February 2012

•

•

• •

••

•

•

a

•

a

INSIDE •

•

I

A

•

A.

D • •

LAA Light Aircraft

Association

•

0.

I

• '•

•

••

• •

••

•

••I

•

•

•

JJ\1 i

.

0iiteall now to pre-order your t FREE copy of our 30th edition aviation catalogue!

1

INSTRUMENTS

& HARDWARE

sissiog

SEALANTS & CM4 POUNDS;

BATTERIES

a RAW MATERIALS

PA.ENTC

LU RICANTS

DOPES St FARRTI,E

•

-44),

t‘ 001

aft

/

*bat,

Sft°148e8.

WINDOWS & WINDSHIELDS

•LIGH TS, L.AMPS & FILAMENTS

:

r-• mat

WHEELS & RAKES

.0 OP'

k

D

4111"

%, HOSE & DUCTING / •

CONTR(Y.

(:.ABLES & ACCESSORIES

a

EDITOR'S DESK <

'AI I

The cover feature this month is the Egyptian version of the Blither Bestmann, the Gomhouria Mk 6, recently imported by Will Greenwood. I have to admit this type of classic wooden aeroplane is a real favourite for me because I think we Europeans certainly mastered the art of the wooden aeroplane in the pre- and post-war decades. The Bestmann was a contemporary of a number of cabin monoplane Miles and dB types, with many classic post-war French designs continuing the art fonn.

You've probably gathered, I think it's a truly beautiful aeroplane, and its handling qualities are legendary.

EASApilot licensingis something many

The Rotec radial engine goes against modern trends but with almost tow now in circulation there is clearly a demand for the 'nostalgic' look. How many of usare just itching lo see Dudley Pattison's Flitzer emerge with its Rotec adding that essential vintage flavour?

Stuart MacConnacher, who visited the factory in Australia recently, repoits not only on the radial,but some interesting

liquid-cooledJabint cylinderheads too.

I'm a fanoftraveloguesand know from communication with members that they do inspire pilotsto spread theirwingsa littlefarther.Butyou do not have to head offinto Europe tohave some fun,as ScottButler and a group ofhis friendsfromRAF HenlowFlyingClubfoundwhen they toured EastAngliaand the South-Eastlast surruner.Plentyofairfields,fun,flyingand friendship,and allwithin wo milesofhome.

Anew tackon the coaching frontthis month with 'Wheredid itall gowrong? which Ihope will stimulateyourthoughtson the go/ no godecision.Wehaveall been in the positionthis unfortunate pilot foundhimselfin- verykeen togetgoingbut with the weather not wantingto playball. Some of us, me included, have made wrong decisionsand got away with them,

members have been asldngabout and with onlya matter ofmonths before the Regulationcomesinto force,we have at last seen most ofthe important issues settled

by EASAand the CAA.Naturally, there willbe a transition period during which we willall have to decidejust which licenceor licenceswe want or need to apply forso fear not,you are not goingto be facedwith needing to do anything immediately.However,I hope the article does giveyou a good steer on what isa rather complex issue so that you canmake Brian Hope decisions based on a better EDIT OR emodemma Iktaltnet understanding ofthe options.

— Cr_

•

hut believe me, it is better to learn from others' mistakes than make them all yourself. Fly safely.

45\

1

FF

g IAIR1 gi I

LIGHT AVIATION 3

4.••• 41.

•

N •

• • ••" •• • •

:•

•• • • •

• —

•

• — •—••

• •

• —

• •• " •

• • •

"• •

•

•

—

• , 1

'S

•

-

•••••

• •

•

•• •

• •

• • A

• I

•" • ••

•s

•

••

"

• •

• —• —: : ••

•1 •

•

•• "

• 0,•-

—

•

••

:

•" " •

••• • • •

•

" •

• ••

- •• •

- •• •

• ••

— •

•

—

•

••

II

• •

•

•

la— •

••• • •• • • • • • • I

•

I

• •

•

• • • •

I

•

• • ' •

••

— •

•

•

•

— :

•

A

' • ••

•

•

•••

• • • a"•••

,1 , •

•

••

•

•

— •

• •

111 — • • • • .1 • SS SSSS " • "• •• 1 —• •

•

--

•

CHAIRMAN'SCHATBYROGERHOPKINSON

EFLEVA MAKINGPROGRESS As EFLEVA,the European Federation of Light Experimental and Vintage Aircraft enters its fifth year, it is important to reflect on what part the Federation has played in progressing oux common passion for aviation.

domestic issues in our home counnies, as well as addressing matters of common interest Most of these matters were discussed at EFLEVA's October zon conference in Paris, when we a lso specificallyaddressed current items important to Federation members. These included: a presentation Other sport and recreational flying on ageing engines ftom our Vintage Commission associations across Europe, such as the gliding and (Nigel Stevens from RSA);a report on the current micmlight communities, had already established state of Light Sport Aircraft in the EASAcontext European Federations or Unions and when EFLEVA first sat togetherat Vichy in zoo?, it was to ensure our by a member of the UN CAAPP McKenna I; and Barry Plumb (IAA and EFLEVAVice-President), particular interests were properly represented. We gave a presentation on aviation fuels -a subject saw great risks to our freedoms with the progressive of real importance to us all. All these subjects are transfer of authority for aviation safetyand regulation fundamental to safeguarding our hedtage and to EASAand, fearing the consequences of change, our future, and they form the bedrock of sought to ensure our existing righ tsand fteedoms EFLEVA's activities. to fly were not lost to us or future generations. So One item of note is that Alfons Hubmann, what progress has been made and how much has EFLEVA's Swiss representative, is now also that posinon changed?

President of CIACA,which is tlw Federation The Federation is unique in not just representing Aeronautique Internationale (FAI)group one area of interest; each of its Commissions has focused on Amateur Build Aircraft. CIACAwas specific issues to be addressed, which include Light a Technical Commission within FAI,but with Aircraft, Vintage Aircraft and Experimental Aircraft a recent reorganisation, has now become a lor Amateur Build as it is known by manyl. The Sporting Commission. The interests of the EFLEVA original fears of Annex II being withdrawn have been Experimental group and CIACAare very delayed well into the future, and are much the same and with FA1being an not now a major issue. Nevertheless, nadir international body, we look forward many EASAregulations have an impact to this link being one which helps for us: Light Sport Aircraft should be an I opportunity, though that is not yet the progress our wider interests.

So as it enters its fifth year. I can report case; pilot licensing is a current issue that EFLEVA has made some positive which you can read about elsewhere in progress, though inevitably there is this magazine (we must ensure those flying non-EASA aircraft continue to still a lot to address. It is a Federation enjoy current privileges within their own made up of volunteer resources and its success depends on the support counlw, across Europe and elsewhere); and involvement of its members cross-border issues remain; and airspace and member organisations to make must continue to be free to use. it all work. The Federation's motto The Federation'sactivitiesare now Roger Hopkinson is, 'Spreading our wings together', not simply defensive to prevent adverse Chairman, Light Aircraft appropriate I think as we work consequences, but they involve taking Association/ President, together as a Europe-wide team within initiatives in order to (wither our interests. European Federation of what is now a Europe-wide Regulatory I also believe the support of the member - Light Experimental and environment delegates helps us individually as we face Vintage Aircraft

THETEAM 16

PATRON:HRHPrince Michael of Kent, KCVO,FRAeS PRESIDENT:Sir JohnAllison VICE PRESIDENTS:Laurie Shaw, DAE,CEng,MRAeS,Stewart Jackson LAA BOARDOFDIRECTORS CHAIRMAN:Roger Hopkinson VICECHAIRMEN:JohnBrady, JamesTannock DIRECTORS:Mike Barnard, GrahamNewby, Harry Hopldns, Stewart Jackson,Barry Plumb, Lord Rotherwick, Rich Duneyein-Gordon TREASURER:Bob Littledale ENGINEERING CHIEFENGINEER:Francis Donaldson, B.TechC.Eng FRAeS CHIEFINSPECTOR:KenCraigie DEPUTYCHIEFENGINEER: Ion Viner DESIGNENGINEER:Andy Draper

AIRWORTHINESSENGINEER: Malcolm McBride ENGINEERINGADMINISTRATORS: Maxine Oades, Fiona Storer TEL:01280 846786 FAX:01280 846780 COMMERCIAL EMAIL: office@loo.uk.com CHIEFEXECUTIVE:Rich DuneveinGordon OFFICEMANAGER: PennySharpe HEADOFFICE Turweston Aerodrome, Nr Brackley, Northants NN135VD TEL:01280 846786 FAX: 01280 846780 EMAIL: office@laa.uk.com ENGINEERING EMAIL: engingering@laaftk.com LIGHT AVIATION MAGAZINE EDITOR: Brian Hope,

60 Queenborough Road, Sheerness,Kent ME123BZ TEL: 01795 662508 EMAIL: BEllodel@talktalk.net MEMBERS' CLASSIFIEDADS EMAIL: sheila.hadden@laa.uk.com Whileeverycore is token with contributors' manuscripts end photos, neither TheLight Aircraft Association nor thepublisher con acceptliability for lost or damagedmoterioI. The viewsexpressedby contributors do not necessarilyreflect thoseof the LAA

IAA Light

Aircraft

Association

ALLTHENEWS

LAANEWS

Fb701A1 ViCQA-9 OFLIGHTWIX—ON'

r4[1Ir

r[rio

THESHAPEOF THECONTROL AREASAREALSO CHANGING Following a review of airspace arrangements in the Manchester area and consultation with all sections of the aviation community, the CAA has approved changes to the boundaries of the Manchester Control Zone (CTR).The changes will be introduced on 8 March 2012, resulting in a reduction in the size of the Manchester CTRand changes to the shapes of the overlying Control Areas. Approach and departure routes serving Manchester Airport will remain unchanged.

Details of the changes were due to he pubtished in Aeronautical Information Circular Yellow 03/2012 on 26 January 2011, and will be incorporated into the UK AIP and 1:500000 Aeronautical Chart Southern England & Wales on 8 March 2012. Northern England and Northern Ireland will be updated when it is next published, on 3 May 2012. The revisions will also be depicted on 1:250000 Aeronautical Charts Central England and Wales and England East when the current editions are replaced in May and June 2013 respectively.

The CAA's decision letter, which includes a chart and co-ordinates of the revised airspace can be found on the Magazine page of the LAA website at www.laa.uk.com

AVIATIONEDUCATIONCONFERENCE Hosted by the Education Section of Brooldands Aviation Museum and organised by the Youth and Education Support Strut of the LAA, the annual Aviation Education Conference will take place at Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey, on Saturday 21 April 2012 from 10am —4pm. Museum charges apply but entry to the Conference is free with pre-registration, available on the website.

The Programme includes information and guidance on a wide range of aviation-related activities and careers for young people, as well as the support that is available for them through a number of established organisations.

Subjects up for discussion include: Airfield Days; Bursaries and Grants; Build-a-Plane Projects; Flying Cadets; Gliding opportunities; LAA Junior and Student Members; Young

Aviators Day; Brooklands Museum; Models and Model Flying with the BMFA; Scout Aviation Activities; Air-Scouts and Camps; Specialist Resources and Projects; and Training Opportunities for aviation-related jobs.

An important aspect of the day will he opportunities to talk with people who deliver these activities. For further details and to pre-register contact 07974 188395 or info@flyers.org.uk

ITALY?NO THANKS!

sit

.

I.

.

-

:

6 LIGHT AVIATION

IERRIJARY

•

I . .

. .

•

As part of its austerity plan, Mario Monti's new Italian government is proposing to heavily tax private aviation in Italy —and that is likely to include visiting aircraft that stay longer than 48 hours.

This so-called 'luxury tax' is calculated on the maximum take-off weight (MTOW) and is due every year.

The amount ranges from €1.5 per kg for an aircraft under 1,000kg mtow, to €7.55 per kg for an aircraft of more than 10 tonnes mtow. It is doubled for helicopters. For gliders, motorgliders, gyropla nes and balloons, the fee is fixed at €450 per year. A typical four-seat aircraft will be forced to pay between €3,000 and €4,000, while a 600kg two-seater will pay €900.11is unclear whether visiting aircraft will pay a pro-rata rate for the length of I stay or the full amount. It looks like I Italy may well have ruled itself off the GA tourist map.

• •

• PLEASESEND YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS FOR INCLUSION IN LA NEWS TO: Brian Hope, 60 Queenborough Road, Sheerness, Kent ME12 3B7 TEL:07949 650847 EMAIL: Baliodel@talktak.net

GETINTOAIR RACING The Royal Aero Club has released its 2012 air race dates and venues and the season opens with an Air Race School on Saturday 24 March at North Weald Aerodrome 10am - 4pm. Interested pilots and navigators are invited to attend a presentation of how handicapped air racing works and the skills needed to get involved. To book a place on the course, please contact Roger Hayes on 01285 851311 or rogerhayes@diaLpipex.co.uk —there is a charge of £25 for the day event.

The first race of the season will be held at Old Buckenham on the weekend of 14-15 April. Other planned venues include Perranporth, Abbeville and Alderney.

Awards include the Schneider Trophy, the King's Cup, the Rolls-Royce Merlin Trophy plus the UK and European air race championships —there's plenty to race for in 2012. A full tist of venues and dates can be found at www.agraceukco.ok Light Aviation plans to feature an article on a novice's experiences of air racing in the March issue.

ACSS CATALOGUE Fame at last for UK VariEze builders, Steve Brown and Mike Roper. Their aircraft, G-VEZE,is one of a number of pictures, and indeed the sole UK-built machine gracing the cover of ACSS's2012 catalogue, which is a salute to the design talent of Burt Rutan, who retired last year as head of Scaled Composites. Rather than lead a pipe-and-slippers life however, Burt has taken on another spacecraft launch vehicle project.

REGRETIRES Reg Bradbury has stepped down as chairman of West Midlands Strut after 24 years of service to LAA members in the area. New Strut chairman, Graham Elvis said, "It is difficult to express how much we owe to Reg for keeping the flame alight for so long; he seems to have taken on most of the 'behind the scenes' work that keeps the Strut going. At our AGM, he was made an honorary life member, a very welldeserved tribute. Our best wishes go to him for his retirement." http://iaawestmidlandsstraco.uk

LAA SHOP SALE!

GYRO SCHOOL IN PORTUGAL UK gyro instructor and examiner, Kevin Robinson, has set up the first gyrocopter training school in the beautiful Algarve region of Portugal. The 'Gyrocopter ExperienceAlgarve' is based at the Portimao Municipal airport near Alvor. Facilities include an 800m hard runway, a

busy cafe and regular bus services to the local town and beaches. With an average of 300 days of sunshine a year and a stunning coastal setting, the Algarve offers excellent training opportunities. Contact Kevin at 07967 646673 or www.gyrocopterexperience.com/olgorve

DYN'AEROBANKRUPTCY Reports from France suggest that bankruptcy proceedings have commenced against Dyn'Aero, the makers of the successful MCRseries of kit and ready-toffy light aircraft and microlights. The Commercial Court of Dijon appealed for potential buyers, who had until midday 27 January 2012 to submit their tenders. It will be known by early March whether or not the company, which at the time of closure had 20 employees, has a future in its present form.

Dyn'Aero was started in 1992 by Christophe Robin, the son of Robin Aircraft founder Pierre Robin. The two-seat MCRseries of ultra-fast, very lightweight, carbon composite aircraft were developed with Cri-Cri and Latterly Luciole designer, Michel Colomban. Around

30 MCRO1two-seat light aircraft and microlights are flying in the UK on LAA Permits. A four-seat version of the aircraft, the MCR4S,has been available for several years, but none are operating in the UK. Development of a twin Rotax 912-powered aircraft, the Twin-R, was nearing completion with testifying well underway.

Christophe Robin left the company in late 2010 to take up a position with Daher-Socata in Tarbes, the company already suffering from a decline in aircraft sales. Sadly, attempts by the new management team to restructure the company and rationalise production have been overtaken by the continuing financial crisis.

Pick up a great clothing bargain in the LAA Shop during February!

All fleeces and shirts are at least 25% off the usual price, so you can get the LAA fleece for £22 instead of £30, or the LAA polo shirt for £12 instead of £17. All top quality merchandise —please phone the LAA Shop for colour and size availability, or order online. 01280 846786. www.loauk.COM

AIPI SALETOO Pioneer Aircraft Ltd is launching a sale for new aircraft bought before the end of April 2012, with a discount of up to 10% off the price of the aircraft. Brad Goodfellow, M.D. of Pioneer said, "With the additional discount that Alpi has given us and the euro exchange rate expected to hit €1.3 to £1, it is making the Pioneer an even more attractive proposition." Prices are reduced on the P200 and P300 models, plus there are early ordering discounts on the P400 four-seater. Visit www.pioneereero or call 01873 851116.

1LURUARY 2012 LIGHT AVIATION

7

I.

> NEWS BFRPRICECUT '

BLADETAPE Flowstrip UK has decided to market its propeller leading-edge protection tape in smaller rolls, in order to make the product more affordable and available to aircraft owners. The tape, which is 100mm wide, is now available in five-metre rolls at £67.20 per roll, with recorded delivery available for an additional £4.50, Af and next day delivery £7. Please calf I 01724 841860 and ask for Zoe or Ronnie. Email zoe@flowstrip.cauk or visit wwwflowstrip.co.uk

Hot on the offer of a free LAA Pilot Coaching Scheme Biennial Flight Review for new members, comes news that existing members will get a reduction of £10 on the usual fee of £35; this means they will only have to pay the Coach £25. In both instances of course, the pilot must provide a suitable aircraft for the BFR.Full details of both offers are on the LAA website under Education and Training/Pilot Coaching Scheme. See www.laa.uk.com

SYWELL'STHE BEST!

EASAIR& EIR The LAA, along with other industry representatives, has provided a formal response to EASA's proposals for considerably simplifying the full Instrument Rating and introducing a new En-Route IR qualification. We are actively engaged with Europe Air Sports, AOPA, PPL(IR) Europe and of course the CAA to ensure that not only do these proposals provide possibly the best option for European PPLs, hut that we also safeguard the privileges of current and future holders of the UK INCR. The LAA's response to the EASA proposal can be found via a link on the Magazine page on the LAA website at www.lactuk.com

• Total's new unleaded avgas UL91 (see article in LA August 2011) is now available at eleven UK airfields, prices appearing to be around 15 to 20p per litre below that of 100LL. The fuel has been promoted as being particularly appropriate for Rotax engines, but it is suitable, and approved, for a wide range of engines types used in LAA aircraft. The LAA Airworthiness Approval Note (AAN) for use of UL91 in appropriate LAA aircraft, and the EASAdocument pertaining to use of this fuel in non LAA types, can be found on the Total Avgas UL91 tab on the LAA homepage www.laa.uk.com Fields currently stocking the fuel are: Barton, Compton Abbas, Dunkeswell, Halfpenny Green, Flenstridge, North Weald, Rochester, Turweston, Thruxton, Wellesbourne and Wolverhampton.

Fields imminently intending to stock the product include Popham, Gloucester and Sleap, while a number of other locations have also expressed interest.

:

The Airport Operators Association (AOA) has discovered what many LAA members already know —that Sywell Aerodrome is worthy of being named the 'Best General Aviation Airport' in the UK, as it has awarded the airfield that honour in its 2011 Awards.

As home to the LAA Rally for three years, Sywell's excellent facilities and helpful service from its friendly staff I have made the venue a firm favourite.

The 2012 LAA Rally will take place there over the three days of 31 August - 2 September.

Well done Sywell. www.sywellaerodrome.co.uk I

• •

Is,

.6

a-

.

a•o

a

-rese•

RAeC BURSARIES The RAeCTrust recently told us that it stilt has a number of bursades available for young people to advance their flying ambitions. For 2012, the bursaries will include The President's Award (two bursaries each worth up to £750), a further bursary worth up to £1,000 (The Peter Cruddas Foundation Scholarship), the Breitling Bursary also worth up to £750, and the Bramson Bursary worth up to £500, as well as a number of additional bursaries worth up to £500 each to suitable candidates.

I Applications must be in by 31 March.

If you are eligible, or know anyone aged 16 - 21 who might benefit from the scheme, details are available from the Trust's website at irdNw. royalaeroclubtrust.org.bursaries.html

OLYMPICAIRSPACEBRIEFING To help pilots prepare for flying in the South-East of England during the 2012 London Olympics, the Royal Institute of Navigation (RINI)and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), through the Airspace and Safety Initiative (ASO, have joined forces to host a free briefing day in Central London on Saturday 10 March 2012.

The event will be held at the Royal Geographical Society and features presentations and Q&A sessions offering pilots the chance to get the latest information from the CAA, NATSand MoD on how to use Atlas Control, the air traffic control unit that will provide the service in B LIGHT AVIATION

FLBRIJARY 2012

the Restricted Zone R112;the options available for flight planning to get access to the Restricted Zone R112;how airfields can apply for and use exemptions; and the interception procedures planned for use by MoD aircraft.

The event opens at llam with presentations from lpm - 4.30pm but pre-registration is required and places will be provided on a first-come-first-served basis. To register, email your full name and any affiliation (e.g. flying club) toolympics@rin.org.uk. All bookings will be confirmed.

For details of Olympic airspace changes go to www.airspacesafetycom/olympics

LAA COURSES The following courses are available for booking.

Rotax 912/914. Saturday 10th I March at the LAA ETTraining facility, Turweston Aerodrome. £105 incl tea and coffee.

Working in Aluminium. Sunday 19th February. LAA ETTraining facility Turweston. £115 incl tea and coffee.

To book a space call the office on 01280 846786 and select option 2. www.sywellaerodrome.co.uk

PLEASESEND YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS FOR TO: INCLUSION IN LA LETTERS

LETTERS

Rood, Brion Hope, 60 Queenborough Sheerness, Kent ME12 3B7 11,07949 650847 E: BRL/ode5dtalktolk.net

- FOR& AGAINST RESPONSE SPITFIRE DH MAINTENANCESTANDARDSMUST RESPONSES, SPARKS LETTER SPITFIRE AIRCRAFTAND LET'SENCOURAGE ANNEX IIAND UNSUPPORTED PREVAIL, WING THETHREE-PIECE

Carolyn Grace'sletter (Januaryissue of Light Aviation)about the Oxford Spitfire Squadron has generated more response than any letter or magazine article I can recoil. Carolyn certainly touched a nerve! The ratio of responseshas been about two to one in disagreement, so I am publishing selected letters in that ratio and we will then draw a line under the subject and move on.

Pleasekeep those letters coming though, after something of a drought over recent months I am at last receiving a healthy supply of correspondence, hence a whole three pages of letters in this issue.Ed

WHEN IS A SPITFIREA SPITFIRE?

In a recent letter to this magazine, CarolynGrace, the celebrated Spitfire display pilot, described as 'highly offensive' the naming of the new Mk26 kit as a Spitfire alongside the original. But when is a Spitfire a Spitfire?

Probably most ofthe readers of this magazine have at one time constructed an Airfixor equivalent model Spitfire.

It remains one of the most enduring scale model aircraft kits ever marketed, yet it is clearly not a Spitfire.Apart from its diminutive size, it is constructed from injection

moulded plastic and glue, and it lacks most of the operational characteristics of the original.

Aswe all learned when we launched it, it does not even glide - yet we are very happy to call ita Spitfire.

The 900/0Mk z6b kit aircraft I am currently building isalso clearly not an original Spitfire.

It is somewhat smaller, and there are plenty of other little differences when compared to the original. The tailwheel geometry is not right, the flaps are conventional rather than split and the wings, while true to Reginald Mitchell's famous elliptical shape, are a little too small in relation to the fuselage.

When is a Spitfire not a Spitfire?

Surely no other aircraft could create such debate...

Under the skin the differences are even more apparent, since the internal structure has been greatly simplified to make home construction possible.

Yetanyone who sees the aircraft coming together in my workshop recognises it instantly as a Spitfire.

Carolyn is probably one of only a dozen or so pilots in the UK with the combination ofgood fortune and funds to be able to flya genuine Spitfire aircraft it regularly, but she will also

FERBETARY 20 12 LIGHT AVIATION 9

> LETTERS know that the vast majority of Spitfires 'restored' to flying condition today are nothing of the sort Instead, as the excellent Haynes Spitfire Owners' Workshop Manual makes clear, they are essentially brand new machines built in specialist workshops, which incorporate a few panels or other small components recovered from the wreckage ofa genuine Spit to lend them historic authenticity.

Are these still Spitfires?

Even Carolyn's own Spitfire, with its impressive WWIIand Castle Bromwich provenance, carries a major post-war modification to allow a passenger to sit behind the pilot under a second canopy.

And it would not surprise me if her instrument panel contains modem radios and a transponder alongside the original instruments. Dothese modifications make her aircraft less of a true Spitfire?

Descendants of the original owners were delighted to confer the rights to the Supermarine company name to Mike O'Sullivan, the Australian founder of the little business that designed and markets the Mk26and 26b kits. They clearly saw nothing offensive in seeking to preserve WI Mitchell's remarkable legacy through the development ofa new, home-built, aluminium replica. Nor did AlexHenshaw, Supermarine's famous chief test pilot; he similarly offered nothing but support to O'Sullivan's project before his death in 2007.Afterall, this small kit plane business was established in homage to the original aircraft and would make possible a Spitfire-like experience to rather more men and women than is available to the tiny elite who still have access to original machines.

So when is a Spitfire a Spitfire?

Once my machine is completed in another two or three years, I will be delighted to offer Carolyna chance to flyit It will be immediately apparent to her that it is not an original aircraft, but I do hope that its look, feel, sound and handling will nevertheless evoke strongly the spirit of those machines and their pilots who fought so hard to preserve freedom over 70years ago. Perhaps then she will agree that it is after all worthy ofthe name Spitfire.

Stephen

Hall

SPITFIRENONSENSE

Regarding CarolynGraces' letter in the January edition ofLA, Iwould like to point out that she is not the only person fed

up with the Spitfire nonsense surrounding the scale model.

Both myself and many pilot friends are fed up with the hype around these aircraft That the LAAseems to be caught up in it surprises me further.

Carolynis correct; they are not a Spitfire in anything more than rough appearance, and the fact that someone has acquired the Supermarine title in no way authenticates them.

The people who build them should be proud oftheir work and ofthe aircraft they fly,but it's not a Spitfire.

Finally,and I'm sure you didn't mean it so, your final paragraph is immensely condescending. I, and I'm sure CarolynGrace,will never see it any other way.

Vic Long INCOMPARABLE SPITFIRE PILOTS!

