onetrack

It very much appears the pilot was another Matthew Farrell, an accident looking for a place to happen, because of his "bold" approach to flying. And we all know about bold pilots and old pilots. What is the shame of the whole exercise, is that he took two innocents with him, due to his brazen belief, that he knew how to fly better than anyone else. The ATSB doesn't have much good to say about the design of the aircraft. They might as well have said, "a flying deathtrap". Using car seatbelts where the tongues broke on impact, is unforgivable. Car seatbelts only have to meet a specified Australian (Vehicle) Design Rules (ADR) load, not any aviation regulations. I can recall an exercise around 1967, that highly embarrassed GMH management at the time. The new Holdens were being produced with their (new to the industry) seatbelts. GMH decided to put on a show for motoring journos, as regards the strength of their new seatbelts. They pulled a new HR Holden off the production line, and also a new Vauxhall Viva (predecessor of the Torana). They arranged for crane to pick up the HR Holden by its seatbelts. They slung the seatbelts out the windows of the HR Holden, and the crane operator duly hooked up to them, and lifted the HR Holden off the ground! (about 2600 lbs in the measurements of the day, or 1100 kgs). The journos were all impressed, and the cameras clicked and clicked. But the GMH managers said, "You ain't seen nothing yet!". So they rolled the Vauxhall Viva under the suspended HR Holden, and then slung the Viva's seatbelts out of its windows, and hooked them to the underside of the HR Holden! Then they signalled to the crane driver to lift again! So he did - and the Vauxhall Viva was lifted well clear of the ground! - all hanging from the HR Holdens seatbelts! Then the GMH engineers went into the details of how the seatbelt tongues had to meet a vehicle design regulation (this was before ADR's), that insisted the seatbelt tongues had to hold a 4400 lbs (1995kgs) load, for 30 seconds - and here they were, holding a constant static load, of over 4000lbs (1815kgs)! The cameras clicked again and again. Then, while all this was going on, the crane driver got bored, and started fidgeting in the cabin of the crane. He managed to bump a control lever with an elbow - just a tiny bump. But it was the boom lift lever, and it was enough of a bump on the control lever, for the crane boom to drop just 2" (50mm). There was an almighty CRASH!! - as the seatbelt tongues of the HR Holden snapped, and it came crashing down onto the Vauxhall Viva, partially crushing the Viva!! Of course, the cameras clicked even faster, then!! But GMH insisted that the crash photos were NOT to be released to the public - until they figured out why the HR's seatbelt tongues had snapped. They hurried off, and did some rapid calculations. The engineers calculated that the 2" (50mm) drop, that when it was stopped, produced a loading on the HR seatbelt tongues, that was more than DOUBLE the specified loading, that the tongues were required to meet under the relevant design regulation. Of course, the whole promo was a disaster for GMH, and they never tried to do it again. But it shows how impact loadings can produce enormous loads on vital safety equipment, and these must be properly calculated, and engineered accordingly.

.......discover the algorithm that enables men to understand what a woman is saying, whenever she says, "Whatever!" However good Turbo was on the clay tablets speed-writing - something he would never admit to, is that OT would beat him every time at the clay tablet speed-writing contests. OT would have his tablet fully inscribed, baked in the sun, and presented to the teacher, while Turbo was still pressing circles in his tablet. It was this constant losing to OT that make Turbo chuck a hissy fit, and start smashing his tablets whenever he lost. Then one day, Cappy said to him, "I'm bored. Chuck one of your wasted tablets up in the air, and lets see if I can hit it with my shotty!". Turbo did so, and Cappy (ever the Dead-Eye Dick), blew it apart in one smooth swing and shot from his 12ga under and over. They were both greatly enamoured by the sound of the clay tablet blowing apart, and what fun it was to keep doing it (because Turbo had plenty of stuffed-up clay tablets on hand, most of which confused the heck out of archaeologists). Thus, dear NES readers, was born the sport of clay target shooting. Naturally, Turbine Inc promptly registered the name, "Clay Tablet Shooting", but then Turbo was disappointed when the clubs that sprang up, called it "Clay Target Shooting", thus depriving Turbine Inc of vast royalties, and leading to Turbo becoming annoyed at the people who had stolen his..................

The MC-55A Peregrine is based on the Gulfstream G550 business jet. A huge difference to the AP-3C Orions. Interestingly, the G550 ceased production in 2021, after being superseded by the G600 in 2019. However, Gulfstream continued to produce the G550 until 2021 to meet military and Govt orders.

A vulture is catching an airline flight to avoid bad weather, and the check-in attendant asked if he has any baggage to check in. The vulture says, “No, just my carrion.”

