elcome everybody, to the first edition of LA for 2018, and a Happy New Yearto you and yours. Inthis ever-changing world, which seems to pose ever more difficult challenges,we can only wish for harmony,a reasonable dash of prosperity and good health, and | hope look forward to life with a cup that’s at least half-full. Let’s face it, it can’t be all bad when TheX-Factor, TheApprentice and Strictly have all, at last, ended for another year.
As the ‘other’ Brian the important one alludes to, in his column on p85,I'd like to think that each and every one of us will try to push ourboundariesalittle in2018.Asageneral rule, pilots are now flying less than ever before, a malaise which I’m sure is due to all manner of reasons. However, there are now so many opportunities to expand your horizons, whether by visiting fly-ins, taking family or friends away for the weekend, or simply expanding your skill set with a coach or instructor. The latter, of course, may be just the fillip you need to give yourself the confidence to take on something a littlemoreadventurous...
In this issue, Martin Ferid reveals his three favourite fly-ins of 2017, one of which was to Amiens, in northern France. This event will
THETEAM
Patron HRH Prince Michael of Kent, KCVO, FRAeS
President Roger Hopkinson MBE
Vice President Stewart Jackson
Chairman Brian Davies
CEO Stephen Slater
Chief Engineer Francis Donaldson, B.TechC.Eng FRAeS
doubtless be repeated this year, probably in May, and we'll be endeavouring to help both newcomers to cross-Channel flying and old stagers to fly over for the weekend and enjoy the delights of the event and this lovely old town on the River Somme.
I've also, very recently, been told that the RSA’s French Homebuilt Rally will be moving from Vichy to Brienne-le-Chateau, which is only about sixty miles southeast of Paris, and is to be be held on 3-5 August. That’s another event which is well worth a visit, so let’s try to gather a record-breaking British contingent.
This month's Flight Testwas carried out by Francis on the new-to-the-UK Avalanche
SuperSTOL,a machine which has all the attributes of one of those Valdez competition machines that are off the ground in a matter of yards and boasts similar landing characteristics.
A 100hp of Rotax power makes it a somewhat more reasonable compromise, but it’s available (though not yet UK-approved) with much more oomph and a longerfuselage. An example is awaiting permission to test fly here, powered by a 200hp, six-cylinder UL-Power engine.
There’s quite a crop in Project News so, once again, well done to Mike Slaughter for
keeping the information rolling in. One of the aircraft completions is a plans-built, VWpowered Colibri which was started 34 years ago it’s great to see it take to the air at last.
In contrast, a highly spec’d Foxbat kit with the 912iS engine has been completed in little more than twelve months. And the Reid and SigristDesford, a forties experimentaltwin, should also make itsfirst post-restorationflight soon. The diversity of LAA types which members can build or restore is one of our strongest suits, there’s something out there for all tastes and pockets. Maybe this the year when you'll start a new project or restoration?
Good luck with whatever you do in the coming year, | hope it gives you great enjoyment and fulfilment. We may not be able to control much of what goes on around the world, but we can certainly enjoy the things that we do have some influence over. Be safe.
Chief Inspector Ken Craigie
Engineering email engineering@laa.uk.com
COMMERCIAL
Email office@laa.uk.com
Office Manager Penny Sharpe
Head Office Turweston Aerodrome, Nr Brackley, Northants NN13 5YD
Telephone 01280 846786
LIGHTAVIATION
MAGAZINE
Editor Brian Hope, 60 Queenborough Road, Sheerness, Kent ME12 3BZ
Telephone 01795 662508
Email BFUJodel@talktalk.net
NEWS
NATS’ online Class D transit experiment, APPG fights for UK airfields, 10,000th RV now flying, CAA calls for unlicensed site info
COMMUNICATIONS
Brian Hope shows how to mod the Yaesu FTA-750L handheld for PTT
PROJECTNEWS
Brugger Colibri MB2, Piper Cub J3C-65 & Aeroprakt A22-LS Foxbat plus New Projects and Cleared to Fly
RESTORATION
Nigel Lemon on how his lengthy restoration of a DH Moth Major earned him an FAI Phoenix Diploma
TOURING ADVENTURES
Martin Ferid reveals his three favourite fly-ins of 2017
PROJECTNEWSSPECIAL
Clive Sutton on what to check when buying a part-built project, and makinga Permitto Testsubmission
STRUTS 4U
Anne Hughes with a photographic roundup of 2017 plus Strut listings
MEMBER BENEFITS
Part five of your guide to the coverage offered by Air Courtage this time, it’s project insurance
EDUCATION
Tony Razzell on the RAeS’s STEM day at Derby Airfield in November
FLIGHTTEST
Francis Donaldson flies a unique back country kitplane, the Avalanche SuperSTOL
SAFETY SPOT
Malcolm McBride with this month’s cautionary tales for pilots, builders and maintainers
FLYING HOLIDAYS
Andy Pitcher on how he came to co-run a gite with its own airstrip in France's gorgeous Loire Valley
MEETTHEMEMBERS
The second part of our fascinating chat with David Faulkner-Bryant
WHERETOGO
Events for January onwards
CEO CHAT
Steve Slater looks at achievements in 2017, and forward into 2018
LAA CLASSIFIEDS
Aircraft, parts & services for sale
LANDINGVOUCHERS
Free & reduced landings and offers
nce again, it’s the time of the year when
which will last, possibly, until the end of February. You know drink less, lose weight and exercise more, all those boring things. Happily, we’re much more likely to stick to resolutions to do more of something that we enjoy, such as flying! You know the problem, the more infrequently we fly, the less confident we become, our horizons shrink and we find ourselves making excuses for not flying. ‘The weather isn’t perfect, it’s a bit windy’, ‘| haven’t flown to such and such an airfield for a long time and the procedures might have changed’ and the inevitable outcome is, ‘I think I'll just go for a local bimble instead’... | Know this has happened to me over the last two years because a glance in my logbook shows
a reduced number of flying hours and no overseas trips at all. ‘Well, it’s so complicated now with all of this GAR stuff what rubbish! It’s time to get off my backside and expand my horizons again.
My New Year’s resolution is to attend as many LAA fly-ins as possible, do some overseas trips and apply for the LAA Wings Award Scheme. Not because | need a shiny wings badge to pin on my jacket us LAA types aren’t really into that, are we? but | want to do it because it’ll give me a goal and an incentive to do new things when I'm flying. It might even lower my insurance premium if | approach the right company! What are you going to do to expand your flying horizons in 2018?
Happy flying.
TRANSIT EXPERIMENT
The National Air Traffic Service (NATS) is launching an online trial for requesting a transit through Class D airspace. The online system started on 1 January, will run for six months and initially apply to the London area.
The Class D airspace that’s involved in the trial is:
m Stansted CTA/CTR
mwLuton CTA/CTR
mLondon (Heathrow) CTR (Outer)
mgGatwick CTA/CTR
mwLondon City CTA/CTR.
“This new online tool will provide the ability to ‘pre-notify’ ATC of any potential Class D airspace transit request,” says NATS. “Pilots who are intending to request a crossing clearance will be encouraged to ‘file’ their details on the day of the intended flight.
“This will have several advantages for both ATC and pilots. It'll reduce the RTF (Radiotelephony Frequency) loading when requests are made, and reduce ATC workload and therefore make more efficient use of the airspace.”
However, as the A/C makes clear, an online submission doesn’t constitute a clearance to cross Controlled Airspace the pilot must still make a radio call to the relevant unit, saying, “G-ABCD, request transit, as filed.” ATC will then acknowledge the transmission and consider the request. The aircraft must remain outside any CAS until such time as ATC has provided a clearance and it’s been acknowledged and read back by the pilot. Pilots will still be able to freecall ATC and request a transit.
The online transit booking system will be available through the Airspace Users Portal at https://aup.nats.aero Further details can be found in AIC Y 095/2017.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on General Aviation has dismissed claims from the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government that, “The current [planning] approach remains appropriate,” when considering airfield sites for development. In its comprehensive response, the APPG’s Chair, Grant Shapps MP, said, “We believe your Department’s position runs contrary to the Government's own stated policy ‘to make the United Kingdom the best country in the world for General Aviation’.”
The APPG noted that the National Planning Policy Framework gives very little assistance to maintaining the scarce number of existing airfields, instead delegating the planning decisions around these sites to Local Planning Authorities. As such, the APPG doesn't believe that a national network of airfields
can be maintained, “through a series of disconnected, disjointed local planning decisions”. The APPG is calling for urgent ministerial action to prevent a strategically important part of the UK’s national transport infrastructure from disappearing completely, along with the 38,000 highly skilled jobs it provides and the £3 billion it adds directly to the UK economy.
THERE ARE NOW TEN THOUSAND RVs FLYING!
On 24 November 2017, David Porter of Martinsburg, West Virginia, flying RVs took just 33 months. RV’s have flown around the world, USA, conducted the first fight of his Van’s Aircraft RV-7, and in over both poles, and in over fifty countries. Here in the UK we so doing, his aeroplane officially became the 10,000th RVto fly. have around 350 flying. By any measure, 10,000 kit completions is an incredible “Credit is due both to the dedicated and talented staff at achievement, and the true number flying is probably higher, Van's Aircraft and to the thousands of aviation enthusiasts who as Van's only logs the aircraft that it’s informed about. had faith in the perhaps understated performance and value of Van's Aircraft began to sell RV-3 plans in 1973, so over the our traditional designs,” said Dick Van Grunsven, the founder last 44 years a new RV has taken to the air every 1.6 days, on and CEO of Van’s. “Together, we’ve advanced the enjoyment average. No-one’s exactly sure when the 1,000th RV flew, the and safety of personally-built aircraft. On this strong foundation, best guess is around early 1994. The 2,000 mark was passed | see no end in sight to the growth and energy the RV community in November 1998, and the increase from 9,000 to 10,000 is offering to GA.” It’s possible that the first UK-built RV14 will take to the air this year.
DYNON. AVIONICS
Scottish company, Trig Avionics has recently launched two new audio panels, the budget model TM44 (pictured) and the high-end TM45. Both are dual-comm and -nav, and fully featured for IFR and VFR flight. Theyalsohavea built-inintercom and marker beacon receiver.
The TMA44 hosts two-to-four seats and has mono entertainment and communication options. The TMA45. meanwhile, boasts comprehensive entertainment features, with Bluetooth wireless support for music and mobile devices, hosts two-to-six seats and has Trig a
RSA RALLY SET TO RETURN TO BRIENNE
Digital Noise Reduction (TDNR), to automatically select the optimum level of intercom squelch and mic threshold, reducing cockpit noise. Further detailsfromwww.trig-avionics.com
This year, the RSA (French Homebuilders) Rally is set to move back to Brienne-leChateau, where it was last held in the late-eighties, which is around sixty miles southeast of Paris. Brienne may prove to be a more popular destination than the central location of Vichy, where the Rally has been held for the last few years.
microlight, damaged one or two other aircraft and wrecked the exhibition area. The area of France where Vichy sits is vulnerable to such extreme weather, as a result of very high summer temperatures and the relative closeness of the Massif Central range.
INFO REQUIRED ABOUT UNLICENSED SITES
The CAA UK GA Unit is currently updating its information on unlicensed flying sites, for inclusion on quarter- and half-mil charts. If you're associated with any such site, you’re invited to complete and return the form that’s available byemailingvfrcharts@nats.co.uk
NZ COMET RESTO
After LA’s recent coverage of UK-based Comet Racer projects, member Adrian Holden sent this shot of the DH88 Comet being restored at the CroydonAviation Heritage Centre, Mandeville, New Zealand. This restoration was apparently started by George Lemay in Alberta, Canada, during the nineties, before moving to NZ, and looks to be quite well advanced.
TLAC BECOMES UK IKARUS DISTRIBUTOR
Unfortunately, the event was hit by a severe storm in 2017, which destroyed a
Paul Hendry-Smith’s The Light Aircraft Company Ltd (TLAC), has recently taken over as the sole UK distributor for Comco Ikarus and will be offering full sales, after-sales service and spare part support from its base at Little Snoring Airfield in Norfolk.
The C42 A and B microlight models are popular with training schools and private owners alike, due to their sweet handling and affordability, and TLAC’s plans include bringing in the improved C model, which is available as a glider tug, as their new demonstrator, and later the CS. The C42E LSA variant, which has an all-up weight of 540kg, could also be on the cards.
Hopefully, the rather more benign weather of Brienne will see the crowds flocking back to this ever-fascinating event. www.rsatrance.com
On the SSDR front, TLAC is working ona nosewheel variant of its delightful little Kub, and the company is planning to power it with a 50hp Hirth, which should make it quite a frisky little machine.
It’s also good news for TLAC in that the company has won the legal battle over the dreadful road accident that wrecked its two demonstrator aircraft, a Scout and a Sherwood Ranger, plus vehicles and other equipment, which occurred while returning from the 2016 Popham Trade Fair. With that disaster now behind them, and a new product range, 2018 looks like it’s going to be busy for Paul and his TLAC team.
ONEX PROGRESS
The build of what’s likely the first Sonex Aircraft Onex in Europe is being undertaken by Dirk Verdonck in the Netherlands. The Onex is complete and the paperwork’s been sent to the Dutch CAA. Dirk hopes it'll make its first flight this spring. There’s also a UK Onex project, being built by Sonex agent Mike Moulai, so hopefully it won't be too long before we also see this interesting machine in our skies.
SO)NESNaN 0Es)
The annual Youth Aviation Education Conference, for those engaged in activities which encourage youngsters to consider aviation as a career and/or for recreation, will take place at the Brooklands Museum on 10 March. Admission is £12.50, which includes lunch, and pre-registration is required contact Virginia Smith by calling 01932 857381 or email virginiasmith@brooklandsmuseum. com. For further details of the event, call Stewart Luck on 07974 188395 or email captainluck@hotmail.com
ast month, we took a look at the Yaesu handheld FTA-750L transceiver, which is a relatively low-cost solution for 8.33kHz compliance. In my review, | described how you could modify the headset adaptor lead into a wiring harness, in order to install conventional aviation headset socket remotes from it, and also a PTT (Push to Talk switch).
Since then, several people have asked how to simply modify the adaptor lead to allow a PTTfacility, retaining the existing style of headset sockets.
smaller-diameter, lead is for the audio output and doesn’t require any modification.
Photo 1 This is the headset lead, as supplied by Yaesu. To fita PTTwe need to modify the microphone lead, which is the slightly larger diameter lead inthe foreground. It’s further identified by taking the smaller-diameter jack plug from the headset. The other,
This is a straightforward modification, and LAA Inspector Gery Smith and | decided that the best way to illustrate how to do it was via a series of photographs.
Photo 2 The parts you'll need to fit a PTTswitch and lead are: a new lead-mounting mic socket, which will cost approximately £10 (unfortunately, the existing one isn’t dismountable); for a PTT switch we used an RSComponents RS321-278, costing approximately £5; and some lightgauge, double-strand cable (about 20swg). How much cable you'll need depends on whether you want to permanently wire in the PTTor provide a short PTTlead from the headset adaptor, into which you can then plug the remote-mounted switch.
Photo 3 Here we've snipped off the original mic socket and prepared the wiring for soldering to the new one. There are effectively three wires from the headset adaptor a black, a red and the screening, which you wind together with finger and thumb to form the third ‘wire’.
For clarity, we haven’t put a small piece of heat shrink shrouding onto this screening ‘wire’,
to avoid any risk of it inadvertently touching the quite close mic tip terminal. Note the mic socket cover on the mic cable and PTT cable forget to put it on before connecting up the wires and you'll have to take it all apart again!
Sketch 1 This iswhere it gets a bit complicated, as the colours on this headset adaptor are different to those on the one we wrote about last month here they’re black and red, while the other lead was white and red. Happily, the red does go to Band 1 on both leads, but it doesn't hurt to check, to be on the safe side. The easiest way is with a multimeter but if you don’t have one you can do a continuity check with a small battery, a torch bulb and a piece of wire. So, having established which wire goes to Band 1 in our case the red wire it needs to be wound together with one of the wires from the new piece of lead for the PTT(we've used the red wire) and they’ll goto the tip connector of the new socket. The Band 2 wire goes to the shorter terminal on the new socket, which is black on our new lead, white on the old one.
The other wire for the PTT, in our case the black one, is wound with the screening and will go to the long earthing terminal that’s the outermost one, with the crimp on the end, on the new mic socket.
Photo 4 shows how to use the chuck end of a small drill to make a neat loop in the wire ends. You can then ‘tin’ the wires with solder and fit them to the socket with the screws provided. Alternatively, you could do away with the screws and solder the wires directly to the mic socket terminals.
Photo 5 has the wires attached to the mic plug and the crimp on the end of the earth connector crimped around the two outer cables, to prevent pulling on the wires in use. Itcan now be tested.
To test your new PTT, you should have continuity from the earth terminal of the mic socket to one terminal on the PTT switch; from the Band 1 on the Yaesu plug to the shorter of the mic socket terminals; and from Band 2 on the plug to the tip terminal on the mic socket.
Finally, when you press the PTT,or join the PTT wires if you haven't yet put a switch on, you should have continuity between Band 1 and Band 2 on the Yaesu plug, but not otherwise. Note that on our PTT we didn’t put shrink sleeving over the terminals because it was due to come off again.
Photo6If itchecksoutokay,slipthecover over the mic socket, being careful with the wires, screw it together and then it’s job done. Try it on out the radio.
Also in this pic is a neat plastic stick-end plug that Gary made, with a recess in the top so the PTTcan’t be inadvertently pressed eg
MICROPHONE PLUG (SMALL)
ell,|hopeyouallenjoyed a festivebreakand the New Year. Although the New Projects and Cleared to Fly lists are a little slender this month, unlike my post-Christmas waistline, they show just about the broadest possible selection of types.
a build which commenced some 34 years ago, with the project's originator. Martin acquired the airframe in the early
There are over a dozen of the type on the UK Register and the Colibri is a nice-looking single-seater with a respectable cruise speed on modest power.
For the benefit of those who are new to the world of Permit aircraft and building, the style of construction needed to build the Colibri is never going to be quick, as it essentially starts with a set of plans, a few pieces of wood and some sheets of ply. It’s a form of building that isn’t for everyone but it must give enormous satisfaction noughties and has brought the aircraft to completion and to those who manage to stay the course. gained the full Permit to Fly. His PPL having lapsed, Martin had to
By way of a comparison, John Macknay’s Foxbat sits at the renew, convert to tailwheel and then, in the spirit of aviators from opposite end of the building spectrum and provides a nice contrast earlier times, set off for his first flight in an unfamiliar, single-seat to the Colibri. Adopting all that’s at the forefront of our building scene, aircraft, armed with a briefing of its flying characteristics. That's a John’s aircraft pays homage to modernity. daunting task for anyone who’s seen a project through such a long
Please keep the reports, updates and pictures coming through period of construction, knowing that a moment's inattention could to Project News. You can get in touch by emailing projectnews@ return the aircraft back to the status of a project again! laa-archive.org.uk and your story will inspire others to build!
G-BKCI(PFA043-10692) BRUGGERCOLIBRIMB2
BY MARTIN WALTERS
my PPL about twelve years ago, when | acquired a | also made and fitted a four-into-one stainless exhaust muffler, single-seat Colibri project, the airframe having been built by Ray having seen one fitted on the late David Mickleburgh’s Colibri. It Newall, who worked on it for about twenty years while in the RAF. proved a nice idea to reduce the VW exhaust noise but the fabrication / The Colibri has finally achieved its Permit to Fly, having completed alignment, etc, became something of a marathon. It also made the its test-flying this year so, overall, a very long gestation period! subsequent pipework installation more difficult and modifications were | rebuilt the VW 1834 engine which came with the Colibri required to the cowling. Suffice to say this caused many psychological and undertook the entire firewall-forward installation. The first lows! However, the resultant exhaust note is very satisfactory. requirement was to make a new tubular engine mounting frame
With my wife's help, | painted the Colibri with single-pack to an approved design. | used a CAA-approved welder once polyurethane, using a sponge. It was necessary to use this paint I'd constructed a jig and tacked the mount together. Once as G-BKCIl's airframe had previously been partially painted with finish-welded,thewholeassemblywasthenstress-relieved. two-packpolyurethane. rted-BKCl,beforeshe (Photo:hertestflights... MartinWalters)
Prior to issue of a Permit to Test, the LAA requested that two mods be incorporated. The first required the fitment of inline fuses, to protect the batteries and the ignition units, these not being specified on the original Leburg wiring diagram. The second mod required a revision to the upper harness attachment point, to relocate it from its mid-fuselage location to form an attachment to the tailwheel anchorage assembly.
My LAA Inspector, Martin Jones, advised me throughout and provided invaluable assistance at Derby Airfield during the test-flying programme. His son, Paul Jones, Derby Aero Club’s CFI, undertook all of the test-flying and pronounced G-BKCI as “very nice to fly”. As I’d never flown a single-seater before, this gave my confidence a positive boost! Unfortunately, Paul suffered serious injuries in an accident involving another Colibri later in the year, but is thankfully on the road to recovery.
