January 2012

THE MAGAZINE OF THE LIGHT AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

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Anew yearbeginsandwho knows what delightsit has in store?Theeconomicsituation seems intent on not getting anybetterand Iwish all memberswho arefeeling the effectsofthis long-running recessionsome respitebeforetheyear is out

Neil Harrison, one of those apprentices, was prompted to drop me a line when he saw a picture of the aeroplane featured on our wehsite's homepage (we change the headline picture each dayi. We met at the Flying Show and spent a delightful hour cha Iting about those long ago early days of the then RM. How far we have come since... but the Turhi continues We have to be positive though and the to give great pleasure to its current early Christmas present of the news that de Havilland Support Ltd is relinquishing the owners at Old Warden, and occasionally features in the Shuttleworth airshows.

Type Certificates of its aircraft, and owners The Flying Show rounded offthe year will soon have the opportunity to move and was ha iled as a great success. We onto Permits, is excellent news for them and the LAA.I like to think it also highlights the managed to sign up 30new members andthestandwasalways busy confidence the CM has in the Association that with a great deal of interest in t can satisfactorily handle these additional our offering. Time now to plan aircraft competently, and that trust is built for the 2012season, and the up not just by our ever-vigilant Engineering calendar is already filling with Team, but bythe high standards and quality events for thenew season.A work our members put into their aircraft Well done one and all. new event is a joint LANRSA69th • birthday celebration To celebrate the news that at Duxford and St Omer among others, we will soon on 9-lolune. The UK be welcoming PH Chipmunks into our fleet we feature the end willsee a first ever LAA-themed Duxford type in our air test this month.

Bonus Day on the 9th.

The Chippie is held in great Initial details can be affection by many pilots, it being a type many of them will have found in this issue, to experienced as Air Cadets in the be followed later with information on how you distant past can sign up to be part of Keeping the DHtheme, we also this exciting new event feature the fascinating story of the Brian Hope Ahappy and sale New building of Druine Turbi, G-AOTK EDIT OR Year to one &Indall. lathodeMa Iktalk.nel

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CHAIRMAN'SCHATBYROGERHOPKINSON

LAA'SFUGERPLANFOR2012

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interview with David Roberts (President of Europe Air With a new year upon us, I thought it Sports) on page 28 gives a picture of thaL The current appropriate to look at what 2012 Will big issue is licensing, and I know many of you are likely bring. As with most flight plans, seeking answers on what is happening; there will be route diversions may be necessary for a variety of an article explaining all in February's LightAviation. reasons - but without a plan we will go nowhere, Even at EASAthough, the message of evidencearid let's face it we do usually manage to get where and risk-based proportionality for GAmight just we are headed! perhaps be getting through - better late than never The news has just been announced 'see article on we say. Ata recent meeting with the Chairman of page 24)that de Havilland Support Ltdwill, in April, the EASAManagement Board, Davidand Inoted a move from supporting the DHaircraft with Type commitment to discuss at that level the regulatory Certificates to what is known as a Type Responsibility burden on GAaircraft -some issues on Part M are Agreement This is in the interests close to our hearts already in initial review. of prompting safe, low-cost flyingandallowing Within LAA,following on from my chat last month, owners ofmany vintage aircraft, provided they are work is progressing with the National Council and the operated privately, to move onto the LAAPermit Struts and clubs to correct the much overdue review to Flysystem. This, together with earlier similar of governance arrangements. The objective is to get moves forAusters, Stampes, Jodels, etc, significantly that resolved and behind us as soon as possible so we enhances the LAAfleet of ex-factory heritage aircraft, can get on with thee IIimportant activity of enjoying enabling these aircraft to continue to do what they our passion for flying together. I would wish to see a were designed for- fly.This isa significant step in much larger and vibrant network of LAAStruts and what is an important and expanding area forour clubs; the outstanding examples for me simply say Association, a trend we will continue to support that the opportunity is there to widen the whole LAA Asecond and in some ways related item for2012 club movement That may well be an uphill task but concerns general developments within the CAAand is fundamentally a worthwhile one and entirely in a welcome growing and matunng approach to the spht of our Association. working in partnership. The Recreational Aviation Other tight plan' achviliesinclude exdting proposals ReviewIRA2forshort) focuses on reviewing current toexpand the activityof the PilotCoadlingScheme safety-related regulation and looldng at where the aswell as ourrange ofcourses. Onanother topic we CAAmay currently be imposing undue operating have done well in recentyears in seeing our members restrictions and/or where the regulatory oversight achieve recognition through a variety could be changed. This isall about ofawards, particularly from the FAIand evidence-and risk-based proportionality, 4 04 the RoyalAero Club.Work continues to which has featured much in recent 4.01 further encourage that which Iexpect to discussions, and of course isa major report on in due course. part of the EU Parliament Resolution jig And what about the flying itself?The (2008/2134(LAMIkeep banging on about, calendar isalready beginning tonuup, There is nut enough space here to go Iwill particularly look forward to the through the RA2listwe are cunently Rallyin September and the joint RSA/ working on -suffice to say it isvery LAA6sth anniversary event in June, as worthwhile. This isforus very relevant of well as the round of UKand European course, as most of us flyNational Annex events. I hope to meet many of you at li) Aircraft...Whatwas itCameron said some of these. about opting out of Europe?

Ahappy New Year, safe flyingand EASAdoes though affect us directly in Roger Hopkinson C ha irman happy landings! some areas and indirectly in others- the

THETEAM PATRON:HRHPrince Michaelof

AIRWORTHINESS ENGINEER:

Kent,KCVO, ERAeS

MalcolmMcBride

PRESIDENT:Sir JohnAllison VICEPRESIDENTS:LaurieShaw,

ENGINEERINGADMINISTRATORS: Maxine Oades,Fiona Storer TEL: 01280 896786 FAX: 01280 846780 COMMERCIAL EMAIL: office@lcauk.com CHIEFEXECUTIVE:RichDunevein-

DAE,CEng,MRAeS,StewartJackson LAABOARDOf DIRECTORS CHAIRMAN:RogerHopkinson VICECHAIRMEN:JohnBrady,

JamesTannock DIRECTORS:MikeBarnard, GrahamNewby,HarryHopkins, StewartJackson,BarryPlumb,Lord Rotherwick,RichDunevein-Gordon TREASURER:Bob Littledale ENGINEERING CHIEFENGINEER:Francis Donaldson,B.TechC.EngFRAeS CHIEFINSPECTOR:KenCraigie DEPUTYCHIEFENGINEER:

JonViner DESIGNENGINEER:Andy Draper

Gordon OFFICEMANAGER: PennySharpe HEADOFFICE

TurwestonAerodrome,NrBrackley, NorthantsNN13SYD TEL:01280 896786 FAX:01280 846780 EMAIL: office@laa.ult.com ENGINEERING EMAIL: engineering@laaftk.com LIGHT AVIATION MAGAZINE EDITOR: BrianHope,

60 QueenboroughRoad, Sheerness, Kent ME123B7 TEL: 01795 662508 EMAIL: BFIlodel@talktalknet MEMBERS'CLASSIFIED ADS EMAIL: sheila.hadden@laftuk.com Whileeverycore is taken with contributors' manuscripts and photos, neither TheLight Aircraft Association nor the publisher con acceptliability for lost or damaged material. The viewsexpressedby contributors do not necessarilyreflect thoseof the LAA

IAA Light Aircraft

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LAANEWS

ALLTHENEWS FROMTHEWORLD OF LIGHTAVIAllON

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7,Az ANO[p) Garmin's GTN 650 and GTN750 have received EASAvalidation of the US Supplemental Type Certificate (STC),making the products certified and approved for installation in European-registered GA aircraft.

The GTN 650 and GTN750 series are the successors to the GEIS430W and 530W series GPS/NAWCOMavionics. They combine multi-function display (MFD) features with touchscreen data entry and integrated radio tuning, as well as optional remote transponder control. The GTN 750 series can also optionally support remote audio processor control. Other new capabilities include graphical flight planning with Victor airways and high-altitude jet routes and the capacity to display European electronic terminal procedure charts with optional Garmin ChartView (750 series only).

The units are available in two sizes and in a variety of configurations.

GTN 650 series products are contained in a 2.64in tall package that replicates the in-stack form factor of the GUS430W design, while providing a display that is over 50% larger. The GTN750 series is 6in tall with a display nearly 100% larger than that of the GNS530W.

wwwgannin.com/uk

SSDR JET-POWERED Dave Stephens was the first to build and fly a Rotaxpowered 151 in the UK and by a strange quick of fate within 48 hours of the V6 151 making its first flight (see Mustang story), he took his twin turbine-powered SSDR Sirocket aloft for its maiden flight from Damyns Hall.

This deregulated microlight is based on the updated Sirocco being pioneered by Dutchman Evert Cornet and his Netherlands-based company ACLA, but the two-stroke pusher engine has been removed and twin Jetcat P200SX large scale model turbines, each producing 52lb of thrust, fitted in its place.

Dave has also reduced the dihedral to almost zero (as it has a swept-back wing) and shortened the

6 LICHT AVIATION

JANUARY2012

wingspan by 2.4m from its original 9m, shortened the fuselage, reduced the angle-of-attack from 14° to 6°, plus other modifications to reduce weight to get it into the SSDRcategory. With its reduced wing area, it can have an empty weight of up to 105kg, which it satisfactorily meets.

After a number of fast taxi runs and hops, on Sunday 11 December, Dave flew an initial 15-minute flight, followed later by a flight of around the same duration. 60% power gives 55-60kt but problems with flexing ailerons limited any attempt at maximum speed runs to no more than 80mph. For a video of that first flight go to wwwyoutube.com/watch?v=mCstskMuyNps

DAVID CORBETT MEMORIAL Many members wilt recall that following the sad death of David Corbett, his many friends in the aviation world donated to a fund for a memorial to be erected at Shobdon, the airfield David's family owned and from whence he flew his Europa.

Following the unveiling of a plaque and bust in June(see LA August), David's wife Penny very kindly asked that any residual funds be donated to the Armstrong-Isaacs Scholarship Fund, which provides an annual scholarship for a young person to gain an NPPL. A cheque for £747.45 was presented to Fund Trustee John Brady at the recent Flying Show held at the NEC,Birmingham. Pictured left to right are LAA CEORich Dunevein-Gordon, John Brady, and Shobdon Strut representatives Peter Drake (treasurer), David Johnstone (co-ordinator) and Robin lames (chairman).

• PLEASESEND YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS FOR INCLUSION IN LA NEWSTO: Bdan Hope, 60 Queenborough Road, Sheerness, Kent ME12 3B7 EMAIL: BFJJodel@talktak. net TEL:07949 650847

V6 MUSTANGFLIES Test pilot Clive Davidson began the test flight process of the first Suzuli V6-powered Titan T51 Mustang on Friday 9 December when he took Ben Chester-Master's G-TSIM into the air for the first time, from Shobdon.

Ben was able to capture the action on camera from a chase aeroplane piloted by Eddie Clapham, and commented, "Seeing the T51 flying was a truly awesome experience. The 'Mini Merlin' engine sounds remarkably authentic and caused quite a crowd at Shobdon. Clive seemed at home instantly and the aircraft is evidently highly responsive without being too daunting for a Storch pilot such as me. We encountered remarkably few

NEW WEBSRE hitches and I am waiting with bated breath to see what the performance figures pan out like. Seeing the Mustang flying alongside us has to be one of the best experiences of life to date, along with receiving retrospective planning permission on my hangar and runway this week as well."

The T51 was originally designed around the 100hp Rotax 912S but a Canadian builder came up with an automotive Suzuki V6 aero-conversion using a tooth-belt reduction unit. Titan eventually took over production of the conversion, which comes in 165hp 2,51and 183hp 2.71versions. euroaviation@btinternet.com

Airsoc.com, the world's first aviation-classified social network site, was launched in November.

"It's aimed at everyone involved in the aviation community, especially pilots, aircraft owners and home builders," explained Airsoc CEO Graham Tolhurst. "It carries thousands of up-to-the-minute news articles, tons of useful items for sale and you can connect to fellow enthusiasts and old friends and see what they're up to, share stories and info and form special interest groups." http://thrsoc.corn

CLAIMYOURCHOCS!

lasssiii$4

BOVINGDON CALLING The new owners of the 08/26 150ft x 600m concrete strip on the wartime airfield of Bovingdon ui gently need to hear from pilots who have operated from, or simply flown into the airfield, with or without permission, since the end of WWII. Paul Webb and his father are attempting to gain a 'Certificate of Lawfulness' for the airstrip as the local

council is intent on stopping flying from the site. The council claims that the site has been abandoned as an airfield. If you have ever flown in or out of Bovingdon, please email a statement to that effect and with details of the flight to Paul Webb at berryforauk@gmail.com or post a response to Berry Farm, Whelpley Hill, Chesham.

Bucks HP5 3RW.

HONOURED POBEREZNY In 1959, Paul Poberezny, founder of the Experimental Aircraft Association in the US, was awarded Honorary Membership of the Popular Flying Association in recognition of his achievements for recreational aviation. The LM Board has recently unanimously reaffirmed that status in the name of the Light Aircraft Association. Letters from LAA Chairman Roger Hopkinson, from our President Sir John Allison, and a unique certificate have been sent to Paul, seen here with Roger when he was on a recent visit to the EAA. Paul replied, 'Thanks so much for your letter. I certainly appreciate hearing from you and that you enjoyed being with us.

'I hope the LAA is successful and the Popular Flying Association has been so helpful to us in forming our own organisation, EAAand moving forward. Having been president of CIACAof FAI and the many meetings in Paris of various countries that attended, we were able to convince their governments of the successwe had and PFAmoved the homebuilt movement forward throughout the world. I'll be looking forward to my honorary membership in LAA. 'Sincerely your friend, Paul H. Poberezny, Founder, EAA'

Are you working on Permit aircraft for other people? If so, Adams Aviation wants to hear from you.

Adams Aviation is Europe's largest distributor of aircraft parts for business and GAaircraft. As such, it has a barrow-load of product lines that go straight into the Permit aircraft market, from accessories, to avionics, to spares. The company is keen to understand how you do what you do and better understand the increasing professional element of the maintenance market for Permit aircraft. If you've a moment give Robin Walsh a ring on 01689 842999, or email rwalsh@ adamsaviation.com There'll be a box of Maftesers for every thirdparty maintainer of Permit aircraft that Adams hears from.

OLYMPIC BOLT-HOLE Headcorn is offering temporary accommodation for aircraft based at airfields affected by the Olympic Airspace Restrictions. With a licensed 799m grass runway, avgas and let Al fuel, EASA145 approved maintenance, café and licensed bar, the airfield is operational 365 days a year from nine in the morning until sunset.

With recent expansion, the aerodrome now has hangar space and outside parking available at competitive rates. For more information, call 01622 890226 or e-mail jumie@heodcornaerodrome. co.uk

PHOTOCMDIT MOP Our apologies to Stephen Powney for incorrectly crediting his picture of Foxbat G-CEWRto another photographer in the Accident Summary in the December 2011 issue, page 62. Thanks Stephen for pointing out the error.

TANukRy 2012 LIGHT AVIATION 7

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> NEWS

2010 AIRPROX While the number of airprox incidents involving commercial passenger aircraft and military aircraft remained static in 2010, those involving GArose, the UK Airprox Board (UKAB)says.

An airprox is a situation where a pilot or air traffic controller feels a loss of separation or conflicting flight paths between aircraft may have compromised safety. There were 35 incidents involving passenger aircraft and military or GA aircraft in 2010, but for the first time in over 10 years none of these incidents were regarded as 'risk-bearing'.

Overall, however, the total numbers of incidents increased on 2009, with 167 incidents in 2010, compared to 147 the previous year, largely as a result of an upturn in conflicts i nvolving military and GA aircraft.

Commenting on the figures, the Director of UKAB, Ian Dugmore, said, "The increase in the number of occurrences involving military and/or General Aviation aircraft is offset somewhat by the i ncreased percentage of these airprox in which there was assessed to be no risk of collision. If this reflects an increased willingness to report relatively minor incidents, it is a very welcome trend since even benign occurrences may contain useful lessons."

The biannual UKAB reports are distributed in hardcopy and CD format. The latest report, Book 25, is downloadable from the UKAB website wwwcUrproxboard.org.uk

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NEWSTING The popular TL-2000 Carbon LSA (53) has a new stablemate with an upgraded version, the Sting 54.

Enhancements include a re-styled fin and elevator, providing an extra ten knots in the cruise, adjustable pedal system, revised canopy, new split-rim wheels and improved braking system. The cabin finish is also more upmarket. Czech manufacturer TL-Ultralight has also developed a new variable-pitch propeller, the Powermax, which will be an option on the 54.

LAA Engineering is currently reviewing the S4, many of the changes being modifications rather than it being a new type.

UK price for the S4 has yet to be determined but is likely to be circa £70k. With the frugal 100hp Rotas using less than 15 litres at 100kt and with a 120kt max cruise, this aircraft is in a class of its own.

Details on both can he viewed at TL-Ultrolight.cz or TL-Sting.co.uk

NO TANNKOSH Verena and Matthias Dolderer have decided to take a year out from organising the magnificent Tannkosh Fly-in at Tannheim, Germany, announcing that the event will not take place in 2012.

In a letter to the many visiting pilots they say, 'After giving it much thought, we have made the decision to take 'time out' for 2012; the next Tannkosh will take place in 2013 (August 2325). The team needs a break, but we have some new plans and ideas and will use the break creatively in order to welcome you back, in full force and high spirits, in 2013.'

LAA ETCOURSE AVAILABILITY Jabini Engines28 January.E105 incl. lunch. Southery airstrip Norfolk.

Avionics 18 February.£85 incl. refreshments. Milton Abbas Dorset.

Aluminium 18 and 19 of February.£115 inch refreshments. TunNeston.

Details of the coursescan be found on the LAAwebsite wwindockuk.com Pleasecontact the office to book a place —01280 846786.

8 LIGHT AVIATION

JANUARY 20 t

MANSTONRNAVHOLD Manston instrument approach procedures presently include a hold overhead the airfield with outbound and inbound tracks to the runways based on the NOBand VOR. However, the airfield plans to bring this archaic arrangement up-to-date by introducing RNAVprocedures with direct approaches. The new arrangement includes a holding pattern over the sea to the north instead of over the airfield and because it is a change in procedure they have to run a public consultation.

For LM members, this should be an improvement as direct approaches and a hold over the sea keep commercial aircraft higher and further away, therefore reducing the risk of an encounter.

Download the whole consultation from www. munstonoirport.com If you have any comments send them to Manston as indicated in the consultation document and let them know at consultonon@loo.uk.com The consultation closes on 13 February.

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LETTERS

PLEASESENDYOUR CONTRIBUTIONS FOR INCLUSION IN LA LETTERSTO: Brian Hope, 60 Queenborough Road, Sheerness, Kent ME12 3B7 E BEtacidel@tolktalk.nol Ti 07949 650847

SPITFIRE CAUSESA STIR- ASALWAYS! IN PRAISEOFTHESPITFIRE KITBUILDERS, ANOTHERTAKEON DAMAGE STATISTICS, THERE'S ADVICEON REPLACEMENT RADIOSAND MEMBERS AREHAPPYWITHLAACOURSES

111 .1141641110FF

SPITFIRE DISSATISFACTION Your article on page 32 of December's LightAviation utilises the word 'Spitfire' for sensational purposes. I agree the word conjures up, in a large proportion of the public, a sense of pride and patriotism in recognition of varied aspects of the Spitfire, not least of all the designer F1,1Mitchell and what his exceptional design resulted in achieving in the hands of many who died for the freedom we take so casually today. To diminish the value of the word 'Spitfire' by placing it in the same genre as the genuine aircraft is highly offensive.

The building of the aircraft (the scale model Mark 26 Spitfire) to which you refer in the article is an achievement on its own and should therefore stand alone without the implication that it has any, other than a clever marketed naine, connection

with a true iconic aircraft The people that build this scale model Mark 26 from kit form should feel they have achieved something in their own riglTh but they should not be compared to the level of achievement and dedication of those who built the genuine Spitfire type. It is an insult and unnecessary to do so.

Equally, the pilots who will fly the scale model Mark 26 should be pleased and proud of their skill in flying this scale model but should never be compared to the pilots who flew and indeed fly the genuine Spitfire.

Carolyn Grace The editor replies...

I am sorry if you found the article offensive, it certainly was not intended to be so, indeed the building of replica scale aircraft would be seen by many as honouring those brave young men who flew the genuine article daring the war.

10 LIGHT AVIATION :ANI IAPY j)

Thearticle makes constant reference to the fact that these aircra ft are amateur-built scale replicas and in no way suggests that they are the genuine article, though ironically the manufacturer does own the rights to the Superrnarine company name.

I hope in time you will come to see these replicas as perpetuating the icon that is the Spitfire, and a tribute to the men and women of the wartime period who built and flew them.

SURVEY CONFUSION Having worked for 19 years at Lloyd's Aviation Department, I was interested in the list of LAA aircraft accidents in the December issue of Light Aviation However, I found the column headed 'Damage assessment' confusing and in Apart from two (C-TOOT and GJAST), assessed as 1000/0 because the aircraft were

destroyed, the only aircraft to exceed isookidamage was the Zenair G-OMWE, assessed at 80%. Cub G-BML1 was assessed at 4o0/0 although sold to Belgium for spares or rebuild, clearly being 'Beyond Economic Repair'.

