Light Aviation February 2023

Chairman

ERYL SMITH

CEO

STEPHEN SLATER

Engineering Director

JOHN RATCLIFFE CEng FRAeS CMgr FCMI

Chief Technical Officer

JON VINER CEng MEng MRAeS

Chief Inspector

LUCY WOOTTON MEng(Hons) DIS DipHE ARAeS

President ROGER HOPKINSON MBE

Vice President BRIAN DAVIES

Engineering email engineering@laa.uk.com

Email office@laa.uk.com

Office Manager Penny Sharpe

Head Office Turweston Aerodrome, Nr Brackley, Northants NN13 5YD

Telephone for engineering and commercial 01280 846786

LIGHT AVIATION MAGAZINE

Editor ED HICKS

Email ed.hicks@laa.uk.com

Design and Print SEAGER PUBLISHING

Production Editor LIZI BROWN

Art Editor LISA DAVIES

Opinions expressed by the authors and correspondents are not necessarily those of the Editor or the LAA. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission.

A lead-free future…

Iknow some of you spotted a story – as a few of you contacted me about it – in the Telegraph on January 9 with the headline: Aeroplane hobbyists putting thousands at risk of cancer thanks to lead-based fuel Sadly, I doubt an alternative headline: Pilots wish they had easily available unleaded fuel options for all aircraft… would have been quite as exciting.

Yes, many of us are already doing our bit and operating on unleaded fuels, whether that’s using Super Unleaded purchased from a garage and suitably tested to confirm there’s no ethanol present, or UL91 from one of the few places that sells it around the UK GA airfield network. I’m sure those who still have to use 100LL would immediately change to UL given the chance, even if there was a bit of a price hike, just because it’s the correct thing to do.

It’s a frustrating tale that has been going on longer than you might have perhaps realised. Google around, and you’ll find a few road signs on this painfully slow journey, but it does show that there has been some major effort taken by some big players.

In 2010 the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) suggested phasing out 100LL by first moving to a 100 ultra low lead fuel, before then moving to 100UL.

By 2013, Shell Aviation had made a grand announcement that, “a 10-year effort in the laboratory has produced a fuel that may put a long-sought goal – once thought to be unattainable – within reach: a lead-free ‘performance drop-in’ replacement for 100LL that could power any aircraft in the piston fleet. Shell’s new lead-free formula has

passed preliminary tests in Lycoming engines on the ground, and a Piper Saratoga recently flew for about an hour on the fuel —the first of many tests that will be required for certification.”

Which brings us to the present day, and General Aviation Modifications Inc (GAMI), a company in the United States, being awarded a FAA STC approval at the end of 2022 for a 100UL fuel it has laboriously developed and tested over the last 10 plus years. ‘All’ that remains is to get it into production and get it distributed…

Which I’m sure has most pilots wondering, just how does a lead-free fuel for aviation get pushed over the finish line?

The LAA, AOPA and the DfT started a ‘Project TEL’ working group in 2020 and we are working with CAA to look at mechanisms to increase the viability of unleaded fuels in the UK

With tetraethyl lead – TEL – due to be phased out in the EU from 2025, the clock is surely ticking.

ed.hicks@laa.uk.com

How long will it be before we achieve lead-free operation for the whole LAA fleet?

FEATURES

12 PROJECT NEWS

A Zenair CH650B and a Nord 1002 come under the spotlight this month…

16 FLIGHT TEST

Nigel Hitchman gets an offer of a lifetime to solo a 1929 Command-Aire 3C3 powered by a V8 Curtiss OX-5 engine…

24 COACHING CORNER

In the second part on the subject of lookout, Head of PCS David Cockburn reminds pilots that as well as ‘seeing’ – be it with the aid of electronics or not – it’s just as important to ‘be seen’…

26 ENGINEERING MATTERS

Including: Ikarus C42 wing spar fretting, aileron pushrod corrosion, communicating with your Inspector, ACAM Audits, and changes to the Permit revalidation process

31 FLYING ADVENTURE

Duncan Campbell and friends load up their Luscombes (and a Navion) and head across the Channel to France…

40 TESTED

With features to optimise audio quality for pilots and built-in carbon monoxide sensing, the new Delta Zulu from Lightspeed is a significant new product in the world of ANR headsets. Ian Fraser puts it to the test…

49 MEET THE MEMBERS

Neil Parkinson talks about just how his childhood dreams of flying a Spitfire became a reality…

Plenty more news is available on the LAA website at www.laa.uk.com check it out every day!

LAA fleet numbers rise for 2022

The number of aircraft operated on LAA Permits to Fly at the end of 2022 was 2,752. This ‘Permit Renewal’ figure, which indicates active aircraft and therefore aviation activity in the sector, was slightly higher than in 2021 and matches the number noted, pre-Covid in 2019.

In addition, 93 new aircraft were issued with Permits to Fly for the first time in 2022, bringing the total active fleet size at the end of the year to 2,845.

LAA CEO among those named for services to aviation in NY Honours List

LAA CEO Stephen Slater, along with former head of the CAA GA Unit, Tony Rapson, and helicopter safety specialist Lt Cdr Anthony Eagles RN, have been named in HM The King’s 2023 New Year Honours List for contributions to aviation.

Stephen has been awarded an MBE for services to diversity in the aviation industry, reflecting his work with everything from vintage aviation to the latest eVTOL types, as well as his support of organisations such as the British Womens’ Pilots Association and Aerobility, as well as developing LAA initiatives to encourage young peoples’ interest in flying.

These include working with LAA Struts and Member Clubs to develop young peoples’ aviation adventure days, build-a-plane projects, aviation art competitions at air shows, and also expanding the LAA’s Armstrong-Isaacs Bursary scheme to support more young

Meet the LAA at AeroExpo

AeroExpo, in association with the LAA, will incorporate a ‘Meet the LAA’ initiative for its 2023 event. An LAA display area will include aircraft and suppliers of specific interest to the homebuilt and sport flying sector, with entrance to Aero Expo at half-price for LAA members. In addition, the LAA will help contribute to the programme of seminars during the three days of the event, with opportunities to occupy the seminar slots also available to exhibitors as well as regulators and other organisations. Enter LAA2023 when you book for an additional discount on a One Day, Two Day, Three Day or Disabled Pass. When you arrive at the Gate simply show your LAA Membership Card with your ticket for entry to the Show. www.aeroexpo.co.uk/tickets

student pilots from all backgrounds in achieving their flying goals. In addition, Stephen co-authored the book An Airfield Adventure, for youngsters aged 7-11, to explain what goes on at small airfields.

Stephen said: “It is a huge honour personally, but much more importantly it reflects the efforts of so many volunteers in the LAA who, like me, get so much pleasure from being part of our team, passing on our message of Flying for Fun, to future generations, from all walks of life.”

Eryl Smith, LAA Chairman said: “On behalf of the Board and Association’s membership I am delighted to congratulate Steve on his MBE award. His commitment and contribution to a wide range of aviation organisations and causes over many years, including the LAA, has furthered the interests of and participation in aviation at all levels and his award is richly deserved.”

More LAA courses

Christmas and New Year is now but a memory, but spring will, hopefully, soon be coming over the horizon. In the meantime, we have a number of courses scheduled that can remove the mystery from various aviation engineering subjects. All courses are held at the LAA’s Turweston training facility, unless otherwise stated. Fees stated are for LAA members, however, non-members are very welcome to attend for an additional fee of £20.

● Saturday 11 March Composites Course, by Rob Martin. Start 0930. Fee £160.This course will also run on Saturday 15 April.

● Sunday 26 Feb Aircraft Metal Work with Gary Smith. Start 0900. Fee £180. Dates for further courses will be announced in future.

● Saturday 4 March Rotax 912/914 (non-injection engines) with Kevin Dilks. Start 0930. Fee £140.

● Tuesday 7 March Gipsy Engines with Dennis Neville. Start 0930. Fee £120. Brian Hope bfjjodel@talktalk.net

“It is a huge honour personally, but much more importantly it reflects the efforts of so many volunteers in the LAA who, like me, get so much pleasure from being part of our team”

Little Mongeham appeal

A renewed flight for the new airfield that has been proposed at Little Mongeham in Kent has begun, following the submission of an appeal against the refusal of planning consent for this new airfield. That refusal by Dover District Council was on the grounds of noise creation and followed after a fervid campaign by some local groups.

The initial outline proposal was for a 750m grass runway together with a control building and basic facilities, along with a glamping site. It is a predominantly rural area, but close to Deal town centre and a number of country pubs.

The appeal is hailed as a first for the GA sector as it comes from within the industry, guided by the General Aviation Awareness Council (GAAC), rather than through political machinations or personal whim.

GAAC is asking for public support for the appeal, which is being made under Section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

New CAA guide to help avoid infringements near Newcastle

Preventing airspace infringements in the vicinity of Newcastle Airport has been written by the Air Traffic Service Unit, and will include details of the airspace and practical advice to help avoid an infringement. In 2022, the airspace was infringed 12 times by both GA and military aircraft.

There are now 33 narratives on the Airspace & Safety Initiative website produced by Local Airspace Infringement Teams, ANSPs and the MAA. As well as helping to identify specific hotspots, they cover guidance and information to help pilots prevent airspace infringements

For more information, visit airspacesafety.com/hot-spot-narratives

Wanted: Board minutes secretary

The LAA is looking for a minutes secretary to assist at Board meetings, which are held every two months, typically on the last Friday of the appropriate month. The secretary will note director comments and actions against the agenda items. Previous note taking experience is desirable

You will also work with the Chairman and CEO to prepare the minutes in a standard format following the meeting. We will pay you for meeting attendance, car mileage and an additional day for the minutes preparation. You should ideally be based within a 30-mile radius of Turweston. Interested? Apply to office@laa.uk.com

Design verification engineer

We are looking for an engineer to join the team at our Turweston HQ.

The role involves advising our members on the requirements for modifications, repairs and new designs, reviewing applications to ensure that they meet appropriate airworthiness requirements and sound engineering practice, and responding to technical queries. There are also opportunities to be involved in flight testing, accident investigation and liaison with the authorities.

You’d be working with an experienced team across a large fleet of almost 3,000 active aircraft. Types range from original Edwardians to the latest cutting edge technology kits, and includes types with electric powerplants and the latest electronics.

Candidates must have an engineering background, ideally with experience in the light aircraft industry, and share our enthusiasm for general aviation. We would expect candidates to have a degree in an engineering subject or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Knowledge of structural analysis and experience of demonstrating compliance with engineering regulations is highly desirable. Familiarity with light aircraft aerodynamics, structures (wood, metal, and/or composite), powerplants and avionics would also be useful.

You’ll need some IT competence, particularly with Microsoft Office, have a friendly personality and the ability to work within a small team as well as independently. Excellent communication skills and attention to detail are essential. This is a full-time post, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. It is principally based at LAA HQ, but some travel will also be required. Salary in line with experience.

Engineering Director to step down

John Ratcliffe will step down from his role as LAA Engineering Director at the end of February 2023 to pursue other roles outside of recreational aviation. John, who joined the Association in August 2021, has been successful in restructuring LAA engineering and airworthiness activities, both to accommodate the transition of some long-established senior staff to retirement and to create new structures to allow the LAA to deal with rapidly evolving aircraft technologies and regulatory frameworks.

John has played an important role in developing CAA confidence in the LAA’s role as a delegated authority for airworthiness, leading Jon Viner as Chief Technical Officer and Lucy Wootton as Chief Inspector, as they took over from Francis Donaldson and Ken Craigie. He has helped develop engineering processes to meet the changing needs of regulation, service standards and scope in all aspects of LAA engineering activity.

LAA Chairman Eryl Smith said: “John has been an important catalyst for change with the engineering function. His legacy will be a more efficient and effective engineering team for the future, which will in turn deliver enhanced services to LAA members. I wish him equal success in his next venture.”

Letters

We are always pleased to receive your letters, photos of your flying, and your feedback. Please email the editor at ed.hicks@laa.uk.com

Avgas 100LL Dear Steve,

We have been discussing the recent alarmist article in the Daily Telegraph (Ed – on 100LL), and the academic paper from the University of Kent upon which it was based.

As you probably know, Ian (Fraser) flies an RV-6 with a Lycoming O-320, which runs well on UL91. Ruth (Kelly) flies an RV-8 with a 200hp high-compression IO-360, which has not been approved to use unleaded fuel, and so uses 100LL. Both aircraft are based at Henstridge. We are both engineers, and enjoy discussing technical issues and putting forward articles and items for discussion.

Having reviewed the original academic paper we can see that there are flaws in its data: where there are deficiencies in the sources, the authors have erred on the side of higher risk in a number of key areas (underestimating both the proportion of GA aircraft that are able to use unleaded fuel, for example, and the availability ofUL91 and the use of mogas).

However, we agree that doing nothing is not an option. While the UK remains the only manufacturer of TEL, we do not refine avgas in the UK, and our main source – France –will presumably be ceasing production in 2025. The possibility of a lead-free replacement for 100LL from the USA is tantalising, but likely to be very expensive.

What to do? It seems to us that there are two options: change the fuel, or change the engines. We assume that there is little that can be done to expedite the appearance of 100UL. But perhaps more could be done towards getting approval for Ruth’s engine – and others like it – to use unleaded fuel?

Both the Lycoming 320 and 360 series have high and low compression variants. For the 320s, both variants are approved to use unleaded fuel. On the face of it there should be nothing to prevent the high-compression 360 running on unleaded fuel, except

perhaps when leaned at full throttle. After all, the engine components are all essentially identical to those in engines approved for UL91.

Is there an opportunity here for the LAA to sponsor some academic research and testing to examine the problem, and establish whether or not it may be feasible for more engines to use UL91 than are currently approved? The issue, of course, is preventing detonation. Leaning limitations, ignition timing, rpm limits and octane-increasing additives are all possible areas for investigation – all successfully applied in the car world following the demise of five-star petrol. It may be that relatively simple interventions could solve or at least alleviate the problem. We just need to base these on some solid research and testing. It would also enable us to report that something is being done. Ruth Kelly & Ian Fraser.

Steve Slater, CEO, replies: I share your concern and I have been working with Malcolm Bird at AOPA and the DfT on this for a while, although prior to the Telegraph article their focus on it diminished after Grant Shapps and Robert Court moved on from their ministerial positions.

The Telegraph article, despite, as far as I am concerned, its several inaccuracies has actually worked in our favour in focusing attention on the challenge. I am trying to set up a meeting with DfT, AOPA, fuel and engines suppliers to look again at the options available and the options for assistance in funding. The next LAA Board Meeting is at the end of January, and I am copying in our chairman and the chair of the Airworthiness oversight group as I anticipate a discussion of possible actions at that meeting.

Learning the lessons, moving forward

Dear Editor,

Harry Cook’s letter (January 2023 Light Aviation) makes some very pertinent points. I too had seen no expression of contrition on the part of those responsible for the loss of members’ funds until the Chairman’s contribution to Straight and Level in the January edition of Light Aviation

However, it is to the LAA’s credit that Harry’s letter was published. It was obviously influential in eliciting the welcome if overdue apology.

The establishment of a forum, which will enable members to engage with the Board, is a positive development. My hope is that in the course of discussions, nothing will be off limits and that both members and the Board will engage constructively in this process.

Two other suggestions for the Board’s consideration:

Externally accredited Quality Systems, such as those already established within Engineering Services, are appropriate and beneficial to customer focused services in general. Consideration should be given to extending the system to encompass the whole of the LAA activities. Such a system would have included financial security procedures which would have minimised the likelihood of successful fraudulent activities.

Secondly, the LAA website shows that the organisation employs 19 staff with service delivery roles and 12 directors. Of these 12, five have no stated role other than that of ‘director’. In both public and private sector organisations, in addition to their strategic leadership roles, directors generally have clearly specified particular responsibilities for the oversight of key corporate goals, organisational governance and service delivery. This often requires an ability and a willingness to act as an independent voice and a ‘critical friend’ within their organisation.

If the LAA is to fully and permanently learn the lessons of this debacle, all directors should be required to make significant individual contributions to the corporate governance, development and growth of the LAA.

Regards,

Dr Chris Callicott.

Eryl Smith, Chairman, replies: Chris, thank you for your constructive suggestions.

Left and above Given the opportunity, surely all aviators would prefer to be using unleaded fuel rather than 100LL Avgas?…

As reported, the Board has reviewed fully our processes in line with the recommendations of the Panel Review and will consider what additional quality systems or reviews may be appropriate to implement.

LAA directors are expected to make significant individual contribution to the functioning of the Association based on the considerable experience and skills they bring to the Board and upon which they were elected by members. The main standing committees are chaired by directors and we will look to report on their activities over the year and at the AGM.

Fees increase Ed,

The January issue announced increases in membership and permit fees as a means of ‘balancing the books for 2023’, but failed to shed any light on the reasoning behind the proposed changes. Presentation of 2022 income and expenditure in percentage terms rather than actuals is unhelpful, but when engineering income is declared, but engineering outgoings are not, an appropriate justification or otherwise of the proposed increases in membership and permit fees relative to other engineering fees is impossible. My experience of mod and repair charges leads me to the conclusion that these must be subsidised by other charges. The suggestion that an increase in initial fee from £60 to £145 would pose ‘a serious safety risk in discouraging owners from making applications and drive work underground’ is offensive and insulting to those engaged in repair or modification of their aircraft. The extent to which any such risk exists is more likely driven by an engineering function which cannot respond in a timely and effective manner to those applications which are made.

Every operator, builder or restorer of a permit aircraft has a huge interest in an appropriately staffed, responsive and effective engineering function. We are told that existing staff in Engineering struggle to provide a satisfactory service and that the Association faces problems of recruitment and retention of staff. We are not told what an appropriate staffing level is considered to be nor what an appropriate budget would be to attain this level. Without this information any changes in engineering fees are a sticking plaster solution to these issues. One hopes that the Board has done the necessary homework.

There are frequent references from our CEO and Chairman to openness and transparency – features notably lacking in the past. If the management was to share meaningful information on projected staffing

and proper costing of the various engineering activities it may find the membership are much less timid in addressing any necessary changes in fees than they have been so far. Malcolm Rogan.

PS: In my past business life reporting 9.9 % of expenditure (in this case approx £150,000) as ‘other’ would never be considered acceptable. It suggests something hidden. We should be told.

Steve Slater replies: Malcolm is welcome to raise these points, but I am a bit surprised that he claims that we are not transparent. The presentation in last month’s magazine, as well as presentations at the AGM and our annual detail run down in Light Aviation in the middle of each year gives us a much higher level of sharing accounts information than most other associations. We’ve been sharing this information with members since 2015.

Of course, the limitations of space do mean we can’t break down all the details, but in answer to his query on miscellaneous expenses, these include extra freelance resources for training, engineering support, quality management etc., bank and credit card charges, asset depreciation, board expenses, donations to outside bodies such as Royal Aero Club and GASCo, costs for advocacy on airfield protection and airspace, and irrecoverable VAT, to name just some. These are all, of course, properly accounted for and budgeted – there’s simply no room to show them on a small pie chart!

