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kgwilson

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Everything posted by kgwilson

  1. kgwilson
    It would be interesting to find out how many CEOs of top companies around the world began as bean counters. My guess is it is a very high percentage. They are always driven by the numbers. People are just a condiuit to get the numbers they want. It can come unstuck though as it did with Boeing, but even now they have an ex beancounter (Calhoun) at the top as CEO and Chairman (called President in the US). They fed the last CEO to the wolves but I don't think he cared given the multi million dollar gold parachute he got. Given her history with the company I will give Hudson the benefit of the doubt ........ for now. Joyce can now be confined to the dustbin of aviation history. Qantas now has a very tainted legacy of money before people & a lot of ex employees disposed of by Joyce will never trust the company or allow themselves the indignaty of re-employment no matter what sort of carrot they dangle. Others will of course purely for economic reasons.
  2. kgwilson
    In my experience a partially full container will expand far more than one that is full when the temperature increases. The presence of air in the container allows for evaporation of the lighter aromatics and unless the container is vented pressure will build up and in the case of plastic containers, then the container itself will bulge. If the container is full the fuel will only expand based on the temperature as evaporation is prevented.
  3. kgwilson
    I don't store PULP. It ghoes straight in to the aircraft when I get back from the Servo. Fresh is always best.
  4. kgwilson
    The red Proquip I have will hold 24 litres of 98 ULP filled right to the base of the filler neck.
  5. kgwilson
    Proquip is a good brand. They are solid and have the spout retained internally so it stays clean. I also have a small 10 litre Scepter brand, also good. Same spout system but it has a ratchet style keeper which prevents the cap from loosening. Both have capped vents to allow fast emptying. Scepter used to be made in Canada but I'd say they are now made in China like everything else. The Scepter is a squat design so doesn't tip over easily but takes up more floor space compared to the standard (Proquip) type which tips over easily but takes up less space. Both are in the $38-$40 range. BCF sell Proquip & Repco sell Scepter. Stay away from cheap ones from Bunnings and Supercheap SCA brand and anything with an external spout which can get lost and dirty.
  6. kgwilson

    J170D Production

    kgwilson replied to CAV0K's topic in Jabiru

    Then the price would be over 200k.
  7. kgwilson

    J170D Production

    kgwilson replied to CAV0K's topic in Jabiru

    It wasn't that long ago that the base model J230 was around 120k. All the flash glass stuff on the panel comes with a pretty hefty price tag.
  8. kgwilson