Auster 4 G-ANHS assessed at inTo is difficult to assess, because the lower blade of the prop is hidden, however, looking at how the ground cuts off the firemen's feet, it is very probable that blade is broken, requiring a shock-load inspection of the engine, in addition to requiring two new undercarriage legs, possibly also needing reptacement bottom longerons.

Furthermore, the aircraft is now sitting on the belly tank, which will not have escaped damage and could have damaged the supporting structure.

I believe the damage assessment should reflect the difference between the market value of an aircraft prior to the

LETTERS < accident and the commercial value of the salvage. This would givea figure of 85% to 95% for many of these accidents. The fact that many of them might subsequently be rebuilt by an LAAmember who does not place a value on his time should not be considered as a factor when quoting a percentage damage figure.

Iwould therefore be interest to see how your percentage figures were arrived at Bill Fisher Ken Craigie replies...

Thank you for your e-mail. As explained in the preamble to that article, the damage assessment is entirely our own and is based on sometimes quite sketchy and Mcomplete information. Bear in mind that our percentage guesstimate is relative to the physicality of the aircraft, not its value'. In other words, Bill, a 10%assessment is based on io% of the parts being damaged, not lo% of the value. Soa bent nose leg and prop wins a logb guess, even though on some old aircraft, asyou know that would be enough to write off the aircraft, insurance-wise. By the way, as far as I know, the Auster prop was not damaged (engine was stopped)so a broken main undercarriage only wins a guesstimate, though I accept that subsequent inspection may well show that the damage is actually much more extensive.

I completely agree wi th your 85% to WM damage by value for many of the accidents, by the way Perhaps, on reflection, G-BLATI could have scored more highly, but who is really counting?

the microphone - there is no voltage on the MicAudio connection (the ring on the standard plug) - when the radio is switched into transmit, it then provides a voltage to power the microphone; the Michel radio powers the microphone all the time - there isalways a voltage on the Mic Audio connection, whether the radio is in transmit or receive; the SoftCommintercom uses an increase in the MicAudio voltage as the signal to switch to transmit mode - if it sees a constant voltage, or a constant zero voltage, it stays in intercom mode and does not relay the microphone signal to the radio properly - this is the reason that it did not behave well with the Michel radio in the original arrangement.

I now have a push-to-talk switch with a dual pole switching arrangement, which uses the second pole to connect the radio MicAudio to the intercom only when transmitting. With this, the intercom sees a rise in voltage as soon as the P11'is pressed.

Everything now works perfectly, after a lot ofmessing about, and I have nice clear transmissions whether solo or dual. This may help others with similar problems!

Apart from the wing fabric, the aeroplane is constructed entirely in aluminium, so Ithought it would be useful to learn how to work with the material.

On Saturday ig November, I drove up from the South Coast to Turweston to attend an LAAcourse on working in aluminium. Most of my fellow course attendees were building new aircraft so a little bit of me had been unsure how pertinent the course would be fora custodian ofan old aircraft.

But it was a joy with a good mixture of light classroom and hands-on work and I learned a great deal about working with the material, eliminating stress risers, riveting and the best tools for specificjobs. Naturally Iam hoping that I will not need to use the newly acquired skills too often but, if I do, I came away with a comprehensive handout that will bring it all back.., and an aluminium toolbox I made that is a testament to how to do it - and, if I'm honest, a bit of how not to as well( It was well worth the time, energy and cost and Ican highly recommend it Allthanks to John, Richard and Garyfor their clarity, easy-going dispositions and the endless supply of tea and biscuits.

Duncan

Campbell

Peter Thompson COURSE SATISFACTION II COURSE SATISFACTION

Iam luckyto be one of five pilots sharing the responsibility for keeping a 1941Luscombe Silvaire in full flyingorder.

Iattended the LAAJabiru engine course at Southely yesterday and just want to say that I found the course quite excellent and good value for money. Iam

an ex-RAFvehicle technician (now retired) with some 35 years experience, giving me a good grounding for the course.

Notonly did I come away with more knowledge, but also with much more confidence in the jabim engine itself.Iwas never really 'unconfident' but am always tnindful that engines do have their own idiosyncrasies, particularly in an aviation environment and that I really knew little about what was tuming my prop.

Daveand Rogerput us all at our ease on arrival with a hot cup ofcoffee and a chat, then onto the course itself.It was obvious from the onset that these two gents knew a tremendous amount on the subject and were not only keen to impart this knowledge but also the peripheral gem snippets and anecdotes that sometimes get missed on too formal a course.

I imagine the base knowledge of us students attending the course would be variable, however, all questions were answered clearly and concisely to enable all to understand and digest Additionally, on the odd occasion where perhaps the penny had not dropped, they were at pains to enable an understanding ofthe particular subject at hand.

Iwould thoroughly recommend the course and would liketo take this opportunity to thank Dave and Roger,and ofcourse the LAA, forarranging it Richard

Fitzpatrick

INTERCOM NIGGLE

MyBolkowwas fitted with a Narcocomms radio and a SoftCommATC-2Pintercom.

When solo, my headset plugged directly into the radio jacks and when dual, my headset plugged in via the intercom.

This arrangement worked well until the ancient Narco failed and I replaced it with a new TKIVI Michel MXii,a direct replacement which uses the same mounting tray and all the same connections.

The new radio was excellent when flyingsolo, but Isoon found out that the performance when transmitting through the intercom was abysmal - after a few occasions of,"Reading you strength two," and "Aircraft calling. Sayagain," I realised that something had to be done.

Subsequent investigation revealed the following: the Narcoradio, when in receive mode, does not power JANUARY 201 2 LIGHT AVIATION 11

_E

OVER

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Aeronca's luxuriousChief Our yew functional but electronically dominated motor cars of today only give us a hint of the sumptuous luxuly that existed in the American automobiles of the post WWII period. Cuddly soft bench seats, semi-automatic gear-shifts and cushioned upholstery gave their owners unprecedented cosseting.

This luxury was mirrored by the re-emerging light aircraft indusny in the USA.Luscom be and Aeronca (Aeronautical Corporation of America( battling it out in the market for the discerning private pilots and their families. Aeronca's two-seat Chief and four-seat Sedan created tough opposition for the other US light aeroplane manufacturers.

The Aeronca n ACChief totally exemplifies this trend and we are very fortunate that thereare2o of these beautiful aircraft in the UK.One outstanding example isionathan Turner's Chief, G-BPRX.which he flew to the MA Sywell Rally lastSeptember.

Its 'asnew' condition created quite a stir amongst the vintage/classic aircraft enthusiasts that were

12 LIGHT AVIATION pilLIARY

2

there. f3uilt at Aeronca's Middletown, Ohio, factory in May inandonathan's aironft was assigned the production serial number imand, as such, is the oldest MC Chief in Europe. When one learns that a total of 4,000 Aeronca Chiefswere built, niunber 94 is an extremely earlyairframe. It was imported into the UK in 1989and flown for ten years before being stored in Mike Rumney's barn/workshop near Goodwood.

In early 2008,Jonathan was looking to own and fly n good standard of vintageaircraft'. He had already met with experienced Aeronca gACChamp owner Richard Valler at Goodwood. Richard put hgn in touch with the stored Aeronca's owner and vintage aircra ft restorer Mike Romney, and after meeting Mike, Jonathan was able to purchase G-BPRXand kind its restoration. It was therefore not long before the 36ft wingspan Chief was being stripped down to its basicairframe components for a complete overhaul. The steel tithe Warren tniss fuselage frame was Pestled, as also were the wood spar/metal rib wings. Overseen by

Aeronca expert and LM Inspector Mark Masters, every single airframe fitting was removed for detailed inspection and refurbishment All the wooden stringers were replaced with new and the Continental A75-8enginewas stripped down and its crankshaft reground before being rebuilt to zero-time condition with new parts.

Detailed work such as this takes much dedication and time; from the start in 2008 to its completion, the job took Mike Rum ney two-and-a-half years.

Richard Valler canted out the all important postoverhaul test flight in late 2010. "H e emerged with a big smile on his face," recallsionathan, "and declared that it was a great pleasure to fly I" Since then, Jonathan has built up many hours of flying in the luxurious comforto f his Aeronca iiACChiet Its completely re-upholstered cod<pit, reminiscent of those far-off days of American automobile comfort, gives him and his passengers great enjoyment "Just flying G-BPRXarou nd the local area ati,Boorpm with the windows open during the early mornings or the quiet of the

OVER THE HEDGE < evening is a most enjoyable experiencft" smilesionathan, "and I make use of thermals and also lake advantage of hill lift whenever possible. The Chief is stable and easy to fly."

He keeps his Aeronca at I leath Cross Farm airstrip atThatcham, near Newbury, Berkshire. With its Chris Lodge yxxin propeller, the Chief is soon off the ground. "But," saysionathan, "the strip is afficoir with a sloping grass runway and industrial buildings at one end and tall nftesat the other."

He glides the Chief at 55-60mph on the approach, with the trim wound all the way back, and makes three-point landings on the grass runway. Like most of the tailwheel aircraft designed and built during that sarne era, the nose obscures forward vision during taxying arid Jonathan has to weave the Aeronca in order to see ahead.

Or cross-counny flights, the aircraft cruises at a comfortable 8omph withexcellent visibility from the cockpit A wind-driven generator mounted on the undercarriage powers the radio. There being no other electrics, the Continental 475-8engine has to be started by hand-swinging the propeller-a truly vintage/classic aircraft operation.

Jonathan Turner is a loyal member of the Aeronca Club of Great Britain, which provides support, information and a full calendar of fly-out meetings throughout the year Icontact Peter White on 017524.0666ofor more information). We congratulatelonathan for enabling this precious old aircraft to be completely restored to its original factory-new condition and maintaining it in its present concours nim. It is a pleasureand a privilege to see it looking so good.

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A RURALCORNER In contrast to the hustle and bustle of active flight lines and the busy mamuees at LAA'sSywell Rally, there was a small comer of tranquility where any hint of a majorairiabon meeting might have appeared to be many miles distant... a location seeming to he so remote from a veryactive aerodrome that the few aeroplanes

parked there appeared almost as interlope's. And yet it was all part of Sywell's magic.1 refer to that north-east comer adjacent to a small farm and its outhouses - a farm where mature trees shelter the buildings and also formed a delightful backdrop for two Jodels of the timer Air Force.

The where ?timer Airfield, just a few nbles east of Thame, Oxfordshire, hosts a modest collection of immaculately maintained light aircraft including the two _hidersshown in this verdant scene with its rustic background. Were the pilots so imbued with an inborn love of pastoral scenery that they chose to park Mei rJodels there?

"Absolutely not," said Brian Lamb. "We anived . at Sywell during that very busy Widay afternoon. But by the time we had eventually larded and taxied clear of the runway, the flight lines were so busywith parked and manoeuvring aircraft that had landed ahead of us that we judged it safer to continue taxying to finda dearspace.

In the event we parked next to the farmer's fence on the aerodrome's boundary!"

The Jodel DnyAG-BIOU ion the left) was flown by its owner Malcolm Routh. The Jodel Dfty on the right (with spatsl was flown

by Brian Lamb and Mike Howlett Both Brian and Mike are retired BA captains who still enjoy every minute in the air despite their many years of flying experience. They met in 1948 when theywere both righter pilots in the RAFand then became colleagues in the flight operations fleets of BOAC and later British Airways. They are w• INKUKRY 20 .2 LIGHT AVIATION

13

> OVER THE HEDGE among the select band of the most senior and experienced pilots in the UK today.

"By the time we had completed our postflight checks and wal ked past the many lines of beauhfully maintained aircraft to book in and pay our landing fee, there was only time to chat to some old friends and have a quick look around the marquees and Rade stands. Then it was time to return to our jodels and join the long queue tor take-off."

Do

PROPELLERSCAN CHOP YOU! A recent AAlB Report IGOTEL EWG2oll/o4Io61 reminds us all to beware of getting anywhere near a rotating propeller. These acddents, usually fatal, happen when the person involved is distracted by some other occurrence near the aircraft It can also happen to very experienced pilots and passengers, as witnessed by a veteran Piper Cub pilot who is now acutely aware of the problem and would like to share this storyasa warning to us all.

Aker an enjoyable outing to a fly-in with his passenger in the front seat of the Cub, he was returning to the farm airship where he kept the aircra ft.The weather was perfect and as the Cub circled the landing field the pilot gritted his teeth at what he saw. The farmer had, without warning, put his herd of cows on the pasture and they were gazing contentedly un its luscious summer grass. Fortimately, the cattle were well clear of the unmarked mnway and it was safe to land.

The landing was a perfect three-pointer, the sort that gives a pilot a warm glow on the inside.

But outside it was a different matter. A continuous spray and dollops of the freshly dropped brown stuff splattered the Cub's landing gm. Faecesfrom the herd of cows generously adorned the wings and wheels on both sides of the aircraft

I

. ,

•

The Cub's hangarwaslocated in a small held adjacent to the landing meadow, accessedby opening a wide double fami gate. It was the passenger'sjob to hop out of the front seat and open this gate to allow the ai rcraft to taxi through to its hangar. It was ajob tha I.he had done dozens of tinles before and wasalways very consdous of the danger involved. On leaving the cockpit he would edge his way along the lift struts towards the wingtip before turning to open the gate.On thisoccasion he had been amazed at the large quantities of mud< deposi ted on the lift siTuts, fuselage,wings and tailplane. Forgetting all about the propeller,

4%1011 • ,

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14 LIGHT AVIATION IfdHIIAR

n

hemmed to the pilot and, pointing to all the muck, he shouted someth ing as he stepped backwards towards the propeller to get a betterviewl The pilot, with commendable swiftness, moved his hand up to the ignition switch and stopped the Continental Cho-SF.He was just in time to save his friend hom a senous or possibly Fatalinjury. But that memory has never left him and he urges all of us to switch off the engine before there is any passenger disembarkation or changeover planned no matter how experienced the passengers may be. •

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> THE FLYING SHOW

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Trikes have certainly moved on in terms of complexity since those farflung days in Wolverhampton. Making its debut at the show was the P&M PulsR, an enclosed cockpit, Rotax 9125-powered two-seater with a new 13m, wing. Priced at £48K, there will undoubtedly be those that complain that ethos of the Ilexwing has been lost but development surely has to be a good thing; you can after all choose to go with more affordable simplicity.

The LAA stand in typically busy mode. It was probably one of the most interesting stands at the show, due to the diversity of the activities the Association has to offer.

The BMAA has held a winter for more years than exhibition I care to remember. It must be getting on for 30 years since I queued with the early microlight enthusiasts Agricultural outside the Wolverhampton Hall, eager to view the offerings of what where the was then a brave newworld 'aeroplane' was being reinvented to make it accessible to everyman.

The show has been held at a number of venues since, and carried a number of titles, SPLASH perhaps being the most 16 LIGHT AVIATION

20 I2 JATiLIAFIY

I often wondered if some of incongruousthe punters coming through the entrance when not confronted were disappointed with surfboards and beach babes. But it has, I think, now found its true title and home, The Flying Show, at the NEC. It is a shame that there is now virtually no involvement from the hang-gliding and paramotoring fraternity, that all but ceased when the BHPA with the show its involvement relinquished and left BMM to go it alone, but expansion into LAA types has replaced that loss and I am delighted that BMAA kept the faith and

continued to organise the event despite some concerns over its viability.

They were rewarded this year with a very good turnout of spectators on the first day, Saturday. In fact, I cannot recall seeing it so busy. The whole arena was positively buzzing with activity, and many traders reported that people were not simply looking, they were actually spending money.

Sunday was quieter, as expected, but overall I think it fair to say the show was a success and I certainly look forward to seeing it held again at the same venue for 2012.

THE FLYING SHOW < NW/

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Brian Hope visitsthe very successful annual show now well-established at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham

•

The LAAhad a comprehensive display featuring the shop and, thanks to the much appreciated assistance ofthe Europa Club, DaveJoyce's much-travelled Europa.

Mark Castle-Smithwas there with 'Doris', the demonstration avionics panel he uses at his Avionicsand Electrical Wiringtraining courses, and newly-appointed head coach WillGreenwood and John Brady were ever happy to discuss Pilot Coaching Scheme training with the throng ofpeople that visited the stand throughout the weekend.

The Rallyvideo proved a popular draw, and the many volunteers, including Armstrong Isaacs Scholarship winner Amy Brekell, were on hand to answer questions about the Association and presented a very well co-ordinated 'sales force'. Overthe weekend, we also signed up 3o new members, and distributed a great deal of publicity material - a very commendable effort.Thank you to everybody who helped make our presence at the show such a success.

JANUARY 2012 LIGHT AVIATION 17

> THE FLYINGSHOW YES, the Youth and Education Strut, were located on the stand next to us and also had a very good show. Devon Strut members and Scouts from 1st Sidvale spent the weekend displaying their part-built Zenair CH701 STOL aircraft - and pupils and teachers from Ercall Wood Technology College, Telford, showed a part of their Rans 56, which is being built under the auspices of the Boeing/RAeS Schools Build jilt a Plane project.

No fewer than six exhibitors offered to support the undertakings with discounted supplies and services. In particular, on Sunday, the Sidvale Scouts were presented with a flight-bag from Pooleys with navigational goodies and guides worth over £200. Also Flightstore MD Andrew Holdsworth contributed £100 to the LAA ETfund. ,

MINIEN

4-

Graham Smith (second from the left) of Sprite Aviation holds court by his Groppo Trail. While driving to the show, he received the news that customer projects could be registered and building commenced. He was very happy with the level of interest in what is a very competitively priced kit.

The fully-enclosed, German-built RotorSport Cavaion has been designed for those who want a side-by-side machine rather than the company's tandem seat Calidos.

Payload is between 225 and 235kg, depending on engine option - either 912S or 914, and the 100-litre fuel tank gives a cruising range of six hours at 80mph.

The generous luggage space behind the seats gives the machine useful touring capability. www.rotorsportorg

M HP

•FD/

18 LIGHT AVIATION JANUARY2012

SAFETY <

SAFETY INITIATIVE2012 John Bradyon a new LAAonlinecourse,and a BFRofferfor new members of the LAA When you read the zolo accident summary in the last magazine, you may have noticed that almost every accident involved some kind of pilot element as its cause.

Over half were due to loss of control - and even in those that started with a technical failure or an external event, the outcorne of most was dependent on the actions of the pilot Those actions might have been after the external event but quite a few involved decisions or actions earlier or even before the flight.

In the professional aviation sector, annual training and simulator exercises give pilots the opportunity to refresh their knowledge, flying skills and decision-maldng in a structured way. We have the Biennial Flight Review (BFR) - an hour flight with an instructor and

the briefing that goes with it But is that really enough to keep us fit for the dangers that may lie in wait?The accident statistics suggest not, so the LAA Board has proposed that we should do something about it with the objective of reducing accidents involving pilot error by 200/0 over two years. We want to make us all safer.

The Pilot Coaching Scheme will shortly roll out an online e-learning course for LAA members, which will complement the flight training provided during the BFR. This online course aims to raise our awareness of changes in legislation and to improve our pilot skills and the way we make decisions both in-flight and before we go. This online course will be linked with the dual flight provided by the Pilot Coaching Scheme to provide a structured safety programme just for you.

To encourage new members to use the Pilot Coaching Scheme, we are offering them the dual flight for the BFR free of charge. There are conditions attached, one of which is that the student must provide a satisfactory aircraft in which to carry out the flight, and meet costs such as fuel and landing fees. Full details and conditions will be available on the LAA website www.laa.uk.com early in the New Year. Coupled with the free new training course to prepare you to get the most out of your dual flight, we hope this will go a long way to making us all better pilots and better decision makers.

This is one of a number of initiatives and offers being planned for members new and old in the months ahead. We'll keep you informed of each of them in later issues. •

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first. . Lookingatzotz one thing I m anticipating . , Lastyear Keith Boardman claimed the ofhis. flight test the with 2on of flight 'first' is welcoming some Tiger Moths, Chipmunks ' clearlybeena quiet time over the Christraki. thennewly-completedRV-12 G-RMPS,on . . .period, wesfill have seven new starts and ,- and Bulldogs onto our lists following rescind January from Scone Airport (see the April : to decision Ltd's Support Havilland cle • - nine aircraft cleared to flyfrom the end of issue of LightAviation for a flight testof 2on those aircraft from 2011,almost exactly the same numbers as thft - the Type Certificatesfor the aircraft). Please get in touch ifyou think . of a quarter a now its Though April2on. , ' lime last year. Nomatter what stage ofyour might have the fast 'first' flight oftliis , that you I flew in one, the Chipmunkis emaiiprojecnews®1aa-arthive.org.uk build you are at -whether you're one ofthis - A. century since year; where itallstarted for me, as it was formerly month's new starts o your project featured or write to me at 9Tunstall Green, Tunstall, others, and I still regard the aeroplane with a _ayear ago -we'd loveto hear from you at, ; SuffolldPn2JJ. ofaffection. ideal • Pea Proiednews@ufrarchive.or*uk -Happy MewYearone and all.Though

,

BOB PRESTON'S

•

TAYLORC RAFT (1224)6-13WBI

flEE IJICS ONLYTM-GEAlt TAYLORCRAFT Until very recently, Bob's Taylorcraft was the only one of its type remaining on the CAA Register, but he has now managed to convince the powers that be either side of the pond that G-BWIM should join the LAA. Bob explained, "I've owned G-BWBI for four years and when I first purchased her she was

CLEARED TO FLY

an EASA aircraft. Initially, I managed to get her placed on CAA Annex II and in November she was granted an LAA Permit. The lack of licensed spares or any activity by the Type Certificate holder had made ownership a bit of a nightmare."