A requirement of the Test Programme was that the aeroplane perform a full-power climb for five minutes, during which the engine maximum allowable temperatures (CHT 225°C and oil temperature 115°C) shouldn't be exceeded. | was confident that G-BKCI would meet this requirement, however, the climb tests had to be aborted because the CHT and OT were approaching their maximum allowabletemperatures.Toresolvetheproblem,|fitted anoilcooler and substantiallyenlarged the bottom cowl airflowoutlet slot. Both emperatures then remained below the maximum allowable during the climb. A typical cruise oil temperature is now 85°C.
After the issue of gaining a full Permit to Fly was sorted, | prepared or my first flight in the Colibri. I'd done a taildragger conversion in a Cessna C140 and had a couple of flights, as passenger, in a Jodel. Although Paul had given me the relevant speeds and handling-notes or the Colibri, | felt very wary as | taxyied out! I’d planned to do just he one circuit.
During the take-off things happened more rapidly than | was used o in the C140, particularly as there was an 11kt headwind. | was off he ground at 40kt, held it in ground effect and climbed away at 60kt. Downwind, the cruise soeed seemed comfortable at about 80kt before | had to reduce speed, initially to 6Okt, for base, and the 5Okt, or late final. After some juggling with stick and throttle this was achieved who needs flaps?
The moment of truth had arrived as | came in over the trees on R23 and commenced the round-out, thankfully with no crosswind.
The Colibri’s elevator is powerful and being short-coupled (easy to use that as the excuse!), | ballooned, but with a tad more power applied, it three-pointed and then felt easy to control on the roll out.
Although fully briefed by Paul on the behaviour of a low-inertia aeroplane, flying G-BKCI still took some mental adjustment after the C140. After all that anticipation, the feeling afterwards was equal to how | remember it being following my first solo.
I’ve now done a second local flight, which has given me a better opportunity to get the feel of the aeroplane. All-in-all, it’s been a really enjoyable experience.
G-BDOL(S/N 13370)PIPERCUBJ3C-65
RESTORED BY LEE BALTHAZOR
has sent Project News a picture of his Cub, which ‘civwvies’with the Cub’s original USAAF 9th Air Force colour scheme. he’s owned for over twenty years. He’s just completed a six-year She’s now regained her Permit to Fly, having been test-flown at restoration of the aircraft and has taken the opportunity to replace her Coventry Airport on 3 November, in the careful hands of Ben Cox.
G-BDOL,fully assembled --- and ready to be-test flown, atCoventry Airport. (Photo:LeeBalthazor)
BUILT BYJOHN MACKNAY
flying for ten years or so and started by working his
Therefore, a lengthy list of requirements for a new aircraft began to way through a number of club-type aircraft, before seeing the light develop, with STOL, safety and ruggedness as the headline attributes. and embracing Permit to Fly types. More recently, he’s owned a
Initially, John considered the likes of Citabria and Husky, but value CZAW SportCruiser. for money and exacting customisation brought him quickly back to
After retiring from business and relocating to Snowdonia, John Permit to Fly types. Therefore, John building his own aeroplane was found a new passion for flying locally among the area’s hills and a means to an end, rather than something which was to be embarked valleys. Although he loved his SportCruiser, John felt it wasn’t fully upon for its own sake. The aircraft up for selection had to be available, meeting his needs, and the decision to move on followed him and be able to be built and flown within the year. undertaking a Mountain Flying and Beach Landing training course John went on a factory tour of Europe, to examine three of the most in Scotland. He’d also received an offer to use a neighbour's hilltop likely contenders, only to come full circle and settle on an aircraft which grass strip. was availablevery localto him. Ready and waiting for her maiden flight, which went perfectly. (Photo:JohnMacknay)
PROJECT NEWS
(Left)The large camera aperture/ clear-view panel in pilot’s door. (Photo:JohnMacknay)
a,
Above) The very sharp and tidy interior, with its high-end, (Above)The special tail art, based on the Australian kelpie ntegrated Garmin avionics. (Photo:JohnMacknay) sheep-mustering dog. (Photo:JohnMacknay)
PROJECT NEWS
Dragon Aviation is the UK agent for the Foxbat aircraft and the A22-LS model met John’s requirement perfectly. Although John had come to the conclusion that folding wings weren't necessary, the Foxbat’s are easily removable, and this did better suit his needs. The icing on the cake was that Dragon were only a handful of miles awayfromwhereJohnlivesand,beingafirst-timebuilder,thisgave him reassurance as he concluded that, if stuck, he could take a troublesome part to the agent directly and resolve his difficulty.
The Foxbat has been available in the UK for nearly twenty years, as a 450kg microlight. The Foxbat SuperSport 600, or A22-LS, is the 600kg light aircraft version, which has been available for approximately the last five years.
PRE-DELIVERY PROGRESS
Desirable kit aircraft are rarely available off-the-shelf and, having ordered his kit in February 2017, John was lucky to be offered a cancellation and took delivery in May. Using the lead time wisely, and having some facilities on his smallholding, a derelict outbuilding was demolished and a 6m x 22m workshop constructed.
John was then able to begin work pre-delivery planning the panel, ordering the avionics, considering avionics interconnections and undertaking relevant research. He found Mendelssohn's very helpful, and wherever possible he ordered readymade harnesses to cut down the build and de-bugging time. He reckons that, overnight, he probably became their best light sport customer for a while!
The aircraft was to be future-proof and look sharp, tidy and modern John planned to build only once so it had to be right. The injected Rotax 912iS fitted the bill, as did a ‘glass’ panel with EMS integration. The specification included a single 10in Dynon SkyView HDX with integrated Dynon radio, transponder and auto-pilot; a ballistic recovery system; photo panels in the doors; and long-range fuel tanks.
Living and flying, often alone, in a mountainous part of Wales, John considered the inclusion of the autopilot a useful extra pair of hands, rather than a technology indulgence. In addition, his local terrain isn't all that forgiving and out-landing sites aren’t always readily available, so the inclusion of the BRS was added to complement the STOL capability.
Finally, the aircraft was also to be configured as a glider tug, not only to further guarantee future resale possibilities but also for a very good flying friend who'd sold his SportCruiser and purchased an all-new Silent 2 Electro glider. John thought he might welcome an occasional tow to save energy from self-launching. A Glider Tug rating has been lined up for this coming spring.
As planned, all of the above, including the BRS, has been achievedwithanemptyweightalittle lessthantheverysimple, early version SportCruiser which John previously owned.
Now for that out of sequence registration - seaweed? No, a kelpie is a breed of dog used in Australasia for sheep droving, and was originally a crossbreed of a collie and others. The Foxbat agent down under has had some success creating a custom, ready-to-fly version of the aircraft, for sheep droving and has called it the Foxbat Kelpie.
Apparently, the farmer drives around in the ‘ute’ while his offspring uses one or more aircraft to muster the livestock, communicating over the radio. Consequently, this special variant deviates from norm in having, among other things, tundra tyres, a beefed-up undercarriage,
mudguards, to help it with those rough bush landings. John has embraced many of these modifications and refers to his aircraft as a UK Kelpie, even subtly working the name in the tail graphic.
FROM ARRIVAL TO AIRBORNE
The Foxbat kit arrived with the fuselage shell and the flying surfaces built,andlookinglikeanaircraft.Thatmaybealittle deceptiveasit still leaves the builder plenty to do, and John got stuck in full-time.
The underside of the wings and all of the control surfaces all needed covering with Ceconite, a new skill which John mastered in a few days. He admits that the covering was the thing he feared the most, yet it turned out to be far easier than imagined and actually proved to be very enjoyable.
A good deal of time was spent with the avionics and the Rotax 912iSinstallationinfact,itprovedalittle challenginggettingthe Dynon kit to play nicely with the powerplant and, indeed, the ‘integrated’ ancillaries. By the time the first engine start came around, the Dynon already had an uptime of some 30hr. John points out that all of the information is in the manuals, even if they need reading more than once, a task his wife Cherry often helped with in the evenings once he'd succumbed to word blindness.
John initially set out to undertake the painting himself but was unhappy with the results and subsequently contracted it out to an auto-finisher. The RAF are rather active in his local area so a high conspicuity paint scheme of orange and black was chosen.
Ray Everitt of Dragon Aviation, the UK Foxbat agent, carried out the first flight on 3 November and said the aircraft flew ‘feet and hands off’, straight out of the box. After a couple more flights, John joined Ray as observer, the duo completing the test schedule. However, since that time however, and with the coincidence of LA publishing Francis Donaldson’s invaluable articles on the Rotax 9 series, John has called in Simon Worthington of Ecclestone Aviation to assess the engine parameters, notably fuel pressure.
The findings made by John and Simon have been passed to LAA Engineering’s Malcolm McBride and it became clear that only a Rotax (Bosch) filter and no other type, including the supplied Aeroprakt unit, will suffice, given the very high fuel flow rates common to the 912iS. Additionally, the debatable location of the Pressure Sensor before the filter, as recommended by Rotax, is made more questionable without a very low flow resistance filter.
John concluded that other filters are likely to foul quickly, or simply be bypassed. In turn, that fouls the regulator filter further down the line. That may lead to high indicated fuel pressure, if the filter is restricted, but gives no indication of the actual line pressure at the injectors if the regulator isn’t perfectly clean.
One other issue arose: as of yet, there are no defined LAA procedures to test the autopilot and autotrim John fitted as part of the Dynon HDX installation. Accordingly, the autopilot has been temporarily disabled and John will be flying G-KELP to Turweston to assist Andy Draper with this task, for the benefit of himself and future builders.
Apart from the autopilot flight-testing, all of the fuel pressure, filter, sensor location and regulator considerations have been passed to Malcolm McBride for reference or promulgation, as required. John has confirmed that he’s happy to be contacted via the LAA if any member feels that they might be able to informally help with regard to the 912iS.
A TEAM EFFORT
John comments that this build was a completely adsorbing, full time job for a few months and although he used his trusted commercial experience with Parkinson’s Law (work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion), he admits that he probably underestimated the refined details of many tasks and the projéct ran a little beyond the time targets, albeit that they were primarily put back due to fuel pressure and autopilot issues.
He’s quick to acknowledge the team effort, as everything was made all the easier due to the help he received from the LAA, Mendelssohn’s, Dynon, Ecclestone and Bodycraft, with special mention for the limitless time,supportandencouragementgivenbyfamilyandfriends.
Although he’s currently undertaking his Night/IFR rating and revalidating an IMC this winter, John has his 2018 season mapped-out, including many photographic sorties planned for his local area. In May, he and Cherry are attending the Valdez Fly-In, Alaska, and then going on to Ultima Thule Lodge with Alaskan bush-flying legend, Paul Claus.
Asked if he'd ever build again, with just a little hesitation, John mentions his now empty workshop and talks of an ultimate STOL build, to maybe to take to Valdez one day. He concludes by saying, “Never say never therefore,” and, “We have to pursue these dreams, as they
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ach year,the world’s governing body for air sports, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale(FAI), celebrates the achievements of individuals and teams in the fields of aeronautics.The UK’s long and proud tradition in aviation has, over the years, been well-representedatthis prestigious award ceremony, at which all manner of British aviators and administrators have been honoured.
Two awards which have a particular relevance to the LAA are the Phoenix Diplomas, which are given for the best reconstruction or restoration of a vintage (ie over thirty-year-old) aircraft. The Phoenix Diploma is awarded to individual amateurs, while the Phoenix Group Diploma is bestowed upon parties of any size or description.
In recent years, LAA member Phil Cozens was awarded the Phoenix Diploma for the build of his Comper Swift, G-ECTF, and the Phoenix Group Diploma has gone to Matt Boddington and Steve Slaterfor their BE2 replica, and also to the team behind the WWI Bristol Scout replica, David and Rick Bremner plus Theo Willford. October 2017 saw further success, when Nigel Lemon received the Phoenix Diploma for his superb restoration of the DH60G III Moth Major, G-ACGZ. This article, which formed his submission to the FAI for the award, provides a brief history of the Moth Major, its owner and the restoration journey itself.
(Above) Nigel taxying the Moth Major (Below) Nigel Lemon is presented with during one of its early test flights at his PhoenixDiploma by FAI President White Waltham. (Photo:ArthurMason) Frits Brink. (Photo:FAl/Marcus King)
A RARE BIRD, INDEED...
G-ACGZ is one of only a handful of airworthy de Havilland Moth Majors. It’s owned by LAA member Nigel Lemon, who's carried out a total restoration over the last fifteen years. The aircraft successfully undertook its first flight in eighty years at White Waltham Airfield in the summer of 2016.
As an aircraft type, the Moth Major represents the final evolution of the wooden DH 60G Gipsy Moth, the earlier versions being powered by upright Gipsy | or Il engines. But when de Havilland developed the inverted and more powerful Gipsy III in 1931, it was soon incorporated into the airframe and given the designation DH 60G Ill.
The Gipsy Ill engine was soon to be superseded by a modified version, the highly successful Gipsy Major, which was to be widely used in aircraft built by many different aircraft manufacturers. The DH 60G III was no exception, and from 1934 the Gipsy Major became the standard engine fit, with the aircraft previously known as the ‘Gipsy Moth Ill’ becoming referred to as the ‘Moth Major’.
The type entered the market after the Gipsy Moth had already achieved considerable worldwide acclaim. However, cabin aircraft were starting to become a more popular alternative to open-cockpit machines and also, with war looming, de Havilland was turning Its attention to the TigerMoth,whichit'ddevelopedconcurrently(Above)NigelwithG-ACGZ,whichherestoredcompletewiththeemblemofthe to the Moth Major, but from the metal framed
Bombay Flying Club, to reflect its storied history. (Photo:NigelLemon) DH 60M.
As a result, and despite its impressive performance, only 135 or so Moth Majors were ever built. They were mainly used as club aircraft and private touring machines, with a large proportion being exported around the world.
There remain some five examples in museums or under restoration, and a further five aircraft are currently airworthy, with the latest being Nigel’s G-ACGZ.
THE HISTORY OF G-ACGZ
This particular example was built in 1933 and originally registered to a British Army officer, before being shipped to India the following year, where it was operated by the Bombay Flying Club as VT-AFW.
The Club, which still exists to this day, was equipped with several Moth Majors and, remarkably, used to undertake an annual formation training exercise from India to the UK between 1934 and 1938. However,VT-AFWenjoyed a relatively short-lived career and, following an accident near Bombay in 1935, was withdrawn from
service then used as a source of spares. Its craft further byworking for some of the UK’s remains subsequently ended up in Portugal, leading aircraft restorers, in between his wheretherewasa relativelylargefleetof studies,duringthemid-eighties. Moth Majors.
Nigel then embarked on a career in
It was in Portgual that the damaged and commercial aviation, but in his spare time neglected remains were later re-discovered he maintained his interest in flying vintage and returned to the UK as a restoration aircraft firstly with the Turbulent and then a project, which was when Nigel acquired it. variety of other types, later acquiring a share Nigel himself had started off as an avid in a Tiger Moth, which he still owns and has aeromodellerand,followingavisittothe beendisplay-flying for overfifteenyears. Tiger Club in 1979, decided that he’d learn Of course, with a young family, a to fly. At only fourteen years of age, Nigel demanding job and summer display started building himself a Druine Turbulent. commitments, rebuilding the Moth Major He joined the Popular Flying Association was going to take a good few years. (PFA, now the LAA) and finished the Turbulent over the nextten years, while completing his (Right) The fuselage making steady secondaryeducation,gaininganaeronautical=progressin Nigel’sbackgarden engineering degree. He also developed his workshop. (Photo:NigelLemon)
' (Above) A snap of G-ACGZ taken in the mid-thirties. (Photo:Unknown)
(Left)A rig of the wings, to ensure that everything fitted as it should before fabriccovering started.
Photo:NigelLemon)
RESTORATION GETS UNDERWAY
Although Nigel acquired the Moth Major in 1987, it was over ten years before he could even give it any attention.
However, he finally re-registered the aircraft in 1999, removed it from storage and set up a 20ft workshop at his home in Berkshire, in which to undertake the restoration.
He started by stripping the fuselage, and having engaged the services of a colleague with engineering licenses to oversee progress, Nigel called in the CAA to conduct a survey and help him to formalise a plan to meet with their approval.
It was clear that the aircraft would need a comprehensive rebuild, with every item inspected down to its smallest detail. Such was the level of glue failure that it was a very straightforward job to dismantle the wooden airframe.
Some items weren't in particularly good shape but, fortunately, a decent proportion of them were deemed reusable. However, when it came to the wing spars, Nigel wasn't comfortable with reusing any of them, so after submitting proposals to the CAA, he gained approval to manufacture a one-off set of replacement spars from some carefully selected, 20ft-long baulks of spruce.
The project shuffled along over the next decade, as Nigel’s small periods of spare time allowed. He often found the speed of the progress that he was making frustrating, but eventually his sense of reward increased as the Moth Major gradually started to take shape again and light appeared at the end of the tunnel.
By 2013, the project had outgrown its workshop, so the fuselage was moved to Nigel's local airfield, at White Waltham, where he planned to complete the final assembly. This would free-up space at home, to enable him to start re-assembling the wing panels.
lt was around this time that Nigel decided it'd be more appropriate to complete the restoration under the supervision of the LAA. Fortunately, his CAA Inspector also performed that duty for the LAA, and with Nigel having maintained comprehensive worksheets and records of the rebuild, the exercise was quite straightforward. This also meant that a number of minor modifications which Nigel had been planning to incorporate could be embodied more easily.
POWER & THE FINAL PUSH
When Nigel acquired the project, there hadn't been an engine, and with the Moth Major being an early model, it'd have originally been fitted withaGipsyII|,whichissomethingofa rarity.
However, he soon found a Gipsy Major that looked like good candidate, one which had been overhauled as a spare and carefully stored, unused, for over forty years.
Following a strip-down, the engine was found to be in excellent shape with no repair work required. That was a great relief.
At around the same time, the flying surfaces were approaching completion and would soon be ready for fabric. Nigel had elected to use the traditional covering of Irish linen but before going ahead, he wanted to make sure the wings and tail surfaces would all fit properly and that the former would fold back correctly, as they were designed to do.
The wings were moved over to White Walthamandatrial rigwassuccessfully carried out in May 2014.
Over the next two years, as seasonal temperatures allowed, attention flitted between the fabric work and engine installation. By April 2016, the engine was all plumbed in and the first runs could be carried out.
After setting the magneto timing and priming the oil system with hot engine oil, the fuselage was wheeled outside and the Gipsy Major swung into life,without fuss. Nigel carried out sufficient ground runs to demonstrate that the engine was set upcorrectly and delivering sufficient power. However, Nigel didn’t want to prolong these tests, as he needed to run-in the engine in the air, to avoid glazing the cylinders.
The wings were finished just a few days later, sothenitwasjustaquestionoffittingthemand connecting up the controls. By the end of June, the Moth Major was at last ready for weighing and final inspection sothat the paperwork could be signed off and submitted to the LAA.
GETTING AIRBORNE
Nigelhaddoneafair amountofflight-testing over the years and, given his familiarity on type, both he and the LAA were comfortable with his proposal to carry out the programme himself.
That was the end of August 2016, and with a Permit to Test duly issued, Nigel put a plan together and practised emergency procedures in his Tiger Moth around White Waltham’s circuit. He waited for a day which offered the optimum conditions for test flying before briefing the airfield staff and taxying out for take-off.
A successful first flight of twenty minutes in the overhead confirmed that the Moth Major’s initial handling was as expected. Nigel was particularly pleased with the
(Left) Nigel with his family and the PhoenixDiplomaat the FAl Awards ceremony in Lausanne, Switzerland.
(Photo:FAI)
rigging, and on one circuit he was satisfied enough to fly a whole leg hands-off!
Having taxied in and switched off, Nigel was able to relax and consider the finer details of the flight itself. That was enough for one day, but he was to carry out further flights over the next few weekends, to work through the test schedule and get to know the aircraft better.
Nigel’s approach to the rebuild has been pragmatic as much as purist, stating, “I’ve not got hung up on trying to restore the aircraft to acontemporary 1933 factory standard.”
He recognises that, to operate and maintain a vintage aircraft in the modern age, when legislation is rife and spares are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain, certain compromises have to be made. As he says, “We need to accept that an aircraft iSgoing to evolve over its lifetime and embrace the current aviation environment.”
Although Nigel has maintained great originality, he has no regrets with, for example, his choice of a Gipsy Major engine rather than a Gipsy III,or Z-type harnesses as opposed to the Sutton type.
Even his choice of colour scheme, while characteristic of the thirties, is to his personal taste rather than the original scheme, although he’s paid tribute to the aircraft's heritage by displaying the emblem of the Bombay Flying Club on the cowlings.
Despite Nigel having largely undertaken the project single-handed, he’s quick to acknowledge that it'd have been impossible to do it all himself.
