Jump to content

nomadpete

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    912

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    6

 Content Type 

Everything posted by nomadpete

  1. nomadpete
    Step one is to cut your mat to fit the inside of the mould - lay the pieces out so you know whit bits fit which curves. Don't try to do the whole cowl with one big piece of mat. After applying hard Cornubia wax to the mould, followed by a thin spray of mould release, apply a layer of gel coat - brush it on. After it goes off, brush on a layer of resin (well mixed 50:1 with hardener). Just brush on a area for one piece of mat at a time. Whilst wet, press the mat onto it, stipple with brush and roll bubbles out until the mat looks translucent. Repeat with next piece of mat, overlap the joins. By the time you've got to the other side of the cowl, the first layup will be going off and you can either retire for a wash up and cold beer, our go back and continue with a second layer. Try not to use too much resin. Just enough to wet out the mat without visible air amongst the fibres. Watch a couple of YouTube's.
  2. nomadpete

    Why I don't fly now

    nomadpete commented on Admin's blog entry in Ian's Blog

    Chin up Ian. All the sympathy in the world does little to ease that hand you've been dealt. Rest assured that you have many friends (especially through your great forum). Take strength from knowing that. Have faith in the best advice that your opthalmologist gives you. And keep looking for those little gems of joy that do come your way, from whatever direction they come. And whenever a empty right hand seat is offered, take it. Even with limited sight, nothing can steal the feeling a steady climb out. All the best to you.
  3. nomadpete
    Sorry about my triple post. I had trouble attaching the picture, then had trouble deleting redundant posts. Yes, same FN. The bike now has a period wicker sidecar.
  4. nomadpete
    You mean this Ind of FN? This one I snapped at our local hardware. The owner has ridden it back to visit the manufacturer in Belgium.
  5. nomadpete
    You mean this Ind of FN? This one I snapped at our local hardware. The owner has ridden it back to visit the manufacturer in Belgium.
  6. nomadpete
    You mean this Ind of FN? This one I snapped at our local hardware. The owner has ridden it back to visit the manufacturer in Belgium.
  7. nomadpete
    I haven't suggested that I have a medical condition. I simply cannot justify spending money on memberhip 'just to keep the door open' to flying. At present, I'm not located anywhere near a suitable flying field that has suitable aircraft and an instructor. Also, I can't afford to fly and pay for accommodation that much now. So, in my case, RAA has ceased to be the 'Affordable flying' it once was. As far as I'm concerned, I would have to go flying at least once a week in order to maintain competency. Anything less would allow my skills to slide, and that would not be safe. So, it seems that I may as well let my membership go.
  8. nomadpete
    Just adding my two cents worth....... I'm not renewing my my RAA membership. For me, the biggest downside is abandoning all the training that has gone into my certificate. And the pain of knowing that I'll never fly again. I can't afford to keep paying RAA just in case I get a chance to go flying one day.
  9. nomadpete
    Don't expect to know when CO poisoning is happening to you. I speak from experience. I got into the back canopy of a friend's ute, expecting to catch a few zz's on our way to a campground. The rear wasn't fully sealed. I detected a very slight exhaust smell. Nothing much. Just as I was falling asleep, I felt rather stoned . It had only taken about 15 minutes before I realised I was not falling asleep, I was almost passing out. It took a huge effort to drag myself up and knock on the back of the cab to get the drivers attention. I almost didn't bother... Also important, is the fact that I felt sick, and foggy for about 12 hours after. It takes a long time to get out of your system, even at low levels. Make no mistake CO is insidious, it sneaks up on you.
  10. nomadpete
    I apologise to everyone for starting this thread with an ambiguous title. I didn't see it that way until someone took it the wrong way. Bruce had mentioned Bert in another thread, and it prompted my own recollections. It occurred to me that there must be many very skilled people out there and they all have had adventures worthy of retelling. Bert is one of many. I sometimes think that our modern society doesn't allow much scope for adventure. There is a wealth of knowledge residing in many of our senior fellow pilots. So many lessons and skills that should be shared. So, can anybody think of a few other unsung heroes in aviation?
  11. nomadpete