G-BINBI is a Taylorcraft Fs2Aand the only

> G-CGZT AEROPRAICT A22-L FONEAT 3r7A-43o84 :Z;t 11/11/2011

It's great to see Will's Gomhouria joining our more usual offering of RV,Fluster, Europa and Foxbat in the cleared to /7ylist:Whether you're building or importing something obscure or well known, please get in touch by email al to enlighten projectnews@laa-archive.org.uk ine and the rest of our members. > G-TIONNGOMHOURIA 181Mk 6 183 n/nizon W H Greenwood, Downlands, Swanborough Farm, Swanborough, Lewes BA173PF

20 LIGHT

AVIATION

JANUARY2012

tri-gear Taylorcraft in Europe; even similar examples in the USA could be counted on the fingers of one hand. C-BWESI,together with her taildragging sister, G-BVOX, were possibly the last two aircraft ever built by Taylorcraft at Lock Haven. The Taylorcraft company, which was of a similar vintage to Frank Sinatra but

R Stalker, Swallowdrum Farm, Milesmark, 9HX Dunfermline 1(1172 > G-AHZ MISTER JIN 218z n/nizon M D Anstey,3 Gasson Cottages, Ewhurst Road, Peaslake, Guildford GUS9TA > G-0/1I DR on ONE DESIGN 26444478 11/11/2011 One Design Group, lualo, Mill Lane, Eakring, Newark NG22oDL G-0JVL VANS RV-6 181A-3.2441z3/n/zon S E Tomlinson, 48 Winston Road, Bournemouth BH93EQ

PROJECT NEWS < '131flew across the Atlantic to the UK in 1991, original destination Italy

had more comebacks, made several moves and changes of ownership through its lifetime This pair of aeroplanes (then NzzIUK and N222UK) arrived in the UK in 1991having flown from the Taylorcraft factory in Pennsylvania to Lydd Airport in KenL They were due to continue on to Italy to establish

a new Taylorcraft franchise there, but the company ceased trading (again!) while the aircraft were in the UK and they never made it any further.

The flight that they made together from the USA was carried out at an average speed of 85kt and took 56 hours. A 6oUSG reserve

tank was fitted in the right-hand seat of each aircraft giving a total of mo gallons of available fuel, including the two zo-galion wing-tanks.

After all of his difficulties with the FAA, CAA and the 'Type Certificate holder, you'll be able to recognize Bob if you see him out and about in 2012; he'll be the one who's smiling.

I.

JPNL1ARY2012 LIGHT

AVIATION

21

> PROJECT NEWS WILL GREENWOOD'S

GOMHOURLEI ith Mk 6 G-TPWX

COALSTO NEWCASTLE,ICETO ESKIMOS, GOMHOURIAS TO GERMANY In last month's 'Cleared to Fly' section, I questioned just how many of you were familiar with the Erandli HX2 Cherry or the VM-3 Esqual-C; it appears that many of you were, but they were new types to a lot of us.

This month, as a challenge to us all, we head the list with a Gomhouria 181Mk 6.

The Gomhouria iSi is the Egyptian version of the Bucker Bet383 Bestmann and was built by the Heliopolis Aircraft Works during theigsos andefibos. The company built them under a Czechoslovak licence and originally powered

them with a ioshp Walter-Minor engine.

They ended up manufacturing more than 300 Comhourias Imeaning 'republic') for the Egyptian and other Arab air forces (with one appearing in the film The Great Escape - Ed).

This particular Continental 0-3oo-powered example was built in 1666 and exported to, of all places, Germany in the early iftgos where it was flown from Oldenburg Airfield

by JOrg Ern ken before being purchased by Will Greenwood and brought to the UK in July last year.

Since then it has been with Clive Denney of Vintage Fabrics at Audrey End, being painted in Luftwaffe markings to denote its ancestry - the Bestmann was used by the Luftwaffe during WWII as a basic trainer and communications aircraft. The markings are of Flying School AB132, which was based at Oldenburg-Pardubitz.

The registration, G-TDWX, echoes the German fuselage codes applied to an AB/32 Bestmann. Hopefully we'll see a good deal of it during 2o12as Will has received many airshow requests.

> G-ASOI BEAGLE A.61 TERRIER SERIES 2 B.627

NEW PROJECTS

24/11/zon

Whatever anyone may say about people starting out to build their own aeroplane, at least no-one can accuse them of predictability.

From the all-metal Sonex to the fabric-coyered Rans and the sleek modernity of the 121/sto the beautiful simplicity of the Fly Baby, they're all different and they are all here this month.

It's nice to see another Eurofox appear in the list, too; I know that the first kits were delivered in December and we look forward to seeing the first customer-built example flying this year.

Best of luck to all of the builders and I hope that you'll share your progress with us.

> BOWERS FLYBABY IA oi6 -15m 29/11/2011 K Pennell, 72 Germain Street, Chesham, Bucks IIP5ILW > RANS 56 204 - 1511025/11/2011 P Buckley, Bridge Learning Campus, William Jessup Way, Hartcliffe, Bristol BSI3 oRL = VAN'S RV- 7/7A 323- 13109 24/11/2011 C Lunt, 126Firs Road, Firsdown, Salisbury, Wills 51351SP > EUROFOX 912(5)376 - 15108 23/n/2mA N McLeod, The Cottar House, Chapleton, Auchenblae, Aberdeenshire AB3o IUD > SONEX357 - 15106 08/11/2011 C Miller, 11Aston House, Freehold Street,

GD B Delmege, 23 Willow Coppice, Bartley Green, Birmingham 832 3JA > N- GMPY EUROPA 247 - u800 25/11/2 on GDBMK LTD,5 Wayell Court, Bolbeck Park, Milton Keynes MK15 8PZ > G- GAST VAN'S RV- 8 303 - 14732 25/1112011 GM R Abrey, Illington House, Illington Road, Wretham, Thetford IP24 1RW G- OBRO PIONEER zoo - M 334- 15059 25/1112011 Name &address held by LAA Engineering

2 2 LIGHT

AVIATION

JAN IJAR Y 21112

PROJECT NEWS < siszpL;S:-.7-7-

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GRAHAM

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TRAIL:

UPDATE

APPROVAL FOR THE TRAIL As Graham and his team travelled up to Birmingham for The Flying Show, he received news that the LAA had granted approval to register and build the Trail. This is not lull approval but it does mean that they can supply kits to customers which can then be registered as projects and building can begin.

Shareham-By-Sea, West Sussex BI114357V > EVERTOR SPORTSTAR SW 315C-15105 02/11/2011 N R Beale, Burnside, Deppers Bridge, &Rabaul, Works CV472SU > VAN'S RV-8/8A 30345107 u../n/2033.

Name & address held by LAI biginee

The project was started in April 2010, SO it looks like being less than two years from start to full approval, which is expected shortly.

The Trail kit is common [or the light aircraft and microlight versions and, while LAA Engineering has requested that when a customer registers a project they should make

it clear which one they are building, if there is a change of mind it can easily be accommodated.

There was a great deal of interest in the Trail at The Flying Show and Graham's recent open days were well attended. If you would like more infornmtion then visit Graham's website at iitnoossordeaviation.cdok

—

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A it ' LIGHT

AVIATION

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> de Havilland TECHNICALBACK-UP As the news spread, I was able to garner the views of some of the leading figures involved with the DH scene in the UK, and reassuringly the general consensus is that the ability for private ovmers to move their aircraft onto a Permit will be a positive.

Ron Souch of Aero Antiques in Hampshire, one of the country's leading vintage aircraft restorers, said, "It is indeed great news that the de Havilland fleet of light aircraft is to be free to move over to the LAA - if that's what owners desire. For many years we've wished for this to happen, particularly in the case of the DH 6o. But for so much to happen so quickly, and for so many types, can, I feel, only be a good thing for the old aeroplane movement What is vitally important is that standards do not slip. Personally, I third< there's good reason to believe that they will in fact improve. It's a very good opportunity for the LAA membership to be able to show what excellent standards it's capable of and hopefully make these old aeroplanes accessible to more people."

Henry Labouchere operates a specialist maintenance operation in Norfolk, and his only concern is that these old aircraft demand more maintenance as the years pass and he hopes that owners realise that a change in maintenance regime doesn't mean a change in the level of required maintenance. "I'm sure that things will soon find an appropriate balance," he explained, "and the existing experienced vintage engineers will I am sure be only too willing to offer advice and help when required."

Bill Taylor, CEOof DHSL and a member of the LAA for 40 years, added, "It has taken a lot of behind-the-scenes work to bring about the possibility of the celebrated de Havilland and Bulldog aircraft transferring to LAA Permits to Fly, while still allowing the principal types to operate commercially. This is a one-off

opportunity for us to show that the LAA is sufficiently mature to take on these and perhaps other additional responsibilities in future."

The ability for owners of orphan aircraft to choose their preferred maintenance regime is relatively new. Until early zon, when a Type Certificate was relinquished, they could only move to a Permit if no individual or organisation chose to set up a TRA with the CAA. You therefore had a situation where two or three owners might set up a TRA because they wanted to retain the ability to do aerial work with their aircraft, but the majority who flew their aircraft for recreation would have preferred to have transferred to a Permit Fortunately the CAA, realising that this situation was fundamentally unfair, had a change of heart and we are now in a position where, if a TRA is established, the recreational owners can choose which maintenance regime they wish to operate under.

DHSL stresses that it has taken the decision to relinquish the Type Certificates because it feels that the Certificated environment is becoming ever more incompatible with the majority needs of private operators. Owners of these essentially simple aircraft should be able to maintain them to an equally high standard within the more flexible Permit scheme, which will allow more ready availability of spares, and the dwindling number of released items can be saved for those aircraft that continue to operate on a Certificate of Airworthiness. DHSL, which maintains a comprehensive archive of drawings and manuals at its Duxford HQ, and enjoys a close working relationship with both the CAA and the LAA, will continue to provide technical back-up for all its heritage types, whether on C of A or Permit LAARESPONSE The announcement came after much negotiation between DHSL, BAE Systems

(which contracts DHSL to look after the de Havilland heritage types( and the DK CM. In response to the news, LAA Engineering is writing to the owners of the aircraft which may move to the LAA system in future, and is busily preparing for a substantial influx of some of this country's most highly-prized vintage aircraft onto the LAA fleet In a letter to owners of Chipmunk aircraft, Francis Donaldson welcomes ovmers who may wish to transfer but stresses that though there are areas where cost savings may be made, the Permit to Fly system is definitely not an option for reduced maintenance.

'We are particularly delighted to welcome DH owners into the LAA system as we believe that due to the age of these aircraft and the way in which the majority are used, the LAA provides the best way to operate them and they will complement all the vintage Moths, jungmanns, Ryan PT22 and other vintage types already in the LAA fleet.

'Operating your aircraft on an LAA Permit to Fly means that you have more flexibility in maintaining it than if it were on a C of A, in that the Permit to Fly system does not require the use of fully released spares. This is not intended to be a passport to reduced safety standards, and all parts used must still be fit for purpose. Modifications to the aircraft may not be made unless approved by LAA Engineering's Turweston Office.

'Irrespective of whether it is on a Permit or a C of A the aircraft will need to be equally carefully maintained. The engine's exhaust manifold will corrode just the same whether the aircraft has a Permit or a C of A, so regular pressure tests of the cabin heat muff will still be needed. Likewise flight instruments must be kept in calibration, engine compressions checked, fabric strength tested, etc. Lifed parts need to be changed at the appropriate time irrespective of Permit or C of A. Airworthiness

FUTUREOPTIONS AIRCRAFT TYPE

EASA COFA

PERMITTOFLYONLY DH60,60G,60M 01160111 MOTHMAJOR 01-180APUSSMOTH DH83 FOXMOTH DHSSLEOPARDMOTH DH87/87A HORNETMOTH DH94 MOTHMINOR THRUXTON JACKAROO PERMITTOFLYORCOFA DH82,82A TIGERMOTH DHC-1CHIPMUNK SALBULLDOG PERMITTOFLYORCOFA, NOLAAINVOLVEMENT DH89ADRAGONRAPIDE CM PERMITONLY,NOLAAINVOLVEMENT DH84 DRAGON DH90 DRAGONFLY DH104DOVE 011114HERON EASARESTRICTED C OFA ONLY PUP

Bin

26 LIGHT

AVIATION

JANUARY

CM COFA

LAA PERMIT

CM PERMIT

de Havilland Directives continue to apply. The CANs LAMS Light Aircraft Maintenance Schedule) remains a well-tested means of keeping these aircraft airworthy, or you can use the LANs Generic Maintenance Schedule specially customised to suit your aircraft by including such items as the mandato!), replacement of lifed parts at specified intervals. The bottom line is that owners and inspectors must maintain the aircraft to an appropriate maintenance schedule and maintain the aircraft in an airworthy condition.

'With Permit aircraft, compliance with service bulletins is recommended where appropriate, but only mandatory when enforced by an Airworthiness Directive or MPD (Mandatory Permit Directive). We are very fortunate that de Havilland Support maintains an up-to-date system of TNSs (in effect, de Havilland's name for service bulletins) as well as a full set of drawings, ADs and so on. This makes the availability of service information much better than for other types like the Stampe, Jodel and some limited production machines where many of the old bulletins are simply no longer available and their content but a distant memory.

'Contrary to common misconception, the extent of 'pilot-maintenance that can be carried out by the aircraft owner without needing inspector sign-off is almost identical whether the aircraft is on a Permit or a Private Cat C of A. The difference is that the LAA system encourages owners to get involved in aircraft maintenance and, once he is satisfied with your skills, your LAA inspector may well be more willing than his LAE counterpart to supervise - and eventually certify - your owq work on the aircraft. Alternatively of course you may prefer to have all your maintenance carried out by professionals on a commercial basis, and this is equally catered for by the LAA scheme.' •

The beautifully restored 0H89A Dragon Rapide of Mark and David Miller can remain on a C of A or transfer to a CAA Permit

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DH878 Hornet Moth G-ADKK prepares to move off. Now over 75 years old, parts availability is a problem

JANUKRY 2012 LIGHT

AVIATION 27

> EUROPEANREGULATIONS

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Europe Air Sport's President, David Roberts

Withavialion regulationnow controlledby the European Union,BrianHope asksDavid Robertsof EuropeAirSports how the regulatorymechanism worksand how the usercan influenceoutcomes

EUROPEAN REGULATIONS <

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political parties, so we are in for the long haul as Federal Europe edges ever closer. Can we really still believe then, that throwing our teddies out of the pram is still an option evew time we hear of some new regulation that will have an impact on our lives? One man who realised long ago that working from within, by building trust and relationships with the rule makers, is David Roberts, President of Europe Air Sports (EAS), one of only three bodies through which recreational aviation is represented at the very heart of Europe. The others, for the record, are International AOPA and the European Council of General Aviation Support (ECOGAS)representing manufacturers and traders. It is, he says, the only commonsense approach to influencing outcomes and mitigating the adverse effects of the European standardisation of aviation.

It was recently my privilege to spend a morning with David at his beautiful zgo-yea rold Cotswold-stone house near Cirencester, to discuss the workings of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and EAS in layman's terms. This is, it cannot be denied, an incredibly complex subject and I know that the mere mention of EASA will make many members' eyes glaze over but I do urge you to read on. The manner in which we will operate our aircraft and the freedoms we will or will not enjoy, very much depend on the effectiveness of people like David Roberts and the many other volunteers from across the sporting and recreational aviation world who dedicate a great deal of their time to represent us. Make no mistake, they do make a very real difference.

BH EAS has been registering on the radar since EASA became a feature of our aviation lives. How long has it been in existence and how did it come about?

Though you will be reading this in early, January, I write with three weeks to run before Christmas. I suspect that in January - despite our New Year cheer and, I hope, our optimism for a better year ahead - the news of the Euro currency crisis will still be dominating the headlines.

The European Union has generated strong views in most of us over the years but I think it is fair to say that the majority of us rarely look at, let alone understand the 'big picture' beyond the headlines. Straight bananas, our favourite milk chocolate not really being milk chocolate and getting carted off to prison for selling tomatoes in pounds instead of kilos - the list of ridiculous and oft-quoted expensively researched regulations are the level at which most of us base our prejudices.

But European Regulation is clearly a much deeper issue than the arc prescribed by our lunchtime snack.

Like it or not, 'getting out' is not an option being curried by other than the minority

DR I suppose it has much to do with the perceptions you mention in your intro, Brian.

Inig88, Fred Marsh, a man of great foresight, an aviation enthusiast and UK Vice President of the FAL became embroiled in discussions within the EU about his day-to-day business as a sausage maker. He realised that if such a seemingly simple item as a sausage was going to be subjected to such debate and scrutiny, then it was inevitable that we were going to have problems with something as complex as aviation. He understood that individual organisations in individual States could never get a place at the European Union table, so he decided to establish a pan-European organisation of associations to ensure that recreational aviation had a voice.

BH Who are the associations EAS and how is it funded?

that make up

DR Currently they are the national representative aero clubs of zo out of 27 EU member States, plus two 'Associated States' (Norway and Switzerland) and Turkey. For the UK, it is the Royal Aero Club. We also have seven pan-EU air sport unions - the European Gliding Union (EGU), European Federation of Light, Experimental and Vintage Aircraft (EFLEVAI (of which LAA is an active member) and the European Microlight Federation (EMF) being examples your readers may know of.

These member organisations fund EAS via their individual member associations, so

for example, the Royal Aem Club receives income from the likes of LAA, BMAA, BBAC, BPA and BGA and passes on a percentage of that to EAS. The pan-EU unions likewise donate from monies received from their members. The fundamental principle for the size of the payment is based on a per capita charge, with minor adjustments for the very large and very small groups to keep a reasonable balance.

Our current income budget is around euro and it is fair to say we now have sufficient money to fund all the work we are able to undertake. That was not always the case though. In the early days of EASA in 2002 until about three years ago, we had to fund every volunteer expert advisor we sent to Cologne or Brussels, and the travel and hotel costs were enormous -about 6cL000 euro per annum. Fortunately we managed to convince EASA that it was unreasonable for the National Aviation Authorities - in our case the CAA - to be able to send paid employees to represent them and receive costs for doing so from EASA, whilst the recreational sector was totally sel ffund ing, and we now receive EASA funding to cover the travel and hotel costs of sending our experts to EASA working groups.

BH Is EAS totally volunteer

based?

DR Not quite. While all the experts we send to sit on working groups or represent us in regulatory consultations are volunteers, we do engage the services of two people on a part-time basis. One is our Programme Manager, who keeps up to speed on all the regulatory proposals and makes us aware of anything we need to take a look at; there might for instance be a working group being set up to look at the future of aviation fuels, and we would certainly wish to have experts from the GA world involved in such a group.

The other is a professional advisor or lobbyist in Brussels. Why you may ask do we have a lobbyist, and the answer has everything to do with how the EU regulatory system works in practice.

BH OK, an ideal time to ask if you can you explain how European Regulations do come into force, in simple terms if at all possible please.

DR I'll try! At the top of the EU heap is the Council of Ministers representing the 27 member States, and together they set the overall agenda. In order to meet that agenda, the next level is the Commission, made up of officials recruited from member States, and it proposes European law (13asic Regulations') and the Implementing Rules (IRs) - collectively known as 'hard law' or 'statute law' in our terms- to enable those Regulations to be applied on a day-to-day basis. When the IRs have gone through due process, which includes two consultations with stakeholders - that's you and me, who witl be affected by the new rules - they are enacted by the Commission and the European Parliament iwhich is made up from the MEPs we vote into power/.

In order to fulfil its function in drafting the IRs, at the level below the Commission, is EASA which works for it and carries out the research and development and drafts the I Rs. This process involves, where applicable, working groups with experts from the

JANUARY 21212LIGHT AVIATION 29

> EUROPEAN REGULATIONS many fields of recreational aviation, and a significant number of LAA members have been directly involved in recent years.

Once the IRs are in their final draft, they go to the Commission as an 'EASA Opinion', and after a vote in the Commission forum of the member States (known as the comito logy process) eventually to the Parliament's Transport Committee. It is in this political agreement process that our lobbyist may get involved because from leaving the working group to getting to Parliament, changes can and do get made, and we need to be in a position to influence Commission officials, member States' representatives and MEPs to hy and ensure we get the best possible outcome.

BH Can we now turn to some specific EASA issues and try to see where EAS has affected a positive outcome for recreational aviation?

DR Of course, but first can I say that it is sometimes difficult to convince people that a seemingly negative result in the final IRs was in fact a 'win' because the original proposal was very much more draconian than the end result Let's take compulsory aircraft third party insurance in 2005 for example.

When first mooted by the Commission, it not unnaturally proposed a number of weight bands into which aircraft fell and had to have the minimum insurance for that particular band. At first glance a logical solution, until you realise that the lowest weight band was 25,000kg, making the minimum premium well beyond what most recreational pilots could reasonably afford. EAS,and particularly its UK contacts, worked very hard to ensure that a light aircraft range of weights was introduced so that realistic premium levels would result. Now, the average owner could well be excused for thinking that the EU has imposed mandatory third party insurance despite the efforts of EAS and the other GA activists, when in fact the final outcome was a vet)/ reasonable compromise and for something that could not in principle be objected to.

EAS also successfully negotiated the exclusion of air sports aerodromes and strips from the proposed Airfields Regulation which was likely to impose rigid infrastructure and operational requirements on all landing grounds. Those now only apply to larger commercial airports. Again, we worked closely with Commission officials and MEPs to achieve a sensible outcome.