Woodcomp propeller bolts

I would like to offer some background to the section attributed to me, regarding propeller mounting bolts in the Engineering Matters section in the January edition.

In August last year while replacing the gearbox on my 912ul I decided it would be a good time to also replace the mounting bolts on my Woodcomp Klassic which had been in use for several years.

When the new bolts arrived I was surprised to see that while they were of the same type and length as the original bolts supplied by Woodcomp, the threaded length was much greater, such that the plain shank no longer passed into the engine drive plate.

This meant that the shear load at the drive plate/prop boss interface was being taken on the much weaker thread root diameter instead of the full plain shank diameter.

My engineering qualifications include materials and stress analysis and I was always aware that setting up a shear possibility in this way was bad engineering practice and I could see no engineering

Left Woodcomp propeller bolts. Also see the update in Engineering Matters on page 26

justification for the change. Therefore I rejected the bolts and returned them to the UK agent for Woodcomp.

rejected using plate

I was also aware of the incidents in the past where Shadow aircraft using Rotax 582/ Precision props had suffered loss of the propeller, when the bolts sheared having been fitted with the shear plane load on the threads in a similar, although not identical, manner in that the bolts were threaded into the drive plate and locked with a stiffnut.

Again, I had occasion to oversee the replacement of mounting bolts in a Rotax 503/Ivoprop set-up where a previous owner had fitted bolts such that the plain shank did not pass through the spacer and resulted in the threads bearing on the engine drive plate, and the wear on the threads at that point was so significant that vibration was being experienced. Replacing these with the correct length of bolt immediately solved the problem.

I contacted Woodcomp Cz directly, firstly to ask why it had changed the bolts to the shorter plain shank version, but also to see if I could be supplied with the original specification bolts.

Its response was: ‘This fact has no effect on the safety of installing the propeller on the engine, as the screw is under tension and the torque is transmitted by friction between the engine flange and the propeller head’. It made no mention as to why it had changed from the original specification.

While their statement is true in theory, in practice there are many reasons to doubt the friction grip as being adequate at all times, For example if the torque is measured at the bolt head and not at the nuts then the friction between the bolt and the holes may significantly affect the result. Again if the bolts are torqued up, say, in winter, will there be the same grip in a high temperature summer?

And of course there is the simple human mistake of using the wrong torque setting or procedure. The bolts themselves may then be carrying some of the load and are in shear. Is it worth the risk?

I put these points to Woodcomp Cz and they have indicated that they understand my concerns, and will source and supply me with the original specification bolts.

It will be interesting to hear what others make of this issue. Keep up the good magazine, well worth the monthly read.

Dave Whitelaw, LAA Inspector and BMAA Senior Inspector.

Straight and Level Updates from LAA HQ

Reasons to be positive Eryl Smith Chairman

Finding inspiration and motivation in the depths of winter can be challenging. As I write this I suspect that many strips and smaller fields are waterlogged, given the significant rainfall and flooding in early January – and elsewhere some hard frosts and snow conspire against the thought of aviating even on the brightest of days. Equally, the thought of spending hours in a cold hangar or workshop needs some resolve!

So January has provided some opportunity to look forward and provide reasons to be positive about 2023.

I am pleased to report that we have had a good response to the advertisement for a new CEO and the recruitment process is well underway. I expect that we will have appointed the successful candidate by the end of February and, publication timescales permitting, carry details of the appointment in the March edition of Light Aviation. A start date will depend on the individual’s circumstances, but the intention is to have the new CEO in post by the beginning of May, having ensured a seamless transition with Steve.

Engineering matters

In last month’s magazine John Viner previewed changes which will be introduced to the Permit system. This reflects one of a number of initiatives being implemented as a result of the improvements now underway, and John explains in further detail the changes being introduced in his Engineering Matters feature.

This month we announce that John Ratcliffe will be leaving the LAA at the end of the month, after 18 months as Engineering Director, to pursue other career interests. John’s remit was to initiate a programme of improvement, which is well underway, and which we will build on. Our good wishes to John for the future. At the same time we have appointed a new airworthiness engineer who will join the team at the beginning of April.

Of course, our Engineering resources extend beyond the key HQ team. Importantly, and often overlooked, is the network of some 350 Inspectors without whom we could not support members with the inspection and permitting of aircraft and the valuable source of information and guidance that they provide to owners.

Since her appointment as Chief Inspector, Lucy Wootton has been very active in getting out and about among the Inspector community. I am delighted that she was able to appoint three new Inspectors at the end of 2022 and, together with other members of the team, delivered an Inspectors’ workshop with a further workshop and the establishment of online training sessions are planned for early 2023.

Strut Leaders Workshop

The first Saturday in January saw Board member and Chair of the Devon Strut, David Millin, leading a workshop for Strut Leader’s. He was joined by fellow directors Ian Sweetland and Chris Holliday, plus a good cross section of Strut Leaders. Anne Hughes’ Struts4U

carries more detail of the meeting. Listening to the discussion I was struck by the ideas and enthusiasm among those present as to how we can bring forward initiatives in 2023 to grow membership and the grass roots activity for the benefit of all. In total we have some 27 Struts and type clubs and, while there are some gaps in our geographic coverage, if you don’t already belong to a local Strut or Type Club why not make 2023 the year that you find out more about your local Strut or make a date to participate in one of the many Strut fly-in events across the year? You will always be assured of a warm welcome!

In addition to Strut events we plan to hold a number of Meet the LAA events in conjunction with local Struts and airfields, and will attend both the Aero Expo and Private Flyer events planned for 2023 at Sywell and Booker/Leeds East respectively as a means of promoting LAA to the wider GA community and prospective flyers. Both events will offer discounted entry for LAA members – look out for more details as the organisers firm up their programmes. Last but not least, we continue to work on plans for our own national event in September and will be announcing our plans in the April magazine.

Ask the Board?

I wrote in my January column that I would set out ways in which the Board could be more transparent and accountable in its activities.

As a Board we meet six times a year, but it is only through the AGM that we report formally to members on the performance of the Association. Acknowledging the need for greater interaction with members we will introduce a quarterly online forum to provide members with the opportunity to engage directly with the Board. In addition to addressing issues and concerns it will ensure that, as directors, we remain in touch with the members we seek to serve and represent. Although the forum will be online (in many ways similar to the virtual pub night) there will be the opportunity for issues for discussion and questions to be submitted in advance and for a summary of the discussion to be published after each meeting.

Entitled ‘Ask the Board’, the first of these forums will take place in early March and further details of the event and how you can participate will appear in the March magazine and via email. I hope you will take the opportunity to participate.

In response to one of the key recommendations in the Fraud Panel Review we have reviewed the Terms of Reference and membership of our Board standing committees; Governance, Strategy & Process (GSP), Finance and Engineering (Airworthiness) and established a further standing committee to address Advocacy and Airspace given the ever increasing challenges these issue present. We will use the forum to report on key activity and include annual reports from the Chair of each committee as part of our future AGM reporting.

In summary, as we start 2023 and look forward to the flying season, plenty to build on and lots to be positive about! ■

build or restoration project

Compiled by Mike Slaughter

Project News

Last month Gary Addison kindly provided an overview of his Zenair 601 HDS project, and it was striking just how basic the level of prefabrication existed in what was essentially a 1980s kit, self-made ribs, hand drawn plans and so on. By contrast, this month Mike Shewan shares his experience of the Zenair CH 650B. From his description, this kit is a step change in the level of prefabrication. Everything pre-formed, no hand cutting of components from raw sheet, and parts pre-drilled. Also, with nothing to fly while his 650 was under construction, Mike outlines how his flying group purchased a used CH 601 HD to keep them in the air.

Now, it may be me, but I’m sure I’ve had the conversation many times with other builders: “…if I built one again I’d do ‘so and so’ differently”. Mike and his father must have been in the enviable position of all that accumulated knowledge of what they’d do differently to their 601 so that they’d get the 650 ‘just right’ first time!

There are plenty of 601s in the UK and they are excellent aircraft with a fantastic panoramic view, and the type has progressed through

a number of variations culminating in the XL. Incidentally, the Sportcruiser shares a large degree of commonality with the XL as well. The 650 is the next logical iteration from the XL. I note from the official Zenair website a claim that the cockpit of the 650 is bigger and has more headroom than its predecessors – and looking at a couple of videos, there certainly is a good gap between the pilots head and the top of the canopy.

I recall flying in a few early 601s and my headset occasionally tapping on the canopy, so I’m sure that the extra height and width is a welcome improvement to type. A quick check on G-INFO suggests just three 650s on the register. Mike informed me that his Mike Sierra (nice) is the first of the UK type to fly. I’m sure we’ll see a steady number of 650s being built, please do take a look at his project update below.

To get in touch with Project News, and tell your story, report a milestone or just to send a picture, email: projectnews@laa.uk.com Please share your story!

G-RDMS (LAA 375-15262) Zenair CH 650B

By Mike Shewan

It started back in 2016 when my brother, who at the time was in the process of gaining his PPL, purchased the barely started 650 empennage kit. He completed that over a period of about a year, he then purchased the wing kit from the UK Zenair agent Metal Seagulls and made a start to that.

As an 80th birthday surprise the family planned to organise a trip to Oshkosh for my father – my brother and I went with him and, during the trip, we visited many of the kit manufacturers, which really inspired me to build an aeroplane one day.

We knew that the 650 build would take my brother a good while, as he was working a rotation in the North Sea at the time, so we decided to buy an aircraft between the three of us until the 650 was completed. We ended up purchasing a 601 HD. By that time my brother had already gained his PPL and my father, also a long-time microlight pilot, was always a keen co-pilot.

Unfortunately, in March of 2020 tragedy struck the family. My brother passed away very suddenly, which was right at the start of the pandemic, so everything stopped at

enjoying some winter sunshine.

the project as a memorial to my brother, and in July of 2020 we moved the part-completed wing to my premises, which has a large double garage.

When we first looked at the plans and all the parts in the box it was daunting to say the least. My father had been helping my brother with the build and we both had experience of building Radio controlled aircraft in the past, so we had a general idea of ‘what goes where’. Apart from that, I had no prior experience of building aircraft.

We spent many hours just looking at the plans and the

Inspiring members to take on their own aircraft

build manual before we even lifted a drill! I also joined the Zenair ‘builders’ page, which has loads of good information. There is no shortage of opinions, as in most forums, but you can certainly avoid ‘issues’ before they develop just by reading other builders’ experiences. I purchased the video build manual from HomebuiltHELP, an American company that basically videos the build of a specific type and provides a running commentary. This proved invaluable, explaining processes in the build manual that are sometimes not so clear to novice builders.

Just like building a house, the foundation is the most important part, if that is wrong then the whole thing will be wrong. Building a flat, level and sturdy workbench is an absolute must… then the fun begins!

The Zenair kit is generally pretty good, there are many preformed parts, wing spars, wing ribs, pre-bent and shaped parts and pre-drilled skins, which are a godsend.

However, pretty much everything else is either angled aluminium or flat sheet. When you build an aluminium aircraft you almost have to ‘build it twice’. Everything is pre-punched and is assembled with clecos, first in a dry run to confirm alignment, then once you’re confident everything is just so, the holes are drilled out to final size. You then dismantle the whole structure and deburr all the holes. At this stage you need to think about corrosion proofing before you put it all back together for the final time and rivet. This is where a lot of time is spent, cleaning, degreasing and then corrosion proofing, which is worth it, especially as our airfield is only a few miles from the coast.

Once the wings were completed that gave us some confidence, so the fuselage kit was next.

This had been ordered a while back from Metal Seagulls. Jonathan and Patricia Porter who run the business, based in Haverfordwest, have been brilliant all through the build. Not only did they supply the kit and engine, but the technical support has been first class. Anytime of the day or weekends, holidays etc, they are generally available, so a big thanks to them!

Another big box contained the fuselage and finishing kits, similar to the wings with a lot of preformed parts and pre-drilled skins etc. With our newly gained skills, it seemed to be a little easier this time. However, a lot of

thought goes into what power plant, avionics and fuel system you are going to install before starting to cut and drill holes. Keeping everything straight and plumb is also challenging, so measure three times and cut / drill once! If you can do that then things generally fit together pretty well without too much fettling.

The bubble canopy is a great feature on the Zenair 600 series, however, it comes from the factory in one big piece, and on the 650 there are rear and forward sections, so cutting the expensive canopy is a delicate operation, measure five times, cut once! Make sure you do it on a warm day and use Plexiglass specific bits to drill out the attachment holes.

We ended up choosing the UL Power 350i engine to power the project, this is a fuel-injected full FADEC unit, no carb heat, no mixture control, just push to go and pull to stop! The installed weight is probably around the same as a Rotax 912 100hp unit, however the 350i has an additional 18hp on top, no gearbox and no water cooling piping or radiators, and the UL Power engine is a wet sump, so no additional oil lines to worry about.

Dynon Skyview was the EFIS of choice, with an MGL

Above Wing construction is very straight forward. By September 2020 the priming is all done and the structure not far from being closed up.

Above The fuselage components come together.

Below The right wing is completed.

Bottom April 2021 and the parts are definitely beginning to look like an aeroplane!

backup ASI and ALT. As with many other parts of the build, a detailed plan of what you want is a must before you start, then you need to figure out how to connect it all together with appropriate safety factors built into the system, circuit breaker rating, wire sizing were things I had to learn – but there is plenty of documentation out there to explain that. I spent many hours going through the UL Power and Dynon installation manuals, which I are excellent, but I do have an electrical background which might have made that a little easier.

Fresh from the paint shop and to the airfield hangar for final assembly, and we were on the home straight! I am lucky to live only five miles from the airfield, but even that short distance makes progress slower without the ability to ‘nip out’ to the garage and knock off a few tasks all adding time to a build. But we were ‘90% complete and so just 90% still to go’, as they say, but a good feeling all the same.

With the finish line in sight, we spent most evenings in the summer getting everything rigged, engine run, calibrations and adjustments. We eventually got there and

with the final weighing and inspection completed, we received the Certificate of Clearance.

We did quite a few fast taxi runs, just making sure everything was tracking as it should and that the engine was performing as expected – and nothing fell off!

Finally, test flight day arrived, a couple of fast taxis, then go for it! Mike Sierra flew beautifully right off the bat, a small amount of up trim in the straight and level condition and it was hands off flying almost immediately. Number one cylinder ran a little cooler than the rest (to be expected), but a little aluminium tape baffle on the cooling fins fixed that. Now to get the five hours flight testing done, I am looking forward to that and being able to get back in the air.

Overall this has been a most satisfying experience for us, sometimes in the mid-winter in a cold garage you think ‘…this will never be finished’, but take a few days off then come back to it and all of a sudden you have an aircraft in front of you. Then all that head scratching and self-doubt fades into distant memory.

We dedicate this build to my brother Derek, where it all started. I know he would be proud of how it has turned out… blue skies brother!

Above The fuselage is coming along well here, canopy and a lot of the engine plumbing is finished, April 2022.

Left An opportunity to personalise the cabin with some trim matched to the aircraft's paint.

Above Setting up the flaps in the workshop.

Above Early fit of the engine - long mount leaves plenty of room for components mounted to the firewall.

Above The scary canopy cut. Drilled and fitted, it promises to provide good headroom.

Above An early test of the neat and uncomplicated instrument panel in January 2022.

Above Mike Sierra looks great with its ULPower engine.

G-OTME Nord 1002 (ME 108)

By Simon O’Connell

In 1942 the manufacture of the Messerschmitt Bf 108 was transferred to SNCAN (usually known as Nord) at Les Mureaux in occupied France. Later, and fitted with a Renault engine, it became the Nord 1001 and then 1002.

This aircraft came in from the USA in November 2014 as a nearly complete restoration. Originally recovered in the mid-1960s from the top of a Shell garage in Marseille, she’s been a slow burn restoration in the USA since the early 1980s. There’s a lovely article in a Californian paper, showing the owner with his project, stating he thought “… the 1981 local airshow might be a bit optimistic but he’d see you there in ‘82!” Last flight we believe was circa 1958 before being dropped from the French register in 1960.

Originally she was restored with a turbocharged Lycoming TIO-540 (as seen in the brown scheme) turning a three blade prop, but we’ve unravelled that to create a

Project Notes

Right Pete Marsden has been in touch with Project News to confirm that the first UK example of a KFA Explorer has now received its full Permit to Fly. While Oscar Zulu is a light aircraft, Pete is currently finishing a second example as a 600kg microlight.

Above left Prior to import, and with a different paint scheme, three bladed prop and turbocharged Lycoming.

Above In the hangar nearing completion, you can just about see that the cockpit has room for four.

Right In the hangar and ready for test flying.

facsimile of G-ETME with her normally aspirated 540. The Lycoming replaced both the original Argus engine of the Messerschmitt or the Renault fitted to the later licencedbuilt Nord.

Her paint scheme is far from original, the current one being applied for a big budget feature film that’s yet to be released. If the film is any good then she’ll likely stay like it, if it’s not then I’m sure some sort of Luftwaffe scheme will be on the cards.

Thanks are due to Adam Lewis for the initial work, Paul Baisden Engineering at Southend for the bulk of the heavy lifting, and latterly the team at Vintage Fabrics for getting her over the finish line. We await reasonable weather and a dry strip for her maiden flight. ■

New Projects Cleared To Fly

Above We saw G-AHHY last month in Project News, but Mike Maddams has sent in a further image of Hotel Yankee enjoying her 80th Birthday flight on the 2 January – 80 but ageless, don’t you think?

If your aircraft has been featured in the New Projects list, please let Project News know of your progress at: projectnews@laa.uk.com

■ Groppo Trail MK2 (LAA 372-15856) 16/12/2022

Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

■ Van’s RV-12iS (LAA 363A-15857) 20/12/2022

Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

If your aircraft has featured recently in the magazine and has subsequently completed its maiden flight, Project News would like to hear from you at: projectnews@laa.uk.com

■ G-BUNA Stampe SV4C (s/n 222) 19/12/2022

Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

■ G-OTME Nord 1002 (s/n 197) 14/12/2022

Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

■ G-RDMS Zenair CH-650B LAA (LAA 375-15262) 15/12/2022

Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

■ G-RUSL Van’s RV-6A (PFA 181A-13522) 15/12/2022

Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

Below RV-6A G-RUSL will feature in next month’s Project News

V8-powered solo

Nigel Hitchman gets an offer of a lifetime to solo a 1929 Command-Aire 3C3 powered by a V8 Curtiss OX-5 engine…

Iwas invited to the fantastic flying days fly-in at vintage aircraft collector Walt Bowe’s ranch at Ala Doble, California in mid-October. I’ve known Walt for quite a few years, ever since he started attending the famous Brodhead, Wisconsin vintage aircraft fly-ins there, flying Denny Trone’s collection of antique biplanes –along with a few other friends, Chris Price, Andrew King and Ted Davis. I have been very lucky to get rides in many aircraft in the collection, including a Travel Air 3000, Waco DSO, Thunderbird, Krieder-Riesner KR-31 and Command-Aire 3C3, the first two Hispano-Suiza powered, the others OX-5, but I’d never flown any of them. Since Denny died in 2008, we haven’t seen any fly-ins

where many of the old water-cooled OX5 and Hisso aircraft have been flying. Sometimes there have been one or two, but that’s been it. Ala Doble promised to be different, with Walt and friends flying many from Walt’s collection. In the end we saw a Hisso-powered Curtiss Jenny and Waco DSO, and OX-5-powered Waco GXE, American Eagle and Command-Aire, as well as a Hisso Standard J-1. There was also an OX-5-powered Alexander Eaglerock, but that wasn’t flying. It was amazing to see seven of these water-cooled V8powered biplanes together, along with many more fabulous vintage aircraft, including an incredible Lockheed Vega, finished in Shell Oil colours, which was

by United Aircraft and Transport Corp, which then became United Airlines.

