Earl Pike

Hello Brian, You have chosen well, the Jab is a good, solid, reliable, and not unattractive aircraft. I am a bit biased, as I own a J230. I fly it in northern Victoria where it is a bit flatter and drier than Strathaven. I was in Strathaven, last year on may way to Nielston, to do some research on my wife's family. Looks like we may be back again in July for another look. You live in a pretty part of the world, from the air I imagine it would be special. Earl

To navigate, the vikings used a lump of iron ore on a piece of string, and a raven. The iron ore would give a general direction of north, and when the raven was released at sea, if it came back there was no land, and if it flew away, it would be heading for land, so the sailors followed it. If you said to a Viking, you can have a device that tells you where you are, where you are going, where you have been, how much fuel you have used and have left, the terrain below you, the weather in your region and you destination, and other factors that would impact on your journey, is reliable 95% of the time or you can have the bird and rock, I doubt they would choose the rock. I was visiting my brother-in-law at Yarrawonga, where he has a rather special RV9. We were in his hangar, and he said watch this. He arched into his plane and moments later, there was the sound of servos and the control surfaces began to move. "It thinks it's going to Denilliquin" he said. I felt a moments sadness that this machine was in a shed and trying to find its way to somewhere else. Modern technology has capabilities undreamed of 10 years ago, 5 years ago and continues to to make our lives and pursuits easier and safer. Have you ever wondered why cars don't have crank handles anymore. I am a real big fan of new stuff. I just love it!!

How about bugger all wings, huge motor and a giant fan for a prop. The S.6b was the fastest thing in the world in the 1930s, 400 plus mph. The air frame was a radiator for the huge engine,(predecessor of the Merlin and the Griffon), which had an operating life of 5 hours. In fact it was mainly an engine that floated and flew. And it was the last winner of the Schnieder Trophy.

Some readers seem to think I am upset or have have a problem with sharing airspace, I don't and as for being a weekend warrior all to ready to admonish, I am not and I didn't. How could any one have a go a someone who was so excited about what he had just achieved, 4.5 hours in the air and about 110 ks without power. I was just a bit surprised about how unaware some gliders are of other air users. I know it is see and be seen, gliders have the right of way, and radios are not mandatory, but it is good to know where you are where you have been, and the proximity of other air users. And there is compact light weight technology that allows this. All part of RAA training. I with Nev, on warm days with thermals about, keep away from the areas on your charts marked with a little glider.

It's a bugger Australian place names are not on spell check.!! I will have to get a new editor.

Keenaviator, That' OK, apart from his name, Bob, I can't give you any more info about club/school etc. With regard to VFR rules seen and be seen, paragliders are very difficult to see against a coloured background from the air looking down, as they are usually multicoloured and stationary. They may be able to see aircraft, but their ability to "get out of the way" is limited. I am not denying their right to fly, it is just that when there are 30 to40 in a small area of sky, it can be intimidating if a pilot is unsure of where they are or going. With regards to the practice of using metres, it was not until I did the conversion a to feet, that I released how high he had gone. PS Porpunka should be spelt Porepunka, my error. A picturesque grass strip, close to wineries, excellent restaurants and accommodation, in a valley blessed with excellent weather.

I was in Bright in NE victoria recently, when returning to Bright through Myrleford I picked up a para glider with all his gear. For those who may not know, Bright is a Meccca for para gliders and hang gliders. I asked how far he had gone, and he replied that he was not sure, he launched at Bright, and as he had no recording device, could not tell, but indicated that he had flown over a swamp before he turned back towards Bright, landing in Glerowan, I take the swamp to be Lake Makoan, now Winton wetlands. He did however, say that he had reached 2600 metres. It was busy weekend for air traffic, a couple of planes at Porpunka, including an RV9, a Jab 230 and trikes, and a Warrior and Cessna 172 at Brown Bros, both of which he would have flown over. The para glider's route would also have taken him through the training areas for both Wangaratta and Bennalla, So I asked how he kept in touch with the traffic, did he monitor the area CTAF? He seemed a bit confused, so I explained what it was, he said no, that he kept in touch with other gliders on discrete UHF channel, and that he had seen a number of powered aircraft. I nearly ran off the road, not only was he in a high potential traffic area, but his altitude would be getting very close the step into Albury, and he did not display any concern. From what I have learned this is standard operation for this type of aircraft, although I did mention Oz Runways to him, so at least he could see where he has been. So a word of advice, if you fly into Porpunka, get there before 10 am, particularly on warm days, as after that you will be fighting for air space with oblivious gliders.