Flight Crew Licensing has also been a major success story, for the most part, for us, which pilots will start to see the benefit of during 2ou as the new Regulation is rolled out across Europe. We were very keen to see an EU-wide version of our NPPL, and after overcoming several hurdles and with the unstinting support of many people from the UK CAA and the Department for Transport, that is indeed what we have got. The Light Aircraft Pilots Licence (LAPL) will enable those pilots currently flying in the UK on an NPPL to fly throughout Europe and the Medical is a very sinUlarly based GP medical to that which they currently require. In fact, on that point, we should thank Dr Sally Evans, Chief Medical Officer at the CAA, for the huge effort she and her team have put in to achieve this. There are some minor differences but to all intents and purposes we have what we set out to achieve -a pan-European NPPL, based 30 LIGHT AVIATION

lAtn.:Apy

essentially on the UK NPPL. That is no mean achievement I think.

BH I think the LAPL will be seen as an and now that the excellent achievement Ts have finally been crossed and the Is dotted, Light Aviafion will be giving chapter and verse on the new EU PPLlicences in the side February issue. On the maintenance though, Part M has not been well received here in the UK. Some blame the relatively loose wording of Regulation and IRs, and we often hear the accusafion that CAA 'gold plates' EU regulation, making it more onerous than intended. Do you hold with that view?

DR Firstly, it is not just the UK that has an issue with Part M, there have been many States where stakeholders have been greatly disadvantaged. Representatives from Belgium and some of the Scandinavian countries have told us of some eye-watering problems. Part M was established for commercial aviation in 2003 and trying to make it work for GA was always going to be a problem, but EASA was insistent it was not going to consider an alternative. EAS presented EASA with a detailed critique of Part M at a conference in November 2005.

Unfortunately the subsequent attempt through WG M.m7 (on which the LAA's Barry Plumb was a member) to formulate a Part M 'Light' regime only partly succeeded due to legal and technical issues, and the resultant Part M for light aviation was implemented two to three years ago.

It is true to say that the wording of IRs is deliberately not rigid - bear in mind though

that English is the common EU language and everything has to be translated into each State's mother tongue. Clearly too rigid a text would make this difficult and the end result is that there is a measure of varying 'Gold plating' is perhaps interpretation. overstating the situation, but clearly there have been problems in some countries.

The good news is that because of the discontent, a very well attended conference ica5o attendees) was held in October coll where EASA reviewed Part M implementation.

Feelings were such that EASA has agreed that a working group will be established in early 2012 to take a fresh look at the Part M IRs and hopefully arrive al_a better solution. At best it will be iS months down the line before we see any change at the coal face, so to speak, but there is reason to be hopeful that we could see some positive changes and relaxations.

BH As a Permit to Fly organisafion, many of our members' aircraft fall into Annex II. I understand that was a sort of 'holding tank' for aircraft EASA considered too difficult to sort out within its design, production and regulation. How do you see maintenance Annex II developing? Do you, for instance, believe that EASA has plans to come back to take a fresh look at the aircraft within it?

DR Annex II aircraft remain under the regulation of the National Aviation Authorities of their home States, and I certainly believe that is the best place for them. They are a known quantity with existing regulation that is known to work well, at least in the UK, and it is my belief that CASA will almost certainly leave well alone, if for no other reason than it already has a huge amount of work on its hands and the Commission will not allow it to spend time on issues it does not see as important. For the foreseeable future, f think Annex II, and therefore our UK Permit to Fly fleet, will remain in the safe hands of the LAA and the BMAA, and of course for the warbirds and larger types, the CM. BH Thank you, David, for a clear and concise insight into how the EU system operates and how Europe Air Sports fits into that picture.

Fred Marsh's foresight, and the commitment of the many volunteers that make EAS such an effective force have certainly paid dividends. Long may their work in helping safeguard the interests of sport and recreational aviation continue.

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costs crippling your enjoyment of aviation?

"Pa

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JANUARY 2012 LIGHT AVIATION 31

> AVIONICS You can have some of the best communication and navigational equipment available, but if its link to the outside world is faulty then it is not going to give of its best Whether you call the thing that transmits and receives the radio signals an aerial or an antenna, really makes no difference, the theory is the same - and it's quite complex, so we'll only cover the basics. Atits most simple, an aerial is a device that converts electric current (at radio frequencies) into electromagnetic waves that are radiated into the air, and they're critical to the successful operation of your radio, transponder, VORor GPS. All of the radio systems we toe are 'lineof-sight', meaning that the receiving aeria must have line of sight to the transmitter for good reception, although materials that are transparent to radio waves (such as wood, glass-fibre, fabric) don't count - aluminium, steel and carbon fibre do. Ifyour aircraft structure is metal or carbon fibre, then the aerials must be placed on the outside of the aircraft - or under a glass-fibre cover.

There should be a metal 'backplane' /see below), insulated from the aerial and connected to the shield of the coax (more on this later). The radio waves make a circuit through the slcybetween the aerial and the backplane, so the better the connections the more power (better range) the radio will transmit or lower power signal the radio will be able to receive clearly. If the aerial is not insulated from the backplane, there will be no transmission. If there is not much of a backplane, the aerial will not 'work' properly - one reason why 'rubber duck' aerials on handhelds produce poor range.

The ideal length of an aerial is around half the wavelength of the radio wave, which for a 127MHzradio signal (the centre frequency of our communication band) is 1.12111 - an aerial this length is called a half-wave dipole.

To make this work for a communications radio, the aerial would ideally be vertical, because communication radio waves are vertically polarized Ithe electrical part of the electromagnetic wave wiggles up and down), and the coax would have to connect in the centre - but that's just not very practical to attach to most aeroplanes. So we use an aerial half of this length, a quarter-wave monopole (56cm long), with a metal backplane, which is much easier to install. The aerial can be bent backwards a bit without losing much efficiency.

As we would like our aehal to work between n8 and 136MHz, a thick rod has been found to provide good coverage over the range. For a wider frequency spectrum - for example as

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required by military aircraft - a much wider and shorter plate can be used, faired in with streamlined cover. This is good news for most people as, generally, smaller aerials would be aesthetically better- hence the 'shark's fin' type aerials sometimes seen, but they can be expensive and heavy.

It is possible to make your own comm aerial; make sure it's largely vertical (at least for some of its length )and properly mounted - see below. Mounting comm aerials horizontally (such as in a wing-tip mounted on a rib) usually results in poor performance, not least because the resulting radio waves are horizontally polarised such waves cannot be received by a vertically polarised receiver (which everyone else will have).

32 LIGHT AVIATION JANUARY2012

AVIONICS <

•••••••

However,VORsignalsare horizontally polarised so do use flataerials,which are often half-wavedipoles. Makingthe 'cars whiskers' type that isseen on many production aeroplanes work well can be complex- once again the aircraftengineer's bible, AC43.13-113 AcceptableMethods, Techniques,and Practices -Aircraft Inspection and Repair,has some good

advice.Recently,some internally-mounted wing-tipVORaerials have become available for metal aircraftwith fibreglasswing-tips,such as RVs.Byall accounts these produce good performance and are not blanked bythe rest of the aeroplane.

Aerialscan be buried in the wingsand fuselageofwooden and fibreglassaeroplanes and can be mounted inside the fuselageofsteel

"The h1staIIation of aerials is one of the critical aspects of good radio performance'

tube and fabricaeroplanes, but do take care to provide an appropriate ground plane.

The installation ofaerials is one ofthe critical aspects ofgood radio performance. Many avionicscome with very good installation instructionsfortheir associated antennas, and these should be followed,however in general for externallymounted antennas: ensure that the antenna issolidlymounted, most benefit froma suitable backing plate (commonlyo.o63in-16swg- aluminium riveted to the inside ofthe skin foran aluminium aircraft); ensure that the antenna is placed in a posidon which is not in the 'shadow' oflarge (comparedto the antenna size)metal or carbon fibre components such as p.

JANUARY2012 LIGHT AVIATION 33

> AVIONICS the landing gear. Antenna manufacturers will generally advise you to place the radio antenna on top of the aircraft - citing possible performance loss of antennas on the underside.

However, in reality we find that underbelly antennas work extremelywell, even the 'bent whip aerials commonly used on taildraggers for ground clearance. The underneath is the best position for communicating with ground stations - such as the Tower, particularly when you are close by: if two aerials are fitted they should be placed at least im apart Ifyou cannot find that space on top of the aircraft place one on top and one underneath; do not paint aerials as their performance can be seriously affected; GPS aerials must be mounted with a good view of the sky, but can be placed under thin glass-fibre covers - such as cowlings, but some people have reported poor performance if metallic paint is used on the covering cowling; AC 43.13- 18 has some very good advice about

mounting aerials, BACKPLANES & GROUND PLANES We have mentioned backplanes a couple of times already, and they are a topic that deserves a little further attention.

As well a completing the circuit, a backplane is just a piece of metal that makes the monopole think it's a dipole by reflecting some of the radio energy, and for good performance must be an appropriate length.

Any aircraft without a metal skin must provide an appropriate backplane for each aerial. For a communication aerial, the backplane should be at least a circle of flocm diameter a little smaller is possible but much smaller will lose performance. Higher frequency, smaller, aerials - such as transponders working on 1030and iouoMHz - require smaller backplanes with a radius of about the height of the aerial.

For the vast majority of aerials, having an effective ground plane is absolutely vital to their effective performance. Ifwe are asked about a poorly performing radio, etc, the first things we always check are the coax and connectors, and the ground plane. In very simple terms it provides 'half' of your antenna.

The key elements to a ground plane are: it must be conductive. It would normally be a solid conductor such as aluminium, but it could also be aluminium foil (heavy gauge) which is glued to the inside of a fibreglass aircraft for example. Some fibreglass aircraft manufacturers bond in a metal mesh within the fibreglass lay-up which also works well (for the more technical amongst you, the mesh size needs to be a small fraction o fthe antenna wavelength); ifyou are manufacturing a ground plane for an internally mounted aerial, then a solid aluminium sheet around the same diameter (it does not need to be round, it could equally be square with the same external dimensions) as the aerial is long is a good rule of thumb as to a minimum size; the outside conductor of the aerial cable must be connected to the ground plane.

Check your installation instructions very carefully as to how to achieve this. It will normally either be through the use of a star washer under the aerial connector which 'bites' through to the underlying metal or though the aerial mounting screws and lock washers.

34 LIGHT AVIATION JANUARY2012

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AVIONICS < THECABLETYPEusedis coaxial cable, informally called coax.Thishasan inner coresurrounded by what is normallya polyethyleneor PTFEdielectric and outer braided sheath.Themost popular coax cable hastraditionally beenthe long-standing RG-58 type, which performswell. However,this cable is no longer usedon certificated aircraft. RG400 is an excellent replacement,is more robust than RG-58and hasa double-braidedsheath. However,the normal caveatapplies regardingfollowing instructions from the manufacturer!

Forsomereason,we haveseena number of people treat the outer braid on a coaxrather like the shield on a shieldedtwin core cable for example.Whilst it doesprovide this effect, i.e. the electromagneticfield remainswithin the confinesof the cable, that is not

its primary reasonfor its existence;it is an integral part of the way the cable actsas a transmission path for the radio 'waves'. Thebraid must be connected properlyto the coaxconnectorsat either end - and is one of the first things to checkif the radio is not working properly.It is very important not to crush a coaxcable,or bend it too tightly, as its internal dimensionsareimportant to the way it works.

Talkingof coaxconnectors,like everything elsein life, you get what you pay for. Pleasedo not buy cheap coaxconnectorsfrom 884 don't laugh,we have seenTVcoaxconnectorsand cablein aircraft! And coaxconnectorsare designedfor a specificcabletype, so that RG-400requires RG-400type connectors.

Coaxconnectorsalso comein three generalinternal cablefixing types:

screw connectors- not recommendedas they havea tendencyto come loose; solder terminals - that's ok if you are handy with a soldering iron, or haveno choice- as with the connectorsprovided with the Garmin St30/40; crimp terminals - the preferred choice.

The 'standard' coaxconnectorfor whatever type of cable usedin the vast majority of Permitaircraft aerial/avionics are the BNCtype. Theseare highly reliable and usea bayonet-typefixing to connectto the aerial or avionics unit.

Someavionics manufacturersare now using a lower losstype of connector known as the TNCconnector, mainly for GPSaerials, but also usedfor some DME or transponder equipment. Theseconnectorshavea threaded connection.

RG400 cable showing twin silver coated braid

BNC solder connector

RG-58 coax cable

BNC crimp connector

Whichever method is used, it is important to follow the instructions provided to the letter for best performance.

To check whether or not the connection to your ground plane is up to standard, a good rule of thumb is to measure the resistance between the aerial-mounting hardware and the aircraft skin; this should be less than cboo3 ohms.

As we indicated earlier, most- but not all - aerials require a ground plane. The notable exceptions are: most GPSaerials do not require one as such, but may require grounding to the aircraft structure; certain VOR/GS dipole aerials; very specifically designed aerials for use in fibreglass fairings, inside wooden and fibreglass aircraft - such as those by Bob Archer Antennas. These types of aerials can provide really excellent performance, however their

Crimped TNC connector

installation requirements are very specific, so please follow the instructions to the letter: • a Full dipole aerial. A good example of this is the moulded-in radio dipole aerial installed by a number of fibreglass aircraft manufacturers such as Europa. If your aircraft is one of these types, simply connect up your coax to the aerial connector and that is it.

Do please read the instructions that come with your avionics equipment and your antennas and follow the instructions to the letter. Interference and/or poor performance from your equipment is more likely to be down to poor antenna installation than anything else but all too often they are not given the attention to detail they not only deserve, but must be given.

Next month, Glass Panels in their various guises... originally planned for this issue of Light Aviation, but pressure of work precluded its completion.•

JANUARY 20 I 2 LIGHT AVIATION 35

> ENGINEERING

RichardMolemakes an inexpensivetoolto setthegrommetson Dzusfasteners

The humble Dzus fastener (pronounced zoose, as in moose) has been the accepted aviation panel fastener for the best part of 8o years, one of those 'simple' inventions that found a niche and became the standard for a particular application.

Designed in the US by Ukrainian immigrant William Dzus, production started as a oneman-band in the early 19305at West Islip, New York, and expanded rapidly, WWII producing a phenomenal demand. Though the company has changed hands a number of times since William, and then his son Theodore, was at the helm, the Dzus fastener remains as popular as ever.

For those of us wanting to repair or replace old cowlings a id panels, or use the fasteners

Wing stud nestled into cylinder. It is offered up to the cowling once the Dzus collar - sometimes called a grommet - has been loosely pressed into the cowling skin from the outside. I put a smear of body filler paste with hardener between the two so that no gap remains after fitting. The second part of the tool is just a cylinder with an axial drilling to match the Dzus stud and with a very small chamfer at the end that abuts the collar (on the inside of the cowl).

36 LIGHT AVIATION ;AI :LI n

on a new-build, the Dzus system unfortunately has one major drawback - you need a special tont to crimp the soft aluminium 'bushing' into the aluminium or hbreglass skin. This bushing not only provides the bearing surface for the fastener, it also retains the actual fastener, preventing it from falling out and becoming lost when the cowl or panel is removed. This tool is currently around Sato, rather an expensive outlay for something that most of us will only use once in a blue moon.

I was faced with the problem of crimping the Dzus fixings on tny jodel DAB cowling and having, access to a small lathe, was able to come up with an eminently usable alternative at virtually no cost. Using a G-cramp and some

Dzus winged stud and the matching cylinder.

The first steel cylinder, about the same diameter as the wings of the stud, has a cup and a slot machined at one end. This allows the winged Dzus fastener stud to nestle in place so that pressure can be brought to bear from the opposite flat end

easily turned mandrels, I was able to dispense with the need for the special tool but make an equally professional job of crimping the fastener in place. Here's the process- without exact measurementsbut I'm confident any machinist of average competence would be able to achieve similar results.

ENGINEERING <

stsi;,

fji

Preparingto installthe Dzusstudwithits collar(cowlnotshownfor clarity).TheG-cramppressesthetwo softaluminiumsimplyfoldsbackagainsttheinnerfaceof thecowLAstt doesso,itsinternaldiameteralsodotes op whichpreventsit fromfallingoutofthe collar.Onefinalgruntonthe G•clampandit maythenbeloosenedandremovedillittnitietkel heypresto,jobdone!Withthe largersizeof Orosfasteners,thisschememayneedaninitial operationto kick-startthecollardefonnatioit thethirdpartofthe toolis a simpleshoulderedstud,turnedsothatthe collarjustslipsfreelyoverthestemandwith the shoulderanglettai

.

I

jor

Cylinder 2, Dzus collar and shouldered stud (tool 3). Insert the collar into the cowl with its dab of filler paste but before you install the Dzus stud, you insert the third part of the tool from the inside of the cowl and put the second cylinder with the axial drilling on the outside. The trusty G-clamp then presses the shoulder against the plain end of the protruding collar to start spreading it out. Only press it lightly.

Warning: if the spreading pressure is too extreme then the collar may jam on the stem of the tool and you will not be able to remove it without scrapping the collar. This would not be disastrous as the very soft aluminium collar is pretty inexpensive and also easy to cut or file away! Stop squeezing as soon as the collar has begun to splay out uniformly. Then remove the tool and use the procedure to set the winged fastener described earlier.

Prepadngto splaytheeo

cileknotihOWn

IF YOUWANTTOFITHUNDREDS, then get the machined cylinders hardened.But a decent hit of mild steelshould last a lifetime if it's just for occasionaluse.

Order two or three times as manycollars asyou have studs, to provide sparesto last the life of the aircraft, becausecollars are soft aluminium and they don't last for ever.

Youshould only needto removea grommet (what I called a collar in the captions) if it's damagedand you will probably find that you cancut it away with a Stanleyknife plus some brute force,starting at the worn area.Failing that, a combination of a needlefile and a short length of junior hacksawblade (without the spigots) will do the job.

It looks much tougher material than it actually is!

Buy a selection of springs becausevarying cowl thickness, maybereinforcing alloy plates,or whatever, may combine so that you will needone or two deeper or shallower springs than the type that best suits the majority of the fasteners.Theyareinexpensive.

If you line a fibreglasscowl with very thin sticky-backed silver foil tape you will protect it from oil seepage,lower the temperature of the cowl material especiallynear the exhaustpipes, and find that a quick wipe with a rag is an easyway to keepthe inside surfacepretty spotless(and it weighs nothing worth mentioning).

JANUARY20] 2 LIGHT

AVIATION

37

> FLIGHT TEST

"IL

AIL

••

• 'If it looks right, it'll generally fly right' Nowhere is this maxim better demonstrated than with the Chipmunk, an aeroplane which, according to most connoisseurs of the aeronautical art, enjoys the perfect proportions, exceptional aesthetics and immaculate handling qualities.

Designed as the ultimate airmanship training tool, it provided the aerial baptism for tens of thousands of Air Cadets and other would-be pilots over more than fifty years. Through all the uncertainties of life, the occasional sight and 38 LIGHT AVIATION JANUARY21)12

• "L• • • a

sound of a Chipmunk with its low-revving Gipsy engine aerobatting against a blue summer sky has been an unchanging source of delight for all whose eyes are drawn skywards at the merest suggestion of an aero-engine coming within earshot Can there be any red-blooded pilot on our shores who does not feel strong affection for the 'Chippie'?

The Chipmunk, which was the first homegrown product of the Canadian branch of the de Havilland Company, was designed in 1945as a replacement for the long obsolete Tiger Moth, and first flew in 1946.At that time, DH was knee

• • •• "L • • • • •

AIL

I

L

deep in turning out the aggressive Hornet and Vampire and the parent company was fully engrossed with the transonic, tailless Swallow programme and the development of the Comet, the world's first jet airliner. The Canadian design team was lead by Polish immigrant Wsiewolod Jakimiuk, who pre-war had helped found the PZL company. He had designed advanced, all-metal aircraft at PZL, which might be better known today if the one and only prototype of his most promising fighter had not been mistakenly shot down during a test flight by an over-enthusiastic Polish AA battery.

FLIGHT TEST <

IRS

The Chipmunk has the obvious look of a de Havifiand aircraft about it, despite originating at the Downsview plant near Toronto, rather than at Hatfield. The cowling needed to house the inverted-four inline engine pretty much defines the shape of the front end of all Gipsy Major powered aircraft, albeit on the Chipmunk made more muscularlooking than on the pre-war Moths by the addition of a big aluminium spinner hiding the hub of the twisted aluminium FaireyReed propeller. The shape of the slender, oval-sectioned rear fuselage and staggered

tail surfaces are clearly patterned after the Mosquito and Hornet, rather than the backswept Lepidoptera-inspired outline of the pre-war Moths. The centre fuselage houses the two crew in a close-coupled tandem seating arrangement, enclosed within a sliding canopy.

Later Canadian-built examples used a shapely blown canopy but the early models, and all those built in the UK, featured a more austerelooking straight-topped glasshouse style, which was nevertheless a thoroughly workmanlike job reminiscent of many of the warplanes of the recent conflict

The wings ate of semi-symmetrical section, moderately tapered, but of relatively high aspect ratio, reminiscent of the pre-war Moth Minor, though to a lesser extent. The wings are blended exquisitely into the elliptical crosssection of the fuselage by a classical set of root fillets. Like the Moth Minor, the undercarriage is of the upright cantilever leg type, but with wider stance and enjoying the sophistication of a hydraulic rather than mechanical braking system. Like in the Mosquito and pre-war Moths, the Chipmunk's suspension uses rubber discs in compression rather than in JAI\ UARY 2012 LIGHT AVIATION 39

p.. ?

