Monday 4 January 2016

 RansMail #157 July 2014
 
Farnborough Airshow has large NOTAM'd areas through 21st July.
http://notaminfo.com/  is free and easy to use on a day to day basis, set up and run for us by Dave, a Sussex enthusiast.
 
Tour de France
Jackrell's Luscombe flew Phil & Lorraine to Essex on Sunday 6th June, camped there, then walked to the cycle route to have the thrill of seeing them flash by live on the last day's UK run into London of this enthralling cycle race. An aeroplane has its uses.
 
Tim Gayton-Polley & George May collect Tim's 'new' C42 from The Isle of Man.
Wednesday 20th June, London Gatwick, early EasyJet to Ronaldsway & onwards by taxi to the north end of the island to the ex WWII airfield at Andreas. The 'plane was already refuelled and ready come to Sussex. Luckily early fog which lay to the west didn't impede flying eastwards as they were aiming to get back home the same day. Tim the new owner flew P1, Co-pilot George covered nav., radio & gentle landings on a 2 H 20 min. direct flight to Halfpenny Green (Wolverhampton) which included 80 miles over the sea. A top up with some 30 litres of fuel there and then the second leg took a similar time, dog-legging via Gloucester to avoid a mass of military zones, to join the planes at its new base, Hadfold, Sussex.
 
Rans Fuel Pipe materials do deteriorate.
I found a petrol weep which rapidly turned into an almost unstoppable gusher as two pipes from one wing tank ruptured at their Y connection & tried to empty its burden into the cabin, because the off cock was downstream of the break. My good luck is that it happened on the ground at base, not 1/2 way to somewhere !
A change out was done up to the tap for all the pipes, which up to now I thought were of superior materials - Wrong !
Drained wing fuel tanks & folded the wings, released both wing fabric tensioners - two bolts a side - then took out all the pan head screws holding the fabric to them. This allowed access to the fuel outlet stubs, to use in replacement some 10 metres of 1/4" bore black 'rubber' type automotive hose & new fuel pipe clamps all round. The tanks' sight level pipe stubs were blanked off as the system was never readable, just retaining the top left one only for the mandatory fuel pumped bleed return. This was a better location than the inherited mid height tank re-entry via the sight tube, as when the tank is over 1/2 full it let petrol (gas) to freely back feed the engine & carbs, by-passing the main cock. Not recommended if the carbs leak and/or there's an engine bay fire !
Refilling in steps using a 5 litre jug - with the tail up on a high box to approx. flight position & positively marking the tanks' sides gave readily seen in the air fuel levels.
Thorough draining of a decent quantity from both tanks into a white container to see/flush through any loose bits and checking the gascolator and filter made sense, plus a check for any connections' leaks, then a ground run & local flight. After being fully satisfied a week later did the crossing of the Solent to Sandown etc. - mind you I did climb to over 4,000 ft for that bit. Re-balancing the two carb's using a twin suction gauge kit, made her a whole lot smoother too after all their cables disturbances. 
 
 
Roger Staples commented
I have heard that any fuel tube needs replacing within five years and often earlier particularly in the engine area where heat takes its toll, but even the good automotive ones stiffen up and loose flexibility and can be subject to cracking even though well away from any heat. I read somewhere that minute quantities of petrol vapours penetrate through to the outside and over time the chemistry changes causing the hardening and eventual cracking and brittleness. I suppose anything exposed to light may also be subject to UV degradation too..unless they add a protective measure. Just reading a book about the early days of aviation they used copper tube initially for fuel, however that was even worse as it was prone to cracking (vibration, poor end making etc) they moved to rubber ............
And Adrian Whitmarsh
Now I’m glad I replaced all my fuel lines at the 5-year recommended interval! But mine were easy to get to. I bought from P&M as a manufacturer replacement part, they get theirs from the USA, I believe manufactured by Goodyear and significantly more expensive than other firms supply - possibly Pirelli (?). 
investigating on the internet showed various specs which seem to relate to ethanol resistance, but complicated to understand. Ethanol percentage in mogas can now be up to 10% so its affect on fuel hoses is significant. Its hard to inspect because even if you cut a length the fragments from the cut could, or could not be due to lining breakdown ! Carb bowls were clear so that was good. I had particles showing in my fuel filter and for the sake of a relatively short length of hose felt more comfortable replacing it. But 10m to replace sounds quite expensive.
 
