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onetrack

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  1. onetrack
    I have read a very involved, technical, official research item (it was an American publication) a couple of years ago, that carried out destructive testing of both Li-ion and LiFePO4 batteries. Unfortunately, I can no longer find it. However, the test results were clear, the LiFePO4 battery did not spontaneously combust, it merely smouldered - and at a much lower temperature. Admittedly, any smoke is bad news, and even worse news in an aircraft. However, there are many destructive testing results available online, that show LiFePO4 is as inherently safe as you can get, as regards modern batteries - considering that high energy levels and plastics are also involved. The Czechs below treat an LiFePO4 with ruthless attacks, most of which wouldn't happen in any normal use. The only flame that ends up being produced is the plastic burning.
  2. onetrack
    It says a lot for the old Auster as to how well balanced it was, to be able to take off by itself, and fly by itself!
  3. onetrack
    .....a group of Comancheros, kicking chairs out of their way, and with their Sgt-at-Arms snarling, "Alright, who's the bastards who took up our regular bike parking places with that Holden crap?" Big, blonde, pink-faced Ted Shepherd (note the clever sheep reference), his pink face (and neck) now turning a bright red, raised himself from his chair, uncoiling his massive 2 metre frame as he did so, faced the SaA with his famous glare that made sheepdogs cringe, and said, "Well, if youse are talking to me, it was...................
  4. onetrack
    What the hell was he doing? He was carrying too much speed for satisfactory landing, and failing to flare. Whoever qualified that pilot, needs to be re-assessed as an instructor.
  5. onetrack
    Yes, there are transport restrictions as regards transporting both LiFePO4 and sodium batteries in all aircraft, as they're classed as Dangerous Goods by transport regulations. There is only one LiFePO4 battery certified for use in aircraft power or backup systems, it's the EarthX brand. No sodium batteries are yet certified for use in aircraft systems. However, there are quite a number of pilots with light recreational aircraft who are using LiFePO4 batteries for power systems in their aircraft, with no reported problems at this point. As always, the use of a LiFePO4 battery that has a robust and good quality Battery Management System (BMS) attached to it, is very important.
  6. onetrack
    Sodium-ion technology batteries offer no substantial economic or major safety advantages in portable applications - especially when compared to lithium-iron-phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries. The sodium atom has 4 times the mass of the lithium atom, and therefore energy density is far less than LiFePO4 - and it can't be improved, simply due to physics. The sodium-ion battery has some application potential where weight and size are not critical issues. In a light aircraft, these issues are critical. Sodium-ion batteries have a lower life cycle than LiFePO4. As little as half the life cycle of LiFePO4, and two-thirds at best. The cost factor of sodium-ion batteries is not yet substantial, even though it is promised it will be much cheaper. The fire risk of LiFePO4 is already very low, and even when perforated they still don't "blow up", as the early, cheap consumer product, lithium-ion batteries did. If they do get damaged, LiFePO4 will only smoulder heavily, they don't turn into a runaway spontaneously-combusting event. Sodium-ion technology and research is still relatively new, I see no reason to rush into it for portable applications, because the overwhelming advantages are not there.
  7. onetrack
    The F35 reminds me of the old Alec Issigonis joke about a camel being designed by a committee that was instructed to design a horse. The F35 is every bloke and his dog having a say in what they want in an aircraft, and it ends up being a nightmare of complexity, and it can never do what the designers promised it could do - and certainly not supply the primary requirement - provide satisfactory reliability.
  8. onetrack
    The PT6 isn't really a concern for engine failure potential, their reliability is nothing short of amazing. I saw the failure figures recently, it was something in the order of 1 engine failure every 400,000 hrs.
  9. onetrack
    RFguy has nailed it, my error, not paying enough attention - that's an AT-502B, they run the 750HP PT6A-34G engine. They can go to 4263kg MTOW for later models with the modified wing spar. That still doesn't explain the long takeoff roll. The factory specs say 1140ft (347M) to get airborne. He must have been on a fuel saving mission. Air Tractor - AT-502B AIRTRACTOR.COM Air Tractor AT-502B World’s Most Popular Ag Plane For many ag operators, the AT-502B is the ideal combination of payload and performance. It’s got every airframe and engine advantage to...