FLIGHT TEST < more expensive oleos, relying on the natural damping action of the squashed rubber to control the rebound characteristics. The rubber discs, each about three inches in diameter and an inch-and-a-half thick, are assembled into a stack about a foot tall, which sits inside each of the tubular telescopic legs, immersed in grease. Each rubber puck is separated from its neighbour by a thin metal disc designed to control the way that the rubber distorts as the leg compresses. This arrangement avoids the need for close-tolerance fits in the telescopic leg units, inevitable in an oleo-pneumatic type, and while under constant pressure the rubbers can take on a slight permanent 'set over time there's no risk of a leg deflating and needing to be pumped up again, so the Chipmunk's suspension is relatively maintenance free.

The Chipmunk was the first de Havilland light aircraft to be built entirely of metal; there's no wood in it The fuselage is a semi-monocoque, stressed-skin affair with light gauge skins supported against buckling by elliptical bulkheads and lengthwise stiffeners, though the tell-tale lines of countersunk rivets, which attach the stiffeners along the length of the Chippie's slender tailcone, are almost invisible compared to the dome-head rivets that pepper the rest of the external surfaces.

The cantilever wings, which are manufactured in two pieces, attach at the fuselage sides to a narrow, canythrough spar, the mounting lugs and attachment bolts being hidden under the removable root fairings. The wings use a D-box leading-edge sheathed in thin aluminium, extending back to the main spar, and are fabric covered aft of the spar.

Unusua Ily,the fabric covering doesn't wrap right round the wing but only covers the open rear sections, leaving the leading-edge in

painted aluminium. The into-wind front edges of the wing fabric are not reliant only on the adhesion of the dope to hold them in place the fabric wraps around aluminium clamping strips, which are mechanically attached to the structure. The root ends of the wing are adorned with substantial-sized folded sheetmetal leading-edge stall strips, getting on for three feet long. Access to the inside of the wings is provided by two diagonal zips in the undersurface fabric of each panel.

The tail surfaces consist of aluminiumcovered fin and tailplane, while all control surfaces, including the Frise-type ailerons and slotted flaps, are fabric-covered, open-frame, aluminium-alloy structures. The tailplane hangs out behind the rear bulkhead of the fuselage, supported at its rear by diagonal struts, which are hidden beneath a large, removable, tailcone fairing, which also encloses the rubber-in-compression shockabsorber of the robust-looking hinged fork for the castoring tailwheel, the final iteration of a layout which had evolved in fully exposed form on countless tailskidded Moths since the late nineteen-twenties.

Early developments with the Chipmunk included moving the main wheels three inches further forward, a wider-chord rudder Ishown up by the need for a small triangular cut-out in the bottom rear corner to clear the raised elevator} and the addition of anfi-spin strakes, which were introduced after spinning problems cropped up in the early days.

SERVICE LIFE Following a successful evaluation of a pair of Canadian-built Chipmunks at Boscombe Down, the aircraft was selected by the RAFas a basic trainer in 1946,replacing the by-that-time

seemingly prehistoric Tiger Moth. A thousand of the new monoplane trainers were built in Britain, initially at de Havilland's Hatfield factory and later at Hawarden. Over 700 went to the RAF,where they served initially in University Air Squadrons and Volunteer Reserve Squadrons. A more modest 217were built in Canada, the type being accepted by the RCAFas their standard trainer in 1948.

Other Canadian-built examples went to Lebanon, Egypt and Thailand. Later, between 1955and 1961,a further 66 aircraft were licencebuilt in Portugal for the Portuguese Air Force, some of them being converted to use the more powerful Lycoming 0-360 engine using a modification originally developed in the UKfor glider tugging.

Chipmunks remained in military service right up to the l99os, notably at Middle Wallop in Hampshire where a fleet of them remained in use with the Army Air Corps for initial fixedwing training. The RAF'sAir Experience Flights up and down the length of the country held on to their Chippies until 1996, when they were replaced by the Bulldog. Chipmunks are still used today for tailwheel familiarisation by the RAF'sBoB Memorial Flight and both the Navy and Army's historic flights, indeed the flying shots in this article feature the very nicely turned-out RNASmachine.

When the type was built in the forties and fifties, it was clearly configured as a military trainer and there were only a handful of civil sales. Its whole raison d'etre was to be a specialised high-quality tool for training new pilots in basic flying, navigation, formation and aerobatics, with no concession to comfort The cockpit environment was styled lif such a concept then existecfi as a preparation for the functional 'office' of a military aircraft.

JANUARY 2012 LIGHT AVIATION 41

> FLIGHT TEST As a civil machine, the tandem seating was unsociable, there was nowhere to put any baggage and the nine-gallon wing-tanks were too small to be of much use for touring, the endurance being barely two hours. In those days of austerity, a new Chipmunk would have seemed expensive to buy compared to surplus Magisters and Tiger Moths that were then available at give-away prices, and with fuel then a very expensive commodity, an 8gph fuel consumption was a big disincentive for an aircraft that cruised at a leisurely 9okt Later, when batches of Chipmunks were sold off by the various air forces from the 19608onwards, the type became a more attractive proposition, not least because of the opportunity to buy something relatively new, i.e. post-war, at second-hand prices, even if they were going for three or four times the price of an ex-Services Tiger Moth or Magister.

The new breed of carpeted imported types like the Cherokee and 172were faster, more comfortable and economical on paper in passenger miles per gallon, but offered little for those more interested in avalanches and rollsoff-the-top than in ADFand DME.The imported competitors were styled internally like cars and given heavy control characteristics optimised for IFRflying. Their cliched swept-back fins, pin-striped colour schemes and magnolia, vinyl-finish cockpits gave a very different feel to the obviously ex-military Chipmunk with its bold, high-vis colour schemes, duck-egg-green and crackle-black interior, and external patina of domed rivet heads and bold, stencilled instructions. As time passed, and with increasing nostalgia about WWII era artefacts, the Chipmunk rightly came to be revered as a vintage classic, with an enthusiast base of thousands of pilots whose first memories of flight were as teenage ATCcadets buckled into Chippies, trying out the controls gingerly while trying to see over the cockpit rims, and of being turned upside down and hoping that their seat belts and stomachs were secure.

When surplus Royal Air Force Chipmunks were first released onto the civil market in1956, private owners and flying schools soon found that there was more to civil certification than painting on a G-registration and applying for a Certificate of Airworthiness. At that time, the only variant of Chipmunk approved by the ARB (predecessor to the CAA)was the Mk 21, from which the military T Mk10 differed in a number of details.

The solution was to define a new variant, the Mk 22,against which these ex-RAF(and, later, all other ex-military Chipmunks) could be certificated. Much has been made of the early difficulties of meeting the MI<22 standard. In truth, the bugs were still being worked out of what was a relatively new design and some modification and demilitarisation was only to be expected before initial issue of a Cof A. A desirable but optional enhancement was to adopt the bigger ng fuel tanks of the Mk 22A. The paltry 9g standard tanks in each wing are reduced from the original Canadian capacity to offset weight growth during the Chipmunk's adaptation for UKmilitary use.

Later disposals of MoDChipmunks in the 197os, and finally in the mid199os, featured examples which largely reflected the evolution and life extension of the type through its decades of steady military service.

Civilianisation became correspondingly less of a major work activity - more an audit against the modifications listed on the 42 LIGHT AVIATION JANUARY2012

'conversion' drawing, No. Ci-G73,and the requirements stated in the relevant CM Airworthiness Approval Note. The cartridge starter, where remaining, was not ideal, but it was straightforward to replace it with a conventional electric starter motor, which was a bolt-on replacement and wiring job - or you could opt to hand swing. Mthough the Gipsy Major engine had to be reclassified from a military Mk 8 to a civil MI<10-2,in some cases it could benefit by retention of the surprisingly high latter-day Service TBO. CIVILIAN SERVICE In civil use, the Chipmunk has a reputation for being a maintenance-intensive type saddled with a list of mandatory airworthiness directives (ADs)as long as your arm, numerous recurring inspections and expensive NDT checks. "Few light aeroplanes can ever have attracted so much ill-informed comment as the poor Chipmunk," says Mark Miller at de Havilland Support Ltd. "In the archive passed down from de Havilland, through Hawker Siddeley and British Aerospace there is justification for every change that they ever made, an inside story to everything. It makes us so mad when people denigrate the care taken over the airworthiness of the Chipmunk fleet, while rejoicing in the reliability and safety that it continues to give them!"

In reality, the design is now so mature that many of the 26 ADs cover issues that were dealt with long ago. True, there's a requirement to X-raythe aluminium alloy castings which attach the main undercarriage legs to the wing spars. In original form they are prone to stress corrosion cracking. Replacing the castings is no mean task as the wing leading-edge skin has to be taken off to gain access and a lot of drilling out of critical rivets is needed. And yes, the replacement castings are scarce, but de Havilland Support Ltd has gathered extensive evidence from operators in order to analyse the growth rates of the known forms of cracking.

Based on the results, they have been able to treble the frequency of re-inspection to once every12 years, or 6 years ifsmall sub-critical cracks have previously been detected. Only rarely are the castings found to be in such a bad state that they need an NDTannually, Or final withdrawal from use. It's all described in depth in a recent re-issue of Technical News Sheet TNS 165- a good example of the work done by DHSL on behalf of owners of the de Havilland types, and bringing a very welcome cost saving.

Another issue with these aircraft is the fatigue life of the major structural components.

Because the airframe was very carefully designed for minimum weight, some components cannot be allowed an infinite life. This was confirmed by a full-scale fatigue test carried out by Hawker Siddeley in the 1970son a specimen T Mk io airframe. While the fatigue life of major components is quite generous (10,000Fatigue Hours for the original

aluminium alloy wing attachment carrythrough, for example) many aircraft have passed this point and have had to have the affected tie-bar replaced.

The Fatigue Hours that are accumulated depend on the role of the aircraft, and in particular on what proportion of its flights aerobatics are carried out, as this use can accrue Fatigue Hours at two-and-a-half or even four times the rate of non-aerobatic flight, depending on the regularity of aerobatic sorties. For components for which no records of usage have been kept, or have been lost, pessimistic estimates of Fatigue Hours consumed must be calculated. Replacement of some of the life-critical parts is possible but expensive, and the situation is complicated by various different design iterations that have been introduced over the years, for some of which different fatigue lives are specified.

There is currently no means of extending the Chipmunk's basic wing structure past 3o,000 fatigue hours, which may explain why it's not unusual to see a pair of dusty-looking Chipmunk wings stored in the rafters of aircraft maintenance outfits, awaiting the day when the subject might be revisited and a further lease of life approved. All this is spelled out in DHSL'sTNS138and mandated by CAAAD2804 PRE 80. Any potential Chipmunk purchasers would do well to absorb this TNS,above all others, before parting with their cash!

As an aeroplane to own, considering the Chipmunk is a fixed-gear aeroplane with a fixed-pitch prop, there's quite a lot to look after compared to a homebuilt like an RV,or a factory-built Cub, Condor or Jodel. The flap system, for example, is cable-operated with each flap controlled by a separate cable and no other direct mechanical interlink to keep the two flaps synchronised, with a total of nine pulleys, a pair of springs, pushrods, cranks and levers making up the system.

It's going to take a lot longer to inspect the aeroplane in depth than a simpler type, even before you start on the mandatorywork called for by the Airworthiness Directives and TNSs. To see why the Chipmunk attracts such a strong following, despite these extra burdens of ownership, we must explore how it flies. So over to Rich...

BEAUTIFULNOSTALGIA Walking up to the Chipmunk is an exercise in nostalgia. Suddenly I was a 14again, a cadet, clad in RAFserge, strapped into a seat-type parachute by a 'squipper' (safety equipment fitter) and about to flyin a Chipmunk from No 5Air Experience Flight at Marshalls of Cambridge. In those days, clambering into the cockpit, engine turning, with a parachute strapped to one's backside was, to be honest, a bit of a struggle. No such struggle today - suited and booted, no parachute, and all quiet upfront I'm flying with a Chipmunk aficionado, Roger Milburn: ex-RAFpilot, Herc instructor, display pilot, and HS125Dominie captain, and Roger is about to take me through my first type-test I've flown the Chipmunk before as a tug pilot, so this is also a bit of a refresher.

The Chipmunk sits with the pale winter sunlight glinting off its immaculate University of London Air Squadron paint scheme, and she looks beautiful.

Entry to the cockpit is via the wing-root walkway. A quick turn of the handle on the canopy and the big glasshouse slides back. Although not exactly spacious, 11.

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jANU.A.RY2,:1)11LIGHT AVIATION 43

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FLIGHT TEST < there's plenty of room for a bone dome - and exceptional all-round visibility. Unusually, in a tandem-seat light aeroplane, the Chipmunk is flown solo from the front seat; the change in C of G when the rear seat is occupied is achieved through close-pitched seats, and an instrument panel only a foot or so from your face. With eager anticipation, I scan the cockpit and instruments - all there, except the fuel gauges, which are out on the wing-roots. A glance over my Ieh shoulder locates Lhe canopy escapepanel handle.

In typical military fashion, the throttle and mixture levers are on the left, and fall neatly to hand, sharing a common pivot and friction knob. The mixture operates in the opposite sense to standard and there's a tab on the throttle that will drag the mixture to rich when you reduce rpm. Below the throttle there's the brake lever, which can be set to apply both brakes simultaneously, or progressively to apply differential braking with rudder - a curious system that works well nonetheless.

Below and behind the throttle is a half-buried trim wheel. The fuel-selector lever on the floor selects fuel on or off; there's no left/right option between the twin wing-tanks; despite the balancing vent line, an unbalanced fuel load can be expected, especially if you don't keep the ball in the middle! Roger reminds me to keep a close eye on the fuel levels in flight to make sure both tanks are feeding evenly, as an empty tank could cause an unwanted engine failure.

The flaps are on the right, operated by pulling back on the signal-box-style lever until a ratchet drops into the half position. Pull back again to select full flap. To release the flap, you must first squeeze the handle and Roger tells me to keep hold of the lever so the flaps don't slam back into place in the slipstream.

From cold, the start routine involves a manual prime, and there are two convenient apertures in the port side of the Chipmunk's cowling to allow the prop-swinger to reach the priming controls, so there's no need to open the side cowling. The familiar call of ffirakes on, fuel on, throttle closed and switches off' precedes a quick swing of the propeller as it's turned through four blades to suck in fuel and to check compression of each cylinder in turn. Importantly, this action also releases any accumulated oil from the cylinders, and avoids any possibility of a hydraulic lock on start-up.

Like all the best aeroplanes, the Chipmunk has a starter button and proper magneto switches. Roger mentions that if I'm flying solo and the prop spins but doesn't fire-up, that I have probably not switched the rear cockpit mags on. Starting these days is simplicity itself, courtesy of a starter motor. In the 'old days' the Chippie was cartridge started - a pull of the starter ring, a sham bang and off you went - five attempts before a cartridge refill. We set itoorpm and wait for the Ts and Ps to rise. It is important to let the engine warm up to ffiT to avoid cylinder head joint problems, but with two gallons of oil on board this can take some time. de Havilland also recommends at least four minutes before 'opening up' for most Gipsy Major engines.

'Roger now coaches me through the taxying, which is remarkably straightforward, thanks Lothe slender cowling and the forward seating position. You still have to weave slightly to see directly ahead, but the visibility is pretty good. It is when you come to manoeuvre that the idiosyncratic braking arrangement conies

CHIPMUNKOWNERSwishing to operate their aircraft commerciallywill haveno option but to stay with a C of A, as operation on a Permitto Fly is restricted to private useonly.This preventsPermitaircraft being hired out or usedfor training, exceptwhen the owner or a memberof the owner's immediate family is the personbeing trained.

Ownerswishing to stay on a Cof A will need to cough up an annualfee in the region of £800 to de Havilland Supportfor using the DHSLType ResponsibilityAgreement(TRA),which someowners havefound a bit of a rude shockand an additional burden on the profitability of any commercialintent.

Forprivate flight, just about the only drawback of a Permitto Flyas comparedto a Cof A is that it confers no right of flight outside UKairspace,but in practicethis hasneverpreventedlargenumbers of LAAvintage 'Permit' aircraft touring abroad each year.Glider towing remainspossibleon a certificated aircraft that hastransferredto a Permitto Fly, providing it is usedon a non-commercialbasis.This doesnot exctute the typical BGAclub operation where the tug pilot doesnot receiveremuneration for towing and chargesfor the tow only cover the running cost of operating the aircraft.

One proviso is that LAApolicy is not to take on aircraft which are basedoutside the UK. Evenif the local NationalAviation Authority was comfortable with the idea of an LAAaircraft being based in their country, due to the administrative difficulties in supervising an aircraft basedoverseasthe LAApolicy is that theseaircraft should either be transferred to the local register or remain under CAAcontrol.

With Permit aircraft, compliance with service bulletins is recommendedwhere appropriate, and mandatory when enforced by an Airworthiness Directive or MPD(Mandatory Permit Directive). In the caseof the Chipmunk, there are more than 380 modifications and 100 TechnicalNewsSheetson record, manyof them mandated by the ADs listed in CAA'sCAP747Mandatory Requirementsfor Airworthiness. Facedwith this paperwork nightmare. owners are very fortunate that de Havilland Support provides a very tidy distribution service for TNSs (in effect, de Havilland's namefor service bulletins) as well as a full set of drawings, ADsand so on. This makesthe availability of service information much better than for other types like the Starnpeand lodel where someof the old bulletins are simply no longer available and their content but a distant memory.

Though later Canadian examples had blown canopies, all British production aircraft featured the WWII-style rearward sliding 'glasshouse' design home. There's a temptation to leave the left hand on the throttle, let go of the stick and reach across to the brake lever. Roger's advice is to use my left hand for both throttle and brake (obviously not together!, leaving the right hand on the stick, especially to control the elevators in high winds. There's a ratchet on the brake so you can set a 'few clicks' to keep the differential action engaged and, with practice, you can avoid getting into corners where you need hands on throttle and brake at the same time to blow the tail round. The number of clicks comes with experience and brake wear.

Roger reminds me about the brakes before taking off, especially in crosswinds when a little differential brake will help keep her straighL Not a problem today though as the wind is straight down Oaksey's strip. Roger suggests half-flap for the shortest take-off from the strip.

A good scan to make sure all is clear, line up, and progressively set full power. A check of the Ts and Ps and we're away. As soon as the throttle's fully open and we're rolling forward,

the rudder becomes effective and the nose is held easily pinned ahead once the tail's up. Vr is 45kt, accelerate to 65kt, then flaps up and vokt (recommended RAF climb speed), climbing to 3,500 ft QNI-I where Roger will take us through our paces.

AEROBATIC GRACE Flying the Chipmunk is a sheer delight with perfect control harmony and I almost only need to think where I want to go and it will comply.

2,3oorpm and steep turns are easily nailed, straight through the buffet, and the tandem seating gives that same great view both ways.

Stalling is unremarkable: no stall-warner, clean buffet at 45kt, and no wing-drop. Full flap stall is equally unremarkable at 38kt Roger briefs me on spinning the Chipmunk (not today as we really need 5,000 ft) and reminds me that it's a standard spin recovery: check brakes off - otherwise we may not get full rudder; height sufficient for recovery; throttle closed; check direction of turn;

JANUARY 20 ; 2 LIGHT AVIATION 45

> FLIGHT TEST full opposite rudder; stick centrally and progressively forward until the spin stops Ithe stick may need to be pushed firmly all the way onto the forward stop); centrahse the nidder and ease out the dive. We'll have a go another day!

Now Roger talks me through some aeros. The Chipmunk is a delight to acrobat - although power is limited from the 145hp engine and rpm has to be restrained because of the fixedpitch prop. She loops, rolls, and stall-turns with grace as long as you pay attention to energy management with the odd gentle wingover to gain height Roger demonstrates a loop: full power, nose down a hand-and-a-half, watch the rpm limi ted to 2,500 as she has a wooden prop), then a steady 3.5g pull.., pull a little more at the vertical, then over the top - check the horizon for wings-level, and as we come down the other side, throttle back and gently pull out My turn; Mil power, nose down to 13okt,check rpm, look up, and ease up... over the top, check wings level, down, throttle back, and pull out Awesome!

HOMEWARD BOUND Roger then takes her into a stall turn. I brace for a left turn, and we go right. Roger chuckles and tells me the prop goes the other way! And to finish, an aileron roll: nose down to 120,pitchup to put your feet on the horizon, full aileron, and around she goes.

At this point Roger decides the weather is looking iffy,so we head home, descending to t000ft to keep below the cloud. There's snow heading towards Oaksey, but we'll be OK.As befits a basic trainer, the Chipmunk is equally happy to be landed as a three-pointer or a wheeler, so both techniques can be taught And as befits a military trainer, our arrival back at Oaksey is heralded with a 11M-in-and-break, a manoeuvre designed to allow a returning fighter to maintain tactical speed until the last moment Today's 'break' has no such tactical use, but is just good plain fun, and also gets us on the ground before the snowstorm arrives!

With today's moderate wind, Roger is tutoring me in the gentle art of the 'wheeler', approaching at 55-6okt, with full flap and over the threshold at 5okt, employing the military technique of point and power, i.e. aim at the landing point and use power to peg the speed.

We roll out and taxi back to the hangar and let the engine idle for a few moments to cool gently, then switch everything off I was very happy to sit there for a while with a broad grin, enjoying both the experience, and the nostalgia. A perfect day at the office...