New Readers welcomed
John F. Schaefer, Sr.  I am 77, retired USAF and later  teaching electrical engineering at The Citadel (Charleston, SC and Macon, GA).  Live with wife Betty near Datil, NM (west central) near the continental divide.  I have to drive 42 miles to N29 at Magdalena NM to fly.  It's a gravel strip about a mile long and at 6700' elevation.  Been aviating since I was 14 (but not for the USAF, which said my eyes were sub-par).  Built a Sonex in 2002 and flew a bit...did not like the fwd visibility (this was before none were flying save John Monnet's, and he would not take me flying to check out visibility in air). Started an RV-6 but on decision to move here assumed I would fly from short strip so sold and started a Zenith 701.  Finished the 701 about the same time I learned I had prostate cancer; that slowed me quite a bit.  Cancer cured but could not get the 701 more than a few miles from runway due to high oil temps.  Recently gave up; ripped out VW and am installing a used Rotax 912ULS.  Bought a Rans S-14 to fly while debugging the 701; will sell soon.  But have my baby: a Rans S-10 in garage at home, slowly rebuilding and recovering.
Tom Jones, Boulder Creek, CA. My bird is based out of Salinas (KSNS), California. I'm a Sport Pilot and built/fly a S-6S Coyote II, N512TJ.  
My kit was purchased in 2004 with its first flight on May 31, 2009. I really enjoyed the building experience and even more so, the flying experience. My a/c is configured with the Standard Wing, powered by a Rotax 912ULS and outfitted with a Blue Mountain Avionics Gen 4 EFIS.  Over the past 5 years I have accumulated close to 500 hours with her. Much of my flying has been limited to California. Let me know if you would like me to provide an occasional contribution to Rans Mail. [Of course, Tom, I rely on readers' feed-back. mike].
Shawn Bennett.
Paul Davis. I’m on the South Island of New Zealand near Christchurch, and began building a RANS S-12XL about two years ago now. It’s my first build, so I’ve been following everything I can find online quite closely. Still in progress are the wings, Dacron, engine mount and wiring.
Frankey.
Gareth Jones. I’ve now got a Rans going again – an S6, G-MYPA. I previously had an S4 with Don Lees (G-MWLA). We sold it maybe 8 years ago to a bloke who immediately crashed it and I think it’s still with him, sans prop and undercarriage.
Paul Wilman. I am possibly looking to buy a Rans S6.
David Benson, I live in Elk Grove California, just outside of Sacramento. I have a Rans S12xl.
John Kelly. 
 
Dan Warren is compelled to sell his Rans S6 with Rotax 582.
Rans S6 ES Built 1999. The plane has brand new all black Skins just fitted over winter, is in Permit and regularly flown, always hangared. Hours are 240 and engine had a 100 hour service at 210 hrs. Oil injection, Wing tanks, great storage under seats and in rear baggage holder, ready to fly package, sale to include 2 David Clark headsets, Icom radio and interface. Reluctant Genuine reason for sale. Asking £12,000 ono Located in Bedfordshire Dan 07768540942
 
