invites us that is ) Regards Bill

Warning it has a little mild coarse language not too bad though Regards Bill

Doesn't matter, everyone is going to be at West Sale Regards Bill

Or you could get a set-up like this [ATTACH]13123.vB[/ATTACH]

HI all, I found this: http://www.eaavideo.org/channel.aspx?ch=ch_ultralights interesting. Regards Bill

Hi John, Do I understand what you are saying correctly an Australian or U.K built aircraft has had to satisfy an external examination of it's airworthiness but a U.S built one can be tested by the manufacturer and still flown legally in Australia? Regards Bill

Hi Glen, I got that figure from Airborne's website. As I said in my P.S if you want a real comparison then you really have to get to the fine details to see what's included and what is not. Regards Bill

Given the comparable local product has a max empty weight of 260kg then the Revo is actually ahead in that area. I have the same thoughts when I see those sort of questionable things (like the DTA voyager with no compression strut) but they do have to pass the loading tests before they can sell the trike. (that is apparently why we have to pay so much to get one). Regards Bill P.S I believe when you get down to the nitty gritty we need to really look past the initial figure quoted on the specs pages of a manufacturers web site i.e one quotes a figure with 3 litres of unusable fuel included, does the other include that? Are they including oil in the engine etc. etc.

That would be this one: http://www.recreationalflying.com/classifieds/aircraft-recreational-2/airborne-xt912-streak-3-wing-209/

Hi Bluey, I don't think you have the name quite right there, the trike is called Revo and is built by Evolution Trikes. There aren't any in Australia yet although apparently there is one arriving in W.A in Feb and three more coming to the east coast late March, one with the 11 meter wing and 2 with 12.5's . Watching them with that bloke Larry drivin them they sure look the goods. A couple of the features that interest me are * the lower control bar height , I have a bit of trouble with numbness in my hands and I think that may help. * More suspension travel. * And extra head room for the passenger. The one weakness I see is I don't believe there is provision for pannier bags or a belly bag so carrying enough luggage for a camp out could be difficult. Regards Bill

Buy versus Lease Analysis Buy The math on the Paul McCartney - Heather Mills divorce is as follows: After 5 years of marriage,he paid her $49 million. Assuming he shared sex every night during their 5 year relationship it ended up costing him $26,849 per occurrence. This is Heather. Lease On the other hand, New York Governor Elliot Spitzer's hooker, Kristen, an absolute stunner, charges $4,000 an hour. For anything! This is Kristen. Had McCartney 'employed' Kristen, he would have paid $7.3 million for an hour of sex every night for 5 years (a $41.7 million savings). Additional leasing value-added benefits include: a 22 year old hot babe, no begging, no coaxing, never a headache, plays all requests, no bitching or complaining or 'honey-do' lists. Best of all, she leaves after her performance and comes back when asked. All at one-seventh the cost, and without legal fees or unflattering media exposure. Sometimes leasing just makes more sense.

Hi people, The Rotax manual for the grey head states engine must be operated at 3000 to 3500 RPM ( it actually says 1/min not RPM) and the RPM drop must not exceed max 300 RPM (again it actually says 1/min) Regards Bill

Hi Jetjr, When I saw the add banner I thought it must be a special auction, but I think your right, it doesn't seem to be anything other than a few bits and pieces in the Melbourne truck and machinery auction. Regards Bill

Saw this add on the manheim fowles auction site, thought some of you may be interested Regards Bill

Good work, and a marathon on the keyboard as well. Regards Bill