Mriya

Welcome Ben, I am based at Coldstream, involved in aircraft maintenance and am sure that Bob from YVFT would be delighted to get you up and flying in the Tecnam P92. It is a great performer, which I quite enjoy flying myself. I haven't had lots to do with Lilydale so can't really compare the two. They seem to use Jabs. Suggest you drop in at both, view the aircraft and get a feel for the instructor. At either place you will have a great valley to fly around.

Several years back in my QF days I was involved with the rollout of their 'TowSAFE' training at Sydney. A very comprehensive training programme that defined each persons role when they are involved in towing, wing walking, etc. So, yes I expect some hard questions are being asked in the aftermath of this one. From my understanding procedures to avoid this have been in place for quite some time now.

Did you change to Evans coolant from a water based type? If so this may also explain higher temps. Evans has a lower thermal efficiency than water and will subsequently run hotter.

I had someone drop in asking whether there was any hangar space for an acrolite last week + another aircraft hangarage query in Dec. Did your other hangar sharing plan fall through?

If you are referring to SOAR, the text in brackets on their web page answers your question which defines their unrestricted pilot certificate training as the Cross Country Endorsement.

Hi Matt, Another active ultralight airfield up that way is The Oaks. I was out there this morning watching my eldest son do his 1st touch and go's (drove past Wilton on the way there also). I will be heading back to Vic next Monday and need to follow up on the txpr install. Our Radio LAME may have talked to you already. Will give you a call and aim to resolve once I'm back on deck at YCEM on Tuesday. Regards, Justin

In our workshop it is standard practice to avoid mixing nylocs and engines, however we note an increasing trend for LSA manufacturers to use nylocs in the engine area.

I have also found that props make a difference. A Tecnam P92 Echo Super that I maintain used to comfortably idle on the book figures of 1400rpm (others in this thread have already covered the problems with leaving the engine running for extended periods <2000rpm) when the original 2 blade GT propeller installed. However once this was replaced with a 3 blade ground adjustable Bolly prop the idle needed to be set higher as it would not happily idle at anything less than 1700rpm. Also a VH registered Flight Design MC aircraft, that we maintain, with a Neuform 3 blade ground adjustable prop also needs to be set at +1700rpm.

It would also be worth considering the safety implications of 'deactivating' an emergency exit...

I agree that there are a number of 'legitimate' ways that radios may enter Oz without the dealers involvement. I just thought I'd mention it so people are informed when purchasing what may appear to be a bargain.

Just a tip to keep in mind when considering radio changes and costs. I was talking to the icom service centre this week regarding a customers volume pot in an a210 that needed replacing and they keep track of all icom radios sold officially vs others that may be grey imports. When it comes time for workshop repairs the labour rates are much higher on radios which have not come through them. I am not trying to necessarily argue against grey imports by mentioning this and I know people will have a range of opinions but it is worth noting that a 'cheap' radio may end up costing more in the long run once comparative repair costs are factored in. In my customers case they confirmed the radio had been supplied by them and so replacement volume pot, ribbon cable+firmware update was all done for $120 including parts and labour while the customer waited. Radio was back at Coldstream all fixed with same day turn around. Not bad service from icom in my opinion and worth supporting the Australian supplier if they are committed to this level of customer service. If you are buying 2nd hand it may be worth an email to icom with the serial # so you know what level of support icom Australia will give you when repairs are needed.

Hi Kaz, The sonex is slowly taking shape although the school students have now finished for the year. We also are getting close with the RV7A project (do you know anyone interested in purchasing it?). Only other news for us is David will be heading back up to MAF Gove soon and I will be taking on the chief engineer role here at Coldstream. I aim to build on the good work of David in establishing our workshop as a viable option for local customers other than our own FTC. I am sure the YCEM flyers will be delighted if you are able to drop in at any stage and I'll be sure to pass on your greetings if I see any of them in the next little while.

I was involved in that inspection, however the rad47 criteria doesn't include applying a vacuum to the static system. Rad43 IFR checks go the extra step. Can't remember encoder details as it is not the focus of the check but do remember the microair system looks good in your aircraft.

Adding to Frank's reply, depending upon the aircraft you are fitting it to will determine the type of approval process to allow fitment of different equipment. Factory built LSA - manufacturer approval needed to substitute parts. Full type certified - EO from a CASR 21 (old CAR35) engineer authorising fitment. Experimental (various) - self approved. As Frank rightly pointed out RAD47 check must be current before entering CTA where a txpr is required.

I would see a distinction between simply verifying an instrument against the standards in the RAAus TM / CAO 100.5 and getting an instrument repaired in a workshop. No problems confirming serviceability in the aircraft using a calibrated test box per guidelines in the CAO, however the moment the cheap chinese instrument fails no approved workshop will touch it without repair data. At that point you chuck it out and get a new one.

Well done on finding the the flaw in my blanket statement. When making my statement was more concerned with the many RAAus aircraft that I suspect are flying in Class E without a current AD/RAD/47 check on their transponder.

