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onetrack

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Everything posted by onetrack

  1. onetrack
    Bottom line is, this pilot deserves an award for getting a near-fully-loaded aircraft back on the ground with little power, right after takeoff. He didn't try the impossible turn, he just picked the best-looking part of a paddock virtually straight ahead and just put her down as best he could. It would have been like trying to guide and smoothly land a 3.5 tonne falling house brick. MTOW for the C208 is 3629kg, I reckon he would have been at around 3,500kgs at least, with so many skydivers, and all their gear.
  2. onetrack
    Well, after a bit of research, it appears this stunt was common amongst the skydiving/parachuting fraternity, and they call it a "Hang Load". Apparently there are several movies of sizeable hang loads, each trying to outdo the others record. None of the movies, and very few of the photos are in the public domain apparently, because they're still in copyright. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Heller-Hang-Load-Taft.jpg https://www.dropzone.com/forums/topic/55987-"no-frills"-twin-beech-movie-clip/
  3. onetrack
    They're both faked photos. What would they be hanging onto, to be able to stay there in a 120 kt slipstream? Nothing, the fuselage doesn't have convenient handles on it, it's smooth. Anyone who's been in a 120 kt slipstream knows what a massive buffeting you get.
  4. onetrack
    ATSB make a decision on whether to investigate, based on whether there's something new, as regards safety, to be uncovered. People still crash regularly, making the same pilot mistakes, over and over again. But the circumstances here would reasonably indicate the cause behind the crash, is incapacity of the pilot. A post mortem could possibly reveal that for sure, but that's not guaranteed, either. However, the simple fact that the aircraft was being flown by a competent and experienced pilot, and came down inverted in one piece, points to pilot incapacity. If any competent and experienced pilot is still functional at the controls when something goes wrong, and the aircraft is still in one piece, one would expect they would at least be able to attempt to land it, the right way up. I'm not a doc, but from long experience and knowledge, I can see physical features in the pilots photo that would lead me to believe he would either have a history of heart and arterial problems, or a high chance of developing them.
  5. onetrack
    ABC News has updated the injury list to 7. One man in his 30's suffered serious upper body injuries and was flown to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, while 6 others were taken to a hospital in Geelong. 3 of this group of 6 have "serious" injuries and 3 more are being "assessed" for their level of injury. Pax reported hearing a loud bang and the engine lost power. They apparently did not have enough altitude to consider parachuting out of the aircraft. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-20/plane-incident-at-barwon-heads/103001134
  6. onetrack
    Error correction to my post above. Powerplant of this particular aircraft is a Honeywell TPE331, not a PT6A.
  7. onetrack
    The engine failure event mentioned in both links is the same engine failure event.
  8. onetrack
    Merv Mudge was an ex-RAAF Flight engineer and an accomplished pilot. One has to suspect a possible severe medical event was behind this crash, where the aircraft crashed inverted, and where the aircraft appears to show no in-flight structural failure. http://airmanaircrew.com.au/html/airman_aircrew/categories/composite/mu4494496306.html
  9. onetrack
    VH-UMV, a Cessna 208, PT6A powered. This time, it actually was a Cessna! 6 Pax taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. https://www.bay939.com.au/local-news/investigation-into-aircraft-failure/ The same aircraft suffered engine failure on 31/12/2009 at Cairns, when compressor turbine blades failed. It had been fitted with aftermarket compressor turbine blades that were restricted in their application, and not approved for use in that engine variant. https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2010/aair/ao-2010-005
  10. onetrack
    .....on a par with one of bulls backyard compost bins, and people started to avoid Turbo simply because of the lingering aroma that followed him everywhere. Turbo finally realised what the problem was, when everyone who approached him, stepped back a couple steps, before they spoke to him. He decided to Google "what to do about offensive personal odours" .... but before he'd even finished typing, Bing AI produced the answer - "stop rolling in cow manure" - and Bing AI even provided a photo of Turbo and his problem, which stunned Turbo, and made him very aware that everything he did and said, was now tracked 24/7/365 by........
  11. onetrack
    An alternator that is producing 15.8V is overcharging and has serious issues. It more than likely has a faulty voltage regulator. An alternator should be peaking out at 14.8V, or 15V at the very absolute maximum. Any charging output from an alternator over 15V, will damage your battery and other sensitive electrics. Get your alternator tested for correct operation before you go any further.
  12. onetrack
    Skippy, here you go, Boltmasters have what you want. Unfortunately there's no Boltmasters locations in NSW, you'll have to get them posted from Brisbane or Melbourne. https://www.boltmasters.com.au/washers/round-washers/metric-fender-mudguard-washers-nylon/m6-x-32-x-1-6-nylon-mudguard-flat-washer-dwrmn32
  13. onetrack
    With a wad punch set and a sheet of plastic or felt, you can punch them out in less than 5 mins. I've got 2 sets of these punches (below) in metric and imperial sizes, let me know the material you want them made from, and I'll punch them out for you. It could take a week for AP to get them to you, though. https://toolkitdepot.com.au/maun-wad-punch-kit-metric-10-pcs-5mm-32mm-ma1000-05/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw4bipBhCyARIsAFsieCwfRr1noFzjH4o1dB0fHQ2eJzu4MP2qUvBBdK-bzu3XHwNBeA111CMaApw0EALw_wcB Seem like the Essentra deal is for a minimum of 1000 washers, and they'll be coming from the U.S., for sure.