“l’m immensely thankful to my family and friends,” he says, “as well as the countless specialists and companies, many familiar within vintage aircraft circles, who have helped me to give the aircraft a second chance.”
ith ‘Crimbo’ over for another year and the diet started, I’d like to wish you all a Happy New Year and hope that 2017 proved a success for you. How wemeasuresuccessinaviationdepends a lot on our expectations, aspirations and, to a large extent, the weather.
My 2016 Christmas presents were lacking the SIAI-Marchetti SF260 or even the Van's RV-10 I'd settle for, so in that regard 2017 was lacking, but from an airborne perspective the first half of the year went well. As per usual, | managed to get around, even flying to Sweden for the first time, though admittedly only just over the border.
The second half of my year was fraught with engine problems which, understandably, proved irritating, especially at the height of summer. But | have to consider myself fortunate in discovering the problem before it had a chance to fully manifest itself. Yorkshirebased Linley Engineering, run by Kevin Hyam, specialises in Jabiru engines and he said that my 3300 would have given up without warning within the next 50 hours. Kevin's now rebuilt
(Main)An aerial view of the Wessex Strut’s 40th Anniversary Fly-in. (Photo:Neil Wilson)
the engine and tells me that it should be good to see my flying days out | hope so.
“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty,” said Sir Winston Churchill. Last year, my real successes were primarily through the achievements of others and a product of these Touring Adventure features.
INSPIRED & HONOURED
Firstly, | was delighted to have been the catalyst for some who made their all-important first Channel crossing. Congratulations to Tim White and Andrew Egan (Fishburn, County Durham), Roger Connell (Tholthorpe, North Yorkshire), Steve Woolmington (Earls Colne, Essex) and Neil Pearse (Ashburton, Devon), to name but a few of those | know about who made it across to mainland Europe.
Nigel Barrett, longtime aviation activist and crusader, has also had his enthusiasm rekindled and seems fired up again, so maybe his
ever-popular Luscombe tours could be revived. Inaddition,there’sbeenalotof‘engagement’ between LA readers and myself, encompassing questions,advice and general chit-chat.
Oh, yes, | also owe thanks to the LAA as our Association gave me an award. At the October AGM | was awarded the Roderick Turner Trophy for ‘Services to Light Aviation’ and all | had to do for it was fly around (a fair bit), put pen to paper and invite everyone along. People often talk about putting something ‘back in’ and I’m more than pleased if|caninspireanyone,evenjusta little.
Although|wasthrilledwiththeaward, | have to confess that some credit is due elsewhere as the original inspiration for my involvement in this series for LA came from aviation enthusiast Ron Parker (aka Little Ron), who's been in and around ‘our world’ for nearly a decade now, with toolbox at the ready, and flies as a passenger whenever possible.
When LA’s excellent Over the Hedge column by John Beeswax (Alan Chalkley) finished, after over thirty years, Ron spotted an opportunity to directly target the ‘aviator’, as opposed to the ‘techie’. Quite by chance he'd
Avie had
found some past travelogues |’d written and felt that they could be of interest to LAA members on a regular basis. A chat with LA editor, Brian, ensued and here we are... | could (and probably will) easily produce (quite a long) list of things both | and other pilots are disgruntled about but at the start of a New Year | prefer to focus on the positives, as pro-aviation people like ‘Little Ron’ should serve as a source of inspiration to those whose cup can so often be half-empty.
In spite of being a septuagenarian, an age when many pilots are considering hanging up their headsets and taking up more sedate pastimes, Ron’s recently bought a share in a Luscombe and started learning to fly. Any thoughts of an airline career may be just a touch optimistic, but his spirit should give us all added hope and the desire to attempt something new and challenging this year.
Those with a licence could maybe try a more positive approach when thinking ‘shall |, shan’t |? Or if your licence isn’t current, why not get revalidated, as there’s a world to discover. And for those of you without a PPL, if not this year, then when?
(Above) The Wessex Strut’s 40th attracted manyvisitors, and they didn’t only arrive by air.
(Photo: Neil Wilson) (Right)The 1917 Sopwith Pup, G-EAVX, which is being restored at Henstridge, was also on display.
(Photo:Neil Wilson)
Anyway, enough of the preamble, back to the real thread of this article, namely my three favourite fly-ins of 2017. Naturally, | choose the best three based on the events | enjoyed the most, but a few other factors also come into play. One of my selections is usually in the UK (for the people who don’t like water crossings), the second not too far the other side of the Channel (to tempt those who really want to get across) and the third a fair distance away (to keep the RV boys happy).
Thankfully, the early torrential downpours we endured at the Wessex Strut’s 2016 fly-in were absent and the forecast for St George’s Day, Sunday 23 April, was exceptionally good. I'd already arranged PPR for this 40th Anniversary event, which was also the first of our Meet the LAA Days, held up and down the country during 2017.
Henstridge Airfield, or to give it its original name, HMS Dipper, was built as a training base for the Fleet Air Arm during WWII. The
still be made out, if you look carefully enough, but in 1957 it was given over to GA.
The airfield is seven miles to the east of the town of Shaftesbury, which came into being after the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539 and was built on the site of the former Shaftsbury Abbey, founded in 888AD by King Alfred. For those of you who remember the seventies TV advert for Hovis bread, which many people thought was filmed in Yorkshire, well, it was actually shot on Shaftesbury’s Gold Hill, a steep cobbled street adjacent to the site of the original Abbey.
On the day of the fly-in itself, the eastern side of the country was covered in mist, which gradually cleared through the morning, although when passing the Gatwick Zone the weather gave the impression that it was deteriorating ahead. It never did and, in fact, after Southampton it cleared completely, leaving good visibility, light winds and a decent cloudbase.
In many respects the day turned out to be a mini-LAA Rally, with the sun drawing out many familiar faces and even some ‘hangar queens’. Apart from being busy there was a
lotgoing on,withthe locally-basedAircraft Coverings giving demonstrations of its wares, The Wessex Light Aeroplane Company showing an X-Air Hawk and Light Sport Aviation (LSA)displaying the latest Eurostar.
Those of you who follow LA’s Flight Test features will already know that Clive Davidson test-flies many of the aircraft and Neil Wilson doesthephotography.Thelattermadea point of inviting along some of the aircraft owners he’s shot for Flight Testfeatures, and these included the guardians of an Isaacs Spitfire, an SE5A, a Rans S-7, a B-N Freelance, an Auster, a Streak Shadow, a Turbulent, a Porterfield and more.
Also on display was a genuine 1917 Sopwith Pup that’s being restored at Henstridge,anditwasparkedalongside the Super STOL Avalanche, thus marking a centenaryofGA,asthey’reoneoftheoldest and newesttypesonthe LAARegister.
At lunchtime, Wessex Strut founder, TonyYoung,alongwithitscurrentpresident, Dave Stokes, and past PFA chairman, David Faulkner-Bryant, cut a cake to mark the 40th Anniversary and in the afternoon, there was an LAA ‘question and answer’ forum in the big marquee.
The good weather attracted over 170 aircraft, unsurprisingly mainly LAA types, all landingswerefreeandwithachoiceofBBQ, ploughman’s,curryorchilliforaround a fiver, you couldn't ask for better value from a day out.
For more information on the Wessex Strut’s annual fly-in, visit www.wessexstrut.org.uk
20,000 LEAGUES IN THE AIR, AMIENS (LFAY),FRANCE
The annual 20,000 Lieues dans les Airs fly-in is held at Amiens each May, its name coming from the town’s association with the author Jules Verne. The plan was to fly-out on Friday 12 May, have a pleasant meal by the quaint river in the St Pau area, join the French for a hangar meal on Saturday 13 and head home on Sunday 14, having put the world to rights.
With many pilots doing fewer trips, year on year, LA editor Brian and | thought that, if we could organise a successful LAA fly-out event and arouse enough interest early in the season, we'd maybe get things buzzing again. Happily,afteracoupleofmentionsinLA, the emails literally flew in, and we soon had 65 aircraft with 99 people registered, which was quite astounding. I’m fully aware that flying out to l'Aérodrome
Amiens-Glisy may well have been wishful thinking for a few of the pilots we heard from —as of yet, weather forecasters can't give accurate predictions more than a few days ahead but several potential attendees cancelled three weeks beforehand, due to a poor ‘long-range’ prognosis.
From what | could gather, a day or so before the event, a front was due to pass on the Friday, at least leaving the Channel and northern France clear, but unfortunately it looked as though those based anywhere other than in the southeast of the UK may well have been forced to wait until Saturday to get across to Amiens.
| was at the strip by 0900 on the Friday, expecting the weather front to pass before midday, leaving a clear run to Albert for Customs and a ten-minute flight into Amiens. The flight-plan was done, Customs arranged and the plane packed and at the ready, but with the strip at 550ft, the cloud base at
650-700ft and with poor visibility, | could expect all | wanted, but the front had other ideas and was moving much more slowly than forecast.
With no discernible improvement by 1400, a decision had to be made, either we hung on in the hope that it cleared, which I’d normally do, or would have to go on Saturday instead. Not wishing to let down the many who intended to get to Amiens one way or another, we unpacked the aircraft and were booked on the next Channel crossing by car.
Seven sat down to dinner together that evening but, unfortunately, none of us had arrived by air. Brian Hope and Paddy Jordan came on their two-wheeled stallions and the rest of us crossed by car. We later learned that one intrepid aviator, Geoff Scott from Heathfield, had waited out the weather and managed to fly across, meaning that if I'd hung on a couple of hours longer could've flown as well. C’est la vie!
The Saturday saw some improvement after midday, with those who came from further
afield having enjoyed more time for the weather to clear. In spite of this being their first Channel
good band, and asWellthe done them. (Photo:
{ i wewere joined for dinner by the boy’sson : . anions. crossing,threeaudacious serene andhiswife, pilotsfromthenorthof oa
England routed through Rochester, where the airport's staff and members of the Kent Strut were on hand to help out.
The fly-in’s theme was WWI and Aérodrome Amiens-Glisy proved very active, with people taking joyrides, others in period costume, BBQs ablaze and stalls of various kinds. As the Brits arrived, they joined us in the main hangar for a typically French lunch of cold meats, saucisson, a choice of cheeses and baguettes.
For those of you who recall the February 2017 edition of LA, which featured Amiens, | related the story of a boy who saw a B-17 crash land in WWII and the crew taken prisoner by the Germans. Well, that evening
and | can honestly say that we had one of the best hangar meals can recall. Others chose to forego the airfield cuisine and had their meal in the town instead, which included my son and his girlfriend, who’d driven across to see what the ‘old folks’ get up to at a fly-in.
The sheer enthusiasm of those who'd made their first Channel crossing was infectious, and | could sense their elation, which was coupled with exhaustion, at the end of what had, after all, been a demanding day. still recall a time when on reaching a destination that | found challenging |’d feel the same sense of relief, totally drained and in need of a beer or two.
The atmosphere and vibrancy of the day extended to the evening, which featured an
proceedings drew to a close, those of us who’d driven across were at least able to justify the fact by providing lifts for the others.
The following day, the weather cleared up early and all three Customs airfields Albert, Le Touquet and Calais were used to get home, with everybody managing to get back to their respective bases well before us ground-bound adventurers even reached the white cliffs of Dover.
The 2018 edition of this excellent event will again be in May, on the 5-6, and remember it’s a fly/drive opportunity as Amiens is less than ninety minutes from the French coast by car. | plan to be there, one way or another, and I’m pretty sure that everyone who made the last trip will also be too. I'll be emailing those who asked to be kept informed. If you're undecided, there are much worse ways to spend a weekend than in France, surrounded by aircraft and pilots, talking aeroplanes.
For more information about this event, visitwww.20000lieuesdanslesairs-amiens. fr
The Canal de la Teele with the wooden statue Homme sur sa Bouee (Man on the Buoy) by Stephan Balkenhol bottom left.
(Photo: Martin Ferid)
exceptionally
Martin Ferid)
TOURING ADVENTURES
lot going on, with the locally-based Aircraft Coverings giving demonstrations of its wares, The Wessex Light Aeroplane Company showing an X-Air Hawk and Light Sport Aviation (LSA) displaying the latest Eurostar.
Those of you who follow LA’s Flight Test features will already know that Clive Davidson test-flies many of the aircraft and Neil Wilson does the photography. The latter made a point of inviting along some of the aircraft owners he’s shot for Flight Testfeatures, and these included the guardians of an Isaacs Spitfire, an SESA, a Rans S-7, a B-N Freelance, an Auster, a Streak Shadow, a Turbulent, a Porterfield and more.
Also on display was a genuine 1917 Sopwith Pup that’s being restored at Henstridge, and it was parked alongside the Super STOL Avalanche, thus marking a centenary of GA, as they’re one of the oldest and newest types on the LAA Register.
At lunchtime, Wessex Strut founder, Tony Young, along with its current president, Dave Stokes, and past PFA chairman, David Faulkner-Bryant, cut a cake to mark the 40th Anniversary and in the afternoon, there was an LAA ‘question and answer’ forum in the big marquee.
The good weather attracted over 170 aircraft, unsurprisingly mainly LAA types, all landings were free and with a choice of BBQ, ploughman’s,curryorchilliforaround a fiver, you couldn't ask for better value from a day out.
For more information on the Wessex Strut’s annual fly-in, visit www.wessexstrut.org.uk
20,000 LEAGUES IN THE AIR, AMIENS (LFAY), FRANCE
The annual 20,000 Lieues dans les Airs fly-in is held at Amiens each May, its name coming from the town’s association with the author Jules Verne. The plan was to fly-out on Friday 12 May, have a pleasant meal by the quaint river in the St Pau area, join the French for a hangar meal on Saturday 13 and head home on Sunday 14, having put the world to rights.
With many pilots doing fewer trips, year on year, LA editor Brian and | thought that, if we could organise a successful LAA fly-out event and arouse enough interest early in the season, we’d maybe get things buzzing again.
Happily, after a couple of mentions in LA, the emails literally flew in, and we soon had 65 aircraft with 99 people registered, which was quite astounding.
I'm fully aware that flying out to l'Aérodrome Amiens-Glisy may well have been wishful thinking for a few of the pilots we heard from as of yet, weather forecasters can’t give accurate predictions more than a few days ahead but several potential attendees cancelled three weeks beforehand, due toa poor ‘long-range’ prognosis.
From what | could gather, a day or so before the event, a front was due to pass on the Friday, at least leaving the Channel and northern France clear, but unfortunately it looked as though those based anywhere other than in the southeast of the UK may well have been forced to wait until Saturday to get across to Amiens.
| was at the strip by 0900 on the Friday, expecting the weather front to pass before midday, leaving a clear run to Albert for Customs and a ten-minute flight into Amiens. The flight-plan was done, Customs arranged and the plane packed and at the ready, but with the strip at 550ft, the cloud base at
“The sheer enthusiasm of those who'd made their first Channel sense their elation”
650-700ft and with poor visibility, | could expect all | wanted, but the front had other ideas and was moving much more slowly than forecast.
With no discernible improvement by 1400, a decision had to be made, either we hung on in the hope that it cleared, which |’d normally do, or would have to go on Saturday instead. Not wishing to let down the many who intended to get to Amiens one way or another, we unpacked the aircraft and were booked on the next Channel crossing by car. Seven sat down to dinner together that evening but, unfortunately, none of us had arrived by air. Brian Hope and Paddy Jordan came on their two-wheeled stallions and the rest of us crossed by car. We later learned that one intrepid aviator, Geoff Scott from Heathfield, had waited out the weather and managed to fly across, meaning that if I'd hung on a couple of hours longer | could've flown as well. C’est la vie!
The Saturday saw some improvement after midday, with those who came from further
The Canal de la Tee ALI gon with the wooden
statue ’Homme sur sa Bouee (Man on the Buoy) by Stephan
Balkenhol bottom left.
VeatoraenUAeOUD
(Above) Martin Ferid, third from left, with cross-Channel (Photo:Martin Ferid) first-timers Tim White, Andrew Egan and Roger Connell. : Well done them. (Photo: Martin Ferid)
afield having enjoyed more time for the weather to clear. In spite of this being their first Channel crossing, three audacious pilots from the north of Lace England routed through Rochester, where the airport’s staff and members of the Kent Strut were on hand to help out.
The fly-in’s theme was WWI and |'Aérodrome Amiens-Glisy proved very active, with people taking joyrides, others in period costume, BBQs ablaze and stalls of various kinds. As the Brits arrived, they joined us in the main hangar for a typically French lunch of cold meats, saucisson, a choice of cheeses and baguettes.
For those of you who recall the February 2017 edition of LA, which featured Amiens, | related the story of a boy who saw a B-17 crash land in WWII and the crew taken prisoner by the Germans. Well, that evening
t j wewere joined for
AS ae boy’sson soreness andhiswife, and | can honestly say that we had one of the best hangar meals | can recall. Others chose to forego the airfield cuisine and had their meal in the town instead, which included my son and his girlfriend, who’d driven across to see what the‘oldfolks’getuptoatafly-in.
The sheer enthusiasm of those who'd made their first Channel crossing was infectious, and | could sense their elation, which was coupled with exhaustion, at the end of what had, after all,beenademandingday.| stillrecallatime when on reaching a destination that | found challenging I'd feel the same sense of relief, totally drained and in need of a beer or two.
The atmosphere and vibrancy of the day extended to the evening, which featured an exceptionally good band, and as the
proceedings drew to a close, those of us who'd driven across were at least able to justify the fact by providing lifts for the others.
The following day, the weather cleared up early and all three Customs airfields Albert, Le Touquet and Calais were used to get home, with everybody managing to get back to their respective bases well before us ground-bound adventurers even reached the white cliffs of Dover.
The 2018 edition of this excellent event will again be in May, on the 5-6, and remember it’s a fly/drive opportunity as Amiens is less than ninety minutes from the French coast by car. | plan to be there, one way or another, and I'm pretty sure that everyone who made the last trip will also be too. I'll be emailing those who asked to be kept informed. If you’re undecided, there are much worse ways to spend a weekend than in France, surrounded by aircraft and pilots, talking aeroplanes.
For more information about this event, visitwww.20000lieuesdanslesairs-amiens. fr
The Cub & Cubs fly-in at H6ganas Airport, Sweden, on 26-28 May, was essentially an event for full-sized Piper Cubs, but also featured a display of radio-controlled models of the type. This is a biennial event, organised by the Nordvastra Skanes Flygklubb, making the next in 2019 now wouldn't that be a nice trio for a gaggle of G-reg’d Cubs?
Some of the models on display had been built by the owners of the full-sized version to match their aircraft, with one chap telling me that it took him longer to build his model than to restore his PA-18!
The original idea was to go to Glenforsa on the Isle of Mull and maybe nip up to the Outer Hebrides, if possible. From my base in southeast England, getting to Scotland and back in a weekend needs a certain set of weather conditions. haven’t managed it yet, as the same weather systems also mean can get to Northern Germany, Denmark and, on this occasion, Sweden. The trick is to time It so that the weather fronts pass through while you're nicely tucked up in bed. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't!
| chose Calais for Customs, with the next stop being Hilversum, where the ever-enthusiastic Dutch Aviation Police were waiting for a routine check, my third in three visits. Although they were polite and friendly enough, they went through everything, including evidence that I’d checked the weather and notams. They further stated that, had my partner not been so slim, they would’ve got me to unload and weigh everything before allowing us to go on our way.
Refueled and flight-planned out to the Danish island of Aero, off we went, but the strength of the headwind resulted in slow progress, which was made all the more uncomfortable as Dutch Mil couldn't read my Mode C and kept me below 1,200ft. Crossing into German airspace was like a breath of fresh air, with an instant clearance up to 5,000ft and the radio buzzing, as opposed to having had just the odd, sporadic contact with Dutch Mil. Holland was once just as lively but, most likely as a direct result of a zealous interpretation of regulations and overpolicing, Dutch GA is being stifled. did promise myself to keep my first Touring Adventure feature of 2018 gripe-free —so much for New Year's resolutions!
The diet’s not going too well either...
On the other hand, can’t praise the German Information services enough as whenever I’ve used them they seem genuinely pleased to have us in the sky and go out of their way to be of service. On that occasion it was Bremen Info which proved so helpful, as around Cuxhaven we lost sight of the ground due to fog covering most of the lower Danish peninsular.
Bremen Info first telephoned several diversion airfields on my route and on getting no response directly contacted aircraft flying in the vicinity. After being happy that we could safely divert, Bremen then checked the onward weather with its Met Office, and gave us an off-track course which enabled us to clear the area much sooner. That not only altered my flying partner's demeanor but also secretly made me feel better as, despite being in good VFR, we were totally reliant on the GPS for navigation at the time.
AllaCubari skala1:1 atcaama! modellervalkom
TheSaints(HaganasMK) 0 00 - 17. | _
With 20kt on the nose we were going to be much later arriving on Aero than expected, so we altered our flight-plan in the air and, instead, headed for the bigger island of Lolland-Falster, which was likely to have better facilities.
