FlyBoy1960

it is by their own admission that they had mistakes in the POH and all of the weight and balance documents. That is one simple fact that they can't avoid. The other fact is as I have mentioned previously, they lied on the weight and balance documents in Australia so that the aircraft were not overweight. Some of them were listed 60 kg underweight !

Now they have cancelled AusFly at Narromine ? What's going on.

Sweden = cold. More people inside = more spreading Just guessing

NOT HAPPY JAN !

Just received an update from the organisers that Queensland health is not restricting the event because it is an outdoor event and people have purchased tickets for attendance which satisfies the registration requirements for visitors. Depending on which forecast you look at it is either going to be raining on Saturday and clear on Sunday or clear on both days, hard to work out which one is going to be correct. I have my bag packed, my camera charged and nothing can stop me attitude ! Bring on the Brisbane airshow !

Apparently not, several have been caught out from what they were saying today so the new rule stays in effect forever. You would think so but its now not enough - a few rotten apples have ruined it for everyone !

What's prompted the actions ? Factories and importers lying and falsifying documentation to make heavy planes lighter so they can be registered. Its screwed up the industry with EVERY newly registered or transferred CASA to RA-Aus aircraft requiring a W&B to be completed by a specially approved CASA weight and balance officer, I understand there are only about 6 in all of Australia. All of this has happened because of a couple of lying importers in Victoria, think Bristell, Carbon Cub and Rocko. The importers at our airport are very unhappy and I believe one is taking legal action against the guy that imports the Bristell for the additional costs he has incurred due to his falsifying documents and is now affecting all new planes he imports by upping the price by $500 on each aircraft.

If the seat fails, you pull back on the control yoke/stick, usually your feet are off the ground under the panel. nowhere near the pedals ? Experience with a 182, i know what i am talking about and survived because the aircraft was in trim. I then had to move to the other seat at about 300 feet to keep flying the plane cause the seat had come right out of its rails and was not moving back. There is an ATSB report somewhere

They are putting these units at airports in the US, they can be used to charge electric aircraft and also vehicles, especially the vehicles that are used at the actual airport. They have a semi tracking solar panel system on the top, they have battery storage in the stand, they have a pad which acts as the balancing system to stop them getting blown over and you simply drive up onto the pad, plug-in and you get a fast charge from the batteries in the system so it is DC to DC which is much quicker than AC to DC (I am told) apparently there is enough to charge 3 Tesla vehicles in the battery system alone and any time there is no sun it operates from mains electricity. These systems can be put out in rows like parking bays and they are standalone, there is no other infrastructure needed, just place them on the ground and wait for the sun to come up. They can also use a couple of extra banks of solar panels on the roof of a building or something or in our case a hangar if the units are getting a lot of use. The panels are roughly 5 kW and you can have remote panels connected up to, I think 35 kW if you wish. It used to be called the EV Ark but apparently someone jumped in and trademarked the name so it is now called BEAM and I have seen about 10 of these in California in some rural airports

Here is a map of the Australian charging stations, if you can get 300 kilometres on a charge you are certainly not going to have any problems in a lot of the populated areas. I think you have "premature range anxiety" but I'm told there is a little blue tablet for this 😇

it's not so much the error it is a fact that they refused to validate anything and basically told CASA and the rest to go away in mind their own business. This is where the real problems came from I think not from the fact that the aircraft were falling out of the sky

when adjusting the side tone make sure to use a plastic bladed screwdriver because I was walking past a hangar one day to hear a lot of swearing and stuck my head inside and the guy was using a jewellers screwdriver and it slipped off whatever he was adjusting and went on to the circuit boards, he heard a loud bang and then saw smoke ! Expensive lesson to learn

reference to the AOPA information, I have no idea where they get the information from. As requested a long time ago CASA has been asking for additional information to validate the airworthiness approvals that the manufacturer could not validate at the time. It seems sometime in March they did provide the information to CASA, they then did distribute the information to owners as advised, they made corrections to the aircraft operating instructions and now they are free to go on their way again. Personally, I can't see that CASA had any other option but to ground the aircraft when the information supplied with them was grossly negligent by the manufacturers own admission by having incorrect information in the aircraft operating instructions and the weight and balance documentation. CASA could not have turned a blind eye to this and acted appropriately even though they can see into the future

CASA are even now predicting the future ! this evidence of straight off their own website ! In the screenshot below I have proof that they are already issuing documents dated the 28th of July 2021, more than a month into the future. How do they do that ? I wonder if they can get me the lotto numbers ? And these are the regulators

AOPA has "no skin in the game" so can pretty much say what they want, they just lose credibility at times when they go off track in my opinion

if they do close it down will CASA want to oversee and license/register all of the RA-Aus aircraft ? I don't think so

Morgan hates RA-Aus as evidenced in every time he gets a chance to dig into them. Remember this is just HIS opinion, i would like to read the CASA document without his interpretations.

If you dont mind a drive of a couple hours Rylstone / Mudgee is a great triking area, there are also lots of trike activity in Woolongong as well

