onetrack

.....its proper function of jobs for mates, politicians holiday jaunts disguised as "fact-finding" missions, purchases of defence items that are never delivered on time or on budget (and this includes huge payouts for cancelled contracts, thanks to change of Govts), and financing pet projects of every politician with access to the public purse, so that they can pork-barrel to their hearts content, with little to no oversight.

Included in these freed-up Budget funds, is more funding for a major enlargement of CASA, so they can take over RA-Aus, and introduce more rules and regulations, specifically aimed at the Govt-issued Drifters, all designed to ensure the Drifters were rarely flown, and that the new owners couldn't.........

One of the greatest benefits to repairs in Outer Space, is that when you drop that teensy-weensy little screw or nut, it can't roll to the most distant corner of the spaceship, and end up under a cabinet, where you could never find it.

Another thought -  if you lose a spring in the ISS just as you go to install it, does it just keep bouncing around the cabin, never stopping in that distant, unfindable position, that all lost springs end up in?

It's lucky for them that the U.K. has had a long hot dry spell - because if that field had been waterlogged, those Vulcan wheels would need more than a bit of shovelling to dig them out!

The regular Loctite thread retaining compounds will withstand stand a working temperature of 150°C, and you can purchase high temperature Loctite retaining compounds, if you need to.

Standard fasteners have a wide variability in shank dimensions, and should never be used to take the driving forces on their shanks, because of this feature.

That is why the prop drive forces MUST be taken by snug-fitting lugs - the bolts are only there to provide clamping force for the hub.

Bruces suggestion of using some low to moderate strength Loctite seems like a sensible suggestion to me. Nyloc nuts only hold over a small length of thread.

$50 is only loose pocket change to the vast majority of aircraft owners. Think of the cost of attending any event today, you pay $100-$200 just for a half-decent seat. I think you need to re-adjust your figure upwards.

As with all Global Corporation manoeuvres, Unbrako was sold to Deepak Fasteners Ltd from India, in 2008. Unbrako still own manufacturing facilities on every continent and their products still have top-level certification and testing.

As with all corporate takeovers - retail locations, headquarters and offices, change on a regular basis, you just need to find an Unbrako retailer. Look up "bolt and nut suppliers" for your area.

https://www.globalfastenernews.com/indias-deepak-fasteners-buys-unbrako-global-fastener-news-usa/

https://www.unbrako.com.au/

Brendan, that bolt is not a Grade 8 bolt, which is an SAE standard - and Grade 8 bolts are a medium carbon low-alloy steel with a tensile strength of 150,000 psi (1034 MPa)

Your fractured bolt is a Metric 8.8 grade, which is only equivalent to Grade 5 in SAE, which has a tensile strength of 150,000 psi (827 Mpa).

A lot of fasteners are produced today with unsatisfactory quality, and of course, they come from China. This is not to say all Chinese fasteners are poor quality, you just need to ensure the fastener brand name is a quality brand name.

Unbrako socket head fasteners are a guaranteed product, and their standard socket head grade is Grade 9 in SAE, which has a tensile strength of 170,000 to 190,000 psi (1172 to 1310 MPa), depending on the fastener shank diameter.

The metric equivalent of Grade 8 in SAE is 10.9, and the metric equivalent of Grade 9 in SAE is 12.9.

Below is a website with inch and metric fastener head markings and their grades.

https://www.aftfasteners.com/grades-of-bolts-bolt-grade-markings-bolt-strength-chart/

....ever Thales Drifter Bushmaster rolled off the assembly line (built under licence, of course - because we aren't China), and half the entire Parliamentary lineup was there to cut ribbons and get in on the photo opportunity.

Albo stepped up to the lectern and announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen, and valued employees of Thales, we are here today to announce a new phase in Australian Manufacturing - the day when Australia can lift it's head up, and proudly call itself a global-leader in cutting-edge armament-manufacturing. This new design will see the Ukrainians pound the Russian Army and its weaponry to dust, and make Putin realise he has Hitlers chance of winning this war, and the end result will be......

Nev, have you seen the queues in some servos when there's a rush on? I reckon Costco at Perth airport put nearly as much fuel through their servo there, as what Perth Airport uses!

OME, you need to talk to an insurance broker, who is best positioned to advise on the path to take, and which company would be likely to take on the insurance risk.

Insurance companies specialise in selected risk fields and there's no point in trying to source an insurance quote for a specific risk from a company that doesn't operate in that field.

Has anyone considered coating their exhaust system with Cerakote heat reducing ceramic coating? I have no experience of the product, but I know people who have utilised it on vehicle engines, and it has made a substantial difference to engine bay temperatures.