  10. onetrack
    ....had a great time discussing the things they shared great interest in - mainly, powerful positions, the ability to handle the permanently aggressive Media Rat Pack with aplomb, making statesman-like decisions on the future of the country - and especially, Climate Zero. Few people know that OT is a Climate Warrior and his mines are Green and Clean. His mining efforts produces no emissions, as he mostly uses cheap labour from the sub-continent, rather than big expensive polluting machinery from the Land of Trump. OT at one time was a huge buyer and user of Caterpillar machines - then one day he saw the light, and the damage his machines were doing to the Climate, so he underwent a literal "Damascus Moment" as regards pollution, and joined hands with Twiggy Forrest in singing "Kumb-By-Ya", and dressing in hemp shirts and...........
  11. onetrack
    Moneybox, was he fully loaded, or just economising on fuel? Seems like a very relaxed takeoff. The Airtractors I watch working, cropdusting in the Wheatbelt, don't hang around, they've got 1600HP, they get off the ground pretty fast - and they sure move when they're spraying! I think they spray at about 90-100 kts? One of them fairly made me soil my underpants about 3 years ago, when he flew right into the path of my Hilux as I was cresting a hill at about 110kmh - he came up from behind the crest of the hill as he finished his spray run! Never saw him coming, didn't even know he was working that paddock. 🙂
  12. onetrack
    No MTOW in the specs? Seems like a glaring omission. The article above appears to be quite dated, the list of engines currently offered by Pelegrin is vastly different to what's listed above. Currently, the only engines offered are the 160HP Rotax 916iS, the 130HP UL Power 350iSA, and the 185HP Edge Performance 918. I did finally find the MTOW, it's not listed in the manufacturers site specs, it's listed under "Technology", which is a weird place to list it. The aircraft is rated at 650kg MTOW - but the cabin is very narrow at 700mm, and the -2.2G wing loading is not all that good. Tarragon Aircraft WWW.TARRAGONAIRCRAFT.COM tarragon, aircraft, plane, UL, fast, fastest, carbon, fibre, tarragonaircraft, quality, best, tandem, military, modern, luxury, exclusive, performance, acrobatic, latvia, riga, manufacturer, composite, pre-preg, tehnology...
  13. onetrack
    Kiwi, I have no radio skills and only basic electrical knowledge, but this is what a search tells me (link below). The Phase Locked Loop (PLL) circuit in your radio appears to be suffering from intermittent failure, and I would have to opine this is either a hardware fault, or a circuitry fault in the radio. https://www.google.com/search?q=xcom%2Bradio%2BPhase-Locked%2BLoop%2Breference%2Boscillator&sca_esv=80900f88cf1b312c&sxsrf=AE3TifNoCp0ipiL1reCdaKQayxFfPqenFQ:1756603918630&ei=DqazaJelJpObnesP2Lr9sAw&ved=0ahUKEwiX5NLE87OPAxWTTWcHHVhdH8YQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=xcom%2Bradio%2BPhase-Locked%2BLoop%2Breference%2Boscillator&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiMXhjb20gcmFkaW8gUGhhc2UtTG9ja2VkIExvb3AgcmVmZXJlbmNlIG9zY2lsbGF0b3IyCBAAGIAEGKIEMgUQABjvBTIFEAAY7wUyBRAAGO8FMgUQABjvBUj7LVDyB1imKnABeAGQAQCYAeMBoAHDEaoBBTAuNC43uAEDyAEA-AEBmAIMoALxEcICChAAGLADGNYEGEfCAgcQIxiwAhgnwgIEECEYCpgDAIgGAZAGCJIHBjEuMS4xMKAH_TSyBwYwLjEuMTC4B-4RwgcFMC41LjfIByU&sclient=gws-wiz-serp WWW.GOOGLE.COM
  14. onetrack
    Personally, I reckon a Skyraider II would be a better model choice. I could really give the local rabbit population a work-over, with one of these!!
