Old Koreelah

OK, I recall a book which included a chapter about how an engineer introduced flat rudder pedals and eliminated the broken bones that tubular foot pedals were causing, so maybe you could use a cricket box.

The added complication is compass error. I've spent heaps getting mine adjusted, but it's often out by 10-20 degrees. The deviation chart I made up needs quite a bit more work.

I've become too dependent on iPhone's compass and GPS.

Now you blokes have got me worried about that steel tube mounted just forward of my wedding tackle. I'd rather a side stick, but that's not so easy in a single-seater.

My 4-point seat belt is old and getting hard to adjust. Anyone know where I can get a good 5-point harness from?

Really? VFR navigation without land marks?

Had an interesting problem today with the hydraulic roller lifters, number 3 cylinder had a leak passed the inlet valve when doing the leakdown today, so with the cylinder pressurised I pushed the valve open in an attempt to dislodge what I thought was a bit of carbon. What happened next was that the lifter took up the extra slack and went solid as a rock holding the valve open, I had to remove both open them up and press the ball relief open manually. Does anyone have info on the leak rate on these new lifters? I tacked down the part number HT-2270 but cant get the details, this thing did not want to leak back at all rock solid...

... In my Wings Test (looooong time ago) I remember on the first takeoff getting a low altitude engine failure which led to simulated ejection, followed by a circuit, touch and go, another engine failure upwind but ejection seat doesn't work, line up for forced landing somewhere, go round, join circuit, engine failure downwind, glide approach, touch and go, engine failure upwind, no ejection but can make the cross runway, quick glide approach, touch and go, another engine failure on climbout, setup for another glide approach, OK that's all good, now let's go out to the training area for some aerobatics. This goes some way to explaining the soaking wet state of my flying gear upon return (I passed too).This type of training hangs with you for a very long time. It's all well and good to "practice", but if you're not trained in proper techniques in the first place, that's a problem.

I always regret not going back to the same instructor to do my nav training. He was big on doing your nav out west where there are no landmarks to cheat with.

The reference I was trying to remember is (Australian) Dept. of Supply Aeronautical Research Laboratories Structures & Materials Report No. 316, by A. P. Vulcan and S.R. Sarrailhe, July 1967. I have it in hard copy only. It shows what one can do (given a suitable basic design) for a few dollars. The Chipmung seats were designed to accommodate a WW2 style seat-pack parachute, so they had a suitable "bin" under the pilot to accommodate a crushable element. It was normally filled in civil use with two abominably hard Kapok cushions; and the natural frequency of a body resting on those resulted in a lethal 30G "spike" going up the pilot's spine. Instances of the two occupants being found dead in an undamaged aeroplane, sitting in a paddock with the engine still ticking over, were not unknown.

Jab is an interesting design ...you can use the strongest construction materials, but sometimes the stresses come in the areas you least expect.

I'd rather crash in a Jabiru than a steel cage. The FRP absorbs a lot of energy, and the panels do you less harm than smacking steel bars, however well-padded.

Great post, HITC. I am one of those who followed your design on the other forum without mentioning any safety issues.

My love of having the command centre up front probably stems from the Blanic. (They say your first flight has a profound impact.) They still have a safety dividend in terms of excellent visibility, but forward cockpits will have to wait until we can get that heavy engine out from behind our heads. Electric may be the only safe way.

Very useful info. Civilised countries investigate what went wrong in order to prevent a recurrence. Recent moves to investigate all recreational aircraft crashes might cost us more, but could yield safety dividends.

It cost the motor industry billions to improve safety in modern cars. Over the last three decades our Rescue Squad has seen the results: far fewer crashes and greatly reduced rates of death and injury.

Mass production of modular items like airbags has brought the price down. Surely quite a lot of those safety ideas can be adapted to small aircraft design.

There is scope for home builders to improve safety considerably. Perhaps this forum could do more to share design ideas.

I have incorporated a dozen or so safety innovation into my little aircraft. Some I have tested, others I hope will help in case of a prang. I'm happy to share these ideas.

