Ultralights

Unfortunatly Hoxton park has pretty high fees! its owned by Macquarie bank! but as for airmanship, he failed in 2 aspects, not just the radio calls, but on selecting to do circuits on a runway with a strong tailwind!

it would be interesting to find the truth and see if the lack of calls is in direct result of higher airport fees!!

even at 5 kg. thats some burger!

This year i hope to Fly into Narromine for the first time, in the past i have driven, and always found accommodation at Tomingly about 50 km SW of narromine..

This time i plan on flying from Newcastle to Narromine in a Vampire, which as limited cargo space. a very small tent, and sleeping bag might just get in, i cant image any cooking gear or bedroll will fit.. let alone food and too many changes of clothes. sadly i don't have a partner to drive out there with all my gear, so i will be solo and have to be self sufficient so to speak, nothing more than can be carried in the aircraft.

anyway, what is required to camp under the wing apart from tent and sleeping bag? how available is food? and amenities or cooking facilities? or even the chance of getting accommodation this close to narromine at the airport?

What have others done in the past and what have your experiences been when camping under the wing at Narromine???

thanks...

Now i have my own plane, i will be looking to upgrade the radio from the Handheld ICOM A20, Ebay and salvage companies are selling older style NAC/COM radios from old Cessna's and pipers, the only 1 freq only display for nav and 1 for com, the old click over style numbers in the small window, how suitable would these be for small experimental aircraft?? from my ealrlier days of flying, this style of radio was the norm and never had any issues with such radios..

nahh this was an Indian accent.. i am assuming he was solo, as an instructor might (should) have noticed the sock and corrected the student, i guess he was sent over the Hoxton to get up some crosswind practice, which im all for, i have seen some pilots refuse to fly in just a steady 5 kt crosswind! but i think the second nosewheel and wing drop landing scared him too much to continue and he departed straight for bankstown, not even using the entry points at Prospect or 2RN. he got to about 500ft, and turned right, direct to YSBK, lucky no one else was base for 16 at that time!

I have just bought a Vampire with a 140 hr old 503, what oil would you use? the previous owner has been using Mobil synthetic 2 stroke stuff, unfortunately i don't have much experience with 2 stroke engines make that none!

I also own a RX7, with the 13 rotary, and cooling is better in that when i run a mineral oil as opposed to a synthetic stuff, as rotary engines inject oil into the fuel air mix in the carby.. will this be similar to a 503 in the way the oil effects it?

just a small gripe, not about anyone here, (i hope not anyway)

the days flight was going well, 5 miles west of Hoxton, i called inbound for runway 16, Hoxton park prefered runway is 34, away from houses, anyway, on departure the wind was 15 kts from the south east, giving 16 a quartering headwind from the left..

anyway, entered overhead/crosswind for 16, no other calls from other traffic, descended to circuit height, then called base for 16, only to hear a Cassna with a thick accent call base for 34 for a touch and go....:;)2:

as i was on base for 16 i could see both windsocks clearly, as i guess he should have but didn't, and the windsock was past 45deg and gusting to level, from the south east!!!

obviously the cessna pilot was oblivious to me (assume he was) or just blind and deaf,:clown: i decided to make the base for 16 the crosswind for 34 to follow the cessna doing touch and goes. circuit was uneventful, but a 5 kt tail wind in a jabiru makes for quite a long float and use of a lot of runway!:confused:

i made all the usual calls and didnt hear the other aircraft at all on the radio he completed another circuit and touch and go with a strong tail wind, that made for an interesting landing as we taxied past! how he didnt remove the front nose wheel by using it to land on instead of mains ill never know... after that pucker factor landing he departed direct back to bankstown, again with no thurther radio calls....

makes me wonder, just how do some of these people pass their licence testes????:yuk:

2 more aircraft entered the pattern and immediately used runway 16 on seeing the socks during their overfly...;)

im done.... back to dreaming of Vampires and the fun to come!!:;)7:

Flew back from Adelaide this morning, departed at 6 am! yep,a loooong day, especially when having to be home by 10 to help clean up for BBQ then off to YHOX to complete my RAAus and PPL BFR! then drive home to Newcastle! hmmm digressing a bit here

anyway, on the flight over, i was seated on the right hand side at the rear window, and noted as we approached the ranges the ever increasing smoke haze extending from as far south as you can see from 35,000 ft, down into Victoria and all the way up to the Sydney basin!, the Mountains were completely obscured by smoke haze....

sad really, especially to think that some could have been deliberately lit..

being a new 503 owner and operator, i am after all the advice on this engine you can throw at me! as i am not familiar with operating a 2 stroke engine......

so bring on all hint and tips for best perfornmance and longevity...

once a satisfactory L2 inspection report is complete, Next week i Will Be a Sadler Vampire Owner!! and pilot! bring on Narromine! or maybe avalon!

YAY....

so, about the rotax 503 2 stroke thing... steep learning curve for me ahead!

The day started well eoung at Hoxton park at about 9 am. prepped the jabiru for an hour of Stalls, forced landings, steep turns and general upper air work associated with a BFR renewal.

departed YHOX and headed west, outside air temp was about 30 deg C on the ground. but passing through 2500ft and climbing to out nominated height of 4000 ft, we passed through the Inversion layer that has been over Sydney basin for the past 24 hrs, the outside air temp started to rise, and approaching 3500 it was surprisingly warm! and then during the usual scan the oil temp was creeping into the red!!!

so a decision was made to return to hoxton park and have a look at the problem..

Oil wasnt the issue as it was changed before the flight and was full and fresh.

on descent and entering hoxton traffic pattern the temp was back in the green. the decision was made to continue with a series of action packed circuits. first normal circuit, and a absolute greaser of a landing,

the next circuit was a little more interesting, turning base the throttle went to idle power and wouldnt come back...... wonder if the instructor had anything to do with it? anyway, glide approach it was! made it easy, dispite being unsure of making the field for the first half of the approach, outside air was nor mid 30's and it made a noticable difference to the performance.

touchdown in the perfect spot, flap up, full power, then at 200 ft, Doh! engine failure again! nose down, aim for the paddock straight ahead! perfect..... full power, off we go again, then again mid base, i am informed the flaps no longer work... oh well, nice long flap approach, again perfect greaser, full power, then just after rotation, engine failed again! dammit! land straight ahead, and hard on the brakes.... with the high ambiant temps and associated higher flying speeds, i am surprised the brakes didnt catch fire! anyway, taxi back to a cold hard water fllowing an interesting mid morning of hot and furious circuits....

So now comes the trip report bit... after a hour or so debrief, booked in again to complete the BFR later in the weekend, and we soon became bored,, hmmmm how about an hour in a duchess!

no need to be asked twice.... so its off for a quick hop from Hoxton park to Bankstown to meet our new bird..

its a Beechcraft....

76 model to be exact... a little quicker than the trusty jabiru.. and less likely to overheatm with big cowl flaps and all....

This is going to be fun! carby heat! mixture controls, how cute..... (whispering) and outdated! ;)

So many levers!

Its alive!!!!

all checks complete! X2! and were off, destination, YWOL....

departing bankstown, even with 2 engines, climb rate was modest at near 40 deg heat!

its kind of strange looking at an engine from the side as opposed to from behind, i was surprised to see just how much the engine bounces around Inside the nacelle!!! during the bumps the spinner (engine) would bounce up to about 1 Inch in all directions without the cowls moving, wonder if this happens with single engined aircraft???

Passing wederburn, we watched a helicopter below with a Bambi bucket relaod the bucket and dump it on the fire in the scrub ahead!

Approaching the escarpment and time to make an inbound call, we are doing 150Kts remember!

arriving overhead wollongong

Joining circuit for 34, giving a nice strong 15 kt crosswind. runway in use was 08, pretty much into wind, but its only 800mtrs long, its hot, and were in a fully fuelled duchess, safer to go with the longer runway and live with a good crosswind

mid downwind, a litte quick? no prob, drop the gear and its like ripping up the handbrake!