The following morning, Andrew walked over to me and handed me a flying helmet. “Come on, we’re going flying!” So off I went. I figured it would be something good, but it was way better than I imagined – we were flying the 1929 Command-Aire 3C3.

Some history

The Arkansas Aircraft company, later renamed CommandAire, was formed in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1926. The first design by Morton Cronk was not a success and was extensively redesigned by Albert Voellmecke, who had come from Heinkel in Germany in his quest to find a company to produce the Heinkel HD-40. He wasn’t successful with the latter, but instead decided to join the company – and later became chief designer. After

improving the design and re-organising the company this became the Command-Aire 3C3, featuring a steel tube fuselage and wood wings – no brakes – and a tailskid, and was powered by the Curtiss OX-5. Around 200-250 aircraft were produced before the effects of the Great Depression took hold, and the Command-Aire closed its doors in 1931.

One of the unusual features of the aircraft are the Voellmecke designed, almost full span ailerons, which are effective even below the stall speed – a novelty at the time. Around 10 Command-Aires still exist of which only two or three fly.

The OX-5 was a development of the earliest Curtiss motorcycle engines which Glenn H Curtiss began building in 1902. His success had resulted in him being crowned as the world’s fastest man on a motorcycle in 1907, with a speed of 136mph, a title he held for seven years. The first Curtiss aviation engine was a modified 5hp motorcycle engine, which was fitted in an airship in 1904. By 1906 he had developed an air cooled V-8 engine which powered aircraft developed by the Aerial Experiment Association (AEA), a Canadian-American aeronautical research group led by inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell.

As the engines grew larger, water cooling was developed, and the first OX series engine was produced in 1912 for the Navy Curtiss A-1 Amphibian. This led to the 90hp OX-5 of 1915. The engine featured a single ignition and the valve train had to be oiled and greased externally by hand before each flight. The 8.2L, 90hp engine weighed in at 390lb and would primarily power the Curtiss Jenny trainer – and 12,600 were built between 1915 and 1919.

Above The Command-Aire sits on the grass at Ala Doble ready for flight, the ‘bathtub’ cockpit area is very apparent, as is the wide landing gear, giving it easy ground handling.

flown by Jimmy Doolittle. On the Thursday evening I’d been for a ride with Andrew King in Walt’s Wright J-5 powered Stearman C-3B. This aircraft is painted the colours of Varney Air Lines, which was the original customer for the aircraft. Varney would eventually be acquired

“The 8.2L, 90hp Curtiss OX-5 engine weighed in at 390lb, but burned just 30l/h and had a cheap WW1 surplus cost as low as $20”

While it was big and heavy, thanks to its fairly good fuel economy (30l/h) and its low surplus cost, with almost-new examples selling as low as $20 – many of the early civilian aircraft produced by the big manufacturers of the 1920s used the OX-5, which were fitted in Waco, Swallow, American Eagle, Laird and Travel Air aircraft – the OX-5 became a legendary engine. Even in 1929 more than 2,500 of the 6,600

licenced aircraft were flying with OX-5 engines.

While many were flown across the country in the 1920s, these days most of the OX-5 powered vintage aircraft that are still flown are restricted to local flights around the airfield and local area, although some cross-country flying is still undertaken particularly in the Midwest where there are lots more big fields to land in should anything go wrong.

Below Air-to-air of the Command-Aire in 1996 just after it was restored. Comparing it to the current pictures, you can see what a great job was done and how well it’s been kept.

EAAJim Koepnick

NC583E

NC583E is a Command-Aire 3C3-T which was a two-seat trainer version with a ‘bathtub’ cockpit, with the trainee pilot sitting in the rear and the instructor up front, and are really just separated by a crash pad on a small bulkhead where the instrument panel would be. There are no instruments in the rear cockpit, except a compass fitted low down to the right, almost out of sight, presumably a modern addition just to meet certification requirements. In the front cockpit, there's just the water temperature and tacho on the left and the oil temperature and altimeter on the right, all easily seen around the instructor sitting in the front. The Johnson airspeed indicator is on the wing strut.

Unusually for an aircraft of this era, the Command-Aire has a trimmable horizontal stabiliser, controlled by a handle in the cockpit on the left side below the throttle lever. Also on the left side is the single magneto switch. On the right side is the unintuitive fuel on/off wheel, turn it 90° to turn on or off the fuel, and a choke for starting, although this wasn’t used. Heel brakes have been fitted, which are only really useful for slow speed turning and coming to a stop on tarmac.

The remains of NC583E were owned by noted antique

aircraft collector, Andy Anderson, which included a fuselage with nothing firewall forward, tail surfaces and landing gear, and a set of wings only good for patterns. Andy listed these for sale in Trade-a-plane in 1976 and they were bought by Delta Airlines pilot, Art Knowles, who had been looking for one for a while. Art decided to restore it to its original configuration as much as possible. Collecting parts, he found an OX-5 that Tom Hegy had in Wisconsin, plus a couple of other engines to use for parts, and had Forrest Lovley build up a radiator and sent the instruments out to Vintage Aero in Westport, NY. The wings were built by Shirley Gerard in Art’s hangar, after he had heard that she was building another set of wings for a neighbour at the Justin Time airstrip where he lived. Unfortunately, Ross Perot was in the process of buying up all the local land in order to build the new Alliance airport and Art was forced to move out. He bought a ranch with an airstrip, but this took up a lot of his time, so there was little time to finish the Command-Aire, but in 1992 it was sent to Tom Brown in Unity, Wisconsin to complete, including all the sheet metal parts, covering in ceconite and painting in dope, then putting everything together.

The restoration was finished in mid-1996 and test flown, and then Art took it to Oshkosh where it won Silver Age (1928-1932) Champion. It stayed in Wisconsin for a while at Brodhead and then went down to Texas, where Art flew it for a few years. It was in the Biplane Museum at Bartlesville, Oklahoma for a time, before being sold to Western Antique and Automobile Museum (WAAM) at Hood River, Oregon. Flown there occasionally, it was eventually sold to Walt Bowe over the winter of 21/22 as part of a deal which saw them receive Walt’s Ford

Eric Long, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Above The Curtiss OX-5 engine. A V8 water-cooled engine, in the Command-Aire the radiator is in the nose forward of the cylinders, unlike some other aircraft of the era where it’s above the engine cowling under the wing centre section blocking the forward view. Note the exposed rocker mechanism which must be greased every few hours.

“Unusually for an aircraft of this era, the Command-Aire has a trimmable horizontal stabiliser, controlled by a handle in the cockpit”

Trimotor in return for the Command-Aire, Denny Trone’s old Waco DSO, and a Waco Taperwing.

Present day

Andrew took me through the pre-flight routine and then gave me a briefing on how to fly it. I’ll confess, right now I started to feel a little nervous, as it appeared that Andrew wasn’t actually coming along! “I can’t fly this thing solo straight off,” I thought, never having flown anything powered by an OX-5 engine. With aeroplanes like this, you become really conscious of their rarity. Luckily, Chris Price appeared, and he was going with me. “Great!” I thought! Turned out Chris had never flown this CommandAire either, but had flown plenty of OX-5 powered aircraft and was very experienced with these machines.

Having climbed into the rear cockpit, Chris started to show me where all the controls were… there weren’t many! Where there might be an instrument panel for the rear-seat pilot there's just a cross member mostly covered by crash padding, and on top of which sits a small windscreen. Fuel turned ON, how the trimmer worked, where the single magneto switch was, the aircraft’s small heel brakes and conventional stick and rudder pedals.

Pointing to the airspeed indicator on the right wing interplane struts, ‘minimum 70mph for approach’ was the only important speed Chris had to share. Chris took the front seat of the ‘bathtub’-style cockpit. Pointing to the water temperature gauge, he cautioned that if the water temperature started to get above 180, you definitely want to be landing. Changing to the tacho, he explained we

Above The front cockpit instruments.

Left Johnson airspeed indicator with a vane on a spring, no problems with blocked pitot tubes here!

Below The tandem ‘bathtub’ cockpit layout has no instruments in the back, except the compass that's almost out of view on the right. Below that is a choke control for starting the OX-5 and the fuel on/off control, just a 90deg turn on the knob.

Above On the left of the rear cockpit is a throttle, and forward of that a single magneto switch.

Below the throttle is the trim control, and forward of that is the radiator shutter control, which we left open all the time.

Right The horizontal stabiliser attachment and trim mechanism. The trim lever moves the leading edge up and down, just like on a modern airliner.

Above Nigel in the back and Chris Price in the front get airborne from Ala-Doble’s hard runway at the start of the flight. The rest of the take-offs and landings were done from the grass strip visible in the distance.

Below Another Command-Aire pilot, Bernie Vasquez makes a low, slow flypast at dusk.

might get 1,400rpm on take-off, but as soon as we got airborne and were climbing away, then bring the power back so the OX5 is turning 1,200rpm or less. This is a big, torquey engine, swinging a big prop, so it’s just about picking the minimum rpm to just maintain a positive rate of climb.

Engine primed, brakes on, stick back, throttle cracked, mag on, Andrew swung the prop and it started on the first blade. After a short warm up we made our way to the runway. As there was almost no wind, we took off to the north, away from the power cables at the south end of the runway, planning to land back in the opposite direction, again avoiding the cables. Chris did the first take-off, pointing out the salient facts, and we climbed away, circling back over the field and then did a few manoeuvres to get used to the aircraft. It’s worth me noting here that we weren’t communicating with headsets and an intercom.

This aircraft, like many in Walt’s collection, has no electrics, so it was just pointing to things and shouting, but surprisingly it wasn’t that difficult to hear even with earplugs.

While the Command-Aire is a pretty big biplane, its handling was surprising. It has push rod controls that work well, and while it could hardly be compared to a Bucker or Stampe, it was a lot lighter and smoother than many of its contemporaries, and way more pleasing than the heavy Stearman C3 which I’d flown in the day before. Returning to land on the grass/dirt strip, I watched what Chris did and took note of how the aircraft reacted, flying it nicely down to hold-off height, and a gentle flare to three-point attitude, the wide gear absorbing any lumps and bumps for a soft landing roll.

Time for a quick debrief while we waited for another aircraft to land. Chris said the most important thing, “Don’t get the nose too high, that is what will kill you.”

This time, the Command-Aire was in my hands. My take-off was not quite as straight as Chris’ had been as I got used to the rudder, but it was pretty easy to keep tidy and the tail soon came up. At what I’d describe as a ‘leisurely pace’, we accelerated to what seemed like a good flying speed – I’d like to tell you what that ‘good’ speed was, but I really have no idea as I wasn’t looking at the airspeed indicator and just gauged how the Command-Aire felt through the stick. Then, a gentle pressure back on the stick and we were airborne, accelerating in ground effect and then climbing away. Chris reminded me to get the power back, his finger pointing at the tacho. A few turns got us back into a

Roger Cain

position to land, then pulled the power to idle as we turned base to final for a glide approach. The OX-5 likes to be warmed and cleared regularly with little bursts of power. Your tools at that point are a sideslip if a little high, or a burst of power if a little low, but otherwise keeping that speed around 70. With the sight picture looking good, I rounded out and started to flare. We touched a little mains first, rather than three point, but the skip was minimal and we were soon rolling on all three, with the Command-Aire showing no tendency to head for the weeds, it was quite easy to keep straight. Now roll towards the end and turn around. I managed to find the heel brakes to help with that and then it was time to go again, Chris said everything was good, so off we went for the same again, this time a proper three point landing.

Stopped at the end, the eight cylinders of that OX5 burbling away up front, this time Chris got out. “That last one was great, so don’t do anything different,” he shouted over the exhaust note and slipstream, but did remind me not to forget to clear the engine a little more on idle approach. Earlier, he had briefed me that if the engine did stop, get the nose pointed at the ground and just aim to land straight ahead, wherever I was.

So now I was on my own. Technically all I ‘had’ to do was much the same, and just remember what I’d learned from the last couple of flights. But, it’s fair to say that, now being the sole person in charge, you do feel a bit of responsibility for this magnificent machine. For many years I never even thought I’d be lucky enough to get a ride in one, and now here I was about to solo a rarity powered by a WWI-era OX-5 water cooled engine, which had survived for 90-plus years. I lined up and pushed the throttle in…

I again took off to the north, and turned to the west towards the hills just to fly around a little, before joining back on right base to land to the south. As I was on base, I saw a Waco Taperwing, which might be on left base for the dirt runway or might be going to do a flypast along the tarmac. Not being sure I continued, but after I started to turn final it looked like he hadn’t seen me and was also going to land on the dirt. So being that he was faster, I decided the best thing to do was go-around and start again. Once back on downwind I could see he had landed and the runway would be clear, so started my approach again, remembering to clear the engine and occasionally checking my speed was still good at around 70. Mostly I flew on attitude, all the way down to the roundout and flare, landing slightly main wheels first, but it just rolled on and the tail soon came down, keeping straight – don’t want to mess this up!

Soon we were slowed down and I was adding power again to taxi. While the water temperature had been getting warmer, it wasn’t quite at 180° yet and as the airfield was starting to get busy with lots of arrivals, I decided that one flight was enough.

Back to the parking area, mag off, fuel off – and relax. I was elated! What a great experience and what an honour to get to fly such a rare aircraft. Chris and Andrew were soon beside the cockpit to ask how it went.

I jumped out and wandered off in my V8 haze to find Walt and thank him. I feel very lucky to have some great friends… ■

COMMAND-AIRE 3C3

SPECIFICATIONS

General characteristics

Length 24ft 6in

Wingspan 31ft 6in

Height 8ft 4in

Aerofoil Aeromarine 2A

Seats Two

Empty Weight 1,290lb

MTOW 1,990lb

Useful load 700lb

Fuel Capacity 40 US gal

Price in 1929 including new OX-5 $3350, reduced to $2250 by 1930!

Performance

Max Speed 100mph

Cruise Speed 85mph

Stall Speed 35mph

Stall Speed 35mph

Rate of climb 550fpm

Range 450 statute miles

Engine Curtiss OX-5

90hp.

Fuel consumption 30l/h

Above A view of the nose shows the wide tracked landing gear, the water radiator above the spinner with the shutters full open.

Left The data plate from the Arkansas Aircraft Corporation, features the Command-Aire logo with the model 3C3 designation and serial number 607. Date of manufacture 4-6-29. Engine serial no.3357 is not the one currently fitted.

Coaching Corner…

Importance of lookout

In the second part on the subject of lookout, Head of PCS David Cockburn

pilots

The basic scan pattern can be modified for any situation. Before we deliberately change our flight path we need to check that it is clear. We need to look below us before we descend, which will of course involve manoeuvring to get the airframe out of the way while we scan below the horizon. We need to scan above the horizon, and also backwards, before climbing. While climbing we need to check there is nothing coming towards us from below the nose, so I make about a 20° heading change every 500ft or so. If, before we turn, we work out what visual feature we should end up pointing towards, our scan before the turn can originate from, and return to, that point, and we can avoid looking at the compass while we are turning.

However, experience has demonstrated that a quick look over the shoulder immediately after the turn can prevent a collision with something previously hidden to us under the wing.

Apart from the scan pattern there are several other things to consider. A dirty, dusty, smeared or damaged windscreen will reduce our ability to spot threats, so part of the pre-flight checks should involve cleaning it inside and out (water only, unless you’ve checked the aircraft manuals).

It’s usually easier to remove flies etc. when they are fresh, so ideally cleaning should also be part of the shutdown checks.

And what about our eyes? As we get older, we become more long-sighted. Even though we might be able to pass a medical examination without them, if we find it difficult to read the detail on a map, a set of half moon or bifocal reading glasses can considerably reduce the time we spend looking inside. And despite what we may think about British weather, good sunglasses are a must.

Let’s be honest, concentrating on a lookout scan is pretty tiring. However, lookout becomes even more important when approaching hazardous areas, and if we know we’re close to one of these that can and should encourage us to reinvigorate our scan pattern. Airspace ‘choke points’ such as the Trent valley in Lincolnshire, or

Above Unless other procedures are specified by our destination airfield, we should try to follow the standard overhead join.

the gap between Stansted and Luton, are well known, but at least we have a good idea of the directions where most of the traffic is coming from. We can concentrate our scan in those directions to give a better chance of seeing the threats.

Airprox reports and AAIB collision accident investigations should remind us that airspace is particularly dangerous close to aerodromes. That’s why, when in the vicinity of an aerodrome, we are required to conform to, or avoid, the pattern of traffic formed by other aircraft and make all turns to the left unless the circuit direction dictates otherwise.

However, the primary requirement is to ‘observe other aerodrome traffic for the purpose of avoiding collision’, so we need to be especially cautious when entering the circuit pattern. We must make a conscious effort to identify where everyone else is, and unless other procedures are specified by our destination we should try to follow the standard overhead join procedure and subsequent pattern as detailed in CAP 413 and in the CAA’s safety poster ‘Standard Overhead Join’ (tinyurl.com/mr38ypwz).

If we and others make appropriate radio transmissions in the circuit, these can assist considerably in that observation of other traffic, and if we know what the other aircraft is doing we can allow a sensible amount of space behind it. Other ways to help include flying at the published circuit height – it’s so much easier to see other aircraft at the same height as ourselves.

reminds

that as well as ‘seeing’ – be it with the aid of electronics or not – it’s just as important to ‘be seen’…

“A dirty windscreen will reduce our ability to spot threats, so pre-flight cleaning – inside and out – is vital”

Radio calls can assist in collision avoidance even outside the circuit pattern. If we can detect that an aircraft at a similar level is coming towards us from a specific direction, we can concentrate our scan there, and consequently have a good chance of spotting it before it becomes a real threat. The initial call to a Flight Information Service, or when passing an aerodrome, can provide listeners with that information, so it is always worth making these.

One disadvantage of the ‘listening squawk’ system is that we cannot hear what others are doing outside the controlled airspace, but we should be able to concentrate our scan away from it.

But we can do better than that – and modern technology is wonderful. Radar sets can spot most things which move in the sky. If we can obtain a ‘Traffic Service’ from someone with a radar set, and LARS (low altitude radar service) is free, they can direct our eyes towards anything which appears on that radar seat and might hit us. That tells us where to concentrate our scan.

Unfortunately, the service is not always available (the RAF cannot provide it 24/7 any more), although other radar controllers, perhaps from nearby controlled airspace, may be able to provide the same service.

Sadly, especially in poor weather, the controller has to use ‘secondary’ radar which relies on transponders, which are ideally telling him or her the aircraft’s altitude.

