'Small Blue' Butterfly - S. coast England.
Father Christmas will find this very helpful - or in fact any regular Pilot .
National Meteorological Library and Archive. Fact sheet No. 11 – Interpreting
weather charts http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/media/pdf/a/t/No._11_-_Weather_Charts.pdf
And being near the Year's End, links to several aviation reminiscences this month :
Mathias Rust: German teenager who in 1987 flew into Red Square
Patrick Burns - cleaning Dacron covers ?
Pre internet days I would just have gone at the aeroplane with a bucket warm water and washing up liquid but now reading on the forums so many dire stories about Dacron degradation I want to pick your brains on routine and any idea about removing mould stains.
1.What's your recommendation for regularly cleaning random dust/grit/mud off the Dacron ?
2. What method to use to remove/clean mould spots. They seem to have just started, not extensive yet, on inside of fuselage cover.
[It' is literally a growing problem, in the last three years my two hangared a/c have really suffered from black mould inside everywhere. Vince has a cleaner he's used on his black mould, which really works. I suspect it has our old friend - which many cleaners, even babies' bottles Milton, contain' ~ 2% sodium hypochlorite.
I understand it attacks the fabric strength & I don't know if rinsing it off afterwards really gets it out of the weave. Boat sail cleaner has it too, so I'm unsure what's really safe so as not to accelerate the UV attack - new fabric skins are an expensive hassle.
Dettol antiseptic in a rich cold water mix is AFIK otherwise harmless and I'll be repeating it on my Rans S4 next trip to the strip, it might already have helped me on the external cover of my S6 done a couple of months back, as eventually a couple of weeks ago where I could reach inside with a sponge from the unlaced belly and a bit of the wings with Sainsbury's cheapo baby bath liquid soap - also in a very rich cold water mix - that seemed to remove a lot of the grunge. But never could one say 'clean'.
Regular dirt ? I think the baby liquid and water is least likely to harm. Oily stains and discolouration resist that, but my planes are both quite old & all I wish for is fabric integrity. Once a year I've (mostly) done top surfaces over with claimed UV protectants, such as Rans once recommended - '303 '; or NikWax, which BMAA, also P M flex-wing manufacturers endorse. Mike].
P.S. I've just ordered Muc-Off Biodegradable MotorBike Cleaner to try on the Rans - I hope it works. "can be used on your Motorcycle and Car Wheels,unique formula contains no harmful acids, CFC's or solvents and is fully biodegradable; Penetrates deep into dirt, oil & grime and gently breaks it down on a molecular level".
Ian Fernihough (Rans S4) Has mildew forming on the underside of upper surfaces too on wings & fuselage, don't know why this has occurred as plane is in a very dry hanger - could it be because of the colour of the skins (fluorescent green) I can easily clean inside fuselage but how do I clean inside wings?
Is it feasible to remove skins turn them inside out to clean & treat them to stop mildew reforming or am I in danger of damaging skins on removal/refitting, the skins are 5 yrs old.
Bill Scott (BMAA forum) Replied; The UK agents for Poly-fiber, which is actually good old Dacron in its basic form, http://www.aircraftcoverings.co.uk/ sell a detergent cleaner that is especially for Poly-fibre. Spray it on with one of those garden sprayers that you pump up, give it a good brushing to agitate it and then rinse with a pressure washer. It is remarkably effective.But there is no 'treatment' that will prevent mildew, but the detergent does inhibit growth. The problem is that Dacron sailcloth is porous and provides an ideal medium for the mildew spores to anchor in and grow. Condensation is what really acts as a catalyst and that is going to be difficult to prevent in a typical hangar.
"First pick a field ! " "A Touch of Wind ?"
From Peter Noonan
The picture of the windy day was taken while we were on a radar heading so the nav side looks odd, who took a nephew to the Tangmere Aviation Museum.
They have a new attraction - a Lightning simulator. You sit in a Lightning cockpit and a picture of the ground is projected on the wall opposite. The museum volunteer stands next to you to coach you through the flight. You start with a reheat take off from Tangmere, then route over the south coast where the aircraft carrier Nimitz is cruising. (Overflown at 500' - how legal! ) then on over a P&O liner (this time at 150' inverted - getting the hang of it) Then a few slow rolls and barrel rolls and back up towards Selsey Bill on full reheat to go supersonic - then decelerating to land back at Tangmere. I have to admit it - it was great fun. Nephew is a submarine weapons officer but he enjoyed it too.