  15. onetrack
    In a sudden and dramatic twist to the NES, it has been revealed that air piracy has infiltrated the NES story line, and readers must be made aware that those contributors who appear legit, are not what they seem. It's a little-known fact, that Cappy comes from a long ancestral line of sea pirates, and thus it was easy for him to simply take the small step from sea piracy to air piracy. These people are also known as "sky pirates", and one must be aware that these low-lifes inhabit the sky permanently, just the same as sea pirates inhabit the sea. These sky pirates will pounce on your aircraft, out of clouds, where they enjoy hiding, to rain death and destruction on your aircraft, crew and pax - and even try to steal your aircraft! Therefore, dear NES readers, one must be constantly alert for what is hiding in clouds, when one is enjoying the freedom of flight, and apparently safe skies. It is a solemn reminder that many aircraft have been............ (and here we have Cappys ancestors doing what they did best, stealing other peoples airships, or generally blowing Police airships out of the sky!)
  16. onetrack
    Moneybox, upload your videos to a free hosting site such as Screenpal, and then just put up the link for users to watch it. Screenpal will allow you to upload videos up to 15 mins long, for free.
  17. onetrack
    .....replaced it with a kangaroo, thus causing great confusion amongst his military comrades, who all thought he'd been to Hong Kong and scored an Aussie souvenir hat from a returning Chinese tourist after a visit to Australia. It wasn't long after that episode, that Harry started to be called "Skip" by his comrades (and we all know what the Chinese are like, for making fun of peoples names). "Skip" in Chinese actually means doing a pretty anti-social act, so it wasn't long before the sound of "Hey, Skip!" brought guffaws from the assorted PLA comrades nearby, and.......................
  18. onetrack
    In the future Navy scenarios, they'll only need to learn how to land a drone on an aircraft carrier. 🙂
  19. onetrack
    ...., generally at the most inopportune moment, such as when the aircraft was transiting military zones - thus leading to even more exciting aviation moments for our erstwhile and intrepid Harry. Despite being well recognised as a risk-taking swimmer, Harry wasn't one to take risks in the air, for fear of...........
  20. onetrack
    Hmmm, yes - all good in theory, but what about negative G in flight?
  21. onetrack
    I'd like to know what kind of tyres they're using, that can stay together safely at 472kmh!! Not Chinese ones, surely!! 🤯 I won't have Chinese tyres on the steers of my truck, and I know a lot of other truck drivers who think the same. I'll use Chinese tyres on the drive, but there's only two steer tyres and I want them to be the best I can buy! I blew a front tyre once, on an old ACCO tip truck I that owned back in the 1970's - when it blew, (on the LHF) it pulled me straight off the road, and there was nothing I could do to stop it! And that truck was flat strap at 85kmh. My current truck does 119kmh ex-factory, so more speed today to go further off the road! I hate to think what would happen if one of those EV tyres blew at 400kmh+, it would rip huge chunks out of the car. I've blown rear truck tyres, they usually take the entire steel mudguard off with them.
  22. onetrack
    You just gotta admire the workmanship in that duct tape!
  23. onetrack
    Did the book tell you about the cunning level of misinformation that would be readily available in the 21st century? 😄
  24. onetrack
    You'll have to use your imagination, the day you require some repair or service to the Nokia! Technology and IT products in particular, all change at warp speed, it's a struggle to keep up sometimes. The constant changes to signal transmission modes and frequencies is one you need to be on top of. Wi-Fi standards are now up to Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE 802.11be), which offers significant speed increases, wider bandwidth (320 MHz channels), and enhanced reliability compared to previous standards. But they're already working on releasing Wi-Fi 8, which will change again for major improvements. Communication companies keep adding frequencies - analogue, 2G and 3G are long gone, 5G is the standard now, even though most of us are still on 4G. No doubt 6G is on its way. One day you'll suddenly find, the Nokia simply doesn't work any more! - because it doesn't have the inbuilt capabilities to handle the new frequencies and standards.
  25. onetrack
    China produces new military coaxial helicopter prototype - and surprise, surprise, it's almost identical to the newest Sikorsky S-97 Raider .... https://armyrecognition.com/news/aerospace-news/2025/breaking-news-new-chinese-high-speed-coaxial-helicopter-resembling-us-sikorsky-raider-raises-concerns
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