Unfortunately, many of our possible collision risks do not carry transponders, and some pilots (and I seriously hope that does not apply to LA readers) have been known to leave perfectly serviceable ones switched off! Another problem with a radar set is that to prevent ‘clutter’ the ‘target’ needs to be moving at more than a certain groundspeed, which means a slow aircraft heading into wind becomes invisible. And radar services may be difficult to find at weekends.

An electronic collision avoidance system, as fitted to most commercial aircraft, also relies on transponders to provide warnings of possible collisions. Such equipment is expensive and seldom found in aircraft such as ours. We can, however, take advantage of the DfT’s kind offer to contribute to the costs of fitting a simpler form of electronic conspicuity device which can receive signals from aircraft that announce their presence. Sadly, although these may not necessarily rely on a transponder, they do still rely on the other aircraft transmitting its position on a frequency which the device can receive – and not all devices can receive all transmissions.

Being simple devices, even after careful fitting, their receiver (and attendant transmitter) antennas are still likely to suffer from blind spots, so they are not a guarantee of safety. Indeed, as I have experienced myself, they may present their own hazard, in that, pilots can be drawn to look at their screen instead of outside, where aircraft, which do not appear on the screen, are approaching.

Alerting noises are useful, but human factors tell us that, especially in times of high workload, they are not always noticed or correctly interpreted, and again the noise may draw the pilot to look at the screen instead of outside. Although these are useful devices and we should

Above A dirty, dusty, smeared or damaged windscreen will reduce our ability to spot threats – can you spot the traffic? Clue, it’s toward the centre of the picture.

Below Our passengers should always feel part of the crew, and their eyes can help considerably.

fit one if we can, a good lookout scan must still be our primary method of avoiding a close encounter of the solid kind, and we need to learn to include any EC screen as merely one of the instruments to be glanced at.

Even with electronic assistance, it goes without saying that the more eyes looking out the better. Our passengers should always feel part of the crew, and their eyes can help considerably. However, we should be specific about where and how we want them to look, and how to identify threats and report them. Apart from the assistance it gives us, I have found that having something to look at outside reduces the risk of them contracting airsickness.

And of course we want others to see us – if possible, switch on a transponder with the appropriate code and ALT selected, and any other collision alerting transmitter we may have. Think about lights, especially in dull conditions and when approaching hazardous areas. If there’s no LARS available, give position reports to FIS, and to aerodromes you’re passing, and make accurate calls in the circuit. Let’s all try to enjoy our flying for as long as possible!. ■

The latest LAA Engineering topics and investigations. Compiled by Jerry Parr

Engineering Matters

Including: Ikarus C42 wing spar fretting, aileron pushrod corrosion, communicating with your Inspector, ACAM Audits, and changes to the Permit revalidation process

Welcome to Engineering Matters – the section of Light Aviation that is dedicated to discussing all manner of topics concerning both technical and operational aspects of the LAA fleet. We all learn by sharing information, so if you have anything to

say that you think would benefit others, or have experienced an interesting technical issue or component failure, then please contact us with a description of what you encountered and include accompanying pictures. Send your submissions to LAA Engineering at engineering@laa.uk.com

TLAC TIN-05-2022: Ikarus C42 series wing spar fretting

The Light Aircraft Company Ltd have issued Technical Information Notice TIN-05-2022 for the Ikarus C42 Series of aircraft.

This concerns the inspection of the lower wing battens to ensure that the ‘Duck Bill’ plastic batten tips are installed and positioned correctly.

An aircraft was stripped down for the replacement of the wing coverings and it was discovered that a number of the Duck Bills had broken, allowing the battens to fret against the leading edge wing spar.

From the TIN: ‘Not all the broken tips could be found within the wing void indicating

they had either fallen out or been removed during wing inspection. On fabric removal it was found that those battens without tips had fretted against the leading-edge spar.

‘Clear fabric reinforced duct tape had been applied in some positions to mitigate fretting but this had been worn through and material had been worn away from both batten tips and, more significantly, the lower side of the wing spar.

‘On measuring the depth of the damage, it was found to vary between 0.35mm and 0.07mm.

‘The abrasion damage degrades the

structural integrity of the wing spar, both in strength and risk of fatigue cracking. The discovery of this damage may be indicative of a failure to perform proper maintenance and inspection of the aircraft concerned.

The Maintenance Manual contains type-specific inspection checklists of which item 89 of the current issue, Issue VIII Rev 1 refers to inspection of this area.

‘It is highly unlikely that damage of this severity occurred between the 50hrs inspections scheduled for this area.’

For further information download the TIN from the TLAC website.

Above The leading edge spar showing one of the chafe marks from a batten after the Duck’s Bill end fitting had detached.

Above One of the loose Duck Bill’s recovered from inside of the wing.

Above The end of one of the lower battens showing the chafe damage.

Jon Viner: Chief Technical Officer

Permit revalidation process changes

In last month’s Light Aviation I outlined the changes that we’re making to the Permit revalidation process to modernise it and hopefully improve things for all those involved. This article expands on that and gives more details of the process. Technical Leaflet TL 2.00 has been published on our website (search for ‘Engineering’ / ‘Data library’ / ‘Technical Leaflets’), which contains more detail, including some of the less common scenarios that you might find yourself encountering, as well as detailed advice on how to complete each part of each of the forms described below. At initial issue, this contains all the basics but I expect to be up-issuing it as the process matures.

Firstly, it’s worth mentioning that the process initially only applies to aeroplanes: gyroplanes will continue to use the old process until the system for aeroplanes has bedded in and we’ll then look to apply the same principles.

Secondly, we’re aiming to go live with the new system on Monday 13 February – we’ll put an item in the ‘news’ section of the website to confirm this a week or so beforehand. All revalidation inspections started after that date must use the new forms. However, where inspections were started before that date and check flights have yet to be completed, we’ll accept the old forms (by post only, as per the current system).

The new process is based around three new forms, one for each of the participants in the process outside of LAA Engineering:

• A check flight form (form LAA/CFS-1) to record a check flight completed by a check pilot at some point in the 12 months prior to the Permit revalidation application being received by LAA (as long as it’s carried out after the previous revalidation application). This can be submitted any time after the check flight has taken place, but to be received by the LAA no later than one month after the date of the airworthiness review inspection.

• A Permit revalidation application form (form LAA/PTF-REVAL) which is submitted by the owner, to be received by the LAA within one month of the date of the airworthiness review inspection.

• An airworthiness review report (form LAA/ARR-1), which documents an airworthiness review inspection, is submitted by the Inspector, and to be received by LAA within one month of the inspection.

All the forms are available to download from the LAA’s website (search for ‘Engineering’ / ‘Data library’ / ‘Forms, checklists & worksheets’). The forms may be submitted by:

• Printing them out, completing them by hand, signing and posting them to LAA Engineering.

• Completing electronically, printing them out, signing and posting to LAA Engineering.

• Printing them out, completing by hand, signing, scanning and emailing to LAA Engineering.

• Completing electronically and emailing to LAA Engineering.

It’s not necessary for each of the three forms to be submitted using the same method. For instance, your Inspector might prefer to complete their form electronically, while you might prefer to complete your forms manually and post them in. The three forms are reviewed by LAA Engineering and if all is in order a new Certificate of Validity is generated and emailed to the owner.

A special note on submitting documents electronically If submitting any or all of the forms electronically, the forms must be submitted with each form as a separate multi-page PDF document. This is so that the process at LAA Engineering can be kept as slick as possible.

I’m afraid that submissions made using a separate PDF file for each page or submitted as images will be rejected – it simply takes too long for us to assemble the document into something that we

can easily read and store. We’ve created a new email address specifically for submitting Permit revalidation forms: permits@laa. uk.com. Please use engineering@laa.uk.com for all enquiries, whether relating to Permit revalidation applications or otherwise.

PDF documents may be submitted by scanning paper documents using a scanner and creating a multi-page file for each form, and emailing these as attachments. Alternatively, the forms may be completed electronically, saved and attached to an email. When forms are emailed by the signee from their email account, it is acceptable not to include a signature on the form – sending the form by email indicates the sender’s confirmation that the declaration on the form is agreed with.

PDF documents may also be created by scanning paper documents using one of the following mobile phone apps listed in the Technical Leaflet, and emailing the resulting files to LAA Engineering.

Many parts of the process remain the same, including:

• The check flight schedule is essentially the same as before, with a couple of minor adjustments.

• Any pilot with appropriate minimum experience may carry out the check flight.

• Your Inspector will still need to visually inspect the aircraft and its paperwork.

• Inspectors may still issue PFRCs to enable check flights if the previous Certificate of Validity has expired, provided it’s not expired more than 12 months (although this has been moved to a standalone form rather than being incorporated in other forms).

• LAA Engineering will need to issue a PFRC if the previous Certificate of Validity has been expired for more than 12 months. There are a few changes in the inspection paperwork: it’s all stuff that should have been going on anyway, so hopefully no surprises, but it’s more formally laid out to help record what the CAA expects us to do at the time of the Permit revalidation inspection.

It would help your Inspector a great deal (particularly prior to the first inspection under this new regime) to make sure your paperwork is all in order before you pass it to your Inspector

These include:

• Making sure that the airframe and engine logbooks are up-to-date, including the ‘pink pages’ that record mandatory actions (MPDs, ADs, etc).

• That you have the Permit to Fly document and its associate PFA/LAA Operating Limitations document available.

• The weight and balance report is available and reflects the current configuration of the aircraft.

• You have a maintenance programme/schedule for your aircraft and a record of it having been actioned (TL 2.19 discusses how to put together a simple one and the website has sample schedules available – search for ‘Engineering’ / ‘Operating & Maintaining’ / ‘Aircraft maintenance’). The Inspector’s form (LAA/ARR-1) gives a list of the documents they need to check, so it’s worth reviewing that.

Our IT system is also being revised to support the improved process. These changes may not be quite ready to go online for the launch date, but in due course the ‘My aircraft data’ page (viewable when you login to the website) will show owners the status of each of the three elements of the revalidation application.

This data page will also show a field called ‘configuration notes’, which contains some additional data that we note for some aircraft beyond the powerplant, modifications and repairs. For instance, we might note whether the aircraft is the taildragger or nosewheel version of a type that can be configured either way, or we may note whether a Standard Modification has been incorporated. Slightly further down the line, we’re intending for Inspectors to be able to access the ‘My aircraft data’ page for any aircraft, to help them review the configuration of an aircraft before they visit it.

Please take the time to read Technical Leaflet 2.00 and the new forms well in advance of your Permit revalidation being due and perhaps get in touch with your Inspector slightly ahead of when you normally might, so you can discuss how you’ll approach the task.

No doubt there will be a few teething issues, but we’ll aim to resolve those as quickly as possible. We hope the new process will bring benefits all round.

Lucy Wootton:

Chief Inspector Aircraft Continuing Airworthiness Monitoring surveys (ACAM Audits)

Since I started my new LAA role, I have carried out six ACAM audits. Some of you might be familiar with them as your aircraft has been the subject of an ACAM, either by myself or my predecessor, Ken Craigie. However, the majority of owners and many Inspectors will not yet have been involved in the ACAM process. Therefore, here is a summary of what it involves, so you know what to expect if your aircraft is selected.

What is an ACAM? Under the terms of the LAA’s CAA A8-26 organisation approval, LAA Engineering is required to carry out a number of physical inspections of LAA-administered aircraft and their associated documentation.

These inspections are known as ‘ACAM surveys’ – Aircraft Continuing Airworthiness Monitoring surveys. Normally, they are carried out by the LAA Chief Inspector, but may be by one of the other LAA Engineering staff members. The CAA is also required to carry out ACAM surveys and these may be done with LAA Engineering or by themselves.

Normal practice is to have the aircraft owner (or operator) present and also the LAA Inspector who oversees the maintenance of the aircraft.

Most ACAMs are carried out on aircraft holding a current Permit to Fly, although some aircraft ‘in build’ or refurbishment will also be surveyed. It may be that an aircraft is surveyed during its Permit to Fly revalidation inspection, although most will be looked at in-between scheduled servicing requirements.

The surveys are rarely carried out without good prior notice, to enable all parties to be present. Very occasionally, an ‘intelligence led’ ACAM is required at short notice, where there are concerns about a particular aircraft.

Physical Survey

This is somewhere close to a ‘Check A’ inspection, but slightly more in depth. The engine compartment will need to be accessed, for instance, which may require the engine cowlings to be removed if they are not of the opening kind, which allow good visual access to the engine bay.

The airframe is inspected ‘externally’, which means, normally, without removing access panels or disturbing the airframe in any way. The cockpit/cabin is checked for having all mandatory placards and instrument markings present as required. The engine compartment is inspected to ensure that there are no major defects, oil or fuel leaks, and so on.

If any modifications or repairs have been carried out on the aircraft, these will be checked against the files held on record by LAA Engineering, to ensure that they have been embodied as agreed.

Documentation

The aircraft records are checked to ensure compliance with the requirements. The records checked include the airframe and engine logbooks (and propeller logbooks where required), Airworthiness Directive/Service Bulletin compliance statements and associated workpacks. The aircraft document check also includes the Permit to Fly, Certificate of Validity, Operating Limitations, weight and balance etc – all the documents that are normally kept in the aircraft for reference purposes.

LAA Technical Leaflet TL 2.02: Permit Aircraft Paperwork Checklist, details what documentation is required to be kept for an LAA-administered Permit to Fly aircraft.

ACAM Report

After the ACAM has been completed, a report is produced and sent to the aircraft owner and the Inspector who is normally associated with the aircraft.

Woodcomp propeller bolts – update

Following on from the piece in last month’s Engineering Matters, Kevin Dilks (UK importer of Woodcomp propellers) called to say that the new bolts were not actually ‘fully-threaded’ (i.e. technically ‘screws’), but did have a threaded portion of the bolt contained within the hub.

Kevin has been working with Woodcomp to source some screws that are ‘better’ than those currently supplied by Woodcomp from an engineering standpoint, in that, only an unthreaded portion of the bolt shank will be within the propeller hub.

Van’s RV-6A aileron pushrod corrosion

Following a landing incident where a Van’s RV-6A ended up on its back, the aircraft was dismantled for recovery and repair.

Nick Stone, a local (to the incident) LAA Inspector, who was carrying out the task was somewhat shocked to discover one of the aluminium aileron pushrods, severely corroded just inside the fuselage.

It is uncertain what caused the corrosion, but it may have been due to some kind of gaiter/bellows arrangement fitted to prevent an in-rush of (relatively) high pressure air from inside the wing into the cockpit. Whether it created a moisture trap or there was a dissimilar metal corrosion issue between the pushrod and, perhaps, a hose clamp used to secure the bellows/gaiter.

This issue is not one to only affect RVs or even aileron pushrods, and it highlights the problem of inspecting aircraft thoroughly during an inspection where parts of the airframe and components are difficult to access or are covered up.

Above top Van’s RV-6A aileron pushrod showing the severely corroded area.

Above bottom The remains of the gaiter may have been part of the sealing system to prevent the drafts entering the cockpit area.

Standards of riveting

While carrying out the Permit to Fly revalidation annual inspection on a ‘new to him’ Van’s Aircraft RV-7, LAA Inspector, Aaron Cole, discovered some questionable

riveting and in one place, found that there was no rivet used at all – it had instead been substituted with a blob of black sealant.

The issues have since been rectified and it demonstrates that even UK-built aircraft may not be constructed as well as they might.

During an engine ground run, prior to an intended first flight, the propeller hub failed resulting in the propeller parting company with the crankshaft. The pilot, co-owner Gary Priestley, reacted very quickly and shut down the engine without it overspeeding.

The propeller flange was fitted to the ‘back’ end of the crankshaft. A Woodruff key on the untapered shaft drove the flange,

which was retained by a central bolt.

A thread cut on the outside of the flange collar served to encourage oil not to exit the engine.

The flange became detached, as the Woodruff key slot in the

flange had failed, probably due to overload and fatigue.

The key slot in the crank was found to be damaged and may well have been before the ultimate failure, leaving part of the key driving the flange. Additionally, the thread on the collar of the flange may have encouraged fatigue failure.

The engine is to be fitted with new crankshaft and propeller flange.

The aircraft’s other co-owner, Mike Laundy, said that had the failure happened a little later when he was planning to fly the aircraft for the first time, it would have presented him with a somewhat hazardous situation, if it had happened immediately after

Volkswagen propeller flange failure

LAA Inspector Ray Harper reported a recent failure of the propeller mounting flange of a 1600cc Volkswagen engine installed in a T31 motor glider.

Above Examples of the questionable standard of riveting on a UK-built Van’s RV-7.

Right The aileron rod end bearing is riveted into the pushrod – this one had not been done very well.

Far right: There was no rivet in this hole, instead, it had been filled with black sealant.

Left The VW crankshaft Woodruff key slot showing the damaged area.

Below The released propeller flange showing the crack from the Woodruff key slot.

The report will list any ‘findings’, detailing areas that must be rectified (within a stated timescale) and ‘observations’.

‘Observations’ are items that are considered advisory actions with which to be complied.

Common Errors

One of the most common problem areas are missing mandatory placards. The mandatory placards are listed in the aircraft’s specific Operating Limitations document, with further information found in LAA Technical Leaflet TL 2.11: Aircraft Placards, Labels and Registration Marks.

Logbooks are another area where owners and Inspectors tend to struggle to keep everything up to date. It is well worth spending an evening going through the logbooks to ensure all the relevant information is present, which includes the initial pages, the green pages (scheduled maintenance record), and pink pages (nonscheduled maintenance tasks, modifications and repairs).

I intend to provide some online tutorials in the coming months for Inspectors to provide further guidance on how to complete the various sections of the logbooks.

Recent ACAM findings

Spinner cracked and stop drilled.

VNE placard missing from the P1 cockpit.

Main landing gear tyre perished.

Loading limitation placard was for a nose wheel variant – the aircraft was tailwheel equipped.

Mainplane fabric failed a strength test.

Flexible oil line chafing on the oil tank.

‘Occupant Warning’ placard missing.

Logbooks incomplete.

Airworthiness Directive compliance statement incomplete.

Recent Alerts & AILs

Please refer to the Engineering section of the LAA website for the most current information.

Andair fuel pumps and ethanol-based fuels Service Alert Issued 06/10/22: Fuel Pumps

‘This service alert applies to Andair fuel pump models PX375-TC#7 & PX375-TC28v#7. Andair now has a solution so ethanolblends are no longer an issue and ethanolbased fuel can now be used with our pump models. This coincides with some changes in product design and manufacturing processes which were implemented to greatly increase durability, performance, reliability and to incorporate changes needed for ethanol-based fuels, as per service alert (October 2022). Therefore, the revision number has now

LAA Engineering charges

LAA Project Registration

Kit Built Aircraft £300

Plans Built Aircraft £50

Initial Permit issue

Up to 450kg £500

451-999kg £600

1,000kg and above £700

Permit Revalidation

(can now be paid online via LAA Shop)

Up to 450kg £190

451-999kg £240

1,000kg and above £275

Factory-built gyroplanes* (all weights) £285

*Gyros note: if the last Renewal wasn’t

Liaising with your Inspector

It is paramount that aircraft owners work closely with their Inspector to ensure that their aircraft is maintained to the highest standard of airworthiness available.