He also sent me this article :
John Sullivan is a Royal Air Force pilot with over 4000 flight hours, and a keen cyclist. He regards himself as ‘a simple fighter-pilot’ and in this article he describes why collisions can occur and, in layman’s terms, how some of the techniques of flying fighters can be used to increase your chances of survival on the roads.
GASIL 2012/11: General Aviation Safety Information Leaflet. AND The CAA Accident Prevention Leaflet
http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/2012%2011.pdf
Jet & piston engines at altitude. (I think this is about right ?)
High altitude means less oxygen for combustion unless a super-charger or equivalent is fitted, even that has its limits at extreme altitude. (Rocket engines' fuel carries its own oxidiser & is not affected by lack of air so can function outside the atmosphere). Aircraft jets' compressor stages just do a far better job than piston engines. But Piston engines also have to turn power into thrust via a propeller which needs dense air to work properly, whereas a jet throws what it sucks in out the back with much more force by adding fuel and igniting it.
It is pure Newtonian force equals mass times acceleration. Older jet engines in hot and high locations had the facility to squirt in a water and methanol mix to increase the mass ejected increase thrust short term for take off performance.
The aerodynamics of flight in low density air make it important to match wing behaviour and engine performance. On many modern commercial aircraft it is possible to climb to a pressure altitude where minimum and maximum allowable speeds meet, making flight impossible. Typically despite cruising at approx. 550mph you are can be within a 30mph window between pre stall buffet and Mach effect over-speed.
Talan Skeels Piggins races a Suzuki SV650 (Steve Jordan Motorcycles)
Talan had them build him a couple of SV650's for racing earlier this year. He is a paraplegic racer and runs the Bike Experience Charity http://tbex.co.uk/ which is set up to help disabled bikers get back into riding again. All his bikes needed to be modified to run a flat shifter button shift system and K-Lever brake system as the gear shifting and rear brake control all have to be operated by hand.
Richard Arkell tries "MapsDroid" http://www.oziexplorer.com/
I have had a look at the Oziexplorer site and it looks like this is still a work under construction in so far as the Android bit is concerned. I am sure it would be fine for those more savvy than me but I will wait until it is fit for the Android Market as it looks to me as if you still need to be your own developer at the moment. If I make it out of France it will only be as far as the UK or Spain so, with my limited remaining brain power, I am concentrating on the ability to get up to date weather info on the wing without spending an arm and a leg. At the moment I cannot even get my pay as you go data sim to work !Whatever hardware one uses the main problems for me remains the readability of the screen and the potential distraction trying to manipulate the things in the air.
[I agree there's no joy in complicated downloads, touch screens and indifferent Sunlight readability - all with the option it might completely fall off line. I will not contemplate one all in one 'all singing all dancing' screen display instead of my familiar & individual instruments. They cost a lot too and do not really offer my sort of flying. Mike].
Brian Bell's Rotax 912 "Mag Drop" didn't - on one switch
But of course for the Rotax the engine runs with the panel switches open circuit. His closely cowled engine also has a hot start problem. Rotax clearly explain carb setting and start procedures in this month's attached pdf SL-912-016Throttle&Revs .
UK Circuit Joining & CAA GASIL #6-7 of 2012 in Gasco Flight Safety vol 48 #3 Autumn 2012.
Page 2, paragraph 2 Circuit Procedure was puzzling - ."care should be taken not to take the expression 'overhead join' literally, as it actually involves flying round the aerodrome rather than over it."
But page 33 in 'the write stuff' diagram "The Standard Overhead Join...", shows arriving a central 2000' AAL to see the signals square & any traffic before descending on the dead side to join & cross the upwind threshold at 1000' circuit height.
David Cockburn (CAA) replied : I have been attempting to standardise the overhead join for many years. I think the problem lies in the wording. Before joining the circuit, the pilot may have to fly overhead the aerodrome at more than 1000 feet above the circuit height (and above the ATZ if there is one), to identify the runway in use and circuit direction before setting himself up for what I would call the actual join procedure as illustrated in our safety sense poster at www.caa.co.uk/safetysense.