Andrew Walters (Greece).
I have a German friend here who flies & has the use of Thessalonika Air Club's Cessna 182S for the next few months at a very good rate, he's keeping it at Volos. http://www.aeroclub-tsl.gr/indexnr.php?menuoption=sxkip 
A week ago I flew with him from Thessalonika to Volos, I did the radio - which, after almost 10 years was fun !  ....  We taxied behind an Aegean airlines Airbus, talking on the same frequency as the airliners.  Long runways, empty airspace, was good to get back into it.
En route & below us was a Canadair, scooping up water to put out a forest fire.
Richard Arkell, (France) Was due to test fit the wings on the Vega with the aid of Terry the ancient racing Pup pilot. I have finished covering all the small bits ailerons,  flaps, tailplane, elevators,fin and rudder, so it is time to assemble everything to see if the important bits work before covering the big bits. I may get round to hanging the 0320 on the front plus the huge and horrendously heavy Sensenich. It will either tip forward on its nose at this point or possibly my welding on the sub axle assembly will give up. If not then I hope be able to get a preliminary
take on the C of G. It is not going to be a light weight. The gear legs are solid 25mm thick alloy mounted to the central spar by some very meaty steel fabrications. What with its large number of horizontal attaching through bolts and the large number of vertical through bolts securing the very substantial main wing attachments the overall effect is something akin to a section of the Forth Bridge. The fuselage unsurprisingly does seem inordinately heavy compared with the Jodel. My guess is that I will be lucky to get the empty weight much under 500Kg but at least it will have 150hp to drag it aloft with some limited help from the small 10m sq area wings. The prototypes flew on 80hp but most builders used 0235's. My mount is for the latter which is fortunately the same as the 0320 so that seemed an obvious choice as they are plentiful.
Chris Dewhurst is already cleaning up his 'new' Rans S4
Out of interest I have started to clean -FW and attach a photo of the tail. I sprayed on a diluted detergent and used a small steam cleaner. As the steam condensed I wiped off the dirty liquid. Finally rinsing the whole area with clean water to remove any detergent and remaining grime.  There are still small specks of possible mould but this may be from the uncleaned inside showing through. The end result is very good as can be seen from the before and after pics. I tried the same procedure at the engine end which has oil stains but whilst it looks much cleaner needs further work.
[He did better with steam clean than my short try yesterday with my new Amazon hand held steam cleaner. Perhaps the detergent made a difference ? mike.]
 
A very short Rans S4 flight.
Friday 20th June , weather had been High and fine and blue for 4 days. Farmer G. cut the long airfield grass 3 days before turned for hay, bundled it in big Swiss rolls all over the field and pushed them all to one side to clear the strip. So I pulled out the Rans and had a quick 20 minutes over the coast where there were a few thin puffs of sea-breeze cloud at 1500 ft, then back to land the opposite way into wind. Everything running well after a long spell on the ground. Sunday p.m. went for another flight.
Conditions similar, blue sky, 3 mph sea breeze from the rear right. Take-off & X-Wind corrections required on the ground and to avoid trees on LHS.  
8 seconds later over the far hedge , BIG silence. Steep downslopes in all directions, a tree hedge RHS, one shallower downslope ahead. All falling away like hang  glider take off sites, and not much airspeed. Of course I had stuffed the nose down straight away  but it was feeling woolly at say 50 ft agl - never looked at the ASI again, no time - stuffed it down a bit more then half a flare, no time to grab full flap (still at take-off one third setting). During this I had to insert a quick small weave away from the hedge RHS  & completed the flare to a firm touch down and almost a bounce, scrambled for and found the brakes to arrest before the steepening down slope. Not a scratch.
But there were a bull and cows further down ! And very poor access through steep fields, rough tracks  barbed wire and various locked gates. I could only think of parking up, taking engine away for check, or removing 20 ft of hedge bank and towing her back up the slope to my own field. Or perhaps wings off and try to get a trailer in for removal.
In that area after take off there are there are plenty of spots to put down a survivable if crunchable landing but when I looked, I could see I'd stopped on the only good bit, a 50 yd patch not really dead level but luckily the best possible place. The field owner put up an electric fence around her overnight
The next day my neighbouring farmer volunteered, and turned up with three ladies, three lads, a forklift tractor and a Giant Hiab delivery lorry with 20 foot bed and crane. I don't know how he managed on the steep grass slope, he picked up the plane - on strops - skilfully, gently & parked it on the back - drove up to my hedge and with everything pre-planned he lifted it over. Brilliant. It was then an easy matter to tow the Rans up the hill and back to the hangar, visitors helping too.
Petrol sample looked slightly cloudy, but nothing solid visible, careful investigations are in progress.

