JG3

Maybe I should point out that it wasn't really as dark down on the ground as it looks in the photo. The camera set the exposure on the bright sky.... I took off at exactly 0432 EST, legal first light at Kilcoy this morning. JG

Ah so easy after all.... First sunrise 2016, above Lake Somerset, SE Qld. Kilcoy Airfield, New Years dawn 2016. Wishing everyone a great fun flying year ahead. JG

I have photos of 2016 sunrise from 4500ft over Lake Somerset, but don't know how to post them here???? JG

Gday All, Come along for my last flying/roadtrip in the USA. http://jgflyingroadtrip2015.blogspot.com.au/ JG

It still looks complete to me..... What do you find missing?? JG

Thanks for that Rick. Just updated, from my camper van in the USA - amazing technology.... JG

Yep, that's our experience with Mogas as well. I can account for at least 4000 hrs on Mogas, between several friends and myself. Never had an issue and included flying all over the country and filling jerry cans from many bowsers.

Yep, that's our experience with Mogas as well. I can account for at least 4000 hrs on Mogas, between several friends and myself. Never had an issue and included flying all over the country and filling jerry cans from many bowsers.

I keep hearing gossip that Savannahs with slats removed are having greater risk at heavy loads. I've done expensive testing years ago on this subject, and investigated several incidents. The results of all that work can be studied at http://www.stolspeed.com/flight-testing-slats-vs-vgs Later Savannah owners maybe haven't studied this data, but everyone should. Yes, there is a risk in STOL aircraft such as Savannah and Zenith 701, from flyers trying to drag them off the ground at unsafe slow speeds. This is particularly risky with full flaps, as is analysed in the above article. The slower the aircraft lifts off the more the risk, so the Original wing with VGs could be slightly more prone that the 'VG' wing because it can lift-off a couple of knots slower, and of course the model with slats is considerably more so. This not a fault of the configuration of the aircraft, but the technique involved. My Savannah flight manual states, "...For Short Take-Off - full flaps, brakes on, full throttle, stick all the way back...." With this technique the Savannah will immediately rotate and lift-off, with less air speed than is required for the control surfaces to have enough authority. The tremendous torque of that 100hp at full bore causes a torque roll to the left. The flaperons are already at 40 degrees and providing heaps of lift. If the pilot tries to counter that torque roll with stick to the right, then the left flaperon could stall and cause that wing to drop even more, then the instinct is more stick to the right and the wing drops even faster and the drag that side causes the aircraft to yaw to the left and that wing stalls completely and it's all over so close to the ground. I know this to have been the scenario several times..... Not the fault of the wing, but rather technique. Savannah and 701 flyers, please read and study and heed the lessons from that detailed analysis. JG

Thanks heaps for that info. I hadn't realized that the washout would reduce tip vortex drag. In that case I'll keep it at 3 degrees as is. Short enough take-off roll already, and absolutely stable mush instead of a stall. I can adjust the flaperons in flight, but haven't experimented with that yet. Sounds like it will work out really well, reflex for faster cruise speed and deploy for slower landing, just as planned. This is going to be a fun machine. I call it my 'High Clearance Trail Bike'. JG

Yeh I guess just suck and see as usual. That hersey bar wing with low loading is already pretty stable, then I have VGs to help tame a sudden stall, so probably can have minimum washout. I also have a progressive flaperon adjustment so can easily try aileron droop. Thanks for the tip. JG

The reason I asked is that I've built an ultralight with Drifter skins on a strut wing, and trying to optimize it. I set 3 degrees wash out, but now feel that could be reduced and maybe improve performance. I measured an Austflight Drifter at our airfield and found one wing at 1.5 degrees and the other with no wash out at all..... It seems to fly well enough, so I could probably reduce the setting on mine.....

What is the recommended washout for a Drifter wing??? JG

<< surprising how well even half a kilo of powder works>> Just a caution about dry powder extinguishers in aircraft. There was an incident where one such extinguisher accidentally discharged in flight. The dry powder, being electrostatic, immediately coated the windscreen and all the windows. and couldn't be wiped off, just kept clinging on. Complete loss of visibility. He was only able to land by peering out a small vent in the side window......

Another Savannah in Africa

Of course this was just an airshow showoff stunt gone wrong, but is a really good lesson of how NOT to do STOL Ops. At a real STOL landing out in the bush there'll be no windsock and probably no indication at all of the wind down there, and if such a short landing is required then probably trees or steep terrain close in that will make the airflow even more unsettled. So the approach should be flying in at a safe margin, slip down behind any obstacle on approach, and only pull back to stall right close to the ground, always with the throttle hand primed for a blast of power to go around.... The video shows that the initial wing drop wasn't all that radical, and there was still plenty of height to pick up that wing with a blast of power, left rudder, and ease the stick. With those inputs that excellent light aircraft would recover instantly and be flying again. But the way that the wing yaws backward and downward sure looks like the classic mistake of trying to pick up a stalled wing with aileron.... Once again, a really good lesson of how NOT to fly STOLOps.....

May. Anticlockwise. The tropical 'wet' is finished, but foliage still green. Temps moderate. Winds favorable.

The Vintage Air Experience Fly-In at Archer Falls is also this weekend.....

Does anyone know what difference if any between the 170C wing and the 170SP sold in the USA??? JG

A likely way to commit suicide by justifiable police reaction.....

One aircraft returning south from Old Station along the coast at altitude reported 45kt headwind at one stage.....

Good idea! I've just discovered another feature especially for pilots. In the search box just enter the airfield designations for the route you want to plan. i.e.- Planning for Caboolture to Old Station, enter YCAB YGLA (with a space between them) and you get this graphic and forecast: https://www.windyty.com/?950h,2015-05-23-00,-25.487,152.103,7 This link doesn't show the track and the distance, but that comes up if you type in the start and stop airfields. Click the 'Play' sign in the lower left or click on any day to see how the wind is forecast to change over the coming days. It's impressive! JG

Yeh, and graphics are a heck of a lot easier than the coded jiberish in those aviation forecasts....