  14. onetrack
    ......all those over 86 years old. This led to a group huddle over who could be that old, still be upright and talking sense, and still hold a commercial pilots licence. "Perhaps he simply hasn't got one!", said OT in a momentary flash of brilliance. "After all, who comes on board to check the Captains and FO's licence in this day and age? He could've been flying for 30 years with no licence, and who would know? - except of course, for........
  15. onetrack
    I can't see any worthwhile level of weight saving in using aluminium tubing for exhaust. Steel exhaust tubing isn't that thick. Drilling pulleys is one way of gaining weight reduction, and you may be able to lighten the flywheel. However, don't just drill holes in the flywheel to lighten it, they need to be machined and balanced properly by experts, to ensure their balance is spot-on.
  16. onetrack
    ......Cappy, Turbo, the PNG Commissioner of Police, two local unnamed politicians (who were there just to see if bribes were available), four RPNGC detectives, and three aviation specialists, assembled from social media, via Facebook requests. One of the Sydney detectives kicked off the meeting with, "O.K. men, we first need to actually identify who this TAA Captian is, who's identifying as Sgt. Shultz. First off, we all know that Sgts haven't flown aircraft since WW2, and secondly, the fact that the bloke is wearing a..........
  17. onetrack
    The problem here is highly trained crew in the aircraft, and a low level of training and skills in tarmac equipment operators. I mean to say, there must be strict positioning limits for service vehicles when aircraft are still taxiing.
  18. onetrack
    Facthunters just having wordplay fun with "flying dog" and "flying flea".
  19. onetrack
    That's not how it happens. Wind force approaching the half-open door directly, simply forces it to shut, because it's hinged in the middle. The force of the wind is simply applying pressure to the two halves of the door. Whether that pressure is at an angle, or straight-on, is irrelevant, the door is simply a big sail, and moves with wind pressure. A mate fell 4 metres onto concrete when fixing the upper door track on vertical bi-fold doors. He'd tied the door back, partly-open, against the prevailing wind, set a ladder against it and went up to work on the track. The "light and variable" wind rapidly reversed with a gust in the opposite direction, and the door whipped back against the untied direction, throwing the ladder and my mate back onto the concrete. It was a hard-learnt lesson, he shattered his left femoral shaft and left elbow, ending up with a full length stainless pin in his femur, and a plate and screws in his elbow - and 6 months in a wheelchair. Strong wind gusts can even overcome mechanical and hydraulic door operating mechanisms if they're pushed beyond their design limits. And strong wind gusts can happen within seconds, willy-willies are the classic example.
  20. onetrack
    Litespeed, you sure it wasn't a wind-actuated event, as the aircraft was being wheeled out? I inherited a Tilt-a-Door as the garage door on our house when we moved in. It's a disaster waiting to happen with strong wind gusts. It's nearly landed on the car several times as we drove in or out. I will never have another door that raises up, in a manner where it can be slammed shut by wind gusts.
  21. onetrack
    So, that rates a Big Minus for horizontal bi-fold doors on a hangar!
  22. onetrack
    Interestingly, F-AHAF was one of the surviving F.4X's and after being withdrawn from service, it was later converted to an F.121 model. So, yes, you may be correct about the water-cooled Salmsons lack of reliability. Coolant leaks were constant in that era, natural rubber was all that was available for hoses, and gasket materials often lacked durability. Here's a great 1927 film clip of a Farman F.121 taxiing and takeoff. Powered by 4 x 180HP Hispano-Suiza V8's. Climb performance could be rated as "leisurely" at best. The level of visibility for the pax is enormous for the era.
  23. onetrack
    The noise mightn't have been as bad as one might expect, as the engines were water-cooled 300HP Salmsons. However, I'm struggling to see where the radiators are positioned. I can see header tanks on top of the engines, but the radiators are well hidden. What is puzzling, is that monstrous shielding plate in front of the engines? That would appear to reduce cooling effort by a substantial amount. Even more puzzling, is that Salmson reportedly stopped building water-cooled engines in 1920, so these engines must have been surplus engines, perhaps WW1 military surplus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmson_water-cooled_aero-engines Nev, the Farman F.4X Jabiru couldn't have been a huge success in the handling dept. Of the 4 built - the first of which flew in 1923 - 2 crashed in 1925, and the remaining 2 were immediately withdrawn from service - obviously over some fears associated with their flying abilities. Not exactly a long and illustrious flying record.
  24. onetrack
    Correction - the bloke was a togglier, not a nose gunner.
  25. onetrack
    That poor nose gunner wouldn't have known what hit him.
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