There are pipelines (and cables) by the hundreds everywhere you drive or even walk. They carry fuel, water, gas, and communications. They're buried under roads, under footpaths, under private land and under Crown Land.

If you have half a working brain, you never dig into the ground anywhere without going to "Dial before You Dig" - nowadays simply shortened to "Before you Dig" (www.byda.com.au).

That site will tell exactly where all the underground services are located when you want to dig a hole in the ground. Digging a hole and damaging a pipeline or cable, without locating services will cost you dearly - and sometimes even kill you.

A little research will reveal that a major fuel farm will be constructed at Western Sydney airport, with pipelines running from the fuel farm to the airport refuelling points. The fuel farm will be filled by road fuel tankers - exactly the same as the hundreds of service stations are refuelled around Sydney every day.

The road fuel tankers nearly always run at night when congestion is non-existent - and if a holdup in tanker deliveries occurs, the airport fuel farm will have adequate fuel reserves to run flights for probably a couple of weeks or more.

https://www.duratec.com.au/news/western-sydney-international-nancy-bird-walton-airport-further-fuels-duratecs-growth-in-the-energy-sector/

....it was only when Turbo started babbling with a Moorabbistan accent, that the Ukrainians relaxed a little, while they figured out what they had. After all, here were two strangers wearing odd attire, speaking a foreign language they couldn't understand - they had arrived unannounced at a high security Ukrainain base, in an unidentified aircraft with strange markings - and furthermore, these two strangers showed no sign of......

In Hoch's case, evidence must be provided showing a proveable link between the charged individual, and the insertion of contaminants in rivals fuel tanks. This stunt is the oldest trick in the book, and almost impossible to prove unless the person has actually been caught in the act, or on camera, carrying it out. Contaminants can come from anywhere, and unless there's a precise ID of the contaminants origin and type of material, then the case is very weak.

Hoch does not appear to off the hook completely, he's just beaten the contamination charges. I understand he has numerous other charges pending which obviously do have proveable evidence to back them up.

With regard to the charges against Michael Burbidge, Director and Chief Pilot of Remote Helicopters Australia, the evidence is obviously a little more concrete, such as furnishing a false Statutory Declaration and destroying evidence - and thereby attempting to Pervert the Course of Justice. Make no mistake, these are very serious charges, no matter what the position or employment of the individual concerned - and if proven in court, will end up becoming a serious jail term for the defendant.

This truly is a sad event, and one always wonders what else could have been said or done, to ensure that keen young pilots with limited experience, don't take risks with poor weather.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11229691/Mathew-Farrell-Filmmaker-42-dies-young-Victorian-High-Country-plane-crash.html

The Roots blower on the Commer Knocker produced the largest level of most annoying noise. In 1995, I had the doubtful pleasure of driving an ancient Commer Knocker from Geelong to Norseman. It's not a trip I would wish to repeat.

It's a very high risk job, and not one that I would ever entertain as an occupation. RIP and condolences to the pilots family.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-19/qld-pilot-dead-in-plane-crash-near-chinchilla/101453920

The engine building and mechanical machinery business is one area where the Chinese are still lagging, and will continue to lag for many years. There are a number of factors in the Chinese equipment equation that still weigh heavily on them.

1. They consistently fail to produce manuals and service/operation documentation in good English - and more than likely, other languages, too. This is a huge failing on their part. 

If I buy a Western or European country product, it comes with excellent documentation and service manuals, which are critical in this day and age of high-technology in engines and mechanical equipment.

2. They consistently fail to understand the "brand name" concept and image of Western and European equipment manufacturing companies - which are carefully nourished, to the point they have legions of followers, company-branded apparel and accessories, that means a loyal and enthusiastic "fan club", and loyal purchasers and followers of their product.

If you buy a Chinese engineered product, it may come from any one of a dozen factories, and wear a dozen different brand names - which mean nothing to buyers. You buy a Wang Li engine, and next month you find it's Long March (or Long Walk) branded engine. You go to get service and support for your Wang Li engine, and you find it's no longer made, and the dealer has folded up, due to lack of "factory support". The factory literature is no longer available, and the parts supply is even sketchier.

3. The Chinese still consistently suffer from "quality fade". Read the book "Poorly Made in China" - it was written by an American who spent 20 years in Chinese manufacturing management. Component specifications that start out good, slip, because a cheaper component supplier has been found, who will cut corners on the specifications to supply the item 5% cheaper. Profit is king in China - consistent, repeatable, and enduring quality is sadly lacking in 98% of Chinese products - no matter how much you pay for them. Even Caterpillar got seriously burnt in their first foray into Chinese manufacturing, by making the mistake of going into Joint Venture with a Chinese company - who trashed Caterpillars name and product quality from that factory.

