danny_galaga

Meh, the firewall on my kit plane is aluminium covered fibreglass cloth. I figure it prolly buys me 20-30 seconds if there was a fire. I've decided it's best if I just don't have a fire ?

If a train is heading west at 65 kmh and three dung beetles are eaten by five cimpanzees, does anyone hear the tree fall?

Two simple ways to explain it in my mind.

1) lift equals weight. The downforce of each little criiter equals their weight so nothing changes.

2) view the canaries as molecules instead. If molecules move around more rapidly in a closed container, the container will still behave in the same way. Of course higher molecular movement equals higher pressure but the container still behaves the same (unless of course the pressure is so high the container explodes ? )

My partner has been watching 'the voice' so that gave me some time to break out the Atari 2600 and play River Raid. Got a new high score. And it's aviation related ?

Here's my two panels worth

The first is from the Skyranger Nynja I built. The layout is patterned after the Beechcraft Baron. I figured that if Beechcraft spent a lot of money setting up their panels, that was a good hint for me. In the end, it worked very well. The flight gauges are directly in front of the left seat driver, the engine gauges in a vertical line in the middle, and the "not so essentials" on the pax side of the panel.

 

The second one is from my Aeropilot Legend. Aeropilot mostly determined the layout, with a bit of input from me as to placement of the gauges.

I really like your nynja layout ? don't think it would work on my instrument panel because it's more like a car dash. I wish I could though! Do you like your aviasport gauges? I went with them as well

I can't edit that post so just adding another line to the thread by adding this pic

The band Iron Maiden often lease an unmarked plane and then add vinyl livery on it. The lead singer is normally captain

My main hobby nowadays is collecting old computer games and building my own arcade machines. Ive lost count but I have at least a dozen consoles ranging from Atari 2600 to PlayStation PS3. And hundreds of games, most of which I've never played ? but it certainly give me something to do when I retire.

Also have maybe eight CRT televisions for the consoles although I got a custom chassis for one and turned it into an arcade monitor (the tubes are the same, but they run at different frequencies) . That monitor went into my upright arcade machine, which I call 'meet George Jetson' and my cocktail cab runs a CRT PC monitor which rotates for horizontal or vertical games, thus always running in full screen ?

I also used to be interested in building 1/72 scale models but my eyes ain't what they used to be. If I ever get the time I'll get into 1/24 cars instead, something Ive wanted to do since I was a kid but couldn't afford. Hence 1/72 was what I built

I just read the sales blurb for the new BMW R1250 Boxer engine. Apparently variable valve timing has led to an increase in "sovereignty".

 

So, take a big displacement motorcycle engine that already needed a bunch of electronics to keep the operator safe from themselves and ... and ... add more complexity? Ugh!

My Victory Highball isn't doing much nowadays. 100hp simple v twin tech. 6 speed. Peak power at 4800. Just add a belt driven propeller and fine tune by selecting 4th 5th or 6th ?

Tv commercila shooting or an episode of Great Outdoors or something similar. Plenty of reasons to do it. It's not difficult to fly a heli in form with a FW.

Ah that's a good reason! I bet that's it. Filming. I'm not saying it was difficult. Just that in my limited experience of looking up into the skies I had never noticed something like that. Around that area there are lots of helicopters coming in to princess Alexandria and mater hospitals. So I see that a lot.

Didn't look like a celebratory flight as such. Was a smallish helicopter and something like an RV. They were in formation for all the time I watched them. I've never seen this happen before so was curious if anyone here was involved

I forgot to post this earlier but I saw a helicopter and a light aircraft (maybe an RV or something similar) flying in formation a few days ago. I first noticed them roughly over Yeronga and heading roughly south. What would that be about?

Like I say, were there any older conversions done? Ford escort, datsun 180b etc?

Was just thinking about inline fours today, after the pietenpol was brought up. Obviously it originally used the model A. And there are some modern conversions I think of Suzuki and Honda engines. Are there any older inlines that were converted? I did a quick google of ford escort and Datsun for examples but came up.blank. a pietenpol wth a ford escort engine could be just the thing ?

Are aircraft engines running an Nikasil bore?

with modern car and motorcycle engines, the revs come at the expense of being rebuildable (in an economical manner).

the old top end rebuild is a rare thing now

I guess theoretically. I wonder how many car engines get rebuilt nowadays?

As Samuel L Jackson says - don't be assuming, because it makes an ass out of uming ?

Yes wear increases dramatically with higher speeds and who wants a gearbox? Heavy and another point of unreliability. Ok the Spitfire had one but it's design life was only 200 hours.

What I am suggesting is a 3000rpm max engine producing 160hp per litre. Same technology as many Auto engines produced today. It is NOT an Otto cycle but more closely resembles a diesel cycle.

What modern car engines produces its power at only 3000 rpm?

I am not even thinking of using automotive engines, but maybe suggesting that someone might think of designing an aircraft engine with the technologies available now. It would revolutionise the aircraft engine business.

Isn't that the Rotax 912?

Just had a look at another thread, I think it was @Bubbleboy who is also build ing an air camper.

A lot run the Corvair Chev flat six aircooled but it's not especially the answer. They are now very old and been sitting around wreckers yards being pee'd on by alsatians for too long. Nev

Well I hope our guy isn't installing a flat engine of any sort. They look lovely with an inline engine, kinda Gypsy Moth like. I think the biggest of the Rotax two strokes would work well, if not sound 'vintage'. That engine would fit the ethos of what pietenpol had in mind too.

Automobile power plants in aircraft? In 1929, who would consider home building a 2-place aircraft with a 40hp, water-cooled, 4 cyl, in-line, cast iron block, Ford Model A engine? Bert Pietenpol considered it then went ahead and did it! Many still being built and flying in the free world 90 years on. There are as many airworthy Piets operational with auto conversion engines as there are with small Continentals or Rotax.

Forgot about that one! And actually isn't one our forum members building one? I wonder what engine he'll be using?

There are a lot of VW based engines flying. The good ones are those that don't offer 100hp, but are providing a reliable engine for light aircraft such as the Corby Starlet. One step up from them is the Jabiru, Three steps up, at least coastwise is the Rotax.

Yeah, I first heard about a VW powered plane when I was a kid. The Druin Turbulent. They would have been maybe 40 HP

ANZANI ?

British Anzani motorcycle, back in the 50,s.

spacesailor

Anzani used to make plane engines. Luis bleriots plane had a 3 cylinder anzani

I don't think car engines will get a lot lighter because manufacturers aren't going to spend too much on yesterday's tech. The will be looking at sharing costs of battery development etc instead. Even if hydrogen becomes popular they wouldn't worry about weight to much since for a regular car, it isn't a big difference is n total weight.

As far as existing engines, I quite like the air cooled VW conversions. If I ever finish my current build and want to punish myself further, I think id build a sonex with a VW next ?

Vacuum molding yes, injection molding no. I went through the exercise of trying to get a reverse engineered (thumbstick parts for a Nintendo N64 controller). Price to machine the molds was $5000 USD, in China. I had to pay a 50% deposit. It never quite worked out so now I have some CAD files and maybe the worlds only black N64 thumbstick and it only cost me 2500 + 500 for the laser scanning

Mind you these were small complicated parts, but it gives you an idea of the costs involved with injection molding. I was going to sell them 5USD, break even would roughly be 1000 units. Which I could have sold. How many wingtip light covers could you sell? Bearing in mind you need a left and a right...