The next day proved just as nice, although the ever-present headwind put an extra twenty minutes on our planned, hour-long flight. That said, the route did give us an impressive view of the Oresund Bridge, whichbecomes a tunnel,disappearing and reappearing again in the middle of the sea connecting Sweden to Denmark.
Hoganas Airfield was in bright sunlight and surrounded by oil seed rape, which made the contrasting colours so stunning. With the azure blue of the sea, the verdant green fields and vibrant yellow crops, it was like being a part of a still-life painting by Paul Cézanne, or the even more vivid colours of Leonid Afremov after all, aviation life isn’t all DZUS fasteners, collets and lock-wire pliers, you know!
We were warmly welcomed to Héganas by everyone at the Nordvastra Skanes Flygklubb and there was a relaxed, friendly, informal air at the field.
We were offered the use of one the five rooms available for visitors (€50 per night), and after the usual pleasantries and a well-deserved beer in the sunshine, we
advantage of the club’s complimentary bicycles and cycled into town. The quickest route is down the cycle track on the main road, but far more pleasant is the alternative one which takes you through suburbia.
Upon going left out of the airfield, look for a right-hand turn which takes you through a small park, then head for the bigger buildings and it should take no more than twenty minutes.
A visit to Lidl provided us with a late picnic lunch, which we took down by the quayside, enjoying the splendid view across the sea, towards Denmark. With the brisk north to northeasterly wind we both noticed that the air was truly fresh, which says something about the UK’s atmospheric conditions!
That evening we had a choice of the hangar meal with the others or a night in the town. Well, we made the wrong choice, from a food angle, as a local takeaway restaurant provided the ‘hangar do’ catering —|'m still not sure how burger, chips and salad can be so utterly ruined but the ‘little Cubs’ put on quite a good evening display. The next time | plan to visit Helsingborg, particularly its old town, which is about a thirty-minute bus ride away. Conveniently, there’s a bus stop near the entrance to the airfield.
The next day the skies were filled with a steady stream of Swedish-registered Piper Cubs, sporting various states of livery. | took the opportunity to check on the progress of the
weather front, which had now reached Belgium and was likely to sit between us and our route home if we stayed overnight.
Later that afternoon we said our goodbyes, having decided to head for Hoogeveen for a night in Holland. In contrast to their authorities, the Dutch people themselves are extremely friendly and welcoming, and on that occasion we were offered hangarage, which proved to be rather fortuitous as that night the expected storm passed through with the inevitable wind, thunder and lightning. The downside to the whole trip was that the wind had by then managed to turn 180°, giving us a pesky 20kt headwind all the way home as well!
For more information on rthis annual event, please visit www.nsf.se/english
A TIP FROM TONY
Finally,I’mnotsurewhatwasinthewater with the ‘flower power’ generation, but to end this month’s feature I'd like to mention another adventurer who's also in his seventies and isn’t prepared to grow old gracefully.
Tony Gover is a retired Quantas Captain who's built a couple of aeroplanes and took the trouble to contact me with couple of tips, one of which I'd like to pass on to you.
He’s recently sold his house in France and is planning to tour the US for a year, hippiestyle, in a camper van. After following my
due to the amount of water cross, carry a bright torch which incorporates an SOS signal. Rest assured, Tony, something with lots of ‘lumens’whichstandsa changeof beingseen from a rescue helicopter rather than a cheap look-alike has now been Googled and ordered. Thanks, Tony, and good luck with your trip!
Next month’s Touring Adventure features Kilkenny, Ireland.
MARTIN FERID specialises in helping qualified pilots expand their horizons, by introducing UK pilots to the splendours of flying in Europe, both as day trips and for a few days at atime.
Ifyoulackalittle confidenceincrossing the Channel, touring in general or indeed any aspects of flying, contact Tony by emailing stoneacreaviation@yahoo.co.uk or calling 07958 880178.
In addition, anyone who’s looking for inspiration or new destinations should visit www.lightaircrattraining.co.uk, where there’s enough ideas to quench most thirsts, all discovered cruising at a relatively sedate QOkt.
took
aforementioned
TOURING ADVENTURES
The Cub & Cubs fly-in at Héganas Airport, Sweden, on 26-28 May, was essentially an event for full-sized Piper Cubs, but also featured a display of radio-controlled models of the type. This is a biennial event, organised by the Nordvastra Skanes Flygklubb, making the next in 2019 now wouldn't that be a nice trip for a gaggle of G-reg’d Cubs?
Some of the models on display had been built by the owners of the full-sized version to match their aircraft, with one chap telling me that it took him longer to build his model than to restore his PA-18!
The original idea was to go to Glenforsa on the Isle of Mull and maybe nip up to the Outer Hebrides, if possible. From my base in southeast England, getting to Scotland and back in a weekend needs a certain set of weather conditions. | haven't managed it yet, as the same weather systems also mean | can get to Northern Germany, Denmark and, on this occasion, Sweden. The trick is to time it so that the weather fronts pass through while you're nicely tucked up in bed. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't!
| chose Calais for Customs, with the next stop being Hilversum, where the ever-enthusiastic Dutch Aviation Police were waiting for a routine check, my third in three visits. Although they were polite and friendly enough, they went through everything, including evidence that |’d checked the weather and notams. They further stated that, had my partner not been so slim, they would've got me to unload and weigh everything before allowing us to go on our way.
Refueled and flight-planned out to the Danish island of Aero, off we went, but the strength of the headwind resulted in slow progress, which was made all the more uncomfortable as Dutch Mil couldn't read my Mode C and kept me below 1,200ft. Crossing into German airspace was like a breath of fresh air, with an instant clearance up to 5,000ft and the radio buzzing, as opposed to having had just the odd, sporadic contact with Dutch Mil. Holland was once just as lively but, most likely as a direct result of a zealous interpretation of regulations and overpolicing, Dutch GA is being stifled. | did promise myself to keep my first Touring Adventure feature of 2018 gripe-free —so much for New Year’s resolutions! The diet’s not going too well either...
On the other hand, | can’t praise the German Information services enough as whenever I’ve used them they seem genuinely pleased to have us in the sky and go out of their way to be of service. On that occasion it was Bremen Info which proved so helpful, as around Cuxhaven we lost sight of the ground due to fog covering most of the lower Danish peninsular.
Bremen Info first telephoned several diversion airfields on my route and on getting no response directly contacted aircraft flying in the vicinity. After being happy that we could safely divert, Bremen then checked the onward weather with its Met Office, and gave us an off-track course which enabled us to clear the area much sooner. That not only altered my flying partner's demeanor but also secretly made me feel better as, despite being in good VFR, we were totally reliant on the GPS for navigation at the time.
With 20kt on the nose we were going to be much later arriving on Aero than expected, so we altered our flight-plan in the air and, instead, headed for the bigger island of Lolland-Falster, which was likely to have better facilities.
The next day proved just as nice, although the ever-present headwind put an extra twenty minutes on our planned, hour-long flight. That said, the route did give us an impressive view of the Oresund Bridge, whichbecomes a tunnel,disappearing and reappearing again in the middle of the sea connecting Sweden to Denmark. Hoganas Airfield was in bright sunlight and surrounded by oil seed rape, which made the contrasting colours so stunning. With the azure blue of the sea, the verdant green fields and vibrant yellow crops, it was like being a part of a still-life painting by Paul Cézanne, or the even more vivid colours of Leonid Afremov -after all, aviation life isn’t all DZUS fasteners, collets and lock-wire pliers, you know!
We were warmly welcomed to Héganas by everyone at the Nordvastra Skanes Flygklubb and there was a relaxed, friendly, informal air at the field.
We were offered the use of one the five rooms available for visitors (€50 per night), and after the usual pleasantries and a well-deserved beer in the sunshine, we
took advantage of the club’s complimentary bicycles and cycled into town. The quickest route is down the cycle track on the main road, but far more pleasant is the alternative one which takes you through suburbia.
Upon going left out of the airfield, look for a right-hand turn which takes you through a small park, then head for the bigger buildings and it should take no more than twenty minutes.
A visit to Lidl provided us with a late picnic lunch, which we took down by the quayside, enjoying the splendid view across the sea, towards Denmark. With the brisk north to northeasterly wind we both noticed that the air was truly fresh, which says something about the UK’s atmospheric conditions!
That evening we had a choice of the hangar meal with the others or a night in the town. Well, we made the wrong choice, from a food angle, as a local takeaway restaurant provided the ‘hangar do’ catering I'm still not sure how burger, chips and salad can be so utterly ruined but the ‘little Cubs’ put on quite a good evening display. The next time | plan to visit Helsingborg, particularly its old town, which is about a thirty-minute bus ride away. Conveniently, there’s a bus stop near the entrance to the airfield.
The next day the skies were filled with a steady stream of Swedish-registered Piper Cubs, sporting various states of livery. | took the opportunity to check on the progress of the
aforementioned weather front, which had now reached Belgium and was likely to sit between us and our route home if we stayed overnight.
Later that afternoon we said our goodbyes, having decided to head for Hoogeveen for a night in Holland. In contrast to their authorities, the Dutch people themselves are extremely friendly and welcoming, and on that occasion we were offered hangarage, which proved to be rather fortuitous as that night the expected storm passed through with the inevitable wind, thunder and lightning. The downside to the whole trip was that the wind had by then managed to turn 180°, giving us a pesky 20kt headwind all the way home as well!
For more information on rthis annual event, please visit www.nsf.se/english
A TIP FROMTONY
Finally, I’m not sure what was in the water with the ‘flower power’ generation, but to end this month’s feature I'd like to mention another adventurer who's also in his seventies and isn’t prepared to grow old gracefully.
Tony Gover is a retired Quantas Captain who's built a couple of aeroplanes and took the trouble to contact me with couple of tips, one of which I'd like to pass on to you.
He’s recently sold his house in France and is planning to tour the US for a year, hippiestyle, in a camper van. After following my
due to the amount of water | cross, | carry a bright torch which incorporates an SOS signal.
Rest assured, Tony, something with lots of ‘lumens’ which stands a chance of being seen from a rescue helicopter rather than a cheap look-alike has now been Googled and ordered. Thanks, Tony, and good luck with your trip!
Next month’s Touring Adventure features Kilkenny, Ireland.
MARTIN FERID specialises in helping qualified pilots expand their horizons, by introducing UK pilots to the splendours of flying in Europe, both as day trips and for a few days at atime.
Ifyoulacka littleconfidenceincrossing the Channel, touring in general or indeed any aspects of flying, contact Tony by emailing stoneacreaviation@yahoo.co.uk or calling 07958 880178.
In addition, anyone who’s looking for inspiration or new destinations should visit www.lightaircrattraining.co.uk, where there’s enough ideas to quench most thirsts, all discovered cruising at a relatively sedate 9Okt.
ringing something new into the world is quite special and the story of the Europa Monowheel, G-YETI, is just such a story, one which started some 22 years ago. When Gerry Cole retired in 1994, he bought the very innovative Europa Classic.
At that time, it was a very new kit on the market, lvan Shaw having debuted the prototype at the LAA Rally only a couple of years before. In fairly short order, the control surfaces, then the wings and, finally, the fuselage parts arrived at Gerry’s house and work commenced.
Gerry had chosen the Europa after a visit to the company’s factory in Kirkbymoorside, Yorkshire. That visit included a demonstration
(Above) Clive is the Europa’s third owner and completed its build. Here’s G-YETI in his back garden, ready to transport to the airfield. (Photo: Clive Sutton)
flight with the late Pete Clark, who landed off a high-speed, downwind low-pass and a chandelle, but for Gerry the main attraction was the Monowheel’s removable flying surfaces and the feasibility of building it ina generous double garage.
Gerry resolved to build the aircraft to a high standard. For example, all the aluminium alloy plates had the edges polished and were anodised by a local aerospace subcontractor; the trailing-edges were clamped with metal
straight-edges after their lay-up, and jigs were made for accurate assembly in several places, and to allow the use of a bench drill, where possible.
He spent some time developing Ted Gladstone’s design for a folding door stay and the effort proved worthwhile, since it goes slightly over-centre and there’s no gas strut load at all on a closed door, which can otherwisecausetheshutlinesto‘bulge’alittle.
Gerry had a heart bypass operation in 1997, after the CAA insisted on an angiogram, which uncovered a problem that he didn’t even know he had. That slowed up work for a while and, eventually, in 2007, Gerry felt that he needed to sell the completed airframe. Malcolm Hendra then acquired it, adding value by subsequently
buying some firewall-forward parts and starting some of the surface preparation for painting.
Then camealongandbought the mainly finished structure, several boxes of parts and some manuals and notes, with the intent to finish and fly it.
A MARIE CELESTE?
Taking on the build of a Permit aircraft is no smali commitment, as anyone who's attempted it will well know. With a part-built kit, besides getting to grips with the actual state of the project, there’s the task of establishing the quality of work, collating all the supporting paperwork, planning a budget to finish it and logistical issues, such as arranging transport from the seller and the preparation of the aircraft's new home.
There’s a whole lot of discovery to do and no small amount of risk to evaluate. The input of an LAA Inspector, even if only as a second pair of eyes and ears, is really critical at that stage. I’m an LAA Inspector and have been through this process twice now, and | can’t imagine how much more onerous it becomes if you’re buying from abroad and/or importing a part-built or even a finished aircraft.
I'd say that being objective and promising yourself that you won't proceed with a part-built kit purchase unless you feel that you’ve acquired adequate evidence to support LAA Engineering’s Permit process isthe best way to avoid what can easily become a nightmare. That probably means asking difficult questions of nice people and being humble enough to request advice from trusted sources.
That approach really matters because being confident of the integrity of the paperwork and the aircraft will become ever more important as you near the end of the build and start the formal steps to secure the Permit to Flyfor what, by that point, will be your beloved machine.
With G-YETI, was very fortunate to be able to contact the original builder, Gerry Cole, to find that he remained both accessible and open to answering questions about his work. In fact, Gerry couldn’t have been more accommodating, and as he’d also taken the trouble to document his thirteen plus years of work in notes and pictures, the transfer of knowledge and intelligent answers was easy and proved a real asset to me, as the final builder of the aircraft.
However, not everyone is so diligent or so approachable. Considering that | was a complete stranger calling out of the blue, not long after I’d bought the kit, the friendship between us which emerged has been a rather nice thing, especially in this age of individualism. Partly as a result of that registered the aircraft on a ‘joint builder’ basis, to recognise Gerry’s very considerable amount of high-quality work.
UNDERSTANDING THE LAA’S REMIT
Sometimes, as LAA members, we can hold the view that our Association is like the CAA, namely a large organisation beset with officialdom and process. But the reality is that the LAA is quite small, it operates as a not-for-profit body and is a ‘delegated
authority’, as are the BMAA and BGA. Like those other organisations, the LAA issues recommendations to the CAA on the basis of evidence to support its Engineering Department's judgement. LAA Engineering has proven to the CAA that it’s competent to do this, and maintaining that reputation is the cornerstone which we, as builders and pilots, rely upon to exercise our freedom to operate under the Permit to Fly system. As LAA members, if we take the view that continuing an argument over the approval of, for example, a mod is the route to success with our Association’s Engineering Department, we're probably going to be disappointed. I’ve found that if | can provide the evidence that LAA Engineering needs, its team will do everything they humanly can to get me to the sign-off point of my aircraft's Permit paperwork in a timely manner.
CLOSE TO COMPLETION...
Assuming that your aircraft is nearing full completion and it has nearly all its build-stage dockets completed, the first step to initiating the issue of a Permit is to contact LAA HQ and ask for a Completion Pack. That information pack defines what paperwork you'll need to submit but it isn’t solely designed to satisfy the LAA, it also leads the owner through the learning process of the things they need to understand about their aircraft, such as the weight and balance, fuel-flow check, etc. It's actually part of the build project to complete this documentation which, in essence, belongs to the aircraft. The LAA
ringing something new into the world is quite special and the story of the Europa Monowheel, G-YETI, is just such a story, one which started some 22 years ago. When Gerry Cole retired in 1994, he bought the very innovative Europa Classic.
At that time, it was a very new kit on the market, lvan Shaw having debuted the prototype at the LAA Rally only a couple of years before. In fairly short order, the control surfaces, then the wings and, finally, the fuselage parts arrived at Gerry’s house and work commenced.
GerryhadchosentheEuropaaftera visit to the company’s factory in Kirkbymoorside, Yorkshire. That visit included a demonstration
(Above) Clive is the Europa’s third owner and completed its build. Here’s G-YETI in his back garden, ready to transport to the airfield. (Photo: Clive Sutton)
flight with the late Pete Clark, who landed off a high-speed, downwind low-pass and a chandelle, but for Gerry the main attraction was the Monowheel’s removable flying surfaces and the feasibility of building it ina generous double garage.
Gerry resolved to build the aircraft to a high standard. For example, all the aluminium alloy plates had the edges polished and were anodised by a local aerospace subcontractor; the trailing-edges were clamped with metal
straight-edges after their lay-up, and jigs were made for accurate assembly in several places, and to allow the use of a bench drill, where possible.
He spent some time developing Ted Gladstone’s design for a folding door stay and the effort proved worthwhile, since it goes slightly over-centre and there’s no gas strut load at all on a closed door, which can otherwisecausetheshutlinesto‘bulge’alittle.
Gerry had a heart bypass operation in 1997, after the CAA insisted on an angiogram, which uncovered a problem that he didn’t even know he had. That slowed up work for a while and, eventually, in 2007, Gerry felt that he needed to sell the completed airframe. Malcolm Hendra then acquired it, adding value by subsequently
A MARIE CELESTE?
Taking on the build of a Permit aircraft is no small commitment, as anyone who's attempted it will well know. With a part-built kit, besides getting to grips with the actual state of the project, there’s the task of establishing the quality of work, collating all the supporting paperwork, planning a budget to finish it and logistical issues, Such as arranging transport from the seller and the preparation of the aircraft's new home. There’s a whole lot of discovery to do and no small amount of risk to evaluate. The input of an LAA Inspector, even if only as a second pair of eyes and ears, is really critical at that stage. I’m an LAA Inspector and have been through this process twice now, and | can't imagine how much more onerous it becomes if you’re buying from abroad and/or importing a part-built or even a finished aircraft.
I'd say that being objective and promising yourself that you won't proceed with a part-built kit purchase unless you feel that you’ve acquired adequate evidence to support LAA Engineering’s Permit process is the best way to avoid what can easily become a nightmare. That probably means asking difficult questions of nice people and being humble enough to
That approach really matters because being confident of the integrity of the paperwork and the aircraft will become ever more important as you near the end of the build and start the formal steps to secure the Permit to Fly for what, by that point, will be your beloved machine.
With G-YETI, | was very fortunate to be able to contact the original builder, Gerry Cole, to find that he remained both accessible and open to answering questions about his work. In fact, Gerry couldn't have been more accommodating, and as he'd also taken the trouble to document his thirteen plus years of work in notes and pictures, the transfer of knowledge and intelligent answers was easy and proved a real asset to me, as the final builder of the aircraft.
However, not everyone is so diligent or so approachable. Considering that | was a complete stranger calling out of the blue, not long after I’d bought the kit, the friendship between us which emerged has been a rather nice thing, especially in this age of individualism. Partly as a result of that | registered the aircraft on a ‘joint builder’ basis, to recognise Gerry’s very considerable amount of high-quality work.
UNDERSTANDING THE LAA’S REMIT
Sometimes, as LAA members, we can hold the view that our Association is like the CAA, namely a large organisation beset with officialdom and process. But the reality is that the LAA is quite small, it operates as a not-for-profit body and is a ‘delegated
authority’, as are the BMAA and BGA. Like those other organisations, the LAA issues recommendations to the CAA on the basis of evidence to support its Engineering Department's judgement. LAA Engineering has proven to the CAA that it’s competent to do this, and maintaining that reputation is the cornerstone which we, as builders and pilots, rely upon to exercise our freedom to operate under the Permit to Fly system.
As LAA members, if we take the view that continuing an argument over the approval of, for example, a mod is the route to success with our Association’s Engineering Department, we’re probably going to be disappointed. I’ve found that if | can provide the evidence that LAA Engineering needs, its team will do everything they humanly can to get me to the sign-off point of my aircraft's Permit paperwork in a timely manner.
CLOSE TO COMPLETION...
Assuming that your aircraft is nearing full completion and it has nearly all its build-stage dockets completed, the first step to initiating the issue of a Permit is to contact LAA HQ and ask for a Completion Pack. That information pack defines what paperwork you'll need to submit but it isn’t solely designed to satisfy the LAA, it also leads the owner through the learning process of the things they need to understand about their aircraft, such as the weight and balance, fuel-flow check, etc.
It's actually part of the build project to complete this documentation which, in essence, belongs to the aircraft. The LAA
wants to make sure that the builder, and any future owner or pilot, has the relevant information to grasp how the likes of the aircraft's weight and balance is calculated.