This particular Chipmunk syndicate is currently on a Private Cof Aand is one that could transfer to the LAAPermit system. They have received the info pack from the LAA,and are having the discussion within the group about whether they wish to join us. Cost will be a factor but like many, they are waiting untillanuary when they will have been to the de Havilland Support briefing day. I hope they dedde to join us, bur whatever they decide, my thanks to them for letting Roger and me use their fabulous aeroplane.

Thanks also to FLYER magazine for the use of the air to air images of the RNASHistoric Flight; to Ed Hicks for the detail ground shots; and to Ultimate High for allowing us to photograph its aircraft Ultimate High is based at Kemble and use the Chipmunk, Bulldog and Extra 3oo for advanced safety training and tun flying. wwwultimotehigh.co.uk

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46 LIGHT AVIATION

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JANUARY 2012 LIGHT AVIATION 47

> TALE OF A TURBI In the autumn of 1954, a chap called Harold Best-Devereux, who was then a surveyor for the Air Registration Board and a committee member of the Popular Flying Association, flew the prototype of Roger Druine's single-seat Turbulent on a tour of Britain to promote demonstration the idea of building your own aeroplane.

A report of the visit in the aviation magazine Flight caught the eye of Tim Langley and me, both second-year student apprentices at the de Havilland Aeronautical Technical School at Hatfield. A meeting with HB-D and the Turbulent at Elstree Aerodrome convinced us that the idea of building an aeroplane on which to learn to fly was a real possibility. HB-D recommended the two-seat Turbi, a larger version of the Turbulent, and told us the PFA had access to two Walter Mikron II 6ohp engines (E-15oeach) for the first two groups to get started on a Turbi. And the Kemsley Trust, administered by the PFA, was offedng a short-term, interestfree loan for the purchase of the engine.

Tim and I set about recruiting from within the student community - the aim was for a group of ten. The cost, we estimated, would be around E450, including the engine, and the building would take about two years.

Five-bob-a-week each into the kitty was the cast-iron minimum commitment required.

A student apprentice at that stage was only getting Ez 15s.a week and digs were £2 a week, so life was tight and students certainly didn't have much spare cash for anything other than basic living.

In early 1955, the TK Flying Group was formed; the name derived from the pre-war series of aircraft for racing that were designed and built by students of the School. In 1932, a Dutch student's design was the first to be selected; J van Hattum's drawings bore the legend 'Tekneise Kollegen No 1'. The Air Ministry granted the school's request that TIC1be given the registration G-ACTIC In the same way, TK registrations were given to TK4 and TK5, later on in the thirties. And in 1955, G-AOTK was granted for our Turin. The founder members of the TK group were: Tim Langley, Chris Batten, Manjit Singh Rana, Jim Young, John Mosta, and me. Chris Marsh joined the group in 1956.

Where to build was the first problem. Tim and I went to see Bob Reeve, the principal of the School, to put him in the picture as to what was being planned by the group and to ask if he could use his influence with the company to find a space. Unfortunately it was a bad time. Comet production was on hold and the factories were being reorganised to absorb production of Vampire, Venom, Dove and Heron to keep the skilled workforce occupied and intact So it was Hatfield Technical College (later to become Hatfield Polytechnic and, later still, The University of Hertfordshire) who kindly allowed the group some space in the aircraft maintenance demonstration classroom, and the building of Turbi was able to commence.

The keel (actually one of the longerons) was ceremonially laid on 26 March 1955 by Peter (later Sir Peter) Masefield, chairman of the PFA at the time. The early technical issues faced by the group are well described in an article written by Tim Longley, which appeared in Flight on 26 June 1956, and a link to this article is on the magazine page of the LAA website at www.laagiccom

48 LIGHT AVIATION

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The Grade A aircraft quality spruce and birch ply, from which the airframe structure was largely made, was sold to the group through the DH employee cash sale facility.

DM still used a lot of wood in Comet internal bulkhead structures and in Venom and Vampire fuselages, and the wood shop kindly machined the spruce to the required dimensions.

The plans (in metric and French) were bought through the PFA. They left a lot to the imagination, and this was compounded by the fact that none of the group had even seen a Turbi. A few months after work had started, Tim and I, travelling on our motorcycles to visit his parents in Lisbon, called at

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Toussous-le-Noble aerodronle near Versailles, Paris, where Roger Druine kept the prototype Turbi. With notebook, camera and tape measure to hand, we were able to crawl all over the prototype and clarify a number of the vagaries in the plans.

MODELWORKFORCE Tim led the group through the process of deciding the best way to tackle the various assemblies and 'managed' the workforce.

Nearly all had made flying model aeroplanes The confined workspace in the Ground Maintenance demonstration lab of Hatfield Technical College where the airframe was built

TALE OF A TURBI <

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and the principles were much the same just bigger and heavier. Tim, along with Young, Batten, Marsh and Musto made the fuselage sides and frames and the wing spar booms. Rana made many of the wing ribs and I made the tailplane, elevator, fin, rudder and ailerons on my kitchen table at home. For big assemblies, like bringing the fuselage sides together and skinning the wing leading-edges, there was a big turnout of all hands - usually at weekends. But most of the work was done in the evenings, a fter days in the DH factory and between evening classes.

The metal parts, ranging from small brackets to larger assemblies such as the undercarriage, joysticks, engine bearers and fuel tank, were made by first year apprentices in the DH Technical School workshops at Astwick Manor and in Ha tfi eld Old Town under the supewision of Horace Wright Tim produced the working drawings by which these parts were made, since the original French plans were far too vague.

The main assemblies were first put together in the classroom where they had been made and holes were drilled for the wing/tuselage/ tailplane attachment bolts. In the spring of 1957, the assemblies were taken by road on a DH flat loader to Leavesden Airport, Watford, and into 'Ken Brown's hangar' where Doves and Herons from all over the world were overhauled. During that yew-, Chris Batten, Rana and Jim Young, with some professional assistance and access to specialist equipment, applied the fabric covering and paint The last move, again by flat loader, was from Leavesden to one of the 'Robin' hangars on the south-east corner of Hatfield Aerodrome.

That was in spring-1958. Final assembly of the airframe and installation of the undercarriage, engine, fuel system, flying control circuits, instruments and engine controls took place in the summer of '58.

The Walter Mikron II engine was built in the thirties for Fairey Cosseilles but was never used and had lain in its wooden box throughout the war in occupied Belgium.

Apprentices of the DH Engine Company at Stag Lane, Edgware, under tutorial supervision, stripped, cleaned, checked and test ran the engine as a classroom project. The wooden propeller was bought ready-made from the historic Airscrew Company Ltd of Weybridge.

There is no record of the price paid but is believed to have been about E20. And I found a suitable pair of wheels for the undercarriage for Em from Coley's Aviation Scrap Yard on the edge of Hounslow Heath.

G-AOTK was wheeled over to the Comet Flight Hangar in July for final pre-flight it

> TALEOFA TURBI checks. It was at this time that David Wingate,a graduate ofthe Chelsea Collegeof Aeronauticaland Automobile Engineering and a colleague ofmine in the DHAerodynamic FlightTestDepartment joined the group to begin the longest personal direct involvement Ill Ail I Alai!. OH !UM 11,1•11WI III 9 ll Inuvrtwi the aeroplane. Daveand Igot all the 8 mnrmfliH with 1_1 WI systems and controls set up ready for the first doe flightand were often assisted by BobPooley, fresh fromnational service in the RAF,who 71r,Is worked nights in the FlightHangar and later went on to publish the well-known Air Touring si01.

Guides.Davewas to take a leading role in the management ofTurbi from1959until 1994 when the aerodrome at Hatfield closed.

The only problem to emerge during the pre-flightcheckswas an out-of-balance situation, the centre of gravitybeing way out ofthe aft limit in any configurationof fueland payload. This came about because the Mikron IIwas lighter than the modified Citroencar engine that Druinehad used - and the birch ply coveringthe aft fuselage and tailplane was heavier than the Gaboon ply used by Druine.The group had also decided to add August 9 1958, Hatfield, on the occasion of the first flight. Left to right: Harold Best-Devereux, Neil bracing struts for the tailplane, which had Harrison, Jim Young, Chris Marsh, Pat Fillingham, David Bader (Photo:BohKirkby) seemed to be rather flimsilymounted without them. The problem was pardally solved by wrapping speciallycast lead weights around the mounting pegs attached to the engine. It wasn't enough, but there was no room forany more lead so it was decided that Turbiwould be flownsolo fromthe front seat rather than from the back as the designer had intended.

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FIRST FLIGHT

The first flightwas on Saturday 9August1958 with Pat Fillingham,DH'stest pilot at the controls. It had taken three-and-a-half years fromthe start ofwork; there is no record of the cost However,thanks to the support in kind from the de HaviLlandAircraftCompany, the cost to the founders was not more than that to which they had been committed but the value in terms ofexperience and satisfaction was immeasurable.

Bythe end of1998Rirbi had flown31hours and performed 77landings. Aweek after the first flight I flewTurbion a five-dayround trip totalling izjhr50mMto the RSAat Saintes near Bordeaux.It was my first overseas nip and Ikept in close formation with HB-Din his Above and below: the airframe sees the light of day for the first time as it is loaded onto a DH flat loader for the trip to Leavesden for covering

50 LIGHT

AVIATION

JANUARY2012

TALE OF A TURBI < Auster, accompanied by PFA secretary at the time, Maurice Imray, who navigated for us both. I was mapless- such was our haste to get to the Rassamblement and show the French what had been achieved ill England.

In 1959, the TK Flying Group moved into fully operational mode and several DH students who had watched the building of the aircraft from the sidelines joined the group to fly her. Ken Rouse (DH test pilot), Barry Radley (Hunting test pilot), David Campbell (Luton Flying Club), Elizabeth Overbury (Hunting test pilot), Maurine Borne and Bert Russell gave generously of their time and expertise to provide ab initio instruction and type check flights to group members and friends.

The total flying time in 1959 was goz hours and over 250 landings with g00% reliability.

Notable flights included zhr to min direct across the Channel from Southampton to Jersey Ime and Ron Ashford); two return flights to Paris for the Air Show; participation in the King's Cup air race at Coventry (Pat Fillingham); Daily Mail Bleriot 50th anniversary race from London Marble Arch to Paris Arc de Triomphe - the Turbi carried contestant Derek Mott from Southend to Beauvais and back the next day; and the first ab initio solo flight (Alan Page after 6hr 4omM dual on the Turbil. The original mission objective had been accornplished, and thus began a 53-year story which continues today.

However, not all of the founder members of the group derived much direct personal benefit from their hard work and investment Tim Longley rode in Turbi as a passenger a few times before being called up for National Service, though his leading role in the building of Turbi may have been a factor in helping him be chosen for the Army Air Corps leading to deployment to SE Asia where he learnt to fly.

Jim Young began learning to fly on Turbi but left the group on discovering that his eyesight was not good enough for a pilot's licence. In 196o, he left DH to join Vickers Armstrong, Swindon, on hovercraft design and in 1970 moved to British Rail, Derby, on the ill-fated APT (Advanced Passenger Train) project. Jim has said that with the benefit of hindsight he would not have joined the group but is now glad and proud to have been a part of an historic project.

John Musto wrote a delightfully amusing piece for Esse Air World on the building of Turbi. He also rode as a passenger a few times before being called up for National Service in the army but sadly lost his life in a boating accident on service in Germany.

Manjit Rana had departed DH before the first flight and joined Folland Aircraft, attracted by the sale of a large fleet of Gnats to the Indian Air Force. But his big career break came when he went for interview with Esso India. The interviewer happened to have a copy of Esso Air World featuring John Musto's article on Turbi and once the connection was made, Manjit joined the company in the Aviation Division. He served in the oil industry for 3o years, finishing up as Chairman and Managing Director of an oil company before migrating to Australia in 1989. His most recent flight in the Turbi was in October 2006.

Chris Batten flew in Turbi once as a passenger before moving to work for Douglas, Santa Monica, USA. Chris died in the mid-199os.

Chris Marsh moved on to Cran field College of Aeronautics to do a degree course in aircraft design soon after Turbi first flew. He won a flying scholarship and learned to fly on Augers and built up hours on Turbi during the early sixties, leading to a commercial licence. He went on to a distinguished flying career in commercial aviation ultimately on BA Tristar.

In retirement, Chris has once again become a builder, first with an RV-4 ini994 and then an RV-9 begun in 2008 and which made its first flight on 27 May 2011.

RECONNECTING WITH TURBI I flew almost Bohr on Turbi during 1958-59 before leaving DH to join the Short Bros& Harland newly-formed light aircraft division in Belfast I reconnected with Turbi a few years before the 5oth anniversary celebrations in ecto8 and have been flying her occasionally ever since, having followed a lifetime career in the aviation business: eight years writing for Flight; two-years demonstrating and selling Islander/Trislander all over the world for John Britten and Des Norman lboth ex-DHAe'FS);16 years with Harold Bamberg tof Eagle Airways fame) flying and selling Beechcraft in the UK and abroad, and finally eight years with Brian Calvert (of Concorde fame) selling aircraft for

his corporate aircraft management business operated under the wing of Hunting Aviation at Heathrow FFieldsfi.

By that often incredible twist of fate, one of these later employers also had a strong connection with the PFA and the Turbi.

Britten-Norman, then in its formative years, took on a contract from the PFA to build Turbi G-APFA as an Association-owned aircraft, a story being followed by national television.

Initially fitted with an experimental Coventry Victor Flying Neptune engine, it was later re-engined with a Continental A65 and was given a rather Chipmunk-like 'greenhouse' canopy. Sadly that aircraft has not flown for some years now but I hope one day it will return to the air as another example of our Association's very early exploits in promoting amateur aircraft building.

A founder member of the group observed recently that the aspiration that motivated them to three years hard work had been the prospect of learning to fly. Given that none of the founders actually did So on Turbi, it could be said the project would appear to have been a total failure! But not so in practice.

The experience coupled with the training and unique ethos of the DHAeTS equipped us all very well for varied and successful careers in many directions.

Turbi remained based at Hatfield until the aerodrome closed in 1994, thanks to the support and benevolence of the companies from Hawker Siddeley, through British Aerospace and BAE Systems. Many employees of the companies joined the TK Flying Group over the years, some to learn to fly, others to exercise the licences they already held. Dave Wingate went on to gain a PPL with twin and instrument ratings and became a pilot on the 125communications fleet for the Hatfield company.

Turbi passed into private hands after Hatfield but there have been two reunions at the private a irfi eM at Rush Green near Hi tchin to celebrate the 40th and 5oth anniversaries of the first flight There were over go attendees on both occasions including all five surviving founders.

Turbi now resides mainly at Old Warden thanks to the benevolent support of the Shuttleworth Trust. •

j.kNUARY 20 1'2 LIGHT AVIATION

51

SAFETYSPOT

With Malcolm McBride Airworthiness Engineer

ON ME SPOT STOPPINGTROUBLE Good inspecfion practices, typical schedules and potential problems well spotted

Welcome to the first 'Safety Spot' of zon.

I hope that you had a great Christmas and are well enough rested to meet the particular challenges that the New Year will undoubtedly throw at you.

We live in interesting times turbulence in the UK economy will, for most of us I suspect, require a period of belt tightening.

It is worth remembering that it doesn't cost a lot to do thorough inspections on your aircraft and, even if you are not flying your machine as much as you would like, regular, time-based inspections are essential if you want to keep your machine in tip top condition.

Anormal inspection schedule on a small lightaircraftwould be based upon a 50h00hour cycle.

The 50-hourcheck isbasically a good general inspection and an engine oiland filterchange; depending on usage it's often worth checkingthe brake linings.

The mo-hour check isa 'panel off' inspeclion and that includesthe engine cowlings.In this check, the whole airframe isgiventhe once over with all the bearings being cleaned, inspected and relubricated. Somethingoften

forgotten,forall sorts ofreasons, is the magneto check each ioo hours;because the back ofthe magneto has to come offto check the condition ofthe points and the internal timing,there willbe a need to callon the servicesofan LAAInspector.Withthe magneto check,the conditionand function ofthe ignitionharness is checked and, don't forget,the sparking plugs willneed to come out to be cleaned and gapped. Witha little choreography the inspector may not need to be around forlonger than an hour; as the pilot/owner youare permitted to remove and refit the panels, so he/she willonly need to checkthat the complexoperations have been completed correctly.

It'salways a goodidea to have a second person checking your work; two pairs ofeyes are better than one. In terms of 'calendar inspections, personally Iwould do a 50-hourinspection on a monthly basis, whether the aircrafthad flownor not but would keep the engine oil change and servicetimes forspecificcomponents (for example propeller/magneto internal checks)on an hourly basis. In effect,the annual check isjust a big1w-hour checkwith some addition requirements, forexample, wheels-offbearing

5 2 LIGHT AVIATION JANUARY201 2

checksand checksofsuspension.

Ifappropriate, undercaniage retraction checkswillbe carried out during the loo-hour check.

Youwillknow bynow, I should imagine,that many ofthe de Havillandtypes willsoon be able to transfer to a Permitto Flyshould the owners want to do so. Knowingthat more complextypeswere verylikely to be allowed to transfer from a CertificateofAirworthinessregular readers willknow that the Stampe transferred early lastyear - the LAAhas been concentrating itseffortsin redefiningwhat we mean byscheduled maintenance and, importantly,what we expect fromowners. Whatwe wouldn't expect fromaircraftowners that do decide to transfer is that their maintenance standard willdrop.

Toquote MarkMiller,the Chief Engineerofde HavillandSupport, "Wewould expect the standard ofcontinuingairworthiness to rise, not fall,as owners willbe far more likelyto put their hand up to problems."

I think that it is definitelythe case that the LAAis more able to offermaintenance solutions than an authority hamstrung by havingto stay within a narrow Typedefinition.

In last month's 'SafetySpot' I talked about a couple of

serious incidents that befellLAA members which were, Ihope that you willagree, completely preventable. In this issue I will explorea fewproblems that were spotted before any problems arose. In the firstitem, good inspection practices almost certainlyprevented an engine failureafter take-off.

RANS $I 0 KIMPEX PRIMER BULB

I'm gettinga bit ofa reputation here at LAAEngineeringHQ, people are starting to talk. "What are those strange packagesthat keep arrivingforMalcolm?' Ihear the whispers, "They'renever from the same place, and "Thatlast one had a strange feel to it,"and, "We'dbetter keep an eye on him..."

It's true, I do likereceiving presents, and I do geta fair number ofsmall, unmarked packages.Nothingsinister though, I'm not a closet collectorof,well let's just say, 'unmentionable devices', it'sjust that members often send their broken bits to me to have a lookat and, as in the case ofa squidgy packet that just arrived on mydesk, spread the word ifthere lookslikethere might be a problem with a component.

With Malcolm McBride

Airwor 2.iness Engineer

Left and above: here is the Kimpex fuel primer bulb that caused a restriction in the fuel supply on the Rens 510. The primer consists of a squeezable rubber bulb and two non-return valves (NRV) to control the direction of flow. (Photo:

Makohn McBride)

Opening this particular package I found a brand new rubber fuel primer. I could tell it was brand new because, unlike many of the fuel-related parts that I receive, Fiona didn't immediately close her office door because of the smell. With the primer, which incidentally looked and felt fantastic, was a compliment slip from Skycraft so I gave Dave Almey, Skycraft's boss, a call.

Dave explained that he was inspecting a Rans Sffi after its annual maintenance review and that he had decided to replace the fuel primer because the old one was looking past its best Dave fitted a new primer from stock and checked that it was working correctly and thought no more about it Later, when the weather improved, Dave began his engine ground runs; everything seemed to be working well and he started to make plans for the test flight Then the engine stopped. After investigation, it was found that the new primer pump wasn't allowing fuel through under gravity feed. He changed the primer bulb with one from a different manufacturer, ran the engine again, and this time the engine ran perfectly.

Dave checked the suspect primer bulb and realised that this pump was a type new to him.

He checked his stock levels and this was the first primer pump from this batch that had been fitted to an aircraft Phew! Dave has now withdrawn this Kimpex pump from stock and sent an example, off the shelf, to me.

Good decisions all round as far as I'm concerned.

The Rans SKI, like many very small aircraft, has a relatively simple fuel delivety system. Fuel is contained in two shoulder level wing tanks which are connected

This picture shows an end view of the outlet side NRV.The valve itself is normally held closed by light spring pressure; note that the area upon which the fuel pressure is reacting is very small and the load applied will be proportional to this area. (Photo:MalcolmMcBride)

by a balance pipe from which fuel is supplied to the engine via a primer bulb and an ON/OFF fuel tap. At best which, incidentally, is when the aircraft is descending with full tanks, there are only a couple of inches of fuel pressure head available to the engine fuel pump inlet In the worst case, when the aircraft is sitting on the ground Ior climbing with low fuel) the fuel may be required to climb quite a hill.

The Rotas 532engine fitted to this particular aircraft uses a crankcase pressure-powered pneumatic fuel pump and, providing the lines are free from air, these pumps can provide a significant suction, certainly enough to raise fuel a few feet This type of pump, however, is very intolerant of air leaks or restrictions in the fuel line.

The photographs and capdons explain what I found when I tested the primer bulb

By using a pressure gauge from a blood pressure measuring cuff, the pressure required to overcome the spring pressure in the NRVs was measured.

