skippydiesel

Check out the Stewart Paint System - follow the instructions to the letter and you will surprise yourself at how good the finish is. https://stewartsystems.aero/ 😈

You will need another fan to provide fresh air when painting. 😈

Have been chatting withe a representative from the Caboolture Aero Club. Sounds promising - even have 98 RON "on tap", a definite plus plus. The runways are prone to waterlogging - so no go, if there have been resent or future rains forecast of any significance. I checked out about half a dozen of the Caloundra "satelit" strips - all gravel/grass, so likly to be in a similar condition, to Caboolture, after heavy rain. Despite the very poor organisation of the Rotax Fly-In I am still a little attracted, to the prospect of mixing with a bunch fellow Rotax - is is Geeks or Freaks? Will do a provisional flight plan and keep an eye on the weather. 😈

Would that be the Sundowner Motel, corner of Lear Jet Drive & Airdrome Road? Have you experience of this facility or just speculating? 😈

Yep! Just of Fishers Lane. Your coordinates are the only shed/hanger. From the safelight view, it looks like the hanger had been built on the X strip. Wonder what the surface is like? 😈

Have been perusing airfields, in the vicinity of Caloundra. There are quite a few ALA's. One even offers the use of a vehicle & supply of 98 RON - thats what I call welcoming. Thinking it may be possible to camp at one of the above & fly in/out of Caloundra for the day. 😈

Is that off Fishers Lane? 😈

I hope you are saving well - if contracting the job out, you will need bucket loads of cash . If you can find a friend with panting skills (& equipment), to lead the project, with you as labourer (under intsruction), you cold save a lot of$$$. Paint removal, surface preparation (grunt labour) is where most of the dollars are spent, followed by cost of materials. The act of painting (skill) takes very little time. 😈

Naa! Last time I wanted a part - The, young sounding, sales person could not offer any assistance - I had to supply the part number, without the past informed help/reassurance. Now we have a Rotax promotional event, that seems to have been organised by a first year school kid. The past customer service/professionalism seems to have evaporated - use whatever word you wish, "sketchy" seems to fit the bill for me. 😈

When to when will it be serving good wholesome/health food??? 😈

Crookwell seems to be a tad more welcoming than Caloundra 😁 😈

Travis McLeod, General Manager, Bert Flood Imports Pty Ltd " The $50 dollars registration fee covers landing and overnight parking fees. Unfortunately due to council regulations, camping is not permitted on the airfield. There will be food truck on site on the Saturday and we have made a booking at the Drift bar on the Saturday night for those wishing to attend for dinner or drinks but there are lots of options available in Caloundra if this does not suit." 😈

Your out of date, eMail from Travis McLeod, General Manager, Bert Flood Imports Pty Ltd - The Entry fee has risen by $1.25 (just one more BFI amateurish slip up). There is also a more information, in the email, than what you were able to get from the Rotax website. 😈

Bert Flood Imports is starting to sound a tad "sketchy" 😈

Hi BirdDog, Cautionary tail; I refurbished my first aircraft In/Out including painting. I did the research and settled on a US company called Stewart Systems (https://stewartsystems.aero/). There were several reasons; Great reviews & videos Water born - less toxic Terrific how to instructions Certified for aircraft use Down side - costly! Perhaps unusual for me (a male) I actually followed the very detailed instructions. I was delighted with the result. To my eye, pretty close to a professional finish. I replaced the above, composite, aircraft with an almost completed all metal Sonex. The almost completed description, included most of the aircraft being undercoated. ( PPG Industries DeSoto 515X349). Over the next 12 months the remaining fabrication, installation was completed, in the period just after CV19 pandemic- time to do the topcoat paint. After my first aircraft painting success I was going to do the job myself. The paint I wanted was not available anywhere in Australia - next delivery ??????? My eldest Son (a CPL) persuaded me to engage the services of friend, who has a custom automotive paint business, has his own temperature controlled, down draft, spray booth (Mates Rates!) With no paint from the prefered supplier I went to the Mate - he directed me to his supplier, PPG. Trotted down to the local PPG stockist "Paint Powerhouse". After consulting with them, I went with PPG Industries Protec White. The Mate did a great job. Sonex looked a million dollars. Now, about 3 years later - Top & undercoat is lifting in neat little circles off rivet heads. Top coat is flaking, in other areas, leaving the undercoat. Sonex is starting to look a little rough. PPG refuse to inspect the work (I have to engage an independent paint assessor $$$) but have hinted that ; The bulk of the surface preparation, for the undercoat, was correctly applied, the rivets heads were likly not. The time between undercut & top coat applications was excessive (years) which would have required more intensive preparation (abrasion) than may have been done. PPG Industries Protec White is not listed as a suitable top coat over PPG Industries DeSoto 515X349. I should have been directed to their Aircraft paint division (didn't know they had one) The only long term solution is a complete bear metal paint strip & repaint from scratch. As an amature, I think I would likly have done a more in depth surface preparation, than the professional, who likly made some understandable assumptions. My top coat application may not have been so professional but could not have been worse than what I have now. A cheap job, that will be a costly one to fix. None of this effects the aircrafts excellent performance but is a bit cringeworthy at a fly-in. If you happen to fly into Wedderburn/Napper Field - check out Peter (Overalls) RV4 - The first (?) in Australia, still in its originality paint job - looks new. So my advice - DO YOUR RESEARCH - TAKE YOUR TIME - CHECK OUT EXAMPLES OF YOUR PAINTER SHORT LIST 😈