    J170D Production

    kgwilson replied to CAV0K's topic in Jabiru

    The J230 has proven far and away the most popular Jabiru and the 3300A engine is about to or maybe already has become the most plentful engine produced as well. When the demand for one model outstrips your ability to produce that, why keep producing another less popular model and increase the lead time on the more popular one. Add to that you have to be pretty brave to incease production capability in the Aviation market unless you have an investor with deep pockets and no concern about getting it back. The industry is littered with aircraft manufacturing crash and burns.
  9. kgwilson
    I've been using 4 litre plastic oil containers to store 2 stroke whippersnipper & chainsaw petrol for at least 30 years & none have ever leaked or deteriorated. I replace with a new one when they get dirty or I find dirt in the bottom of the container. The only problem is the sidewalls are thin & they will expand if left half full or less in hot weather as the contents evaporate. In Summer I don't keep them absolutely airtight to prevent this happening.
  10. kgwilson
    I thought you would know this as a 912 ULS exponent. To develop the full 100HP cool air is required to feed the carburettors. There is plenty of comment out there in google land. Rotax will not provide any guarantee of 100HP unless their genuine airbox is fitted.
  11. kgwilson
    If you want 100HP then the airbox is required. The exhaust system including muffler is included in the weight of all Jabiru engines as well as the airbox, and Ram air ducts. Air cooled engines don't have radiators, liquid coolant or associated plumbing. Both types have oil cooler radiators & associated plumbing. The point is the quoted weight of a Rotax 912 ULS is a long way short of the finished installed weight compared to that of most air cooled engines.
  12. kgwilson
    When it comes to weight of an engine quoted figures never seem to be the installed weight. The Rotax 912 ULS is quoted at 56.6 KG. But you have to add the exhaust system, water pump, oil cooler, oil tank, radiator, pipework, liquid coolant and airbox (if you want to get 100HP) which takes the total to over 90KG. Air cooled engines usually have the exhaust sytem included and don't have all the additional things required for liquid cooling.
  13. kgwilson
    Jabiru doesn't make many of its own parts other than what Ian Bent (Camit) used to make with the CNC gear he had which jabiru bought when Ian went in to receivership. Like most manufacturers these days they purchase components to their specification from specialist suppliers around the world. A lot of these are in China of course. A friend ordered a new 3300A engine after his old one suffered a major prop strike as it was cheaper than a strip & repair & also 2 generations newer. The problem was none were available for several months last year as quite a few components were in short supply after nothing was made for ages during Covid. Eventually things started trickling in again and the last major component was the crankshaft & he finally got the new engine about 6 months after the order. The days of Holden, Honda and Kubota parts etc are long gone. Jabiru has produced close to 8,000 engines to date split fairly evenly between the 4 & 6 cylinder versions.
  14. kgwilson
    The thing is that you are talking chalk & cheese here. Car engines are heavy & rarely run at high RPM and if something stops you pull over & ring NRMA. New innovations get thousands if not millions of hours testing before they are unleashed in to production models. The scale of production is thousands of times greater than for aero engines. And guess what there are still problems. We constantly hear of recalls due to a fault showing up. Start using them in a racing environment & reliability goes through the floor. Aircraft reciprocating piston engines are built light for a good reason, so the aircraft can get off the ground. They have another dimension to deal with depleting air density often with very large temperature variations very quickly. They are run at full power not long after startup every time and then at around 75% of power for most of the time.
  15. kgwilson
    I think it is theoretically possible, but there are so many parts that would require complete replacement and the cost of restoration would far outweigh the value of the finished product, plus there is that niggling thought that something was missed and continues to corrode.
  16. kgwilson
    Thet were originally built as Hang Glider tugs as far as I know. Try contacting the HGFA as they may know of oeners/locations.
  17. kgwilson
    EFI in motor vehicles is very reliable these days & almost universal & presumably why it is now in many modern piston aircraft. Aircraft engine development and innovation has always been at the extreme end of the conservative spectrum with some very sound logic. If it works & it ain't broke, don't fix it till something else turns up that is better but more importantly, as or more reliable.
  18. kgwilson
    I reckon the perfect landing is when you are fully stalled when the wheels grease the ground. You don't want the aircraft to keep flying. You will still have rudder authority until steering/ differential braking takes over.
  19. kgwilson
    You were a lot fussier than me. I didn't undercoat internal surfaces & was not prepared to use Alodine which is extremely toxic, but I did use an etch primer on both surfaces where there was metal to metal contact once all the rivet holes had been drilled & the clecos removed.
  20. kgwilson
    20-30 feet was my estimation of height when the yoke was pulled right back. That was when the left wheel was about equal with the horizon. On closer inspection I reckon about 18-20 feet. Anyway it worked out that on touchdown with the sea she had the least amount of forward speed and descent rate. Faster and it may have nosed over. Slower and with increased vertical speed the wheels would likely have dug in more quickly and may have also nosed over. Even the ABC couldn't help themselves with a witness statement. "When it nosedived, that's when I started screaming". When was that? Once the wheels were in the water stopping most forward momentum, the tail came up & settled down in less than 1/2 a second.
  21. kgwilson
    With only one door on the RH side of a PA28 you need to get your passenger to unlock the top latch as you can't concentrate on the landing approach & do this as well. Then unlatch the main door lock. There was little swell so that was a bonus but landing along the swell line is the recommended and best way. Fully stalled from about 20-30 feet, the prop stopped windmilling & a perfect ditching was executed. This should be incorporated into a ditching training video. Hats off to you Michelle Yeates.
  22. kgwilson
    Crikey Jabiru 230 prices have increased a lot since I last looked. That was when they were around 120K.
  23. kgwilson
    There is no doubt that the 916 will be far more fuel efficient and use ULP. While Rotax quality is very high the real issue is the exhorbitant cost of everything Rotax makes.
  24. kgwilson
    The Lycoming is a bit heavier at 268 lbs compared to the Rotax at 190 lbs but that doesn't include the oil tank, radiator, hoses or liquid coolant. TBO is 2000 hours for the io-320 A,B,D,E & F models & 1800 for the C model. Of course the Lycoming is 5.42 litres whereas the Rotax is 1.35 litres in cubic capacity.
  25. kgwilson
    When I decided to build an aircraft back in 2010 I tossed up between experimental GA & RA. RA won on simplicity, self declaration of medicals, overall and on-going cost. I have now let my Class 2 medical lapse & technically can no longer fly in to or land at controlled airports. I still do with the approval of the controller. I used to fly 1970s Piper Archers & Cessnas. I now fly my own bulid 2015 modern aircraft that is cheaper to operate, has better performance but only has 2 seats. The number of times all 4 seats of the Archer were filled way back when I can count on my hands. Getting back to Bankstown, it seems to me most new pilots, even those with an Aviation career in mind start with a RA pilot certificate so the amount of ab initio training in GA is noweher near what it used to be.
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