Moneybox

I just returned from and 58.44 minute flight to Reedy, a ghost town in the Murchison just 40km NE of here. I took off in Cue on runway 22 in dead still conditions, circled around and did a touch-and-go on runway 04 before flying back over the Cue industrial area to see if my CAT loader had been picked up. It's being delivered to Wongan Hills today so I can do some work on our shed foundations. It's a short flight up to Reedy YRDY where I've been looking forward to landing. When I circled over the airfield I saw a couple of big dongers/caravans with awnings erected right on the edge on runway 19. I circled over the vans and a few deep goldmine pits before landing on runway 10. I backtracked 19 up to the caravans and knocked on the door but go no response. Just as I cam out from the awning I saw a LandCruiser approaching with four onboard. I told them I wasn't impressed to see their accommodation erected on the airport. They are the mining company who recently purchased the lease and have been told the airport is unusable. They want to use it for fly-in-fly-out. Most of the airstrip surface is in excellent condition with a smooth flat and wide runway with nothing but a few wattle trees. I guess their safety protocol prevents them from attempting to land on the perfectly good 500 and 600m sections. They escorted me back to their office where I gave them my details including the fact that I have two neighbouring leases not 500m away. After seeing me land on 10 and leave on 19 I'm sure they'll look into it further. It's such a waste to see perfectly good airstrips abandoned. The head honcho asked me to notify them before landing next time. The MGL iEFIS says I consumed 15L from the LH tank. At least with the new fuel valve I can now use the tank I choose.

A 1.2hr flight, is that enough to flatten a battery? You'd probably have noticed if it didn't crank over too well when starting from cold. Mine needs a good battery charge to crank for quite a few seconds when cold. Now I have a solar panel connected all the time it's parked. Of course that can mask a poor battery too. I'll jump into the plane on a full battery but if the battery is week I wouldn't get to find out until I parked up somewhere else without the solar charge.

Just a quick question. How do you get on with endorsements? When I take a look at my logbook my flight instructors have amended my logbook by adding/stamping and singing my endorsements.

Just got a private pilot voted onto the Shire of Cue last Friday. I don't know if it'll make any difference but at least it's one with a common interest.

The way they are collecting the data is creating a dangerous situation in close proximity to airports, the most likely area that ADSB surveillance may save lives. The inaccurate landing fees being charged is likely to result in pilots turning off the ADSB when it's most needed. There was some action being taken over this in America. Anybody know what the outcome was to that?

I've already put it to the CEO. He said not right now, he can't do anything while he gets the current situation sorted out. Sandra spoke to another councillor about the locks being changed preventing us getting in and he knew nothing about it. My guess is that the lease to the one mining company was an "under the table" deal. Now the CEO is in a tight spot. Nobody should have exclusive use of a public amenity.

Ok, I agree with what you're saying however it's a bit late to edit my post but I don't mind if admin do it. Just to make it clear. I have every right to be at the airport and to use the facilities but at this time there's some sort of dispute going on between mining companies. It one company has leased the airport from the Shire of Cue. Now there's a second mining company carrying out fly-in-fly-out from our airport. I only get the information second hand but I'm told there's a dispute over the second mining company's use of the airport. The dispute has nothing to do with private pilots such as myself. The only other privateer is a long time user and has a second padlock on the gate. If I need to access the airport I should call the shire office and they send somebody to unlock and let me in. When I return from my flight they return and let me out. This is all very good during office hours but a bit of a problem on the weekend during the AFL final. I'm not doing anything apart from avoiding the shire paying overtime rates for an employee to give me access.

I slipped out to the airport to escape all the AFL hype on the box. My new three port fuel valve had to be fitted. It was a simple enough job but I still don't have easy access to the airport. I just taxied over to the back gate where I parked the van, that way I could just climb back and forth over the gate to do the job. I took it up for a couple of quick circuits just to keep my hand in. I'm desperately waiting for an installer to come back to my on when or if they can fit my new AP and instruments.

If tip fees were abolished it would go a log way towards cleaning up Australia. They already charge us for it in the rates but policing the tip is labour intensive so they charge more fees. We still have free dumping in Cue, of everything, cars, tyres, oil fridges, mattresses and anything else. Last year they fenced the dump so I expect charges to come but the fence is already inconvenient because the dump is the usual steel and parts supply for the locals. Mining companies dump a lot that is best reused. I hope I didn't drift off the theme of this thread? 😉

A petition?

I guess all that practise we have with acronyms will come in handy when trying to work out the sex of a potential partner.

I've seen some beautiful kit built aircraft but some builders have never held a screwdriver in their hand before. The plane I've got now flies well but it has all the signs of a home built plane when compared to a factory build. I've only had Mrs M up a couple of times and she's enjoyed it. This big trip to Lake Eyer will be the test. If she's still enthusiastic about flying after that I'll keep my eyes open for another nice factory built plane.