I bought a miniature Go Pro knock off from Big W some time ago, $90. The card cost me another $30. It came with 2 mounts, an infra red remote and is wifi compatible, I drive it from my iPhone,( requires App down load) which shows the image being recorded, (video and still), record, on off, format etc, a water resistant case, all cables and is the size of a match box I have a large format TV, and the image through the telly, is as good a picture quality on any free to air channel. I am pretty happy with it, although I did take a 15 minute video of my right nostril after turning it on as I put it down.

A google search for Bugatti aircraft/airplane will show a remarkable areoplane designed in the late 1930's. It has forward facing wings and a number of very advance features for the time. Large scale models have been built and flown with considerable success, particularly from an Australian group. I will not bang on about it as it is well worth a look, and a singularly good example of the old design adage, " Form follows function" or more poetically, " A thing of beauty is a joy forever".

I had a similar experience. A passenger of mine, in my J 230d, thought we were not slowing down fast enough on landing, and applied the phantom brake, In this case, the left rudder pedal. We began to drift to the left, and as I corrected, I found the rudder pedal immovable. "Get your $&;-/?@& foot of the brake." Then every thing returned to normal, I too, now include the foot flat on the floor as part of my passenger briefing. Earl Pike.

As there appears to be a number of pilots who also engage in motor cycle riding, could this be the best of both worlds ? Have a butcher's at this, www.samsonmotorworks.com/ Earl Pike

My plane only rotates at a high rate when I fly it, straight and level is not my forte'. Earl Pike

If the dimples on a golf ball make the ball fly faster for longer, would severe hail damage on a Warrior have the same affect, making it fly faster for longer? Earl Pike

Does any body know any thing about YCAL, it is located near Guilford in Victoria just south of Castlemaine ? There appears to be (on Google ), two grassed cross strips that may be redundant, and two strips, N/S and E/W intersecting at a right angles at 18 and 09. Is it still in use and who do I contact about landing protocols? It closer to Daylesford where I have a retreat, than Kyneton. Earl P

Remember when you were a kid and you would fly anythIng with a string and a rubber band. Then you got a paper round and could afford engines and you were going to be fighter pilot. But life gets in the way and these distractions get in the way of life, relationships, kids, mortgages and the whole catastrophe. Then one day the kids are gone, and on fathers day you get a TIF, and that's the front end of the beginning. Do you save up and take 4 weeks of work and do it in one go, or take a year. I took a year, which turned into 2, then 3. Work issues, trips overseas, bad weather, and when you get back the bloke you had when you left has gone and you start again with a new instructor. Then you just get it all together and you are off again, interstate, work, the weddings and increasingly more common grandparent responsibilities. Then you make a concentrated effort, because you just ordered a plane which will arrive 6 months earlier than you thought. Then it happens, the weather turns on a good one and you do it. Many thanks to all that taught me that flying is a thought process supported by appropriate activity. Jonathan, Brett, Brent, Matt, James, Laurie, Graham, and especially Kerry who refused to be frightened. Just navs and pax to go, in my plane. Just nav

Has any-one flown an Osprey amphibian? How do they go, on land and water? let me know before I start to build one. Earl Pike

yep I have had along association with bikes, currently 3, FJ1100, TRX 850 TT600.I love the functional beauty of bikes and planes,the feeling of pulling out of turns is the same on both, so is tipping it in. Bike and planes are not like cars, because you are really there.