Directive Number 2026-002-E is a Mandatory Permit Directive issued by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and relates to an inspection for cracking in the rudder control system of certain Eurofox aircraft. Details of Directive 2026-002-E: Affected Aircraft: Ascent Industries Ltd (T/A EuroFOX Aviation) Eurofox aircraft, all models. Subject: Rudder Control System – Rudder Pedal/Rudder Pedal Torque Tube – Inspection. Reason: There have been five reported instances in the UK of Eurofox aircraft experiencing cracking in the vicinity of the welded joint between the rudder pedals and the rudder pedal torque tube. Status: Current. Version Date: January 8, 2026. The directive requires an inspection to ensure the continued airworthiness of the affected aircraft by addressing the potential for a failure in the rudder control system. For more information, the directive can be viewed on the UK Civil Aviation Authority website or the British Gliding Association website.

I love the way they class the aircraft as having "all weather capability", but still give the pilot an open cockpit!

Has this website turned into an auto forum? I saw someone complaining about another poster talking about car engines, and that someone roasted the other poster, and told him to go to an auto forum!

Photo courtesy of John at DOG Aviation ...

......"You're in the wrong saloon and the wrong movie, pardner! You need to be in Alice Springs, and featuring in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert!" Turbine Jones was horrified to receive this response, and immediately fired back, "I can't believe I'm receiving treatment from a saloon in this manner! I know my rights, and I'm going to sue you (utilising Turbine Legal, of course) for refusing to serve me, based on my appearance, my gender, and the product I asked for! If it's good enough for President Trump to sue every time he gets offended, then it's good enough for me to.............

Skippy, many coolant overflow reservoirs have a sealed cap on the reservoir, but an overflow drain tube from below the cap, venting excess pressure to the atmosphere.

That Tenzing-Hillarys airstrip at Lukla in Nepal is not something I'd like to visit. An EFATO there and you'd be unlikely to survive. No weather radar, no nav aids, and clouds that can sweep in in minutes, means VFR only there. https://www.himalayanglacier.com/facts-about-lukla-airport/ I'd guess a lot of PNG Highland strips aren't a lot different - apart from not even being sealed! I often wonder how they got the equipment and materials in there to build the runways. This a photo from WW2 (from "Pacific Wrecks") showing troops manhandling a small towed scraper through a C-47 doorway to build airstrips from scratch in tiger country.

This one could warrant investigation - it's a proper Dayco coolant overflow cap. All the regular bottle caps have dubious construction qualities for use in cooling systems. Dayco Radiator Caps - Coolant Expansion Tank Cap - DRC021 - 2 Years/40,000km WWW.GSSAUTOPARTS.COM.AU Shop the DRC021 Dayco Coolant Expansion / Recovery Tank Cap at GSS Auto Parts. With a 2-year warranty, this cap seals your cooling system to prevent coolant loss. Find the right fit for your vehicle at...

.......make a startling announcement that Don will have to buy Greenland off him, not the Greenlanders, as Cappy now has the title deeds to Greenland, after quickly making the balance payment. Of course, the mere mention of "Title Deeds" is enough to make any American land-grabber see red, and Don is no different. He ordered that Cappy be detained by his ICE teams (also known as American Brownshirts), as it was obvious that Cappy wasn't entitled to those title deeds, as America ALWAYS wanted to own Greenland, and Don was going to make sure of that. So Cappy was then trussed up like a Christmas turkey, a gun placed at his head, and he was ordered to hand over the title deeds to the Greenland Ranch. Ray Stevens actually sang a song about this terrifying episode, and it was only due to the sudden appearance of Turbine Jones, that Cappy still ............. (Dear NES readers, please note how Cappy squealed like a girl when he was threatened, and those dreadlocks he's resorted to, do nothing more than make him look like a girl.....)

She was obviously greatly concerned that you'd only fly it in the nude, constantly looking for nude gyro girls.

I thought I'd start a new discussion here, as we kind of messed up the Knob Engine discussion with a rapid twist to electric developments, and the new, promising Donut Labs solid state battery that DL is promising huge and extraordinary things from. I'm very sceptical of the Donut Labs claims and promises, and this young bloke (below), who runs a YouTube channel on electric developments, has visited the latest Donut Labs display stand at CES 26, and tried to extract more details about their new battery, than Donut Labs is currently prepared to release. As always, he gained little by way of productive or informative discussions, as Donut Labs are holding all their cards tightly to their chest. However, he has done some scouting around, and dug up who DL has partnered with, to try and define the direction that DL is heading. DL has partnered with another Finnish outfit called Nordic Nano who are developing solid state battery technology - but many are questioning whether Nordic Nano is simply developing supercapacitors, and calling them batteries. The generally-accepted problem with supercapacitor design, is trying to develop a supercapacitor that can release its energy in a controlled manner over a lengthy period of time. All the supercapacitor technology I know about, is all about releasing a lot of energy in a short time frame - which can be useful for spurts where substantial extra power is needed - but which is not really a viable source of steady power over a lengthy period of time. This young bloke ends up, like myself, being sceptical of DL's claims and promises, and especially so, as they promise a huge jump in lifespan, charging cycles, charging speed, and energy levels, with their new solid state battery. We will need to see someone opening up one of DL's new and amazing batteries, once it becomes readily available, so the design and technology can truly be examined with an independent eye.