LAA Engineering recently received a report where an aircraft suffered a propeller strike and the syndicate was hesitant about involving their Inspector. Eventually, the correct procedures were followed.

Maintaining an LAA-administered aircraft is very much a team effort between the aircraft owner(s) and their appointed Inspector (and even LAA Engineering!).

LAA Engineering housekeeping

LAA PO Box/G-INFO Facility As previously reported, the LAA PO Box/G-INFO facility has been withdrawn. Any owner still using the LAA PO Box as the registered address for their aircraft must notify the CAA of a new registered address immediately. Any post sent to the now defunct LAA PO Box number will no doubt be returned to the sender. LAA Engineering Fees Please consult the relevant page in Light Aviation and the LAA website for the revised LAA Engineering fees. Placards Various placards are available through the LAA online shop on the LAA website. Previously, these were available free of charge but the increased production costs have to be covered.

changed and PX375-TC#8 and PX375-TC28v#8 will be distributed as of December 2022.

We are also in the process of retrofitting new components or modifying existing components that incorporate the necessary changes needed for ethanol blends and encourage customers who are concerned they may be affected to contact Andair for guidance on this matter.’

Andair has confirmed that only pumps manufactured to the ‘#8’ specification or that have been returned to Andair for an upgrade should be used with ethanol-based fuels.

Garmin G3X, G3X Touch and G5 with GSA 28 autopilot servos connected to trim actuators

administered by the LAA, an extra fee of £125 applies

Modification application

Prototype modification minimum £60

Repeat modification minimum £30

Transfer

(from C of A to Permit or CAA Permit to LAA Permit)

Up to 450kg £150

451 to 999kg £250

1,000kg and above £350

Four-seat aircraft

Manufacturer’s/agent’s type acceptance fee £2,000

Project registration royalty £50

‘Mandatory’ Service Bulletin No 22112: Automatic Trim/GDU 4xx Reset

In G3X, G3X Touch, and G5 systems with GSA 28 autopilot servos connected to trim actuators, an uncommanded automatic trim runaway may occur when the autopilot is first engaged.

WARNING: Engagement of the autopilot with this condition may result in an uncommanded deviation from the intended or desired flight path.

The G3X Touch display may intermittently reset during flight.

Description: This Service Bulletin contains instructions to load G5, G3X, and G3X Touch (updated) software. All installations must incorporate this update as soon as practical.

Category change

Group A to microlight £150

Microlight to Group A £150

Change of G-Registration fee

Issue of Permit documents following G-Reg change £55

Replacement Documents

Lost, stolen etc (fee is per document) £20

PLEASE NOTE: When you’re submitting documents using an A4-sized envelope, a first-class stamp is insufficient postage.

Five go to Brittany

Duncan Campbell and friends load up their Luscombes (and a Navion) and head across the Channel to France…

It was Nigel Barratt’s idea (I think…) to take a small group of Luscombes to Brittany in June. After some emailing to and fro we knew that our aerial party would consist of four Luscombe Silvaire 8s and a Navion. The broad intention was to spend time enjoying the places we visited, not just to aviate. With our departure set for Wednesday, Tom, based at Barton, plus Pete and Michelle, based at Haverfordwest, were planning to fly down to our strip, Kittyhawk Farm, the day before. I laid in a supply of mogas, on which our Continentals run very happily, and had arranged with our neighbour to put Tom up for the night. Michelle and Pete were going to stay with Deborah and me.

As I waited at the strip that evening, I don’t mind admitting that I felt a bit apprehensive. I knew all of our guests, but hadn’t seen them for some considerable time. Pete had restored a number of Luscombes over the years, but G-AGMI, our aeroplane, had been his first, and I wanted him to feel she had been well looked after. Our A/G crackled and there she was, G-BROO, all beautiful dark red with cream detail, descending over Glyndebourne into our downwind for 34. Though Mike India normally lives in the hangar, I had parked her up on the side of the taxiway to save unpacking the next day, and so we could have a trouble-free departure. Pete and Michelle taxied in and lined up neatly alongside. There was only one other

person on the strip that evening… Jack, who is our unendingly helpful and friendly strip manager who always seems to have the right nut, bolt or tool somewhere in the hangar, and who also flies a Luscombe.

I could tell Jack was impressed, almost drooling over the immaculate paintwork as his eyes lingered admiringly over the stunning dark red and cream detail, just puzzling over why we would choose to go to France, where people ‘speak differently’ and ‘eat strange things’? Jack had left by the time Tom arrived in his beautifully self-restored, intense blue, G-AJKB. Everything fuelled, lined up beautifully – and secured – we drove home and enjoyed a good evening out.

High anxiety

Our route was to take us inland along the coast, overhead Lydd, crossing to Cap Gris Nez and then down to Le Touquet for customs. There are quicker routes, but this would be the shortest sea crossing. One of our passengers was very nervous about flying over the sea, which meant the wisest and most compassionate course of action was to reduce the over-the-sea journey, which would lessen the time spent in the cockpit, and consequently the element of high anxiety.

We took off line astern… at exactly the time indicated on our flight plans, which I think was a first for me! Though

Above Luscombes eading up the coast to Île-d’Yeu.

I have flown in France on many occasions, delays have always seemed to creep in. Being that departure was from my neck of the woods, Deb and I led the flight in Mike India. Heading east, a little north of the coast, I checked that we were still in touch with each other. We changed to London Information and I requested that our flight plans be opened. Working out that we were travelling together, the controller suggested that we take the name ‘Luscombe Formation’, and assigned a squawk to me. It made everything so much simpler. Aware that we were on a busy frequency there was no chat between us, until a mildly exasperated voice pleaded that I go a little faster as he was, ‘falling out of the sky’. I obliged, but had more revs going than I usually did in the cruise. We were greeted as ‘Luscombe Formation’ at the FIR boundary, and the same again as we were picked up by Le Touquet. A mild glitch appeared when my transponder went on the blink and, for that last leg, at the request of the Le Touquet controller, Pete picked up the squawk and led us in, line astern.

On the ground Pete and Tom asked why I had been

Above Kittyhawk Farm line-up.

Below Dassault Flamant, one of five being restored at Alençon.

going so slow. “I wasn’t,” I said, “my ASI showed 110mph!”. When they’d stopped laughing, we exchanged more details about power settings and ASI readings, and it was very apparent, comparing my figures with theirs, which were the same, that my aeroplane was flying with an over-reading instrument and on much lower power settings.

With no comparisons and an aeroplane that flies so beautifully, there had been nothing to indicate this. I could see how it had happened. We had replaced two cylinders and our ASI at the same time, and we naturally thought we were going faster because we’d given our engine a treat! As we rarely went straight from A to B in still air, flight times hadn’t really shown the discrepancy. Pete told me that, after rebuilding Mike India, he had flown her for some time and he used to cruise at 2,250rpm, sometimes 2,300.

The group that bought her from him dropped that to 2,150 and, in my time, we had dropped it still further, achieving a splendid 16 litres per hour. Over the trip, there was plenty of opportunity to check things against the three other Luscombes, and from Le Touquet onwards I used more revs and achieved greater airspeed, more cockpit noise and greater fuel consumption… but at least I was able to keep up! Have to do something about that ASI, though…

We filled up at Le Touquet, stopped only long enough for coffee and took off for Alençon. Shortly after take off we overflew Eu Mers Le Tréport. It is an intriguingly neat tarmac strip on top of the cliffs. I visited there in 2011 and learned from the clubs that operate it that it had previously been a satellite military strip but had been sold to them for one euro a few years before, on condition that it be kept in good repair. Such a contrast to the steady erosion of airfields we are witnessing in the UK.

Somewhere over northern France a buzzard appeared from nowhere a few feet ahead of us aiming straight for the cockpit. Our closing speed must have been something like 140mph. My immediate instinct was to bank away to avoid a bird strike but, that being overlapped by the chilling realisation that I had no idea exactly where Pete and Michelle, and Tom, were at that precise moment, I held the course and just blinked as the bird banked sharply to its right and skimmed past our port wingtip. Deborah gasped, and so did Tom, as the buzzard narrowly missed him. I think it was just trying to warn us off, but it could have been messy.

Replica Dewoitine 510

We landed at Alençon in an extended stream and were met by a very friendly man who was clearly delighted to see us and who enthused about our three Luscombes. We asked if we could refuel at the club pumps, and he agreed but first, he said, he wanted us to see something. He led us over to the hangar he had been working in and proudly showed us the full-size replica Dewoitine 510 on which he was working. There, on its own wheels stood the large, open cockpit, low-wing 1930s fighter he had built and was now restoring to flying condition. He told us he had lent it to a friend and it had come back bent. “Could we fuel now?”… “Yes, yes, yes... all in good time… I must show you something else…”. He moved on to the next hangar.

“Somewhere over northern France a buzzard appeared from nowhere and tried to aim straight for us…”

Outside was a silver light twin with two fins and French Air Force markings… a Dassault Flamant (Flamingo). These were transport and liaison aircraft built shortly after WWII.

I suppose they might have been the equivalent of the Anson, but they seemed bigger and had a tricycle undercarriage. He pointed across the taxiway at two others and then led us into the hangar to indicate yet two more in different states of repair. He beckoned down from his ladder the older man working on one of the Flamants, who was followed by his son from the inside of an immaculate Broussard that looked as if it had just rolled off the production line. He introduced us. They browsed over our Luscombes making contented noises and we refuelled, while Deb wandered off to the supermarket. It had been a charming, though slightly longer stop than we had envisaged. Still, there was plenty of time and, refuelled – aeroplanes and people – we took off for Saumur, our destination for the night.

Approaching the airfield, I blind-called our intentions. Downwind, we could clearly pick out the chunky mass of James and Catherine's Navion, as well as the more delicate shape of Nigel and Steph's silver Luscombe parked on the apron. They had coasted out at Swanage and come direct to Cherbourg and then to Saumur. Nigel had thoughtfully put a big notice inside his cockpit advising taxi numbers. We were tired and thirsty after our long flight and decided to leave refuelling until the following day and get straight on to ordering taxis. I dialled both numbers, getting automatic ‘out of order’ responses for both. Plan B (always have a plan B!) ... find a friendly human being and request help. There was no-one about on the apron but, trying the clubhouse door, I found someone inside, standing behind the bar. She was very willing to try for a taxi on her own phone and was immediately successful in arranging for a people carrier to collect us in about half an hour. I thanked her and asked, “I don’t suppose the bar’s open is it?”... “Of course…,” came the reply!

Deborah, Tom, Pete and Michelle were busy cleaning flight grime and the insect collection off the fleet, when I told them the taxi would arrive in about 30 minutes. Tired resignation gave way to smiles at the realisation that cold beer was available in the clubhouse. As they crossed the apron, and I passed them on my way to unload Mike India, I reflected that functioning as the group interpreter could see me bringing up the rear quite a lot over the next few days. I did get my beer, though.

Saumur is a pretty town on the Loire. Sadly, some of us were to spend less time there than anywhere else on our trip, having had such a long flying day to get there. Once linked up with our fellow travellers at the hotel, we strolled around the town, loved the colourful display of hovering parasols above the high street and found L'Auberge St Pierre, a reasonably priced restaurant with a heaving outside terrace – always a good sign. I approached the serveuse who looked like she was overseeing proceedings and asked if she could accommodate nine of us. She looked doubtful. I said we were British aviators who had only just landed and I regretted that booking ahead hadn’t been possible. Immediately, extra tables and chairs were produced and put together to make a long banqueting table. The red

Below Two of the five Flamands being restored at Alencon. Bottom Street furniture at Saumur.

wine lovers among us drank the local Saumur Champigny, which was plentiful and reasonably priced. As in many wine-producing areas in Europe, local vignerons, often small family businesses, cannot produce enough to meet the demand of big suppliers, so they sell direct to visitors or to the local co-operative or, as in this case, to the local restaurants. The mark-up is reasonable and the wine is fine. I should perhaps add, for the benefit of any concerned readers, that the issue of ‘bottle to throttle’ time was aired adequately. As we ate, a hot air balloon drifted slowly in the still air above the rooftops.

Lure of the Loire

As day dawned we met up downstairs, some heading for breakfast by the beautiful Loire, while others, still weary from the day before, were content to go no further than the hotel dining room. Our plan for the day had originally been to fly to the Ile d’Yeu and then, after exploring the island,

“They browsed over our Luscombes making contented noises…”

to swing back to Les Sables D’Olonne, where we were already booked in for the night. The forecast and the skies above us suggested that it was to be one of those days when the weather could swing either way. Our destinations being coastal, we decided not to risk a night on the island (it may have an airfield but it’s not very big) but to head straight for Les Sables D’Olonne and keep Ile d’Yeu for the day after.

We had all agreed to fill up whenever the opportunity arose. Nigel was the first at the pump with BRUG. It was equipped to dispense fuel with a credit card as well as the ubiquitous Total card. Once filled, Nige pushed his aeroplane back and we rolled Mike India into place. I put in my own card. ‘Sorry’, said the message on the screen, ‘... this facility is no longer available’. Time to find a friendly local again. While we had been trying to refuel, a young man appeared and rolled out his Robin. He had already been diverted from his task by Pete, who had persuaded him to open the clubhouse and retrieve the hat he had left in the bar the night before. I explained our problem. He telephoned the pump engineer who told him that his remote monitoring system indicated that the credit card facility had malfunctioned but the pump would still dispense fuel using the club code. And so, we all refuelled, paying the club in cash for what we had received. By the time we took off, James and Catherine had still not appeared but they knew where we were going and would soon catch up in their powerful, Mustang-winged Navion.

From Le Touquet to Alençon and from there to Saumur, Tom, Pete and Michelle and Deborah and I had flown in uncontrolled airspace, adopting a loose cluster and, when necessary, communicated with each other on 118.00. We

were to learn fairly quickly that this was not a good frequency to adopt, many local airfields using a frequency close to that with consequent bleed. I also monitored Auto Information 123.5, the French equivalent of our Safetycom, listening out for any possible conflict with local traffic. Our next leg, from Saumur to Les Sables D’Olonne, was again to be clear of controlled airspace. By now, we had found that 123.45 seemed to be a frequency that no-one else was using and, from then on, that became our in-flight communication channel.

Formation flying

We took off in an extended, staggered line astern, and Nigel and Steph took the lead. I was ‘tailend Charlie’. This was to be my introduction to holding formation over an extended period (not close formation, I hasten to add!). In the past I had unsuccessfully sought an introduction to formation flying with my then excellent taildragger instructor but it is not easy to assemble instructors, similar aircraft, a like-minded pilot and the weather to be in the same place at the same time. The planets just never aligned… (and before anyone suggests it, I no longer have the funding to take myself off to one of the excellent training organisations dedicated to such learning). We formed up in a starboard echelon and I worked hard at holding position, to the right and slightly above Tom, very visible in his bright blue Luscombe. Inevitably, given the gusty conditions and the thermals (cloud base was low and we were rarely above 2,000ft) I watched my three colleagues going up and down ahead of me, awaited my turn and learned a lot about how much wake turbulence can be created by three Luscombes! Our formation skirted several towns, strips and places to avoid, passing them on the left. This often meant that, being on the far right, I had to cut across to the left to avoid overflying, letting Tom know I had changed position and advising him when I was back in formation. It is perhaps worth saying at this point that the French regulations require powered aircraft to be 3,300ft above quite small towns. The charts show such towns in bright yellow and define them as being between 1,200 metres and 3,600 metres in width – and that’s not very big at all. Somewhere south of Cholet, James tried to find us and, not doing so, continued on alone to Les Sables D’Olonne.

A wide berth

Shortly before our destination, our direct route would have taken us overhead the airfield at La Roche Sur Yon. The chart showed that gliding, parachuting and aerobatics all took place there, so we would either have had to give it a very wide berth indeed – or negotiate. I called Nigel and suggested that I talk to its information service and request transit... and possibly a low pass along its 1,500 metres of hard runway? He agreed. The man in the tower also

Above Steph’s shot of Luscombe Formation from G-BRUG.

Below Low pass taken by Steph from BRUG.

“We formed up in a starboard

echelon,

and I worked at holding

position,

to the right and above”

agreed without hesitation and was clearly enthusiastic about four UK aircraft doing such a thing but was unsure what type we were. I explained, and he was very keen, advising us to make our pass along Runway 28 and asked that we give him two minutes’ notice of our arrival. We passed at about 50ft above the runway in a shallow echelon, not far off line abreast, a wonderful experience. Not sure what it looked like from the outside, but he thanked us warmly for our visit.

Refuelling facilities

Landing at Les Sables D’Olonne we were more than ready for a light lunch at the restaurant by the entrance to the airfield before heading into town. James and Catherine had already arrived and were standing somewhat disconsolately outside the faded facade of a restaurant that had clearly been deserted for some months. The others summoned two taxis while I went in search of refuelling facilities. There was a pump, but no-one to talk to, so I made a note of the telephone number on the wall outside the Aeroclub and resolved to call after the extended lunch period. The two taxis arrived, each fitted out to seat four people. The problem was that we were nine. The cost of taxis in France being significantly greater than in the UK we didn’t really want to request a third. The taxi drivers explained that it could cost them their licence if the police clocked that they were overloaded but, after some negotiation, they allowed Steph who, in the nicest possible way was the least substantial member of our party, to lie horizontally across the laps of the rear seat passengers. In this interestingly unconventional manner, we arrived at our hotel.

Help on hand

As we strolled into town, I called the number I’d noted down and a very hospitable man offered to drop everything and shoot up to the airfield immediately to refuel us. As we had already left we agreed to meet the following day at the airfield between 1030 and 1100 when he would help us with refuelling. We found a café with tables and chairs grouped on the square outside the Hotel de Ville and ordered coffee, excellent crêpes

Above left Steph at Les Sables D’Olonne (Nigel’s en route dry cleaning method plain to see).

Above right A very contented and refreshed Tom at Les Sables D’Olonne.

Below Tom in KB, and Pete and Michelle heading up the coast to Île-d’Yeu.

and beer. Deb wandered off to find a cashpoint and to explore the shops. She had been finding the 1940s door fitting in Mike India slightly lacking in the draught-exclusion department and she came back with a bright blue number that did the job well –and looked great. We all wandered off in different directions to check out the town and seek out restaurants that might suit, having agreed to meet up back at the hotel before heading out for the evening. Nigel had found what turned out to be a very good family run Italian restaurant and, after a pre-prandial beverage or two, we dined magnificently.

Arriving at the airfield the next morning, a number of local flyers were there, all keen to look at our aeroplanes and help us refuel. ‘Mmm… train classique’ nodded one, approvingly. An aeroplane that was not a Luscombe taxied out and roared overhead, circling to come back down the runway at speed and low level. In the Aeroclub office, some grunted approval while others looked less than impressed. I cautiously suggested that we also might like to do a low run in formation after take-off, but only if they were OK with it. They were, but, unlike the recently departed aircraft, only if we genned up on the bird sanctuary and noise sensitive areas and scrupulously avoided them. Nigel, who would lead us, checked the plates in the office and we took off, circled, returned at low level past the waiting cameras and, as we pulled up and away, were rewarded by sincere thanks and ‘Bon voyage’ over the radio.