The Completion Pack is based upon your specific aircraft type and defines what the LAA will use as the standard against which your build and its records are to be compared. The Type Acceptance Data Sheet (TADS) for your aircraft type will list the build standard and acceptable modifications, grouped into:
a) LAA-required mods: The safety-critical ones.
b) Builder optional mods: Such as any factory options.
c) Builder-specific mods: Including ‘Repeat’ mods, or builder-designed ones that you intended for your particular aircraft for example, moving a brake lever, or modifying your cowling, which you've (hopefully) already processed through the LAA Mods system. It's easy to list all of these on the forms, but the more difficult and essential part is for you and your LAA Inspector to check if and how each mod has been installed, which is especially important ifyou didn’t do the work yourself. That can take some time, even if you haven't added anything out of the norm to your aircraft.
Some mods, such as the integrity and routing of fuel lines, will apply to all aircraft fitted with a particular engine the TADSwill list them.Mandatory Permit Directives for your airframe and/or engine/propeller also need to be checked for embodiment. In addition, check thatwhatyouconsidertobea ‘trivial’modis indeed considered so by LAA Engineering.
Please note, the presentation of the test flight submission to your Inspector or the LAA isn’t the time to ‘surprise’ them with a novel mod that you hadn't previously mentioned! f you think like a solicitor who's assembling the paperwork for a legal case, your frustration levels will be reduced. Better still, take the time to check your mod status/plans while you're still building, thereby avoiding the situation where you or the LAA come across such surprises late in the process and the Permit to Testis delayed.
In addition to providing evidence of your aircraft's registration/ownership and licences eg for radio operation and equipment approvals other aspects of your fit-out will also require supporting paperwork.
Examples of this would include evidence that the ADS-B transponder outputs are inthe correct format, the engine has been installed as per the manufacturer's checklist, your LAA Inspector's final inspection approvals, a fuel-flow check’s been done, and the final weight and balance schedule. And don’t forget the Permit application form and to pay its associated fee.
This can feel like a mountain of paperwork, but working methodically through each portion before submission will eventually pay off.
TIME TO GET AIRBORNE
Once the LAA has assessed your paperwork and is happy, you will be posted a Certificate of Clearance to test-fly the aircraft. At this stage, you'll be required to email proof that the aircraft has been adequately insured to the CAA.
Provided the aircraft is of an accepted type, five hours of test-flying is needed, including a flight of two hours’ duration, and at least fifteen take-offs and landings. This is the ‘shakedown’ period, designed to uncover the need for adjustments and provide evidence of how the aircraft really performs.
For new types, other arrangements are made which will include additional test-flight time, and an assessment flight by a designated Test Pilot.
Test-flying aircraft is a specialist subject which | won't go into here, but suffice to say that because of his unequalled experience with both the Europa and its Monowheel variant, | contracted this activity to the LAA’s Andy Draper. Then, at Turweston, over a period of two-to-three weeks, | supported him with the inevitable tweaking of things radiator repositioning, etc. Of course, all changes/work during this period was duly recorded and signed off on LAA Worksheets. The test-flying phase irons out the niggles and culminates in a Permit Test Flight document, which records and reports the performance data.
Once the Permit TestFlight report has been submitted, LAA Engineering checks over the performance figures and, if they're acceptable, make a recommendation to the CAA that a Permit to Fly be issued. When that arrives back, you get your Permit and its associated limitations document through the post!
@Circa 7,000 hours total build time, over 23 years.
@825lb empty weight
# 1,370lb mtow, extended baggage bay and tunnel-top fuel tank selector
B®750fpm climb rate
@Stall speeds (IAS) 53kt clean and 43kt with flap
g ‘Glass cockpit’ AHRS and SkyDemon displays, using an iLevil 2-AW GPS/AHRS.
gwADS-B ‘In’ and ‘Out’ capability enables airborne traffic display on the SkyDemon.
@It took nine weeks between submitting the LAA Completion Pack and receiving the Certificate of Clearance.
m The shakedown and initial Permit testing phase took approximately fourteen days.
mThe issue of a Permit to Fly after submitting the Permit Test Flight report took a further two-to-three weeks.
s well as for looking forward, the New Year is a good time for reflecting on the events of the past year. This month we thought we would share some snippets from a few of the Strut newsletters, bringing memories ofsummerdaysandalsotosharealittle ofthe diversity of articles that are published across the length and breadth of our membership.
(Above) The photogenic Scottish Highlands are always a good backdrop for Strut fly-ins. The East of Scotland Strut was fortunate in having resident photographer Wallace Shackleton at Knockburn Farm for its Summer Fly-in. We were spoilt for
(Above) Not to be outdone, the Highlands & Islands Strut provided a photo of its
choice, photo-wise, butwent for Nigel Beach Summer Fly-in. On a soggy day, the Strut made use of a sheep trailer as a Campbell’s RV-7,G-MACI,flying in. refreshments hub and it also proved a good vantage pointto watch the aircraft landing!
(Left)We’re always keen to report on Strut events which involve young people, and the Bristol Strut joined forces with the Gloster Strut to fly Air Scouts at their Aviation Camp.
Robyn’s parents wrote, “What an amazing experience! It’s incredible the opportunities offered to young people in this area.”
The big smiles say it all!
Sollas
(Above) Meanwhile, the Wessex Strut flew out to David and Carrie Stokes’ at East Pennard, Somerset, for a well-attended BBQ in June, and assembled outside the hangar for this group photo.
(Above & right)Trevor Reed and David Millin often keep an eye on safety issues in the Devon Strut newsletters and Trevor was keen to remind readers not only to fit a carbon monoxide alarm, but also to check that it’s working. Meanwile, Mike Mold included this thoughtprovoking RAF safety poster, which reminds us that there are times when itisn’tagoodideatotakea selfie!
STRUT MEETINGS
Andover Strut
Spitfire Club, Popham Airfield, 1930
Contact keith.picton@ntlworld.com
8 January “From PPL to Channel 4” by Arthur Williams
12 February “Building & Flying PL793 Mk 26 Spitfire” by Steve Markham
Bristol Strut
BAWA Club, Filton, 1930
Contact tw@bristol-wing.co.uk
9 January “Review of Flying in 2017” by BAC and Bristol Strut
6 February “Keys don’t Float” by Bryan Pill, MAF
Devon Strut
The Ley Arms, Kenn, Exeter,1930 (Oct-Apr) Contact david.millin@sea-sea.com
11 January Strut Meeting
8 February “Isaacs Spitfire” by Alan James & Strut AGM
East of Scotland Strut
Harrow Hotel, Dalkeith
Contact inrgibson001 @btinternet.com
January No meeting
East Midlands Strut
The Plough, Normanton-on-Soar, Leics, 1930 Contact tonyrazzell2@gmail.com
é
8 January TBA 12 February TBA
Gloster Strut
The Victory Club, Lypiatt Road, Cheltenham Contactharry.hopkins@talktalk.net
9 January 25th Birthday Celebrations, “Air Racing in South Africa” & Strut AGM
13 February Strut Meeting
Highlands & Islands Strut
Highland Aviation, Inverness Airport
Contact b.w.spence @btinternet.com / 01381 620535
27 January Strut Meeting
Kent Strut
Cobtree Manor Golf Club, Maidstone, Kent, 2000
Contact gary.james.smith@btinternet.com
(Right)The Andover Strut at Popham were pleased to have inputfrom Aerobility at one of their meetings, and heard how a Zenair aircraft will be used at Blackbushe for their group to be involved in building as well as flying an aircraft.
Patricia and Jonathan Porter are working with Aerobility, following their hands-on talk at Blackbushe, inviting all to “pull a rivet”.
Contact Dave Allan daveallan324@gmail.com | 07973 765552
24 January “Ditching and Sea Survival” by Dave Allan 21 February SkyDemon by Charlie Bonello
Wessex Strut
Henstridge, 1900 (food) & 2000 (meeting)
Contact neil.wilson@laa.uk.com
19 January Strut Awards Night with lan Seager 19 February Safety Spot by Malcolm McBride
West of Scotland Strut
Bowfield Country Club, Howwood, PA9 1DZ Contactnkg@barnbeth.demon.co.uk / 01505 612493
Please note that some Struts make a small charge towards costs for non-Strut members but all are welcome to attend the gatherings. Could members please email any Strut newsletters to struts@laa.uk.com and let me know if there’s a ‘feature’ from your group suitable for publication herein. Also, can you please inform me of any calendar changes or amendments to Strut contact details ASAP.
Thanks to all the Strut coordinators and newsletter editors for the steady flow of information for our Struts4U pages.
In 2018 we are hoping to feature individual Struts on a monthly basis, starting with Gloster Strut in our February issue.
By the time you're at this stage, your Suan eelca of housands of pounds. It makes sense to BY: Me)insured,astheoutbuildings mitonyourownhomeinsurancecover bably won'tbeanywhere nearenough. , (Photo: Andy Sellars)
FURTHER INFORMATION
process of, building or refurbishing an aircraft, you may wonder what would happen if your “Aircraft Project” was stolen, damaged by a fire in the space where it’s being built and the components are stored, or destroyed while you’re transporting it between locations.
Those of you who have been involved in building an aircraft know that its value increases as completion of the project gets closer, and that it’s a really time-consuming undertaking. Even though aviation enthusiasts enjoy spending time building aircraft, insuring the risks inherent to this project makes sense.
@ Material damage insurance to the Aircraft Project, to protect your project during each stage of the build process, from the early till the static engine tests.
This aims to indemnify you against any unforeseen material damage happening to your Aircraft Project, including transportation risks.
Time and persistence are essential to your project so we're delighted to offer you an insurance solution which allows you to tackle it with peace of mind. Then, once your aircraft is ready to fly, you can easily switch to a full flight risks insurance during the policy period.
That's why we’ve designed a brand-new and exclusive insurance product to meet the specific needs and expectations of those of you who have embarked, or intend to do so, on the great adventure of building your own aircraft. It provides you with a comprehensive coverage, including: 34 LIGHT AVIATION | JANUARY 2018 hould you be thinking of, or are in the @Hands-On-Builder legal liability insurance, providing coverage against any damage to third parties you would be liable for, occurring whilst in the process of building, restoring, repairing or maintaining your aircraft, or just helping out other builders.
For a quotation request or any additional info, please phone our team on 03306 845108, email laa@air-assurances.com or visit our dedicatedwebsite,at www.air-assurances. com/laa.asp
In addition, the Air Courtage Assurances team will be attending the following major aviation events around Europe this spring. Please pop along to our stand for a quote, advice or just to say hello!
@Sky Wonder, Kortrijk, Belgium, 24-25 March
@AERO Friedrichshafen, Germany, 18-21 April (Hall A4, Stand A4 201) W@LaFerté-Alais,France,19-20May
@ EBACE2018, Geneva, Switzerland, 29-31 May
@ France Air Expo, Paris—LeBourget Airport, France, 7-9 June
i AeroExpo UK, Wycombe Air Park, UK, 14-16 June
he single most important question that the Young Persons’ sub-committee of the Derby branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) received from the school children who attended its fantastic day at Derby Airfield, as part of the 2017 Cool Aeronautics event was, “Is engineering always this much fun?”
The purpose of the event was to raise awareness of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) among youngsters, with a specific focus on the field of aviation, and hopefully inspire them to consider engineering as a career.
The day started with a safety briefing by Martin Jones of Derby Airfield, followed by a paper aeroplane competition featuring designs that the children had brought along. As the co-ordinator of the LAA’s East Midlands Strut, | then hosted a short talk on the four principle forces of flight (lift, drag, thrust and weight), and the basic aerodynamic qualities of a wing.
The children were next split into groups, to do different activities in rotation:
@ A small wind tunnel was used to test 3D-printed aerofoils, allowing the children to see the flow of air around them at various angles of attack and to plot the lift curve. The students were thrilled to witness the tunnel operating and see in action the principles they’d learnt about in my earlier talk.
g@The small 3D printer used to make the wind tunnel aerofoils was utilised to show how designs can be created in a CAD package and then made into a component.
Youngsters witnessing the results from different, 3D-printed aerofoil sections in a small wind tunnel.
@The children were shown a number of the many interesting aircraft at Derby Airfield, which is something of a construction hub, includingtheAmyJohnsonDH88Comet Racer, and were allowed to sit ina Cessna C152 and operate its controls.
INNOVATIVE DESIGNS
After lunch, the children were divided into six teams and given balsa wood and other materials to take part in a glider competition. A “numberof innovativedesignswereproduced as they to applied the concepts which they learnt about earlier. The winner and runners up of
the competition received 3D-printed aerofoil trophies, which absolutely delighted them.
The level of enthusiasm and engagement shown by the children was the highlight of the day. They said such things as, “We never get to make things like this in school”, “I’ve never seen a plane so close before” and “Can you 3D-print a unicorn?” (it turns out you can!).
They left the airfield clutching goodie bags, with smiles on their faces and a new-found passion for aviation!
Many thanks to Mustafa Kheraluwala and the other members of the RAeS Young Persons Committee, Martin Jones and the team at Derby Airfield, and to Rolls-Royce for allowing several employees to support what turned out to be such a successful STEM outreach event.
(Above)
(Photo: Tony Razzell)
(Above) The children making the aerofoil sections using a 3D printer, which they then tested in a small wind tunnel.
(Photo: Tony Razzell)
Autumnal splendour.
FLIGHT TEST
or an aeroplane which can land virtually anywhere, such as the Avalanche SuperSTOL,you need a slow stall speed for a short ground roll, an undercarriage with a lot of energy absorption capability in order that the aeroplane can be droppedonto the ground at a high rate of descent without causing destructive ground impact forces, and large diameter wheels which can ride over a rough surface without complaint.
To get off from the same small patch of unprepared surface, you need plenty of power so that flying speed can be reached just a few feet after opening the throttle.
ACHIEVING A SLOW STALL SPEED
There are three ways of achieving a slow stall speed, a very low wing loading or a high maximum lift coefficient, or a combination of both. A very low wing loading causes practical difficulties because a large wing area causes drag, which prevents a high cruise speed, gives a very bumpy ride in turbulence, and results in an aeroplane that’s expensive to hangar and a nightmare to ground-handle inany kind of wind.
So, the designers of STOL aeroplanes tend to compromise with a moderately-sized wing, but equip it with lift-enhancing devices to raise the lift coefficient above that of a plain wing.
aeroplanes actually these are usually pretty feeble as lift enhancer. Their useful attributes are, in fact, steepening the approach path, pitching the nose down for a better view and giving a more speed-stable approach configuration. The PPLcourse demonstrates how much harder it isto nail the speed and touch-downonthenumbersoffa slippery, flapless approach than one with them deployed.
The stall speed varies inversely with the square root of the max lift coefficient, so to significantly reduce touch-down speeds, we need to raise the CL max from the typical plain wing value of not much more than one to something nearer three. This normally means a whacking great pair of flaps on the trailing-edge arranged to extend the wing’s effective area in addition to deflecting the air downwards to work in concert with leading-edge slats, which squirt high-energy air over the top of the wing, to keep the flow attached and delay the stall angle to a much higher angle of attack (AOA).
With a good pair of slats fitted, as the angle of attack increases beyond the normal 15° stall angle, to perhaps 30° or more, the wing drag rises enormously, but unlike with a plain wing, more lift keeps on coming. Slats don’t add anything to the lift coefficient in the normal incidence range (ie up to 15° AOA) so unless they’re only fitted to soften the wing drop at the stall, a slat-equipped aircraft has to have an undercarriage designed to allow an AOA up around 30° if it’s to benefit.
Of course, these days, we’re all used to lift-enhancing flaps on all but the simplest aeroplanes, but ifyou compare the stall and recommended approach speeds, with and withoutflapsdown,you'llseethatonmostlight BobPooler,of UKagents AvalancheAviation,adds re ie somescaletothe SuperSTOL, =—s_—y whichisaveryimposing machine,comparedto mostRotax-poweredaircraft. _
This explains why such aircraft as the Fieseler Storch stand tall on such stalky
tailwheel undercarriages, and other STOL designs, like Zenair’s 701 and 750, with more modestly-sized tricycle arrangements, hold their tails high on the ground, scorpion-like, which gives them a rather broken-backed look.
One of the problems with an aircraft which can fly very slowly is that the effectiveness of the aerodynamic controls tends to reduce at low airspeed, due to the lesser dynamic pressure acting on the control surfaces. So when you're looking to make a very short landing it can be tempting to approach at a speed where there’s precious little control authority to deal with any low-level turbulence, or even to make the landing flare.
Aileron authority, and hence, directional control, can become particularly problematic because at very high AOA, the adverse yaw which is created by the ailerons tends to be exaggerated, so there’san even stronger than normal tendency for the nose to start swinging in the opposite direction to the way you're trying to turn. Because of that issue, it’s usually wise to only enter the extreme high AOA phase once you're fully committed to a landing, in the last few feet above the ground, as the aircraft flares.
There’s so much drag at AOA above 15° that a lot of power has to be used to maintain a reasonable descent angle, and were the engine to fail in this situation, there would be few options available. So on the basis that we shouldbeplanningaflight sothatwecan cope with an engine failure at any point without crashing, this phase is best kept very short.
THE SUPERSTOL
The Rotax 912-ULS powered SuperSTOL is a kitplane produced by Just Aircraft LCC of South Carolina, and marketed in the UK by Bob Pooler of Avalanche Aviation, which is based at Sleap.
The SuperSTOL is a development of the morefamiliar well,intheUK,atleast Reality Escapade. The Escapade kit is still available from the USA but is also now being produced, in an updated and improved form, as the Sherwood Scout at Little Snoring by The Little Aeroplane Company, which can also supply it as a type-approved, factorybuilt microlight.
Just Aircraft originally designed the Escapade to compete with the popular, olding-wing Kitfox and Avid models, which sold like hot cakes in the early nineties. The eatures which set the Escapade apart from he competition were a huge baggage area behind the seat, separate flaps and ailerons, rather than flapperons, and being designed romthe startfor four-cylinder,four-stroke, aircraft engines, rather than the powerful but sometimes short-lived, snowmobile-derived, wo-cylinder, two-stroke powerplants, which were going out of fashion at that time.
Developing the design further, Just Aircraft started by fitting the tailwheel undercarriage version of the Escapade with extended-span wings with vortex generators, bigger balanced
The company also beefed up the structure to carry a wider range of engines and higher weights, and marketed it as the Highlander.
For the SuperSTOL model, which followed, Just Aircraft went even further, replacing the fairly simple, Escapade-derived wing, which has wooden ribs and conventional simple ailerons and flaps, with an all-new all-metal version sporting much larger, Fowler-type (area-increasing) flaps and slats, which stretch along the entire span of the wing.
FLIGHT TEST
(Above) The spoilers are linked to the ailerons, deploying with the upward-moving aileron to destroy some of that wing’s lift and limit adverse yaw.
(Left) Nowthat’s what you call a chunky tailwheel! Note the highpressure gas/oil suspension unit and also the cable-operated castoring lock.
The company also introduced the somewhat wild, long-stroke undercarriage with massive shock struts connected to the shoulders of the fuselage, rather than the former, more modest, Cub-style setup. A matching, beefed-up tailwheel arrangement completed the new look and functionality.
Whereas the Zenair range of STOL aircraft (the CH 701, 750 and 801) have fixed slats, on the SuperSTOLthey’re are mounted on freely-hinged arms, which allows them to deploy automatically at high AOA, when the subtle changes in the suction over the wing’s leading-edge pull the slats forward out of the stowed position, allowing air to rush through the slot between slat and wing.
This is somewhat similar to the arrangement on the Rallye and Tiger Moth, except that on the SuperSTOL the slats are fitted to arms which are hinged on a vertical axis, rather than a horizontal one, so they move sideways and forward as they deploy, rather than rolling forward and downwards. The slats are in four sections, along the whole span, and each of the four segments is able to move independently, ‘doing its own thing’ in response to the airflow in its particular section.
FROM SPOILERS TO COCKPIT
Uniquely among the LAA fleet, the SuperSTOL also has optional differential spoilers. These are aluminium sheet strios which emerge vertically from slots in the upper surface of the wing. They're connected to the aileron control system and arranged to extend progressively from the wing with the up-going aileron. To what extent the purpose of the spoilers is to aid roll control by partially ‘killing’ the lift on the ‘up aileron’ wing is unclear. The UK agent, Bob Pooler, advises that their real benefit is in reducing aileron adverse yaw, qualifying it by explaining that the spoilers were particularly aimed at pilots without a background in classic aeroplanes and/or gliders, who weren't already used to using their feet, in coordination, to keep the skid ball in the middle.
But I’m getting ahead of myself in my hurry to describe the SuperSTOL’s unique features. At its heart, the fuselage and tail surfaces are of welded steel tube construction, fabric-covered.
The cockpit is equipped with conventional ide doors, hinged at the top, allowing raightforward access to the side-by-side eating arrangement. The horizontal tail is a onventional, two-piece tailplane/elevator tted with substantial aerodynamic balances the tips (as is the rudder) and a cableperated trailing-edge elevator trim tab.