The pressure required to open the inlet NRV was only just measurable but the outlet spring resisted about 24 mmHg before it opened. This relates to a minimum acceptable line pressure of 0.46psi and that relates to a fuel head of about 450mm (17.6in) —this is much more than the system on the Rans 510 could provide and the answer to why the engine failed. It makes sense to thoroughly test a fuel system if any changes are made to it; this engine failure on the ground is a good example where testing probably prevented an engine failure on climbout. When you test the system, think about the worst possible case as far as the pressure head is concerned. In a gravity-fed system, you must ensure that the fuel flow is at least 150% of the engine demand. (Photo:MalcolmMcBride)

and, because Dave used a very careful approach to flight testing this aircraft after maintenance work, the aircraft didn't end up in a field.

It does just show what can happen if you assume that two externally similar components are interchangeable, and both suppliers and purchasers must be on the lookout for gotchas like this.

Enough said

VAN'S RV-10 TRIO AUTOPILOT Some would say that I spend most of my time on autopilot... no, not the electronic kind, the brain in neutral kind.

I often switch on the neural autopilot

during repetitive tasks.., mowing the lawn, long drives up the motorway, easy sailing.., you know the sort of thing, I'm sure. Being a bit of a purist I would have, a few years ago, pooh poohed the idea of fitting an autopilot to an LAA type of machine. Surely the idea is that you want to do a bit of hands-on flying when you fly an LAAaircraft Naturally, 1have been reprogrammed, and I see the advantages to single-pilot operation (especially during difficult weather) that an autopilot of some sort or another can give to the pilot I've got a personal rule that every lunchtime I go for a walk around the airfield

This picture shows the component parts of the Trio autopilot servo; note that if the pin falls out for any reason, the drive arm could come off the shaft and this, in turn, could lead to a primary control jam.

(Photo:MalcolmMcBride)

I.

SAFETYSPOT Note: on this installation a washer has been added to prevent the attachment screws from coming loose.

This washer has the additional benefit of ensuring tht the drive arm would remain in place should the pin fail

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41.

Checkcarefully for free play

• 11..,

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(Photo:MalcolmMcBride)

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This is an atmospheric shot, more akin to a certain car manufacturer I used to work for. Roger explained that the autopilot fitted to his RV-10 is the Trio EZ system, which includes both heading and altitude-hold functions. The safety features include warnings for minimum and maximum airspeed and a g force limit. Each servo has a clutch, which can be overcome by the pilot should all hi else fail. It is a testament to modern electronics that this set-up, when coupled to a Garmin or Bendix/King GPS, will fly the aircraft accurately along a pre-determined track at a pre-set altitude. One thing that this unit won't do is adjust the power from the engine... yet. Soundslike armchair flying to me! (Photo:Roger

Hopkinson)

54 LIGHT AVIATION

The Trio autopilot servo'sdrive shaft moves freely until electrical power is applied and the autopilot engaged. In this picture the engineer is holding the drive shaft's fixed gear and measuring the radial play in the system. In normal service, autopilot engagement energises a solenoid, which lifts an idler gear into place between the motor's output gear and the drive shaft's fixed gear.

RP

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boundary. I do it for one reason and that's exercise, go the same way every clay and people have said to me, "Don't you get bored?

You must know every stone en route?" They've all missed the point; I don't see any of it as I'm on autopilot!

It was as I returned to my office Rom one of these lunchtime walks, still on autopilot I was confronted with an office full of engineer types. At the centre of this small crowd sat a Trio autopilot servo, and the owner of this device happened to be our esteemed Chairman, Roger Hopkinson, who as I'm sure most of you will know, is the owner/ builder of one of the LAA's five flying Van's RV-ro aircraft Even with my Luddite tendencies, if ever there was an aircraft on which an autopilot should be considered 'standard kit', it's the RV-im this is a aoomph aeroplane with a L000-mile range.

Roger finished building his fio in goo8 and it has completed about tho flying hours in the last three years.

When the dust settled and I had disconnected my personal autopilot, Roger explained why the autopilot servo sat on the bench and wasn't in his airframe.

He had discovered that the drive pin that secured the operating arm to the autopilot's drive shaft had nearly fallen out and he was very worried by the alarming amount of wear between this shaft and the operating arm. In the first instance, the failure of this connection would mean that drive would be lost fmm the autopilot - worrisome but probably not a desperate problem as a flight could be hand-flown to destination. The real danger as

With Malcolm McBride

Airwor- ainess Engineer far as Roger was concerned was that the arm could wind itself off the shaft and, because it's mechanically connected via a drive rod to the primary control drives, in this case the elevator push rod, under some circumstances the elevator control could become jammed or at very least cause a control restriction. Not a pleasant thought.

Roger, a professional engineer himself, had been worried about the possibility of this arm coming loose because the attaching screws could unwind. He came up with a very simple idea when he built the aircraft to prevent this from happening, using a hometurned aluminium washer held in place on the shaft using a spilt pin. You will see when you view the photographs, that this would have the additional benefit of preventing the operating arm from falling off the shaft if the pin should fall out.

The other wonying aspect of this incident is the wear discovered between the shaft and the arm itself. This is not so easy to check, for as the arm and shaft are free to rotate when the autopilot is disengaged. We were able to check this play with the seivo's cover removed by fixing the drive cogs; it might be possible to check for play by engaging the autopilot and getting an assistant to move the primary control while you look for any movement in the linkages.

At the time of writing, we're still waiting for the manufacturer's recommendations but, in the meantime, we've written to all the owners who have specifically applied for a mod to fit this autopilot system to their aircraft.

In the letter we've made owners aware that there may be a problem beginning to develop with this component. If you own a Trio autopilot on your aircraft and you haven't received a letter may I ask you to let us lmow here at Engineering HQ that you're not on our list. That way, when we do have specific inspection advice, we can send it to you.

Don't forget, hy the way, if you do disturb anything in a primary control system then it is essential that you get an LAA Inspector to check the system before you fly the aircraft PULSAR XP BLUE STYROFOAM RIBS Regular readers of 'Safety Spot' will recall that, in the November edition, I reported a problem where the blue Styrofoam rib infills on a Kitfox aircraft had disintegrated. The consensus was

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This drawing showsthe wing plan form of the Pulsar XP (starboard wing, looking from above). Damaged ribs have been found on ribs 1through 7 (Drawing: Malcolm McBride)

JANUARY 20 12 LIGHT

AVIATION

55

SAFETYSPOT that the problem was caused by fuel vapour reacting with the Styrofoam. I then received a call from LAAer Paul Avery who said, "You know that you were talking about Styrofoam and the fact that it doesn't like petrol much..." It might be worth letting Paul tell the story...

'The aircraft was advertised on eBay, as requiring 'some TLC. I'd also seen the aircraft advertised on Afors earlier this year. On the initial visit, I met the owner who was quite happy to allow me to do a full survey on the aircraft Initial impressions were quite good; all work seemed to be mainly of a cosmetic nature with no major work required before Permit renewal. The aircraft was checked as per TADS /Type Acceptance Data Sheets, available on the IAA website- MA/Pand all seemed in order, however, there seemed to be some flex on the underside of the wing between ribs one and two, which was present on both wings. There was also a slight flex on the walkway, although considerably more pressure had to be applied. On removing the seats and carpets, it was found that the wing-roots were completely sealed with a thin layer of fibreglass painted black, and there was no way I could inspect further.

'I arranged to visit again the following day and questioned the owner about this black fibreglass covering. He stated he was aware of it and that it had got no worse during his ownership of the aircraft 'The wings were inspected the following day. Luckily the aircraft was built with two inspection panels on the underside of the wings, one being just outboard of rib three; a snap-on optical borescope was fed through the aileron drive aperture in rib three - ribs one and two on both wings were found to be almost totally dissolved.

'The aircraft was purchased and transported to my workshop where the fibreglass covering on the wing-roots was removed and it was found that the damage to the ribs of both wings was almost identical. The fibreglass covering had a very poor bond to the wingrib epoxy and I don't believe it was part of the original build. In fact, on further investigation, it seems to be a mixture of glass and carbon fibre. There was also some evidence of another substance, perhaps builders foam.

'The only area it did have a good bond to was the outer rib 'glass bearing' for the flap torque tube,

56 LIGHT AVIATION jAN IAl

hence there was no excessive play on the flaps. The reason for there being more movement on the lower skin is that the walkway is reinforced with a ply/foam sandwich between ribs one and two.'

Paul obviously likes a challenge.

The first thing I did after hearing from Paul was to seek advice about whether this sort of materials failure could be an issue on any of the other LAA madlines. The Rutan designs came to mind as Styrofoam was the material of choice for the VariEze and Long-EZ aircraft I emailed Don Foreman, a LAA Inspector who specialises in these machines. He said that he had never seen a problem with any of the machines that he had inspected, but it was well-known that fuel and Styrofoam didn't mix. Perhaps it would be more technically correct to say that fuel and Styrofoam mix rather well, in any event my next stop didn't require me to travel far, just to the next office in fact!

The reason for getting out from under my desk was that I knew that the Europa aircraft used blue Styrofoam in its construction.

Who better to ask about Europas than the LAA's Design Engineer, Andy Draper. He used to be a Senior Engineer at the Europa factory when they were designing the machine and still keeps a very close eye on the type. Andy agreed with Don that there was

no real cause for concern as far as the Europa fleet was concerned because the fuel tank in the Europa is in the fuselage and the main use of Styrofoam is in the tail surfaces and the wings of the original 'Europa Classic' model.

In the Pulsar XP,on the other hand, the foam wing ribs are just inches away from the fuel tanks which are of 'integral' type, occupying the whole length of the inboard leading-edges portion of the wings.

We've seen this problem before on Pulsars and, in zoor, the PFA issued anAirworthiness Information Leaflet (AIL) requiring a one-off check of the wing ribs. This early AIL was in response to a flap failure caused by the collapse of the wing rib supporting the flap torque tube. Actually, the wing rib had completely disappeared!

The wing ribs, albeit only soft foam, are an essential part of the structure on the Pulsar aircraft; failure of these ribs could lead to a structural deficit and a possible wing failure. Clearly, regular inspections are required and these have now been called-up by the reissue of the LAA's AIL. This is a good example of the need for a thorough inspection of the aircraft's structure at regular intervals and we now require internal structural checks on the Pulsar aircraft at each annual inspection. This particular machine was first Permitted 20

years ago and had accumulated about 3oo hours in this time, a little over an hour a month!

Thanks Paul for letting us know about the problem and good luck bringing this lovely aircraft back to full serviceability.

82A TIGER MOTH FUELHOSES Just as I was coming to the end of my draft for 'Safety Spot', Francis Donaldson, the LAA's Chief Engineer, asked me whether I had seen the latest Technical News Sheet (TNSI from de Havilland Support Ltd IDHSL). I hadn't, but he said that I should read it because it highlighted to him how careful we must all be when designing or changing maintenance schedules to suit LAA Permit operation. The TNS Francis gave me concerned flexible fuel hoses, a subject that we've spent some time on in 'Safety Spot' over the years.

The reason DHSL issued the TNS is that it was becoming more than a little concerned that some of the fuel hoses fitted to Moth aircraft could date back to the mijos and should, after over 7o years operation, be considered suspect and retired from service. We belong to an organisation where age alone wouldn't normally be considered a reasonable criterion for scrapping parts, but I agree with Mark Miller, DITSL's Chief Engineer, that natural, rubber -based products

Here is a picture of a Superflexit fuel hose that has been removed from a DH 82A Tiger Moth. There's a good chance that this fuel hose has been performing well for sixty or seventy years but nature demands that these natural rubber components will have a life. Rubber tends to harden with age and you will notice that a flexible item retains its 'fitted shape when removed. The reduction in flexibility in a fuel pipe can lead to cracking, which may not be visible from the outside of the pipe; this, incidentally, could result in a sudden failure at any time. I always thought that the wire wound around this sort of pipe was to increase the pipe's pressure tolerance and resistance to kinking, and was surprised to hear that the wire is there to provide an electrical conductor.

(Photo: de Havillond Support Ltd)

2c)I 2

With Malcolm McBride Airwort-airiess En.gineer will have a service life and that a sensible approach to managing their life should be taken into account when you design the maintenance programme for your machine.

Strangely, the rules governing fuel hoses are quite simple and, unless a particular manufacturer defines a service life of a part land many do! hoses are judged as an 'On Condition' item. I would be surprised if a 70-year-old rubber hose would still meet the 'On Condition' 36-month pressure test requirement stated in the UK CAA's Light Aircraft Maintenance Programme (LAMS) and remember, the maintenance schedule that you use will almost certainly use LAMS as its basis.

The hoses that DHSL suggests are suspect are Superflexit, Avioflexus and Pertroflexus types and, while they may look OK from the outside, internal deterioration and loss of flexibility is almost inevitable.

DHSL recommends that all these older types of pipe should be replaced with modern equivalents and recommends that fuel hoses should be replaced with new items every 15 years.

Interestingly, and this should remind us all that taking things for granted in the aviation world is never a sensible operating strategy, the old de Havi Ila ndsupplied fuel pipes were externally wire-braided types which also acted as an electrical earth between the carburettor and the petrol filter. DHSL's TNS provides details of a simple bonding strap that must be added between engine and airframe when swapping to a modem Aeroquip-type hose, which has no such metal braiding. Good Spot DHSL! Fair winds! •

I

This picture shows where you can find the main fuel supply pipe on a Tiger Moth; other Moths, e.g. the Leopard Moth (DH 85), Moth Minor (DH 94) or the Puss Moth (OH 80A) may be configured differently.

Installations that utilise an enginedriven fuel pump will be equipped with more than one flexible fuel hose (Photo: de Hovittand Support Ltd)

PETROL PIPE PART NO. 40744 Here's a close-up of a carburettor flange from a picture I featured in December's Light Aviation.

LAA Inspector Robin Dispain wrote to me pointing out that gasket sealant had been used during the assembly and that this shouldn't have been necessary. Robin made a good point, which I promised to share. If there's excess sealant on the outside then there's a good chance that there will be excess on the inside. ; Food for thought! (Photo: Barry Smith)

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JANUARYPA;12 LIGHT AVIATION 57

> WHERE TO GO

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1

7-8

7-8

8

19-22 20-22

21

21 26-29

Old Sarum, Vintage Sunday Fly-in 01722322525 www.oldsarumairfield.co.uk Old Buckenham, New Year Fly-in 0195386o8o6 www.oldbuck.com Popham, New Year Fly-in m256 397733 wwwpopham-airfield.cank Compton Abbas, New Year Fly-in 01747811767www.abbasair.com North Coates, Brass Monkey Fly-in 0147238885o www.northcoatesfiyingclub.co.uk Halfpenny Green, BMAA8 LAA Icicle fly-in & Camp www.brnathorg/ events_item.php?wn1D=i4o5 Croydon Airport, Collectors Fair 01737822200 www.redhillairshow.co.uk Sebring, Fl (N), Sport Aviation Expo www.sport-aviation-expo.com Alexandra Palace, London, Model Engineering Exhibition (inc BMFA) www.londormwdelengineering.co.uk Sywell, VAC Snowball Fly-in [PPR] 01604 644917 www.vintageaircraftclub.org.uk Alcester, BAeA AGM wwwaerobatics.org.uk Tauranga (ZKi, SAANZ National Fly-in wwwsamorg.nz/cms/sportavex-20

FEBRUARY 5

5

Sturgate, Lincs AC Breakfast Patrol 01427838305 wwwlincolnaeroclub.co.uk Old Sarum, Vintage Sunday Fly-in 01722322525 www.oldsorumairfield.co.uk

58 LIGHT AVIATION JANLIARY21112

Old Sarum, VAC Valentine Fly-in [PPR] 01722322525 www.vmraqeaircraftclub.org.uk Old Buckenham, Valentine Fly-in 01953860806 wwwoldbuck.con.

MARCH 3

Vauxhall Rec Club, Luton, Luton Aircra ft Enthusiasts Fair 01372725063 wuw, o ircroften th osiostfoir.co. uk

4

Old Sarum, Vintage Sunday Fly-in wwwoldsarumairfield.co.uk 01722322525 Breighton, Frost-Free Fly-in 01757289065 www.realaero.com Newark, Museum Aeroboot Sale 01636707170 wisw.newarkairmuseum.org Turweston, VAC Spring Fly-in [PPR] 01280 705400 www.vintageaircraftclub.org.uk Old Buckenham, LAA& Homebuilt Fly-in 0195386o8o www.oldbuck.com Lakeland, Fl (N), EAASun'n'Fun tly-in www.sun-niun.org Shoreham Airport, Aero Jumble

4 12

25

25

27-Api 31

7

7

7-9 8

14-19

14-19

28 - 22

21

01 424 753356

31

www.aerojumble.tumblr.com Sandtoft, BAeA Aerobatic Competition www.aerobatics.org.uk

22

27-29

APRIL Old Sarum, Vintage Sunday Fly-in 1 1

6-8

01722322525 wwwoldsarumoirfleld.co.uk Breighton, April Fool Fly-in 017572139065www.realciero.com Wanaka (ZIG, Warbirds Air Show wryly, worbirdsoven/v0 ncika.com

28

29

II

Henstridge , LAA Wessex Strut Fly-in [Pre Register] 07760 76116 www.vvessexstratorg.uk uk Fenland, Fly-in EtSpotters Day o1406 540330 www.fenlandairfield.co.uk East Kirkby, Lincs Museum Large Model Show wwwlincsaviation.co.ak Popham, Jodel Fly-in 01256397733 vvww.popham-airfield.co.uk Fenland, VAC Daffodil Fly-in [PPR] 01406 540330 www.vintageaircraftclub.org.uk North Coates, Spring Microlight Gyro Fly-in 01472388850 www.northcoatestlyingclub.co.uk Breighton, BAeA Aerobatic Competition www.aerobatics.org.uk Friedrichshafen (D) GA Exhibition 0049 7541708128 www.aero-friedrichsha fen.de 0 Id Sarum, Aeronca Club Fly-in 01722322525 www.aeronca.co.uk K2 Centre, Crawley, Gatwick Air Enthusiasts Fair www.gatwickaviationsociety.org.uk Elvington, BAeA Aerobatic Competition www.aerobancs.org.uk Newark, Museum V-Force Tribute Event 01636707170 www.newarkoirmuseum.org Old Bucken ha m, Van's RV Fly-in 01953-860806 www.oldbuck.com

WHERE TO GO < A beautiful wintertime photo of Liverpool dock's entrance to the Mersey taken by Nick Marciano from Eddie Bayliss' Kolb Twinstar on Christmas Day 2010

MAY 5

Bodmin, LAADevon Strut Fly-in 01752406660, 07805 805679 vvww.devonsnoccauk

5- 6

Popham, Microlight Trade Fair 01256397733

5

Antwerp -Stampe Museum (00), ASAAviation Fair

LAAEvents2012 Each year the Association attends a number of the major shows and plans are already in hand for our 2012 programme. There are the usual favorites of course - Popham, Expo, Shuttleworth, Rally and The Flying Show - but this year we add two new events. Goodwood's Festival of Speed has long been a major event in the motorsport world and this year it plans to expand its aviation presence, so the LAAwill be there hoping to attract new members. And as both the LAAand RSAare in their 65th year, we have jointly organised a get-together at Duxford and St Omer in June. So, our schedule is already looking very full. Do please visit us at some or all of these events - we'd love to see you.

wwwpophcomairlield.co.olc

wwwnscebe.com/Photogallery_ASA_ antwerp_aviononjonhim 6

Old Warden, Shuttleworth Spring Air Show [PPR]01767627927 wwwshottlewonfrorg

6 6

Breighton, May-hem Fly-in 01757289065 wwwreothero.com Abingdon, Air EtCountry Show minvabingdoolayre.com

12-17 12-13

Old Warden, Shuttleworth Aeromodel Event [PPR]01767627927 Sleap, BAeAAerobatic Competition wwvvnerobotics.org.uk

13

Hoogeveen [PH), Wings Fi Wheels Show www.vliegvekThooneveenni/ diversen/wings_and_wheels.pd

13

Henham Park, Suffolk, Wings Et Wheels Show [PPR]07796 878052 www.wingsandwh

13

eels-on line-cauk

Popham, Piper Anniversary Fly-in 01256397753 www.pophamnirfield.conk

17-20

Challes (F), RSAFly-in wwwdoodle.comumn7wydxzh0004pl

19 19

Badminton, USClassic Fly-in [PPR) 01752406660 wwwneroncnconk Old Warden, Shuttleworth Evening Air Show [PPR]01767627927 www.shottleworth.org

15-20 19-20

Old Buckenham, Vintage Fly-in 0195386o8o6 www.oldbuck.com Halfpenny Green, HGAt War Military Show 01384221378 www.wolverhompronairponco.uk

25-27

Glenforsa, Isle of Mull Fly-in [PPR] 8168o 300402

25-27

Sywell Aero Expo GATradeshow Ipre-registed 02082 554000

vvww.glen forsaairfield.co.uk

www.exponero

25-27

Elvington Museum, Wings 6 Wheels Show www.wheelsondwings.conk

26-27

La Ferte Alais (F),Sal is Collection Display wvywnjbs.fr

26

Old Warden, Shuttleworth Wings EtWheels Show [PPR] 01767627927 www.shunleworth.org

26-27

26-jn 8

5-6 May- Popham Microlight Trade Fair This event has been on our aviation calendar Mr many years and is seen by many as the show season opener. Given good weather it is not unusual to see over boo microlights and light aircraft fly in, and there is always a good attendance by road. The format is of a lighthearted exhibition with the ability for agents and manufacturers to give demonstration flights and generally show off their products.