That poster of course was designed for those joining with radio comms, who do not need to identify the runway in use from overhead. However, once the runway (and hopefully everyone else in the circuit pattern) has been identified, the procedure should involve maintaining height until crossing the final approach path with the threshold close but in sight on the pilot’s left. He can then start a descent on the dead side to re-position across the upwind end of the runway
in use (or further upwind if necessary to fit in with traffic). In order to keep the live side in sight during that descent, the aircraft has to fly around the field rather than over the top of it. That way, if you’ve arrived unbriefed at an aerodrome which launches gliders by winch, you’ll miss the cables, which is why I emphasise the ‘around’ part. Of course, local procedures may require the basic procedure to be modified, perhaps by squeezing the dead side descent closer to the runway.
The E-Go sub 115 KG UltraLight nears completion in Cambridge England.
L'Aeroplano Secondo Giotto. Italiano emigrato in Gran Bretagna, l'ingegner Castelli sta
realizzando un canard monoposto iperleggero. Che ha gia vinto un concorso della LAA. (Press, Dec last year).
e-Go is the creation of Giotto Castelli and Tony Bishop, they built & fly a Dyn’Aero MCR01 BanBi (GDECO) – the most fun and performance they could find from 100hp travelling in Europe and North Africa. Tony is CEO was an aeronautical engineer in the Future Projects Office at Hawker Siddeley. Practising aeronautical engineer & Chief Designer Giotto has worked on a wide variety of modern aircraft including the Horizon bizjet, the Pilatus PC-21 advanced trainer and the airbus 340 and 380.
New Readers welcomed :
Nigel Waller I am based at Headon North, Notts UK., currently flying a Blade flex-wing & just finishing a 3 axis conversion course and looking for my first fixed wing a/c.
Paul Wilkinson.
Simon Chandler I am a paramotor pilot of 10 years and have done some rotary wing training in the past. I have seen a Rans S4 for sale locally and intend to view it. I am an engineer by trade and it would be my intention to strip the airframe and refurbish it. It is therefore important that a source of spare parts is still available. Do Rans USA still support this airframe? One of my concerns is availability of Dacron wing/fuselage coverings in the event that the current items are un-serviceable. The cost of these coverings will also be a factor. I am looking for a project to occupy 6-12 months and I think the S4 is a good contender – what is your experience of ownership?
Terry - Another Brit. Lives in France & friend of Richard Arkell, he is an ex air racer with 1000 plus hours on his Pup alone.
Ron Alexander.
Alan Colman recently acquired a Rans S6. I got totally bored and fed up with the high cost of GA singles £70/hour just for fuel and was only flying to keep up the licence. I am new to the low inertia a/c variety and to my Group A RANS S6-116. I have a UK PPL old style and about 465 hours all on GA singles PIPER -CESSNA.
That time does not seem to count for an awful lot particularly take-offs and landings as the handling and liveliness are new parameters to be learned, however after a couple of hours with a mentor things are getting better and it’s becoming a little less like “those magnificent men in their flying machines". Just about everything felt alien on my first flight and I seriously asked myself what on earth have I done !
However once I started getting a grip this aeroplane immediately started to charm me and I know we are going to get on …And of course I now realise those pedal things are not foot rests,they're not optional as its seems in a Cessna.
I live in Watford but base G-BVCL at Fenland as I have not been able to find suitable hangarage nearer to me. It’s a pain travel wise but Fenland has some very helpful people and the club is very
to get my WINGS …ultimately I would like to get it nearer. My son is converting from NPPL/SLMG to SSEA on the RANS and we have great dreams of long X country’s and camping etc . We just love the fact being able to see everything and can maintain the aircraft, it has to make a better pilot.
[Jackrell's Farm resident, George May, a retired part time v. light a/c instructor has been flying with our local BMAA Inspector in his regular Rans S6 ES. George & then I took my -116 to a fly-in at Boxted, Essex, he thought it felt crisper, more responsive and landed better without floating compared to the 5 ft bigger span microlight S6 ES.
