sfGnome

One of the issues with patents is that if you release them gradually, and a competitor issues a patent that references one of your earlier ones, then your later patents can be claimed to be dependent on your competitor’s one. Hence, some development companies with a big new idea will hold the info really tightly against industrial espionage and then file an enormous set of patents in one sitting. A company I used to work for did this, and one time they walked into a patent office in the USA with two trolley loads of new patents.

Well, I’ve just ticked over 1000 hours building, and that’s just the time in the shed. All the hours on the computer investigating options and sourcing parts are not included. Probably about another 1000 to go. Funny thing I noticed yesterday. With the heatwave, it appears that all my heat shrink tubing has shrunk a little. The size that used to slide over a spade connector now just doesn’t. Now all I need is for the heat to help my gut to shrink a little… 😛

I reckon that if you had asked that young pilot what he should do if the nose was pointing up and airspeed was dropping, he could have told you, no worries. Knowing what to do is not the problem. Dealing with the startle factor is. In my training, I’d done heaps of touch and goes. Wheels on the deck, trundle along resetting the flaps, power up and away. However, the first time I had to go around from near ground level (and I was solo), I discovered exactly what that young pilot discovered; you pour on the power and the nose points skyward. In my case, I hit the stick ‘real quick’ and all was good, but was I well trained or just lucky? It’s not like there weren’t other times where I froze.

Interesting question with, I believe, much disagreement between the experts. Australia used to have some fantastic megafauna which all died out about the time that humans arrived in country. However, whether they were hunted to extinction or died as a result of the same climate variation that provided the human access bridge from Asia is not agreed.

Have you noticed that it seems that the majority of new ‘light’ designs are coming from Europe. Most of the ones listed from the US were designed in the 60s and 70s. There seems to be lots of different companies designing small aircraft in Europe, whereas in the US it seems that there’s just Vans, Sonex, Rams and Zenith with Vans dominating. (Disclaimer! This is just a thought bubble. Happy to be corrected).

Highly misleading title on that video. It wasn’t the fact that it was 3D printed that caused the crash; it was the material that caused it. It would be like using cardboard for spars, and then after a crash implying that you should never have spars…

Geez, you must have a crook lot over in the west! Our previous Aus Post delivery bloke knew everyone and was really good. When he left (to go to a job more suited to his skills and education), he shared the job with his replacement for a couple of weeks and introduced him to everyone. Now, if you want to talk about poor delivery service, talk Aramex (*%&#$%&!! 😠).

Funny. I was thinking how much I’ve enjoyed this latest issue. Each to their own, I guess.

Is there supposed to be space for a pilot somewhere?

Yep, definitely not ABS. With a glass transition of 52C, it has to be PLA. Someone got distracted and put the wrong reel on the machine (I can’t believe that it was intentional). Moral of the story? If you buy a 3D printed part, put it in the oven for a while (ie anneal it) and watch what happens.

Depends on the material used (apologies if the actual material was discussed earlier). My son printed some proof-or-concept items for me, and they distorted when left in his car. I can imagine the under-cowl getting hotter than that.

John Taru (who was (is?) an instructor at the Oaks) said on the ABC that one aircraft turned with the second plane turning alongside it, but a wind gust pushed one into the other. ☹️☹️

Orange AND purple! Very 70s. All I need then is to bolt a surfboard on top. 😁

Yep, totally intentional. It was the only colour I could think of that couldn’t be mistaken for sky, cloud (grey or white) or trees & grass. Doesn’t work for the outback though. Maybe we should invent a skin surface like an anti-chameleon; it changes its colour to the opposite of its surroundings! 🙄

And 2 months later, my shed is now a blaze of colour. 😁