Someone beat me in pointing out CAO 108.56 is now cancelled. You will find all the instrument calibration requirements embedded in an updated CAO 100.5

As a L2/LAME I have sometimes observed a lack of appreciation for the responsibilities that come with owning an aircraft. The owner is considered to be the Maintenance Controller which means that they are responsible for understanding and ensuring all aspects of the RAAus Technical Manual, CASA regs, manufacturers maintenance schedules, AD's, SB's, etc are complied with. Your L2/LAME can help point you in the right direction, however the aircraft owner is the person ultimately responsible. Heaven forbid, should a failure to comply with any rules/regs be found to contribute to a fatal accident the lawyers would have a field day at your expense. Moral of the story is that aircraft owners need to do their homework by reading and understanding all the documents that relate to the ongoing serviceability and maintenance of their aircraft. A range of solutions are availabe for checking calibration of instruments, but for transponders it must be checked by a CASA Radio LAME using pretty expensive calibrated test equipment. Without a transponder check per AD/RAD/47 in the last 2 years your aircraft is not permitted in controlled airspace ( including class E). I offer this as food for thought for anyone who owns an aircraft, that you may better appreciate the responsibilities that are yours.

Hope it wasn't our Cessna ;-)

Jake, I should add that you have a bucket-load of good info regarding ADS-B & mode S + ES issues also. Well done in presenting this info accurately. I only question your assertion that mode c installs may still be a valid choice come Feb 14. Fortunately at this point there is no mandatory requirement to upgrade existing mode C installations for the average recreational VFR aircraft.

Hi Jake, Your observations are correct, however seeing as the whole point of having a transponder is to unlock airspace, a mode c installation post 6th Feb 14 will not be eligible for the places you would most likely use it (like class e). Also to note is that my radio LAME even mentioned that the avionics workshop he uses even questions whether they will be allowed to legally repair existing installations. I would be surprised if any radio LAME's would certify any mode c txpr installs post feb 14. It appears to be designed as a mode s upgrade by attrition. When your mode c unit fails a rad47 chk you may be faced with little choice but to upgrade to mode s. For someone with a gtx327 or similar the chances are it will run for many years however this rule will probably flush out all the older units that use an internal cavity to set the frequency as they are prone to drifting off frequency over time. Given all this I still stand by my original statement which when amplified says all new aircraft and transponder installs post 6 Feb 2014 must be mode s.

This link sets out the Mode S / ADS-B compliance requirements for newly registered aircraft or transponder installations post 6 Feb 2014. http://www.airservicesaustralia.com/projects/ads-b/other-mandates-2014-2017

This statement will quickly become inaccurate if it hasn't already in that come Feb 2014 all new transponders being installed will need to be Mode S.

Once again Andy is right. ADS-B and Mode S will make IDENT a redundant feature. However in the meantime ATC can request it allowing them to positively identify the various Mode C traffic that shows up on their radar screen. I have had it happen once as I was joining the Kilmore VFR lane at Sugarloaf in a RAAus Tecnam. I had just made a position advisary call on the area frequency and Melbourne Centre then requested me to IDENT. It turns out I had the transponder set to Mode A, so once they positively identified me they advised me to switch to Mode C. With that done we were all happy. My understanding is that ATC would always use the ident before attaching your rego to a 'blip' on their screen to avoid any possibility of mislabelling you in their system. Most of the time as uncontrolled traffic they are content to leave you be, but they always have the option of attaching your rego to their display and if they decide to do this they need to know which 'blip' is you. Once you have Mode S installed your aircraft identifier is coded into the reply sequence and so they can positively identify you without the manual IDENT process. As an aside, if you are in the Melbourne or Brisbane areas you should keep an ear out for an opportunity to visit the respective Airservices Australia air traffic control facilities via your local club or flying school. I tagged along with a group from our local flying school visiting the Melbourne facility and it was a most informative evening. You get to see in person the 'voice' on the other end of the radio and come to appreciate the resources that are available to help you get back on the ground safely, especially if you manage to get into a 'pickle'. I'd recommend it to all pilots as it 'demystifies' the whole system and gives you confidence that lots of help is available if you need it one day. Airservices Australia was also happy to host the event as it ultimately makes their job easier once pilots know the processes and systems and work with them rather than against them. Talk to your flying school or aero club and arrange a visit.

Well described Andy. As a LAME who has done the relevant CASA Basic exams for transponders and getting close to applying for the licence rating, your description of radar systems is well presented and displays an in depth knowledge of the various systems in use today. The only thing that I would add which takes us back to the original question regarding time needed when pressing the ident button is to note that when performing a AD/RAD/47 check one of the items tested is to confirm that the IDENT bit response continues for approx. 20 secs following operation of the ident button. Therefore holding the ident button makes no difference to operations as once selected it latches in the transponder and sends the IDENT bit when interrogated for the next 20 seconds or so anyway.