AND, you can fly them in the nude, too! (especially if you're a girl). 😄

The reason Holden used a water heated intake manifold on the red motors was to produce smoother cold weather idling and running, and better fuel atomisation. The warm manifold prevented liquid petrol from pooling in the intake manifold below the carburettor.

I believe the Donut electric engine is being produced and is available in working versions, but long-term reliability is yet to be proven, and the cost could be an issue for those with modest funds. As far as the Knob engine goes, I see a great deal of complexity despite the claims of a simpler design. Sealing of rotary-style engines is always a source of major problems, especially when it comes to extended use/high hours.

That was the dreadful Chicago O'Hare DC-10 crash on the 25th May, 1979, America's worst-ever air disaster. It was caused by a forklift that was left supporting the replacement engine during a shift change, having a leaking mast cylinder, which slowly dropped during the extended period of the shift changeover, and this movement overstressed the pylon lugs. The incident was worsened due to the fact that the airline involved didn't follow the aircraft manufacturers maintenance instructions to remove the engine and the engine pylon separately. The airline tried to save maintenance time by installing the pylon and engine together. This short-cut procedure allowed overstress of the pylon lugs at the best of times, but it was the forklift carriage slowly drifting down during the shift changeover, that did the major damage.

Moneybox, despite all the glitzy presentation work by Donut Labs, regarding their new battery, no-one actually has one of those batteries in their hand, and no-one has produced an independent and constructive report on the batterys construction, performance, or alignment with the manufacturer claims. All the batteries shown by Donut Labs are display versions, just as car manufacturers show off prototype models that can't be driven, because they contain a large amount of non-working parts. I have no doubt Donut Labs are working furiously to come to a final design and manufacture of their wondrous-performance battery - but I'm of the opinion there's a major disconnect between their current claims, and what you can actually purchase from them today - just as builders promise you can move into your new house next month, and you're still waiting two years later, to see the house actually completed. As to the reliability of Lithium batteries, I think we have got to the stage where they have an acceptable level of reliability. Remember, we still have petrol engines bursting into flames due to system failures, so there's a risk incurred anywhere you have stored energy and ignition systems in close proximity. Boeing found that a stainless steel sealed battery case was necessary to prevent Lithium battery fires on their aircraft from developing into disasters, and their research identified manufacturing faults in early Lithium batteries on the Dreamliner that were addressed by the battery manufacturer (GS Yuasa), and these steps eliminated the Lithium battery fires that appeared in several incidents on Dreamliners around 2013. Lithium battery design and manufacture has been greatly improved since that time, and it's only the cheap Lithium consumer batteries that still pose a problem. There have been consumer Lithium battery fires on aircraft that did not bring down the aircraft. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-lithium-ion-batteries-grounded-the-dreamliner/

The Donut battery is 100% marketing hype. Every single statistic the promoter produces is a battery output or manufacturing "target", not something that can be produced, right now.

.....he will make Donalds takeover of Venezuela look like a kids kindergarten party. Of course, Bulls (note the use of Capitals, now that Bull is a fully qualified Dicktater) use of his prawn trawler boat as the primary landing craft, was instrumental in all the takeover landings, as no-one expected a beat-up old prawn trawler from the Gulf, to spearhead a full-scale invasion force. In fact, everywhere that Bull pulled up to a wharf with his prawn trawler, the locals fell about laughing - so that was a good enough start to make them drop their defences, and once their defences were dropped, it took little extra effort to drop their.....

I'd have to opine that modern oils do a far better job of lubing and protecting surfaces than they did even 30 years ago. There has been a lot of R&D into new additives, and a lot of new chemical compounds found in the last 30 years, that are added to current oils - which all make the oil perform better, cope with higher heat levels, and cope with higher levels of contamination and by-products from combustion, than older oils could.

I think the photo angle is a bit deceiving, and that filter will come off easily. The filter only has to move out less than 20mm, and it's then totally unscrewed, and can be angled in any direction. Z418 is the same filter the 3.0L diesel Hilux uses. On my Hilux, there's plenty of other crap in the way when taking the filter off, but it comes off easily due to being able to be angled quickly, once undone. I'm in agreement with Nev, a heat shield would be a necessary improvement. One can be fabricated that clamps around the pipe and which follows the pipe contours.