David Sudworth (UK) my summer flying holiday shows how far a RANS can really go.I had 12 days holiday flying from Kent around Germany and back again. I was very fortunate with the weather with only a handful of days on the ground. I covered roughly 2,000 miles in 31.5 hours flying down to Lake Bodensee on the German/Swiss border and then onto Berlin. One of the overnight stops on the way to Berlin was in Kassel. I pulled my S6 out of the hanger and saw that there was a JU52 parked nearby preparing to give some ‘well to do’ locals a trip. Whilst the guests were still busy arriving in their Mercedes and drinking champagne, the ground handlers kindly let me taxi next to the JU 52 and take a couple of pictures. The return from Berlin to Kent was made in one mammoth day – 9h 45min flying and 2h15 spent at two short stops.
S6 and JU52 & a ‘selfie’ over lake Bodensee.
 
Martyn Steggalls Boxted, Essex Fly-In 5th, 6th July. www.suffolkcoastalstrut.org.uk
After a week of good weather, we just couldn't believe our luck (again !) that the weather should break on the day of our fly-in. Although we did have six visitors who made it and a flypast from a BBMF Spitfire. Due to the poor forecast for Saturday we extended the fly-in to Sunday as the forecast for Sunday looked much better, but again it wasn't as expected as it rained all morning. Although at least once the rain cleared through it was actually a quite a nice afternoon, and 18 visitors flew into Boxted. So in the end it wasn't too bad and not a total loss we had feared. With the poor Saturday forecast, and the Sunday option we offered I know most of the visitors who could re-planned for Sunday, and were no doubt as frustrated as we were that the weather just didn't play ball. We really appreciate the dedicated and support we get from everyone trying to get to Boxted. I'll send out the usual email next year when we have arranged a date for the 2015 fly-in. So hopefully better luck next year and maybe we will see you then.
 
Richard Farrer asked about uprating his brakes, Rans S6 with Rotax 503.
He sent photo's. "I don't like the angle the brake lever makes with the cable on the backplate. The lever has been extended, presumably to provide a greater mechanical advantage. Is that standard ?" [Mine's the same mike.]  I will slacken off my tailwheel springs as suggested. We operate off very lush grass here and it is difficult to get the tail to swing round even with the clutch disconnected.
 
[My original cable operated drum brakes work well enough even on the 80 hp Rans S6. to hold for the pre take-off rpm checks and no desire to change what is simple & works.
To turn 180 degrees at Jackrell's strip end , reducing the tension in the tail-wheel links allows it to break free more easily and without - as far as I can divine - affecting take-off, cross-wind landing or under power ground handling. mike.]
 
Peter Jackson & Annie Flex-winged from Sussex to Devon, 20 -22 June.
After helping me fold the Rans wings that morning they had great flying and ‘flamping’. Stopped for a break (and a ‘rare beef bap’) at Dunkeswell, then down to Bolt Head. Lovely strip, lots of visitors on day-trips to walk the area it seems. Stayed in the ‘Higher Rew’ campsite just down the hill. Walked (about 2.5 miles) down into Salcombe for a pie and a pint. Tried to find an open Salcombe Ice-cream shop, but must be out of season, so wimped out and got a taxi back up the hill. On Sunday flew across Plymouth Sound, then across the peninsula by Davidsmoor, up the coast then over to Eaglescott. Very friendly, camped under the wing. Only a 2 mile walk to the pub this time (excellent pub: New Inn, Roborough) and relatively flat, so also walked back again.Then back to Jackrells Monday via Compton Abbas, landing about 3 pm.  Great flight.
 
