old man emu

I reckon that if I was flying a twin-engined plane and hear a loud <bang> from out on the wing, I'd initially scream "mayday". Everyone is going on about the problem being an engine failure, which happily it only was, but when an engine like this goes <bang> the sound could be turbine blades hitting wing structures. In the first few moments, how would the pilot know that there was no damage to spars, hydraulic lines or electrical cables? How did the pilot in those few moments know that the plane would still continue to fly and not suddenly break up. Don't shoot the pilot for responding to the worst case scenario. Better to be able later to downgrade the need for help than to have a plane mysteriously disappear.

UPDATE: 18 JANUARY 2023

I submitted the application to conduct an Air Display to CASA today. They have replied by pro forma email that they have got it. The wait begins. I know that they won't give an answer before I submit the Emergency Response plan, but at least they have something to look at and provide a quote for dealing with the application - at a minimum of $120.00 PER HOUR!!!!!!

I received information about Public Liability. What I got makes anything coming out of CASA understandable by a kindergarten kid. All I understood was tha the premium was $1350.

Regarding fuel (Mogas). One way or the other we will have empty 20 litre approved petrol jerry cans available. Anyone who wants Mogas can borrow as many as they need. We will advise the pump price and those who need fuel can pay us the pump price for the amount they need. (We could supply fractions of 20 lites if needed.) The we will ask for $5 to pay for our fuel to go into Gilgandra to get the fuel. If a person has a collapsible fuel bladder, we'll take them in in the same way as our jerry cans.

The good news about the fuel is that the petrol station we are going to get the petrol from had its underground storage tanks replaced late in 2022 as well as its pumps. So you can be pretty certain that the fuel will be as clean as practicable.

The decision has been made. A competitor's ATA will be the time that they call "clear of runway" How they get to that point, I don't give a damn since I have no control over the expressions of individuality of pilots.

You know, all this reeks of "I'm alright Jack. bugger you." I've done all I can think of to make coming to Tooraweenah safe by indicating ideal locations to overfly at 10 nautical. I am NOT ALLOWED to provide air traffic control and I can't afford to pay for Airservices to come and do it. It's not my responsibility to fly people's plans for them. If people want to disregard CASA's advice on operating at a non-controlled aerodrome, so be it.

But remember, Arthur Butler Aviation Museum Inc is organising this event for the enjoyment of recreational fliers and with the hope that it will become an annual event. If one arsehole does something that gets up CASA's nose and CASA says, "No more", I'll personally beat the living shit out of the arsehole  so that the next set of wings they get issued will be from the Angel Gabriel.  I've worked too hard and for too long on this project to have some FIGJAM ruin it. 

And to add to that. The aerodrome is a place which meets the definition of an inclosed land under the NSW INCLOSED LANDS PROTECTION ACT 1901 . As the event organiser I have the authority to direct any person to leave the inclosed lands and may specify how long they are to stay away.  

2 minutes ago, facthunter said:

You should be able to advise wind direction and a local QNH

I am thinking of installing a weather station permanently to know wind speed and direction, as well as temperature. 

Just be careful: aircraft operate on area QNH. What you are suggesting is broadcasting QFE, but doing that would open a bag of worms where the worms were the size of boa constrictors. Also there is a legal limit to the amount of this type of information that can be broadcast. It's all in the CASA airport operators MOS.

7 minutes ago, facthunter said:

I'm not directing you or anyone to do things a certain way. 

As I said, your suggestion for pilots to advise clear of runway meets my needs perfectly. I've already put it in the race rules.

4 hours ago, facthunter said:

When you have a lot of arrivals expected having them all do a circuit is not wise.

Due to the fact that the competition route means that the aircraft will be approaching the circuit area at a right angle, straight in approaches would not be an option to contestants. If you look at the diagram I posted, if 22 is the active runway, then they can enter the circuit at crosswind for 22 and join at the start of downwind. If 04 is the active, then they can let down on the dead side and enter the circuit on the crosswind leg of 04.

Also, as a result of the starting order - fastest first - aircraft should be returning in groups related to their cruise speed - C172s withC172s/PA-28s and Gazelles with whatever flies as fast as they do.

I'm getting the feeling that getting a whole lot of pilots to think and act for the benefits to the whole group, rather than being self-centred, is worse than trying to herd cats. 

Anyway, Facthunter has given me the answer to my problem that will work to achieve the goal I want. It just means that I'll be a nervous wreck until the last contestant is tucked up in bed, because if any hot shot pilot causes an incident, CASA is coming after me, and they won't  approve future events of the same ilk. So once again, some idiot will stuff up something good.

6 minutes ago, facthunter said:

Why not make the CALL    IDENT."Clear of runway"? 

Hadn't thought of that. That's a lot easier and has the advantage of telling following aircraft that the runway is clear for landing. I just hope that we don't get the Oshkosh problem and have to have aircraft land long or short due to congestion.

Like the majority of rural aerodromes, there are no constructed taxiways. However, the other day I took a run in my car along a suitable path for a taxiway and had no problems at 30 kph in a car with sports suspension. What we are going to do is lay out a path as indicated here by mowing the grass very short. We'll use empty 20 litre herbicide drums secured to the ground to delineate the taxiway. We are also going to make short taxiways about every 100 metres so that aircraft only have to go about 50 metres after slowing sufficiently before they can clear the runway. 

 This is a part diagram. The runway goes a lot further in the 22 direction, and there will be a runup bay at the threshold of 04.

I know that a landing aircraft is required to broadcast its intention to turn onto Base Leg, but it it also OK to report turning onto Final?

The reason behind my question is this. The flying event I am trying to run involves the contestant making good the ETA claimed in the flight plan for the event. Therefore I have to have a way of noting the time of touchdown.