I fail to understand Carolyn Grace's assertion that those few pilots currently fortunate enough to be able to fly Spitfires should be considered incomparable, unless she is simply referring to their financial status or good fortune!

I'm sure that most ofthe UK's flyingcommunity would give anything to have the chance to flya Spitfire and plenty ofus, given the training, would be able to safely flysolo in one. Sadly, we don't have the means to prove my assertion, though the Boultbee operation at Kidlington has shown what is possible with appropriate funds.

I have always had great respect and admiration for Carolynfor the dignified way in which she rebuilt her lifeafter the tragic death of her husband. The fighter pilots of7oyears ago, who saved this country from invasion, are also quite rightly deserving of our gratitude and consideration.

I don't consider, however, that wealth or good fortune per se should bring respect Forthe record, I didn't find the article in LightAviation to which Carolyn refers offensive, but I think the final paragraph ofher letter could certainly be considered to be so.

Paul Baker COTTESMORE AND WITITRING

AirTrafficControl (ATC)at RAF Cottesmore and Wittering has undergone a number of changes recently, please disseminate.

Afterthe closure ofCottesmore airfield, at the end of2010, the Cottesmore MATZwas disestablished and the ATZ suspended. Pilots are still calling up for MATZcrossings - however, no permission is

10 LIGHT AVIATION FEBRUARY 2012

actually required to enter the airspace.

From i December 2011,due to manning, the reluctant decision has been made to close Wittering airfield until further notice. Although the MATZwill not be active, the ATZremains and both the Four Counties Gliding Cluband some private aircraft may still operate under flyingclub rules using frequency 125.525.Wittering Approach/ Tower frequencies will not be monitored and, although some personnel will still be working in the Tower, the switchboard may not be manned.

The LARSwill still be provided, by controllers working out of Cottesmore Tower. Pilots wishing to transit the Wittering ATZ(or close to) should speak to Cottesmore Zone on 130.2for a service. The switchboard at Cottesmore (Tel: 01572812241ext. 7330)will be manned and all queries should be directed there.

In summary, we are still here, but we are much depleted. The trafficthrough the East Midlands does ramp up in good weather, especially with the Wyton tutors, and there is not always the manning to open up a second LARSconsole so please bear with us ifwe sound busy!'

Flt Lt Kate Read (ATCO) RAF Cottesmore Tel: 01572812241 exhmo (via Bill Fisher) DH: STANDARDS MUSTN'T SUFFER

De Havilland Support Ltdhas been fighting a rearguard action with the CAAover Approvals for the last eight years, spending an inordinate amount ofunproductive and unremunerated time, still without positive result. I am sure the company's decision to make this major change has as much to do with frustration as anything else.

Putting some Moths onto a Permit system was almost inevitable following the CAA's acceptance ofthe Stampe on either a Permit or a CofA.The ownePs choice at least allows the aeroplanes working as purveyors ofThal Lessons to continue, albeit at a price although on standard utilisation that may equate to only £2 or E3per flyinghour.

I am sure the majority of private owners based in GBwill opt for the Permit scheme which allows them greater flexibility in maintaining the aeroplanes against some restrictions in their usage. Forexample, the de Havilland Moth Club'sannual CharityFlyingWeekend which

has raised over £15o,000for good causes since 1990will be a casualty and the event planned for 2012 may prove to be the last Owners of British-registered Moth aircraft based outside GBwill have the choice of remaining on a British CofA or else conform to the locallyadministered systems of authorisation, whatever they might be.

Some engineers who run businesses based almost exclusivelyon maintaining engines and airframes for Annex IIaircraft may see their customer bases fragment as their bread-and-butter work is diverted. What must not be allowed is any possibility ofthe high standard of engine and airframe maintenance, which has been called for under the C ofAsystem and provided against expensively gained Approvals, to be diluted.

Stuart McKay THREE-PIECEWINGS

Haveyou thought ofan article for the magazine regarding the acceptable premium ofextra weight against convenience with the three-piece wing?

I have owned a Taylor Monoplane forapproximately 28years. It has a three-piece wing and I could never have managed moving or storing the aeroplane ifthe wing had been one piece.

Looldngback over several articles in the various publications of our magazine Isee there are numerous desirable aircraft out there forbuilding where comments have been made regarding the problems for many due to the size of the one-piece wing or the extra weight burden should the wing be built in three sections. Lookingat my Thylor Monoplane, I could not imagine the extra weight being more than the equivalent of a.5 gallons of fuel.Asmall price to pay for the convenience. Please givethis some thought!

RussellAbrahams C-BEYW Francis Donaldson

replies

It's true that for many homebuilders and aircraft owners, an aircraft type with two-or three-piece wings rather than a wing built in a single unit is a great boon from a practical point of view. The weight penalty involvedis not huge, ranging from around tolb for a typical simple single-seater to30lbfor an aerobatic two-seater. Wealways encourage designers of new aircrafttypes to make provision forremovable and preferably

LETTERS < multi-piece wings. However, it should be borne in mind that for many existing aircraft types the payload is already rather marginal and even a slight extra weight penalty has a drastic effect on the aircra ft's utility. Unfortunately, the pilot population is getting heavier and many of our existing designs were introduced in an era when the standard 'typical' pilot weight wasj7o1b.

Nowadays, a standard pilot weight of igolb is usually used which means that when loaded to max gross weight, today's standard weight owners of the older single-seater designs are alreadyshort of three gallons of fuel compared to what their designer intended and two-seater owners are typically six gallons short. For many, the extra weight of a two- or three-piece wing mayjust make the aircra ft too restricted inpayload to be worthwhile.

LOVE OF THE TIPSY Brian, let rne start by saying what a great job you are doing with the magazine, it is a credit to the LAA. I enjoyed Steve Slater's article on one of my alltime-favourite aircraft, the Tipsy Trainer. As a young engineer with Fairey Aviation, G-AISC was available to the Fairey Flying Club at the princely rate of Ei per hour. What a deal it was! And the aircraft could be borrowed at no cost for an extended trip, just buy one's own fuel. Back then the Royal Aero Club used to have regular yearly invitations to a free weekend in Deauville, so G-AISC made it there, clearing

Customs at Le Touquet and having problems backtracking the hard surfaced runway in the prevailing strong breeze - no brakes and a tail skid.

I was told that these last three machines were built for the RN. Flying Club, but in the mid-5os, there was a second one based at White Waltham along with 'SC owned by two of my then colleagues, Russell Wright and Dick Richards, and I believe that a PFA group in Welshpool operated one.

G-AISC was fitted with a Fairey Reed metal propeller and cruised at 85 mph, just sipping fuel. At one time it had a much coarser pitch prop and I was told it could do nomph, but gave poor climb performance.

Our late PFA Chief Engineer F I V 'Johnny' Walker once told me that he flew the aircraft with that prop to pick up a rather heavy passenger carrying a suitcase on his knee, and took rather a long time to get to t000ftl Well, it is over 50 years since I last flew one of these delightful aircraft, and I am happy to see 'SA in such good hands and still airworthy.

Franlc Parker (former PFA Chairman now flying a Grumman AAy at Hollywood/ North Perry in Florida) ANNEX II, WHY NOT RIF? I have followed with interest the various threads that have been rumbling around the website, the magazine and elsewhere concerning the migration of Annex II aeroplanes to Permits to Fly (PtF). The process appears to be amazingly obscure, though

we do know that EASA lumped them all together and told the National Aviation Authorities to go and look after them on its own.

One would have thought that the immediate reaction of our CAA would have been to transfer the whole lot onto PtF, or at the very least offer the owners a choice of Certificate of Airworthiness (C of A) or PtF, as with the recent de Havilland scenario. Sadly not so. When asked as to why this was not about to happen, I was advised that we were bound by treaty obligations (presumably ICAO) and where a type had a Type Certificate holder it could never go onto a PtF. This begs the immediate question, are we ruled by EASA or do we have several masters?

Why is the CAA citing historic treaties to which EASA must surely now be the signatory on behalf of the EU when EASA itself has decided these Annex Il aircraft do not meet the requirements for an EASA CoA or even an EASA CoA (Restricted)?

Does the treaty really demand that these aeroplanes must remain on a C of A to the exclusion of all else? What happens if these old aircraft fall below the standard because manufacturer support and/ or new parts are no longer available? Must the owners scrap them because no other alternative is available? DHSL has released its aircraft from the constraints of a C of A because parts availability has been a serious problem even they as a well-appointed company

could not resolve, yet many of us with Annex II types suffer the same problem, and also lack the excellent 'manufacturer' support that DEISL gave its aircraft owners.

A few years ago, when EASA started flexing its muscles, it brought in the now notorious Part M. ft did offer two routes to airworthiness: F and G. The CAA decided that while G looked like something they recognised and could play with, F,which was designed for the private owner who wished to operate outside of a 'Controlled Environment', was beyond the pale. Consequently it put it about that anyone daring to attempt route F would be presented with eye watering charges and serious buggeraCion, thus F died in the water.

Wouldn't it have been so nice if instead, CAA had done some real lateral thinking and we had been presented with the following scenario: Route F, for those operating outside the controlled environment, would be open to Annex II aircraft only and would require that once a year an aircraft be submitted to an acceptable engineer or LAA inspector for him to recommend the issue or renewal of a Permit to Fly. They could even have called it a C of A Part F. When, after the promised review, the chaps at EASA suggest that the problem with Part M is nothing with them but that it has been caused by gold plating from the NAAs, perhaps that would be the perfect solution.

Frank Rothera

FEBRUARY 2012 LIGHT

AVIATION

11

'• •

'

A

A

•

1

:

1

'

INTHEWINGS WINDMILLS These days even the simplest of microfight aircraft possess an electrical power system; even engines as small as 150cchave tiny electrical alternators.

Outside of the vintage arena, we take it forgranted that every aircraft has an electrical system capable of starting the engine and driving the radio and transponder. Mode S transponder? No problem, we have the power! Our only predicament may be forgetting to charge or change the batteries in our noise-canceling headsets.

But it wasn't always so. Vintage buffs can look back at a time when their early GipsyMajor engines were not equipped with any form of electrical generation Iexcept forthe dual magnetos of course!. Although immediately post-war most airfield control was still conducted with light signals using Aldislamps, the need forradio communications with the primitive ATCunits gradually evolved and wealthier owners instructed their local maintenance organisations to fitVHF radio transmitter/receivers into their Moths and Austers. But before the semi-conductor revolution arrived, aircraft radios used bulky thermionic valves to amplify the incoming signal, ancl these valves required a lot of electrical power to heat their anodes in order to make them work. And this was additional to the power output needed to transmit a readable signal. Today,the miniscule VHFsemi-conductor radios are so small they can 12 LIGHT AVIATION 1EBRUARY 2(1:

be fitted into a corner ofour instrument panel and be powered by a single, Mouble-free,nv gel-cell sealed batten/ that can keep it going forup to three months on a single charge!

The old lead-add batteries were heavy and had to be mounted in a suitable 'battery box', which protected and held the battery secure while venting its toxiccontents to atmosphere. Even fullycharged, a brand new batten/wouldn't keep the radio going forvery long - certainly not fora flightto the continent and back. Therefore an additional DC electrical supply was required.

Enter your granddad's old Austin Ten motor car.

Itwas fittedwith a belt driven 'dynamo', which generated nzvDCand recharged the onboard lead add car battery via a voltage regulator.

These dynamos were almost irouble-free and lasted forthe lifeof the car, so it wasn't long before a version was developed foruse by the light aviation industty. But how to drive it?There was no way that the small aircraft engines of those days could be fitted vvithsome sort ofdrive fora dynamo without exhaustive airworthiness approval and enormous costs.So a more practical system was evolved: windmills.

The dynamos, suitably streamlined in a protective case, were usually mounted in the upper wing's leading-edge, just outboard ofthe wing root, diameter) and a small wooden !approximately propeller drove them. Some of these 'windmill'

propellers were even ground-adjustable in pitch so that their RPMcould be modified to suit the aircraft's cruising speed.

VACChairman Steve Slater recalls being taken completely by surprise by one ofthese devices.

"Iwas once asked to help move a DH85Leopard Moth," he said. "Itwas a breezy day and as I pushed on the fiftstrut twas suddenly aware ofa propeller whizzing round very near my head! It was only then that Isaw this wind driven generator mounted on the leading-edge ofthe wing."

With modem avionim and later, electricallyequipped Gipsyengines, most of these Windmills' have disappeared from the vintage aircraft scene bu tvisitors to the Sywell LAARallylast year were treated a rare glimpse ofone fitted to a Chrislea Former VACChairman, CarlButler, AceG-AKUW. recalls that they were also fitted to some wartime ArmyAusters to power their vital radio equipment Healso knew ofat least one Tiger Moth, G-ALBD, owned by the Armstong Whitworth FlyingClub, which had a wind-driven dynamo mounted under the fuselage between its undercantage legswhich brings us right up to date.

There are still many classic light aircraft that were built before the need forradio communication became necessary. They include the likes ofthe veteran Piper Cubs, Luscornbes and Aeroncas.

Recognisingtheir need fora supply of DCelectridty to power, BasicAircraft Products [nu ol Evans,

OVER THE HEDGE < Georgia, USA,has developed a small, six-inch diameter, wind-driven, ducted-fan 'turbine' designed to be fined between the undercaniage.

Designated the BPE-14Turbo Alternator, it weighs only siband provides six amps at 751<1 cruising speed. It has a built-in regulator and a battery is not needed (but is recommended).

Danny Racionzer, of the Highlands a Islands Snut is based at Inverness. He fitted hisii952 Piper PA-18Super Cub, G-AYPS,with a BPE,u4 Turbo Alten atur, which has so Indent output to power his newMode S transponderand radio. As descri bed in a recent 'Over the Hedge', together with his Super Cub's additional fuel tank, Dannywas able to fly from Inverness direct- to Breighton, his radio and Mode S allowing him to obtain clearances through controlled airspace. "The alternator worked extremelywell," reported Danny.

The Turbo Alternator is a very effident ducted-fan design but it is still driven by the airflow, hence tire old windmill concept lives on iii a new guise. It is helping pilots of vintage aircraft to cope with the ever growingAir Traffic Control dema rids of today.

(The Turbo Alternator is available (rom Airworld UK through its website shopnirworlthilcann - Ed.)

•

LUCKY SHOES Footwear plays a big part in our sport.

Wearing the wrong pair of shoes Call get your feet tangled up with the rudder pedals and brakes with unforeseen consequences, and ladies' stilettos can puncture 22 SWG aluminium sheet with ease. But we soon find the ideal footwear that suits us, our aircraft and the airfields wevisit And then we tend to keep them as part of our flying kit It is no secret that many wartime aircrews were (OMsuperstitious regarding their flying bootsand always ensured that they dressed in a fixed sequence so as not to tempt fate. Nothing wrongwith superstition ill the flying game. Despite all of our precautions and safety dri Ils an element of luck is always present After all, if a highlystressed piece of metal iii our engine is going to suffer from metal fatigue it is mudi better that it happens during the pre-take-off power check than halfway across the Channel. It is always good to have lady luck on ourside, Comfortable footwear is also benefidal to one's enjoyment of fly-ins and rallies. Walking many happy miles over newly-mown turf along lines of attractiveairuaft can be a most rewarding experience. Hobbl Mg along in a fashionably saran but uncomfortable pair of boots is a painful option and not to be recommended, Dew-laden grass can also render your feet soaking wet in no time at all but on warm summer days shoes and socks can be dispensed with and hung on the front of the aeroplane to dry, the velvety turf beingvery kind to tired feet At a recent LAASywell Rally, members of the Highland ElIsland Strut took advantage of the hot sunshine to dry trainers and socks on Melvaig Mackenzie's beautifully maintained classic Piper L-18Super Cub, &MET, though I'm not so sure the white trainers and dark grey socks added significantly to the Cub's glossy yellow and black colour scheme.

On a more enigmatic theme, we noted a comfortable-looleng pair of second-hand, size eleven, black shoes for sale in the CAAFlea Market.

Surrounded, as they were, by a fuel cock, aircraft battery, starter-motor and throttle cables, were they used for Mck-startring engines? A very good buy at just Lir •

•

•

FEERUARk Or

LIGHT AVIATION 13

Corripiled by ADRIANBLEESE

WITHA CASTON ONELEG- HISOWNI ON HISESCAPADE WORKED KIRKHAM PAUL We'vebeen lucky enough to be able to follow the build of Ben Chester-Master's V6-powered T-51in 'Project News' over the last two years and, this month, it appears in our Cleared to Fly list The aircraft is painted in the colours of a P-5111of the 343rd Fighter Squadron based at RAF Wormingford in Essex. The original was flown by Major Edward Giller and named the Millie Gafter his wife, Mildred (it is sometimes mistakenly identified as 'Millie IF, due to the font). In 1446, the original Millie G (or one of them) was sold to Sweden and from

there ended up in the Dominican Republic ' where it continued to serve for almost 30 years. It now sits, on top of a pole, as a gate guardian at the San Isidro Air Force base.

Major Ciller went on to command the squadron, eventually flying 115combat missions and he is credited with three enemy aircraft destroyed, including an Methz jet fighter. His military decorations and awards include the Silver Star, Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, Air Medal with 17oak

PAUL KIRKHAM'S

REALITY

ESCAPADE

leaf clusters, Purple Heart, Distinguished Unit Citation Emblem and the Croix de Guerre. He continued in air force service after the war reaching the rank of Major General before retiring in the early 1970s. I understand that he and Mildred are still alive and well, and are now living in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

I hope that they get to see the new Millie G. If you'd like to share news of your project then please email me at projectnews@laaarchive.org.uk or write to me at 9 Tunstall Green, Tunstall, Suffolk IP= if.

(345-14 824) C-DRPIC

QUITE /UV ESCAPADE

Nr

CLEARED TI FLY A terrific mix of old and new this month with the Cassult Racer starting us off with a design that dates back ho years, even though this particular one was registered us a new project in May zoto. Then we have two VIAVIIfighter inspired new builds-a Tgl Mustang and a Mk 26 Spitfire. Then the new- an RV-7and a SporiCruiser- G-TDKI, which we Kist saw ta king shape in these pages in Ole Slangier of 2010 titular the keen eye of veteran pilot Dan Kendall.

Spitfire &PM is painted in the colours al a 43 Salim/ran Mk. /A (R/C855KT-Ct; the WCrani('

1 4 LIGHT AVIATION I

service of its lookafike included spells based in both Casablanca and Austria. > G-CGSU CASSUTT RACER HEM 034-14983 06h2/2 on Howell, •o Hiatt Street, Kinver, Stourbridge DT7 GER > G-TDM CZAW SPORTCRUISER 338-14976 01/1212ou.

D R Kendall, it Tithe Barn Close, St. Albans ALI 240 G-TSIM TITAN T-51.MUSTANG 355-14964 08/12/2on f Chester-Master, Morcas Court, Meccas, t lei-Mord 11R2oLH

> G-FOZYVAN'S RV-7323 -1450 20/1212011 M C Forrest, to The Croft„Ashbltde-M-Zotich LEO > G-PIXY SPITFIRE MK 26324 -14477 23/12/2on Collenette, Boldre Lane Cottage, Roldre Lane, &shire, Li/outman) 5041 8PD

NEW PROJECTS

The list of new projects, which covers the Christmas period Oes Menai, sits at a very respectable total of five and what ci mix il is; there's !gall y saalething for just a bout every taste and budget.

'41

PROJECT NEWS <

As I write this project report I am waiting for the paperwork to arrive from the LAA informing me that it is cleared to fly, although I suspect by the time you read this it will have had its maiden flight at Dunsfold aerodrome.

It has taken just over three years from start to finish, working mostly at weekends, evenings and the few odd weeks. To be honest, the dream of building my own aeroplane began more than 30 years ago when, as a young lad, having built many balsa wood models from free flight, to control line and then radio control, I made a promise to build a 'real' aircraft, one that I could sit in and fly myself.

I am sure this sentiment rings true with many other pilots who have built their own aircraft About five years ago I began to look around to see what types of aircraft were available as kits and, more importantly, laying the groundwork to avoid possible divorce. As I live in the South-East, my main concern was the cost of hangarage, which is very expensive in this neck of the woods, so it either had to live outside or be trailered in order to store it elsewhere. Several aircraft types were looked at and in the end I settled for the Escapade.

The wings fold, it is easily transportable and can be stored undercover in a relatively small space, plus it looks nice and is a very versatile aircraft So back in the spring of 2008 I visited Reality Aircraft, then in Amesbury, and handed my deposit over to Terry Francis. Over the next three months, while waiting for the

kit to arrive, I set about finding an inspector and turning my single garage into a workshop.

This required a temporary extension to be built by ufilising the garage doors to provide an extra 31/2feet in length to the garage. Terry delivered the fuselage kit in July, just before we were about to go on our family holiday, which was very frustrating as I was itching to start the build but would have to wait until our return.

At that time I thought I would have the aircraft built in a year - oh how wrong I was!

Indeed, after being repeatedly asked, "When will it fly?" I soon gave up on speculating a completion date, having missed several, and my standard response eventually became, "When it's ready."

My ever wise inspector, Ian Daniels, warned me it takes twice, if not three times, as long as you think. I should add that Ian was extremely helpful throughout the build process. The fact that he only lived four miles from my home and was therefore easily on hand to provide advice, check and sign off the various stages of the build when needed was a big advantage.

The build began with the fuselage and by the end of 2009 it had been 'trial' assembled, covered, painted and the task of installing the instruments, avionics and electrical systems had begun. Moreover, during the summer of 2009 the wing kit was delivered and by the end of the year they too were ready for

covering. Space was now a premium in the garage so I decided to hang the wings up and finish installing the electrical systems and avionics, and then install the engine and fuel system over the winter of 213139-2010.

By the spring of zolo, the fuselage could be trailered to its new home, a custom-made shelter which I had built at a local farm two miles away. This liberated enough space to complete the covering of the wings and all the control surfaces during the spring of zmo.

Summer arrived and the wings and control surfaces were shipped off to the paint shop and work returned to the fuselage, focusing on the doors, windshield, engine cowlings and turtle deck. As my build was one of the first few Escapades to have the illagoi engine, the cowlings had to be extensively modified to allow room for the cylinder head rocker covers, giving the cowling its distinctive teardrop power bulge on either side. Eventually the wings returned from the paint shop and so began the final assembly of fitting the wings to the fuselage along with installation of the control surfaces and all the cables. By the end of 2010, 1 had what looked like an aeroplane and could begin to see the end in sight with a possible first flight in the first half of 2011.

However, it was not to be. Disaster struck in early February when I was involved in a road traffic accident, suffering a broken leg and being put out of action. By May, the aeroplane had spent the best part of five months in its shelter down at the farm with no further work undertaken. Though I was still unable to drive, my leg was by now in a removable cast so I was able to persuade my wife to drop me down at the farm for the day during the weekends with my tools, a chair, some food and water and a mobile phone just in case. This enabled me to do some work on the aircraft and get it ready for the initial engine runs. At least I was happy and not going stir crazy. ByJuly, I was eventually in a position to fire up the engine and check that everything worked as it should.

The vinyl trim-lines were applied and in September 1trailered the aircraft up to the LAARally at Sywell, where it was awarded the Albert Codling trophy for 'Best part-built kit aircraft zon'. After the rally, the last few jobs were completed, such as finishing the engine cooling baffle plates and installing the oil cooler. Then the all important fuel flow checks, compass swing, more engine runs, taxy trials and the final inspection before sending off the paperwork in November.

Has it all been worth it and would I do it again? Definitely, although towards the end, the strain was beginning to show on the rest of the family and it was suggested that perhaps I shouldn't build another for at least ten years!

PITTS MODEL 12 34945116 2311212011 PBorchert,St Ediths,3KingsburySquare, Wilton,WiltsSP2oBA WHITTAKER MW6 164 -1511520/n/20n

11Dunning, GrangeFarm,Whixley,York Y0268AY EUROPA24749113 15/12/2011

SVestuti, Lamneth, airway, Kidwelly,Corms SAI7411E PIONEER 400 364-15112 12/12/2011

A R Lloyd,OrlingboryHoldFarm,Kettering Road,NrHannington, Northants NN69TA GROPPO TRAIL 372- 151209 /12/aon

Name &address held by LAAEngineering FEBRUARY2012 LIGHT AVIATION 15

> PROJECT NEWS I must say a big thank you to all my family and friends, in particular my wife, Fiona, for being so understanding and supportive throughout the build process. Of course the kids, Charlotte and lain, can't go without a mention, for not only did they help me with the build but they chose the colour and the trim scheme. Last but by no means least I would like to thank my inspector Ian Daniels, Andy Philips at Andair for his help with the

fuel system, Mark Jones at Galaxy Micro lights who did a fantastic paint job and most importantly Terry Francis at Reality Aircraft who was always at hand to answer any questions during the build.

So now all that's left to do is fly it and have fun. But who shall sit in the co-pilot's seat? The kids are already arguing. Perhaps for some peace and quiet I should build a four-seater.

STOP PRESS! The following received by Francis Donaldson from Paul just before publication after Will Greenwood carried out a successful first flight onióth January.

'It flew! What a fantastic day It was like a homesick angel. Will wants to do more of the test flying tomorrow and will start collating some performance figures. As for today, it flew forr5hr and made seven landings.'

Great news!

7

I

IP

ROBIN MORTON'S FOKKER EMDECICER SSDR G-CSAL

Those fortunate enough to be at Goodwood on Saturday 9 December may well have witnessed Klemm La5, G-AAUP,flying for the first time since the mid-198os. She was built in 1929 with a Sal mson AD9 radial and has been a UKresident ever since. Two sorties were flown

by Charlie Fluke, with the radio-less Klemm having an 1.4Cub as chaperone.

Painstakingly restored by owner jan Cooper and her team at the Newbury Aeroplane Company, including the late John Greenland who did much of the work, GAM? had been at Goodwood since being trailered there for the Freddie March Spirit of Aviation event, part of the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

FIRST FLIGHTAND MEMORIES OF AN OLD FRIEND You can find a video of Robin Morton's first Eindecker flight in the Magazine section of the LAAwebsite wwwfaa.uk.com -so far, no-one has any stills of it flying, only videos - such is progress. The filming is courtesy of Shaun Davis, with George Simoni acting as ground support and Robin slipping the surly bonds of earth. The film was edited and uploaded

by Mike Oakley. Unexpectedly, though a microlight, all sales of the Eindecker so far have been to LAAmembers.