Of the Rans models the -116 is one of the most versatile and though not really fast - what do you expect with 80 h.p. ? - at 14 l/h she'll cruise a shade under a true GPS 100 mph. Mike]
Judith Chisholm - flight England to Australia in November 1980. (thanks to the Jodel forum).
It took her 15 days in her much modified Cessna Centurion and she actually broke 28 separate world records. She continued West to east to get back to the UK.
Judith was a fascinating, lively, entrancing character and her whole life story is one of rising to challenges and defeating objections. She bought her beloved Jodel 117 Jodel from a French flying club and used it to build the 500hrs necessary for her CPL. G-BDIH had not been updated since manufacture, including the paintwork, and Judith flew all over Europe with the most basic of instrumentation e.g. an ASI in Km per hour, a VSI in metres per second, an almost unreadable panel mounted compass and a single pointer altimeter also graduated in metres.
She flew to Morocco and back twice amongst other adventures. She had an engine failure due to sea-water in the carburettor and force-landed in a cabbage field in Northern France. The Jodel tipped over on its back in the
final few yards of landing roll and she was trapped. She was rescued by some local villagers, one of whom was a Jodel expert and organised the repair of the aeroplane locally.
She died of breast cancer in 1987, after which her mother Audrey Lowe wrote a short book called "Stardust' which gives a flavour of Judith's aviation, probably 'self published' and no longer in print.
Here's another compulsive tale - a chap who crossed the N. Atlantic in a 30 hp 'VW' powered Fournier
Years ago & no GPS (he made it, but the trip didn't end that well). http://cfiamerica.com/Mira_Slovak-RF-4D-1700.html
EASA EMERGENCY AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE (rather late for this ?)
AD2012-0258-E: A330 and A340 Angle of Attack Probe -
CAP 747: Mandatory Requirements for Airworthiness
http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP747.pdf
It now provides a single source of mandatory information for continuing airworthiness as issued by the CAA. Airworthiness Directives for Annex II aircraft published in CAP 476 are now included, those Airworthiness Directives issued by EASA have been removed and are available on the EASA website.
BUT No mention of Rotax engines, nor Rans planes !
I wrote to the CAA re CAP 747 which says it covers non EASA Annex II a/c, - but does it really ?
Ayshea Skinner Business Systems Manager Airworthiness Strategy & Policy UK CAA. responded.
This amendment to CAP 747 removed all listed EASA planes so as not to duplicate the EASA website. Annex II Regulation (EC) No. 216/2008 includes homebuilts, microlights, gyroplanes and foot-launched gliders and even if not been listed CAP 747 applies to all aircraft (EASA or non-EASA) registered in the UK. Further amendments will be forthcoming.
UK CAA CAP 413 Radiotelephony Supplement 3
A Reference Guide for General Aviation Pilots
http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/AviationGuideFinal20090917_LOCKED.pdf
An interactive quick reference to the UK phraseology most commonly used in GA operation - arriving at and departing from aerodromes, cross country flight, operating at unattended aerodromes, instrument approaches and emergency messages.
A WWII B-25 bomber is back in Belgium
http://www.bamfbamrs.be/B25/B25-en.htm
The new Chinese Sportcruiser, the SC3D was launched at Airshow China last month by Chip Erwin. (off sportcruiser forum)
Wonder if or when we will see it in the UK? A pic of the SC3D Sportcruiser at Airshow China can be found here.
http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1378482/ Just looks like another Sportcruiser. Aerosport NZ have already ordered 10 aircraft it seems. Czech Sport Aircraft promptly issued a press statement saying they had no connection with the new Chinese Sportcruiser. The plane looks like an old 2007 Model according to the N number and registration details. The paint on the plane is almost identical to the 6th SportCruiser that ever came off the line. The Air-Britain photo includes as part of the associated database, the manufacturer's c/n. This is07SC081 which makes it the 81st kit build SportCruiser from 2007. But it has the later nose leg.
Old RansMails are now on line courtesy Peter Greenrod. https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4702449/Ransmails.pdf
Mud at Jackrell's Farm strip last year & it's worse & virtually unusable again now
I've wire locked the six Warp Drive prop bolts after first torquing them up. (BTW re-torque the 1/4" prop blade bolts too on their Ali clamps, because after a while as they get slacker).