I love the commitment some of you guys have to aircraft builds or rebuilds. I could have done it because I have enough engineering and motor body building experience to feel confident I have the skills needed but where do you find the time? Life is just too busy. I retired 12 years back with the intention of taking on projects like this but never got started. It'll never happen now because I'm too slow in mind and body to ever complete a big project. A year or so back I took a walk around the Sport Aircraft Builders hangars at Serpentine airport. There are 100 hangars there with a lot of talented guys tinkering with their favorite toys. I was envious because it's what I'd love to have done. It's great to see and follow your progress. It must be one hell of a thrill when you eventually get off the ground.

https://www.aerolithium.com/batteries SODIUM AIRCRAFT BATTERIES ! ! WHY SODIUM ? 1. predictable voltage curve 2. No BMS failure points 3. Simple, not complex like lithium 4. Wider temperature operating range, cold temp resilience. 5 .Ah capacity very similar to lithium. 6. Cranking power similar to lithium. 7. Reliability on par or > lead or lithium 8. No ' fault ' lite needed 9. Less expensive than lithium 10. Won't cut itself off from the electrical system 11. Cannot be overcharged or over discharged vs lithium 12. Slightly heavier than lithium to aid in weight and balance 13. Imitates lithium's charging voltage and lead acid's natural charging current limit so, easier on your alternator 14. Life span 8+ years 15. About 85% the cost of similar lithium

https://energystore.au/collections/aeson?srsltid=AfmBOooTLc3NDQ_1kHXnMWK_hFpJT8eqmSpDyYjPw4jqIVhIidybl5SF I have no idea what's inside. These batteries are designed as a Stop-Start battery for those modern vehicles that shut down and restart when driving in the city. Key Features of AESON Sodium-Ion Start Batteries High Cycle Life: Delivers up to 120,000 to 180,000 start-stop cycles, vastly outperforming standard lead-acid alternatives. [1, 2, 3] Extreme Temperature Tolerance: Operates reliably across wide and harsh temperature ranges without losing functional cranking efficiency. [1, 2] High CCA (Cold Cranking Amps): Provides instant, high-power starting capabilities for modern and high-performance vehicles (such as the AESON NaForce SS H7/LN4 AGM 12V with 800 CCA). [1, 2] Safety: Inherently stable chemistry with no risk of thermal runaway, making them robust and secure under heavy vehicle vibration and use All these features were important to me.

I only replaced the two original lead acid start batteries. The lead acid batteries are very good as a start battery but this one change saved me 25kg. If the Sodium ion batteries last as long as advertised then there's more than just a significant weight saving.

I fitted a brand new 80A 24V alternator and connected the two 12V batteries in series as the lead-acid batteries were. The maximum charge shows as 28.2V so the Sodium ion batteries will never reach maximum charge however these batteries are not voltage sensitive when it comes to keeping them healthy. They don't have to ever reach 30V and they can be safely drawn down to Zero voltage without long term negative results. I also swapped the Sherpa Big Air 200LPM air compressor from the lithium house batteries to the sodium start batteries. If the lithium batteries were a little low their BMS would often spit the dummy on startup. I'm no expert, just going on what I've read. So far they are performing well but they don't work hard. The Isuzu 4.8L Turbo diesel starts instantly when the key is turned so no cranking beyond a second or two, hot or cold.

I don't think the type of material matters much. You can easily have light weight sealed airtight float chambers in a metal aircraft if you really plan on going swimming. Just about every aluminium boat will remain floating after it capsizes and they weight a lot more than an aircraft. If you close off a cubic metre of your fuselage you'll support 1000kg. Obviously we don't need that much for a small plane.

I bought sodium ion last time. They were lighter than lithium for a higher CCA but low AH rating. For a start battery I need the CCA to spin a cold engine over rapidly but usually for just a few seconds. Sodium ion is perfect for that and the chemical composition says it’s not going to burst into flames ever.

I’d love to catch up but we’ve already headed south. We’re at Peak Hill digging a few gold nuggets to help cover the cost of that tyre. I want to be home in Cue in time to pick up the post tomorrow. I’m expecting my Trig TT22 ADSB and hopefully my SuperECO AP and Astro+ ADSB receiver. I wanted to leave all this work until I got the plane into a hangar but the Shire application has been since January so I’ve given up waiting. I hate pulling the plane apart out in the dirt and wind but I don’t have another option right now.

Mine were 120AH Solar King LiFePO4 as supplied for off grid camping or auxiliary automotive batteries. You can bury your head in the sand if you like but I don’t care if they claim to be aircraft certified. They still have the same chemical composition. My vehicle had been parked unused for a week prior to the battery explosion and fire that followed. In my opinion it’s a risk too great because a lithium fire is almost impossible to extinguish even when the emergency services are in attendance. Nobody is going to be able to help you at 5000’ when the extreme heat produced by a lithium battery fire ignites everything flammable nearby.

I’ve lost one vehicle and fortunately not my life to a LiFo4 lithium battery. I know many still believe they are safe but I know differently. Take a look at this video where this couple got lucky. They had the batteries isolated from their living area, they had multiple alarms, multiple fire blankets and multiple fire extinguishers. They were on the ground with the fire department on call. They were not several thousand feet above the earth when their battery burned. Fortunately their battery just burned, mine didn’t, it exploded spreading metallic confetti throughout my camper and destroying everything with highly corrosive fumes. All metal components were badly corroded within days and the glass is coated with a solid layer of some sort of soot that feels like sandpaper. I believe that if I’d been in the vehicle at the time I wouldn’t have survived. Do you really want one of these batteries in your plane?

No, no research yet. Cut the side out of a tyre today so I've been a little busy. Tonight we're camped in the remote Hickman Meteor Crater, NE of Newman WA. We dropped in here on our way north. Now we don't have a spare and our tyres can't be bought in the usual places so I think we'll be heading back home in a few days. I take a look at it then.

Should be no problem, I spoke to him last night before asking for the invoice.