Many years ago (in 1985 to be exact) Robin completed and flew a Hovey WhingDing II through the PFA(Project No. 116-10706, 16 LIGHT AVIATION

FEBRUARY2012

G-MBAB)and this aircraft type now comes under the Deregulated Class rules. He has just sold a set of plans to an LAAmember in Kent, so maybe another one could take to the skies in a year or two. Grass Strip Aviation is now marketing the plans to include all the mods necessary to bring the aircraft up to a minimum Section 'S' standard if anyone is interested, and the plans will shortly go onto its website www.grass-strip-aviation.com

The original is with Martin Aubrey in his museum in Herefordshire and hasn't flown for some years.

-

PROJECT NEWS <

Celebratorychampersfor Will and Paul

JANICE COOPER'S

KLEMM

L25-IA

LOOKINGGLORIOUSATGOODWOOD

FEBRUARY2012 LIGHT AVIATION 17

> PROJECT NEWS

KEVIN DIM'S ZENAIR ZODIAC 6mM (ZAC kit)1.1111162.8-14990. G-CGVZ "Why a Zenair?" a friend asked, and I had to think for a while to remember the reasoning behind my choice. First, I needed side-by-side seating as my last Aeroprakt Azor) aeroplane's tandem arrangement and lack of bag space did not prove so good on long journeys. And second, lam not a fan of composite work, all that sticky, itchy stuff and much more demanding on the workshop facility too. I thought the SportCruiser looked a possibility but after finding out the price, which had started at around Ezgk mark, had gone up to a unaffordable amount, that was ruled out Next the Zenair came up, 950/0a SportCruiser in most ways except looks but at nearly a third of the price, and as I actually wanted to build an aeroplane rather than bolt together already completed assemblies, it fitted the bill perfectly. The only small disadvantage is the slightly narrower cabin but the latest XL is more than big enough - you can get two Americans in it after all!

The actual build was pretty straightforward as I could incorporate the LAA mandatow mods, like the mass balanced ailerons, etc, as I built The kits now come with all the rivet positions pre-punched out by CNC,but you do then have to step drill to the correct size, which is fine as it gives you a little adjustment to get things perfectly aligned. All of the construction was done in a single-car garage and I found the metalwork quite pleasurable and therapeutic hut you will get strong forearms moving a II the clecos around. For me, the biggest challenge was getting away with storing the wings in our TV room fori8 months.., that and etch priming everything as I went along. The only part to try my patience

was the canopy; it took ages to do and f was forever wheeling the fuselage in and out of the garage but now, having flown it, I can say that it really was worth the effort to get right.

The finished airframe was fully rigged and then disassembled before painting at East of England Sailplanes by Richard Kil ham, who did a great job without adding too much weight. Final assembly was done at Leicester IEGBG) with all the flight testing completed in two days.

'VZ has all the factory options such as wing-lockers, lights, wheel fairings, big tanks (mit), twin control sticks, and electric aileron and elevator trims. I have also added a Grove lightweight undercarriage bow that saved tslb and helped get the C of G forwa rd.

The motor is a mohp Rotax which spins a Woodcomp SR3ciooVP prop. I gave much thought to the panel and went in the end for a mix of Dynon Dioo for the flight instruments, analogue engine instruments along with a

couple of MGL ones for MAP/RPM and a quad thermocouple reading one for the CHTs. I found this the most cost effective and easiest on the eye for scanning in flight. A Garmin GPS3 is linked to the Dynon display. A Bendix King imt and Trig TrIzi top it all off.

I have to thank the agent Gary Johnson at JMS Aero for putting up with silly questions along with LAA Engineering for sorting out the past XL issues. Gary, who was the project inspector and the test pilot, also made nice comments about the build quality! It was reassuring that 'VZ flew straight off the build with no issues to correct. 'VZ was a kit from the Zenith Aircraft Company in the USA and as it is the first registered here (as opposed to a CZAW kit) Francis Donaldson flew it to confirm the handling and stability characteristics with the full Permit landing three years and a month from the arrival of the kit I now have a super cross-country cruiser that does logkt at 4,7oorpm and 23.5in Map.

ROGER CORNWELL'S EUROFOX UPDATE

MICROLIGHT VERSION APPROVED ••,

G-EFOX..

18 LIGHT AVIATION

BRUARit

I

• .I

I.

•

The BMAA microlight version of the Eurofox has now completed its comprehensive spinning schedule and passed with flying colours. It has finished all the air tests and easily passed the CAA noise test schedule, so it is fully approved and is awaiting its full Permit issue.

It is much the same for the LAA 560kg version. Two LAA Eurofoxes have been sold to glider clubs and there are several others The looking forward to demonstrations.

CM is due to sign off the glider towing element imminently.

•

•

D-

•

.

•

•

.11

•

'• .

•

.

• •

•

• 1:

I a

11

I

III

I

> PROJECT NEWS SPECIAL

JODELDR1 REIN

NATE

Microlight designer BillBrooks talks usthrough hisrebuild, with a ,g1Oen engin% I• •

I acquired my jodel DRio5o parts in September 2010. The wing came from G-AWEN,damaged - probably in a groundloop sometime around 1985. The port wing was completely broken about one metre outboard of the undercarriage pickup. The port wingtip and damaged tail plane structure came from another, unidentified, Jodel, and the bare fuselage shell from G-AWWO,repaired after hitting an earth bank in about 2004.

The master plan was to collect or make all the necessary remaining parts and to power it with a wohp Rotax 912Srather than its usual Continental 0-200. BillSherlock, who used to be the MDat Pegasus Microlight Aircmft„had owned a Jodel DRiooA{the forerunner to the DRio5o)which I thought was delightful on the couple of occasions when I flew it. He'd thought of powering that with the 9125but chose to 20 LIGHT AVIATION FEBRUARY20 12

overhaul his 0-200, as the aircraft was then on a Cof Aand the modification approval process was looking long and expensive.

This was all in the back of my mind during construction of a nine-metre-long, detached garage/workshop during 2005-7;the Jodel's span is 8.75m. Having transported my prize bad< home, Iset about obtaining materials and went on a day's LAAwoodworldng course (thanks Dudley). While waiting for materials and plans, I designed an engine mount LAAmember Felipe Vizoso, who now owns Bill's old aircraft had the same Rotax idea for his rebuild. After a false start, he decided to collaborate with me in getting a pair of mounts made.

Iworked out how faythe engine would have to move forwards to compensate for the reduced weight of the Rotax (about 150mm)and submitted my design to LAAEngineering using the CS-VLAdesign code. After resoMng a few

issues, John Tempest declared he was happy with it.The mount uses the Rotaxring mount and Lord J-36o8-1rubber mounts and is made from 3/4in Mswg4130tube. CETEngineering has now made them, and a very nicejob they made too.

Phil Hall, the projecrs inspector, looked around my acquisition and workshop, sucked through his teeth a bit and asked some pertinent questions. He gradually came around to the idea that this assemblage of pieces had a flying future and we set out some inspection stages, including inspection of the spar boom scarfed joints before gluing and a general inspection of the spar before the ply box was closed.

Ibegan by producing the jig for the wing ribs trom MDF;I had a pattern rib so did not need to produce the NAGA23012proffle from co-ordinates. I cut out ply washers with a hole saw to make eccentric clamps and made a soaking tank from an old drainpipe for CUrVing

I.

ft.

•

First build the workshop! Tailplane about to be re-skinned, interior is varnished

FelloVizoso's ORto0A,myinspitathmamt SigItconYerfatotakt power -` • (Photo:ParthandlO

the rib booms. There are ur components and atioints in each rib. Most of this was done in January son, requiting the rib jig to come indoms to allow the Aerodux to cure. I used Aerodux (now made by Preferer resorcinol adhesive because it is tried and tested. fis amazing staining properties make it very obvious where glue is and is not, compared to the translucent Aerate. Ifstarting again, I think I'd use an epoxy, which is tougher than the Aerodux and will also still develop good strength even if there are gaps; with Aerodux, the fit-up of parts has to be accurate. The only downside of epoxy I can think of is possible loss of strength with a dark-covered structure in the sun. I use a small digital kitchen balance to mix Aerodux batches down to isgr and have made test pieces for each batch from spruce scraps, using Technora strips of reinforced transparent sailcloth to set the assembly staples into. When

the adhesive has set, the staples can be rapidly pulled out by pulling the sailcloth strip off- those that remain with one leg still in can simply be pulled offwith pliers.

BUYING THE LAMBORGHINI

Istarted repairing the main spar booms according to an LAAapproved repair scheme (never start without this!) preparing theria5 scarf joints using a jig and a router...and soon finding that the router only works well one way, i.e. brushing down on the grain rather than lifting it up. In the end, I made a jig for a portable circular saw which produced good results in either direction. I made furtherligs to cut the angled aileron and elevator ribs accurately, using a fine toothed dovetail saw. Making jigs and using sham tools aids accuracy and saves time and scrap. Laser levels are great for aligning spar booms and ribs.

Rib Jig can be set up indoors to allow the Aerodux to cure

I think a repair project of this sort is more difficult than building from scratch. Care, precision and patience are certainly needed.

As far as possible, I kept the original spar box intact when I prepared each spar boom scarf so that the repair would be self-aligning. When I had produced the new spar boom extensions and glued them all in place, I stripped back the ply and began to prepare the scarf joints on it. I bought an excellent 75rnm Lamborghini sander, which has a tight radius on the nose-roller, enabling access into tncky corners. Mywife, Judy, was slighdy aghast when I told her I'd bought a Lamborghind She has started her own podiatry business, which has been very useful in providing dust masks, rubber gloves, all sorts of nail files and diamond rotary burs, which work very well on spruce.

I made up a kind of operating table to align the wingtip with the main spar conrectly FEBRUARY2012 LIGHT

AVIATION

21

> PROJECT NEWS SPECIAL when assembling the dihedral joint and I did remember to slide all the ribs along the spar first! Thepadel spar is straight inboard but has a fiendish twist at the tips. The front and rear spar faces are vertical and the top and bottom faces slope.

Ata cursory glance, one might expect the lodel inboard panels to be untwisted. In fact the trailing-edge Dses 3omm from root to tip. I glued all the rib noses onto the spar and then, to get the correct twist had to scarfjoint the top spar booms of the three most outboard ribs to get the twist right I lined all the ribs up with a laser, comparing the new wing with the undamaged starboard side for symmetry. Looking closely at the starboard ribs, I found some of them had similar joints in too. Then Imade up all the paddng pieces between the spar box and rib booms, There must be hundreds of components in a Jade] wing.

The zomm x imm steel tube for the air brakes proved very hard to get, so I've used 1/4"x allswg irgo, which has identical torsion strength and stiffness at a slight weight penalty. I fitted [GUS polymer bushes where the tube used to run straight in the rib ply blocks, maldng sleeves by boring out sections of old 20111M tube to allow clamping of the air brake ribs and operating horn.

As time has gone on, I've managed to acquire most of the major parts. We had a long weekend trip to Linco]nshire where I bought a canopy frame jig from Richard Yates,who also by good fortune had most of the metal parts for the airframe including joysticks, fuel tanks, seats and many other assorted widgets. These are now all cleaned up and powder-coated. I found rudder pedals, wheels and brakes in France, and bought some newly made undercarriage legs from Peter Thomas. And I found a tailwheel and rudder at Skycraft.

I also acquired a Rotax quS with only goo hours on it,plus a complete set of MGL Voyager instruments and backup mechanical instnnnents. I'malso going to fit a vacuumoperated turn indicator from an old Rallye I used to fly.My cowlings will be based on an old Eurostar one.

The wing is completed and ready for inspection and varnishing, and the airbrakes are installed and working. I repaired one aileron and made the other from scratch. Currently, I'm making a set of elevators, which will complete the airframe structure. Then I'll take the wing to work where I have more space for covering, and bring the fuselage back home for powerplant installation, instruments, controls runs, etc. So, things are progressing and I'm probably about a year away from completion. In the meantime, I'm enjoying it despite working on microlight aircraft all day. Ithink it's because it's at home, it's built in wood and there's not the same commercial pressure as there is at work.

Dreams of flying to France enfamine keep me going. As Dudley says, you have to enjoy the process for its own sake and because you can build something to your own requirements, otherwise it's probably cheaper and quicker to buy one.

In my case, Iwill end up with a Oust! affordable dassic aeroplane which has been completely rebuilt, with the benefit of a state-of-the-art lightweight powerplant and instruments. It's also teaching me quite a lot about economy of design, where there's just enough of everything and everything does several jobs. Then I may be better placed for my own efforts. The cost is about Elsk, so far. • 22 LIGHT AVIATION FEBRUARY2012

PROJECTNEWS SPECIAL <

a

> LICENSING

•

• If

• FP •

• •

•

G-WDM

_

EASA'splans for flight crew licensing have been bubbling away in the background for several years but with the new regulations coming in this year it has got to the stage where we need to sit up and take notice. Many things from EASAcan seem to be very complicated and with flying licences it is even more so because there already seems to be more than enough different types of licence to go around, without adding further complication. However, you cannot ignore the situation any longer, so this article sets out to explain the pilot licensing options for the great majority of 24 LIGHT AVIATION FEBRUARY2012

LAAmembers. We have held off publishing anything earlier because, believe it or not, until now EASAhadn't issued a definitive set of rules - finally it now (almost) has. Dueto these delays with EASA,the CAAtoo has some tidying up to do over the coming weeks.

There will inevitably be those that fall outside the main body of information contained herein, and to them Iapologise in advance, but to include every possible scenario will simply complicate matters and take up space which unfortunately we do not have. I have included references to relevant CM and EASAdocumentation where information can be found.

Itshould be noted that although the EASA LicensingRegulationscome into forceon 8 April2012, the UKCM will not begin issuing EASAlicences until iJuly 2012.

EASA AND ANNEX II

One ofthe ftindamentals of the EASAPilot Licensingregulation is whether the aircraft to be flownisan EASAaircraft or an AnnexII aircraft There isa simplisticview that any aircraft that has a Permit isan Annex IIaircraft and so isoutside EASArules. This is not always true, because some orphan aircraft and some new lightaircraft have an EASAPermit to Fly.It is

LICENSING < marked 'E' for EASA,or 'A' for Annex II - (the table does not list amateur built or microlight aircraft types).

As a general nue, if you are renting from a non-specialist flying club it is likely to be running EASAaircraft - Cessna 15o/152/172/182, Piper PA-28, PA-38, Robin DRzioo,Cirrus, etc.

OK,that's a brief explanation from which you can decide whether you are currently flying EASAor non-EASA aircraft and, from a pilot licensing perspective, if you are flying EASAaircraft you will, eventually, need to get an EASAlicence, known as a Part FCLlicence.

And you will have a choice of either the 'traditional' licence that is on a par with our UKCAAor JAR PPE henceforth called an EASA PPE or the equivalent of our National Private Pilots Licence INPPL), henceforth called the Light Aircraft Pilots Licence (LAPL).But do not panic, you do not have to do anything right now, there is a transition period of at least two years, or three years if you only want to fly aircraft that are within the scope of the LAPLup to 2,000kg, no more than four POB,private flights only.

Ifyou are not intending to ever fly EASA aircraft then you will not need to get either the EASAPPL or the LAPL.That is a rather simplistic explanation though, so read on to see not only what your most basic requirements are, but what may best serve your purposes in the years ahead.

Please note that the formal process for agreeing licence fees has not been completed by the CAA,so licence fees mentioned in this article have yet to be confirmed.

safe to say that all amateur-built aircraft and all microlights are Annex II. But if you intend to fly any factory-built aircraft, including warbirds, you should check. Some will have national certificates (PiF or Cof A)and some will have EASAPIP or Cof A. You can look at the certificate for the individual aircraft - if it is an EASAform then it is not Annex II.Alternatively you can Google G-INFO(or put G-INFOinto the search box at www.caa.co.uk)and that will take you to the CM aircraft database where you can put in the aircraft's registration and it will say if the aircraft has an EASACof A or an EASAPtE Alternadvely CAP 747 (also on the CAAwebsite) has a table of aircraft types

YOU HAVE AN OLD STYLEUK PPL (PRE-JAR) As mentioned above, if you are only flying non-EASA aircraft then this licence will continue to be valid (subject to the usual requirements) into the future. You will also be permitted to fly EASAaircraft during the transition period as the new licences are brought in, which is up until 7 April 2014 or, if the EASAaircraft falls with in the LAPL categoly of being under 2,000kg mtom, with maximum four occupants and flown for private purposes only, 7 April 2015.

Post the appropriate transition date, you will need to obtain an EASAlicence if you wish to continue to fly EASAas well as Annex IIaircraft There was some talk in the early days that UKPPL holders would have to get a JAR licence before they could obtain an EASA licence but this is definitely not the case; it is possible to obtain either an EASAPPL or a LAPLdirectly from a UKPPL. For the EASAPPL licence that will mean you must be able to show you have a minimum 70 hours on aeroplanes and can demonstrate the use of radio navigation aids. Exactly how the latter is to be carried out has yet to be defined.

The non-expiring EASAPPL will be available from the CAAand conversion is expected to cost £65 (TBC).

Should you decide to obtain a LAPLrather than an EASAPPL, you will of course be restricted to aircraft with a 2,000kg mtom, max four occupants and private use only, but for many of us that is not a problem. The principal advantage, however, is that the LAPLis in effect a Europe-wide NPPLwith a medical requirement along the lines of (but not identical to) the current UKNPPL General Practitioner Declaration. The terms for conversion from a pre-JAR UKPPL to a FEBRUARY2012 LIGHT AVIATION 25

> LICENSING non-expiring LAPLhave been drafted in a conversion report that is to be submitted to EASA.The terms will be published by the CAA in due course, but as proposed will not require any new exams or flying training. The cost of conversion is expected to be E65 (TBC) YOU HAVE A FIVE-YEAR'EXPIRING TYPE' JAR PPL Your JAR licence will become an EASAPPL from 8 April 2012until its expiry date. When you apply for your licence renewal after July, the CAAwill send you an EASAPPL in its place, there is no need to apply for a replacement earlier than its expiry date. The cost of the replacement EASAPPL is expected to be E73(TBC)and it will be a lifetime licence.

Please note that because the UKCM will not be issuing any EASAlicences until i July 2012,between 8 April and 3oJune 2012 it will continue to renew expired JAR PPL licences with a new five-year expiring JAR PPL. Any ratings current at the time of renewal will be included on the new EASAPPL, and if you have a current non-EASA rating such as a Microlight Rating, you will also receive a lifetime UKCAAlicence with that rating on it. It is expected that there will be charge of E35(TBC)for the additional UKCAAlicence.

(Note that as Class ratings on EASAlicences will be valid for Annex IIaeroplanes, you will not need an additional UKCM licence to use MEP or SEP privileges - including microlight privileges after differences training - on Annex II aircraft if you have an EASAlicence with those ratings.)

An EASAPPL,whether a residual time to expire JARPPLor an actual EASAPPL,allows you to fly non-EASA(e.g.Annex II)aircraft provided you have the appropriate Ratings of course.

You can also convert your JARPPL to a LAPLif you wish. There will be no additional requirements to be rnet, but there will be the same charge of £73 (TBC).

YOU HAVE AN NPPL SSEA(AEROPLANES) LICENCE You will be able to continue flying EASA aircraft until 7 April 2015and Annex IIaircraft indefinitely. Ifyou wish to continue flying EASA aircraft after 7April 2015you will need to get an EASAPPL or a LAPL,and the likelihood is that the LAPLwill be the logical option because of its less onerous medical requirements and the additional training requirements of the EASA PPL. It is important to note, however, that only those NPPLs issued before 8 April 2015will be convertible to an EASAlicence.

The exact means of converting an NPPLto a LAPLhas not yet been finalised, but will be published in due course in CAP804. It is intended that the LAPLwill be available for issue by the CM from 1July 2012.The charge for conversion from an NPPL to a LAPLis expected to be 41 (TBn. Should you wish to fly only Annex IIaircraft post 7 April 2015,and flyonly in UKairspace, then you can retain your NPPL SSEAand will not require an EASAlicence.

YOU HAVE A NPPL MICROLIGHT, A PPL (M) OR A PPLWITH A D (MICROLIGHT) RATING Ifyou are a microlight-only pilot with any of these licences, the EASAlicence changes will not affect you, allowing you to continue with your current licence into the foreseeable future.

2 6 LIGHT AVIATION FEBRUARY2012

THEREARESOMEchangesin the way Ratingsare

dealt withunderthe EASAlicensingrules.

Inthe UKit has been the CAA'spracticewhen I reissuingor amendinga licenceto leavelapsed I ratingson the licence.Thisallowsan expired ratingto be renewedbyan examinersigningthe authorisationpage. Underthe EASArules,whenthe CAAprintsand sends out a licence(whichit has to do wheneverthe licenceis changed)it mustnot include expiredratingsin the licence.TheCM intendsto listexpiredratingson the backofthe licenceso that the holdercan showan examinerevidenceof the ratingbeforebeingtested forrenewal.However,once the test has been passed the licencewillhaveto be sent to the CM to be amendedagainto re-addthe ratingto the ratings listand the revalidationpage.

Unfortunately,this willentail a costofEV (TBC).Ifa ratinghas expiredbut isstillon the licence(because it has not been reprintedforanythingelse)examiners maycontinueto revalidateor renewthe ratingas currently.It maywellbe worthconsideringensuring that any Ratingsyou maywishto use in the future are currentat the time youswitchto an EASAlicence, and anytimeyousend yourlicencein after that.

THEIMC RATING

Ofallthe EASAlicensingissues it is probablythe UKIMCRatingthat has caused the mostfurore.

Unfortunately,at time ofwritingthe definitive

positionhas not been resolvedso do not assume that whatyouread elsewhereis factual.Theonly EASAresponsein writingis fromNPA2011 16 whichstates: 'It is highlightedin this Regulationthat Member Statesshouldaim at allowingpilotsto, as far as possible,maintaintheir currentscopeofactivities and privileges.TheAgencyalreadydiscussedthis issuewiththe CM UKand industryexpertsin order to identifypossibleoptionsforUKIMCholders.

Themostfavourablesolutionseemsto be that a Part-Fa licenceand an IRwillbe issued withcertain conditionson the basis ofa specificconversionreport in orderto reflectthe currentprivilegesheld.This wouldallowthe existingUKIMCholdersto continue to exercisetheir IMCprivileges.'

So,it mayultimatelyhe that the IMCRatingis 'grand-fathered'byincludingsomeformofrestricted IRon an EASAlicence,and ifthat is what happens then 8 April2012willbe the earliestpossiblecut-off date forobtainingan IMCRthat couldbe transferred.

TheCM iscurrentlyin negotiationwith EASAon this issueand is activelyseekinga cut-offdate beyond8 April2012.TheCM willpublishfurtherinformation whenavailable.

It willcontinueto be possibleto add or renew an IMCratingon a UKnondARThon-EASA licence into the future,but after the transitionperiodthose licenceswillno longerbe validforEASAaircraft.

11 -

Mostflyingclubtypes,suchasthisCessna, comeunderthe EASAumbrella

YOU HAVE A UK PPLGYROPLANES All gyros currently operating in the UKare under 56okg mtom and therefore Annex II aircraft, so are outside EASAcontrol. Youare not affected by the licensing changes. However, should any heavier gyroplanes be produced which do come under EASAcertification, your current licence would not be valid, and as yet EASAhas not proposed a solution to that, albeit hypothetical, possibility.

YOU FLYGLIDERS IN THE UK Glider pilots will require an EkSA licence to flya glider by April 8 2015.The BGAand the CAAare working together to establish how the current BGAscheme of qualifications will be converted into either an EASALAPL (Sailplanes) or an EASASailplane Pilots Licence (SPL).

Well, I hope that for most members the above offers an answer to their questions about how EASAlicensing will affect them, and as CAAand EASAcross the final Ts and dot the final Is, we will bring you any news of changes and amendments. More information is also available from the CAAat www.coo. and EASAat eosa. co.uk/defouitospx?gid-2o61 europa.eu/flightstanda

rds/opin ionibl.hrml

•

LICENSING < JUSTASTHEUKPPLand JARPPLare reliant on you holding a valid JARMedical Certificate,your EASA PPLor LAPLwit! depend on you holding a Part-MED Medical Certificate(Class2 or LAPLasappropriate).

Toall intents and purposesthe current Class2 JAR Medical and the EASAClass2 Medical are the same, although the EASAClass2 Medical hasbeenbased on ICAOClass2 standards rather than JARClass2 requirementsand is more liberal than the JARClass2 in severalrespects.If you havea current JARClass2 Medical, it will becomean EASAClass2 Medicalas of 8 April 2012 until it expires.Aswith JARlicences,if it expires in April, May or Juneyou will get another JAR Medical Certificate, but from the 1stof July,Part-MED certificates will be issued.

TheLAPLMedicalstandardis similar to the current UKNPPLDeclaration,and the LAPLMedicalCertificate will be obtainablefrom either your GeneralPractitioner or anAeromedicalExaminer(AME).However,if you are intending to convertfrom an NPPLto an EASALAPLyou MUSTundertakean EASALAPLmedicalassessment.

TheANOis beingamendedto allow a LAPLMedical Certificateto be usedwith an NPPL,but an NPPL MedicalDeclarationcannotbe acceptedasa substitute for the LAPLmedicalto support a LAPL. Althoughthe LAPLmedicalstandardsarevery similar to the current UKNPPLstandards,the processis different in that insteadof a GP'scounter-signatureto your declarationof meetingthe standards,a five-point

examination is required for the LAPLfirst medical and then, from age50, at twoyear intervals.

Unfortunately thereare a few anomaliesin the EASALAPLmedical requirementsthat will causeconcernto a number pilots who are currently able to attain the UKNPPLstandard for passenger carrying. Theseconcern,primarily, sufferersfrom epilepsy,hearing problemsand insulin-treated diabetes. In the caseof type 1 diabetes mellitus the LAPLstandardsprohibit flying altogether (not so under the NPPL).and in the caseof diabetes mellitus type 2 treated with insulin, there may be an OSL(Operational SafetyPilot Limitation) imposed.

I askedDavid Robertsof EuropeAir Sports—and Secretaryof NPLGLtd which processesapplications for the NPPL—to explain the dilemma asthis is an areain which he is taking, and hasfor manyyears taken a great deal of interest. David is not a doctor andthereforecannotspeculatehow this will affect particular individuals exactlywith certainconditions.

Heis concerned,however,that there is the potential for a few UKpilots to be 'medically disenfranchised'in this transition to the LAPL, and wilt if necessarybe taking this up at the top level at the EuropeanCommission's DGMOVEDirectorateto try and protectthe rights of thosefew pilots who may be affected by the new regulations.