Each wing panel is fitted with tubular aluminium alloy front and rear spars, with pressed aluminium sheet ribs and tubular aluminium drag/anti-drag diagonal bracing. The foldable wings, which are partially aluminium alloy-skinned and fabric-covered, are attached to the fuselage sides using quick-release pins at the front, to allow them to fold backwards. Fuel tanks are fitted into each wing root.
TheSuperSTOLhasa fixed-tailwheel-type undercarriage with a steerable tailwheel. The main undercarriage is a twin tripod type, with an unusually long-stroke gas/oil filled damper unit mounted to each side of the fuselage, at the base of the windscreen massive, 29in-diameter, low-pressure balloon tyres, intended for off-airfield use, can be fitted.
The tailwheel is also a substantial assembly for an aircraft of this class, the pneumatic tyre being of large diameter and attached to a
trailing arm sprung by a chunky telescopic gas/oil shock strut. The tailwheel itself is free-castoring with a straight-ahead locking facility, via a Bowden cable to a control knob between the seats. It’s particularly useful to lock the wheel for taxying in crosswinds, but Bob tends to otherwise leave it unlocked.
The cowlings and other fairings are formed from composite materials, while the control system is a conventional mixture of pushrods/ bellcranks and stranded steel cable systems.
Bob Pooler’s demonstrator SuperSTOL, which he built along with fellow LAA’er Geoff Lewis, was completed in early 2017. Bob runs Avalanche Aviation out of Sleap Airfield in Shropshire, providing advanced flying training, and, more recently, has become the UK dealership for the SuperSTOL. Geoff's no stranger to the game, having built the first Lancair to gain an LAA Permit to Fly back in the nineties, in the days when ‘fast glass’ was very new to the UK kitplane scene.
Almost thirty years later, the jointly-built SuperSTOL, G-SSTL, has recently been recommended its initial Permit To Fly after a somewhat protracted period of test-flying.
The Rotax 912-ULS engine is fitted to the SuperSTOL,which is the standard installation detailed in the construction manual. Others have been fitted with a Rotax 914 or 912-iS, and there are also UL power options.
A composite Woodcomp, ground-adjustable propeller was initially fitted to G-SSTL but this resulted in inadequate thrust, and was replaced by a two-blade, wooden, 82indiameter by 34in, fixed-pitch Catto propeller, which the kit Suppliers recommend for maximum STOL performance.
Changes were also required to the pitot-static system during the flight-test phase, the original arrangement giving unacceptably large ASI errors which, together with the prop, frustrated the original attempt to carry out the formal flight test for LAA approval.
Covered with the Polyfiber system and moderately equipped, G-SSTL has an empty weight of 826lb, the max gross being 1,323lb, leaving a payload of 497Ib.
There’s a pair of eleven-gallon fuel tanks, meaning that with full fuel there’s 334lb for crew and baggage. The large baggage compartment is stressed to carry up to 7Olbs, and the C of G range on the SuperSTOL can accommodate this when flown solo, but payload considerations will typically restrict baggage-carrying capacity when flown two-up.
FLYING THE SUPERSTOL
Walking up to G-SSTL, its tall undercarriage and massive wheels give it a great deal more presence than the somewhat ‘plain Jane’ Escapade. The combination of big boots, wing-tip end plates, massive flaps and slats cry out that this is an aeroplane meant for rugged outland use but it looks somewhat out of place on Turweston’s smooth apron.
The unique wing spoilers are more discreet, only emerging when the ailerons are deflected, but are an important pre-flight check item, as a jamming spoiler would freeze the aileron control system, so it’s important that there are no loose items lurking. Where’s that stepladder?
Standing alongside most LAA high-wing kitplanes, your eyes are just about level with the trailing-edge of the wing on the petite Jabiru you can look right over the top ot it. That isn’t so with the SuperSTOL, where
(Above) The SuperSTOL’s uncluttered cockpit, with its huge flap lever between the seats.
There’s plenty of seat adjustment too...
FLIGHT TEST
you find your head just about level with the instrument panel. The climb into the cockpit is by way of stepping on a convenient rung on the undercarriage leg, ladder-fashion, then grabbing parts of the tubular structure of the cabin roof to steady yourself as you wriggle, monkey-like, into the cockpit.
Once seated, the aeroplane’s steep ground angle makes itself immediately apparent, the tapered nose jutting markedly upwards. There are conventional dual-sticks and pedals, of a design familiar to any Kitfox or Avid pilot, each with hydraulic toe-brakes.
Between the seats there’s an overgrown manual flap lever, about two feet long, with a release button on the end the scale of the device reminding you, if it were necessary, that the SuperSTOL is a bit out of the ordinary.
Fuelmanagement on the SuperSTOL is easy, as the normal procedure is to operate with both of the wing tanks selected simultaneously, feeding via a single, Andairtype on/off valve, which is placed rather inconspicuously on the floor, forward of the seat it's just visible by leaning forward, but easily in reach.
There are separate isolator valves in the feed lines from the twin wing-root tanks which can be used if desired, but mostly stay open, to minimise the chance of air being entrained into the fuel system in unbalanced flight. A pair of sight gauges in the wing roots enable you to keep track of the fuel levels.
Start-up is ‘normal 912’ full choke for a cold start, and throttle on the closed stop —which is important because the former only works when the latter is fully closed on the a 912's Bing carbs.
TAXYING& TAKE-OFFTaxyingtakesalittle whiletogetusedto, | due to the restricted forward view the aircraft's noseblocking sight directly The under-surtace is comparatively clean, but.the enormous undoubtedlyundercarriage adds considerably to drag. It does look cool though!
ahead. The SuperSTOL is definitely an aeroplane where you have to weave to check your way’s Clear of fellow aviators, aircraft, bowsers, cones, buildings and all the other airfield hazards which are just waiting to catch out the over-confident pilot.
Actually, the combination of extensive side glazing and good hydraulic differential brakes (for both pilot and passenger) make it an easy aeroplane to manoeuvre, providing that you don’t let yourself get blasé about it.
Having waited patiently for the 912-ULS to get up to temperature, the checks are simple on the SuperSTOL. In this case, ‘full and free’ checks on the flaps (not everyone does this, but why wouldn't you?) revealing a slight hang-up on the port flap, which is reluctant to fully retract. As on the Escapade, the flaps are pulled down by a cable system, but while on the ground, they’re retracted by strong tension springs. Bob Pooler, who's alongside for the check ride, advises that this is normal and that the flaps always retract fine in actual use because of the air loads forcing the fowler flaps back into the housed position the springs are really only there to hold the flaps up while static.
Of course, there’s no way to test the automatic slats, other than to make sure that they're free-moving during the walk-round, but the full length of all four independent slat segments are visible from the pilot's seat, so we can keep a close eye on what's going on with them in flight.
Lining up, with first stage ae offlapsetonthebiglever aa (there’squiteapullrequired ad against those springs), we are roll forward a few feet, to centre the tailwheel, before progressively opening up to full chat. We aren't out for a full performance
take-off, but rather to feel out how the highwinger behaves and, in particular, thinking about the gyroscopics whether she tries to swingwhen|raise thetaillevelfromthisrather extreme three-point attitude. | don’t want to be too late raising the tail and risk lifting off at this crazy angle of attack, but nor do |want to let the tailwheel off the ground until we've gathered some speed and can expect the rudder to bite if she does try to swing.
All's fine, however, and there’s absolutely nothing to fear with the take-off, just a moderate push being needed to raise the tail at what seems the appropriate point an easily countered left-swinging tendency and a gentle pull to ease those big, slow-turning tyres off Turweston’s grass. The only notable point was that with two-up and at mtow, she takes a second or two longer to unstick than I'd expect with a STOL machine. We come off the ground at about 45mph indicated, theslatstremblingalittle ontheirsteeltube arms, but staying cuddled up to the wing’s leading-edge. We certainly use very little runway,andhadtherebeena standof trees to get over she’d have leapt them with the proverbial single bound.
CLIMB & STABILITY
Once well clear of the ground, putting the flaps away is straightforward and, climbing out at 65mph indicated, we note that the tach has worked its way up to 5,750rpm, only a smidge short of the Rotax’s 5,800rom ‘red line’ but, nevertheless, the rate of climb at max gross weight is a slightly disappointing 520fom.
As Bob has explained, the performance is a lot sprightlier when flown at solo weight. During the long, full-power climb to a safe manoeuvring height, | wind our way upward via a series of S-turns to check the block of air we're using for other traffic. | also vary the airspeed either side of the trim speed, to find out whether the SuperSTOL is statically stable longitudinally in other words, after being disturbed does she attempt to return to the trimmed speed of her own volition or does the speed tend to wander away and need pilot input to correct? Is she easy to trim?
Practised pilots are good at unconsciously compensating for marginal longitudinal stability, but poor pitch stability characteristics often make themselves felt through seemingly super-sensitive and inconsistent trimming.
The SuperSTOL behaves well here, being straightforward to trim and with easily perceptible stick forces needed to hold her off-trim, and no hint of twitchiness in her pitch response.
Recalling the somewhat neutral directional stability of the Escapade (which has been addressed on the Sherwood Scout), | experiment cautiously with the rudder, to explore the SuperSTOL’sstability about the yaw axis. Pleasingly, the big fin and aerodynamically-balancedrudderdoafine job in keeping the Super STOLflying in balance, the skid ball tending to move back towards the central position after a gentle press-and-release of either rudder pedal. Inturns, keeping that ball centred needs no great effort, even at this worst case, full-oower, low-speed condition, which is perhaps aided by the differential spoilers counteracting adverse yaw.
My previous experience of differential spoilers being limited to watching them from airliners’ windows, I’m particularly interested to see how the SuperSTOLwould feel in roll. She
turns out to be quite responsive but not overly so, as befits an aeroplane of this nature.
A back-country STOL aircraft needs to be handy enough to manoeuvre up close to solid objects with confidence, for a second’s delay in responding to that pitch or roll input may be enough to hook a wing on a tree and put you down among the alligators. A wilderness is no place for an aeroplane with ponderous responses to stick and rudder, or demanding secondary effects of controls adding to the pilot's workload. The SuperSTOL’s controls aren't lightning-quick, as with some homebuilts, but are well up to the task, being powerful enough and the airframe well-damped in response, so that and she’s easy to place in the attitude and at the speed you want.
Attempts to stall the SuperSTOL are quite remarkable, as one would expect, given that the whole aeroplane’s design has been dominated by the need for a slow landing speed. Throttled back and flapless, with the stick coming back, the speed falls off progressively. You get the impression that the SuperSTOL wing still has a lot to give as you get to the mid-40s (mph). Passing through 43mph the slats start to twitch, and then, BAM, BAM, BAM! A series of shocks pass through the whole airframe as the slats slam open there’s little progressiveness about them and despite having little rubber buffers which act as end stops, when they open there’s quite a noticeable thump, which is quite disconcerting the first few times you experience it.
With the slats clawing forward into the airflow and air coursing through the gap between the slat and the wing’s leading edge, the AOA continues to rise in response to further pulling back of the stick, eventually reaching 40mph indicated, where it stabilises. The nose is high up in the air and the stick fully back
against the stop, without a hint of wingdropping tendency or of the nose dropping.
Holding full back stick, she still responds to gentle turn inputs with either rudder or aileron, and is controllable in this configuration, albeit with a massive rate of descent. There’s a fair amount of back-stick force required to hold her like this, enough to be absolutely clear to the pilot that she wants to put the nose down and recover. Aggravating things by letting the ball go way out didn’t induce a wing to drop-it onlyresultedonlyintheslats chattering undecidedly on the forward-going wing, as if uncertain whether to retract or not.
Now to try the same thing with flap hmm, no wonder there’s a long flap lever! Even with the mechanical advantage it gives, lowering the flap against the air load plus the return spring force needs a very strong heave, in a single smooth action and ‘with conviction’ it’s reminiscent of the Europa monowheel, with its manually-operated, linked, retractable undercarriage and flap. Getting the airspeed back to around 65mph first helps to reduce the loads.
When|try tolowertheSuperSTOL’sflap progressively, |find that | tend to end up between settings, holding on to the lever for dear life, biceps straining, worried about what would happen if were either to let go or one of the flap operating cables snapped. Clearly, these are irrational fears, for all flap-equipped aeroplanes rely on mechanical connections within their operating systems. It’sjust that in the SuperSTOL one is made only too aware of how high the forces in the system can be!
If nothing else, this insight certainly gives you a healthy respect for the max flap operating airspeed. There’s a knack to lowering the SuperSTOL’sflaps, as Bob demonstratedthe operation flawlessly even from the right-hand
FLIGHT TEST
The SuperSTOL’s control response is adequate and accurate, rather than lightning -fast, just as you'd expect fromthistypeofaircraft. Le a
seat, so doubtless pilots would soon learn the technique, but it’s certainly a point to consider. Returning to the test schedule, with the flaps fully down there’s a significant nose-down shift in attitude but, pleasingly, only a small change in pitch trim, which can be an issue with STOL aircraft, especially in the go-around situation. In some STOL aircraft notably, the Westland Lysander the combination of cleaning up the flaps and opening up the power leads to a massive ‘push’ being required to keep the aircraft from stalling, with frantic forward-winding of the trim wheel being required. However, in the SuperSTOL, a simulated go-around leads to very modest stick forces and Just Aircraft have done well to achieve this characteristic in an aeroplane with a powerful flap system.
Stalls with flaps down proves a repeat of the behaviour with them up, except that airsoeeds are way down, around 30mph indicated, before the slats open, and with power, speeds as low as 20mph can be reached, but in each case the SuperSTOL refuses to drop a wing. With power on, and stick on the back-stop, looking out along the wing one can see pitch attitudes that appear beyond 45° nose-up, the aircraft seemingly standing on its tail and giving the surreal feeling of sitting back in a dentist’s chair, but still nothing untoward happens.
Full marks for Just Aircraft for producing a STOL wing with such benign behaviour it’s essentially stall-proof.
LATERAL STABILITY
After this remarkable demonstration, for respite, we take a look at the SuperSTOL’s lateral stability, by checking whether it tends to roll in a co-ordinated sense, in response to a rudder input, known as the dihedral effect.
High-wing aircraft, such as the SuperSTOL, usually possess positive lateral stability, even -
FLIGHT TEST
when they've no actual dihedral as is the case with the Cessna C152, for example an effect commonly but incorrectly attributed to so-called ‘pendulum stability’. Pendulum stability works in buoyant vehicles, like balloons and airships, as it does in boats and submarines, but not in wing-borne flight.
In truth, the apparent lateral stability in an aircraft without dihedral stems form the effective dihedral created by the ‘flat’ wing encountering a rising cross-flow in a sideslip, as the cross-flow splits to pass above and below the fuselage.
With that in mind, I’m surprised to find that the SuperSTOL has essentially neutral dihedral effect quite substantial rudder inputs lead to plenty of yaw but essentially zero banking tendency. That’s nothing to do with the differential spoilers because we're talking about rudder inputs, not ailerons, and the differential spoilers only come out when the ailerons are deflected. So what can be going on?
The penny dropped when | recalled a flight test | undertook some years ago, of Titan’s replica Mustang a low-wing, retractable aircraft, where the lateral stability went from positive to negative when | put the wheels down. Apparently, the additional side area of the wheels and their doors hanging beneath the Mustang creates a side-force in a sideslip, which led to an adverse rolling moment opposing the healthy, positive one from the replica fighter’s dihedral.
With such huge wheels, the SuperSTOL must also create a substantial side-force in a sideslip. Being mounted so far below the aeroplane’s C of G, on reflection, it isn’t surprising that they should have an effect on lateral stability! Although technically a non-compliance with normal airworthiness requirements for nonaerobatic, certified aircraft, in reality this failure to liftthe low-wing on releasing the controls in a sideslip is somewhat academic. The lack of effective dinedral doesn’t create a problem in day VFR operation and this is one of the requirements which we can allow a Permit aircraft to not meet, provided that there’s enough rudder authority to act as an alternative means of steering if the aileron control should become disconnected. In the SuperSTOL, as with the similarly-configured Fieseler Storch, it’s possible to carry out wings-level, skidding-flat turns with ease, although, as with that German high-winger, it feels very weird!
STRAIGHT & LEVEL
But enough of all the pushing and pulling, what's the SuperSTOL like in level flight? Unsurprisingly, with all the drag from the wheels and other pieces hanging in the breeze, she’s no speedster. At 5,500rpm, the max continuous setting, after a minute or two to settle she records 75mph at 3,000ft, and 85mph at the redline of 5,800rpm remembering that we're at close on max gross weight. And that’s with very mucha climb-optimisedchoiceofprop.Bob has a slightly coarser unit on order, to give a better compromise between climb and cruise, and allow more throttle to be used in level flight. In level flight, | notice that | could see much better forward if | craned my head up a couple of inches, and | still had a hand-span’s clearance to the roof, so | resolved to carry a cushion next time, which would materially improve my perspective.
Taking off my headset for a moment, |find the cockpit noise level to be high, in stark
contrast to the wooden-fuselaged Pioneer 300 that’s my frequent mount at the moment, which also uses the same Rotax 912-ULS engine.
| conclude that, most likely, the sheet-steel firewall separating the cockpit from the engine bay must be acting as a soundboard, and the aeroplane would benefit from some sound deadening noise-cancelling headsets are all very well but | can’t help thinking that it’s better for overallfatigue levelsto keep the noise out of the cockpit in the first place.
The SuperSTOL’s party piece is, of course, landing. YouTube shows incredible footage of SuperSTOLS clawing in to land at maximum AOA, with the engine blaring, then perching themselves, bird-like, onto hilltops and mountain sides or flopping onto dry river beds and the like, all with a negligible landing run of a fuselage’s length or less, almost like an autogyro.
Of course, I’m not going to try anything like that, for reaching that level of expertise would take hours of practise as well as courage and no little intestinal fortitude.
Approaching over the hedge at 6Omph with full flap, and carrying plenty of power to keep the rate of descent under control, we bleed her back to a 45mph ‘last look’ speed.
The SuperSTOL’s tall undercarriage requires a consciously high round-out the ground seems to be passing underneath very slowly as the wheels make contact.
The tail falls, and with all that aerodynamic drag coming into play, as well as the rolling resistance of the squashy, braked wheels, we seemingly stop after just a rotation or two of the wheels. An exaggeration, perhaps, but it's certainly completely out of the ordinary, in terms of any conventional ground roll, and that’s without really trying!
Interestingly, the slats only open during the final pull of the flare, making them seem almost superfluous to the task, but of course the fact is that they’re there makes the difference between landing ‘on the ragged edge’ of the stall, as compared to having a margin of safety in hand.
There's no doubt at all that this is an aircraft whichwouldtakea lotofpractisetoexploitits STOL potential to the full, and I’ve only touched on its capabilities here. Aeroplanes like this have the ability to fly at AOAs where the drag way exceeds the available thrust, so there are very real dangers at the back of the drag curve, if this territory is entered higher than in
the landing flare, but lower than a safe height to dive to pick up speed. As with a helicopter, there are also ‘avoid curve’ and risk management issues to think about, if you rely on engine power to drag it in off a very slow approach, where powerplant failure on short finals would leave you with no choice but to splat in on the undershoot.
In summary, as the latest type to be added to the LAA list of accepted designs, the SuperSTOL brings the possibility of back country flying to LAA members who have a yen for something a bit out of the ordinary.
As a flying machine it’s sacrificed speed and comfort in pursuit of this ambition, however, Just Aircraft have created a remarkable development of the Escapade, one which provides a unique flying opportunity among the many choices on offer within today’s multi-faceted and all-encompassing homebuilt aircraft scene.
Our insuranceservicesincludecompetitive quotationsfor all aviationrisk requirementsfrom initial constructionto flight. For constructionprojectscovercanbeupgraded underthesamecontractasthework proceedsand the suminsuredcanbeadjustedin accordancewith | your instructionsasandwhenrequired.
elcome to the first Safety Spot of 2018. I’m not exactly sure how to judge 2017, it flashed by too quickly to get much of an impression. That’s a good thing, | suppose idle hands and all that! | hope that all’s well with you and those close to you. We’re all in pretty good form here at Turweston HQ, and primed to offer any support that you might need to achieve your aviation goals throughout the coming year.
Thanks to all of you who continue to make SafetySpot a usefulcontributiontoflightsafety it'd be impossible to write it without your eedback reaching our desks. | believe that you can learn almost as much from listening o somebody else’s ‘near-miss’ as you can rom one’s own ‘close shaves’. All aviators understand that what we do carries danger perhaps quite literally - above and beyond he norm, so flyers tend to put safety to the ront of their minds in all that they do.
With that observation in mind, and thinking about a few rathertoo often occurring issues, hisSafetySpotisgoingtolookatacoupleof basic gotchas which have affected LAA pilots hrough 2017. The first of these is the tricky subject of hand-starting an aircraft, and the second is tackling the need to ensure that pre-flight checks are carried out calmly and thoroughly by the pilot. The reason for the second reminder is that we've had another coor coming off unexpectedly during the cruise the pilot was sure he’d gone through the pre-flights properly but, well, we'll chat about that later.