Even when Caterpillar took the Chinese partner to court (in China) and cancelled their manufacturing arrangements, the Chinese partner company continued to produce products bearing the Caterpillar name, kept on using Caterpillar logos, trademarks and branding, without authorisation. The result was chaos, as these "fake", "Caterpillar" engines consistently failed, due to unauthorised power output ratings, and components supplied by unauthorised component suppliers who failed to meet component specifications.

4. China still operates under a Communist system, despite the belief that it operates like a Western democratic country. There are failures at every level in China, that are covered up by the Chinese Govt to prevent loss of face - which is a primary factor in Chinese culture. There is a general lack of responsibility, and no ability to pin down one particular dept or manufacturer, when a major engineering problem arises.

As a farmer friend once observed a number of years ago, "Their Communist culture is that the Govt supplies everything. If your engine fails - no big deal, no need to find the fault - the Govt will supply you with a new one." 

Conditions may have changed a little for the better with the major influx of Western manufacturing and management into China in recent years - but unless your Chinese engine or mechanical item of equipment was produced under Western, European or Japanese management inside China, you are still at risk of the Chinese product failing to meet your Western expectations, as regards reliability, endurance, service backup, adequate parts supply, and quality literature.

One must keep in mind that diesel as a fuel has a much greater energy content than any variety of petrol, litre for litre. Load a petrol engine up, and the fuel economy goes to hell in a handbasket - but load a diesel engine up, and its performance far outshines any petrol engine.

There's a reason why we never see petrol-engined trucks today, and why light-weight, high-speed diesels have become so popular in vehicles where regular trailer/van towing is a big part of the vehicles use.

In addition, a diesel engine is more efficient at extracting the energy from the fuel, than any petrol engine. The newer high-tech petrol dual cycle engines are reliant on a great deal of electronics to keep them operating efficiently - and even then, they are still behind diesels in total economy.

https://www.acea.auto/fact/differences-between-diesel-and-petrol/

Crash crews have reached the site in thick bushland, and sadly confirmed the pilots body has been located. 

https://7news.com.au/news/disaster-and-emergency/light-plane-goes-missing-in-victorias-high-country-in-lucyvale-area--c-8282780

The missing aircraft has been identified as a Jabiru, and the crash position has still not been located this morning, due to bad weather.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-19/missing-plane-mount-beauty-corryong-search-rescue/101452998

The original designer of the aircraft was a German bloke by the name of Stephen Kohl. Perhaps part of the aircrafts problem was the half-dozen different names it was, and still is, known by.

The Sky-Maxx was originally manufactured by German Aircraft GMBH, then Stefan Kohl took the design to Italy, where it was manufactured by S.A.I. Aeronautica. 

Kohl renamed the aircraft the Kohl Mythos, with the designation "G97 Spotter" added.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohl_Mythos

It appears around 30 of the G97 Spotters were constructed before manufacturing in Italy ceased in the early 2000's. Janes last record on the G97 Spotter ends at 2003.

Manufacturing in the early 2000's period appears to have moved from S.A.I., to another Italian company named Officine Mechanicche Mingarelli, who specialise in engineering and aeronautics.

https://janes.migavia.com/ita/sai/g97.html

S.A.I. is now totally defunct, and their website at ultraleggeri.net has been abandoned. The last I could find on S.A.I. they were trying to register the companys logo for use on clothing.

Stefan Kohl is now listed as "Head Engineer" at Kohl and Kohl, but I can find no listing on that company. Perhaps he just has a family company doing small contract work.

https://trademarks.justia.com/791/48/s-a-i-ambrosini-societa-aeronautica-79148061.html

It appears that the Sky-Maxx aircraft design was purchased by Officine Mechanicche Mingarelli in 2007, and they now advertise it as their product, under the name "M7 Servator".

The M7 Servator acquired certification in 2012, and this aircraft was redesigned again, with a totally new wing design, produced by Prof Vincenzo Giordano, of the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II.

It appears OMM is still seeking sales and a market for their M7 Servator, but it appears that very few have been produced. I can only find one M7 Servator actually flying.

I would guess OMM's other engineering work, such as railways engineering work, is keeping them afloat. I'd have to opine they're not placing great hopes on a huge income from M7 Servator sales.

http://www.flying-directory.com/popup_info.php?action=aircraft&id=59508

http://officinemingarelli.it/homeing.html

https://www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled/O-M-M-M7-Servator/2408738

Or to crank up the genset when the holding pattern got extended, because of congestion/crash/runway debris/you-name-it? There are still many obstacles to be overcome before electric aircraft become reality.

Why 2 pilots? I would've though the aircraft control and power management would be greatly simplified with electric power and increased automation.