Apart from the instancesabove,David points out that for the vast majority of NPPLpilots the LAPLmedical standardswill be essentially the same,but that the processinvolving limited examination and testswill be a changefor the averageGP,who under the NPPLschemecountersignsa pilot's selfdeclaration against the relevant UKdriving licence medical standards.In future GPswill be signing a positive statement of fitness to fly under EUaviation medical rules,which somemay be more cautious about —with possibly an associatedhigher cost to the pilot.

Theend result hasbeenthe culmination of a lot of volunteerwork and lobbying by UKpilot / medical expertsand othersincluding the UKCAAmedical team. It is not a perfectresult but the outcomeis a lot better than was feareduntil fairly recently.And just oneexampleof a 'gain', comparedto the yearly NPPL medicalrevalidationafter age60, the LAPLrevalidation interval will be24 monthsafter 50, for life.

FEBRUILRY 20 12 LIGHT

AVIATION

27

> OBITUARY

-

The death on Friday 6 January of former Farnborough and CAA test pilot, and founder member of the Historic Aircraft Association, Darrol Stinton, marks the passing of one of the most influential personalities in airshow and historic aircraft safety. Darrol died peacefully in hospital following surgery a few weeks after his 84th birthday. News of a likely memorial service in February will be published on the HAA website when available. www.haa-uk.aero Darrol's work in helping form the Historic Aircraft Association and in creating air display and pilot standards, later enshrined in legislation, probably saved dozens of lives over the years, but that was only a small part of a varied life in which aircraft, ships and water equally dominated Darrol's interests.

His life in aviation began as an aeronautical engineering apprentice in1944 with Blackburn AircraftLimited of Brough, on the River Humber.

Blackburn taught him to flybefore, around1950, he moved to de Havilland at Hatfield, from where, in Darrol's words, he, "escaped into the RAF" in-1953,via the RAFVR While still in the RAF,he trained as a Ship's DivingOfficerRN,and urged by the team of RAFdivers in the sub-aqua club at Seletar, Singapore, he founded the now very successful RoyalAir ForceSub-Aqua Association - training the original team to work with the Navyin the event of aircraft accidents in water.

In1959, Darrol was accepted for the Empire Test Pilots' School and crossed the Famborough runway to join the Royal Aircraft Establishment. Hiswork varied, from pure research and development, to in-flight accident investigation and being a guinea-pig for the RAFInstitute ofAviation Medicine. In1964, Darrol was awarded the MBEfor his experimental test flying at Farnborough.

Darrol retired from the RAEin 1969and 28 LIGHT AVIATION

I LECRI fni ,,(

41 were seeking Permits to Flyand, in answer to CAAconcerns about the ability of private owners

Dart-01Stinton, 1927-2012 joined the AirRegistration Board, later to become the CivilAviation Authority, as a certification test pilot on light aircraft.

The work was extensive and varied, from canard to conventional single- and twinengined aeroplanes, sailplanes, motor gliders and microlights, one of which he famously described as flying like "an animated beach umbrella".

Hiswork included several visits to the Experimental AircraftAssociation Fly-in,at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Onthe first occasion, he returned to the ARBexhausted, having tested16 weird and wonderful homebuilt aircraft in a single week.

In the ift7os, Darrol was test flying an increasing number of historic, classic and vintage types for which civilian owners

to properly maintain and display the aircraft, in 1978, together with Hawker ChiefTest Pilot, Duncan Simpson, helped found the Historic Aircraft Association, to monitor standards, share information and make appropriate recommendations to the CM. Fornlore than three decades, Darrolworked as a Vice-Chairman of the Association and the excellent safety record of historic aircraft at airshows across the UKis part of his fine legacy.He helped create the system of DisplayAuthorisation, which evaluated the performance of individual pilots and helped frame regulations which ensured that aft" any potential display incidents were kept away from crowds.

In 1982,with CAA consent and retirement in sight, Darrol, together with his lawyer-wife, Jacqueline, formed his own company of aeromarine consultants.

On leaving the CM, he continued as a freelance test pilot with the International Test Pilots' School at Cranfield, lecturing meanwhile on aircraft design as a Senior VisitingFellow at Loughborough University.

Darrol once described his lengthy professional career as having, "become cluttered with technical qualifications". He was the author ot a number of textbooks and technical papers, he was awarded a Doctorate in Philosophy for his work on dolphin aerodynamics and hydrodynamics, was a Chartered Engineer, Fellowand past Vice-President of the RoyalAeronautical Society, Fellow of the RoyalInstitution of NavalArchitects, Hon. Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots in the USA,and Liveryman of the Guild ofAirPilots and Navigators. But gained many years before achieving any of these, he particularly prized his membership of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers.•

te miEurostaR www.skydrive.co.uk

WEIGHSONLY1:1KG UK Distributor

for,,,-;

Aircraft

Engines

1 _

COSMIk

7313117:1171117.

Teh 01926614422 ithytt,

cosrnikaviation

AEROLUBE

RB -300 SI I FABLE FOR ROTAX 912 SERIES ENGINES

comk

Email:salesatosmikaviation.co,uk

Rotas 4-stroke Aircraft Engine Oil

LAMBERT MISSION M108 the affordahle

2-seiit lop quality sportpiane • • 01

,3010 0.

'01 u her

'

01001.010

0,

For all enquiries

I. I

'

14

14}11"

rtJH

contact:

JibLA041611-

lig /I

•

as7•12;7

•

-71.11

WWW.LANIDERT-AIRCRAFT.COM 77(47(arcgct cde oars (4 7.1(i.e.1(In

LX Avionics

Ltd

H.R. JENNINGS & CO. LTD. Lshihiished

TRANSPONDERS

TRANSCEIVERS

at rkak•.(70)TRIG.

fu

INSTRUMENTS

orkt) TRIO

TRAFFIC ALERT SI STEMS

Authorised

and rceulated

1022

by the Financial

Sen ices Authority

AVIATION AND GENERAL INSURANCE BROKERS Competitive quotations for all types of aircraft and other orientated insurance requirements.

Unique aircraft ground risks/home

built construction facility.

We have been assisting PFA/LAA

winter

funkwerkA

II rm

For advice and service en11:John [Manch( 0785(1 95(73-19or email. Johnd -ixavlonics.el

:-•

•

-

I

I

:.:0

le

,e--

-

WWW.Ixavionics.co.uk FEBRUARY 2012

LIGHT AVIATION 29

> ENGINEERING

• 'a

.•

es

-

1

:e-

•.

•

II"

.

'

.1

•

•

4.

'

s..1.

.•

30 LIGHT AVIATION FEBRUARY1012

.

.

ee

s

e-

•

•

•5 .1.

-

..

I

. .

S

••0

..

•.

:

a

•

III.

II

II

II

ENGINEERING <

1, •

41.

•

II I

IS

D

.

•

ID

•

:1 IS

.

I

I

I '

Ill I.

• Ifs

515

•

I ID. I

•

III

:

I

I

I St

:

•

FEBRUARY2012 LIGHT AVIATION 3 I

> ENGINEERING diaphragm experiences a drop in atmospheric pressure at the spray bar.

'The underside of the diaphragm is connected directly to the TBI spray bar, therefore when the engine is running, negative pressure is created at the spray bar and this pressure is proportional to the speed of the engine. The resultant negative pressure developed pulls on the underneath of the diaphragm and this in turn opens the fuel flow valve which allows fuel to transfer to the spray bar and match fuel demand exactly!'

Models of the TBI-go are available for a wide range of engines from VWs to Lycoming 0-360 and above.

CYLINDER HEAD LIQUID-COOLED The latest product from the company will certainly be of interest to UK Jabiru owners.

Afterrnarket liquid-cooled cylinder heads (LCH) for the 2200, 33oo and 5100 series Jabiru engines are claimed to combat the distortion produced by overheating of the original heads and the need to regularly retorque the heads to the cylinders. These LCH have been in development for some while and the company

32 LIGHT

AVIATION

FEBRUARY 2012

has carried out considerable testing to prove them. It reports that whereas a standard air-cooled Jabiru 3300 engine will reach CHT limits within two minutes of high power static operation, its 3300 test engine, fitted with Rotec heads, ran for four hours continuously at WOT (wide open throttle) and the water temperature never exceeded 85°C (1850F).The CHT measured under the spark plug of the rear-most cylinder peaked at un°C (230°E).The ambient temperature during some of these tests peaked at 31°C. The obvious question is, what are the weight implications? Well, for the 2200 the LCH heads are around 25og lighter, per head, than stock heads, and for the 3300 they are the same, so the additional weight is confined to the radiator, water and hoses, so is fairly minimal.

There is currently one UK owner who has applied to LAA Engineering to modify his Boo jabiru with these heads, and Engineering is in the early stages of looking at the proposal, so maybe it won't be long before we start seeing water-cooled jabs here in the Northern Hemisphere too.

See www.rotecaerosport.comfor details. •

Above: the model radial engine that spawned the company. Below left: a radial exhaust in its welding jig. Below right: an 101 mounted on a 3300 jabiru engine

e

• I

•• I

II I

•

-

.

•

AI

4C•

AN

1

A

I •

I

5

THEBESTPERFORMANCE PER£!!!'

Power to the Sport Pilot—

• ••

,tt

••- - . . .• •

.

•I. -

•

teRvovile.ttfits

O 0•5

I

WIWI(

•11

UK Distributor:Silver

aircraft

a.

••

•

www.sfmicrolights.com

Fern Microlights • +44(0)

1724 734614

46.

•

D

•

•

SI

I'

'SOO

IS

I A 0 4 •

•I

•

_I

I

I

I

I

II

I

4

'

II I

•

•

•

• -

I

IP

I

•

FEBRUARY

•

•

2012 LIGHT AVIATION 33

> ENGINEERING ==

• le• e

ON

•

—

- ••• •• I • ••• • —

This month we complete our threepart alphabetical tour through the most common types of LAA modifications and what's involved in getting them cleared. Parts i and 2 of the A-Z were in our September and October issues.

As ever, this should be read in conjunction with the LAA's Technical Leaflet TL .13: Guide to CS-VIA, which provides a quick means of identifying the specific paragraphs (of our most frequently-used design code), which apply to different modifications.

Remember, the Engineering Department is here to help with your applications. We do ask though that you consider very carefully whether your proposed modification is really going to improve the aircraft, and whether somebody else's already approved similar mod would suffice, or whether you are prepared to carry out the sometimes extensive research required.

34 LIGHT AVIATION FEBRUARY2012

Propellers. One of the most frequent types of modification requested by LAA members is a change in propeller type, either because the original model of prop is no longer available or seeking an improvement in performance.

Due to the many interrelated variables, a full treatise on the science of matching a propeller to an airframe/engine combination and 'mission requirements' could fill a substantial book. While the diameter and pitch, and the number of blades are easily quantified, other factors including the blade chord distribution from blade root to tip and the blade section thickness also have a major effect on the amount of power absorbed by a propeller at a given rpm and forward speed. For geared engines, such as the Rotax types, the choice of reduction gear ratio must also be factored into the equation; for example, a propeller suited to a Rotas 582 when fitted with a 2.58:1 'B type' gearbox would allow the engine to over-rev

significantly if fitted to the same engine fitted with a 3:1ratio 'C type' box.

As well as choosing the propeller to give the optimum aircraft performance, the structural strength of the propeller must suit the application, hence it's essential to select a propeller which is within limits as regards both power and rpm. With some engines, such as the Rotas types, there's also a propeller inertia limit to take into account, as a propeller with too high an inertia will reduce the life of the reduction gear unit. The blade resonance characteristics are also critically important, especially with metal and composite blades, which do not enjoy the same degree of inbuilt damping as a simple wood propeller, and are thus much more prone to resonance problems.

Blade resonance is a function not only of the prop itself but of the engine/prop combination, as each engine type has own vibration profile.

If blade resonance should occur within the

ENGINEERING < Left: the range of propeller types and materials is extensive, which makes proving suitability a very complex issue in some cases

Above: advanced pitots like this Dynan with AoA and heat facilities need particular consideration over mounting and electrical supply

This constant speed prop is being cycled to ensure adequate clearance from the spinner.

Note forward spinner bulkhead screws

normal rpm range for the prop, there's a strong likelihood of the propeller breaking up or shedding a blade, very likely with fatal consequences. Understandably then, the LAAonly permits the use of metal propellers when the vibration characteristics of the particular engine/propeller combination have been checked and found to be resonance free, usually by the prop manufacturer carrying out ground runs with the propeller fitted with strain gauges, connected to static instrumentation by slip rings or telemetry.

The information about the matching ot certified propellers to different engine types is contained in the TypeCertificateDataSheet for the propeller, which contains a wealth of useful information, and can generally be downloaded from the website of the national aviation authority (NAN of the certificating state. Most propeller manufacturers are also very helpful in advising how to select the optimum prop

for a particular application but always, always check with the LAAbefore committing to any propeller change. The types of propellers that LAAhas accepted in the past on different aircraft/engine combinations are shown in TechnicalLeaflet3.n which can be downloaded from the LAAwebsite, this is however intended only as a guide and does not infer any approval to fit any propeller to your aircraft other than the one(s) stated on the Operating Limitations sheet of the Permit to Fly.Aspecial type of mod form (MOD4 form)is used to apply for a propeller change. All propeller changes require a flight test using a special schedule; the LAA provides three different schedules dealing with fixed and ground adjustable propellers, hydraulic constant speed props and electric constant speed props respectively.

Pitot tubes. LAAEngineering is familiar with most of the readily-available units, so it's usually not too much of a problem FEBRUARY2012 LIGHT AVIATION 35

> ENGINEERING approving a replacement providing the unit is located in the same position and with the same alignment If not, then it's a matter of deciding on the positioning most likely to give acceptable ASIreadings, and then planning on spending a chunk of time during the flight test programme checking out the results, and being prepared to experiment. The design code CS-VLAcalls for the ASIto be correct to within 5% or 5 mph (whichever is the greateri throughout the speed range, which can be quite a challenge. Ifa heated pitot is used, it's important to check the electrical current draw of the heater element and look into whether you have enough spare alternator output to feed it.

Radios. Aspecial type of mod form (MOD 7) is used, which gives details of how to choose equipment which is approved, and provides us with the exact details of the equipment you have selected. This is a bit of a trap for the unwary because not all radio equipment that's for sale in the UKhas actually been approved by the authorities, and is therefore illegal to use. LAAcannot sanction the use of equipment that has not been approved. The LAAform also includes a series of key questions that the LAA inspector must respond to. The application form is then sent to LAAEngineering for checking. Aspecial radio flight test form is used to evaluate performance in the air. Satisfying LAArequirements leads to the issue of an LAA radio installation approval certificate, which the owner must keep amongst his aircraft's essential records.

Skin stiffeners. Additional stiffeners are somehmes added to metal aircraft to make the panels more rigid and avoid drumming in flight, particularly on flat panels which lack any inherent stiffening effect by virtue of being curved. These stiffeners usually take the form of L-sectioned pieces folded from thin sheet aluminium, riveted in place, although some aircraft use strips of a high-density foam which is glued on.

Adding stiffeners can cause structural problems in highly-stressed panels by focussing the inevitable wrinkling into smaller areas at the ends of the stiffeners, rather than across the whole panel, leading to premature popping of rivets. Always talk to the designer first and to LAAEngineering if contemplating any change of this nature.

Spats. Adding wheel spats can slicken an aircraft's appearance and yield a worthwhile performance enhancement - those on the Robin DR400series being a prime example.

Remember that the wheels get quite a hammering and that the spats, as part of the 'unsprung weight', have to put up with the same rough treatment, so their fastenings have to be robust The best plan is to look at how the spats are installed on one or two successful factory-built aircraft and follow suit At the same time, be sure to design the spats to be easily removed without needing special tools.

Be sure to leave sufficient clearance between the tyre and the wheel to avoid interference when the tyre distorts on landing, and think about how you are going to access the valve to check tyre pressure and fit a pump, and how you will extract mud thrown up into the spat Particular care is needed with spats on steerable nosewheels, which can sometimes upset the directional stability of the aeroplane in flight if the spat has too much side area forward of the noseleg pivot axis compared to that behind, leading to an adverse weather36 LIGHT AVIATION

EBRUARY2012

E

cocking effect that works against the rudder's self-centring action.

Spinners. A properly designed spinner improves an aircraft's looks and reduces drag, it can also aid engine cooling. Off-the-shelf spinners are available from suppliers such as Aircraft Spruce EtSpecialty, or you may choose to mould a composite one to your own taste, or indeed have a custom metal one spun.

Except on the smallest spinners, it's best to fit the spinner with both a front plate and a back plate, sandwiching the propeller. The cut-outs in the spinner shell for the shanks of the propeller blades to pass through must have enough clearance to prevent fretting damage to that expensive propeller. Likewise the skirt of the spinner must have sufficient clearance to the cowling nose bowl; bear in mind that the whole cowling may move around a little in flight and that the engine is free to shift to all extent on its rubber mounts.

Strobe lights. Strobe lights must be sited where they will not be too distracting to the pilot in flight, they should not be located ill his or her direct view for obvious reasons. To avoid electrical interference, the strobe light wiring should not be routed near aerials or other low signal-strength wiring.

Streamlined bracing wires. We sometimes see applications to substitute stranded steel external bracing wires with streamline section steel wires known as RAFwires in the early days of WWIf in search of reduced drag and

I(

a more sophisticated appearance. Great care must be taken however, because streamlined wires, made in one piece, are much more prone to fracture than a multi-stranded wire. Even in aircraft designed to use streamline wires, where the wires are duplicated or the structure has been shown to be adequately strong with any individual wire broken, it can be very frightening flying an open cockpit aeroplane with the razor-sharp end of a snapped wire flailing about Pre-war design codes such as AP.97ocalled for externally braced aeroplanes to be able to withstand at least 2/3 of the normal maximum design load with any single wire shot away or broken, and LAAEngineering follow the same philosophy still. Particular care is needed with the design of the end fittings of streamlined wires, to make sure that if the wire vibrates in flight then the end fitting is pin-jointed in such a way that will avoid bending stresses being applied to the wires at their ends, as this has been a frequent cause for fatigue failures in the wires. Installations which you can get away with using the more benign stranded steel cables are sometimes fatally flawed if carried over to a streamline steel wire application.

Substitute materials. Whether it's a different spedes of wood or a metal alloy or an epoxy resin, a material cannot just be summed up by looking at a few numbers in a strength table.

Some steels look good initially from the spec sheets but you find that when welded they

ENGINEERING <

lose a large proporrion of their strength; other steels are unaffected by welding. Douglas Fir has stronger properties than spruce in the strength tables, but as a species it's more prone to almost invisible compression shakes. What about the glass transition temperature of an epoxy; is the aeroplane going to go droopy if irs left out in strong sun for the afternoon?

And is the epoxy safe to use in an amateur's workshop?Anyone who suffers the long-term effects of an epoxy allergy will know that this is not an issue to be taken lightly.

Smoke systems. Smoke systems for airshow use usually consist of an oil tank connected to an electric pump which on demand squirts a metered amount of oil into the exhaust system through a small nozzle. In the past, diesel oil was used but these days, due to enviromnental concerns, a non-carcinogenic pharmaceutical mineral oil such as Shell Ondina 927 is used.

Display pilots, accustomed to sitting in a cockpit that's regularly filled with the smoke from this baby oil, joke that it gives then a lovely soft skin!

The modification needs to include a positive and automatic means of shutting off the oil supply, other than just the pump's on/off switch - often a solenoid valve located in the oil pump feed line is connected in parallel with the pump switch so there's no chance of oil dribbling through the inactive pump over time. If the oil tank is mounted in the engine bay, it and the pipework must be made of a fireproof material so that an engine fire won't release the oil and feed the fire. The oil tank filler needs to be accessible so that you can fill the tank without risking spilling oil over the cockpit floor. Where the oil tank is inaccessible, some systems arrange for it to be refilled using a second electric pump. The weight and balance implications need to be considered - in some installations the weight of the tank and the smoke oil has a significant effect on the aircraft's C of G.The volume of the smoke oil tank is normally between a pint and a gallon, depending on the size of engine and the pilot's appetite for exhibitionism. The Ondina oil is not cheap however!

Trim systems. A common request is to replace a mechanically-operated elevator trimmer with an electric servo driven one, usually using the popular Ray Allen servo unit and its custom multi-LED array position indicating system. From a safety standpoint there are some positives about this, for placing the servo in the elevator itself means that the mechanical linkage between the servo and the elevator tab can be short and very direct leading to minimal backlash and flexibility in the drive and few mechanical parts to come adrift or break. This arrangement is mechanically favourable compared to a long length of push-pull cable reaching forward to the cockpit, and offers a truly irreversible system with comparative ease. Care is needed however, because as with any control surface, the flutter characteristics can be upset by adding weight (or strictly, mass} aft of the hinge line, especially on an elevator that is not mass balanced. The servo should therefore be mounted as close to the hinge line as possible, not near the trailing-edge. Even a* FEBRUARY 21112 LIGHT AVIATION 37

> ENGINEERING so, the mod will need specially in-depth flutter testing during the flight test programme to check that the dynamics of the control surfaces haven't been inadvertently made dangerous.

Another issue with electric trim is the potential for a trim runaway, due to, for example, an internal short inside the operating switch, a mechanical jam in the operating switch (yes it does happen) or the pilot pressing the switch by mistake. Problems have occurred with pitchsensitive aeroplanes being overstressed in wild pitch excursions caused by the pilot resting his map on a stick-top rocker switch. To minimise the risk in a runaway, the rate at which the senfo travels should be limited so that whatever happens, if the system runs away the pilot has time to intervene before the situation gets out of hand. This is normally evaluated at the flight test stage.

Tailwheels. There are many ways to skin a cat, and many ways to arrange the tailwheel steering on a taildragger. The simple, homemade tailwheel assemblies featured on the drawings of many plans-built aircraft are not always very sadsfactory in everyday use, judging by the number of applications we receive to fit custom aftermarket tailwheel assemblies. These normally incorporate a break-out feature in the steering arm so that the aeroplane can be pushed backwards into the hangar, (where previously if you'd tried this, the tailwheel would have swivelled to Tull lock and jammed), and to allow turnson-the-spot using differential brakes. This is usually very straightforward, but care needs to be taken to select a unit of the appropriate size and weight for the type of aircraft involved - a unit with a big tailwheel may cope with soft ground better than a small trolley wheel, but its bigger diameter means that during a sharp torn or groundloop it imposes much higher twisting moments on the poor tailwheel spring and either the spring or more likely the fixing of the spring to the fuselage may soon give up the ghost The steering break-out feature needs to be fine-tuned to provide enough steering authority for the aircraft in question - it can be exciting if the tailwheel steering breaks

out just at the moment you want it to hold the aeroplane straight in the later part of a crosswind landing, for example. On the other hand, you don't want it so hard to break out that you struggle to release it when negotiating that right angle in the taxiway.

Vortex generators. A proposal to add vortex generators to the wings and/or tail of an LAA aircraft comes through from time to time, either in search of lower stall speed or improved control authority in pitch or roll. Certainly, tests on the jabiruRgo have shown that VGs on the wing can boost the aileron responsiveness, with no detriment to the performance or handling. Aftermarket mod kits are available with sets of plastic vortex generators, selfadhesive patches and templates to help align the VGs at the correct angle on the surface. The issues that arise during the mod evaluation are the behaviour of the aircraft in flight test, recording the exact position of the VGs for later replication, and the durability of the VG

Gag

38 LIGHT AVIATION FEBRUARY 20 12

attachment Not that it will probably make much difference to the handling if one or two of the VGs fall off later, but it could spoil your whole day if the VG happened to get stuck in a control surface gap and restrict aileron or elevator travel. Controversially, because VGs can have subtle effects on the handling, needing a proper investigation, the flight testing needs to be done by the same calibre of evaluation pilot who would have tested the handling of the aircraft type for UK acceptance initially. It may seem frustrating to have to bring in a highly qualified test pilot to try out the addition of a VG kit on a puddle jumper, but there's no avoiding this requirement Fortunately the LAA has a fair scattering of such pilots around the country, so it's not too much of a problem.

Weight increases. Owners often ask about the possibility of increasing their aeroplane's maximum total weight authorised lintwal. Even if the aeroplane has sufficient performance to cope with a bit of extra weight, proving this to be acceptable from a structural viewpoint is usually too tall a cliff to climb, unless the designer is prepared to step in and rework all his calculations. IMiere there is no access to the original calcs, or the type has never been stressed in the first place but has been accepted on a 'service experience' basis, i.e. 'proof by usage', then a complete stressing exercise from scratch would be needed. The cost of commissioning such a project would be many thousands of pounds. generator. The addition of Wind-driven a wind-driven generator has been a popular modification especially amongst the vintage aircraft fleet, many of which have small Continental A65 motors without provision for an engine-driven alternator to be fitted.

Airworld UK supplies a popular type, and fitting kits have been developed to adapt to most vintage aircraft of US origin. As these are usually STC'd (Supplemental Type Certificated) for use on certified aircraft in the USA,very little further investigation is usually required. Checks do include a simple flight test; the increased drag may be critical on some low-powered aircraft •

life cover for pilots

Pilots arrange their cover with Stein Financial because only we can benefits:

offer clients all the following ;

0

:

0

;

'

I :

•

Premium discounts and

:

online quotes Our insurance advisor flies Group A and Microlight

aircraft

Special discount scheme via our pilot supplies partner

Competitive rates for aircraft insurance

Business established for 22 years

stein financial TRAVEL INSURANCE (INCLUDING COVER WHILST FLYING AS PILOT OR PASSENGER) AVAILABLE SEPARATELY

TRAFFORDS

pilot insurance specalists

LID

est

7 Doolittle Yard, Froghall Road. Ampthill, Redford N1K45 2N W Tel: 01525 717185 Fax: 01525 717767 e-mail: info@it raffords-insurance.coadt wmairerall-insuraore.ro.ok

1989

01793491888 www.flyingcover.co.uk

S .11a)

?.

LAA PILOT COACHING SCHEME Improving Your Skills Tailwbeel

Conversion

Type Conversion Differences Traning Biennial

Review

Display Authorisation General Flying

Revision

Ground School and more...