Connor Sports continue to support Rotax maintenance at competitive cost: http://www.conairsports.co.uk/
 
 
 
                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                               
Sadly, Andy Appleby died in the early hours of Saturday 21st. June 2014  while peacefully asleep at home with his family. Andy had enjoyed 34 years ownership and operation of Joel D117 G-BBS and made many friends in this connection.
                                                                                                                                                 
 
Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome have a newsletter now, the first 'FLAMBARDS FLYER' – July 2014 (Extracts).
Strong winds and rain did not deter the aircraft from visiting us for our first Fly-In of 10th and 11th May 2014. Despite the wind, a number of you flew in. As ever we enjoyed the sight of Chris Jesson's routine in very testing weather conditions flying his Stampe. Other aircraft included a pair of RV8s and an Aviat Husky, which arrived after a 3-hour flight from Carlisle. There was plenty to see elsewhere on the aerodrome, with classic cars such as Rolls Royce and Bentley lined up on the Parade Ground, tractors and steam engines, model rockets, and a flight simulator to let children experience sitting in an aeroplane cockpit. There was tremendous support for the event and around 1000 people braved the weather to soak up the WWI atmosphere created by the Great War Society Re-enactors. WWI aviation enthusiast Jack Kearby (he has built a number of WWI replica aircraft) and his wife Connie had come all the way from America just to attend the Fly-In weekend.
The Great War Display Team at Stow Maries 20th to 22nd June. Late afternoon Friday 20th June, eight aircraft of The Great War Display Team flew in. Due to perform public displays nearby that weekend, they based here and provided us with the stirring sight and sound of the largest gathering of WWI replica aircraft at Stow in recent years.
Armed Forces Day 28th Jun, the first public appearance in the UK to commemorate The Great War of two reproduction BE2es recently arrived from The Vintage Aviator Limited in New Zealand. Operated in the UK by The WW1 Aviation Heritage Trust aircraft are destined to return to Stow Maries once our hangars are completed.
In memory of all service personnel, a Flag Raising ceremony and short service was held on the Parade Ground. The Tiger Club Turbulent Display Team flew a Missing Man formation at the end of the ceremony, adding a poignant reminder of the Stow airmen who lost their lives in WW1.
 
Peter Greenrod
Now UK SSDR has been extended I may as well deregulate both my Rans I think, as this will save costs and it seems that it will be a done deal anyway in a year's time.  The only difference I can make out is that I can't fly abroad. (25 miles across the channel on a 2 cyl single ignition 2 stroke) One can always spend some money with an engineer to look over any maintenance issues or mods. My advice for anyone new to this, is to work with the LAA until you get very familiar with the machine.  My inspectors really helped me when I didn't really have a clue about things. What I like is the possibility of now of mods to enhance the design, some have already be done outside the U.K.  Different skins and a Rotax 503 are big ones not previously possible within the LAA scheme.   Can you remember any things that have been done that we could not have done before and can you ask our foreign counterparts to shout up on these "non standard" mods?   Getting some flying in Rans S5 -GD now.... and inspired to finish off S4 -FF as no bills to come and I can fly this on the same insurance as GD...  Happy days.
 
(Old RansMails are now on line courtesy Peter).
He has stored them in one massive 60 GB file. If you have plenty of BroadBand at home, maybe you could re-check. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4702449/Ransmails.pdf
 
SN-2014/007: Establishment of a Temporary Radio Mandatory Zone - London Southend Airport
 
For June 2014,  UK CAA
 
 
Bryan Hoare at Biggin Hill Mr Monk's Hangar.
He has 1 Hurricane £1.5m 2 Spitfires (one Spirit of Ken) £2.5m each I believe a Mustang somewhere else. This guy evidently started with nothing he also owns the Hanger they occupy. There where 3 other spits not sure who owns them plus various fuselage’s in preparation. It was organised through the Spitfire appreciation group from Face Book. Cost was £55 for the day for 50 of us to get up close and personal.
Mike.
 
 
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