Thanks, I was thinking OK could make up a small panel based on current construction, test it for rigidity, then bond the frame and skins together and see what the increase in structure is.

...asking for a non-deforming cockpit does sound a bit optimistic, I suppose - and indeed it does present quite an engineering challenge...I think this topic merits a new thread.

I'm told wooden aeroplanes splinter when pranged, so I lined my Jodel cockpit with thin ply to add strength and contain breaking spruce timbers. Makes me feel safer, but I'd rather not have a real test.

SDQDI....I was considering a stop at Quirindi at Easter on the trip down to Natfly........

...I'm just struggling to visualize how I would operate them both individually to assist in taildragger ground handling, & simultaneously for braking...

Bruce

Sorry Sol; I can't find a pic, and I'm currently working far away from the baby.

The major reason for mounting my brake levers on the stick is simplicity and short cable-runs to the wheels.

Perhaps the ideal is mounting bicycle hydraulics behind the rudder pedals, so that heavy foot pressure (particularly from your heel) overcomes a strong spring and moves the rudder pedal hinge assembly back against either or both hydraulic actuators. Normal rudder inputs would not affect brakes, but if both your feet were putting sufficient pressure on the pedals, the brakes would be applied. You would have differential braking with "natural" feel.

My baby has BMX disks and cable-operated callipers off cheap pocket motor bikes.

A pair of bicycle levers on the stick allows differential braking by using two fingers for each side- not as hard as it looks.

Bicycle hydraulic brakes would give you mobs more feel and braking effect, and weigh bugger all.

Sure but that's not the fault of the "rich" people, it's the fault of the system and it would be silly of them not to take advantage of it.If you pay an accountant $100K per year (whatever) and he can save you a million, I would thank that's a a rather smart move - and again, the fault of the system.

One of the pillars of any stable and progressive society is a fair and effective tax system to fund the transport, communications, education and rule of law on which our economy is based. If you can't see this, take a look at Africa.

Do our wealthy reinvest their money into building and sustaining the very infrastructure their wealth is based on? Or do they spend it on tax-avoidance?

Any country with more tax accountants than scientists won't go far.

...the first response to even a small incident, is to create another layer of process and regulation. It's even got to the point where accidentally omitting a process ( whether actually necessary or not), will result in another step in the process, making it more difficult to follow the process that you had trouble following alread due it's unnecessary complexity...

Sorry, I just finished catching up on a few episodes of Breaking Bad...

(Crikey, is this apologising a Quirindi thing?)

Did my gliding in the early eighties. Loved flying them...but the down side for me was the long waits for club aircraft, needing a team to get you flying (tow pilot & ground crew Etc). Had a chance to buy a half share in a open class glider or spend less on an ultralight. I chose the ultralight because I could take it out any time I wanted without the ground support team!

AUF gave me, and lots like me, a unique opportunity to get into the air.

Strangely, powered rec. aircraft seem to be cheaper to buy than decent sailplanes.

A self-launched sailplane is still my ideal.

Yes bikes are pretty dangerous. (Mainly due to other road users). Home in about 13 days. Had a good look at a Mitsubishi type "o" as found after crashing near Darwin, during WW2. Despite what I had been led to believe, exceptionally well built. Nev

There's a part-built replica in my shed.

Dafydd you are probably aware of efforts to fit Peugeot diesels to Jodels.

About ten years ago many of us got quite excited about the concept. PSA were building over a thousand of these engines every day, for use in several brands of vehicles. One Frenchman must have been deeply involved, and reported that he'd tested ten engines to destruction. The first failed at 12,000 hours (a dropped valve). Applying conservative rules, he predicted a service life of 10,000 hours.

Although potentially a world-beater, few conversions made it into the air. The extra weight and complications of a PSRU have made simple engines like the Jabiru quite appealing.

Interesting, Frank. Even after wiping the dipstick I sometimes get some oil part way up the stick, and a drop on the minimum line. As if the dipstick passes thru bubbles of oil as it goes down the tube.

No the Jab is a wet sump engine where as the Rotax 912 is a Dry sump engine.

...so it's not needed with a Jab engine?

What is "burping" the engine?