Revision

at www.laa.uk.com More information and Training' See under 'Education

FEBRUARY 2012 LIGHT AVIATION 39

> FLIGHT IMPRESSIONS

•

•• • • 40 LIGHT AVIATION FEBRUARY20 12

•

•• •• •

FLIGHT IMPRESSIONS <

a

•••

a

a ••• • • : •

•

"

a• •

•

a

•

•

I •

•

•

I

I,

.4

0

• II*

I••

I/

I .

•

1

."

-

.

•

I

•

I

• •

• •

•

...

.

• II,

.

I

I

•

•

I

•

s

. :

:

9

FEBRUARY2012 LIGHT AVIATION 41

> FLIGHT IMPRESSIONS

:

42 LIGHT AVIATION I -FE3HJia.i<y

FLIGHT IMPRESSIONS < practicable as well as a good vintage military display machine. Hence the seed was sown when I saw theith Mk 6. This too had the classic lines and vintage appeal but with a more modern engine, the Continental 0-3ool1/45hm, giving it better climb performance than the original German version's Birth HM504engine of only Jo5hp.

I managed to make contact with the owner by email and the first hurdle turned out to be that the aircraft was already potentially sold.

However, after a four-month delay the sale fell through and I was able to start negotiations. As soon as I was invited to Oldenburg in Germany Ijumped onto an Easylet flight to Bremen and arrived to view.

Not being familiar with the type, I had done as much research as possible, but my knowledge of wood-and-fabric aircraft stood me in good stead for my appraisal of the aircraft After a good inspection of the structure and a flick through the logbooks, I was invited for a flight.

I made my way towards the right seat and was told I could take the left, as the vendor was an instructor. He quizzed my flying hours and was more than satisfied with my 1,200 hours on tailwheel; fortunately I had brought my logbook as well as my licence.

DELIGHTFULFLYING The Bestmann is quite a substantial aeroplane, having a wingspan of nearly 35ftand standing over oft 6in tall. That wonderful 'glasshouse' canopy and tapering rear Fuselage helps give her that classic WWII German look, though as she was bright yellow, her military heritage was somewhat subdued.

The forward section of the fuselage has a steel tube 'cage' but the remainder of the aircraft is wood. The control surfaces are fabric-covered, apart from the split flaps, the rudder being cable-operated and the ailerons and elevator via rods, with that oh-so-siftcysmooth feel that anybody who has flown a Kicker will appreciate. Fuel is carried in a single 125-litre tank mounted behind the adjustable seats, which have military style recesses should you wish to wear a parachute. The baggage bay is above the tank and has a net across its face to keep luggage in its place.

FORA COMPANYwiththree veryfamousaircraftto its name—the lungmann,lungmeisterand Bestmann, BuckerFlugzeugbauactuallyhada relativelyshort operationalUfespan.

CarlClemensBackerwas bornin 1895in Koblenz and joinedthe GermanImperialNavyin1912.He trained as a pilotand laythe end ofthe warwas the Navy'stest pilotforseaplanes.Followingthe virtual cessationofpoweredaviationactivitiesas one ofthe conditionsofthe TreatyofVersailles,Backerbriefly joinedthe Swedishnavyas a pilot,but following a meetingwith ErnstHeinkel,he agreedto set up an aircraftmanufacturingfacilityin Sweden,at Stockholm-Lindigo, initiallyto buildHeinkelaircraft fromcomponentsillegallybuiltand smuggledout of Germany.SvenkskeAeroAB(SAAB)wasestablished in 1921and by1927wasalso buildingdesignsof its own,notablythe jaktfalkanfighter,whichhad been designedbynewlyappointeddesignerAnders JohanAnderssonfromMesserschmitt.Thecompany soldsmallnumbersofaircraftto the SwedishNavy, but by1932wasin financialtroubleso Buckersold it to the aircraftdivisionofthe SwedishRailroad Workshops,it laterto rise againunderits original SAABinitials.

Buckermovedhackto Germanyand in1933, takingAnderssonwithhim,establisheda new aircraftmanufacturingcompany,BuckerGmbHin Iohannisthal,Berlin.Withina yearthe AnderssondesignedprototypeBO131jungmann,a two-place tandem biplane,had flown,and a year afterthat was orderedin largenumbersby the Luftsportverband,a civiliantrainingorganisation,as a primarytrainer.The company'ssecondofferingalsoappearedthat year, the BEI133jungmeister,a single-seatbiplaneformore advancedacrobaticflying.

In 1935,the companymovedto largerpremises, at Rangsdorfairfield,inorderto meetdemandforits twosuccessfulbiplanes,inthe meantimeworkingona numberof monoplanedesigns.Followingthe limited successofthe tandemtwo-placeStudentandthe single-placeKornett,the Ba181Bestmannprototype flewin 1939and was an instantsuccess,beingordered inlargenumbersbythe Luftwaffeas a trainer.

Duringthe war,the companygrewto over 1,600 employees,makingparts forother Germanaircraft as wellas its own.Dueto demand,Buckeralso licensedthe FokkerCompanyin the Netherlands,who subsequentlybuilt708 examplesofthe Bestmann duringthe war,Hagglund&SanerABin Swedenwho built125,and Zlinat Otrokovicein Czechoslovakia, where productioncontinuedafterthe war,783 aircraftbeingbuilt.Inthe 1950s,the HeliopolisAircraft Worksin Egyptacquireda licenceforthe type from the Czechsand built around300 Gomhouriasforthe EgyptianandotherArabAirForces.Inall,3,400 aircraft were built,onlya handfulofwhichsurvivetoday.

ByApril1945,the Sovietswereadvancingand Backerand hisworkforcefledwest to avoidcapture.

Post-warthe factorywas situated in the Easternbloc and aircraftproductionwas neverrecommenced, the facilitiesbeingused forengineoverhaulduties formilitaryapplications.Followingthe fallofthe IronCurtain,the Backerfactorybuildingswere preserved,thoughthey are not open to the public.

Thereis howevera BuckerMuseumon the site, opened in 2001.

Backerhimselftried to restart productionin West Germanyin 1947 but was unsuccessful.Hedied in Koblenzin 1976,hisaircraftcited by manyof the worldftnoted aerobaticpilotsas someof the sweetest handlingmachinesever built.

Following a quick briefing I started the engine and while we sat waiting for it to warm up, discussed take-off and landing speeds, flap settings, the fuel system, etc, these all being noted on my knee-pad so I could reference them if needed.

After taxi and mn-up checks, I asked if there was any tendency for her to swing, to which I got a shrug and advice that I should let the aircraft roll straight before lifting the tail.

The Bestmann tracks very well, due to its

:

FEBRUARY2012 LIGHT AVIATION 43

> FLIGHT IMPRESSIONS relatively wide, well-damped, oleo-spring, strut undercarriage, and the rudder iseffective as soon as theairflowand wash from the propeller hits it.

Raising the tail produced no noticeable swing and we were airborne quickly at around 45kt The noise from the six cylinders was pleasant enough and we climbed at 7okt, the VSIshowing around the 7oofpm - not bad for an old girl. Levelling out of the climb, we accelerated to 951(1and set 2,3oorpmleconomy cruise) and I began to explore the handling.

First, the ailerons are well-balanced, making turns a joy- not quite a Chipmunk but not far off either. The elevator is light too and the rudder firm but not heaw - she really is a delight to fly,especially with such a spacious cockpit and good vista. Dare I say it? Almost too good for a trainer!

She stalls at 38-4okt (full flapt the ailerons being most effective right to the stall and with no large wing-drops. The flaps were easy to lower from a very respectable flap-limiting speed of riokt Roll reversals gave a sprightly turn, not surprising as the BUcker range of aircraft has a good name for handling.

Descending back to the airfield, I went through pre-landing checks and turned downwind to set an Bold leg. Turning base, I slowed to 7okt and pulled the first stage of flap, 15', then turning final I approached at 65kt and pulled on the full 45° flap with the trimmer wound all the way ba ck. Concentrating on my flight path, we arrived over the hedge at flokt, levelling offjust above the ground before closing the throttle and holding her in the three-point attitude. I flew a few more circuits before we headed to the pumps, and my host commented that he was happy I had handled her well and a deal was struck while we put her away for the night.

The next challenge was to get the money transferred quickly.1 used World First who transferred the money in euro and it cleared the vendor's bank by the promised date.

THE GREAT ESCAPE The final step was to book another flight to Bremen and get her home. On the 6fuly I got flown by a friend to Andrewsfield, from where it is a short taxi ride to Stansted. Arriving at Bremen at ifloo, the vendor kindly put me up for the night and I flight planned my trip home to Sussex via Midden Zeeland and Headcorn.

So far everything had gone to plan. However, the next morning the front that was supposed to have cleared during the night was still around, and looking out of the window did not give me much hope of flying that day. After breakfast and checking the Met, we decided to prep the aircraft for an afternoon departure, although to be honest the day had that claggedin feel to it Oldenburg is to the south-west of Bremen and on arrival you could see the clearance as a rather brighter sky some way in the distance below the Book grey Germanic sky.

After a good pre-flight and packing my meagre belongings into the aircraft - she was already full of fuel from my last flight - I filed a flight plan for EHMZ. Bynow it was loam.

Various local pilots told me that I was flying over the low country and that 800ft was fine, provided I could see the clearance in the distance; one pilot even went for a quick flight and confirmed the conditions, so a plan was hatched to 'escape'.

With my flight plan accepted, I climbed aboard the Bestmann, said my farewells and started up. While waiting for the oil to warm, I made a plan in my mind that if things were not to my lilting, I could return or divert to the gliding site at Aschendort, which was only a short distance en route. After that, there was a long stretch with few diverts. Climbing out, the cloudbase was, as expected, just 800ft, but the visibility was good underneath and I could clearly see signs of the brightness ahead.

I changed to Bremen Control and settled in for a zhr jomin sector toward EHMZ.The gliding site came and went and the weather held, so continued, the odd shower passed and I had to

flyto the north for a zonm divert around some rain, not really what I wanted. Concentrating on my navigation, 1soon saw my first wind farm.

Boy, those turbines look large when you are flying at this height, however they were a good reference and helped confirm my position.

Looking ahead, the glow of better weather beckoned me onwards toward the Dutch border. Iwas by now 45min into my flight.

Spotting my next waypoint et a mining railway track, I change course to avoid a firing range and for the first time I was able to climb to the dizzying height of L000ft, which improved navigation markedly.

Crossing the FIR,the weather gradually improved and at last I could begin to relax a little, but kept a steady finger on my chart.

Talldng to Dutch Military, I progressed steadily south-west in improving conditions to just south of Arnhem, where the weather improved dramatically and at last I felt I had made my escape and was able to climb to 2.,600ften route to Dordrecht By now the landscape was becoming familiar; a slight left turn put me on track to EHMZ,with a sense of relief after two hours in the saddle.

Crossing the estuaries and islands before my final approach to Midden-Zeeland, I detoured slightly to see the Sport Hotel, where we used to stay many years ago; as always people were enjoying water sports at the still-popular venue. Awelcome response from EHMZgave me joining instructions and a gentle landing was made on the wide grass runway - the first leg was complete.

Parking and going to the Tower, I filed a flight plan for Headcorn, only to be told of a one-hour delay. No worries as I needed a break, so a quick refuel and a nice salad with chips and that great mayo they serve in Holland went down well. Bynow it was early afternoon on a hot summer's day. Luckily, I had remembered a hat and brought water for the trip. Fed and watered, I did another walkround, checked the oil, fired up and taxied out for my1400

Classic 19505 military trainer cockpit

-AS

'

44 LIGHT AVIATION FEBRUARYROI2

departure. Climbing away from EHMZ I set course along the coast towards Zeebrugge and a quick call to Ostend had me transiting north of them at 3,000ft. There was a slight delay while some heavy traffic cleared and I was through their zone and heading down the coast towards Dunkerque and Calais. Easy navigation this bit and only a Mr 3501i0 sector to Headcorn.

Changing to Lille Info, they handed me to Calais Tower for the Channel crossing, Cap Griz Nez to Folkestone. Now how many of us have done this sector? Easy stuff in this weather but not much fun when it's grey and 1,5ooft.

There is always something welcoming about crossing the UK FIR boundary and calling mid-Channel, the while cliffs in the distance welcoming you back home to England. A switch to London Info and a basic service till crossing the coast; nearly there as we chug along at 2,3oorpm and 95kt. FblRestone slips past and I set a direct course for Headcom. A gradual descent after Ashford and a straight foi n in for 29, landing checks complete and I rumble on.

I picked up a mate at Ileadcorn for the last sector back to my airstrip near Lewes Jonathan Wilkins, who later flew the camera ship when we took the flying shots that accompany this article. Again a pre-flight check and we are away and en route. By now it's 1500and the summer sun casts shadows across the Kent and Sussex conMix/side - what a difference from this morning's gloom. I let Jonathan do the flight home, only taking control for the landing. He'll get a go later when I have more experience on her. I call Safety Com 135.475MHz and land on 24, we taxi to my hangar and after engine nindown, I pull the mixture and the blades wind down. We have made it home, we have made our Great Escape.

Incidentally if you are trying to remember whether our two heroes from the film, Donald Pleasance {Blythe) and James Gamer (Hencileyi, made it back home, sadly they did noL They crash-landed short of their goal, the Swiss border, when the engine failed, Blythe being shot and Hend ley recaptured.

PAINT AND PERMITS Since getting the aircraft home there has been a blur of activity, the transition paperwork to complete before the Annual expired on the 9 August - don't let it expire or you may have trouble from the LBA (the German CAN; however, having done my homework, this did not happen and they cancelled my German Certificates in typical efficiency on the due date.

Meanwhile, a quick trip to Turweston to see the high command (Herr Donaldson! on the 25 July to confirm we could make plans to add her to the LAA fleet - thank you to the engineeHng team at the LAA. Then, on 27July, she was taken to Vintage Fabrics at Audley End to be lightly restored and resprayed in Luftwaffe markings

by Clive Denney. They did a cracking job, thanks guys!

And last, the CAA sorted my re-registration and exemptions with excellent response, also confirming that she could go on the LAA Permit Now the ball was rolling.

When my Permit to Test arrived in NOveIllber, friend and colleague Dan Griffith helped me with the flight testing to confirm an unbiased review of the flight test results. Now I sit here after the Christmas break and hope to have a fresh Permit to Fly in my hands in Janumy.

It's been quite an adventure...with plenty more to come in 2012 as I prepare for the airshow season. •

PERFORMANCE VNE:184Itt (211mph,34C/kph) Cruisespeed: 105kt (121mph, 195kfth)2,45Orpm Rateof climb:7001pm Crew:Two Range:800km (497m. 432nm) DIMENSIONS/WEIGHTS Wingspan:10.6m(34.7110 Wingarea:13.5m2(145.3112) Length:7.85m(25.711) Height 2.05m (6.00 Emptyweight: 569kg ems weight 850 kg Engine:Continental0-3004 145hp

BRUA

'0 i 2 LIGHT AVIATION 45

> COACHING CORNER

•

TY

• •

46 LIGHT AVIATION FEBRUARY2012

•

• • • •

•

•

•

COACHING CORNER < Dave was a busy man. Despite less than ideal trading conditions, his small building business was forever busy as householders decided to upgrade rather than move in these uncertain times. In the past three months, he'd managed just three rounds of golf, his handicap was suffering and his best mate Mike was no longer the pushover he once was.

"Apres vous," said Mike, as they strolled to the ninth on the picturesque golf course just outside St Omer, a long-promised trip across the Channel for a round having finally come about - albeit a non-flying trip.

"Oui, merci, mon arni," said Dave with a cheery laugh.

As Dave set his tee, a Robin DR400 passed overhead, probably a training flight from the local aeroclub, which was based on the old WWI airfield across the other side of town.

Though its passing went unobserved by Dave, Mike glanced skywards as his thoughts returned to a somewhat less happy outcome to a trip they had taken together one summer's day some years previously.

Dave and Mike had known each other since schooldays and Dave had always been interested in aeroplanes. He'd scraped enough money together by his mid-aos to take flying lessons and, despite working hard to establish his small business, he'd stuck with it and got his licence. His total flying time was barely 150 hours since he started to learn to fly almost eight years previously - an hour snatched here and there wasn't exactly how he had imagined his flying would be. He wanted to stretch his wings and use his south coast location as the ideal stepping stone into mainland Europe, but he either had the cash and not the time, or vice versa. He'd finally managed to steal a couple of days from his busy schedule and he and Mike were planning an overnight trip to Le Touquet in one of the club's152s.

This was the second time he had planned the trip, the first, earlier in the summer, being scuppered by torrential rain setting in for an entire weekend. This time didn't look like it was going to be plain sailing either; low cloud was forecast along the South Coast, possibly burning off by late morning. Dave had checked all the TV forecasts the previous evening and picked the most optimistic on which to pin his hopes. The nine-hour TAF that morning also

Note the merging of hills and sky in the distance

held a flicker of hope, so he rang his mate and picked him up as planned at 0830 for the ha lfhour trip to the airfield. With a generally low ceiling and fog and drizzle for the last five miles to the coast, it was a pretty gloomy couple of friends that pulled up outside the aeroclub that August morning. faking their heels for a couple of hours and regularly checking the TAFs and Metars, come midday the promised improvement was vely slow in arriving. Visibility had improved and the cloudbase was now at least discernable, but clearly little more than a few hundred feet Le Touquet's telephone ATIS was sounding better though, tsooft and iokm. If they could get out under the cloudbase and head straight across the Channel then, in theory at least, he convinced himself, they would be flying into an improving situation.

"I think we may be in luck," said Dave. "The CFI isn't in today, and he's a real stickler, maybe the duty QFI will let us go. I'll assure him that if we get airborne and don't like it, we'll come straight back in."

"OK," the instructor eventually agreed, "but if that base is lower than booft, make sure you just nip around the circuit and come straight back in."

SHOULDN'T WE TALK? Strapped into the Ci52, checks complete and sitting at the end of the runway, Dave's

optimism was somewhat less buoyant. The windows were steaming up and all before him was oveiwhelmingly. grey. Mike's happy chatter about the trip didn't help either; he was beginning to wish he'd been less persuasive in his discussions with the duty QFI.Still, in for a penny, if the base was too low he could always complete a low-level circuit and come back in. Low-level circuit- it sounded straightforward enough but he couldn't remember that he had ever actually flown one before, even with an instructor.

The instructor watched from the clubhouse as the 152 disappeared into the murk, while in the cockpit Dave was taken aback as at less than 5ooft the ground disappeared. He instinctively lowered the nose and gingerly banked a little left to head out to the coast, and by the time he had broken out, Dave caught sight of the beach slipping past below, with little more than 400ft on the altimeter and the sea and clouds seeming to merge ahead, with no discernable horizon.

'I don't like this,' he thought, as he started a Rio° turn back towards the beach, and as the aircraft turned, the view ahead was little better. Expecting to see the airfield, all he could make out were houses and then open fields.

He knew there was high ground only five miles inland, the South Downs rising to almost gooft He'd have to climb. At t000ft he came through the first layer with 45° of bank on and the ASI showing just bokt 'Jesus!' he thought, his heart thumping in his chest, 'What the hell am I going to do now?'

Mike had been very quiet, realising all was not well. "Shouldn't we talk to somebody?" he suggested.

Between layers and just higher than any local terrain, Dave settled a little and keyed the mic, "Golf X-ray Yankee is returning, but I am uncertain of my position," he stammered.

The calm voice of the controller asked for his height and whether he was in sight of the surface.

"Negative," came the response, "And I'm at... gooft," realising that he had lost looft in his attempts to stop climbing into the higher cloud, Using his VDF, the controller managed to ascertain that Dave was north-east of the field and heading generally northwards, w• FEBRUARY 2012 LIGHT AVIATION 47

> COACHING CORNER "Turn onto z3o° and try to climb to 1,5ooft," he said. "There is high ground in your vicinity."

By now Dave was getting quite frantic. As he turned, he was in and out of the upper doud and now barely able to maintain nooft Trying to stay even close to 230°was impossible while dodging around trying to stay between layers.

Suddenly the cloud below him parted and a green patch flashed past literally just feet below.

Instinctively he hauled back on the yoke and pulled up into the cloud above him, his clammy hands gripping the yoke for all he was worth.

Airspeed was diminishing quickly and the horizon was showing a bank to the left, so he lowered the nose, but too far and the engine revved past the yellow arc so quickly it gave him a start Rolling right and easing back a lithe he popped out of the clouds almost in a wings-level condition and with fields just 400ft below. He hadn't even noticed passing through the shallow, between-layers gap as he stared desperately at the artifidal horizon trying to make sense of what control inputs he should be making.

Luck was on his side that day- had he come out of the cloud in a spiral dive he would almost certainly have become a 'loss of control in IMC' statistic, but with wings level he was quickly able to get his speed under control as he decided to land immediately; probably his best decision of the day. He lined up on the nearest field straight ahead and eased back on the throttle, trying to gather his thoughts but totally unable to do so. With no flaps, no thoughts about the direction of what little breeze there was and no Mayday call, he just closed the throttle and flared. Luckily there was another field beyond the hedgerow as the152 floated across the chosen field, and touched down in the ploughed one beyond... but it was, thank God thought Dave, Mother earth. The aircraft touched down hard and bounced, going over as the nosewheel dug in on second contact The noises were sickening as the once-solid 152 buckled and wrenched itself to destruction.

The ensuing silence was deafening as Dave and Mike hung inverted, shocked and afraid but otherwise intact. They extricated themselves without further ado and sat on the grass at the edge of the field some way from the wreckage, utterly dejected but thankful for being alive.

An hour later, as they were ferried to the local hospital for a check-up, a watery sun peeped through the breaking cloudbase. 'Patience is a virtue,' thought Dave.

Mike never did get his flight to Le Touquet; Dave couldn't get over the fear he felt as, helpless and terrified in that cockpit, he'd held not only his own but an innocent friend's life in his hands. By the grace of God or simply good luck they had been spared, but he never flew again. "I think I might take up golf," said Dave as they took a taxi back from the hospital to the aeroclub to pick up his car. • .

BRIANHOPEOFFERS SOMECONCLUSIONS ABOUT WHATWENTWRONGWITHTHEFLIGHT CLEARLY THEREAREmany issueswith this flight but the underlying one is that oft-quoted alpha male pressureto perform. Herewe havea reasonably capableman, running a small businessand generally in control of his life, and having promised his mate a trip, and already had to cancelonce, he is feeling pressuredto do all he canto makethis flight happen.

Theforecaststhe previous eveningwere doubtful, but don't we all check out severalto seeka glimmer of possibility? TheTAFthat morning too held only little promise, but rather than warn his friend that the likelihood was, at best, a late afternoon departure, heseizedon that possibility of an improvement.

Heso desperatelywanted to believethe TAFthat it clouded his judgment (no pun intended) evenwhen hecould seeout of the window that the general condition was not good and was not meetingthe TAF'sexpectations.

Healso took the opportunity to persuadethe QFIto let him give it a try, which raisesconcernsabout the QFI'sjudgement. Evenwhen self-doubt doesfinally creepin at the hold, he still persists.

Thereis no placefor you and an egoin the cockpit, you must makeevery judgement call basedon the best factsthat are presentedto you, what you cansee with your own two eyes,and what you knowfrom experienceand can gleanfrom those who havemore experiencethan you do. It was a badweather day with little chancethat it would improve, and if it did it would be tater rather than sooner.Headingout across the seain poor visibility at very low level in the vague hopethat it will get better asyou go is foolhardy in the extreme.

tj. ,Wca

I

I

I

Takingoff in theseconditions was alwaysgoing to be courting trouble, obscuredhigh ground to the north and seato the south and a cloudbase that turned out to be just 400ft. Therejust weren't enoughoptions should anything go wrong, and go wrong it did all too quickly.

Sadly,evenas a low-hour,out-of-practicepilot, Daveis not alone in makingthe errors of judgment that he did, plenty of more experiencedpitots have done likewise, and samewere not so lucky with the outcome. Neverlet the fear of losing face makeyou get into an aeroplanewhen conditions are beyond your experiencelevel. It you don't makethat first mistake,you are unlikely to makeall the others as the options reduceand your brain gets addled.

Wheredid it all go wrong?In the clubhousewhere pressureto performand a weakQFIoverrodebasic airmanshipandcommonsense.Thoseof uswho havean aircraftavailableoutsidea club environment ultimatelymakeour own decisionsbut in this particular instance,hadthe QFIsuggestedthat he and Davefly a circuit to seewhat the weatherwas reallylike, a lot of heartachecould havebeenavoided.

Postscript.It is worthrememberingthat weorenow at thetimeofyear whentheonsetWog inmid-to toteafternooncanberapidandunexpected.Makea point ofnotingthedewpoint whenyoucheckyour TAFsand Metars;thecloserit/s to a typicalwinter'safternoon temperaturethemorelikelyfog couldform asthesun goesdoomandthetemperaturefalls.A friendofmine hodo veryluckyescaperecently,byhisownadmission totallydownto luckratherthanability, whenhesetofffor hometatein thedayand ultimatelyfoundhimselfabove fog, lowonfuel,darknessapproachingandhisoptions rapidlydiminishing...but that is anotherstory

AEROBATICS

<

• Changes due under EASA will require licence holders to hold an Aerobatics Rating (AR) in order to conduct aerobatics. The Part FCL requirements for the AR are defined in Subpart I FCL.800. Many LAA members will be happy to note that this requirement will only apply to EASA aircraft, therefore, for pilots who operate LAA Permit to Fly aircraft and wish to fly aerobatics only in those aircraft, there will be no requirement to add this rating. That said, you may wish to add the rating in order to also conduct aerobatics in an EASA aircraft.

For those who already fly or have flown aerobatics, I have been involved with the CAAand other pilot groups in drafting the conversion report which details the experience or qualifications required by holders of UK National and JAR licences to comply with the requirements for the Part FCLAerobatic Rating - some may describe this as 'grandfather' rights.

Jon Cooke, Chairman of the Pilot Coaching Scheme, explains some forthcoming changes The UK's aerobatic workinggroup has identified seven categories of aerobatic pilot whose experience and/or qualifications may provide compliance with Part FCLBoo: providing logbook evidence of aerobatic flying; completion of the AOPA Aerobatic Course; holders of Display Authorisations; entrants in BAeA events; Fls with the 'No Aerobatics Restriction' removed; or exstudents of military Elementary Flying Training and glider pilots with an appropriate BGA badge Exact detail will be in CAP804, a forthcoming

document and replacement to LASORS produced by the Civil Aviation Authority.