However, before we get into these ‘good airmanship’ related tales, there’s a brush-up
on the latest situation when it comes to mogas use in our LAA machines.
MOGAS THE RULES
Despite our best efforts, inevitably, last year there were a number of accidents and incidents involving LAA members. You'll probably know that most incidents which involve LAA types end
YR BE (Above) The use of forecourt motor fuel (mogas) in aircraft remains a theme here at LAA HQ, after a number of recent accidents and incidents. Therefore, after discussions with the Air Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB) Farnborough, we agreed to remind our Association’s flyers that, before an aircraft can legally use mogas, it must be checked whether it’s eligable to be approved under the LAA’s processes, and an LAA Inspector must carry out specified inspections and
up being investigated rather at arm's length, normally by correspondence between the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) and the pilot of the aircraft involved. To ensure the appropriate level of separation between the investigators and the parties actively involved, LAA Engineering considers it preferable for the AAIB to remain in charge of all enquiries connected with accidents involving aircraft operating under our Association’s banner. Over the years, LAA Engineering has resisted invitations from the AAIB for our Association to carry out accident investigations directly.
Nevertheless, AAIB often comes to LAA Engineering for advice and, while preserving the essential distinction between the two bodies, we do have a close professional working relationship with its team, which is something we're quite proud of.
complete mandatory paperwork. The pictures above show the effect that water in fuel can have on components in a carburettor. In this case the water almost certainly entered the system because of the hygroscopic nature of ethanol. (Photos: Nigel!Graham)
One point which has recently come to light during discussions with AAIB investigators who are looking into one or two of the more serious incidents, is that some of the aircraft involved were using mogas, and in particular, mogas which contained ethanol, athough they didn't appear to be formally approved to do so. Therefore, once again, we’re stressing the importance of the rules applying to the use of mogas in LAA aircraft, and the process required by members to gain approval for its use.
The prime message for all of those who hold responsibility for the management of
aircraft. (Photo: Malcolm McBride)
ee pe aj FUEL UNES
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(Above) LAA Inspectors may come across this fuel inlet pipe design, which is an authorised Europa modification (MOD 79). The reason that it had to be introduced was because the moulding company which supplied the formed plastic filler pipes, as shown in other photos, couldn’t continue after the first batch.
Europa owners are reminded that the requirements to check the fuel inlet pipe applies to all types.
(Photo: Europa Aircraft)
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an aircraft namely pilots, owners, and LAA Inspectors is that mogas approval isn’t automatic. There’s a procedure to follow, to find out whether an individual aircraft satisfies the requirements for mogas to be utilised, and if so, to legalise its use in that machine. Don't take it for granted that because another example of the same type has been cleared, yours is too, even if it’s physically identical. Unless the paperwork process has been followed, mogas can’t legally be used on your machine.
Remember that an aircraft that was cleared for mogas use years ago was probably okayed
RESTRICTOR >. | 4 -Titanoveusen oe ASPOINTER) | FSO N ROTAKENGINE FUEL SYSTEM fageET-A Issue |
under a different scheme, which doesn’t cover using modern forecourt fuel, which almost certainly contains ethanol. It might be okay, but checks need to be made and the appropriate, up-to-date procedure followed.We'veseena lotofnon-metallic parts badly affected by E5 mogas, which were okay on the old four-star and ethanol -free unleaded. Very few engine types have been cleared for use with E5 mogas. If you do want to utilise mogas in your aircraft, then make sure it’s actually cleared to use it. If you aren’t sure, visit
(Left) This sketch of the fuel filler pipe’s arrangement in an early Europa ‘Classic’ shows the original design, which uses a specially-made rubber hose. Some owners have changed this rubber pipe to a formed aluminium tube which, over time, has shown good service, though in one case the connecting rubber pipes were shown not to be fuel-proof.
LAA Engineering has issued a Standard Modification, which facilitates this alternative, both to regularise this change and to offer a minimum standard for any components which are used.
(Photo: Europa Aircraft)
the ‘Aircraft & Technical’ section of the LAA website, look in ‘Operating and Maintaining Aircraft’ , and read the various Technical Leaflets on the subject. Note that LAA Engineering has tried very hard to ensure that, for appropriately-configured aircraft, the actual approval can be completed by LAA Inspectors in the field, and there are no ‘hidden’ fees! Also note that part of the approval procedure is that the specific inspection checklist needs both to be signed by your Inspector and then stapled into the aircraft's logbook.
FILLERCAD
(Above)|just couldn’tresistputtingthisfabulouspictureof LAAInspector,Alan Hartfield, flying the only remaining UK example of a Dart Kitten Il - after all, only four examples of this 1936 ultralight design were built. This example received its authorisation to fly on 30 April 1937 and had a series of owners before being badly damagedinacrashatWillingale,Essex,inNovember1964.Itwassubsequently rebuilt and, until 2012, was owned and very regularly flown by Alan.
The aircraft is now owned by Robert Fleming and forms part of the collection at the Real Aeroplane Company at Breighton. The engine, a twin-cylinder JAP J99, doesn’t haveanelectricstartersoAlanknowsathing ortwoabouthand-startingaeroplane engines and is well qualified to pass on advice on the subject. (Photo:Alan Hartfield)
(Above) This picture shows LAA Inspector, Alan Hartfield, briefing his assistant, now Pilot Officer William Smith, on his role in the engine-starting process. Naturally, the ‘gold standard’ procedure when it comes to hand-starting involves two ‘trained’people. Ideally,that’sthepilotinthecockpitandthepilot/engineerashand-swinger.However, as in this case, quite often pilots find themselves in positions where personnel choice is limited. Acommon misconception is that the pilot hands over the responsibility for starting the engine to the ‘ground crew’. That may have been the case in the RFC, but these days the captain of the vessel remains in-charge at all times and is completely responsible for all aspects of the aircraft’s starting. (Photo.Alan Hartfield)
(Above) This picture shows the other end of the Dart Kitten II before the engine was hand-started by Alan, with a trainee in the cockpit. This ‘belt and braces’ approach to safety is absolutely essential, as risks increase when getting assistance from inexperienced hands. There’s always a danger that the throttle could be wrongly set or moved accidentally when entering or leaving a cockpit. Watch out if you’re using screw-in stakes as tie-downs, as they aren’t always as secure as they may seem. (Photo: Alan Hartfield)
HAND-STARTING AIRCRAFT ENGINES
Thanks to all of you who wrote and called, in support of my previously expressed view that we've seen far too many aircraft damaged recently, when situational control was lost after hand-starting. Regular readers will remember the Tipsy Nipper and the Emeraude stories we featured in the December Safety Spot, and | think we'd all agree it’s appalling that an aircraft should be lost in this way.
Chatting to the members who contacted me directly and to LAA colleagues, I’ve come to the definite view that owners should place lessemphasis on pre-prescribed listsand more on the creation of a starting procedure specific to the actual aircraft involved and the circumstances on the particular day, including who’s available to help.
After all, every aircraft is in some way unique,so| thinkit’swrongtoinventa common start routine, and each situation carries its own set of risks, so it’s essential they're first identified and then dealt with.
Many of us have grown up in aviation, working with aircraft which have never been fitted with any sort of mechanical starter. It’s also true to say that, most of the time, and with suitable training, the starting process happens without any real fuss. There have always been dangers lurking in any aircraft engine start evenwithamechanicalstart,itwouldbeafolly not to check carefully that the throttle is set correctly and there’s nobody in the vicinity of the propeller before engaging the starter. Every engine start, especially with some of the older pistontypes,carrieswithitthedangerofafire. Remember, we nearly lost a Twister last year, after priming fuel caught fire and there was no extinguisher readily available to put out the, initially small, blaze.
Two very experienced LAA members, Nottinghamshire flyer Dave Smith and Halton man, LAA Inspector Alan Hartfield, both wrote explaining what they felt might be going wrong. Dave actually wrote in a similar vein some time ago and we didn’t follow up his comments. He felt that we might be fighting shy of offering, to quote, “Any kind of advice on challenging subjects.” Dave, in a way, makes a good observation, in that he rightly, in my view recognises the subject of hand-swinging as being challenging. However, | don't agree that the LAA shies away, at least as a policy, from difficult or controversial issues.
| chatted with Dave, asking if he’d mind if | featured some of the long list of suggestions he sent in, which rather expanded the ‘fuel on, brakes on’ checklist-like approach, but on condition that I'd offer a critique along the way. As an experienced BMAA Inspector and long-term aviator one who has safety uppermost in his mind he readily agreed.
Dave said, “Firstly, if there’s any way to avoid hand swinging, avoid it.”
What Dave means is that, if an aircraft is fitted with a mechanical starter, and there’s a problem with it or the battery, it isn’t normally sensible to try to start the engine by handswinging. Regular readers will remember that a Chipmunk was recently badly damaged when the aircraft ran off after hand-starting because of a flat battery. Fix the starter or charge the battery, rather than keeping the show on the road by hand-swinging it.
Engines which aren't intended to be hand-swung probably haven't got the prop fitted on the crankshaft at a suitable angle anyway, or ignition systems set up to function
safely at hand-swinging RPM, which would perhaps create a risk of ‘kicking back’, causing serious risk to life and limb. The prop itself may not have blades which make it suitable or safe to hand-swing, either.
“Secondly,” Dave continued, “always have someone in the seat who’s fully briefed, has his/her feet on the brakes, the stick held back and absolutely knows how the throttle and ignition switches work, and what to do if it all goes pear-shaped.”
| completely agree that any assistant needs to be fully briefed about the specifics, but I’d add that it’s never wise to have partly-trained or inexperienced individuals in any position of responsibility connected with an aircraft, especially something as potentially catastrophic as a run-away situation after start. Unlikely though that might be, in this type of situation, the risk to an untrained, probably ‘spooked’ person inthe cockpit doesn’t bear thinking about.
Dave suggests that, “The ‘swinger is in total charge, and both [the hand-swinger and the person in the cockpit] must know that. The only responsibility of the cockpit incumbent is to stop the engine if uncomfortable.”
| get what Dave suggests here and it comes from, |think, some military training environments, where the ground-crew were especially trained for the purpose of managing complex engine starts.
In reality, the person in the cockpit is often the owner/pilot, who knows far more about the aircraft and its engine than the helper at the prop, and inevitably talks them through the process at every stage.
In actual fact, in common sense terms, as well as in law, the person who remains in charge of the aircraft during an engine start is the captain. The captain may delegate a task, but not the overall responsibility for it.
In his email, Dave also reminded us that chocks are essential, explaining he never trusts the handbrake. In terms of risk managemert, though, | think the real point here is that the person in charge of the engine start shouldn't place absolute trust in any one element, be it the brakes, the chocks, mag switches, throttle or whatever.
An aeroplane with a spinning propeller is potentially a lethal weapon so there should always be a back-up safety plan for any one thing failing to work. Never rely on brakes alone or only on the fact that the throttle is set at idle to ensure the aircraft won't run away, as it might creep open by itself or, however unlikely it might seem, countless accidents have shown that one day you may forget to set it properly.
|expectthatyou'veseenthe lovelypictures of the Dart Kitten Il, once owned and operated by Alan Hartfield. | really liked Alan’s ‘belt and braces’ approach to engine starting. Although hewashappytogothroughatraining routine with his young friend, he made sure that the aircraft was secured before actually starting he engine.
Recent runaway events have demonstrated hat, even with the best of care and attention, hings can go wrong. Perhaps this is a truism with all aspects of aviation, not just enginestarting. It must be remembered that a ‘one size its all’ (thumbs-up) approach rarely offers the best safety outcomes —whatworks with one aircraft or engine probably won't with another ype. After all, that’s why we have a requirement or type training and engine management.
A good example of this was the runaway Tipsy Nipper, which involved a chap who pretty
much did everything right during the start-up, but accidentally caught the throttle control with some loose clothing while stowing the chocks into the airframe.
Getting in and out of a cockpit creates risk, and getting an assistant to ‘sit in’ means that it’s doubled, or perhaps more, if the assistant isn’t familiar with the aeroplane, practised in egress, and suitably dressed. Not for nothing do flying suits have tight cuffs and velcro’d down pocket flaps!
So, is there an LAA-approved handswinging checklist? The above brief discussion should answer this question. Let’s work together to make engine starting accidents a thing of the past.
Take a close look at your engine start-up procedure next time you fly, conduct a risk assessment, add up what might happen if things don’t go completely to plan, interms of danger and cost, and you'll probably come to conclusion that the extra care is worth the effort.
SLING CANOPY LOSS
If you’ve looked through the pictures and read the attendant captions, you'll have noticed my comments about the unusual way events seem to tie themselves together, | alluded to ‘the holes in the cheese lining up’, a common enough phrase used when dissecting and identifying the multitude of separate components and events which lead to accidents.
If you haven't, take a gander at the picture showing the nicely-designed fuel filler pipe looktothesideofitandyou'llseealittle microswitch. When | first spotted that | realised immediately what it was for. Over the years, there have been several instances of Europas which have lost one of their gull-wing doors in flight, and it was concluded that the pilot hadn't
latched it properly, allowing it to swing open and be wrenched off in the airflow.
The microswitches are wired into a simple Circuit which illuminates a light on the instrument panel if the door latch pins aren't fully home in their sockets. The owner of the aircraft in the picture pointed out, when | called to congratulate him for the design of this little safety feature, that even though there’s a warning light, he still completes a physical check of the door to ensure it’s fully secure before taking off. It’s a bit awkward to do this in the Europa, as the rear catch, which, because of the way the door flexes, is the one with a history of the shoot-bolt missing its target socket, sits behind the crew’s shoulders and can be difficult to see extra effort is required!
Perhaps to emphasise the point that a pilot shouldn't automatically blame the designer when something goes wrong, we've recently suffered another in-flight gull-wing door detachment, and this time the catch is of a completely different design and can easily be seen. Here’s a few words describing what happened, taken from the AAIB’s ‘Red Top’ report into the incident.
“The aircraft's owner, who was piloting the aircraft,andapassengerwhowasalsoapilot, were flying from Lydd Airport to Shoreham Airport. The pilot was in the front left seat and the passenger was seated next to him.
About thirty minutes into the flight, at an altitude of 2,200ft and airspeed of about 116kt, there was a sudden increase in wind noise in the cockpit, accompanied by the passenger feeling a ‘blast of air on his face’.
“The passenger then noticed that the right canopy door had opened about 5cm at its upper-forward corner, with the gap tapering back to the rear of the canopy. a StandardModification in the near future. The second issue, well, have you spotted the microswitch attached to the door frame, which fires off a light on the instrument panel when the canopy is open? | did and thought, “What a cracking idea.” (Photo:LAA Library)
(Above & below) It isn’t always a bad thing ‘when the holes in the cheese line up’. The sketch above shows the general arrangement of the gull-wing doors on the Sling, which are very similar, in general arrangement terms, to those of the Europa. Not wishing to be too Europa-centric, readers will remember that we’ve had a number of door losses due to them not being closed and latched correctly before take-off. Well, a similar thing has happened to a Sling aircraft so it’s worth pressing the point that, regardless of latch design, it’s essential for the pilot to physically check that the doors are closed and securely latched before take-off.
(Photos: TheAirplane Factory)
“After about fifteen-to-twenty seconds, there was a loud bang and the canopy departed the aircraft. The pilot informed ATC at Shoreham, where the aircraft subsequently landed without further incident. The local Police were also notified.
“The canopy door hasn’t been located to date and no injuries to persons or damage to property on the ground have been reported.”
After discussions with the pilot, who was initially sure he’d checked that the door was completely secure before departure, we concluded it was likely that, although the door had been fully shut during the pre-flight check, the catch itself may not have gone completely home. It’s another reminder, if one were needed, of the need to ensure that pre-flight checks are carried out calmly and thoroughly by the pilot before committing to aviation.
Okay, please don’t forget my earlier observation that it’s your contributions which make Safety Spot work. | hope it doesn't sound too much like I’m blowing our own trumpet when | say that, between us, we make a pretty good team so please keep your stories coming.
To end, and speaking on behalf of the whole team here at LAA Engineering HQ, may we wish you, and those you love, the very best of good fortune for the coming year and, naturally, fair winds.
(Above)These two pictures show the details of the remaining parts of the broken door hinges on Lucien d’Sa’s Sling, and offer a timeline for the probable sequence of events.
We think the front hinge (top photo) broke as the unlatched door slammed open, and was sucked upwards by the low-pressure area over the canopy. Held only by its rear corner, the door then flipped backwards in the slipstream, wrenching out the rear hinge bolt as it went (bottom photo). (Photos: Lucien d’Sa)
SAFETY SPOT
(Left & below) When we first saw the pictures of the broken hinge we wondered whether the component itself mightn’t have been made correctly. Originally, we presumed that the hinges themselves were individually laid up in moulds but, as you can see from the pictures, that isn’t the case. For quality and manufacturing expediency reasons, the hinges are cut from a thick laminate composite material, which is especially laid-up for the purpose.
(Photos: The Airplane Factory)
y wife Denise and | had been enjoying flying holidays in France for over twenty years when the opportunity to retire early presented itself.We decidedto draw on our experience and have some fun creating and runninga GA-friendlygite in France.
There’s nothing quite like enjoying the utility of a pleasant little airfield and nearby accommodation as a base for touring. France is wonderful for such adventures, and with acar and bicycles available on-site, our gite, La Chaumine (TheSmall Cottage), is the perfect getaway spot for flying enthusiasts.
A FALSE START
It all started about three years ago, when the CAP (Circulation Aerienne Publique, meaning open for public use) aerodrome at Argentan, the other side of Le Mans from Montrichard, was advertised for sale.We negotiated an offer with the town’s Chamber of Commerce, which was accepted, but we failed to gain the Mayor's approval to build a Swedish-style log cabin on the airfield. In true French style, the bad news was broken over a sumptuous dinner for twelve!
Subsequently, we learnt that the airfield at Argentan was purchased by a private consortium headed by the Mayor, and it now continues to be operated in much the same manner as before. That’s no bad thing, since the eventual sale was in accordance with cost-reducing guidelines issued to France's regional administrations, with regards to large municipal assets which get little use
(Above) Andy’s Sherwood Ranger and German friend’s Cub outside the hangar at the Montrichard strip. (Photo: Andy Pitcher) (Below)The Medieval town of Montrichard, which is situated on the River Cher.
(Photo:Andy Pitcher)
by the general population. In fact, most of France’s CAP aerodromes are owned by local town councils. We remained philosophical at this result, as it was hard to believe that an airfield could be acquired so easily and affordably, compared to in the UK, anyway.
SECOND TIME LUCKY
The following summer, Denise spotted an advert for an airfield in the centre of France, at Montrichard (or Montrichard-Val-de-Cher, to use its full name), in the Loir-et-Cher département of France’s Centre region, and weembarkedupona verydifferentproject.
The Aérodrome de Montrichard is a delightfully smooth, 680m x 40m grass airstrio with a hangar, which was originally created as part of a local company, Hotellier Aerospace Engineering, in 1966. The factory is now owned by Daher Aerospace, but the airfield was separated off a decade ago. It’s classedasa ‘privateairfield’,ratherthanCAP, and is strictly for resident or PPR visitors.
Its location is highly desirable from a visitors’ perspective, as the Medieval town of Montrichard, with its multitude of restaurants, river frontage and historic architecture, is only a fifteen-minute walk away. The airfield nestles in the valley of the Cher River, surrounded by the local Touraine vines, just south of the Loire and in the heart of the Chateaux de la Loire area.
A few miles due west, along the Cher River, takes you to the splendid Chateau Chenonceaux, while northwest is the Chateau d’Amboise, the grand 15th-century residence of King Charles VIII, featuring Leonardo da Vinci’s tomb. Just ten miles south is the Chateau de Montpoupon, while north lies the Chateau de Chaumont and east you'll find Saint Aignan, so Montrichard is great for scenic local flights and its central position makes regional day trips to the Dordogne, Limousin, the Atlantic Coast (Medoc) or Burgundy eminently possible.
Despite the airfield’s fifty-year history, we were obliged to apply for planning permission to continue its use, with approvals from all manner of customs and regulatory departments being required. We thought that there would be endless bureaucracy to deal with, but it turned out to be an exercise in ‘rubber stamping’ and, finally, the Préfecture de Blois issued a public decree or Arrete, giving us the required permission, which allowed us to complete the purchase.
THE COMPLETE PACKAGE
Denise found a Tuffeau(local limestone) house in a peaceful location, just a mile from the airstrip which, after some building work, is now a very nice gite which will accommodate up to four.
We've made visiting La Chaumine as simple as possible, providing access to the hangar and house via coded hardware, thus eliminating any pressure to be there on time to meet a keyholder.
There’s hangarage for two aircraft at the strip. In addition, a comprehensive tool kit and equipment is provided, so there’s no need to bring your own. A car and two bicycles are also provided and, likewise, are located in the hangar.
Unfortunately, we can’t offer aviation fuel on-site but mogas is available nearby and 1OOLLAvgas can be purchased 24/7 by Total card at the neighbouring airfields of Amboise and Romorantin, and Saumur offers a facility which allows you to pay by Visa.