    Does anybody remember Bert's gliding skills? I call him the exception to the basic rule of pilots. He impressed me as being the only "Old Bold" pilot over ever met. And such a quiet gentleman. I am honoured to have met him. I recall watching him do a double loop from about head height above the deck. In a glider. At Caboolture. He also briefly held the Australian height gain record. Inside a cumulo nimbus. At Alice Springs.
  12. nomadpete
    A problem is identifying the speed, as many ASI gives invalid readings at unnatural attitudes. I think I was taught to feel for the G's to help identify the difference between spiral and spin? It was quite a few years ago and those grey cells aren't current (not in RAA aircraft, so relax Turbs!)
  13. nomadpete
    The voltmeter is at best, a rough guide. The ammeter doesn't really tell much about the battery either. It only confirms that the charging circuitry is supplying power. It cannot confirm that a battery is effectively storing the energy. The only way to confirm how much energy is stored in a battery is to discharge it at a known rate (usually the ten hour rate), until an agreed minimum battery voltage is reached. (For a 12v battery this is usually 11.8v). Clearly, this cannot be done 'on the run', and shouldn't be done too often, because even 'deep cycle' batteries don't like frequent deep cycling. There are cheap digital A/H Meters available now, but they only measure A/H in and out, to estimate the stored energy. Since they don't know the storage efficiency of the battery, they still aren't foolproof. And are not suited to our aircraft anyway. For better accurate info, go to your battery manufacturer's website and hopefully there will be discharge voltage graphs. As well as max charge current, float voltage and equalising voltage. But remember these discharge graphs only apply when the battery is fresh from factory. Car Battery World is trying to simplify a complex issue.
  14. nomadpete
    Your voltmeter is helpful but won't always save a bad outcome. For instance. When my aircraft's factory carried out a repair, they replaced a single 'landing' light with a neat pair of lights. Muchlater, on. A. Cross country, I had inadvertantly l left them turned on. Landed and shut down. Noted that voltmeter showed 12v. (Should have been more like 14). Couldn't restart the Rotax. Problem was that my voltage regulator couldn't supply two 50w lamps and the battery had drained to a marginal level. The message is: voltage does not indicate state of charge. PS, if fitting was shunt to allow current monitoring, it's best to have it in a insulated, protective enclosure. Historically, as an unfused part of wiring, it is a fire hazard.
  15. nomadpete
    My experience with LED purchase:- If it's 12$ on eBay, I wouldn't be , buying it..
  16. nomadpete
    Welcome back Arthur.
  17. nomadpete
    I did find the standard Icom A200 intercom to be functional. That is, it does work. I didn't use a active, noise cancelling headset. I guess that would help reduce the problem. Anyway, I was happier when I installed a vox operated intercom to reduce the noise. Perhaps the Bose headset would have been a nice solution, too. Try it first, then decide if you require improvement.
  18. nomadpete
    Tell us. Please What brand of deodorant???? And.......... Hope do you hold the possum still for long enough to spray deodorant under its arms?
  19. nomadpete
    Yes, that's how they work. Most folk opt for a separate, real VOX operated intercom in order to get silence for most of their flight.
  20. nomadpete
    You'll find that quite a few Asian vehicles require lifting the body off the front subframe for any serious work to be done. There isn't enough room to swing a spanner in the 'engine bay'. Lots of wiring, brake lines, fuel lines, etc to be undone each time. I don't do my own heavy maintenance any more, and our Mitsubishi recently required this, and the mechanic mentioned that it was common procedure.
  21. nomadpete
    That's what I like about Bex. He's got such a way with words. But if he's standing on a plinth, somebody would have to put him up to it.
  22. nomadpete
    Or standing on a box............
  23. nomadpete
    Wow that statue will have to have Bex riding a horse!! Had to self censor... I almost said "mounted on a horse", but I know what youse mob of vulgar cretins would have done with that.......
  24. nomadpete
    Bex, THANK YOU THANK YOU. that link is sooo helpful. Luckily I still have an old bottle of vitamin C at the back of the condiments cupboard. However, it was a bit of a struggle getting all six 1000mg tablets into my vein. (Disclaimer - I'm taking the P!ss. I am not suggesting anybody try to self medicate. EVER.)
  25. nomadpete
    I can isolate on my little trailer sailer. Comfy, nice warm bed, Esky full of beer and a nip of rum at bed time. Kettle and Tucker to last it out, and constantly changing scenery without human contact....... Safe as houses. Actually safer than houses. Oh, and a bunch of kindle books. And a radio so I can listen (briefly) about the gloom of city dwellers suffering.
×
×
  • Create New...