Should you wish to obtain relevant acrobatic training prior to 8 April 2015 then that might be considered as counting towards the appropriate conversion rule as mentioned above. Thereafter you will be required to complete a course of training as laid down in EASA Part FCL.800 at an Approved Training Organisation. Of note is that you will still be able to receive training and conduct aerobatics in non-EASA aircraft regardless - since they fall outside of EASA's remit.

The CAA is not yet in a position to issue the Acrobatic Rating but expect to be able to do so towards the end of this year- I will keep you informed. In summary, I recommend that, when available, you apply for an Aerobatic Rating if you have sufficient experience to fall within one of the seven conversion groups and you hold or intend to hold a JAR-FCL/EASA licence.

Pilots of non-EASA aircraft - roll on! •

FEBRUARY20 t 2 LIGHT AVIATION 49

> TOURING

•

a

••

•

Like many readers, I am enthralled - by the tales of intrepid members who venture out into Europe in their Permit aircraft, even if for all manner of reasons; though a long-held ambition, such trips are not practical for many of us. There is though, a great deal of beautiful countryside, history and culture on our own doorstep that is just waiting to be explored. This story is about one such trip, with a mildly competitive element, made last summer by a group of flyers from the RAF Henlow Aero Club.

East Anglia has an abundance of airfields, in all shapes and sizes, and a group of nine of us decided to explore the area. Over a four-day tour we visited 17airfields, taking five aircraft with us, four of which are on the LAARegister. We set off from Henlow on Tuesday morning for the short trip to Main Hall Farm, a very well-kept 75om grass strip just south of Wyton ATZ.From here we flew our first navigation exercise, set by one of 50 LIGHT AVIATION FEBRUARY2012

the club members, to find and report on four features. We used 1/4mil maps to locate an initial point, then an OS 1:5o,000 map to home in on a target The route took us north to March, through the Fens then across to King's Lynn, along the Norfolk coast to Burnham, and ended at Binham. The first target was a building alongside the Hundred Foot Drain, then a church, followed by Castle Rising and finally Burnham Windmill.

Manor Farm Airstrip at Binham, just south of Langham disused, is run by Jeremy Taylor.

The wind was across the north/south itunway which, in addition to the poplar trees short of the threshold, made for some challenging conditions. One of our group sensibly decided after a couple of approaches to continue on to the next stop; the other aircraft got in safely. We refuelled before setting off on the short hop to Cromer for lunch. Most of us took the scenic route along the coast, which also allowed us to have a look at the windmill at Weybourne, our afternoon stop.

At the 'new' Cromer, the wind favoured Rn, with an approach over the railway line and the old Cromer airfield. The partner of one of our group works in Cromer and brought lunch for us - dressed Cromer Crab and freshly baked bread in the sunshine alongside our aircraft - a match for Camembert and baguettes any day!

Our next stop, at Weybourne, was to be the most challenging of the week, so required careful briefing from those who had flown in there before, along with studying the airfield guides. The wind was almost fully across, with a slight headwind component favouring f234.This would mean an approach over the hill and gorse bushes, and a slightly downhill slope, but a safe overshoot option out over the sea. All the aircraft were booked into Little Snoring in case any of us were not happy with the conditions at Weybourne.

We staggered our departures and sent the Trago offfirst to assess the conditions and make the first landing. The Emeraude, Jackaroo, Turbulent and Cessna followed on. We set up

TOURING <

Above: the unique Trago Mills SAH-1. Right: using its convenient wing to plan the leg from Marham

a right-hand circuit calling on SafetyCom 135.47 to deconflict, approaching over the hill and side-slipping down to the runway, which then fell away as we held off. Several aircraft touched down late and went around but eventually we all made it down. Upon walking the runway to the coast end, we noted the slope of the strip and the not so small hill on approach.

The departure from Weybourne was downhill and towards the coast, and from there we flew back inland to our night stop at Marham, where the ff,000ft tarmac runway was such a difference after the short grass strips we had visited throughout the day. We were hosted

by Marham Aero Club, who helped refuel the aircraft and arranged hangarage for us. The station was most helpful in accommodating us and our aircraft, if not used to the oddities of it little aircraft with tailwheels or skids.

FEBRUARY2012 LIGHT

AVIATION

51

> TOURING The weather on the Wednesday was good: a light wind with some showers forecast late morning. Our first destination was Old Buckenham, one of several former American Eighth Army Air Force airfields we planned to fly into. We were booked in, but found the place deserted and after stretching our legs, departed for a tour around Norfolk. Heading off to the north, we passed Felthorpe and skirted clear of the Norwich zone across to Coltishall. This former fighter station is now deserted, although the runway and buildings still looked in good condition. The rain showers had started to build up and several of the group got wet as they went round the top of Norwich, with the hour-long route taking us over the Broads to Tibenham, just ao miles from our start point at Old Buckenharn. The Norfolk Gliding Club owns and runs Tibenham, maintaining three concrete runways and acres of grass at this ex USAAF bomber airfield. We landed on the main Ro3, the Jackaroo taking the parallel grass while the rest of us used the hard. After many years of operation solely as a gliding field, the gliding club now welcomes powered aircraft though priority must be given to the gliders and there are no overhead joins due to winching. We taxied up to the clubhouse and ordered our lunch whilst we chatted to the local members, including a chap who had flown Horsa gliders on D-Day. From Tibenham it was only a quick flight to Knettishall but we planned to take in a few places on the way. Only a few miles from Tibenham is the former airship station at Pulham St Mary, where the foundations of the hangars still stand out. Then it was on to Thorpe Abbotts with its restored Control Tower, a memorial to the 'Bloody Hundredth' Bomber Group who were based here. Next was Snetterton circuit, where cars were hurtling round the former taxiways and runways, before former RAF Harling Road, where the sole remaining WWI Belfast hangar now stands on the edge of an industrial estate.

The 800m grass strip at Knettishall runs down the old main runway, and we had had a thorough briefing from one of the resident pilots who kindly gave us permission to use the strip. We flew a tight circuit to the north and landed on Ro8, from where it was a very quick hop to our night stop at Honington, five miles to the west Honington closed as a Tornado based in the mid-199os and has since then been home to the RAF Regiment The airfield was partially resurrected a few years ago by Honington Aero Club, which uses part of the runway and one of the old Hard-ended Aircraft Shelters (HAS) as its hangar. The western end of the runway is blocked and the main dispersal built on, but the eastern half of the runway is in reasonable condition and linked with a taxiway to the HAS. The wind favoured landing on 09, so we flew a circuit over the camp to land beyond the midpoint of the runway, still giving us 4,000ft of concrete.

From the end of the runway we taxied into the HAS site and parked all five aircraft in a shelter designed for one fighter. That night we ate in Bury St Edmunds and compared our stories and experiences from the last couple of days.

The background of the group varied greatly, from an Fa6 pilot to PPL holders, with flying hours ranging from a few hundred to 14,000.

A PERFECTFLYING DAY The weather on the Thursday was epic; unlimited visibility and light winds, a perfect 52 LIGHT AVIATION

FEBRUARY2012

•F**

*toe

samedaf arl-Seentriside

*e-

Final approach intottetmth, well worth a visit

flying day. We flew south from Honington to Rougham, and sat in the shade of the restored Control Tower as we planned our second precision nay route. We taxied out to the easterly runway and the slowest aircraft set off first with a big gap before the relatively quick Trago and Cessna departed. In the Turbulent, the route would take me just over an hour; I had carefully folded and stowed my maps and worked from left pocket to right pocket as I went through the photocopied target maps, hoping I wouldn't lose any over the side. The first target was a stately home, where we had to count the chimney stacks, then on to a windmill where we had to count the floors.

I flew further east to the next target, the nav question being 'How many chairs in the back garden?' Carefully navigating via the Ordnance Survey led me to a house where, laid out in the garden, there were seven chairs in the shape of a seven. The last leg took us out to the coast and around Southwold, over the seafront in the lovely sunshine then inland to note the colour of a pub.

We had planned to land at Parham, another ex-wartime airfield where a small strip of the northern taxiway is available to land on. The owners kindly gave us permission to land but warned us that the strip hadn't been used for a while. The Jackaroo was going in first to assess

the strip, and if we got there and the 'Roo was down then we would each make our own assessment to land or not If the 'Roo wasn't on the ground, then it was on to the next stop. There was a lot of farm activity around the strip, which looked usable but rough, so no-one landed and we all flew to our next airfield at Debach.

Debach was the last wartime bomber airfield to be completed and the squadrons flew their first missions from here on D-Day. After the war it was used as a refugee camp and was eventually sold back to the original owners.

The runways were removed for hardcore and the buildings fell into dereliction. Several years ago the owners decided to restore some of the buildings and sow a grass strip, the restored buildings forming a museum covering the history of the airfield and its units. They have done a great job and the site is well worth a visit The wide grass strip is 59om long with good approaches and parking on the concrete at the southern end, where our five aircraft were joined by another Henlow resident - Tiger Moth G-AJVE.As we stood and chatted a 19405' truck came down the pen-track towards us; Richard, the owner of the site, had come to pick us up in

TOURING <

4.

11137 JYZ

his restored crew transport wagon. Wespent a great afternoon touring the site and viewingthe exhibits, and we returned the favour by taking some ofthe team for a flightaround the localarea.

Ournight stop was to be Wattishambut most ofthe team needed to refuel before then, so we booked into Elmsett Thewind had increased through the day and was now blowingacross the strip at Elmsettat mkt The airfieldwas very quiet; we followedthe instructionson the pumps and with a littlehelp fromthe maintenance companythere, refuelled our fleet Thewind had further increased and was now rather a challengefortheJackarooand Thrbulent Wespoke to the localsand were allowed to take offinto wind, pacingout our 'runway and taxyingup to the hedge before departing directlyinto wind. Onceairborne we were almost in the circuitforWattisham.

Wespoke to the Towerand were cleared to join base legfor Ro5.The wind was stillacross, but the width ofthe strip made things much easier. Thejackaroo crew positioned such that when it weathercocked it would run off into wind down a taxiway;the aircraftwas wheeled on and came to a halt on the runway and was walked into the parking area.

Weenjoyed a meal in the local town and retired to bed ready for the final day ofour adventure.

The next day greeted us with calmwinds but no sunshine, the sky obscured by mist and haze. Wechecked the Notamand spoke to the Met Officerwho assured us itwould clear. Transport took us out to our aircraft and we prepared them for flight The weather did improve but slowly,and we launched in turn, heading to Raydonthen across the Stour Estuary to GreatOakley.Aftera week offlyingin unlimited visibilitywe all found flyingin poor visibilityvery challenging.We had a cuppa at GreatOakleyand departed for the IsleofSheppey, in better but still limited visibility.Stopwatch, map and compass worked well as Irouted south ofColchester, past Stow Mariesand Rayleigh,then climbed to cross the Thames. The Chimneyon the Isle ofGrainappeared below in the murk as did Sheerness a few miles further on. Wewere landing at Parsonage Farm, Eastchurch, an 800mstrip adjacent to the old Eastchurch Aerodrome, now the site of three prisons.

The wind was slack and Ielected to land upslope, heading east, with a slight tailwind.

I taxied in and met BillCroydon,a retired Air Commodoreand localaviation historian. The other aircraft soon followedand Billgave us a

quick talk on the history ofthe area. In 1909, the RoyalAeroClubestablished an aerodrome on the site, and Shorts Brothers set up the first aircraft factoryin UK.The airfield continued to expand through the firstworld war and served as a fighterstation in WWIIbefore closingin the 195osand the firstopen prison being built on the site. Wewalked into Eastchurch village and looked at the AviationMemorial, then enjoyed a fishand chips lunch in the Shurland Armspub, surrounded by old photographs offlyingmachines at the airfield. Eastchurch is a fascinatingand often forgotten place; the birthplace of Britishaviation, it played a major role in the very early aviation achievements in this country.

Bynow the sun had burnt offthe mist and in beautiful sunshine we strolled back to the airstrip and headed offtowards home.

Ourlast stop was at North Weald for fuel and refreshments. Wesat outside The Squadron and discussed the last four days which had included visiting17interesting airfields, with some providing a real challenge. We had tested our navigation in good weather, locatingtargets, and in poor weather finding airfields. Wehad all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves flyingbetween eight and nine hours each, and all within a few mo miles ofour home airfield. • FEBRUARY 2012 LIGHT AVIATION 53

SAFETYSPOT

With Malcolm McBride Airwol thmess Engmeer

CABLES AND SPRINGS TheLAAhas to ground all Aeroprakt A22LFoxbatsdue to severe rudder flutter issues

'This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius, the age of Aquarius...'

I've finally sat down to write this month's 'Safety Spot' after a mad day upgrading my home computer system. It certainly feels a bit strange writing on a screen that's nearly as big as my television.

I'm wondering ff the zillions of wobblies per millisecond daimed by the computer salesman will help to malce this 'Safety Spot' feature anymore interesting.

Let's see...

Quite a few years ago I had the opportunity to flywith the designer of a small, two-place sports aeroplane that the firm I worked with at the time was interesting in marketing for the LlK.We got on very well and the aircraft was a delightful machine, Iwell remember looping and rolling over the Texas countryside This particular designer had built a few aircraft himself over the years and liked to work to the limits of the technology available;

54 LIGHT

AVIATION

perhaps quite rightly when it comes to designing aeroplanes, he was always looking for ways to save weight One weight-saving idea he came up with was a one-sided elevator control circuit. idea was that, by replacing one side of the control circuit with a spring attached to the control surface, the weight of the control cable could be saved. He did, he explained, consider the safety angle - what for example, would happen if the spring broke? "Well, I thought about this.., remember, an elevator will naturally try to find the point of least resistance and, obviously really, as the control cable is fitted on the 'up elevator' side, a failure of the spring wouldn't be that big a problem because, if the spring failed, you would still be able to flare for landing."

I'd never heard of such an idea and, as I listened, I thought initially that this sounded like a pretty neat way of doing things !well, I was a vety young chap).

I asked the designer why the aircraft we had just danced across

FEBRUARYBill

the skies with wasn't configured this way. If it was such a good idea, certainly a unique selling point, what changed his mind?

I'd done the pre-flight and noted that the elevator system was completely conventional. "WelI," he said, with what I though was just the slightest hint of a smile, "I fell out of love with the idea after breaking the USrecord for the number of loops in a single flight."

He went on to describe a flight he'd made in the prototype when, after completing a loop, he moved the control stick forward to regain level flight but the aircraft continued skywards determined to complete another loop. Then another, then another. Naturally, each loop, caused because the elevator was jammed up, cost a little height so, running out of fuel aside, this was a finite process.

He went on to explain, "I worked out that if I pulled the power back at exactly the right moment at the top of the loop it gave me a few moments respite and, by applying power at the right time, I could minimise the height loss

per loop to some extenL Of course the loops weren't very round!"

I pointed out that, as we were actmally chatting, he must have got away with it and asked how.

"Mmm, I'm not really sure, I think that God had a hand in it, but on one of the loops, I left it a bit late to re-apply power.

I remember stalling inverted, hearing a loud bang and the next thing I knew I was back in level flight and the elevator control appeared to be working again."

What had caused his near accident was that, after a fair number of flights, the spring, which as you will remember replaced one side of the elevator control circuit, had become slightly weakened and, when one of the elevator bearings became partially jammed (for unknown reasons) the spring-return force was not able to overcome the partial jam. Anarrow escape for him and a lesson learnt which he was able to share.

It's definitely a truism that the same old problems in engineering design keep surfacing and, similar

With Malcolm McBride

Ahworthiness Engineer Left: in this picture, which focuses on the empennage of the Aeroprakt A22L Foxbat, you can see that the rudder anti-balance tab lower (of three) hinge attachment has failed.

The exact reason for this bolt failure is not clear, in fact it is not possible to determine conclusively whether this attachment bolt failed and initiated the Rutter event or the 3mm screw failed because of the flutter event. You can see clearly that the damage to the top of the elevator, caused by the rapid oscillation of the tab and the rudder, is restricted to an area over the elevator's aluminium leading-edge. It's likely that the rudder/elevator jam was caused because the failed anti-balance tab drive horn buried itself into the fabric skin of the elevator: the rear of the two holes fits the shape of the bent drive horn nearly exactly.

Remember, the elevator would be slightly up during level flight.

(Photo:MalcolmMcBride) Above: here is a portion of the top of the leading-edge of the aircraft's elevator; you can see that a lot of energy has gone into creating this deep scarring. The initial warning was a severe vibration and the pilot felt sure that his engine was failing-. this confusion is useful in that it gives us a rough estimate of frequency which, in aerodynamic flutter terms, is quite low. I haven't actually counted the fissures but I hope that you will agree that this initial vibration couldn't have lasted very long and probably relates to the time to failure of the restraining Bowden cable or (possibly) hinge attachment screw. (Photo:MalcolmMcBride)

spring-return systems have been used fairly extensively, albeit not in quite such a critical system, in the microlight and very small aircraft design communities. Look in many engine bays, just as an example, and the throttle control is very likely operated with a Bowden cable acting against a spring. Regular readers will recall that problems have surfaced with the rudder anti-balance tab on an Aeroprakt AisL Foxbat rnicrolight aircraft; this is a flight control system that partially relies on a torsion spring. I wrote about this in the December 2011 Light Aviation and we did hope that the issuance of an LAA Airworthiness Information Leaflet /AIL), requiring full inspections of the rudder and its anti-balance tab before every flight, would solve the problem. Unfortunately, despite these pre-flight checks, we've since had another incident of severe rudder flutter. Faced with what was fast becoming a spate of serious incidents, the LAA airworthiness team have therefore had to ground the AssL type in the UK while we review

Here is a picture of the leading-edge of the antibalance tab after it was removed completely from the rudder.

There are similar witness marks on the trailing-edge of the rudder.

Because the tab had become bent during the failure event, it was not possible to establish if the hinge itself was stiff; certainly this rubbing would have reduced the return spring's effectiveness and may have lead to a null position at, or close to, full right rudder. (Photo:

In the pictures left and above, both ends of the Bowden cable can be seen. Note that the cable has failed at a point nearest the tab but the other end of the cable is undamaged. This suggests that the cable failed due to fatigue created as a result to the extreme (and rapidly changing) bending loads and not because of a tensile overload. When this cable failed the tab itself was free to move backwards and, at this point, the vibration stopped and the controls jammed. (Photo:MalcolmMcBride)

what's going on rand why) and, of course, try to come up with a solution.

Here is the story of the latest incident

AEROPRAKT A22L FOXBAT SERIOUS CONTROL FLUTTER I received a call from Foxbat owner, Peter Goff, which rather changed

MalcolmMcBride)

my plans for the day. Peter had just had a frightening experience where, after a short bout of rudder flutter, he had lost both rudder and elevator control. I asked him whether he had seen the latest AIL requiring pre-flight checks of the anti-balance system and he said that he had and could 'absolutely guarantee that the

system on his aircraft was working perfectly before the flight'. You will recall that this anti-balance system is operated by a single cable acting against a torsion bar type spring which doubles as the tab's hinge pin - it's an interesting example of a single component having two functions and so saving weight and cost

FEBRUARY 20 ° LIGHT AVIATION 55

SAFETYSPOT While this system has been in service for a few years, recently there have been two reports of instances of rudder flutter; in the last event, featured in December's 'Safety Spot', the pilot experienced a loss of rudder control after the initial flutter but landed the aircraft safely. We are certain that the oscillations felt by the pilot are triggered by flutter in the anti-balance tab.

The suspicion is that, while the spring-return tab system works OKgenerally, because it's not a positive drive arrangement, under certain circumstances the air loads on the tab can take over and the tab may decide to do its own thing.

The reason for the last incidence of rudder flutter was determined to have been lack of lubrication in the torsion bar spring/hinge; the LAA,in response, issued an AIL requiring full inspections of the rudder and its anti-balance tab before every flight Unfortunately, despite these pre-flight checks, we've since had another incident of severe rudder flutter which left the pilot with limited control of his aircraft I am sure that you will be pleased to hear that we have identified a number of reasons for this latest event. Ray Everett, the UKagent for the type, is developing a simple fixand expects to supply a small kit of parts for owners which will replace the tab spring-return drive system with a positive push-pull rod. Another mod has been developed by a Foxbat owner working independently, which LAAEngineering has already approved. We at LAA Engineering never like to see one of our aircraft types grounded for any length of time and one way or,another, Azzt owners will hopefully be able to get back in the air again before the start of the new flying season.

I've received numerous telephone calls from members questioning the need for an anti-balance tab on this machine; it's only a fitted to UKexamples of the Foxbat One member commented that, "Surely this so-called safety device is making the aircraft less safe." I have some sympathy with his view - adding anything to an aeroplane brings with it additional opportunities for failures to occur. I did speak to one overseas member though who had flown the aircraft without the tab fitted and he confirmed the UKtest pilot's report that the directional stability of the type did not meet

S6 LIGHT AVIATION I LBRIIiiiRy

1) Incident

'

occurs -

21 Thinking

Rudder

jammed

to elevator.

circuit

to check turning

time -Choose

the best airfield.

Single

Heyford,

and

Rule out

Torweston

and

Kidlington

to re gain composure,

T

"

EARIE 5^ RD

'Am

• 328)

IHTG E PARACHITINC

4) Long finals using power maintain

to

glide slope. Rule out

Flap, but time to plan landing without

elevator

of nower

to raise nose.

Short burst

N 3) Decide on Enstone and set course- Pan Pan call, use ailerons

for

Gentle turns.

Here's a screen-print of Peter's flight, taken from the aircraft's GPS. His track across the ground is painted in brown; start at Enstone and follow the loop clockwise. The comments in the blue boxes are Peter's own. The approach chevrons are for the (fairly) new ILS for R20 at Oxford; Upper Heyford is no longer active. I know this area pretty well and I can say that it's not the best for a forced landing. Peter found himself in an aeroplane with limited controllability and, in my humble opinion, made all the correct decisions which enabled him to land the aircraft safety. (Picture: Peter Goff)

the requirements of BCARSection S.In the UK,it is a requirement that microlight aircraft meet these requirements. I have flown the type myself, albeit briefly, and my two overriding impressions were that the machine is rather overpowered la personal opinion) and, even with the anti-balance tab fitted, rudder feel isvery light With the benefit of the anti-balance tab, however, in my judgement it did just meet the requirements of Section S. Quite a few people couldn't understand what an anti-balance tab's role is, so a few words about what it does wouldn't go amiss here. In short, fitting an antibalance tab to a control surface increases the feedback force proportionally as the angle-ofcontrol deflection is increased.

It's a certifying requirement that an increase in angle of a control surface is accompanied by an increase in feedback force to the pilot Awell-designed aircraft, from a feel point of view will have control feedback forces balanced against the relative physiological power normally available to the pilot Legs are generally stronger than arms and have a different mix of muscle tissue, which is able

:12

to resist applied load for longer periods, hence rudder input (displacement) loads should, in a well-designed system, be quite high. Remember, this is not a discussion about control response rate, it's about how much load needs to be applied by the pilot relative to the angular displacement but, if the designer gets it right, then the response rate will increase with the applied load. Ideally, in the case of a rudder, if the feet are removed during flight the rudder should return to its neutral position.

It's the anti-balance tab's job to increase this return-to-neutral force. The return force from a tab is proportional not only to the angular displacement but also to the square of the airspeed, in other words, the faster you're going, the heavier the controls get - a definite safety feature as it helps prevent the pilot from inadvertently overstressing the aircraft I can almost hear you asking, "How come the rudder forces are so light? Surely if you deflect a control into an Eloktwind it's bound to return to the point of least resistance?" Well, this is true to some extent, but the actual point of least resistance may not

be always where you think it should be! Once the aircraft has yawed, the 'trailing' position in the airflow is no longer with the rudder central but off to one side.

With a more or less neutrally directionally stable aircraft, a 10° rudder deflection may result in a to° yaw angle - so the deflected rudder is aligned with the flow and there's no rudder centring effect at all.

Mother difficulty faced by the designers of very small aircraft is that the resultant force (back through to the pedals) may not start out being that large and other forces within the aircraft, or inherent to its design, may conspire to reduce them still further. First, there are the aerodynamic issues that always surround short-coupled aircraft; in effect, in this regard, short-coupled means that the empennage is close to the back of the wing a nd resides in pretty turbulent flow, so you often don't get what you design for! Second, fins and rudders are generally too small. This is a huge subject in its own right and, sadly, there's not enough space here to talk about it in this feature. There's a third factor and, before I leave the design difficulties completely, a brief comment about this wouldn't go amiss.

The Foxbat is a nosewheel aircraft and the nosewheel is connected to the rudder control system. This almost inevitably adds a great deal of friction into the system, which often masks the weak aerodynamic centring force from the rudder itself. The result is perceived by the pilot as 'the rudder stays where it's put'.

All a bit bamboozled? Let's hear LAAFoxbat owner, Peter Goff's account of the rudder tab incident on to January that lead to us grounding the fleet Dear Malco/m, This aircraft was Permitted to fly in late fulyzon. It has completed around flo hours flying with no significant problems. I have flo hours flying experience in a Foxbat and 32o hours in total on fixedwing microtights. it Background Following the recent issue of a safety bulletin from IAA regarding the balance tab on the Foxbat, I have checked this before everyflight. On receipt of the bulletin I had also protected and lubricated the hinge mechanism using ACF50 at three hinge points attached to the rudder, and applied some grease to the bottom hinge and tab edge to ensure free movement as it was

With Malcolm McBride Airwortuness touching the rudder very slightly at the bottom. This treatment appeared to significantly improve the movement of the hinge and I repeated this.

One week before the incident the tab was moving freely and on subsequent checks and I had no concerns that it/cit stiff.

On Monday loth l initially flew the aircraft from Little Gransden to Bakersfield to meet with friends. The rudder tab had been checked as part of the pre-flight inspection and was free moving. On arriving at Bakersfield, I found I had a puncture in the front tyre and this was removed and repaired. Once replaced, the rudder tab was checked carefully again for free movement before flying on to Enstone. The flight and landing at Enstone was normal.

We had encountered 23mph headwinds and some turbulence but (he weather conditions were well within the aircraft's capabilities.

Incident at Enstone Take-off At 3,0raI prepared to leave Enstone - t specifically checked the front tyre was still OK and held down the tail to make sure the rudder was free. I checked for full and free movement on all controls. The aircraft taxied and steered freely and everything appeared normal; I

had applied flap and the trim was set nose down.At 3.o3pm take-off was on R26 with a right-hand turn for circuit after take-off The wind was brisk 112-14mphlwesterly, straight down the runway.