Spec Savers have a special at the moment

I got a press release on this this morning. http://sendy.pipistrel-usa.com/uploads/1595285590.jpg PRESS RELEASE – JUNE 2021 Saturday 19 June, 2021 WORLD ENDURANCE RECORD ATTEMPT FOR ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT TO DEPART AUSTRALIA'S ADELAIDE-PARAFIELD AIRPORT TOMORROW Adelaide-based Eyre to There Aviation in partnership with platinum sponsor AvPlan EFB will aim to break a world endurance record for an electric aircraft with a 7-day, 18-stop flight around South Australia, starting tomorrow. The record attempt, flying a Pipistrel Alpha Electro plane, will start at Parafield Airport at 7.00am on Saturday June 19 with the first leg to Balaklava and the first overnight stop in Whyalla. The total distance will be 1,150km, which will shatter the previous record of 750km flown in September 2020 in Germany. The proposed route will include flying across to the Lower Eyre Peninsula and inland back to Port Augusta for flight sectors around the Yorke Peninsula before arriving back in Adelaide, subject to aircraft performance and weather. The world record attempt is being led by Eyre to There Aviation Managing Director, Barrie Rogers, who undertook the first ever electric flight in South Australia in 2020. Additional in-flight footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMrLHeKJA80&t=7s – with special thanks to (and permission from) aviation vlogger Stefan Drury. The flight team and support crew will include three pilots, five on-the-ground support crew, a second support (petrol-powered) plane, and two vehicles carrying recharging equipment for the aircraft. “The world record we’re seeking to break is basically an endurance record to push the durability and reliability of the aircraft. We’re also hoping to break a couple of other records including fastest point-to-point single flight and fastest climb rate,” Barrie says. “The Pipistrel Alpha Electro - dubbed the ‘Tesla of flying’ - currently has a flight time range of about 1 hour and cruising speed of 85 knots (157km/h) so we’ve had to very carefully plan each stop and build in contingencies for weather such as strong head winds.” “Barrie says the Pipistrel Alpha Electro is the world’s first and only serially produced electric aircraft currently LSA approved in Australia for flight training by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority” “This record attempt will further demonstrate the overall viability of this aircraft, with a view to one day setting up an assembly line in Adelaide producing up to 40 aircraft per year” “Electric aircraft are cheaper to buy, cheaper to run, are significantly quieter than conventional aircraft and don’t rely on fossil fuels. And they are ideally suited for short range flight training activities,” Barrie says. “The flight will also investigate suitable airfields along the route for the introduction of electric aircraft charging infrastructure into the future. Eyre to There Aviation plans to prepare a report for the State Government outlining the regional potential for upgraded charging infrastructure in support of current and emerging electric aircraft capabilities. This includes a combination of plane and electric vehicle charging where applicable. “Electric aircraft don’t yet have the range of other aircraft, but they’re perfect for short flights such as flight training and particularly circuit training, which is a core activity in obtaining a private pilot licence. “There are more than 250 registered flight schools in Australia using more than 3,400 training aircraft. Roughly 25 per cent of flight training covers the beginner phase which involves circuit training for take-offs and landings as well as training in close proximity to an airfield. Electric aircraft are perfectly suited for this task. “The average age of small single engine aeroplanes in Australia is 36.4 years, so many of these are reaching the end of their lifespan. We see a clear market opportunity to provide brand new, low-cost aircraft that have zero emissions.” MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Barrie Rogers (Eyre to There Aviation) – 0475 693 348 Mark Williams (Hughes PR) – 0401 147 558 ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT PROPOSED FLIGHT PATH: Parafield Airport - Balaklava - Snowtown - Port Pirie - Whyalla - Cleve - Tumby Bay - Port Lincoln - Cummins - Lock - Kimba - Port Augusta - Wallaroo - Maitland - Ardrossan - Kadina - Jamestown - Gawler - Adelaide Airport OVERNIGHT STOPS: Whyalla - Port Lincoln - Kimba - Ardrossan - Jamestown - Gawler TOTAL DISTANCE: 1,150km PILOTS: Barrie Rogers, Catherine Conway OAM, David Bradshaw OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS: Platinum (Naming rights): AvPlan EFB Gold: Aerometrex Silver: West Coast Bitumen Silver: RA-Aus (Recreational Aviation Australia) KEY AIRCRAFT FACTS: Aircraft type: Pipistrel Alpha Electro Weight: 368kg (empty); max take-off weight 550kg; Wingspan: 10.5 metres Length: 6.5 metres Cruising speed: 85 Knots Indicated Air Speed (157km/h) Cruise range: 75 Nautical Miles (139km) Time Range: 1 hour plus 30-minute reserve Max climb rate: 1,220 feet per minute Energy costs: $6.00 per hour Running costs: $26.70 per hour (inc. battery replacement, maintenance & overhaul) Pipistrel ALPHA Electro Information Pack: >> DOWNLOAD HERE << End

this looks like a great idea, now if you could make the mirrors that they are using also solar panels you could get double bang for your buck. You could harvest the electricity coming through the solar panels and the reflection would do everything else needed for the system. 2 underground insulated pits the size of 9 Olympic swimming pools each is a pretty big operation!

I didn't see these before, but AGAIN (as is so common in aviation) operator error led to a failure in the system. "NSIA finds it most likely that the LN-ELA motor failure was caused by the power controller interrupting power to the motor. This is likely to have been caused by overheating due to low fluid level and air in the cooling system. The investigation indicate that an insufficient quantity of coolant was added in connection with a motor replacement that was conducted by the aircraft's maintenance organization in Norway"

It's a Pipistrel trainer aircraft, I only know of 2 that have crashed that i have read about. One ran out of power because the guy flew until the batteries were completely flat (somewhere in Norway) and another crashed because the pilot spun in on turning final. Apparently (I'm just repeating exactly what I was told) they had set the aircraft up for very high regeneration in the circuit but this also slowed the aircraft significantly and during the turn from base to final the aircraft just got too slow and stalled when turning because of the propeller regeneration. If my memory serves me correctly this was in the Netherlands I was told that the manufacturer has now limited regeneration so that the aircraft will never fall from the sky again and that the owner has no control over boosting the amount of regeneration and therefore slowing the aircraft down, nothing comes free

The one at our airfield runs 100% off solar. The panels charge some large storage batteries in the hanger and the plane gets charged off those batteries DC to DC. When the plane is out flying the batteries are still charging in the hanger for the next recharge. Simples