Our charming gite is equipped with linen and towels, to reduce the need for luggage, and also a ‘take and replace’ food basket for late arrivals. It's now booking for 2018 for more information,visitwww.lachaumine.co.uk @
(Above)The Chateau Chenonceau, one of the many historic sites dotted around Montrichard. (Photo: Ra-smit Wikimedia) (Left) La Chaumine, the Tuffeau stone gite, comfortably accommodates up to four people. (Photo:Andy Pitcher)
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Initially,we had a number of local representatives dotted around the country, and as | previously mentioned, | became the PFA rep for the Brighton area. Developing that idea into the Struts was very important because it offered a support network for members at a local level, offering expertise and experience about building, maintenance, airstrip flying and touring plus, overall, the friendship of likeminded people.
The Struts grew like wildfire and were instrumental in promoting our Association to a much wider audience and, therefore, boosting the PFA’s membership.
Really getting our annual Rally going was very pleasing as it brought so many people together. |I’mdelighted that we still
(Above)David has enjoyed a long and fruitful life in aviation, and it certainly isn’t over yet! (Photo:NeilWilson)
have the annual LAA Rally and really enjoy attending it each year. Helping to promote groups was also very satisfying. By finding people locally who could share an aeroplane, ownership effectively becomes affordable to many more people.
| was also instrumental in establishing the FAI Awards, which involved attending various conferences and establishing ways to record world records and record-breaking flights, etc.
To be honest, there have been so many, but if | have to choose, then there are three that really stand out.
Firstwas the maiden flight in my Currie Wot, G-ARZW. As | previously mentioned, | was
building my own Wot but buying Doc Urmston’s aircraft meant that | could really give my flying the injection of activity it needed. That was a wonderful little aeroplane, one which took me all over the UK and into Europe.
Second was receiving the Prince of Wales Cup, on behalf of the LAA Rally team, for organising the largest gathering of aircraft in Europe at our annual event. The award was presented by HRH Prince Charles himself, and was his personal award on becoming President of the Royal Aero Club, following in the footsteps of his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, who was retiring from the post, having served his term.
Our Association was the first recipient of this prestigious award and we celebrated at a local restaurant afterwards, when the valuable glass goblet was filled with the very best wine and passed around the table fortunately, without mishap.
My third magic moment was the incredible journey of Clive Canning, who flew his homebuilt
Thorp 118 from Australia to England. Clive met me at Shoreham, and then |flew with him to Sywell, to be greeted by our members at the Rally.
When | was in Australia, I'd said to Clive, who was then head of the Aussie homebuilt movement, that he’d be very welcome to attend our annual event if he could make it. | didn’t expect it to happen but, two years later,there he was, the star of Sywell.
Sadly, Clive, a great friend,is no longer with us. He built two more aircraft and wrote a book, Charlie Mike Charlie, about his T18 and his record-setting flight, the first by a homebuilt from Australia to England. A wonderful story, and a wondertul friendship.
Most of my flying has been enjoyable and uneventful, and has gone according to plan, but there have been a few incidents along the way!
Flying from Redhill to attend an air race in Germany, | was caught in poor weather and was forced to give up due to some very heavy rain of course, | was flying open-cockpit, in he Wot and overnighted at Sedan. The next day, | pressed on to Sarrebourg, and finally headed o Colmar, for Customs, to cross he German border at Fribourg.
Upon reaching the high ground, before | crossed the Rhine, the weather forced me o stop again. | landed on an unattended grass strip to wait for an improvement in the weather, and ooking at the map | noticed a canal nearby.
(Left) Clive Canning arriving at the LAA Rally, Sywell, after his flight from Australia.
(Photo: David FaulknerBryant)
MEET THE MEMBERS
around the impasse of low cloud and fog. Flying at low-level beneath the clag, imagine my surprise when, going around a bend, the canal disappeared into a tunnel with rising ground on both sides.
A last-minute, instinctive change of direction,towards a lighterpartofthesky, saved the day. | broke out into bright sunlight on the other side of the valley and was able to continue on to Colmar and Fribourg where | discovered that the race had been cancelled! Previous gliding experience had reminded me that, at such critical moments, the quickest route out of a bad situation is heading for the lightest patch of sky.
Another occasion was when | was returning from the airshow at Biggin Hill, where I’d been displaying the Currie Wot. The engine started giving me trouble so | let down and landed at Dunsfold this was back when Harriers and Hawks were being tested there. A chap came out and said, “You can’t land here, mate!”
| explained the problem, and that | was returning from the Biggin show, so he got on the radio to his boss, who was back in one of the buildings. He gave the Wot’s registration and his boss said, “It can’t be that aeroplane, I’m watching him liveon the telly, from Biggin Hill.” Itturned out, at that precise moment, the BBC was showing my display from the previous day!
| very much enjoyed motorcycle grass-track racing when | was much younger. It taught you how to look after your engine and bike while having great fun, and | enjoyed making many friends while doing it.
| also enjoy horses very much, as having four daughters who all had one each, it taught you how to enjoy and respect an animal. We very much enjoyed riding across Exmoor together as a family.
Yes, hundreds! Many on engineering design and flying, but to name a couple that | think anyone would like, Clive Canning’s Charlie Mike Charlie, and West With the Night by Beryl Markham, about her flight from England to the USA in 1936. She was the first person to fly non-stop in an east to west direction, against the headwinds.
Yes. My original desire to build the Miles Satyr biplane couldn't be fulfilled at the time but | cherished the idea of modifying a Currie Wot, and even obtained the necessary Pobjoy engine.
The project never got off the ground and | parted with the Pobjoy to help someone else achieve a dream, but | believe that LAA Chief Engineer Francis Donaldson is on the case!
There are so many worthy names that come to mind, from early pioneers, trailblazers, record breakers, test pilots and the brave men who defended us all in the bad times not forgetting the designers and builders and our present homebuilders. All of them are heroes, in a way, it’s more a question of who we should leave off the list!
|haven'treallymanagedtoretireyet!| still run my farm, where we breed those beautiful Highland cattle, and | continue with my wine business at our unique location on the Isle of Skye.
With my late friend, Tom Westman, we formed the Skye Flying Club some years ago, using his Chevron motor-glider from the 800m tarmac strip at Bradford. | managed to obtain permission and finance to build a hangar,which|still haveasharein,butasof yet no aircraft to fill my space.
In the meantime, I’m making a grass strip at Ardmore, to temp members of the Highland Strut and anybody else to call by for coffee and a chat a warm welcome always awaits.
I'm working on my own SSDR at present slow work but it’s not over yet and | flew a Tiger Moth last year!
Keep on building, keep on flying and nil desperandum! Remember the old saying, ‘A winner never quits, and a quitter never wins.’ That’s why we have so many aircraft flying. Long live the LAA.
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AirVentureNational Fly-in& Display Paddock Wood War & Peace Show JANUARY 2018 | LIGHT AVIATION
hat a difference a year makes.
This time last year, many of us at LAA HQ were surrounded by cardboard boxes and piles of documents, in our last weeks in the old ‘downstairs’ offices, which had been our ‘temporary’ home for more than a decade since moving from Shoreham.
Meanwhile, all around us, work was underway to convert the former upstairs Turweston Flight Centre function room into our new, open-plan Engineering office, and as we moved into the new accommodation, convert our former offices into a Member Lounge, Classroom and Training Workshop.
Looking back, it’s hard to imagine that a year ago we were still offering training courses in a rudimentary portacabin in our HQ’s car park. Not only have the course locations changed, so have their breadth and scope.
Between November and the end of the ‘winter’ programme this March, we'll have offered almost 300 places, on courses which range from the traditional woodwork and metalwork options, to those dealing with electronics and wiring, Rotax engine and basic aircraft owner maintenance, fabric-work and more esoteric subjects, including English Wheel metal forming and building or repairing with composite materials. Best of all, almost without exception, every course has been fully subscribed, and for many we now have waiting lists taking us well into 2018.
To have achieved this, we owe a big thank you to many skilled and energetic volunteers, as well as LAA staff, who have given their time, over and beyond their normal duties, to make sure that these courses have been delivered with aplomb. Such was the growth and development of the courses during 2017 that LAA Education is now regarded, along with Engineering and Member Services, as a key part of our offering, and | hope that we'll continue to invest both time and effort to develop this area even further.
There are a number of areas we're looking at, the first being to broaden our breadth of ‘starter’ courses. Although many of us have traditionally come from a background of homebuilding or modelling, and therefore
that
LAA Education
have a broad understanding of the basic principles of construction or maintenance, there are plenty who haven't. And as our sold-out ‘Basic Maintenance’ courses reflect, many want to know more, and it isn’t just flyers either. At a recent historic aircraft function, | was asked whether we could run a course on corrosion prevention and preserving old aluminium airframes, as so many enthusiast groups and small museums are struggling to keep their exhibits in sound condition.
Also, once you've done a ‘basic’ course, where do you go next? One of the logical things is to run second- and third-level courses, taking your knowledge still further. In the case of owner-maintenance, this could even potentially allow us to offer an accreditation, perhaps allowing us to work with the CAA to offer additional owner-maintenance sign-off capability, orevenasafirst steptobecomingan LAA Inspector. It’s still some way off, but why not? It would fit our commitment to responsible self-regulation perfectly!
Although our training courses have largely been engineering-led, there’s one big area we have barely touched yet, and that’s flying standards, decision-making and handling continuity training. While we have excellent standards and highly experienced mentors available through the Pilot Coaching Scheme,
how many of us have taken advantage of their skills and knowledge? Perhaps as a New Year's resolution, maybe now is the time to make a commitment?
Finally, | hate to end this article on a more negative note, but there’s an approaching piece of EASA regulation which could be a ticking time bomb for some PPL holders. From 8 April 2018, a pilot won't be entitled to exercise the privilege of a UK PPL or NPPL in an EASA-certificated aircraft, even solely in UK airspace. The UK-only licenses will still be valid for use on non-EASA Annex 2 aeroplanes, such as those on an LAA Permit to Fly. But to pilot, say, a PA-28 or Cessna C152, you'll need an EASA PPL or LAPL, which currently requires either a Class 2 medical (in the case of EASA PPL) or a medical by an AME / your GP (LAPL). This could be a show-stopper for some who have switched to self-declared medical status.
Medical self-declaration has become one of the great success stories of the past year, when a safety case prepared by BGA, LAA and BMAA medical experts persuaded the CAA that for smaller, lighter aircraft, if a pilot was fit enough to meet the standards of the DVLA driver's license, there was no significant added medical risk in their flying. During the first year of the scheme, over 4,700 pilots self-declared their fitness to fly. However, the CAA scheme only applies to UK licences, as the aeromedical lobby in many EC member states has resisted such developments for EASA licence-holders.
Brexit or not, as this licensing change is existing EC law, despite significant efforts, it’s clear that we can’t change the actual EASA regulation. However, the CAA is exploring the possibility of a data-gathering, fixed-duration trial, to allow some GA pilots with Part-FCL (EASA) licenses to operate EASA aircraft within the UK, with a UK self-declared medical. If this trial can be successfully implemented, those operating privileges are expected to align with the LAPL. A word of warning, though, at the time of writing this is still far from certain, in which case, if you’ve got a UK PPL or an NPPL, from 8 April you'll only be able to fly a non-EASA ‘Permit’ type.
Light Aircraft Association
For all display or commercial advertising enquiries please contact Neil Wilson: 07512 773532 neil.wilson@laa.uk.com
You can email your classified advertisement direct to the LAA at the following address: sheila.hadden@laa.uk.com
Deadline for booking and copy: 22 January 2018 If you would like to place an aircraft for sale advert please see details below:
MEMBERS’ ADVERTISEMENTS
Up to 30 words: £6; 31-50 words: £12
Up to 50 words with a coloured photo: £45
NON-MEMBERS’ ADVERTISEMENTS
Up to 30 words: £22; 31-50 words: £44
Up to 50 words with a coloured photo: £60 www.laa.uk.com
LAA Engineering advice to buyers:
AIRCRAFT APPROVED? Members and readers should note that the inclusion of all advertisements in the commercial or classified sections of this magazine does not necessarily mean that the product or service is approved by the LAA. In particular, aircraft types, or examples of types advertised, may not, for a variety of reasons, be of a type or standard that is eligible for the issue of a LAA Permit to Fly.You should not assume that an aircraft type not currently on the LAA accepted type list will eventually be accepted.
IMPORTED AIRCRAFT? Due to unfavourable experiences, the purchase and import of completed homebuilt aircraft from abroad is especially discouraged.
TIME TO BUILD? When evaluating kits/designs, it should borne in mind that technical details, performance figures and handling characteristics are often quoted for a factory-produced aircraft flying under ideal conditions. It is wise, therefore, to seek the opinion of existing builders and owners of the type. You should also take your own skill and circumstances into consideration when calculating build times. The manufacturer’s build time should be taken as a guide only.
AMATEUR BUILDING All LAA aircraft builders and potential builders are reminded that in order to qualify for a LAA Permit to Fly, homebuilt aircraft must be genuinely amateur built. For these purposes the CAA provide a definition of amateur built in their publication CAP 659, available from LAA. An extract from CAP 659 reads “The building and operation of the aircraft will be solely for the education and recreation of the amateur builder. This means that he would not be permitted to commission someone else to build his aircraft”. An aircraft built outside the CAA’s definition could result in an expensive garden ornament.
oy
Wanted. Alloy Spinner assembly for Fairey Reed propeller, preferably for Gipsy Major but others considered. Approx. 9” dia backplate. Email ron@ukmgparts.com or Tel: 07802 703 961
ee
Slingsby Venture with T hangar, based Hinton Airfield. ARC till March 2016. Recent engine overhaul. £8000. Contact 01280 706272.
Europa Classic, excellent condition with SkyMap GPS, EDM700 engine monitoring system, fuel monitoring computer, autopilot, SmartASS airspeed warning system and EPIRB. Low hours Rotax 80HP recently fitted in exchange of previous Subaru unit. VP Prop. £30,000 including Trailer. For further info, photos or to arrange viewing/ flighttestcontactchrisdeith@hotmail.com
Europa XS Monowheel. Rotax 914 and Airmaster VP Prop. Total hours flown 128. Permit to May 2018. Dynon D180 Flight Deck. Funke 8.33 Radio. Trig Mode S Transponder. Fully enclosed road trailer with winch and hydraulic lifting “Dolly” for dry storage. Located Derby, UK. £35,000. Hugh Carmichael, Tel: 07444 839482. Email: hughcarmichael@me.com
Rutan LongEz. 164ktas cruise @6gph. Like the one above. 90% complete. Lycoming 0-320, Ellison Fl. Excellent construction - fit your own glass or steam panel and details to finish. Too many projects. LAA & CAA registered. Experienced builder advice included. £18,000. Bill Allen 07779 505707 Email:billallensworld@gmail.com
Elstree AA-5B Tiger. A 1/8 share in this excellent aircraft, always privately owned. Engine 400 hours since zero-hour overhaul, airframe total strip and repaint in 2016. New carpets. IFR equipped with GNS430W, GTX330, Narco 12D, ADF141. For details contact lan. Tel: 07710 126546 or Email: ian.richmond@hotmail.co.uk
AA5 Group Gamston. Only 1/6 shares so great availability in four-seat tourer. A/F 2100 hours, Lycoming O-320 150hp with only 300 hours since TBO. Now for the first time, non-equity shares £50 p/h and £120 p/ month. 25 hours up front = £1250 to fly off over 12 months. Details: www.gbcpn.co.uk Tel: 07976 802107
Gloucester based RV-4. 1/8 share in wellequipped and tidy aircraft, always hangared. Fixed costs £56 per month; 70 per hour wet. Share price and full details from Brian 01453 844840 Email bryn@brianoke.plus. com or Harry, 01242 260242 Email: harry. hopkins@talktalk.net.
PPL with circa 400 hrs but without access to an aircraft looking for Buddy flying in and around Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. Please contact Jim Cripps at jimbocripps@ yahoo.com
mount for two retiring pilots. £11,000. Tel 01234708233Emailscania27@icloud.com
Partially completed Jodel D120. Complete set of drawings. Most of the components built and signed off by an_ inspector. Stored indoors. Photographs available on the nwstrut.uk website under ‘aircraft for sale’. Can be viewed by appointment at a Manchester location. Contact: John Coxen 07821 158622 or Cliff Mort 07813 497427
Jodel D120 project. Wing and main spar damage, fabric stripped off for checking. Complete airframe and instruments. Total time 3385 hours. Complete with Rolls Royce C90 14F, stripped for checking, 450 hours since overhauled. This project has been stored since a ground accident and can be viewed at Breighton airfield. £4,500 ono. TelJohn 07773 640423. Ve ks
NEW Becker Transceiver AR6201 - (022) plus fitting kit 0617.903-954. Form 1 plus instruction book. Never fitted. Bargain £1,000, no offers. Tel: 07590 366112 Email: realaero@btinternet.com
Lycoming O-320 Cylinders. Two +0.020 cylinders c/w pistons and valves (maximum 200 hours) £1200 or £750 each. Will deliver southeast England and lOW. 01983 717053 or markbatin@tiscali.co.uk
Warp Drive 56” diameter three-bladed propeller for sale, £375. Excellent condition. Also Warp Drive single 64” blade and hub. Offers? Contact Peter on 07530 342698
UNTetaSSets
English wheel and pneumatic planishing hammer. Wheel is heavy duty with 30-inch throat, hammer 27-inch throat. With five wheel profiles. Collection only; 12 miles west of Cambridge. £650. Andy, tel: 07850 071302
AAU ahea)
Recently retired established inspector available for permit inspections and general help with projects etc. Workshop facilities and hangarage available. Essex Norfolk and Suffolk areas covered. John Cook 07817543 754 or hatzflyer2@gmail.com
Experienced Builder, Pilot, LAA Inspector for wood, metal and composite aircraft. Offers his services for repair work, recovering and spraying. Finishing off projects, assistance with kits and insurance work, building, inspection and Permit renewals. Also, a weighing service using the latest computer pads for the most accurate weight possible! For further details, contact Mike Hanley - Tel: 01872 560771, Mobile: 07703 781 628, E-mail mwhflyby@ btinternet.com Aen Te & LIGHT AIRCRAFT SERVICES
For February we have two free landings, at Beccles in East Anglia, and Chiltern Park in Oxfordshire, and one ‘February for a Fiver’ offer at Leeds East (formally RAF Church Fenton) in North Yorkshire, plus a ‘Two for One’ offer on admission to the Midland Air Museum at Coventry. It’s possible to fly
Beccles is located in unrestricted airspace and is the base of LAA Inspector Rainer Forster, so a warm welcome awaits. Please PPR, as sometimes there’s parachuting taking place. Also, be careful of possible wind-shear on final to Runway 27.The clubhouse offers tea, coffee andsnacks.Whynottryyourhandatkarting,
into Coventry Airport and walk to the off-airfield Museum, but please note that landing fees will be payable. Please take the voucher with you to present when you book in at an airfield or pay your admission fee at the Museum, not a photocopy.
at the nearby Ellough Park Raceway, or visit nearby historic Beccles town? Avgas available. Radio is 120.375.
www.rainair.co.uk FREE LANDING FORFEBRUARY2018 CHILTERN PARK 07739802010
Although primarilyfor microlights and gyrocopters, this friendly grass airfield in Oxfordshire, set among the lovely Chilterns, not far from Wallingford, is suitable for light aircraft. The airfield is located within the RAF Benson MATZ and there can be busy helicopter activity during the week. Call Benson 120.90 and then
make calls to Chiltern Radio on 134.025. There may be no reply so make blind calls. Join on the permanent dead side, to the East of AD at 1,000ft, and descent to circuit height. No overhead joins. Please land on centre-line of R04/22 unless told otherwise. No fuel available.
www.chiltern.aero REDUCED LANDING FOR FEBRUARY 2018 LEEDS EAST 01937 534197
A new destination that’s joining us for the very lemaac leleet1pOMUaUae
With two hard runways and good facilities, including a cafe, Leeds East is an ideal wintertime destination. Please PPR and be aware of the Sherburn-in-Elmet circuit, which is only three miles away. Please avoid flying
over local villages. Circuits at 1,000ft AAL. Radio is A/G 126.500.
TWO FOR ONE ENTRY FOR FEBRUARY 2018 MIDLAND AIR MUSEUM 02 476 301033
If you're looking for somewhere to visit in February, this voucher enables you to enjoy a ‘Two for the price of One’ entry (up to four people by car or air on a single voucher) to the Midland Air Museum, which is next door to Coventry Airport. There are many aircraft and exhibits to see, including a Vulcan and many
www.leedseastairport.co.uk
other jets. Opening times are 1000-1630 all week. Please cut out this voucher and hand it in on arrival. There’s a shop and tea room on site. If you'd like to fly in to Coventry Airport, landing fees will apply - see www. coventryairport.co.uk for details and charges. www.midlandairmuseum.co.uk V »Virtual