Climbout

Initial problem

I removed flap as normal at around 3ooft after take-off and climbed to L400ft on maximum revs before turning right and reducing power to 3,000rpm. I adjusted the trim arid continued to climb to 2,000ft. I was heading due east with a tailwind. I maintained 5,000rpm in total for around an minutes; my indicated airspeed at this point was mi3mph (with a 23mph tailwind in addition).

I was using a little right-hand pedal to counteract the torque and was about to reduce revs for cruise when the aircraft began to shudder violently I thought at first this was an engine problem so reduced revs immediately. The shuddering continued for about six seconds then stopped. The aircraft was yawing to the right (Not this point and I realised there was a rudder problem. I tried to turn the rudder to the left when I heard a violent bang as it broke free. I then completed a full orbit to the left.

Return to Enstone The aircraft was now stable, flying straight and no furthershuddering, but I

Engineer

realised I had no rudder movement.

I could rum using ailerons and control descent with power, so I checked for alternative landing sites. Upper FRyford (disused) was in view, however I was uncertain of the state of the runways. Oxford and Turweston were unfamiliar, so I opted to return immediately to Enstone where I knew the layout and knew that the wind was straight down die runway.

Maintaining around 3,600rpm, made a pan call to alert Enstone of my rudder problem and then set course for long final on R26 .After considering the pros and cons, I opted not to use flap to avoid introducing any trim changes or instability, but around one mile from Enstone did set trim for maximum nose up (notsure if it made much difference). I had not realised that I had limited or no elevator movement at this point.

Approach and landing On the approach, shuddering occurred again for around three-four seconds. As I made my final approach with a shallow glideslope at 63mph and with power on, I then ascertained I had no elevator movement for round-out. I chose not to try and free this by force as it might introduce instability and opted to continue the approach. Near the

Because of a number of failures in service, we have decided that the Bowden-cable-operated anti-balance tab is not safe to use on the Aeroprakt A22I. Foxbat. Independent further flight testing has confirmed though that the aircraft's directional control is, in effect, only neutrally stable. What this means is that, if you were to apply full right rudder and then take your feet off the control, the rudder would remain fully deflected. The rudder return therefore does not meet the required 'proportional force' requirements of BCARSection 5. Here is one solution, devised and made by LAA member Paul Trimble, which has been approved by the LAA's Design Department. This little unit provides a spring force which returns the rudder back to the neutral position. (Photo: Paul Trimble)

ground I applied a small amount of power to lift the nose then cut the power at 6omph.At around 33mph the aircraft flared close to the ground and held off for a few seconds then landed on its rear wheels as normal; the nose conic down lightly At this point I had no steering as the rudder appeared to be stuck on the elevator so the aircraft ran off the hard runway to the grass on the left where it stopped, sustaining no further damage. At this point the steering appeared to be restored.

After landing diecked the damage and realised the trim tab had broken loose, the cable snapped and the metal horn had dug into the elevator. Further damage to the elevator had possibly occurred when this broke free on landing. There was no other damage apparent from the landing and no-one was injured I was then able to taxi the aircraft with ground steering to the hangar at Enstone Microlights.

I was unable to ascertain the full extent of the damage and was not able to check if the rudder was free, immediately, or if the elevator was now working correctly. The aircraft was parked in exactly the state it was in on landing.

Regards, Peter Goff Thank you, Peter, for a very comprehensive and well-written report.. and well done! Not to panic in circumstances like this is, well, the word 'incredible' comes to m ind, and following the custom for English understatement, certainly deseives a mention in dispatches.

A day or two later, I met Peter at Enstone, along with the LAA's Chief Engineer, Francis Donaldson, and the UK agent for Aeroprakt aircraft Ray Everitt, to look at the aircraft and see if we could come up with an explanation as to what had happened. I will admit that my first thought, as I read Peter's account, was that the use of an anti-corrosion spray rather than a conventional lubricant such as a light machine oil may have increased the friction within the hinge. This is a possibility, but I could find no evidence of this during my visit. I did notice that the rudder control cable tensions were a little on the low side, although we didn't feel that this by itself was likely to have been a significant factor. One thing that Peter did say was that he had noticed a clicking when he checked the rudder anti-balance tab during the normal pre-flight.

During our close inspection

FEBRUARY2012 LIGHT AVIATION 57

SAFETYSPOT we were able to simulate this clicking by rotating the spring/

hinge one way, then the other.

This might indicate that there was some extra resistance in the hinge at one point in its range of movement which might have upset the dynamics of the system enough to cause the servo tab to flutter.

Another thing that was immediately obvious was that the tab's bottom hinge attachment screw was missing. It is possible that this broke during the flutter event but myview is that it could also have been the initiating failure. Ifthis screw were to fail (or the nut become loose and fell off) then the bottom of the tab would have been free to flail around in the air stream. Ifthis screw had failed then spring tension would become very much reduced and we already know that when the spring becomes ineffective, tab flutter will result One further thing that might be relevant was that the leadingedge of the tab itself had been rubbing on the trailing-edge of the rudder. This may have been due to an over-close fitment when the aircraft was manufactured but, in my view, it's more likely to be a result of the loose hinge fittings found. I think that this looseness was due to the trailingedge of the rudder itself yielding against the reacting hinge loads.

Pioneer specialist, Tim Skinner, has noticed that a number of aircraft he's worked on recently have suffered from separation of the inner wing rib to spar joint. There have been various suggestions as to why this particular joint is failing but, whatever the reason, the LAA's Design Engineer, Andy Draper, wants this weak joint beefed up a bit. Here is a picture of the solution, a small gusset.

(Photo: Tim Skinner)

Any modification will require an improvement here.

I think that you will now see the relevance of my introductory 'multiple loops' story; this is, after all, a one-sided control system working against a spring. I've been aching to tell the story to somebody and this event has given me the perfect excuse!

The pictures and my text describe the damage found and the possible interpretations as to cause and effect Either way,

c_

Toby, from Targett Aviation, found this gouge in a Pioneer 300 main undercarriage side stay while he was fitting assist springs to aid the over-centre lock. The damage was caused because the screws holding the DOWN indicator microswitch were too long and, each time the undercarriage was operated, material was removed in a machining action from the side stay. It's essential that operating mechanisms on aircraft are checked regularly on the ground and this is especially true when fitting a new component (in this case a microswitch). When you are designing the Maintenance Schedule for your aircraft, build into it regular 'panels off' inspections so that the normally hidden parts can be checked and, where necessary, lubricated.

(Photo: Toby ot Torgett Aviation)

58 LIGHT AVIATION FEBRUARY2012

With Malcolm McBride

Airworthiness Engineer enough is enough and the LAA Engineering team elected to publish an AIL grounding the machine immediately until a more robust design of rudder centring system can be fitted.

Incidentally, you will recall that Peter talked about the use of trim as a secondary method of control if a control surface jams. I am sure that you will remember that this is a favourite question in examinations. ln this case the trim didn't make much difference, what did impress me was Peter's cool and calculating approach to the problem as he saw it. lie could have tried to force the jammed elevator control to free it, but not knowing just what had gone on down the back end, this might have had disastrous consequences. The aircraft was controllable up to a point so he chose not to rock the boat by flying brute force, but just guided the aeroplane gently back to a safe emergency landing. Well done again.

PIONEER300 INNER WING RIB JOINT This item involves a recurring problem with the leading-edge root rib on the wooden Pioneer 300 suffering a glue joint failure causing the rib to lose some of its rigidity. This particular joint failure has been seen on a number of Pioneer aircraft so we will be issuing an Alt requiring checks and strengthening in this area at lor before/ the nextAnnual. The reason why I write about it here is that I know that many Pioneer owners will be having their wings off shortly to replace the suspect fuel fitting !See 'Safety Spot', May zonj and that will be an ideal time to do this minor repair/ strengthening job.

There are a couple of possible explanations as to why the glued connection between the bottom of the inner wing Db and the spar is coming adrift and it has been the subject of hot debate. I spoke to the UK's design consultant for Alpi aircraft, Dave Simpson, and Ile did some maths to demonstrate that the aircraft's structure wasn't in any danger.

One suggesbon as to cause is that the joint cannot tolerate the loads imparted to it if people sit on the wing leading-edge to reach into the cockpit- the hardened walkway is to the rear of the wing and the leading-edge is not designed to take heavy point loads.

Another reason might be the fact that the fuel tanks, which are fitted inside the wing leadingedges, might under some circumstances apply a point load right at the joint itself. Either way, we're going to require the fitment of a small gusset to strengthen this area a little.

PIONEER 300 UNDERCARRIAGE SIDE STAY This 'Spot' was sent to me by Toby, an aero engineer working at Targett Aviation based at Nympsfield. At this point, it's probably worth viewing the picture which shows a large gouge in one of the undercarriage side stays. Note that a considerable amount of the material has been lost and there will have been a consequential loss of strength in this component. Toby tells me that the cause of the damage, which had it not been spotted would most likely have continued until the part was seriously compromised, was that as the retractable undercarriage cycled, the part was rubbing against the

end of an overlong screw used in the Fitment of an 'undercarriage down' indication microswitch.

Toby wouldn't have spotted this fault but for the fact that he had to remove the wings to change the fuel outlet Regular readers and of course Pioneer owners, will remember that initially the Pioneer was fitted with one 'down and locked light' which was, unusually, connected to the power supply of the mechanism's electric motor.

In effect, the green light showed when the system thought that the undercarriages should be down rather than when they were actually down. I heard of one aircraft that had three green lights wired in series and connected to the motor limit switch circuit The owner said that he always called, "Three greens," on the approach not realising that it didn't actually reflect much about the state of the individual legs.

After a number of incidents where only two of the three legs had actually locked over-centre, hut with a green 'down and locked' light illuminated, Pioneer UK issued Service Bulletin 09/041 requiring rigging checks to he conducted and undercarriage down and locked indication microswitches to be fitted at each individual leg. It's not uncommon, in this essentially simple system, to operate the undercarriage and for only two of the three undercarriage lights to illuminate. Owners know that this is a sign that the undercarriage needs a service and meanwhile they must manually 'wind' the recalcitrant leg down and illuminate the final light The LAA mandated this SB in March 2010 — see 1140D/33oA/ou3issuer

A •

•

-•-•

s

Is

•

•

•'

•

••

I

I

• .

s

1.

St

I •

I

I

.4

II

I

.111

••

II

• •

.111

s

I

me

••

I•

••

I

•

Ils

s ••

11

There are a few lessons that can be learnt from Toby's spot the biggest of which is that whenever items are introduced to a system, full checks must be made. In the case of this undercarriage, clearly this was not done otherwise the overly long bolt would have been found.

What should have happened is that the aircraft should have been placed on jacks and each leg should have been watched through its operation to check that there were adequate clearances all round, nothing was snagging and the gear was overcentring properly and moving from stop to stop. In the case of retractable undercarriages, this sort of check must be done annually; Pioneer specialists recommend that full retraction checks should be conducted each 25 flying hours.

Oh, and why the 'Age of Aquarius stuff at the beginning'?

Well, I started this month's 'Safety Spot' at home one evening. I had just returned from Jed's (the dog) walk. It's a gin clear night with stars and, of course, the occasional planet, visible from horizon to horizon. I've just watched Venus disappear over the south-westerly horizon and, if I strain my neck a bit, can still see Jupiter in Aquarius though the kitchen window. It's such a lovely evening I cannot stop whistling the tune. Time passes inevitably though, and a day or two has past since this little astronomical magical moment Brian Hope, the Editor, has been pressing me to finish 'Safety Spot' and, not surpisingly, I've got a different tune in my head now...

If I were a rich man, diddle diddle diddle de...

Fair winds! •

I 11 .

r ••

J •

J.

n•

FEBRUARY 2012 LIGHT AVIATION 59

> WHERE TO GO V A

A handful of events took place over the New Year to encourage pilots to blow away the Christmas lethargy.

Unfortunately, Popham was affected by generally poor weather in the south and only around ten aircraft made it in. Thanks to Nigel Hitchman for this nice shot of Ron and Valerie Gammons' lovely Leopard Moth G-AIYS. The start of the new year has been quite windy, but let's hope it has finally blown itself out for this winter, as strong winds are

FEBRUARY Sturgate, Lincs AC Breakfast Patrol 01427838305 winwlincolnaerodub.co.uk Old Sannin, Vintage Sunday Fly-in 01722322525 www.oldsarumairfield.co.uk Dallas, Tx (N), Hell Expo mvinuotor. com/Events/HELIEXPO2w2.aspx Old Sarum, VAC Valentine Fly-in [PPR] 01722322525 www.vinroqeoircreftclub,org.uk Old Buckenham, Valentine Fly-in 0195386o8o6 www.oldbuck.com

5

5 n-14

12

MARCH 3 3

4

4 17 17-18

25

25 27-Ap

31 31

1

Newark,Aeroboot Sale 01636707170 wwwneworkoirm useum.org Vauxhall Rec Club, Luton , Luton Aircraft En th usiasts Fair 01372725063 www.aircralienthusiestfoirro.uk Old Sarum, Vintage Sunday Fly-in 01722322525 www.oldsorumairfield.co.uk Breighton, Frost-Free Fly-in 01757289065 winwrealaero.com White Waltham , BAeA Judging School www.aerohatics.org.uk Grenchen(1-1B), Heli Weekend wwwairport-grenchen.ch/flughe fen. asp?s=w1281=en Turweston, VAC Spring Fly-in (PPR) 01280 705400 1/111/1/1N.vintageoircro tchib.org.uk Old Buckenha wwwoldbuck.com LAA a Homebuilt Fly-in 0195386o8o6 Lakeland, Fl (N) EAA Sun'n'Fun www.sun-n-fun.org Shoreham, Airport Aero jumble 01424 753356ocrojamble.tumbfr coin Sandtoft,BAeA Aerobatic Competition MAW aerobatics.org.ak

221 2 60 LIGHT AVIATION El'BIMREFEE;

always a worry to pilots over the security of their aircraft, even when they are hangared.

The diary is really filling now, with many of the old favourites already announced. If you check out the RAeC website at www.royalaerodub.org/eventsMtm you will find that many of the events have links to websites carrying more information. My thanks to Dave Wise who compiles the list; if you are planning an event and want it added to the list, contact him at dave.wise@btintemetcom

APRIL 1 Old Sarum, Vintage Sunday Fly-in

4-7

7

7

7-9 8 14

14-15 14-15 15

18-21

19 24 -

21 22

27-29

01722322525 wwwoldsarumairlield.co.ok Breighton, April Fool Fly-in 01757289065 www.reathero.com Marrakesh-Menara (CR)Aero Trade Expo wwwen.oeroexpo-morocco.com Henstridge, IAA Wessex Strut Fly-in (Pre Register) 07760 17686 wwwwessexstrutorg.ak Fentand, Fly-in EtSpotters Day 01406 540330 wwwlenlondoirfield.

East Kirkby, Lincs Museum Large Model Show wwwlincsaviation.comk Pophamlodel Fly-in 01256397733 www poph a ni-thrfield.co.ak Fenland, VAC Daffodil Fly-in (PPR) 01406 540330 www.vintageoiruct ftcluh.org.uk Soesterberg-Ka nip Zeist (PHI, Museum 8 Depot Open Day Breighton, BAeA Aerobatic Competition wwvvnerohatics.orguk North Coates, Spring Microlight Et Gyro Fly-in 01472388850 wwwmorthcontesflyingdobxo.ok Friedrichshafen (0), AERO GA Exhibition 0049 7541708128 wwwnero-friedrichsholen.de Svalbard-North Pole (LN), Land at North Pole Flying Safari www.prepare2go.corn/ov)ation Old Sarum, Aeronca Club Fly-in 01722322525 www.aeronnicomk K2 Centre, Crawley, Gatwick Air Enthusiasts Fair www.gotwickaviationsorietyorg.uk Elyington, BAeA Acrobatic Competition www.oerobarics.org.uk

28

29

Newark, Museum V-Force Tribute Event 01636707170 www.newarkairmaseuntorg Old Bucken ham, Van's RV Fly-in 0195386o8o6 wwwokiback.com

MAY 5

5

5-6

Antwerp - Stampe Museum (00), ASA Aviation Fair www.aso-be.corn/Pliorogalloy ASAantwerp_ovintionjoinhim Bodmin, LAA Devon Strut Fly-in 0175240666o, 07805 805679 lianvorevonstrutco.uk

Popham, Microlight Trade Fair oi236 397733

6

6 6 7 32-13

12-13

12-13 13

13

www.popham-airfield.co.uk Old Warden, Shuttleworth Spring Air Show (PPR) 01767627927 witvw.shuuleworth.org Breigh ton, May-hem Fly-in 01757289065 www.realaero.com Abingdon, Air FtCountry Show wwwobingclonlayre.corn Popham, Aero/Autojumble ClassicVehicles a Fly-in 01256397733 wwwpoplionvairfleld.comk Stuttgart (D), Gas Balloon 24 hr Race wwwhellon-stuttgartde Muret-Lherm (F),Air Expo Display www.airexpo.org Old Warden, Shuttleworth Aeromodel Event (PPR) 01767627927 wwwshu ttleworth.org Sleap, BAeA Aerobatic Competition tumtw.oerohatics.org.trk Henham Park, Suffolk, Wings Et Wheels Show (PPR) 07796 878052 wwwwingsandwheels-online.co.itk Hoogeveen (PH), Wings 6 Wheels Show www.vliegveldhoogeveen.n1/ diversen/wings_and_wheels.pdf

(WI.) There isn't enough space here to list information about all our books' contents. Comprehensive details about every book can be found in - where orders may also be placed. our online shop - www.laa.uk.com

BOOKS

ALL BOOK PRICES INCLUDE THE DELIVERYCHARGE UNLESSSTATED.PLEASESEEORDER FORM FOR MORE DETAILS

••

£21

Gyroplane (Lovegrove)

Stick and Rudder (Langewiesche)

£22 £17

The Cloud Book

£11

Microllght

Your Own Aircraft

Owning & Operating

Pilat's Weather (Cosgrove)

£10.50 £10.50 £14.95 £9.00

LAA Aircraff Log Book tAA Engine Log Book CAA Propeller Log Book Log Book Binder

Clouds

Extraordinary

Weather Wonders

Poolays UK Flight Guide 2012. spiral

£25 £35

Pooleys UK Flight Guide 2012, loose-leaf

Microlighting:

Wnr Id D ri-cirAy

Fr,x-Fligl

OrIC.

to Understanding

of

Introduction

2011/2012

it, 2011/2012

Compleat

Taildragger

£27

Pilot (Plourde)

Conventional

£6.50

Taming the Taildragger

£18 £15

How to Fly a Plane (Mck Barnard)

£15

(Gooley)

(Robson)

£20

A-Zof Microlighting

(Bull)

£13

1he tura

£30

Designer's Handbook Light Airplane

Guide

Design (Heintz) £30

£30

to Aircraft Design (Fielding)

Landing Gear Design for Light Aircraft, Vol I

£45 £38 £40 £40

light Airplane Design(Pazmany) Low-Power Laminar A/C Design (Stroinik) Low-Power Laminar A/C Structures

£40 £12 £28

Low-Power Laminar A/C Technologies New Science of Strong Materials (Gordon)

(Stow)

£17

StressWithout Tears (Rhodes)

Autogiro - Rotary Wings Before The Helicopter

£48

(Ord-Hume) Autogyros, Gyroplanes

4

(Stinton)

(Pazmany)

Gear: Flying a Talldragger

£7.50

Beyond the PPL(Everett)

Na

£18 £40 £73 £22

Flying on Your Own Wings: A Complete

'••

The Natural Navigator

£110

Airfoil Selection (Wainfon)

Evans Ughtplane

• •

•

£48

Aircraft Design Course (notes+3 DVDs)

Engineer to Win (Smith)

£20

of 1.c.!sure Avinlion,

£80 & Design (Anderson)

Design of the Aeroplane

£20

e18

Approach

Design of Light Aircraft - (Hiscox)

Lockyears Farm Strips & Private Airfields

Wrecks & Relics Lost Aviation Colections Britain

r

A/C Performance

£41

Wrecks & Relics - 22nd edition

£17

(Raymer)

Pooleys UK Flight Guide 2012, loose-leaf

Flight Guide, 5th edn

Aviation

Affordable

A/C Design : A Conceptual

£8

WITHring-binder

£15 £22

(Cosgrove)

Pilot's Handbook

(Finnegan)

Pooleys UK Flight Guide loose-leaf ring-bInder

£21

£12

•

£25

Manual

Juan de la Cierva And His Autogiros

£10

• AFEVFR UK Flight Guide 2012. spiral

Owners and Inspection

& Gyrocopters

(Organ)

£21

1

Navigator

r---- — '4Lk

1

".m.•

• t-• • a• 41a• —

S.

•••

•••

•

a• —•

•

•0

- •

••

s

• • •a

•

• a • • —•

DON'T FORGET - ALL THE BOOK PRICES INCLUDE p&p!! SEEORDER FORM FOR MORE DETAILS

ws.A

Z. ap

1

.

:

•

II

• I.

> LAA MAIL ORDER Understanding

Structures, or Why Things Don't Fall DOWn (Gordon)

£12

Construction

Aircraft Composite

£22

(Smith)

Simplified Aircraft Design for Homebuilders

•

(Raymer)

£34

Theory of Flight (von Mises)

£19

Alternative Engines (Myal)

Theory of Wing Sections

£19

Firewall Forward: Engine Installation Methods

Understanding

(Bingelis)

Aircraft Structures, 4th edition

£8

£25

£18

(Cutler/Liber) Understanding

Airtx Kits

£42

Flight: 2nd edition (Anderson/

£30

Eberhardt)

11.•

•

•

Aircraft Sheet Metal (Jeppesen)

£22

Aircraft Welding (FAA)

£20 £22 £22

ANC 5: Strength of A/C Elements ANC 18: Design of Wood A/C Structures ANC 19: Wood A/C Inspections and

£22

Fabrication Building Metal Airplanes: Materials, Tools & Techniques (Englert)

£20

Choosing Your Homebuilt, 3rd edition How to Paint Your Own Aircraft (Alexander)

£21 £20

Kitplane Construction,

£26

(Armstrong) 3rd edition (Wantlaja)

II

£20

Crashes and Prangs (Ord-Hume)

£15

De Haviland

£45

Moths in Detail (S McK)

Empire of the Clouds (Hamitton-Paterson)

£10

Hrst Homebullt

£12 £8 £15

£25

Tony Bingelis On Engines

Flight Testing Homebuilf

Chasing the Morning Sun by Manuel Queiroz

£19

A/Craft

Homebuilt Aerodynamics

and Flight Testing

(Englert)

£20

Aeroplanes

(Ord-Hume)

Fly By Wire (Langewiesche) Flying Flea - Henri Mignet's Pou-du-Ciel Light Airplane Construction

(Parzmany)

Tips & Tricks for Aircraft Homebuilders

(Engler-0

£35 £22

risme FLEA ff£147111542iTS PatAveriza

--.

A/C 43: Acceptable

Methods,

Techniques & Practices:A/C Maintenance

Airplane Maintenance Aviation Mechanic Gyroplane Spoftplane

£25

Methods (Bingells) Construction

A Builder's Handbook Welders Handbook

(Finch)

£27 £18

Handbook

Flying From my Mind (Cook) Haynes De Haviland Tiger Moth

Owners and Inspection Manual

Standard Aircraft Handbook

Haynes Supermarine

(Retthmaier)

Haynes Hawker Hurricane

£21

Haynes Avro Vulcan

.

£25 £22

Haynes Dam Busters

,

Haynes Douglas DC5 Dakota

•

Haynes P-51 Mustang

Wood Aircraft Building Techniques (EM/ Invention by Design (Petroski)

Aircrcift (Lambie)

£20

To Engineer Is Human (Petroski)

£12 £14 £12 £12 £12 £12 £12

Composite

£20

Why Things Break (Eberhart)

£12

Poberezny)

£21

McGraw-Hill Dictionary Penguin Dictionary

• •

of Engineering

of Science

Pushing the Limits (Petroski) Advanced

Composites

(Foreman)

Composite

Construction

for Homebuift

Facts (Englert)

Moldless Composite Aircraft Construction

Spitfire

£21

Haynes Avro Lancaster

Techniques:

(Bingelis)

£28 & Repair

(Lovegrove)

Builder: Aircraft Construction

Sportplane

Airplane

& Repair

£30

Small Things Considered

(Petroski)

Success Through Failure (Petroski)

Homebuitt Sandwich

Haynes Messerschmidt

Miles Aircraft (Amos)

Propellerhead (Woodward)

You Want to Build and Flya What?....(Starks)

Spitfire Pocket Manual Unfit to Fly(Thompson) Wings Around the World (Polly Vacher)

What Engineers Know, & How They Know It

£20

Why Are Orangutangs

£20

(Vincenti) : I

: •

F1F109

Haynes Concorde

Why Things Break : 1

Orange?

£22 £17 £19 £20 £18 £18 £20 £18 £20 £18 £20 £58 £10 £8 £11 £13 £15 £8 £12

CAA UK VFR 1:250,000 CHART

CAA UK VFR 1:500,000 CHART

2

I North Scotland - West 2 North Scotland - East 3 Northern Ireland 4 TheBorders 5 Central England & Wales 6 England - East 7 WestEngland & SouthWales 8 England -South

3

1SouthernEngland & Wales2 Northern England & Northern Ireland 3 Scotland, Orkney & Shetland 2

Only the most recent editions will be supplied.

If a new edition isdue within sixweeks,the order will be held until then

PRICE:£15.99 each POSTFREE

Jeppesen Frenchand Irish 1:500,000VFR/GPSCharts now in stock, price £12 inc p&p. Please refer to online shop for full details, or phone LAA Shop- 01280 846783 All IAA p,

;s

CLOTHING

°O

j ff durin FeocinUaryan

o :ucull visitth / n.'ne shop for e details

The top-quality range of LAA-badged clothing is still available. For full details, including colours and sizes available, please visit the online shop at www.laa.uk.com

FLEECES PRICE:230 £22

CONTRASTPOLO SHIRT PRICE:£18 £13

BASEBALLCAPS & SUNHATS PRICE:£10

RUGBYSHIRTS PRICE:227 £20

OXFORD SHIRTS PRICE:£23 £15

HI-VIZVESTS PRICE:£8

SWEATSHIRTS PRICE C.= £15

T SHIRTS PRICE:£13 £7

LAA PATCHES& WINGS PRICE:£2.50

POLO SHIRTS PRICE:217 £12

WINDCHEATERS PRICE:£17 £13

LAA TIE PRICE:£10

II

•

•

•

•

•

'

• •

•

"

•

•

--4111.1101.°

•

Name:

Book &Chart prices include delivery. Postage rates for clothing are as follows...