The prop has to be removed anyway to get the nose bowl off and all plugs, filter etc. accessed. I think the whole thing needs its integrity & have no desire to split it into any more sections just to save a bit of work once a year as the prop. main bolts need checking at the annual too.
Vince visited us (by road) late last week from Devon, having flown both his Rans S4 & Kid that same week. But here it being just too soft to use, I'm still hanging out completing the Rans' Annuals till the strip is less of a bog & the Permits will be usable again. Using our parallel runway 'off piste' on the flattened longer grass, some residents with light short take-off run planes have had a few flights.
The 1" bore rubber hose pipes for the Rotax 912 coolant were too thin to hold shape on the long 'U' bend under the exhaust box & as the original hose already had one 'spring' inside I bought a second one from our Rans agent to get enough length when fitted inside the longer run.
Maurice Allen saw the Nov. picture of the USA 912 coolant hose routing and is aware of it on his Rans S6 /912 and wrapped the hose it heat resistant tape to try and protect the hose but will re route it ASAP as in the photo. He noticed the USA cowling was made of either carbon fibre or fibreglass as I want to replace my cowling and hopefully get rid of all those fasteners can you give any info of the one in the photo.
Kevin Stewart Googled for my email address after reading the BMAA forum about Rotax 912 rough running problems.
I have a Eurostar (G-CCKL) at Bodmin that has similar symptoms to what you had. It is fine at high power settings but runs rough when throttled back to lower power. It has been getting worse for the past 12 months. I have stripped the carbs a number of times and the jets/needles. etc all look good. I spoke to Conrad Beale at Conair Sports and he mentioned the main needles/jets but I couldn't believe that this was the problem as mine looked fine. I don't want to embark on a course of changing everything as parts are expensive.
Can I just confirm that the following describes your situation:
1. Rough running at part load throttle settings.
2. You replaced the main jets and main needles with new ones.
3. The new ones looked no different to the old ones.
4. Your rough running was cured.
Kevin says he's just ordered a pair of needles and jets. What was interesting was the fact that Skydrive had quite a number of needles in stock suggesting that it is a common service item.
Rotax practical owner help forum has details
http://www.rotax-owner.com/index.php & http://www.rotax-owner.com/forum/index/5-rotax-ownercom-forum
David Wise & detailed Jodel info. & more.
For eleven years, my personal aviation website had been housed on the free web-hosting service which BT Internet provided as part of their Internet service. They recently decided to withdraw this service and have deleted all the sites using it. Consequently I have had to re-house my website, and BT's paid-for service was too business-oriented and expensive. I found a wide choice of web-hosting companies and found 27 in the UK, though several were mainly interested in larger commercial sites rather than small hobby sites.
I picked ww.ukwebhosting.com. their office is at Barnes Wallis House at Fareham, which I hope is a good omen for an aviation website ! My site is now up and running with a new URL: http://www.flydw.org.uk
The page structure and names of the subsidiary html files are unchanged. It contains a variety of light aircraft production lists and a historic register for New Zealand. The Jodel and Robin production lists are on http://www.flydw.org.uk/dwjindex.htm
Peter Greenrod, Rans S5 & S4 & Bede 4 ....
The acquisition of the Bede is an over indulgence really. I like tinkering but haven't the patience to build something from scratch. I have fitted a Nav comm and antenna plus transponder and now Mode C. I took my time and did a good job. It should be a real tourer now (read gas guzzler) so will just keep it for trips.
Rich Shankland posted me this Hucks Starter video, on a real vintage Rotary engine
Rotax has released revisions to the three following 4 stroke engine manuals.
They can be downloaded for free from the Manuals section of their website. They also offer plastic bushings to help repair and avoid damage to your carburettor arms and brackets.
http://www.rotax-owner.com/support-bulletin/engine-manuals
Operators Manual (OM) 912 Series, Edition 3.
Line Maintenance Manual (LMM) 912 Series, Edition 3.
Installation Manual (IM) 912 Series, Edition 2.
The Hampshire Microlight Flying Club, Colemore on 29 December, Frosty Soup Fly-In.
Soup and rolls in return for charity donations.
Mike.
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