My first idea was to mark out an area on the runway, about 50 metres long, near the threshold, and ask pilots to make that space their landing zone. I was going to station observers adjacent to that area to observe the touchdown and record the time. Then I began to worry about the safety of the observers, although the risk level  of being hit by a landing aircraft would be minimal, but, no doubt, extreme in CASA'a eyes.

So I thought that, if I monitored the circuit frequency, I would know which aircraft was turning onto the Base Leg. Then, I was going to ask pilots to make a short broadcast " <call sign> <Turning Finals>". I would record that time. To determine time of touchdown I was going to find the most common airspeed of the contestants when they turned final (book value), and calculate a time to descent from 500 ft based on that airspeed and wind strength and direction and add that to the time the pilot reported turning Finals. The same value would be added to every aircraft.

I'm expecting pilots to fly normally on the Final leg, not full STOL, nor C-130 tactical approaches. Gyrocopters will just have to wear fixed-wing values.

MY QUESTION IS:

Is it safe, considering workload, for a pilot to make that short broadcast at that point?

WARNING:

How accurate is your measuring device? When you are measuring very small diameters such as those you need to here, it doesn't take much of a mechanical error in the device to return a reading several poofteenths out.

To help you decimalise the sizes of numbered drills, here's a link. https://vermontamerican.com/drill-bit-decimal-equivalency-chart/

6 hours ago, djpacro said:

Details here on page 12 https://www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/oamtechreports/1970s/media/am72-28.pdf

I love it when people do a bit of research into the literature and provide references to back up their comments.

Well done, that man!

7 hours ago, RossK said:

Would it be possible to have the volunteer and car at Gilgandra

I'm the only one who lives at Gil, and I'll be a mite busy on the day. If you wanted to mtel it in Gil, I've got to go home on Saturday night and come back Sunday. I could drop you of at your motel and pick you up Sunday AM. If a lot of people are staying at Gil, I might run a minibus on Saturday Night. There will be one running around Toora between the parking area in town and the aerodrome.

3 hours ago, onetrack said:

It is not legal to carry fuel in containers that are not approved for fuel transport

Shh! If you don't tell, I won't.

7 hours ago, Thruster88 said:

There is avgas available in all directions 60nm from Tooraweena

Narromine, Dubbo, Coonamble, Mudgee Yes. Dubbo and Coonamble ASIC card country. Coonabarabran No.

Don't forget to apply for a Skyfuel carnot card.

I'll check out that tank hire place tomorrow.

Strewth! $50 freight from the USA?????????

Grab it with both arms and wrap your legs around that price!

19 minutes ago, facthunter said:

YES.  The blood vessels burst in the back of your eyes and brain. . No fun at all.  Nev

And you shit yourself.

Bloody fuel!!!!!

Try as I might, I can't get a supply of Avgas for the event. Basically, the legal liability of the risk cannot be insured against. Then there is the legality of conveying fuel from a nearby source to the aerodrome. Then there is the problem of metering the distribution. The least of my worries is getting paid for the fuel. So all I can do is provide the distances to public bowsers and advise which ones you need an ASIC card for. 

Mogas.

I can possibly help here, but I need your feedback.

I can collect a heap of 20 litre plastic containers that have had herbicides in them. I can flush them out with Mogas to get rid of any herbicide residue. I can provide these containers to pilots needing 98 octane Mogas. A servo in Gilgandra had its underground storage tanks replaced late in 2022, so they are basically brand new. If a pilot wants to get some 98 Mogas, I can have a couple of the event volunteers take the drums and get them filled, each with 20 litres by the bowser meter (they are brand new, too). The price of 20 litres would simply be the price from the pump plus, say, $5 per pilot getting fuel to cover the cost of our petrol to go too and from.

Once again the legal buzzards are circling, so pilots using this service would have to sign a waiver to relieve the organisers of liability from anything arising from the use of fuel obtained in such a way. The alternative is that pilots grab a container and hitch a ride the 45 kms into Gilgandra, get their fuel and hitch back.

WILL THIS WORK?

If high +ve drains the blood from your head, do high -ve Gs flood it?

Imprint this in your mind 

Is the -ve G feeling of an outside loop, or bunt, the same as you get from a ride on a drop tower? 

On 10/01/2023 at 10:44 AM, farri said:

 This might help someone!

https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/gps-coordinates-from-google-maps-to-gps/

 

https://www.pgc.umn.edu/apps/convert/

 

Thanks for that.

According to the weather forecast, this week you'll get all the Sun and warmth you'll ever want. Welcome to Mainland weather!

9 hours ago, facthunter said:

they are straight cut not helical.

The diagram I posted of the motion of the gears was simply to show the direction of movement. I didn't take into regard the cut of the teeth, which can be seen in the illustration of the Merlin showing the gears to be straight-cut.

3 hours ago, facthunter said:

The prop on the Merlin goes in the opposite direction to the motor,

Damn! I have to question that point, but I can't pull up good references to back my comments. The Merlin and Griffon did cause the prop to rotate in opposite directions, one from the other. 

OK a bit of research and I come up with this. If the crankshaft, viewed from the right hand end of this diagram rotates in a clockwise direction, would that cause the reduction gear to turn anti-clockwise? 

1 hour ago, djpacro said:

Something will break doing that.

Somehow I don't think that obtaining a long service life in a military vehicle would be uppermost in a pilot's mind when someone was hurling lead and fire at you with the intention of causing you more than a little more paperwork on your return to Base.

39 minutes ago, Old Koreelah said:

I found quite a few of them in the back of our fuel shed at Qdi Airport. We also have a collection of heavy cast runway light bases- they look a bit like old truck gearbox housings. Do you need any for your museum?

Bloody oath I do!