Salt on the tyres…

It wasn’t far to the Île-d’Yeu, and the sea crossing part is about the same as crossing the Solent to the Isle of Wight… but the Île-d’Yeu is a lot smaller, about five nautical miles long and two wide. We circumnavigated its beautiful rocky shores. Oscar Oscar and Kilo Bravo went on ahead, and Nigel and Steph dived down to take a closer look at the geology and get salt on their tyres, while Deb and I kept a safe distance above them.

Nigel had thought that it may be possible to rent bicycles at the airfield to get down to town but, as we parked and wandered over to the tower, there seemed to be no-one around and the bicycles were all locked up. I went exploring the buildings around the base of the tower and found a charming gentleman, probably in his ninth decade of life, in a small but well-equipped lounge. He was

delighted to see us. He said that he was about to go down to town and could give three of us a lift, but only three as he had a small car. I’d noticed a bus stop adjacent to the tower and asked if buses ran today. Yes, he explained, the 1130 (an hour previous) and it would be back at 1700. The bicycles were all already committed. He assured us that the town was only about three kilometres away, well probably four although, come to think of it, it was more like five. There was only the one road down so we couldn’t go wrong and, anyway, here on the Île everyone who lived here stopped if they saw somebody thumbing – it’s just what they did here. Learning that we were coming back and flying out the same day, he gave me a guided tour of the lounge, and then the fridge, pointing out the milk, the tea, the coffee, the various soft drinks, the price list and the honesty box on the wall. Oh, he paused, pointing at a single pipe rising from the sink and topped by two taps… this left-hand tap is cold water and this, gesturing to the right-hand one… is cold draught beer. For good measure he sprung the tap to prove he spoke the truth. He said he would leave it all open for us so we could get some refreshment after our six kilometre walk back and before we took off.

Above Deb and me in the venerable old lady of the fleet (1941) over Île-d’Yeu.

Below left Walking to Port Joinville (L-R Nigel, Steph, Pete, Tom, Michelle, Deb).

Below right Ice-cream contentment in Port Joinville.

Pleasure craft

We set off and found the town, Port Joinville, where we bought ice-creams and sat on a huge beam, slurping our ices and gazing at the shuttle ferry and pleasure craft in the harbour. It was at this point that Nigel announced that he thought we should take off for Quiberon in about an hour. As it had taken us the best part of an hour to get down the hill to the town the best bet seemed to be to find a taxi to get at least some of us back. I crossed the road and asked the girl who shortly before had sold us the ice creams. Starting with, “There aren’t any…”, she remembered she had a local services pamphlet and found the numbers for two taxis which ply their trade on the island. I phoned. Both were in Paris…

‘Lost’… in France

We started walking, thumbing as we went. The walk gave ample opportunity to look at the scenery. The whitewashed shape of the houses recalled Greek villages and the proliferation of Breton names made it seem that we were somewhere other than France. Inevitably, our group stretched out and then fragmented into smaller groups no longer in sight of one another. The solitary road that had led down to the town seemed to have acquired a number of junctions on the way back and Deb and I soon found ourselves isolated.

I stopped to look at a sign on a post and it clarified that, sure enough, there was a system in place on the island whereby residents could apply for a free card that guaranteed their moral rectitude, and thumb a lift from any other resident.

The fly in the ointment was that, in the summer, the island is populated by holiday makers in rented vehicles either unaware or nervous of this system. We heard the faltering note of a not-very-well vehicle approaching. I stuck out my thumb. A faded, battered car drew to a halt beside us and a young builder swept aside the tools on the seats and willingly agreed to give us a lift to the airfield. We were the first to arrive.

As our friendly gentleman had said, the door to the lounge was open and we poured out glasses of cold water and sat in the sun waiting for the arrival of the rest of our aeronautical family.

“This left-hand tap is cold water and this, gesturing to the right-hand one… is cold draught beer”

Aviation museum

Our flight to Quiberon took us by St Nazaire and over some spectacularly flooded areas. Beyond La Baule, the coastal plain is given over to the cultivation of something in well-ordered beds, but there was also evidence of flooding beyond that. Later, at Quiberon, a family friend of James’ confirmed that there had been a lot of rain and consequent flooding in the area. Preparing to write this account, I learned that La Baule Aeroport, which we passed by on our journey, is the home of an aviation museum and that the town and beaches have much to offer. Perhaps a fine destination to explore another time?

English? Please stay…

The unmistakably muscular profile of James’ and Catherine’s Navion was already evident when we arrived. They were in the clubhouse and we all refreshed before heading off to our lodgings for the night, the gloriously appropriately named Hotel Albatros. We seemed to have acquired a post-landing routine by now. A quick freshen up, then a walk to take in the air, scout for a suitable restaurant, a convivial bar, then food. We sat down at some outside tables overlooking the beach, where preparations were ongoing for some big sporting event on Saturday. The serveur approached and, in French, asked if we would like some menus. I replied that we were just in the mood for drinks and he said that the tables were reserved for diners and politely asked us to vacate. I was explaining this to the others when, again in his mother tongue, he questioned whether we were English. As I confirmed that most of us were, but two were Welsh, he said that, in that case, we must stay in our seats. Now, whether this was because he was an Anglophile or because his experience had been that Brits spend vast amounts of money on alcohol while eschewing French cuisine I will never know, but it was a fine spot in which to relax. The restaurant we had chosen was, overall, nothing particularly special, but the beef I had chosen was beautifully tender, and the wine was good.

The following morning, Tom, Deborah and I sat on the hotel balcony eating breakfast and watching Nigel, Steph, Pete and Michelle sitting by the beach munching pastries.

It began to lightly rain, but enough to drive them to shelter. We continued to munch contentedly and perhaps, I confess, a trifle smugly. We weren’t planning to book out too early as we only had one leg to our final stop in France, when we would leave Brittany for Avranches in Lower Normandy. Later, we strolled into the main square, where a market was in the final stages of setting up. For Deborah, street markets are as powerful as a magnet is to iron filings. She dragged me over in her wake and, though she always seems to me to be hell bent on emptying the joint bank account single-handed, I have to admit I bought a Breton fisherman's long sleeved t-shirt for me. Of course, that’s different though…

Above The spectacular water beds near St Nazaire.

Below The distinctive machismo of our big brother Navion, flown by James and Catherine, owners of Farway Common.

We walked back to the airport and I went up to the control tower to pay my landing fee from the day before, and to negotiate fuel for us all. The €10 landing fee seemed reasonable, but there was an additional €10 to pay for overnight parking. Still not bad, I thought. The very helpful woman locked the control tower (it was now closed for lunch) and we wheeled our aeroplanes over to the pumps. Refuelling completed, we followed her back up the external spiral staircase to the door of the control tower. There then followed a scene that would have been worthy of a Jacques Tati Monsieur Hulot film. The key turned uselessly in the lock. One by one, the massed testosterone on the staircase behind her moved up to have a go… to no avail. We had to go so we moved back downstairs to the bar where we paid cash for our fuel. As we prepared to leave, our helpful controller was wondering how she was going to manage the anticipated Saturday afternoon rush with just a handheld and no board on which to keep track of movements. As we climbed away, she called on her handheld to wish us well. It was only later I realised that, in her consternation, she had completely forgotten to ask my colleagues for landing or parking fees.

“The €10 landing fee, plus an additional €10 to pay for overnight parking, seemed reasonable ”

Mont Saint-Michel

You can spot Avranches from a great distance, marked as it is by the mass of Mont Saint-Michel arising out of the estuary. It really is the most stunning sight and though I was at Avranches last year, I never had the opportunity to fly around it. It does have its own exclusion zone, occupying a radius of about one-and-a-half nautical miles and not below 3,000ft, but that still gives the opportunity to circle and get some splendid photographs. Tom and I did just that, while the others landed. James and Catherine, in our friendly Navion, were no longer with us, having gone on to the Channel Islands.

The clubhouse was open and Madame, who has been there for longer than anyone can remember, was happy to serve us cold beers.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry signs in…

We were in no rush and sat, chilling in the sun (can one chill in the sun?) and chatting. Madame wanted us to fill out the visitors book and admire the old entries. The book is old and a little tatty, but since its first entries were made in the 1930s, this is hardly surprising. A few pages in is an entry by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry recording his arrival at Avranches on the 20th August 1937. Many people who have no interest at all in aviation will know his book, The Little Prince, translated into many languages and popular with children across the world. He also wrote, Wind, Sand and Stars, Night Flight and, Flight to Arras, all wonderful books detailing his life between the wars flying in France, Argentina and North Africa in very challenging conditions and, when flying the mail, often for lengthy duration. He won a number of literary awards and, in my very insignificant personal view, even after all this time, his books about flying remain among the best. He had joined the Armée de l’Air before WWII broke out and, when France declared an armistice with Germany, joined the Free French Air Force in North Africa. In 1944, flying a P-38 Lightning on a reconnaissance mission, he disappeared over the Mediterranean. His ID bracelet was found by a fisherman in 1998 off Marseille and the remains of the aircraft believed to be his subsequently found and retrieved. With

the occupation of France, the Avranches visitors book was spirited away and hidden, because it could have identified qualified pilots who might be fighting with the Free French, and thus their local families. The book shows no further entries until cessation of hostilities. I sat for some while trying to interpret the handwriting that indicated what type of aeroplane Antoine de Saint-Exupéry had been flying.

Sherman tank

When we were ready to leave, I enquired about taxi numbers and began to work my way through them. Either no pick-up at all, or a polite, ‘I’m in Paris on a job’… One of the flying club members stopped me and said he would drop us off at the hotel. Then a second stepped forward and made the same offer. Hotel Patton, was situated mere metres from the memorial to the Normandy landings, on a roundabout, and easily identifiable by the Sherman tank in the middle. As we drew to a halt, our driver said he would be happy to pick us up at when we wished the following day and take us to the airfield. He said that local taxi drivers were simply not interested in the short trip to and from the local airfield and that it was a pleasure to help.

Hanging ivy – and more!

We scrubbed up and set off for a bar that Nigel knew, scouting on the way for suitable restaurants. We found the low doorway to the ground floor of L’anticario, further encumbered by plants and curtains. The menu outside was handwritten in an old school exercise book. It looked good. We bent down past the hanging ivy and entered the gloom. There seemed to be only two or three small tables there, all vacant. Suddenly a head cocked sideways appeared through a waist-high serving hatch in the wall and said, “Yes?”

“Do you have a table for seven?” Back came the affirmative reply. A hand appeared and pointed at the ceiling and then over to a corner, then hand and head disappeared. In the darkness we made out the first step of the tightest winding spiral staircase you’ve ever seen. Upstairs other diners were busy

eating and chatting and we found the perfectly sized long table and made ourselves comfortable. In fairly short order our hatch man appeared and handed out more exercise books. He was of medium height with sparkling eyes and straggly, dark hair, not unlike photographs I have seen of Rasputin. The food was excellent and, having settled up, we went to leave.

Our host was having none of it and encouraged us down the tight spiral staircase to the basement. At the bottom was yet another dining area. As our eyes became accustomed to the dark, we could first see diners at the tables and then the hundreds of bras hanging from the ceiling, draped over the tables and chair backs. Our host produced a bottle of scotch, filled glasses and we drank to each others’ health before heading back to the hotel.

Sea crossings

Sunday morning, the day planned for our departure back home was not particularly good weather wise. Deborah has never been a natural flyer, disliking both sea crossings and bumpy, turbulent flights over land. We decided we would stay another day. Pete and Michelle, who had to factor in their extended journey up to Haverfordwest also decided to stay on. We bid farewell to Nigel, Steph and Tom who arrived at their respective destinations having experienced weather that was perhaps marginally better, rather than worse, than that forecast.

Our extra day enabled us to walk the town, explore the Jardin des Plantes (tranquil and beautiful), cathedral and, by chance, find another excellent restaurant – La Table du Thé, where we ate another superb meal.

The following morning looked equally as gloomy but we took a taxi to the airfield and sat and waited. We had decided we would take the longer sea crossing, coasting out from Cherbourg. A microlight arrived from the direction we were going in. Yes it wasn’t bad, maybe about 1,000ft overcast cloud base. The problem was that he hadn’t come far and the TAFs showed this all the way to Cherbourg, and there were some 700ft high spots on the way. We waited. The microlight pilot had come in to do a Baptême de l’Air (maiden flight) with someone and he and his family all sat at a table discussing the flight. Eventually, they all packed up and went home. We thought about eating but no food was served at the clubhouse. The TAFs progressively improved marginally but not enough… but they, and the Metars, all seemed to be automatic, so I telephoned Cherbourg Tower. The reality was much better so, with a plan B in the pocket, we headed for Cherbourg. We were certain that we would be welcomed by Luc and Edith at Le Coucou and dine well before heading back across the Channel.

Cherbourg was quiet. The restaurant was shut because Luc and Edith had gone to the UK to visit their daughter and new granddaughter. We were refuelled by a Sapeur Pompier (a bit more than a fireman), passed through the empty Douanes control point (the small team now covers a huge area, policing seaports and airports, and pops in from time to time), and paid our landing fees to the same Sapeur Pompier. Incidentally, at €2.08 Euros a litre, this was the cheapest avgas we had encountered, nicely countering the 2.44 per litre we had paid at Le Touquet! Two young pilots who had arrived in a Cessna told me that

they had come expressly to eat at Le Coucou. They asked me if I knew of any other places serving food nearby. I didn’t, but offered to ask our friendly Sapeur Pompier. He advised that a taxi trip to Cherbourg at around €30-40 was the only other option… but that they would be delighted to offer us tea or coffee on the house. He locked up and we repaired to the hospitality suite.

Isle of Wight looms large

Our flight back to the UK went rapidly. We had a tailwind and, after parting company with Pete and Michelle mid-Channel, I was surprised when the white cliffs of the Isle of Wight appeared so soon.

We landed at Goodwood, closed our flight plan and starving by now, headed to the restaurant. It was closed. We took off for Kittyhawk and, with a stonking crosswind, threw away two landings before making it safely down. We cleaned Mike India and headed for The Ram at Firle. There we ate for the first time in 12 hours.

Below The bra bar!

Bottom The South Downs approaching Kittyhawk Farm.

Pete and Michelle spent a further two days at Oaksey Park waiting for the weather to clear enough for them to return to Wales.

It had, indeed, been a splendid few days! ■

TESTED

The latest aviation kit put to the test…

Lightspeed Delta Zulu

FROM £1,195 www.lightspeedaviation.com

It’s always interesting when an active noise reducing (ANR) headset comes on the market, leading to hopes rising of finally overcoming the distraction and discomfort of noise in our aircraft. Last autumn

Lightspeed launched its newest headset, Delta Zulu (DZ). It is the first of a line that Lightspeed calls safety wearables which features CO (carbon monoxide) detection alerts built into the unit. They also included another less heralded, but to me much more important feature, HearingEQuity, which is intended to improve speech clarity beyond that achieved

by ANR, through customising the response of the headphones to individual hearing. Ed the Editor managed to acquire a set and asked me to review it.

What I bring to the party is ‘age related’ hearing loss, which, DZ claims, it can alleviate. But before digging out the measuring tools, I flew with it to see if I could detect any significant difference – with most top of the range headsets I can’t. I used the Bluetooth connected app to set DZ up for my ears, presented it with a challenging scenario (a female co-pilot in my noisy RV-6), removed

01 Delta Zulu is similar in feel and appearance to its Zulu predecessors, but is 20% lighter. It’s the internals that have changed dramatically.

With features to optimise audio quality for pilots and built-in carbon monoxide sensing, the new Delta Zulu from Lightspeed is a significant new product in the world of ANR headsets. Ian Fraser puts it to the test…

Graph of hearing loss vs age

my hearing aids (which I sometimes wear while flying) and went off for a flight wearing Delta Zulu. The result surprised me with excellent reduction of noise and improvement of clarity of communications, even without my hearing aids.

This is a product that should be taken seriously.

How does DZ work? It has good ANR but, in addition, to use its native (USA) vernacular, it is leveraging the fact that most older people (as pilots often are) suffer hearing loss to some extent. Nothing sinister in that, just the normal reduction in high frequency sensitivity that occurs naturally with age (image 2 and also see sidebar, Human ears and aviation pg 42).

DZ’s HearingEQuity feature is electronically applying some correction for this reduction using something akin to an audio graphic equaliser (EQ is the techno shorthand for one). Hi-fi and hearing aids have been using this for decades, but this is the first audio optimisation that has been included in an RT / coms function of an aviation headset. This correction makes any tones, to which your hearing doesn’t respond to so well, louder (typically high ones, see note 1), consequently applying some correction for aging or other hearing deficiency. As no two ears are the same, it can optimise itself for the individual. The first task for any DZ user is to run its set up test, which measures your hearing performance.

To do this there is the inevitable tablet or smartphone app that requires the headset to be connected via Bluetooth. The instructions are straightforward and worked first time, for me. This app is something akin to a hearing test done by an audiologist. It plays various tones and you adjust a volume slider so that you can just hear them (image 3). From that it calculates for each frequency, the amplification necessary to bring hearing sensitivity back to

as near normal as it can (image 4). It then applies these settings to DZ and automatically sets them each time it is powered up.

On to flying. DZ has a controller in its audio leads (pic 5). A push button switches it on and off and lights flash when it is on. If it has a problem or its battery goes flat it defaults to a passive function (ANR off). It also has volume controls and a ‘multi-function’ switch that controls CO warnings (one press), HearingEQuity on/off (two presses) and other functions (press and hold) as well as buttons to control the secondary Bluetooth input (music, phone, tablet etc). While it defaults to HearingEQuity ‘on’ after switch on, if you have switched it on or off in flight or inadvertently knocked the button, there is no indication of where you are in its cycle. It would be convenient to have a light.

I was also a little concerned that the battery box (25% heavier than its predecessor) was weighing heavily on my headset sockets. Most headsets with such a box in the lead include a clip to take the weight off the plugs and sockets. There was none with the set I had and, while I used one from my own Zulu headset, it didn’t really fit the improved Kevlar-core leads used on DZ. Other than these points, it was comfortable and effective.

In-flight experience was great. I would normally have difficulty with some voices without my hearing aids, but with DZ the background noise was low and voices were clear. Female voices are a bigger challenge for many of us, as their higher pitch is a challenge for aging hearing

02 Typical reduction of hearing sensitivity with age. Being in the hearing loss zone doesn’t mean you can’t hear, but could present problems hearing accurately in noisy environments.

03 When you have done all 12 settings the app shows you the equaliser amplification profile it will use to correct your hearing. For me that was the maximum (+12dB I believe) above 4 kHz.

04 The Lightspeed app connects to DZ and plays tones. You adjust the slider (blue line) until you can just hear the tone.

05 Lightspeed Delta Zulu controller has two battery pack options. A lithium battery that’s USC chargeable and expected to last about 30hr. It provides a five-hr warning of charge required. A conventional AA battery cartridge is also included.

Human ears and aviation

Unwanted external noise is a big problem in some of our aircraft. When it is too loud it affects successful interpretation of radio or intercom messages, comfort and the health of our hearing. To counter this, various noise reduction aviation headsets have appeared.