On the ground at wollongong! hmmmm right in front of the Vampire factory! interesting, im off to Adelaide tomorrow to look at one! is it a sign? ;)

After a quick chat, and talk of PIFR rating etc, its time to head back before the storms approach the Sydney area... lots of stuff to move before you take the Connie for a fly!

checklist. page 2...

initial climb out of Wollongong Runway 34

Sadly after this my phone battery died, after filming the approach and take offs.. all pics with a mobile phone! yes it was in offline aircraft mode! :)

made it back to Bankstown with plenty of time to spare! interesting to mix it up at bankstown with barons, Metroliners cessnas and jabirus! i was surprised to see bankstown actually busy again, reminded me of the good days many yrs ago with a 10 min wait just to cross an active runway! wonder if the approaching storm had anything to do with the increase in activity arriving???

oh one final pic

which side is the NEW engine???

funnily enough, after working with composites in the airline game, and now on millitary aircraft, UV protection has not been an issue, all surfaces are treated with a polyurathane paint, just as the rest of the aircraft, the only difference is a conductive black primer is used, and to clean the surface, both painted and unpainted bare surfaces, we have used acetone, or Isopropyl alcahol..

i would go for runway 18, a 10kt crosswind should not be a problem.. i would refuel then do some circuits into said crosswind for the fun/experience of it..

though with a 10kt cross wind and a strong headwind component, make sure you make a steeper than usual approach.

as far as i know, Trikes are as welcome as a drifter and a CT2, but sadly from the GA perspective, ALL Recreational aircraft from trikes to technams are looked upon in a negative light. but fortunately, the number of people in GA with the negative views is rapidly becoming the minority.

As for the Trikes Vs 3 axis, i am not sure, but i certainly do see quite a few trikes at fly-ins, as well as flying along the coast and on trailers behind cars, so there are certainly a few out there.

My Condolences to the family and friends of the people involved. at least they were doing something they loved till the end...

as for the search and rescue thing, i believe letting local aviators take part in a search will be helpful, as said before, they have a knowledge of the area that the professional rescuers wont have.

That all depends on how good your rugby team is at the time!

Just a few Motorcycle related motivational posters

Now where are all the Aviation related ones??

metroliner, Aka, Lawn dart!

If your flying out of Hoxton park, in a Jabiru, is it safe to assume you are with Ashley? i fly Ashley out there and have for quite a few yrs, just hire mainly.

I have a PPl also, and when it comes time to do my BFR or work in a VH aircraft, i usually go to Liverpool flying school just next door.

GA schools in bankstown, even using Technams, still charge just as much as they would in a GA aircraft such as a cessna 172 or Piper... yet ashleys rates in the jabiru are very competitive. and the GA school next door are pretty good also..

dont forget, hrs in a jabiru do count towards your PPL and CPL i believe, so solo navs can be conducted using the jabiru, 940 has a trasnponder, so if your at PPL level, you can still enter Controlled airspace.

last time i spoke to Ashley, i think he said he was becoming a GA instructor also..

im buying an aircraft shortly, as in the cash will be ready in 3 days... either a Vampire or sapphire, and i cant decide...:;)4:

so my questions are which has the longer range? or endurance?

which has the greater cruise speed?

which has the shorter landing and TO distances?

basically im after something i can go places in....

hopefully both will have a 503 engine for comparison..

i am after real world figures, not published ones in brochures..

as for maintainence, both are equal, im a sheety by trade, so metal is Ok, and i have 6 yrs experience as a composite structures guy, so fibreglass is good...

thanks..

Rob.

will they provide discounts to forum members??

Riama

1934 DeHavilland DH-84 Dragon MKII

Larger image also availible.

Yep, it was a blue Gazelle, with a shepperton aero club or similar logo on the sides aft of the cockpit doors...

the Council has engaged consultants