sfGnome
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Everything posted by sfGnome
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I reckon that the question is not "Should I do the FI training?", but "Should I teach after competing the training?". Doing the training can only improve your skills, so it can never be a bad thing. As for the other question, well that's up to your instructor. If s/he throws everything at you and you handle it well, then why not? On the other hand, if you struggle with the strange situations, then even if you hold off the teaching for a while (or forever), you've still learned something more there too. In summary, go for it.
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Bum! Iggy's link makes it clear that clearance will still be required on the new lanes, so the western railway route is still the only path north past Williamtown for RA traffic. Hrmph!
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I taught myself on bungee-launched 2m and 144" gliders. I think it took me a couple of years before the day I came home with them all in one piece. Then I joined a club and got some instruction (!!) and worked my way through various electric craft up to a relatively fast sport/aerobatic one. That's where I really learned to fly in front of the plane, but one day something failed near the ground and it went in hard. I just couldn't bring myself to rebuild it again (again, again...), so I picked up the bits and I never went back. I've still got one little park flyer sitting there looking pretty. Wonder if it still flies after all these years
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The trick with Noise Cancelling Mics is that the two coils are connected out of phase. Any ambient noise hits both coils evenly, and because they're out of phase, the signal cancels. You voice, on the other hand, hits one coil much more strongly than the other, so it doesn't cancel and lives to tell the tale. -
Oooo. Looks a bit draggy. Better get to it with some filler and smooth off the surface a bit...
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No ridicule, Bob. I have a very similar picture taken on the way home from YTEM at Easter, and they were Easter eggs in my case.
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Now here's an interesting comparison to think about. Would it be fair to say that your average high wing has a more 'upright' windscreen than a bubble canopy low wing? Question is, would the additional slope on the bubble tend to deflect the bird rather than stop it dead (so to speak), and thus lessen the breaking force?
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Geez. There wouldn't want to be too many bindiis in the grass when you're landing... Good on you for having a shot at something a bit different.
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Biggles - what are the reflections in the window? It's a bit late in the year for Easter eggs, isn't it?
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Ever so slightly off-topic, but having an interested passenger can make a big difference - double the eyes and ears. Recently I was heading down the coast towards Wollongong where they occasionally have parachutists onto the beach. I don't know what I was concentrating on, but suddenly my beloved said "They just dropped some chutes" - she'd heard the radio call, and I was utterly oblivious to it! Experience won out in the end though. I spotted the drop plane on its descent while she couldn't see it... It was nice to watch them float down. It was a bit like having birds for company, but safe in the knowledge they weren't going to attack!
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Isn't that always the way. I hear voices in my head when I fly too... (Sorry, couldn't resist! Glad the flight went well, and may there be many many more!)
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What Has Old Man Emu Scratched Up Now? No 3
sfGnome replied to old man emu's topic in Engines and Props
Thanks OME. Clear & well written. -
You know, we talk about flying like a bird, but I think that what I really want to do is *land* like one! It's the ultimate STOL. Pick a point, flare to a standstill and just put the landing gear down... (dream on )
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Interesting to compare this one with the recent discussion about the Sportstar with the canopy that opened in flight. If I recall correctly, the consensus there was that it would happily continue with the canopy open/gone, and the main danger was the pilot being distracted. Is the difference that the Cessna has a large space continuing from the cockpit all the way back to the tail (in this case filled with would-be jumpers) where the airflow would be turbulent, whereas the Sportstar possibly has a wall behind the pilot's head so the air just flows up and over?
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I tried to get in on that but I couldn't get a grant...
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Makes some sense to me. I reckon that some times the best thing to do when you just can't 'get' something is to go away and sleep on it for a while - let your subconscious work on it in the background. Mind you, 2 years may be a bit longer than I'd normally suggest...
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Good on you, TW. Now you get to discover that when the licence begins, the training begins! Never stop learning (Now, where have I heard that before... )
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I reckon it looks too nice to risk actually flying...
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Just be careful that it isn't too easily bumped when your passenger shifts position in their seat. Things got a bit exciting for me once when we suddenly went full throttle while idling on the taxiway...
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I store mine in my flight bag on top of everything else so that when I'm getting out all the necessaries pre-flight, the PLB comes out first and goes around my neck - or around my beloved's neck if she's coming with me.
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Pud, I had a fairly close old stare at the earlier sections of the video, and I can't see any indication of tail wheel wobble until after the landing. Granted, they weren't close-up shots, but the wheel wobble was pretty obvious in the final section, so it should have been apparent earlier too. Perhaps you might get some additional clues from the bits of the video that hit the cutting room floor?
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Of course, if it was NASA then they'd fit explosive bolts... :big_grin: Seriously, you can never cater for every circumstance, but if you can at least cater for some of the more common ones (and sadly, flipping doesn't appear to be totally uncommon), then all the better. So, apart from wielding an axe, is there a better way to make perspex break when you want it to and not when you don't (like, when you're flying).
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Oh-oh, Darky's going to the dark side...
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Yep, I guess a small axe is easier to install than a hatch. All I'd have to do then is work out how to stop the beloved from wielding it in my direction when I hit the bumpy stuff... :hittinghead:
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On the (many) occasions when I'm daydreaming, thoughts often turn to planes I'd like to build. I like some of the low wing types, but I'm concerned about the lack of exit options should it flip (such as in Rocketdriver's sad KR2 accident). Question is, would it be possible to build in a removable floor panel? First and foremost, would it affect the fuselage's structural integrity? In a monocoque body, the skin takes a lot of the stress, so it may not be acceptable on some types (eg Morgan?). Secondly, how would you latch it in such a way that it could be opened when needed by either pilot or passenger, but couldn't be accidentally kicked open by a restless passenger (I've had the between-the-legs throttle on an older Jab knocked that way). I guess if it were hinged at the front and latched at the rear then an accidental opening would give you a helluva fright, but nothing worse. So, is it; a) one of those simple ideas that leave you wondering why it hasn't been thought of before (not very likely ), b) one of those dumb ideas that's long been discarded as totally impractical (and if so, why), or c) already in use in a/c where it's a valid option?