Thanks - Thought you may be at Mittagong (S Highlands) just down the road from The Oaks 😈

sfGnome - What airfield are you flying out of? 😈

Have writen back to Travis McLeod, General Manager, Bert Flood Imports Pty Ltd with the following comment's/suggestions for future events; "No offence friend but all this information and more, should have be in your promotion flier. Some more points, for any future Fly-Ins you are considering; A lot of Rotax pilots fly on the smell of an “oily rag” – no camping, no nearby caravan park (cheap) accommodation is a big negative for many. This should have been part of your location selection criteria Those flying in, will often do so, the day before & depart the day after – so a minimum of two nights. As many as x 4 (additional to dinner) meals need to be accommodated in some way. You should inform fly in pilots of parking area and facilities ie will there by tie-down cables or similar, or should they bring their own equipment. Arrangements for getting into/out of town – usually a mini bus service is provided. Catering – Often done by the host Flying Club but also commercial. Its usual to give some idea of the type of food that will be made available and when eg Friday night 18:00 dinner (chicken salad) Saturday 07:00 – 09:00 breakfast (cooked & cereal) Lunch 12:00-14:00 (sandwiches) Sunday 07:00 – 09:00 breakfast (as before) Coffee Van on site all day Saturday & Sunday morning. Timing /Location– I have been told that SE Queensland experiences a lot of storms in November. Not great for small Rotax powered aircraft. In general, inland locations will have weather more conducive to small aircraft operations but luck will still be a factor. Aircraft Control- Most Fly-Ins have a UNICOM to assist pilots to maintain aircraft separation/awareness and Ground Marshalls for safe taxying/parking. Landing/Parking Fees (if any) – These are usually waved, as the event will be a financial benefit to the local businesses eg accommodation, catering, fuel & general tourist activity. You would do well to collaborate with a Flying Club that is well experienced in running this sort of event. They will not only provide experience but likely volunteers for much of the services. You may like to contact the Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia (Leeton Branch), or Holbrook Ultralight Club, as resent examples of how an event of this type should be run." 😈

Strange - Anything that I order from Vic (usually outer Melbourne) seems to take forever - anything up to 2 weeks. Qld usually just 2 days, same for NSW. 😈

They seem to have a full seminar/talk schedule lined up - but "pilots can not survive on talk alone"😁 😈

In response to my enquiry regarding cost & arrangements for the comming Rotax Fly-In From Travis McLeod, General Manager, Bert Flood Imports Pty Ltd ".......... The $50 dollars registration fee covers landing and overnight parking fees. Unfortunately due to council regulations, camping is not permitted on the airfield. There will be food truck on site on the Saturday and we have made a booking at the Drift bar on the Saturday night for those wishing to attend for dinner or drinks but there are lots of options available in Caloundra if this does not suit." I wonder how many "landings & overnight parkings" will be "covered" - I could see being there for at least two nights, with a possible third or more if the weather turns bad. No camping! Not good for us who fly on the financial "shoe string" - I wonder if there is any nearby (<1 hr flight) airfields that would allow camping?? Food truck - from what time to what time? What sort of food? (could be Dagwood Dogs & Chips) Its all a bit like getting " blood from a stone" - Not inspired / motivated at this time. 😈

".....in favour of all aircraft having ADS-B" As you know I am an advocate for ADSB which can be as cheap/simple as a Sky Echo 2 , linked with OzRunways, on an iPad. Some snaer at the low power/cost SE2 but when you consider it has a 40 Nm radius of the aircraft (depends on placement), it has a real ability to help the PIC in situational awareness of other aircraft in his area & visa versa. SE2 is not compliant with entry to Controlled Airspace, in some ways this makes it even more valuable to the VFR pilot who has no intention of entering CTA, so does not want to invest in an installed, high cost ADSB In/Out but wants enhanced safety for himself & the other pilots, when flying in non controlled, high traffic areas, like the Sydney Basin (south). "......the risk compared to all the other ways of crashing seem small" I think you are statistical correct, however this seems to have similarities with the "big sky" concept of safety, that I feel should not be applied to heavily trafficked areas, like the Sydney Basin (south). Way to many "legal" frequencies, operating within a, relativly small geographic area, has negative impact on the big sky safety cushion. Being on a Common Area Frequency (CAF) would at least give pilots the opportunity to"... be our own air traffic controller". I doubt that there is a perfect solution however feel that being on a CAF combined with ADSB In/Out (at least an SE2) goes along way to helping the PIC not only know where aircraft are but can also give him some confidence, if he makes a call, it will be heard (no guarantee in my area). 😈

The whole thing has a whiff of amateurism about it - should a have got one of the Clubs, that have been doing this for years, to advise or even event organise. 😈

Hi BurnieM - You sad for me or sad for the lack of event information/detai??? 😈

The cost has gone up to near $100, just to fly in an attend (assuming at least two night aircraft parking) "Excellent air museum at Caloundra" - may be the $51.25 includes entry?? Dinner is "pay as you go" whatever that means. No mention of other food services. Underwing camping???? Toilets etc??? May be its just for those flying in from SE Queensland. I don't think I have seen a Fly-In offering so little upfront details. 😈