facthunter

I've Instructed in both GA and RAAus as well as observed a lot of people wanting to fly and many who did fly as a Career (which I did in RPT). Later, With RAAus I came across a lot oof OLDER types some of whom should not have taken it up and came to grief, unfortunately. Firstly It is Harder for older people to be taught new things. No one knows how they will go when they actually have to fly these things. Not everyone Makes it. Second , Airline Pilots are retired at 60 and many fall by the wayside as well often failing new conversions recurrent checks or just walking away... You are only an ab-initio once and you should do that as well as can be done with as few distractions as Possible and do the Recovery from unusual attitudes thing early in you flying experience.. It's no use building a Plane Before you are SURE you want to/can fly. Enthusiasm is what you do have. You need an experienced and Patient Instructor who you Trust and who won't just give you an easy ride. The More you see other flying people and experience various Planes the more likely you will end up with a Plane that suites YOU. IF you Train GA (VH reg) you will have better Aircraft hiring prospects and the Conversion to RAAus from VH is relatively easy. There's a Lot of Air Law you will need to know and start Learning about Meteorology and basic Aircraft knowledge ASAP. Keep your theory ahead of your flying and do thorough briefings before and debriefings after. Talking in the air should be Minimal. Don't learn from Forums or U tube. Stick to your training references and your Instructor. IF you train out of a place Like Canberra your radio work will have to be spot on and you will be held up a bit. Good luck. Nev

The enquiry was for a Person just starting to learn to fly who is 56. Would you really suggest it's wise to build a plane at the same time.? Nev

You've made the Landing fees topic into a Career. When does it end?. How many Posts NOW? Nev

Everyone will Prioritise their efforts. There's no shortage of things that can be done better. Nev

My emphasis is on getting the Basic skills of Pilotage right as a priority. That's best done by concentrating on it. IF you wish to do it differently, it's a free country. Nev

Did you start your flying training the same time? Nev

He's been with Planes a Long time and knows his stuff. Nev

Most People who build a plane do very little flying while they do it and "Building" takes much longer than estimated in most cases. Nev

Don't build a Plane at the same time you learn to fly. Make sure you get a good instructor, so that you learn the Basics well. Doing unusual attitude recoveries in the correct Aircraft I would consider essential. You are obviously Keen and 56 is not OLD. Get going . Time Marches on.. Nev

It really should not have happened. It's not a historic Plane. It's in active service operated by top People. You'd be entitled to ask "What's going on, Boeing"? Nev

It's his AXE He's grinding. Seems to have become a Raison D' Etre, or Cause celebre, for him.. . Nev

He who hesitates is lost. What Peter is saying is. it WILL be sold. Nev

There's one at the Museum in Darwin. Nev

That's the Main reason they are fitted. Relay points can weld together. Nev

Some work off an ignition lead by inductance. I doubt that would take kindly to a direct electrical source. Some Hobbs Meters work on electric power put through a U/C micro switch to Just measure AIR time. I have a good one IF anyone wants it. Nev

I'm not keen on T tails. They get more strain on them than the Normal set up. Some Planes just reflect a styling exercise. Nev

A Key for 1 & 2 would be foolish, and not serve the Intended Purpose. You need independent toggle and Probably shielded to stop Inadvertent Operation. Nev

Dearer than a good button and More awkward to Operate. Nev

I was going to mention that but I was not game to. We used to call it '"thread dredge" Nev

Key switches are expensive.. Nev

You wouldn't want to come across a Tiger snake then. They will cross a creek to get at you.. Nev

There's often a limit on starter cranking time but the solenoid should not get hot unless something is wrong with it... Nev

We don't really know what happened, but with Jabiru's, keeping weight OFF the nosewheel is very important. Nev

I ALWAYS look at ANY plane flying over, especially if it's radial engined. . Nev

It's only a relatively small current in the solenoid actuator circuit. The Large AMPS only go through the Heavy contact Points. It's only a RELAY, but a large one.. Some (Better) set ups have the solenoid engage the drive before the power is applied to crank the engine. This is less damaging to the engagement mechanism. Some engines have a Pull cable to avoid having the solenoid at all. Saves weight and more reliable. Starter Motors are Heavy and require substantial Battery Capacity and Heavy wiring and a good earth path. Geared starter Motors can be a Lot Lighter because the Motor is smaller. Nev.