Passive Noise Reduction (PNR) headsets achieve noise reduction by adding big padded earmuffs and gripping the ears (clamping) firmly to exclude external sounds.

More recently Active Noise Reduction (ANR) has been introduced in which the headset electronically detects, processes and produces an ‘opposite’ sound. When applied inside the earpiece this cancels the unwanted noise. This technique has become most effective and has enabled ear clamping or gripping forces to be reduced, substantially increasing comfort. Some of these devices are now so good that they not only eliminate the noise you don’t want but are beginning to affect sounds that you (as the pilot) need to be aware of, such as engine noise, stall warner or other audio alarms. For the top range of headsets, ANR technology is now very close to the safe limits of noise reduction. External noise has been dealt with as far as is safe, are there any other ‘aural limitations’ that could be addressed?

At birth the human ear generally responds equally to the full range of audible sound. High notes (whistles and beeps) sound as loud as low notes (rumbles and roars), so letters and words, made up of many such individual sounds, are clear. As most of us get older (into our thirties) our hearing response to high notes begins to deteriorate naturally. This phenomenon gets more pronounced in our mature years. As this happens slowly, our brains get used to the changes and most people don’t notice. Eventually, however, low frequency tones tend to dominate or swamp higher frequency tones even in a quiet environment and we may become aware of hearing difficulties.

Letters and words are made up of a series of tones of mixed frequencies, some high, some low, which if we are to interpret them accurately need to be heard as spoken. Words become unclear or muffled when the ear doesn’t detect all the component tones as intended.

All adults suffer from hearing response deterioration and after it gets beyond a certain point (typically 20-30dB loss), hearing clarity starts to deteriorate. Some words can become unclear or muffled. For example, S’s and T’s (low volume higher frequency letters) sound like Th’s or even vanish.

It becomes difficult to hear in noisy bars and restaurants, plus noisy equipment like vacuum cleaners and aeroplanes reduce hearing clarity. This can result in you mishearing some words in a conversation. For a while (in particular in a quiet environment) the brain intervenes, ‘guessing or predicting’ missed or poorly detected sounds leaving the listener oblivious to the presence of a problem. It’s only when the brain misguesses its interpretation of a sound or word do we misinterpret words or get lost in a conversation.

The noisier the environment, or the older we are, the worse this phenomenon becomes. This, like it or not, is a sign of age-related hearing loss and most of us suffer from it. Fixing it is not just a case of turning the volume up, it is more complicated than that but it can be done.

– me included, so my test focused on their higher voices. No problems. Being more objective I measured the ANR (image 6) and compared it to other top of the range sets I have tested before (image 7). Compare the two pictures. For DZ you will notice a bigger gap (more reduction) at lower frequencies (left side of graphs) between the outside noise (red) and the in-earpiece noise (green).

HearingEQuity

20KHz audio bandwidth is the ‘magic number’ bandied around by hi-fi enthusiasts that we must all be ‘able to hear’, and indeed DZ claims that bandwidth. But, 6 Khz is the maximum audio range for DZ’s (and most aviation headset) microphones and the Air Radio audio bandwidth is only 4 kHz. There are no more higher tones there to hear. While many of us would fall into hearing aid territory if we were trying to hear 20kHz music notes properly, for aircraft comms we are not, and even those of us with hearing loss at 8 kHz (the audiology normal limit) don’t need major technology to dramatically improve 4KHz air-radio clarity. To measure EQ’s effect, I conducted a simple comparison between DZ (with and without HearingEQuity) and my Zulu (with and without hearing aids). ANR was off. Image 8 illustrates the result for my ears.

In terms of clarity, DZ with HearingEQuity was nearly as good as my old Zulu with hearing aids, plus, when on, its ANR makes it quieter.

06 A noise test spectrum of DZ worn and with ANR on. The red line is the noise outside DZ (in my RV-6) and the green line, inside DZ’s earpiece. The gap between the lines shows the combined effect of active and passive noise reduction.

07 A noise test of another top-of-the-range headset measured for an LA article in February 2020. Note the difference compared with pic 6, less noise reduction at lower frequencies. The effect, more engine noise with this other headset

Key

Audio response Zulu v DZ no ANR

Other features

DZ comes with another new (to aviation headsets) function, Carbon monoxide (CO) monitoring and alarms. I tested this with my old 1965 MG sports car. Firing it up in the garage DZ’s CO alert went off before I even smelt the exhaust (image 9). It also records the level for a whole flight so you could spot an intermittent problem (pic 10). A valuable feature if your aircraft doesn’t have one or you rent.

There is a flight audio recording function. It will record up to six hours of com and intercom on your tablet or phone. It only records aircraft audio-in, not Bluetooth. If for example you are using its Bluetooth interface for SkyDemon messages, you would hear them on the headset but it would not record them. The recording

quality is excellent. It has Bluetooth connectivity (one channel) for the app, phone, music etc. I didn’t manage to check if a Nav app, music and DZs functions work together simultaneously. It’s a question customers may need to ask.

Not all the auxiliary features worked properly e.g., custom EQ profiles and remote recording control seemed to be inaccessible or ‘coming soon’ on the version I tested, and there is no sign yet of software update capability on the Lightspeed DZ support site.

Conclusion

The combination of DZ’s superb ANR and HearingEQuity functions make it the most effective aviation headset I have flown with. The EQ feature was a distinct benefit for

Zulu

Zulu + aids

DZ basic DZ + EQ

08 A graph of my hearing response as frequency increased. With my Zulu, (the blue line) I was clearly struggling with tones around 4kHz, whereas with aids (brown) it was good. DZ without aids or EQ (grey) was better than the no aids Zulu, and with EQ good up to at least 5kHz (yellow).

09 Shows a Carbon Monoxide warning on the app (my MG). More importantly, DZ issues a two-stage voice warning. Pressing the multifunction button cancels the alarm.

10 It also records the alert time history for display later on the app. On the graph, blue indicates CO and yellow is cockpit temperature. This illustrates recovery to normal after pic 9 alert.

my older ears, but did less for younger ones (Image 11). Noticeably, to me, engine noise almost vanished while taxying and in slow flight.

In normal flight, conversation with female passengers was easy to hear and understand. One concern is that with DZ’s excellent ANR my stall warner (3kHz) was very much a background noise rather than the attention getter it should be.

I leave you with one thought: You won’t know what you don’t hear until you’ve tried one in the air.

Glossary

· ANR. Active (electronic) Noise Reduction.

· Hertz or Kilohertz (Hz or kHz) is a measure of the tone or frequency. Higher the tone, more kHz.

· Decibel (dB) is a (logarithmic) measure of loudness. The more dB, the louder the tone or noise.

For more information on headsets and my test methods search Google for Light Aviation magazine February 2020 in the archive for my article.

Thanks to Ruth Kelly and Amy Whitewick for their vocal and flying support for this review. ■

NEWTON SPRL RETROFIT 65MM ALUMINIUM LOCKING FUEL CAP

$78.50 each – www.newtonsprl.co.uk

Newton Consulting, based in Chalford, Stroud, is a long-term UK success story when it comes to making fuel caps and fuel selectors for the light aircraft world. Founded by LAA’er Robin Voice, the company, now run by Rob Selby, supplies parts to a wide array of homebuilt kit manufacturers and parts suppliers like Light Aero Spares and Aircraft Spruce.

Newton’s Lightweight SPRL 65mm fuel cap moulded in a glass/ Acetal mix is a common fit on many modern homebuilts, and for a few years now, Van’s Aircraft has supplied this cap as standard item on all its aeroplanes using a curved tank flange fitting.

In response to customer demand, Newton now offer a version of the cap with a smart aluminium top with a locking function.

A straight swap, having tried a pair on a friend’s RV-14, I can say they are very fine bits of kit. EH

The General Aviation Handbook

Simpson/Longley/Swain – £49.50 www.air-britain.co.uk

This edition of the General Aviation Handbook picks up where the 2005 edition with the same title, left off, and once again is a vital resource if you want to keep your finger on the dynamic pulse of the General Aviation manufacturing world.

Because of the expansion in the numbers of light sport aircraft manufacturers and types, this new edition covers current manufacturers since January 2000, whereas the earlier edition covered from 1945 to 2000.

The book is divided into two parts. Part one covers mainstream companies producing traditional type-certificated aircraft, and part two covers Ultralight and Light Sport manufacturers and aircraft which have been built in production quantities in factory-complete ready-to-fly form, including those offered as kits to amateur builders.

It’s an extremely useful reference in what’s definitely a vibrant and well-populated segment of aviation, so treat your bookshelf to a copy and enjoy browsing its pages. And the good news is, if you’re member of Air Britain, you can save £15 on the cover price. EH

11 My test co-pilot Amy Whitewick tried DZ in the RV-6 and commented that noise cancellation didn’t seem much different to her Zulu 3 although the radio was much clearer and headset more comfortable. She also reported that the mic feedback sounded tinny. (Her DZ setup test determined she needed very little EQ correction).

Struts 4U

Anne Hughes rounds up Strut news & views

January’s LAA Zoom forum for Strut leaders was both lively and informative with Strut leaders across the country sharing ideas, initiatives and good news about the regular increase of members at meetings and fly-ins throughout 2022. Hosted by David Millin and Steve Slater, the forum commenced with a summary of LAA events over the year, and Steve shared the finding that, although Strut members

only made up a quarter of the LAA membership, they were involved in the organisation and support of three-quarters of LAA activities.

The Meet the Members days across the country were hosted by local struts, as were the various airfields on the Scottish trip, which may have been challenged with weather conditions, but was appreciated for the warmth and hospitality of Struts over the border.

The Grass Roots Fly-in at Popham was fully supported by the members of the Andover and Rally Workers’ Struts, who were thanked for the part they played in the organisation and success of the event.

The Oshkosh visit was another highlight of the year and it was noted how the Struts were playing a significant role in every area of LAA activity, being a major catalyst in maintaining membership and, in some cases, encouraging new members to join the groups for social interaction. A new Strut handout has been prepared by Steve and David for general distribution and pull-up banners will also be widely available. A challenge for each Strut member to bring a new member into the group would, of course, double group numbers!

groups

Recognition was also made for individual initiatives, and Amy Whitewick’s ‘Queen’s Head Project’ had received national acclaim as part of the Jubilee celebrations. Plans are afoot from Amy for another similar ‘artwork in the air’ project, but this time one that will allow pilots from all over the UK to participate. Details for that challenge will be shared in a future issue of Light Aviation

As always, any initiative that encourages young people into aviation is welcomed, and

Above Remembering 2022’s warmer summer months with a Moth landing at the Branscombe fly-in.

Below Strut coordinators meet online.

Stewart Luck from the Youth and Education Support (YES) Strut reported on the many activities which were seen to help young people develop engineering skills, as well as giving them opportunities to fly. Over the years the Build-a-Plane projects have given young people selfconfidence and even opened doors into further education as they have told their interviewers how they have built an aeroplane and flown in it! Stewart is organising the annual YES conference at Cosford in early March this year where there is a great opportunity for young people, their leaders and others involved to share ideas, as well as a ‘networking’ opportunity for all.

The Suffolk Coastal Strut is involved with the North Weald Marshallers for the Rougham Fly-In this summer, which is being extended to involve young people in aviation and STEM activities a few days before the weekend fly-in.

As always a serious amount of work goes into all these activities and workshops for young people.

Gloster Strut is already making plans for a ‘Big Kids Day’ in July for local groups of young people incorporating ideas from our Airfield Adventure Days at Turweston.

Ian Sweetland is also involved with STEM activities and explained how we should take the opportunity to talk to students in the flying clubs about Permit aircraft as a way forward for younger pilots to keep flying after they have their PPL. Recruitment packages could be put in place and Strut activities could be advertised more widely with local knowledge promoted by Strut members. Invitations to fly-ins could be a useful way of welcoming new and young pilots into the world of aviation.

The Wessex Strut’s initiative of its fortnightly Strut walks has become a popular social event, and is one of the reasons the Strut has seen strong growth in membership, doubling in size to more than 180 members. The monthly newsletters keep members in touch and are reminders of future events, and chairman, Neil Wilson, stressed how important regular communication is to keep people involved and up to date. WhatsApp is also used regularly – and non-flyers are always welcomed, often having their first experience of being on an airfield at Strut activities.

The West Midland Strut was represented by Barry Vickers who is locating a new venue for Strut meetings and asks all WMS members to get in touch to help get the Strut up and running for the new season. His contact details are in the calendar notes and we look forward to hearing positive news about re-forming the Strut over the next few months.

Insurance issues for Strut activities were discussed as Struts and Member Clubs are covered by LAA insurance and full details are available from the LAA office.

Eryl Smith concluded the meeting by thanking all participants for their enthusiasm and ideas and emphasised how important the Struts are in building the LAA community and that they are regarded by the Board and membership as having a key role in the structure of the LAA. The commitment and hard work put in by volunteers who run events and organise the day to day running of LAA Struts and member clubs is to be commended. The coming year is full of potential positive outcomes for LAA Struts with new initiatives across the country. ■

Strut Calendar

Please contact your local Strut to check the details before attending the calendar events.

Andover Strut: Spitfire Club, Popham Airfield, SO21 3BD. 13 February – AGM; 13 March – ‘Catalina and Me’ with Ritchie Piper. Contact Bob Howarth email: bobhowarth99@btinternet.com Phone no. 01980 611124

Bristol Strut: BAWA Club, Filton, 1930. 7 February - Guinness World Record flight by Fiona Macaskill. Contact: chairman@bristolstrut.uk www. bristolstrut.uk

Cornwall Strut: The Clubhouse, Bodmin Airfield. Contact Pete White pete@ aeronca.co.uk 01752 406660

Devon Strut: The Exeter Court Hotel, Kennford, Exeter. Contact: david.millin@ sea-sea.com

East of Scotland Strut: Harrow Hotel, Dalkeith. 2000. 6 February – Strut Meeting. Contact: inrgibson001@ btinternet.com 0131 339 2351.

East Midlands Strut: Meeting on the first Tuesday of the month on Zoom until further notice due to venue availability. Contact: tonyrazzell2@gmail.com We also have a Facebook group and upload recordings of some meetings where we have speakers.

Gloster Strut: The Victory Club, Lypiatt Road, Cheltenham, GL502SY at 19.30. Parking available. Contact: Harry Hopkins phone 07902 650619 harry. hopkins@talktalk.net

Highlands & Islands: Highland Aviation, Inverness Airport.Contact: b.w.spence@ btinternet.com 01381 620535.

Kent Strut: Cobtree Manor Golf Club, Maidstone, Kent. 2000. Contact: Steve Hoskins hoskinsltd@outlook.com 07768 984507.

LiNSY Trent Valley Strut: Trent Valley Gliding Club, Kirton Lindsey. pilotbarry1951@gmail. comhttp:// linsystrut.wixsite.com/website

North East Strut: Fishburn Airfield. Brunch Third Sunday of each month. 1130-13.30 at Fishburn Aviator Cafe. Contact: alannixon297@btinternet.com

North Western Strut: The Clubhouse, Boysnope. 1400. 14 February – Strut AGM. Contact: cliffmort@btinternet.com 07813 497427.

North Wales Strut: Caernarfon Airport, Dinas Dinlle. First Sunday of the month – HEMS Bistro Café. 13.00. Contact: Gareth Roberts gtrwales@gmail.com

07876 483414.

Oxford Group: Sturdy’s Castle Country Inn, Banbury Road, Kidlington, OX5 3EP. Second Wednesday each month. 8 February: A look back at my career by Ken Craigie; 8 March – Unearthing Airfield Secrets by Garth Barnard. Contact LAAOxford@gmail.comwww. oxfordlaa.co.uk

Redhill Strut: The Castle, Millers Lane, Outwood, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 5QB. Pub contact 01342 844491. Third Tuesday of each month meets at

1900-1930. Contact: david@milstead. me.uk

Shobdon Strut: Hotspur Café, Shobdon Airfield, Hereford HR6 9NR. 1930. Second Thursday of the month. 9

February - Robert Arley of Slash TV. Contact: Keith Taylor bushebiggles@sky. com

Southern Strut: ‘Longshore’, Brighton Rd, Shoreham-by-Sea BN43 5LD. First Wednesday of the month 1930pm for 8pm. 1 February – Border Force presentation. Contact palmersfarm@sky. com

Strathtay Strut: Scottish Aero Club, Perth Airport, Scone. Scone Clubhouse. Contact: keith.boardman@peopleserve. co.uk 07785 244146.

Suffolk Coastal Strut: Earl Stonham Village Hall, IP14 5HJ. 19.30. 15

February – Talk by Southend Air Traffic Controllers; March – Social evening with Buffett – date/location to be confirmed. Contact: Martyn Steggalls events@ suffolkcoastalstrut.org.uk, 07790 925142

The Joystick Club: Contact: Mike Clews, m.clews@sky.com. 07775 847914. www.joystickclub.co.uk

Vale of York Strut: Chocks Away Café, Rufforth East Airfield.1900. Contact: Chris Holliday 07860 787801, valeofyorkstrutlaa@gmail.com, www. valeofyorkstrutlaa.wordpress.com

Wessex Strut: Henstridge Airfield Clubhouse. 1930. 5 February –SkyDemon presentation by Rob Hart; Wessex Strut Awards Night on 17 February at 1830. Payable meal followed by awards and a talk by BAe Chief Test Pilot Keith Dennison, 17 March – Talk by LAA Chief Inspector Lucy Wootton. Starts at 1830 with a meal. Check Wessex Strut website. Local fortnightly Strut walks organised by Wessex Aviators Leisure Klub. Contact: neil.wilson@laa.uk.com

West Midlands Strut: There are no meetings at present but if you would like to help to get the WMS operational again please get in touch with the Strut Coordinator, David Millin. david.millin@ sea-sea.com / or contact Barry Vickers – brvickers@gmail.com

West of Scotland Strut: Bowfield Country Club, Howwood, PA9 1DZ. 1900. Contact: Neil Geddesbarnbethnkg@gmail.com01505 612493.

Youth & Education Support (YES) – 4 March – YES Education Conference at Cosford. YES also available for Strut talks/presentations. Contact: Stewart Luck – captainluck@hotmail.com (Contact 07974188395 to volunteer.)

NB: Thank you to all Struts and clubs for getting in touch. If you have any stories, items you wish to share or updates for the calendar, please contact me at struts@laa.uk.com

ANDAIR FUEL SYSTEM COMPONENTS COMBINE MODULAR DESIGN, SUPERB QUALITY AND THE FLEXIBILITY TO SUIT ANY AIRCRAFT BUILD PROJECT.

Having built a reputation for excellence in the design and manufacture of light aircraft fuel system components within the amateur-build aircraft sector, Andair has now established a significant presence in the commercial aviation market as well.

www.andair.co.uk

Dreams can come true…

Where did your interest in aviation begin?

Like many 1970s kids I was obsessed with Star Wars. I had the toys, the posters, in fact a whole bedroom devoted to it. The first thing I ever wanted to fly was a X-Wing fighter, with the Millennium Falcon a close second. But by the age of eight this had become slightly more realistic, and the posters had changed to Spitfires and other warbirds.