The LAAattends this event with a great deal of help from the local Andover Strut. www.pophom-oirnektco.olc

25-27May- Sywell Aerodrome, Northants, AeroExpo The AeroExpo is a big event for the LAAand we plan to once again have a large marquee and outside parking area to show a number of LAA-typeaircraft The Expo moved from Wycombe Air Park (Booker) in 2on so 2012 will see its second showing at its new venue, where the flying-in procedures are more relaxed and camping facilities are available.

There is also a motel, restaurant and cafe on site at Sywell. The Expo itself is currently the largest aviation exhibition in the UK,with all facets of General Aviation represented from the light sport end, through aero-club to light commercial. wwvv.exponero/uk 5-lo June - Duxford and St Omer, France.

LAA/RSA65th Celebration 2012 marks the 65th anniversary of the LAA

and its French counterpart, the Reseau du Sport de l'Air /RSA).9 June will see a Duxford Bonus Day themed on the LAA,and we hope many fly-in visitors will take advantage of a low-cost landing fee and museum admission, plus the opportunity to see what LAAis all about via our display and presentation. Our friends in the RSAare expecting around 5o of its aircraft to fly in from France, while NATS has been extremely helpful in promising to assist with any language difficulties by accommodating small groups flying together and by having a French speaker on duty at London Information.

Later in the day LAApilots are invited to join our French friends as they head back across the Channel to St Omer, in the Pas de Calais region, where there will be a celebration dinner before heading back home on the loth.

Southend, Sea Front Air Show 01702215166

www.lightnircraltossociation.co.uk

wwwsouthendoirshow.com

M June - Old Warden, LAAParty in the Park 8 Shuttleworth Evening Air Display Each year the LAAhosts a lunch, museum visit and late afternoon/early evening air display for VIPguests at Old Warden, home of the world-famous Shuttleworth collection of vintage and veteran aircraft The LAAand

Isle of Man,11' Motor Cycle Races www.ionoccom

27

Duxford Jubilee Air Show 01223835000

32-Jn 3

Sywell,BAeAAerobatic Adv B Unlim Nationals wwwaerobolics.org.uk

wwwnux ford.nwnorg.ok

Shuttleworth have a special relationship, the Assodation having around 30of the Collection's oldest and rarest aircraft on its Permit to Fly flea TheVIPs come from a range ofassociations and organisations with which the LAAdoes its day-to-day business and isan opportunity for everybody to enjoya day immersed in aviation in a relaxed and informal manner. wwwlightoircrofthssocioilon.caok

25 June - ijuly - Goodwood Festival of Speed 2012sees the LANs first visit to the renowned Goodwood Festival of Speed, as the Aviation Exhibition presence at the event is being widely expanded this year. We will be concentrating on letting the many car and motorcycle enthusiasts know what thrills are open to them in recreational flying, the three sports very much enjoying a synergy with participants in each often crossing over. www.goodwood.conk/ welcomenspx

festival-a (-speed/

31August - 2 September - THE2012LAA SYWELLRALLY, Sywell, Northants The Rally is the LAA'smajor event of the year and the principal aim is for members to have a weekend of fun. Given good weather it would not be unexpected for over t000 aircraft to fly in, and several thousand people attend by road. This year we are hoping to expand the exhibition and will be bringing back an old favourite - the Homebuilder Centre, With a properly serviced campsite, entertainment laid on for the Friday and Saturday nights, and Sywell's legendary motel, restaurant and cafe facilities, the Rally offers a very convivial opportunity to meet up with old friends and make new mles, and immerse yourself in LAAtype aviation for a full three days. Asa member you will be able to get up close and personal to the aircraft in the aircraft park, and meet and talk to owners about their aircraft- it's a wonderful opportunity to learn about the type available, their costs and perfonnance. Make a date, 31Aug to 2 Sept - the biggest fly-in event in the UKand a warm welcome for one and all, www.lightancroffossociationconkhon/ rollyzolzhnol

Late November - The Flying Show at NEC The LAAhas supported The Flying Show for many years and puts on a comprehensive display of its activities. We see our presence at the show as an opportunity to tell the world of GAwhat the LAAhas to offer, to win new members and of course to meet our existing members, many of whom attend the show. Dates have yet to be announced for the 2012event but the probability is that it will again be late November at Birmingham's NEC. www.thellyingshow.conk

JANUARY2012 LIGHT AVIATION 59

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A/C Design A Conceptual Approach (Raymer) £80 A/C Performance & Design (Anderson) £48 Aircraft Design Course (notes+3DVDs) £80 AirfoilSelection (Wainfan) £17 Design of LightAircraft - (Hiscox) £39 Design of the Aeroplane (Stinton) £73 Engineer to Win (Smith) £22 EvansLightplane Designer'sHandbook £28 Flying on YourOwn Wings:A Complete Guide to Understanding LightAirplane Design (Heintz) £30 Introduction to Aircraft Design (Fielding) £30 Landing Gear Design tor LightAircraft Vol 1 (Pazmany) £40 UghtAirplane Design(PcPrnany) £35 Low-PowerLaminar A/C Design (Strojnik) £40 £40 Low-PowerLaminar A/C Structures Low-PowerLaminar A/C Technologies £40 £11 New Science of Strong Materials (Gordon) £28 StressWithoutTears(Rhodes)

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Natural Navigator

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DON'T FORGET- ALLTHEBOOK PRICESINCLUDEp&p!! SEEORDER FORM FOR MORE DETAILS

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> LAA MAIL ORDER Understanding

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

£11

Construction

Aircraft Composite

•

Simplified Aircraft Design tor Homebuilders (Paymer)

£34

Theory of Flight (von Mises)

£18

Alternative Engines (Myal)

Theory of Wing Sections

£18

Firewall Forward: Engine Installation Methods

Understanding

£8

Airfix Kits

£40

(Bingelis)

Aircraft Slructures, 4th edition

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£22

(Smith)

£25

£18

(Cutler/Uber) Understanding

Flight: 2nd edition (Anderson/

£30

Eberhardt)

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Aircraft Sheet Metal (Jeppesen)

£22

Aircraft Welding (EAA)

£19 £22 £22

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

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ANC 19: Wood A/C Inspections and

!''s

t

£22

Fabrication Building Metal Airplanes: Materials, Tools &

£20

(Engler')

Techniques

Your Homebuift. 3rd edition

Choosing (Armstrong)

How to Point Your Own Aircraft (Alexander) 3rd edition (Wanttaja)

Kitplane Construction,

Chasing the Morning Sun by Manuel Queiroz

£20

Crashes and Prangs (Ord-Hume)

£15

De Haviland Moths in Detail (S McK)

£45

Empire of the Clouds (Hamilton-Paterson)

£10

(Ord-Hume)

£12 £8 £15

£21 £20 £26 £25

Tony Bingelis On Engines

Flight Testing Homebuilt

A/Craft

£19

and Flight Testing

Homebuilt Aerodynamics (Englert)

£20

First Homebuitt Aeroplanes Fly By Wire (Langewiesche)

Flying Flea - Henri Migners Pou-du-Ciel

Light Airplane Construction

(Pazrnany)

Tips & Tricks for Aircraft Homebuilders

(Englert)

£33 £22

FLYnveFLEA MI6

IENR/

POWN/

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•

Methods,

A/C 43: Acceptable

Techniques & Practices:A/C Maintenance

Maintenance

Airplane

Aviation Mechanic Gyroplane Sportplane Sportplane

£25

Construction

Welders Handbook

Handbook

£27

Flying From my Mind (Cook)

£17

Haynes De Haviland Tiger Moth

Owners and Inspection Manual

Standard Aircraft Handbook

(Peithmaier)

Haynes Supermarine

(Finch)

Haynes Hawker Hurricane

£21

Haynes Avro Vulcan Haynes Avro Lancaster Haynes Dam Busters

£25 £22

•

Haynes Douglas DC5 Dakota Haynes P-51 Mustang

Wood Aircraft Building Techniques (EAA/

£21

Poberezny)

Invention by Design (Petroski) McGraw-Hill Dictionary

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Penguin Dictionary

of Engineering

of Science

Pushing the Limits (Petroski) Advanced

Composites

(Foreman)

Composite

Construction

for Homebuilt

Aircraft (Lambie) Composite

Facts (Englert)

Moldless Composfte Aircraft Construction

Spitfire

£21

Techniques:

(Bingelis)

A Builder's Handbook

£28 & Repair

(Lovegrove)

Builder: Aircraft Construction

Methods (Bingelis)

Airplane

& Repair

£.30

Small Things Considered

(Petroski)

Success Through Failure (Petroski)

£20

To Engineer Is Human (Petroski)

£20

Why Things Break (Eberhart)

Homebuilt Sandwich

£12 £14 £12 £12 £12 £12 £12 £12

(Vincenti)

£20

BF109

Miles Aircraft (Amos) Propellerhead

(Woodward)

Spitfire Pocket Manual Unfit to Fly (Thompson) Wings Around the World (Polly Vacher) You Want to Build and Fly a What?....(Starks) Why Are Orangutangs

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£20

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£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

1 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

1SouthernEngland & Wales2 Northern England & Northern Ireland 3 Scotland. Orkney & Shetland

3

2

Only the most recent edifions will be supplied.

Ifa new edifion isdue within sixweeks,the order will be held unfil then.

1

PRICE: £15.99 each POST FREE

Jeppesen Frenchand Irish1:500,000VFR/GPSCharts now in stock, price £12 inc p&p. Please refer to online shop for full details, or phone LAA Shop - 01280 846783

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CLOTHING

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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

/Inc'shop to e details '

BASEBALL CAPS & SUNHATS PRICE:£10

POLO SHIRTS PRICE:£17

WINDCHEATERS PRICE:£17

HI-VIZVESTS PRICE:£8

CONTRASTPOLOSHIRT PRICE:£18

SWEATSHIRTS PRICE:£22

LAATIE PRICE:£10

RUGBYSHIRTS PRICE:£27

T SHIRTS PRICE:£10

LAA PATCHES& WINGS PRICE:£2.50

FLEECES PRICE:£30

OXFORD SHIRTS PRICE:£23

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

Address:

POSTAGE: Orders under £15 UK postage rates (unless already indicated)

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Secunty Code (from bock calcard

in suanalurr

afrip)

signature:

Pleasephotocopy thisform to avoid culling Themagazne. as a..

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Aircraft

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Association

• .14• •••• „ RANS 56 COYOTE 2. TT airframe 545 hours, 14 hours since complete overhaul.

New fuselage paint and corrosion proofing. Wing tanks. New skins and hardware.

Rotax 582, 50 hours since zero timed, new oil pump and tank. Over 26000 and 300+ hours spent. STOL performance. lovely stable aircraft_ £12500 Clive Holmes 01745 591 255 or: holmes clive@yahoo.co.uk

Nyco. f--

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www.sonexaircraft.com

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EVANS VP1 1832CC. Group A. Always hangored in north east. Excellent order. Permit just expired but can re-permit quickly. Full Flown regularly canopy, cabin heating. on 200 mile trips. Cruise 75mph. 2.5gph.

07533 266021.

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1979 GRUMMAN CHEETAH 150HR IFR equipped with Mode S. 385 hrs STOH. Good paint, new exhaust and ARC Nov/11. Wing and cabin covers. Retirement forces reluctant sale. E22750 ono. Call 07717 609 401

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JABIRU UL450 G-BZSZ. Permit 09/12. Engine 16 hrs since overhaul. Airframe 625 hrs, excellent condition. Well maintained, paintwork Murray Flint. Two seats. E20,000 ovno. Tel Mick 01304 617059 or David 01304 61188.

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RUTAN LONG-EZ. 226,000 ono. TTAF 300 10 hours since profeshours. 0-235-L20 sional rebuild. Permit to June 2012. Electric start. Wilhelmson nose lift, covers, Norco 12D nay/corn, transponder, wing leveler, strobes/nay lights. Based Prestwick. Phone 01563 540510.

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RV9A G-HUMH 237 hours. engine 80 hours (Zero timed). Flight instruments vacuum. electric, engine instruments Van's. SL40.

Av-map, KT76 transponder. Good empty weight. 100lbs baggage. Reluctant sale. £65,000 ono. Humphrey 01502 476381 or wadehalllodge@tiscali.co.uk

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TIPSY NIPPER G-BRIK. Maintained regardless of expense. Rebuilt by current owner in 200516 to an extremely high standard.

Wing recently recovered. Inverted fuel and oil. Leburg ignition. Filser radio. Excellent condition. Total time 600 hours. Engine 120 hours. New permit scheduled December Peter Bentley 07973 2011. [13,800 ONO 638075 WOODY PUSHER G-BSEV E10.750, Two seat open cockpit flying at its best. 085 starts first pull every time. lcom/Micro Avionics comms. Contact malcolm.parsons1(19 virginmedia.com hr more details,

Fr t

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Have a hangar rostrata orsyour iKeivitiii no planning permission required.

Aerodynamic and strong - handles high winds and adverse weather conditions.

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. available HANGARAGE DRY SECURE Private airstrip.

North Northamptonshire.

Competitive rates. Telephone Terry 01536 206770.

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. Beautful 'as new' aircraft.

For more details or photos: 01803 862011 or 07970 155335 mike@spray24.freeserve. co.uk £18,500 ono

KR2/KR2S PROJECT FOR SALE. LAA registered (KR2S). Brand new plans. Quality timber and plywood from Swindon Timber Co. All spruce for fuselage. tailpost. firewall and plywood skins (Okou me). Rudder pedal kit and glue. £550. Mike 07526 254 408

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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 dickybird2@talktalk.net

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A65 ENGINE. Complete but stripped down for inspection. Offers. Tel: 01206 383 578 Rotax 582 very low hours with -c" type gearbox and 60" pusher prop. Contact rmmann@fsmail.net. Tel 07887 807552.

VAN'S RV6. A sixth share is available in this well-known tailwheel tourer. Permit aircraft based at Gloucester. Airframe 1150hr, Engine 160 HP Lycoming, 950hr. 150 Kt cruise at 28 lph. Up to seven hours endurance with tip tanks. Full panel includes Mode S transponder. autopilot. Skymap GPS, RMI engine monitor.

Well run group with on-line booking system and excellent availability. Tailwheel conversion available locally. £7995 and £65 per month. Contact David Barr-Hamilton on 01684 568 877 for full details, or e-mail dahb@madasalisb.com 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 joebegbcpn. co.uk LUSCOMBE 8E G-AGMI mid Susex. One fifth share in beautiful two seat practical classic aircraft. Radio, transponder, intercorn. Cruise 85kt. 550Ib payload. Side-byside LAA flying at its best. Own hangar on lovely strip. Instructor in group. Healthy engine fund. Monthly £55. flying rate £34.

Share £5400. Phil at cirrusvfr@gmail.com or 07952 559378.

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 plus £100 per month and £40 per hour wet. Contact Jon Watts on 07831 115313 orjonwatts@ntlworld.com

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07295 771088 "At

BREAKING for spares Continental C90. All parts available apart from the crankcase.

Reground crank and shells. 400 hours from new. Good pots and cam. robthomasson@netscape.net Tel: 07973 775 856 CLASSIC ENGINE PROBLEMS? Hindsight Aviation can usually help. So far we've done Gipsy Majors, a Cirrus Bombardier and C90s. All our work is signed off by LAA inspectors. So take a look at www,hindsightaviation.co.uk Very reasonable rates. Tel: 07973 775 856

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LYCOMING 0-3200IA 160hp. New as shipped in long term storage pack. moisture indicators still in blue. Save at least £4.500 on VAT and shipping costs. £15,000. Contact Allan 07776 235 692 or 01443 223725.

ROTAX 582. Very low hours with "C" type gearbox and 60" pusher prop.

Contact rmmann@fsmail.net Tel: 07887 807552.

ROTAX 912UL5 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

Bcok e now at clirspor ts uu.uk FarnIlianation S Service Macawlance Heavy Maintenance

914 COMPLETE INSTALLATION —not just a block. Includes TCU, servo, cables, exhaust etc. TS0 997 Hrs? Ex Dimona. Ideal LAA new build or upgrade. Sealed bids above £8000. phil_snowden@hotmaileom 01284 810335 V.W. CRANKSHAFT (new) with prop hub, gears and bearing on front shaft. £160 Tel: 01206 383578

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SPORTCRUISER SHARE. Group of engineering professionals seek new 4th member for a share of one of the best built and maintained examples on the fleet. Secure hanger, grass and tarmac runways. Low monthly overheads, self-provide fuel you use. £17k br 14 share. Call 07017 439 441 for more details, South Midlands I I

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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.

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£416

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Sierra ANR GA version E399 with cluetooth andmusicinput

RC ALLEN DSOapproved) RCA22-7vacuum horizon E550 RCA22-11vacuum horizon lit 3E650 RCA26EKgastric horMen„.. from£1550 RCA2600digital electrichorizonE1750 £550 RCA11A-8 vaCIILIM D.G. RCA11A-16vacuum D.G. ltt £650 RCA15AK/BKelectric 0.0 ItemE1550 RCAti2Aturn coordinator £550 JP INSTRUMENTS 1150anmovull 15450 fuelfloor E449 E0M700-4Cenginemanagement E895 EOM700-4C with fuel tow £1295 EDM760-60enginemanagement £1250 WINTEREASAapprovedASI WINTERaltimeter10,000brot

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HS34 HSI module

£425

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receiver

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£58

Harry's HM40 HM51 child headset

ZULU.2ANR GA version E565 ZULU.2ANR Helicopter ..

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£801 £1070

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611030vacuum horizon £299 6I1025 electric horizon 14yolt E799 G0031 vacuum 0.0 £299 G0023 electric D.G. 14yolt £799 BZW-4B turn coordinator E239 OG-3Ealtimeter 3" £180 BG-19 altimeter 2 £149 BC-2A vertical altimeter ind.r £99 VS12FM-2 venical speed Ind 2" £149 Magnetic Compass Air Speed Indicators l rom £85 MCO22verlicMcardcompass 030 MCVC-2L-AM neiruca' cardconcuss£140 PRECISION160yencalcardcompass £249

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Prices include programming

Survival Products 4-5PersonRafts

*11111 AMER1-KING AK-451 ELT JTSO approved 406 MHz ELT... . £599 complete system with 2 antennas

Teelightestmostcompact raftintheWorld

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Raft with canopy £999 Raft with equipment .„ £1150

Portable Traffic Alen System

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MID-CONTINENT (160awned) 4300Emmftwon £1995 LIFESAVERElectric Horizonbroth emergencybattery backup £2395 M0200-306 3" CourseDen Ind £1195 13941100-7Z TurnCoordinator f 540 5934PM-3Altimeter20kMilibar E 695 7000C.31VenecalSpeeoInd E 395 M025 Air SpeedInd 2" f 850 M090 DuarteClock E 165

HM Survivor Slim line lifejacket with whistle and light £65

Zaon XRX £849

HM2 place portable E99 HM2 place for Icom w/PIT £119 HM4 place portable £119 Sigtronics SPA400 £169 PS Engineering PM 501 panel mount 4 place £199 PM 10004 place prices from £249 PM 3000stereo 4 place £329 PMA 4000 Audio Panel E549

KANNAD Integra AF pack £550

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Pack includes ELI universalmountingbracket, R0200 remote and connectors KANNAD XS-4 GPS PLB

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utfox 5 GPSreceiver special docking station

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NEW BoseA20 Headset

Non TS0 instruments lor ISA Hornebuilt or Experimental Aircraft

built-in battery and speakers only 0 8 rnchthick

MMOO1B Helmet with VOX £345 MMOITIC Heffet0/0X antAU £406 MM001 Headset £181 MM001A AND Headset £242 MM006 BeeteD phogeadaptor£140 MM005 RadioInterface £186

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Peltor Helicopter headset David Clark H10-30

7 inch display Fully portable

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Peltor 8006 GA headset

NEW EKP 5 £1495 INCLUDES APPROACH PLATES FOREUROPE

Microair 760NEWnversion1iHEf599

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occillW2 Theref/Dramcangnnes improved comfortandnoiseanenuaton duemathconnecgarby andmo musicmon

AVIONICS

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Circuit Breaker £795

VP X SPORT VP-X PRO

£199

NRIGHTCAM HOGPSCamera£249

Receivers f 58 £150 E169 £339

FOR DYNON

AR4201 VHF Corn £999 NEWAR6201VHF Corn8.33£1295 BXP6401 transponder £1595

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Uniden LIBC3OXLT Icon] IC-R6 !corn IC-RX7 Icorn IC-RX20

DISTRIBUTOR

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!corn IC-AGE* Sports pack E208 IC-AGE' Pro pack £308 IC-A24E* Sports pack £275 IC-A24E' Pro pack £375 IC-A210 £750 IC-A110 £625 apprnvedOr ground cogonly Westucka lull rangeof Icon,4r:cassettes

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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 life AWARE 5 Airspace Warning Device £191 AWARE 5+ Airspace Warning Device £274 NEWCLARITY2.00 with 5' screen £457 FORESIGHT 7" screen moving map GPS £832 FORESIGHT 7" super bright GPS £1332

63X EFISIEMSSYSTEM G3X systemsingledisplay E3845 G3X systemdualdisplay £5495

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EUROPEAN

GTX 328 MadeStransponcer £1650 GTX 330 transponder Call SL 40 Comm £1145 SL 30 Nav/Comm £2475 GMA 340 Audio panel .. f 875 GMA 240 Audio panel .. £599 GI106A CD I £1395

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TEM500

£449 £699 IERA 550 GPSMAP 695 £1299 GNS 430 GPS!ComiNavlOHCI E3995 *GTN 650/750 CPS/ComNavCall "Suppliedwith harnesstor=aircraft

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£138