Address:

Orders under £15 From£15422 UKpostagerates From£22426 (unlessalready Frorn£26436 indicated) Orders over £36

POSTAGE:

add £2.95 add £3.95 add £5 add 1.6 add £8

Daytime Phone: Overseas postage - please add 10% of total order price to allow for extra carriage costs.This applies to ALL items ordered.

Email Address:

• •

I

•

•

•

Credit or Debit Card no

Extra Switch Numbers Expiry Date

Switch Issue Number

Security Code ('r-rr

Cardholders

-k

signature:

cord

slgnoture

stip)

TOTALPRICE £ PLUSP&P £ TOTAL

PHONE ORDERS: (01280) 846783 Pleasephotocopy thisform to avoid cutting the magazine.

•

t

cl eyhirtsraleteie

•

st

A

Association

Aircrafk

Light

re' •

. .

•

.

6 • •

.

• •

EUROPA TRI-GEAR XS. £35,000 ono. Always hangared. based at EGHA. Permit to 31/5/12. Leather seats, superb panel, speed kit. all mandatory mods completed.

Rotax 914 Turbo. 465 airframe hours. Variable pitch prop. Smart CSC controller, colour GPS. KX 125 Nay Comm, GTX 320 electric trim, strobes, stall transponder. warner. Plus usual instruments (AH. VSI, ALT, DI, Turn Co-ord). Prepared to negotiate for a quick sale. Tel: 07990762894 and BARRYMOORHOUSEW email address BTINTERNET.COM

• • • • •

•

SIPA 903. LAA Permit to March 2012. Continental 0-200 TT 2,900 hours, 50 hours since top overhaul. King 97 radio. intercom.

King 76 Xponder mode C. Evra propellor. lightweight starter and alternator at 300 hrs. Many spares including original Ken Fern prop, main fuel tank, undercarriage legs etc. View at White Waltham. £16,750 or possibly shares available. Tel: Richard 07980 239 283 richardgeatonair.co.uk

D

•

.

• ••

•

I •• -••

GLASTAR. Constructed 2005. 250 hours A/F & Eng. 0-320 150hp. Wing-fold tri-gear.

6 x 6.00 tyres. High spec aircraft. Tip tanks.

Leather trim. Multiple award winner. Always hangared. Fully corrosion proofed plus ACF treatment. Contact 01224 861197.

:

ImSA300 STOLP STARDUSTER TOO. ported 1990. TTAF 1235. Engine 104 hours on factory rebuilt Lycoming 0-360. Christen inverted oil system. Permit until 11/2012.

Based Andrewsfield. £25K. 01371 856696.

PART COMPLETE 1992 Christen A-1 Husky for sale by auction (concludes 6 February) for parts only. Full details from www. landwoodgoup.com 0161 710 2010

: V; •

.

• • :

• ....

O • 114 '• •

•

•

•

WOODY PUSHER G-BSFV 510,750. Two seat open cockpit flying at its best. C85 starts first pull every time. !corn/Micro Avionics comms. Contact malcolm.parsonsl virginmedia.com for more details.

RUTAN LONG-EZ. £26.000 ono. TTAF 300 hours_ 0-235-L2C 10 hours since professional rebuild. Permit to June 2012. Electric start. Wilhelmson nose lift, covers, Narco 12D nay/corn, transponder. wing leveler. strobes/nay lights. Based Prestwick. Phone 01563 540510.

BULLDOG T MK 120/121. 1974, ex-RAF 2-seat trainer. 7197hrs TTAF. Military reg: XX561, CAA reg: G-BZEP. Lycoming 10360 200hp, 70hrs SMOH by CSE Oxford.

Hartzell constant speed prop 34hrs since Extensive RAF workshop & zero timed. parts manuals including all RAF history from new. Based Biggin Ffill. UK. OIRO GBP 25,000 (no VAT). Tel:Anthony on + 44 (0)7909 481 610 or + 44 (0)208 467 1448 JODEL 1050 Ambassadeur 1960. 2500 H. Wing just recovered 2012 and two landing lights and wingtip strobes installed. King 155 Nay/Com, King Com. King DME. King ADE, King transponder Mode C. Interior refurbished 2012 and all screens replaced.

New Permit. Engine 0-200 on condition.

Genuine reason for reluctant sale. flyingfarmer@onl ine.ie or call 00353 862 549 883 REIMS CESSNA C150. 0-200 Continental engine. Good condition. Annual April 2012.

Always hangared. Well maintained. VOR, Mode C. Based Sherburn, Transponder 211950. Phone Steve 07788 533701 or John 07710 128200.

PA22/160. Reluctant PIPER TRIPACER sale, o wned since 1996. Airframe 3063 hrs, engine 388 hrs, prop 228 hrs. Fuselage recovered 1998. Fitted aux tank. CoA August 2012. Nice four seat tourer. Hangared Huddersfield. £17,500. Contact coln.wattl virgin.net. 01457 876156. 07773 570387.

I I

1979 GRUMMAN CHEETAH 150hp. IFR equipped with Mode S. 385 Hrs STOH. Good paint. New exhaust and ARC Nov/11. Wing and cabin covers. Retirement forces reluctant sale. 222,750 ono. Call 07715 609401 ' I '

•

•

Built RAF2000 GTX-SE GYROCOPTER. 2003. Only flown 14.75 hours for Permit purposes. Permit until October 2012. Enclosed trailer with ramps, new 12v winch, battery and crane. Aircraft in Al condition.

For more details or photos: 01803 862011 or 07970 155335 mike@spray24.freeserve. co.uk £16.500 ono

TCn•ed

;

"

'

R

0

01295 771088 ulter

NEWLY FINISHED RV8. 200hp. 1/3 or 1/2 share available in this immaculate RV8 banoared at quiet farm strip near Royston, Herts.

Beautiful panel with Odyssey flat screen and 0430 and transponder. plus three axis autopilot. 160 knot Cruise but STOL performance. Call Peter 07711 195 819 AA5 GROUP, Gamston. 1/6 shares so great availability in four seat tourer. A/F 1900hrs. zero time Lycoming 0-320 150hp engine.

Details: www.gbcpn.co.uk Tel:07976 802107 or Email joe@gbcpn.co.uk BODMIN BASED Jodel D120. Quarter shares available. Very good condition with low engine hours. £3,500, £90 per month, £35 per hour. Phone Richard 01752 407411.

Email richardwalker123@sky.com ONE SIXTH SHARE available in well run Redhill hangared 1951 L18C Piper Cub. Very low houred airframe and engine. Recent engine overhaul. Excellent availability through online booking. Priced for reluctant sale at £2500. £100 per month and £40 per hour wet. Contact Jon Watts an 07831 115313 or jonwatt@ntlworld.com SPORTCRUISER, Fairoaks. 1/5th shares in this stunning well equipped two seater.

TTAF/E 140hrs. Rotax100hp. Dynon glass cockpit EFIS/EMS, Garmin SL30 nav/corn.

G1X328 Mode S. 496 GPS dock, VP prop.

PLB. leather upholstery, 110KTS cruise. £65/month, £15/hour plus unleaded 181/hr. £13000 per share. Contact: Barry 01372 456761 or Mick 01306 876846 TEN PERSON SYNDICATE to be formed around a new Magni M24 based on a farm strip in the South West. Costs: Share price 518000, monthly cost £40. flying cost (wet) £43.50 per hour. Web based booking and Instructor available.

Contact roberl.cannockV9yahoo.co.uk for more info.

VAN'S RV 9A, Bournemouth. I am looking to form a new group of three to six people with my one year old aircraft. 40hr TT (Value about 62K). 10-320 engine. Hartzell c/s prop. Extensive panel including two axis a/p and Mode S. Flies beautifully and economically. Contact Robbie 07770 997 824 for more details.

KR2/KR28 project for sale. LAA registered (KR2S). Brand new plans. Quality timber and plywood from Swindon Tmber Co. All spruce for fuselage. tailpost, firewall and plywood skins (Okoume). Rudder pedal kit and glue. £550. Mike 07526 254 408 FREE TAYLOR MONO AIRFRAME, plus new parts at cost. Full details by email from roger@ rkcp.co. uk.

VAN'S RV-6 PROJECT 90% complete.

Needs wiring and some airframe work to finish. Standing on undercarriage with Lycoming 0-320 fitted (1550hrs since new). Includes prop and most parts to finish. Panel is cut out and basic Van's instruments. Slider canopy. Email for photos more info. £19,500 or offer. martin912u1s@hotmail.co.uk

LlandrindodWells, Powys LD1 6DF UK Telephone: 01597 824420 A65 ENGINE. Overhauled with new magnetos. £7000 ono. Tel: 07525 479771 CLASSIC ENGINE PROBLEMS? Hindsight Aviation can usually help. So far we've done Gipsy Majors, a Cirrus Bombardier and C90s.

So take a look at wvvvv.hindsight-aviation.cauk Very reasonable rates. Tel: 07973 775 856

overhaul service a repair - online shop for spate peas Erserv?repocks quay II u:nong - terhq;cur suppor!

LYCOMING 10-320 B1A for sale. 160 hp.

521 hrs SMOH. Including lightweight starter, magnetos, fuel injection system. The engine has suffered a prop strike so needs internal inspection but measures zero crankshaft run out. £4,500. Nick Long. Tel 07760 176116 or nick@ bean lepup. info

UK's only Potax approved Training fUr

MECHANICAL FUEL PUMP and Facet back up pump removed from Continental 0-200/ C90. £100 the pair. 12v dynamo and regulator f rom the same engine £50. All working fine when removed. Call 01494 464492.

ROTAX 912ULS with slipper clutch, vac pump drive, air guide hood and Conair softstart module. 1050 TT (Nov '11), sold as a complete engine with oil tank, regulator and starter solenoid included. Almost exclusively run on mogas and serviced by LAA inspector every 50 hrs. Only £5.750 ono, brian. lewis@hotmail.co.uk

Ins-1 at

.

irsports

ranehariation

s an I

service

Marntenance Heavy

Maintephaoye

ROTAX 582 AND 503, ignition parts. Stators.

Coils. etc.. genuine Rotax parts, new direct from the manufacturer, half retail price, free shipping within the UK. 07733183180 or email: martin912u1sPhotmail.co.uk

WANTED. Continental A65 cylinders and pistons. +15 piston might be enough. Complete engine considered. Tel: 01986 894902 JABIRU 3300 ENGINE. Brand new unused still in crate, dry stored Serial No. 33a1990. unable to use because of w&b problems £13500 no VAT Peter Drake 01568 708206 day 01497 847340 eves pd@kingsland.uk.com

or,k

e new

CONTINENTAL C85-8F. 400 hrs since 0/H all logbooks, history etc. Contact 07968 538 708 I

:

•.

Shell Oils DELIVERYANYWHEREIN UK I'

l'

I

• I

PLE,r

I BUY IN BULK - YOUCANSAVEPOUNDS!

A structures

Redwing !INE I-

OFY,,R1 r-f=nr

E3DILD:i

JC3

1 LI, II JDLIblRY

I I C102(12 Litres)

£155 (20 Litres)

£102 (12 Litres)

£192 124 Litres)

£90 (12 US Ouarts)

f 170 (24 US Quarts)

U• i £70 112 Litres)

£95 (20 Litres)

£70 (12 Ldrest

£93 120 Litres)

sporty's" academy inc.

II

7

TOP QUALITYOIL FROMSHELL Tel - Paul Brooker Eur•icuu

un utetcil

1791411,i•fire'3.:'.,7H31

ftEil

e

ii:ve) • NO

d orls ::0

Train in the U.S.—Student

Visas Available

Accelerated training • Experienced flight instructors Sale, modern training aircraft • FAA approved tor Private, Instrument and Commercial isingle & multO Pilot arid medical examiners on site • Cincinnati mein) area

sportysacademy.com I ' I

' I

FEBRUARY 2012 LIGHT

AVIATION

65

rl

nt

Telephone •44(0) 1793 791 517 (office hrs.)

Email dedleypattison@btinternet.com

so'

S s•S

s.c•

Cornan &intim Airera 1irn6er aw.aircraft 1 oodandtirober.co.uk AIRCRAFT

FOR

DOUGLAS FIR

art..1...11[23_19j11:11f;„

SPRUCE

Aircraft Hangarage Have a hangar

permission

and strong

Aerodynamic

with

no

required. high winds

- handles

AEROLITE

and

conditions.

weather

adverse

site

on your

installed

planning

BALSA

MGL Stratomaster I

-

•

: 11

I

affordable digital avionics

• •

•

•

..,

"

PRIVATE HANGARAGE on busy licensed Airfield just West of London for one or two LAA type Aircraft. Your own key so no hanger rash. Phone 07740 121 382.

WORKSHOP TO RENT. Ideal to build plane.

Approx 22 x 10 two storey. Gas and elecLondon. Bench tric. Situated south-east installed plus bench drill if needed. Small compressor. 07962 780040.

• '

WANTED. 1994 April and May Popular Flying. Need to complete RAES Library collection. If you have copies you can part with e-mail me first at dickybird2Wtalktalk.net P&W R985 two-piece exhaust system, new and unused. Will sell for E100, or exchange for ... ?? Full details, photos etc. aliceadstfr terry.f roggatt

S IS HERE

MODE TRIG

and FUNKWERK

units

in stock

OKOUME PLYWOOD

6L1 BIRCH PLY

See our extensive website

ESTABLISHED AIRSTRIP with stone-built country cottage. Situated above the Wye Valley. Rural setting with far reaching views.

Two acre paddock and 20 acre free organic grass airfield. Two runways 400 metres max. Hangar. double garage and workshop.

6650.000. Call 01594 530878. Email wyegate.woods@lytinternetcom

11

AERODUX

for

dedicated to the aircraft builder wwwpartsforaircraft.co.ur tel. Paul

AS

028 7776 5796

DESIGN aerodynamics. stress, and drawings services. Modifications, complete light aircraft projects. through! BCAR(s), EASA (CS23).

EASA (CS-VLA). Reasonable rates. some initial consultation time. KSL Projects. Email eric@kingeng.co.uk Tel: John 07769 695856

Services Aviation Special lel: 0116 7885643 Mob 07564 192942 www.specialaviationservices.co.uk

EXPERIENCED builder, pilot. and LAA Inspector for wood, metal and composite aircraft offers his services for repair work. off Finishing and spraying. recovering with kits and insurance projects.assistance work, building, inspection and Permit renewals. Weighing service using the latest computer pads for the most accurate weight possible! For further details contact Mike Hanley Tel: 01872 560771. Mobile: 07703 781628. Email: Mwhflyby@aol.com

Here

ADVICE

BEECH

A5H

Rotax Aircraft Engine Maintenance LAA INSPECTOR. East Anglia. Full workshop facilities available for everything from permit work and inspections to full rebuilds and insurance repairs in wood, metal, fabQuick turnaround. ric and composites. fixed prices. Come and inspect our work!

All types of welding undertaken, specialist in stainless. Tel: 01787 313 533 (home) or 07876 444 451 (mobile).

•

I am (AGAIN)

Exams

PPL Ground

Are you trying to pass by watching television (er, sorry, CD ROMs)? rould 1eac.,,Du

Glare ynd

11,/talkiric; lo

n Ocie

rt./

KU, g Tv i• sorry,(2) could lam 1,, aae. day. [." lalla 0-0551 Schonol .111 I prprn,,,

..esur

11,an

niu,nccambraicovers.com

until yOdr •=ue, al our

p.1.11.'111,51'1

.11rerail Rodney Deterioration

Three decades a reacher/examiner Telephone Derek Davidson, 7am - 8 30am .8 evenings, 07831 517428 (mobile) co.uk Emal flyderekdholmail

N.P.P.L Microlite

Reduce

to SE Piston

Pre-Night

and

Dry

Time larp•ors.

Starling

Engine

Reduce .1illitat'•01/Ce

111011.,11\

(3 axis)

ers

Caml»-ai - Home

(aircraft)

400 Patterns Stork!

Three days - £990 tclal

in

* Day 1 - Ground school ad exam (aircraft technical) * Day 2 - Flight training (differences) inclucang flight

immediate

dispatch.

www.airworlduk.com GARMIN GPS196 in as new condition.

Boxed with all extras and fittings, £200.00 Ian Ratcliffe 07815 093931 MGL ENIGMA EFIS WITH GPS. Complete with gyro compass and fuel flow sensors.

Also backup ASI and Turn instruments. £2000. Bill 01672 861737 H. 861350 W. P12 COMPASS IN BLACK. New old stock and in excellent condition, hence E250. Also Sigmatec vacuum Directional Gyro in v.good condition E150 12v turn coordinator, fair condition E45. Cirrus Major camshaft, used but serviceable. E150. Tel: 07973 775856 66 LIGHT

AVIATION

FEBRUARY 2012

safety breifings in Piper FA2E1 * Day 3 - Flight test tNET. SR-) VHF RT AVAILABLE Derek

Davidson

- Mobile

& evenings).

Email

•

IF REQUIRED

07831 517428

(7am - 8.30am

1

Stilt)

Grass

flyderek@hotmad-co.uk

Aviation

Ltd

microlights www.gross-strip-aviation.com

Specialist

VHF RT LICENCE All

the training you need, theory and practical either.

Includes exam and test

To

air traffic control, the badge you wear as to

in Sub 1I5k9

or

how good you are as a pilot is your RT. they will assume you are al you sound a ****.

It may not be fair but it's now is."

Phone

me for a chat

Somerset ftenstridge, Derek Davidson, & evenings) Tel. (from 7am - 8.30am (mobile) 517428 07831 Email flyderek@hotmail.co.uk

LiK agents

f or Airdrome

European

agents

Tel •44 (0)1885

Aeroplanes

for C.R.E engines

160117 I mtsegrass-strip-aviation.com

C

/0

fil

50541 7166666Jan Fm 265

OXFOgif/AIMSFCrivv.

Pti(175).1 r) ,9n 24.77.11

-trA

&Ws* 5

64.27$, mpo56

675559•1 mPai

N859al FE85+

•

Lon

45.•

PS •

kelf

856au)

ABS 7

-

Wan!age

P1061 is qtr CP 14.

•

I -

— A

I

•

•

•

•

I I

I.

•21

• •

ASS

•

I II •

ladutSter

MGBG)

wok .945 •

ram

elEnis "

wilbra):9

.

WESIIAMOr

rk.ct k?ofto aLtr

•

_

•

•

•

.

•

•

.

A

da:

'

•

• 0

A Ill :

'0•11

•

NEW kRA 795..f 1495 7 inch high resolutionscreen Intuitiveicon driventouch screen Large sunlightreadabledisplay 3D lhsion technology Terrainand Obstacles

• £449 /ERA500 E699 ARA 550 GPSMAP695 £1299 GNS930GPSiGornilhavIOHCi E3995 *GTN 650/750GPS/Com/Nav Call 'Supplied wrth harnessforLAAaircraft GTX 328 Mode Stransponder £1650 GTX330 transponder .... Call £1145 SL40 Comm SL 30 Nay/Comm E2475 GMA 340 Audio panel £875 GMA 240 Audio panel £599 GI106A COI £1395 G3X EFIS/EMS SYSTEM G3X systemsingledisplaya £3845 G3X systemdualdisplay.3. £5495

A

AWARE 5

CLARITY 2.0

CAA digital charts as standard Moving Map GPS Unique airspace alerting system Ready to use straight from the box Free airspace updates for lite

AWARE 5 AirspaceWarningDevice AWARE 5+ AirspaceWarningDevice NEWCLAR)TY2.00with5' screen FORESIGHT7"screenmovingmapGPS FORESIGHT7"superbrightRS

£191 £274 E415 £665 £1165

SV-07007"display £1690 SV-D100010"display E2290 SV-ADAHRS-200 £775 SV-EMS-2201A £390 SV-XNPDR-262Mede S£1160 SV-GPS-250GPS receiver£130 All otherSkyviewpartsin stock

EF1S-D6 0050 EFIS-D10A £1400 EFIS-D100 £1575 EMS-D120 £1400 FlightDEK-D1130 £2095 HS34HSI module £425 SV-32 AutoPilch servo£500

• •

• AR4201VHF Corn £999 NEWAR6201VHF Com8.33£1295 BXP6401transponder £1595

lC-A6E*

Sports pack £208 IC-A5E* Pro pack £308 IC-A24E* Sports pack £275 IC-A24E* Pro pack £375 IC-A210 £750 IC-A110 £625 *approvedforground vasonly.

WestockafrillrangeoftomAcce•sories

a

Electronic Circuit Breaker NFLIGHTCAM HDCamera £199 NFLIGHTCAM HDGPSCamera £249 NFLIGHTCAM+ HOCamera £416 NFLIGHTCAM Hehoopter adapter 50

Receivers Uniden UBC3OXIT loom 1C-R6 learn 1C-RX7 loom 1C-RX20

VP-XPRO :

E130

SI

f 58 £150 £169 E339

MEI GPS-Bluetooth receiver GNS 5870forPad £58 •

ZULU.2 ANR GA version £565 ZULIJ.2 ANR Helicopter. £565 ZULU2 ANR GA coil cord , £565 ZULU.2 ANRLeto panelvers:on E565 Sierra ANR GA version , E399 wrth blue tooth and musicinput

£1195 11

:

ATR500transceiver £807 ATR833transceiver £1070 TRT800Htransponder £1650 TM250 trafficmonitor £985

MX11 replacement Corn £695 MX170C Nay/Corn £1295 MX300 Nay/Corn £1295

•

NEW Bose A20

Headset

Wecansupplyziraypleb package rcmeet yourapaerfie requirements readyfor immeciara installation Al roomsorecustommadebyourengineers If rammedthe 81/1011Cscancatradtintocur cewradioracknrountrng system PleaseCa I torpsicingaridmoreintormation

A20 GAtwinplugw/bluetooth £766 A20 Helicopter w/bluetooth£766 A20 Lemoinstalled version...£695 A20 Lenaw/bluemothE766 installedwiring harness f 32

MID-CONTINENT

5'

••

.

Mg approved)

.

"lost

• •• •

1•

-•

•

Prices include programming

111

•

AMERI-KING AK-451 ELTJTSO approved406MHz ELT . £599 completesystemwith 2 antennas KANNAD IntegraAFpack £550 I

HM Survivor Slim line lifejacket

PackincludesELT, universal mounting bracket 130200 remoteandconnectors

with whistle and light

KANNAD XS-4GPSPLO f 188

Raft with c a nopy Raft with equipment

IC=4.73

B

PS Engineering PM 501 panelmount4 plane £199 PM 10004 placepricesfrom £249 PM 3000stereo4 place f 329 PMA 4000 AuthoPanel 6549

:

••

TheLightest oastcompact raftintheWorld

ZaonXRX£849

•

:

HM4 place portable Sigtronics SPA400

£99 £119 £119 £169

SurvivalProducts

Portable Traffic Alert System

ZaonMRX£299

HM2 pia c e portable HM2 place tor loom &PIT

4-6PersonRafts

•

• S

•

4300ElectricHarmon £1995 LIFESAVERElectricHorizonwith emergencybatterybackup E2395 M0200-306 3' Coosa DearInd £1195 13947100-7Z TurnCoordinator 540 5934PM-3Altimeter20kMilihar E 695 7000C.31VertrcalSneedled f 395 M025 Air SpeedInd f 850 M090 QuartzClock 165

I •

brottat battery and speakers only 0 8 inch thick tttlalos 5GPSreceiver special docking station

5

Home/Kit Builders

A20 GAtwin plug,,,,,,,, .„ £695

Non TSO instruments for LSA (TOO approved) RCA22-7 ye cLien horizon E550 Homebuilt or Experimental Aircraft RCA22-11 vacuum horizon lit £650 GH030va Min lacWOO E299 RCA26EKelectrichorizon....born£1550 GH025elect] lc horizon 14volt E799 RCA2600 digital electrichorizonE1750 G0031 vacuumD E299 RCA11A-8 vacuum D.G. £550 GD023electric D G 14volt E799 RCAI1A-16 vacuum EEGlit , E650 BZW-4B turn coordinator £239 RCA15AK/BK electric 0.0 born£1550 BC-3Ealtimeter 3" £180 RCA82A turn coordinator £550 BG-19altimeter 2" £149 JP INSTRUMENTS (TOOapproved/ BC-2A vertical altimeter Ind 3" f99 FS450 luel Cow.. f449 VS12FM-2 vertical speed cid 2" £149 EDM700-4Cengrnemanagement E895 Magnetic Compass E85 EDM700-4Cwithfuelflow..... E1295 E85 management £1250 Air Speed Indicators from E0M700-6Cengine MCO22vertical card compass E130 EDM700-6CwithfuelPow MCVC-2L-AM vertalcard compass E140 WINTEREASAapprovedASI 3E255 550RuaalcardPontanE249 WINTERaltimeter10.000 foot £207 PRECISION

•

7 inch display Fullyportable

•

RC ALLEN

I

E1495

INCLUDES APPROACH PLATES FOREUROPE

•,

1••

•

NEWEKP5

MMOO1BHelmetwith VOX £345 MMOO1C HemetvaC1X andAU £406 MM001 Headset £181 MMOO1AAMRHeadset £242 MM0065luemouth phorcadaptor £140 MM005 RadioInterface £186

f 99 Harry's HM40 HM51child headset £89 Peltor 8006GA headset E175 Peltor Helrcopter headset £199 David Clark H10-30 £189 David Clark H10-13.4 £205 DavidClarkH10-13H £229 David Clark H10-60 £249 SennheiserHME95 £135 SennheiserHME100 £169 SennheiserHME110 £199 SennheiserHMEC250 £325 SennheiserHMEC260K £499 SennheiserHMEC4613K £425

tat ZUW2 Therevolnoncontinues Improved comfort andnoise attenuaton Nuetoot connectors andauxmusic 'mot

TRIG1121 Class2 ModeS£1350 TRIGT122 ClassI ModeS£1560 TRIG1131 ClassI ModeS£1650

AV8ORACEGPS 7"dhsolay . £1195 SKYMAP III C Deccanversa-1999 KMD 250panelmountGPSE1995 KY97AVHF(NC) corm £999 KR87ADE10HC)unitonly £695 KR87ADFIOHC) system . £1695 1(1.164 CUE(CNC) £1295 10164DME SCs £2095

II Ameri - King AK350- 30

II

EUROPEAN DISTRIBUTOR FOR DYNON AVIONICS

Icom

•

I

•

•

f 999 f 1150

£65