My dad died when I was young, and my mum was always struggling for money. But for my 13th birthday, in 1986, she surprised me with a trial lesson – it cost £10! It was a Cessna 152 out of Cranfield. From that moment on, I never wanted to do anything else.

Tell us about how you learned to fly

After my trial lesson I became the flying school weekend ‘gofer’. I washed aeroplanes, answered the telephone, and did any odd jobs. In return I got ‘paid’ in flying, usually ferry flights and other non-revenue stuff, and by the time I was 17 I had about 70-80 hours. I skipped school the week of

my 17th birthday, soloed, and then completed the required 10 hours PIC for a licence.

I started an aeronautical engineering degree, but very quickly realised it was maths, maths and more maths, until

Above Neil Parkinson in the cockpit of the Spitfires.com MK.IX

Many small boys dream of flying warbirds, particularly the iconic Spitfire. Ed Hicks talks to Neil Parkinson about just how his childhood dreams became a reality…

Right Working as a flying club gofer, aged 13, in return for flying lessons.

finally a thermodynamics lecture pushed me over the edge. So I walked into a Nat West bank and asked for a loan to become a helicopter pilot. It wasn’t a straight ‘no’, but the bank asked for a business plan, so I drew one up. Basically it consisted of ‘you lend me the money and I promise to pay you back’. I was 19, with only a Vauxhall Nova to my name. My mum put her house up as security, and I was loaned £45,000. Different times, indeed!

The 45k was spent in six months and I became a baby Robinson R22 flying instructor. The little Robinson is a great machine and fantastic fun to fly. I spent seven years teaching on them, and if I was ever to become a Kermit Weeks-like character with a huge warbird and flying machine collection, there would always be an R22 in the corner.

Above left First job as a Robinson R22 flying instructor.

Above right Neil says flying HEMS was challenging and very rewarding flying.

Below right In the cockpit of the Agusta 109

Right place, right time, worked for me, and at the turn of the millennium I started flying HEMS Air Ambulances. It’s still the most rewarding flying I’ve done. Initially, operating very tired Bolkow 105s before moving to the lovely Agusta 109, HEMS was a great Job. The ‘Bat phone’ would ring, and we would scramble to get airborne. Within minutes you were landing in a town centre, next to a motorway, or some rural location. Serious road traffic accidents were about 50% of our work. The flying was fantastic, plus I was very interested in the medicine. We worked as a team. The medics assisted me with the flying, navigating and site selection. I helped the doctors and paramedics on scene. I’ve seen some truly terrible things, but there are lots of people still around today as a direct result of what we did. I’m very proud of those days.

I was never going to leave HEMS, then 15 years ago a very rich chap invited me to fly his personal helicopter and his baby Citation Jet. The jet sounded exciting, so I sadly hung up my orange flight suit for a shirt and tie.

Corporate jets are very different, but I’ve always loved the variety and challenging destinations. I progressed through Citations, the Hawker 125, Global Express, and now fly the beautiful Dassault Falcon 7x. The sectors get longer, you need a bigger suitcase, but it’s the rich, famous, and oddball passengers that make it interesting.

Operating out of African jungle strips, alpine airfields and then flying transatlantic using major airport hubs, has kept the flying varied and the interest level up. The Falcon can

35,000 tonnes of unleaded petrol…

Right Finding suitable sites to land an air ambulance can be a challenge.

A medical emergency at sea meant landing on top of

Neil enjoyed the Agusta 109, finding it fast with reassuring engine-out performance.

fly for over 12 hours. On average, a HEMS flight was six minutes.

Always in the background of my flying has been vintage, tailwheel and aerobatics. Initially aerobatic competitions and church fete air displays in Pitts Specials, and some wing walking Stearmans… but I always dreamed of warbirds.

Having experience on a variety of types was a good stepping stone. The Pitts is a great apprenticeship for warbirds as it has no desire to go straight after landing.

Equally a Robinson always wants to point at something, it’s just something the poor peddling pilot has no wish to see. But both flying machines are good at getting the feet dancing. A Harvard is good at learning 1930s systems and engines. and appreciating the mass of these vintage machines, the ‘view’ from the back is a bit of an oxymoron.

People ask me if it’s difficult to fly a warbird. It’s nothing compared to convincing someone that they should let you loose with their machine. The latter is nearly impossible.

But after flying for 33 years, creating a CV of suitable types, working on display authorisations, and keeping my nose relatively clean, plus doing the all-important networking, I was placed in the front of a Spitfire TR9 to see if I was worthy of that elusive seat. Fortunately, dreams can come true, and I was asked to join Boultbee Flight Academy as one of their Spitfire TR9 pilots. Now rebranded as Spitfires.com we operate two two-seat Spitfire TR9s and two single-seaters. I never made that X-Wing fighter, but I think the eight-year-old me would still be very happy!

How long have you been an LAA member?

I think I joined around 1990-ish, back in the Popular Flying Association days.

How many types of aircraft and hours have you flown?

There have been 70-80 types, not counting variants and I’m approaching 15,000 hours. Those hours are now evenly split between helicopters and fixed-wing.

Any favourite or less liked types that you’ve flown?

Far too many to mention, but in the world of small aeroplanes you can’t beat a single-seat Pitts Special for just sheer fun flying. It’s a naughty little thing – and a ‘hooligan’s mount’ – but amazing fun to fly. I remember reading an article that Brian Lecomber had written saying it was the type he’d still be dreaming about when he finally ended up in a nursing home.

Of the helicopters, the Agusta 109 just looks beautiful, plus they are fast and have reassuring single engine performance. I flew plenty of HEMS and police operations in these – chasing stolen cars in a 150kt helicopter is fun!

In the world of bizjets, the Hawker Siddeley HS-125 handles like a Chipmunk, but with two jet engines. Hard to believe, but it really does.

The Spitfire is just iconic and really has the sweetest handling. The Merlin powerplant is the stuff of dreams. Need I go on?

My least favourite? It would be a tie between a Bombardier Global Express and a Falke motor glider…

Top left The Pitts was mostly built in a single garage underneath a town house.

Top right Raven wings for the Pitts clearly showing the increased aileron size.

Above With construction complete, the Pitts heads for paint.

Tell us about the aeroplanes you’ve owned I was part of a group that built a Rans S10 Sakota from a kit in the early 1990s. I learned a lot from building and flying it, and at the time it was an amazing machine. I did fly another very tatty one a few years later, which sadly slightly tarnished the memories – this one had very stiff ailerons, and I think ours was much better.

My Pitts S1S was built from plans. Dave Almey at Skycraft welded up the fuselage. I fitted all the systems and controls, plus I built the wings. I started it in 1997, then there was a 10-year hiatus in the middle, and it eventually flew in 2012.

It’s modified from the standard S1S. The wings are a kit from Raven Aircraft in Canada. The ailerons are much bigger and are hinged at 30% chord to make them lighter to operate. The aerofoil sections are changed, and the structure is beefed up to cope with the larger roll forces. LAA Engineering was great at helping to get this new wing design approved. I covered the aircraft using the Stewart System, which I found easy to work with. It was all inspected and cleared to fly by Dave Bland. I did the first flight, which was an amazing experience, but always with that ‘what have I forgotten’ thought in the back of my mind!

My Covid lockdown project has been restoring a rather tired SNJ-5 (Harvard). It’s been a nut and bolt upwards project and it’s currently in that ‘90% complete’ / ‘90% to go’ situation. If I could get some spare time, I’d like to get it flying this year. It’s a hugely different task to building a kit aircraft, with so much time spent researching old drawings and sourcing spare parts. It’s also a big leap in complexity, with hydraulic and other systems. That said, I find building

and restoring aeroplanes fascinating. I’m in awe of the true craftsmen who can make the impossible look perfect. At my engineering ‘pleb’ level it’s a great learning experience.

My latest project is a Van’s Aircraft RV-8 quickbuild. The ambition there is to build it lightweight yet keep it capable of being an IFR / night tourer. It needs some more attention pointed in its direction, but one day when it’s done, I’d love to fly it to Oshkosh.

You’ve just taken over as the Chief pilot of Spitfires.com? What’s it like to lead that operation?

We have a great team based out of Goodwood and we all share the passion for operating these warbirds – every time I roll open the hangar doors is a ‘pinch yourself, I must be dreaming’ moment.

We flew more than 1,000 passengers last year and I love sharing the experience with people. We can tailor the flight to what each passenger wants. Some want aerobatics, some sight-seeing, and if you’re a pilot we can make it nearly all hands-on flying. But everyone is there for the iconic outline, noise, and nostalgia. To all LAA members – give us a call. It would be great to share it with you.

Taking over this year as Chief pilot is a real honour – they are some big shoes to try and fill. Besides the flying, the job is mostly paperwork to ensure the CAA remains happy.

Do you enjoy the display flying you do?

There is no hiding the fact that display flying is great fun, but with it comes huge responsibility. Increasingly, more rules and regulations are being implemented, which makes life more complicated. But it’s still about being safe, looking after the aeroplane, and only then trying to impress the crowd. A single Pitts must be thrashed around the heavens to encourage a spectator to look up from their ice cream, whereas a Spitfire just needs a top side pass.

Competition Aerobatics proved to be a great way to get started in the display world. Starting high and gently coming down as you advance up the levels. Learning how to position an aircraft for the judges, and coping with strong winds to keep the flight centred on the crowd, are all great transferable skills.

Your best aviation moment and flight – and why?

I’ve been very fortunate to have had a great aviation career so far, all the big solos are big moments. The first time you fly something new and exciting is always great. Some of the big ‘saves’ on the air ambulance I look back fondly on. We had a chap once who was dredging a lake with a big JCB, the bank collapsed, and the digger fell in. He was trapped and essentially drowned. We were nearby in the old Bolkow 105 and got diverted to this job, and we were there within two to three minutes of the 999 call. It was winter, the water freezing, and we dragged this poor chap out. He had no pulse and no signs of life. After a few minutes of advanced life support a weak pulse was regained and he started breathing. We quickly loaded him in the heli and flew him to hospital. He went home four days later perfectly serviceable. He would visit us every year at this anniversary and bring us all beer. Nice guy.

Equally there were plenty of sad endings, I tend to not remember the deceased. But I often think of the children, parents, husbands, and wives who will always remember me and the crew inside their worst memories.

Any aviation heroes?

Neil Armstrong or any of those Apollo astronauts. Can you imagine the pressure, hand flying a new machine to another celestial body?

Apollo 11 touched down with 20 seconds of fuel left, and then they didn’t even know if the thing would start again. Amazing!

Above left A Falcon 7x parked up at Saanen airfield in the Swiss Alps.

Above right One of the few benefits of flying all night – a high altitude sunrise. Below Neil’s completed Pitts.

The Spitfire: Just as good as Neil dreamed it should be.

A glorious summer day at Goodwood flying passengers

Any favourite aviation books?

The Aircraft Spruce & Speciality catalogue.

Do you have any ‘fantasy hangar’ aircraft or vehicles that you’d love to own/try?

A wander around Oshkosh will generate a list for this, and every year you will see something new to add. But if you had to choose a few.

A lovely J3 Cub for a summer evening pootle around, A Huey helicopter for collecting all your mates. I’d love to have a go in a big American radial warbird but, as we are dreaming, a Focke-Wulf 190!

Top It’s hard to beat a Pitts Special for fun per pound spent!

Above left The view from the front cockpit of a Spitfire TR9

Above right Neil’s Covid lockdown project was restoring a SNJ-5. He’s nearly finished it.

Do you have non-aviation hobbies?

I don’t really have any time for anything else. But we have just bought a new house in Oxfordshire and I find myself currently discussing subtle differences in yellows or bathroom furniture. Our 2½ year old Labradoodle, Chewie (Star Wars again…) is good fun and is now firmly established as an airfield dog.

Advice for other aircraft owners/ pilots?

If you love flying and you really want a career in aviation, then even in the hardest moments it never feels like a job. Do it! ■

LANDING

VOUCHERS

Hopefully March will bring some welcome glimpses of spring, and temperatures will slowly creep up – meaning you can enjoy these three great landing offers at Bodmin, Crosland Moor and Peterborough Sibson.

Aviation

FREE Landing: March 2022

Bodmin Airfield 01208 821419

Our thanks to these airfields for supporting our LAA members landing voucher scheme. Please be sure to thank them for their participation by buying fuel for your aircraft, or if there’s a cafe, fuel for you and your passengers!

Operated by the Cornwall Flying Club. A very friendly airfield, 5nm NE of Bodmin. PPR essential. Café closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. There are two runways. Taxis can be arranged to take you to the Bodmin and Wenford Railway, for a ride through the Cornwall countryside. Nearby there’s Lanhydrock, a National Trust property, the popular Eden Project at St Austell, Padstow (Rick Stein seafood restaurants) and other Cornish delights. Avgas available. Be careful of turbulence and downdraughts. Radio 120.330 www.bodminairfield.com

Aviation

FREE Landing: March 2023

Crosland Moor 01484 645784

Please PPR. Look out for turbulence on approach to Runway 25. Quarry to the north, land beyond the threshold on R25 if possible. Circuits are left hand at 1,000ft QFE. A friendly airfield, with light refreshments available. The Sands House pub is half-a-mile walk from the airfield. Limited fuel, please ask before leaving your base. Please avoid flying over houses and the hospital half a mile from runway end. Look out for various TV masts in the local area. Radio is 128.375 www.croslandmoor-airfield.co.uk

Aviation

Half-Price Landing: March 2023

Peterborough Sibton 01832280634

A new airfield joins us for the first time. You must PPR as parachuting takes place on the overhead. No overhead or deadside joins. All circuits to south and east, circuit height 1,000ft on QFE. Overfly pylons on 24 approach no lower than 300ft QFE and do not land on the 24 undershoot. Please be noise sensitive and avoid local villages. A/G is 120.330. Call Wittering zone at 10 miles from Sibson on 119.675 www.peterboroughflyingschool.com

For all display or commercial advertising enquiries please contact Neil Wilson: 07512 773532 neil.wilson@laa.uk.com

You can email your classified advertisement direct to the LAA at the following address: office@laa.uk.com

Deadline for booking and copy: 16 February 2023

If you would like to place an aircraft for sale advert please see details below:

MEMBERS’ ADVERTISEMENTS

Up to 30 words: £6; 31-50 words: £12

Up to 50 words with a coloured photo: £45

NON-MEMBERS’ADVERTISEMENTS

Up to 30 words: £22; 31-50 words: £44

Up to 50 words with a coloured photo: £60 www.laa.uk.com

LAA Engineering advice to buyers:

AIRCRAFT APPROVED? Members and readers should note that the inclusion of all advertisements in the commercial or classified sections of this magazine does not necessarily mean that the product or service is approved by the LAA. In particular, aircraft types, or examples of types advertised, may not, for a variety of reasons, be of a type or standard that is eligible for the issue of a LAA Permit to Fly. You should not assume that an aircraft type not currently on the LAA accepted type list will eventually be accepted.

IMPORTED AIRCRAFT? Due to unfavourable experiences, the purchase and import of completed homebuilt aircraft from abroad is especially discouraged.

TIME TO BUILD? When evaluating kits/designs, it should borne in mind that technical details, performance figures and handling characteristics are often quoted for a factory-produced aircraft flying under ideal conditions. It is wise, therefore, to seek the opinion of existing builders and owners of the type. You should also take your own skill and circumstances into consideration when calculating build times. The manufacturer’s build time should be taken as a guide only.

AMATEUR BUILDING All LAA aircraft builders and potential builders are reminded that in order to qualify for a LAA Permit to Fly, homebuilt aircraft must be genuinely amateur built. For these purposes the CAA provide a definition of amateur built in their publication CAP 659, available from LAA. An extract from CAP 659 reads “The building and operation of the aircraft will be solely for the education and recreation of the amateur builder. This means that he would not be permitted to commission someone else to build his aircraft”. An aircraft built outside the CAA’s definition could result in an expensive garden ornament.

AIRCRAFT FOR SALE

AIRCRAFT FOR SALE

Cassutt Racer G-BFMF Continental 0200a on board start permit to September 2023 Engine 105 hours since major overall telephone Terry on 07976 847 067 for more information

PROJECTS FOR SALE

Pietenpol project. G-CLOB.Steel fuselage.All big bits done. On undercarriage. Bereavement forces sale. Located East Yorkshire. 07973 765 552

*OFFERS PLEASE*

SERVICES

Engine overhaul. Zero time Major engine overhauls carried out on all types, since 1976, c/w dynamometer run-in and test. Bonner Engineering, Shoreham Airport. Contact Bill Bonner: 01 273 440250 aerobonner@aol.com

Due to health issues, plans-build aircraft project, IBIS RJ03 is up for sale, which is 97% complete. Fitted with 8.33 radio, Trigg transponder, instrument panel, dual Lebourg ignition, LED NAV lights, 12v A/H, Hercules propeller, 12 v starter, aircraft covers, documentation & hangered. Photos on request. If interested, please contact rudijjoubert@gnmail.com for more details & viewing.

SERVICES & MORE

Design & Stress Analysis Service. Type submissions, modifications, engine frames and general advice. We cover everything from SSDR to A380:- structures, powerplant (IC and electric) and avionic installations. Contact John Wighton enquires@acroflight.co.uk or call 07770399315.

Light Aircraft Weighing Service in East Yorkshire and surrounding area. For details contact Demraview Ltd. Email: Demraview@gmail.com Mob: 07984 810761

PARTS

PowerFLARM Core, model FLAPFD11E. Brand-new, unused, never installed due to sale of aircraft. Installation manual and connection kit. Cost £930. Accept £500 ono. Contact mike@bagshawmail.co.uk 07766 022 158

Rutan Varieze, 422 Hours, Permit to 20/11/23.8. 33KHz radio, Avmap Ultra EFIS. Based at Earls Colne. £17k Contact 07778 606068 Fokker DR-1 replica triplane. ‘The Red Baron’. Aircraft fully functional, excellent condition. New Superior IO-360 engine, 180 HP. Overall 30 hours flight. Based at Felthorpe airfield near Norwich. £63,000 or offers. peterbruegg@gmail.com.

WHERE TO GO

Aselection of events for the beginning of the year, and some you might want to plan for in the summer months. While they’ve yet to publish a list of events, don’t forget GASCo are running some Safety Evenings up and down the country. Keep an eye on their website, www.gasco.org.uk, for further updates.

As always, check the Royal Aero Club Events website for the latest information and web links for many of the events: http://events.royalaeroclub.org/events.htm

Our thanks to the RAeC and to Dave Wise for the use of their data. If you have an event you want to advertise on the list, please email the details to Dave at: dave.wise@btinternet.com

Planning ahead

July

July 15/16

July

July 24/30

July 30 Lundy Lundy Sunday (Strictly PPR)

August 12 Shobdon VPAC Western Fly-in

August 19 Bodmin Cornish Pasty Fly-in

Aug 19/20 Perth Scottish Aero Club fly-in and Meet the LAA day

Sept 9 Sleap VPAC End of season Fly-in

Sept 9 Bodmin Cornwall Strut Fly-in