MEDIA KIT 1 JULY 2018
OUR ADVERTISING ETHOS Australian Sport Pilot is Australia’s premier media link to recreational pilots across Australia. Recreational Aviation Australia is achieving steady growth as more pilots see the benefits of being a part of an organisation whose sole focus is achieving the dream of flight for people who want to be rid of the bureaucracy and hi costs associated with traditional general aviation. Australian Sport Pilot talks to these enthusiasts, via the printed magazine and online versions. It also has a specialised website dedicated to the magazine that is updated to provide recreational pilots with information when they need it. Our commitment to a lower-than-average advertising to editorial ratio and carefully planned ad placement in each issue ensures your brand will stand out. You get all the cachet, without any of the clash.
FEATURE
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QUICKSILVER MX THE DAWN OF THE AGE OF LSA We’ve come a long way in light sport aviation. Mark Smith begins an occasional series detailing the aircraft that were the birth of our industry
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hose of us over 50 who have been involved in aviation from their teens will remember them; the so called ‘minimum aircraft’ that were built in garages from aluminium tube, sailcloth and braided cable, largely as one offs with the goal of flying for minimal cost. The engines were usually stolen from a discarded Victa mower. In the late 1970s things began to change and industries sprang up, creating much safer versions of the homebuilt designs. In the US the powered Quicksilver was a derivative of a weight-shift hang glider that was aimed at people living in the flatlands of America who needed a self-launching
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glider. By 1982 it had evolved into a genuine powered aircraft, the MX, first having two axis controls with roll being achieved via rudder control via the stick combined with a large amount of dihedral, and then evolving to have spoilers on the upper wing surface controlled from what would normally be rudder pedals. A later model, the MX Sprint and Sport, had 2/3 span ailerons. Nigel Brown owns a 1982 MX that he bought as a replacement for his Swifter, a fully enclosed Drifter, around five years ago. The engine in the Swifter needed a rebuild so his Quicksilver was supposed to be a way of getting his flying fix while the Swifter’s engine was in the shop. But his
priorities changed. “It’s an original MX 2 powered by a 503 Rotax. I haven’t managed to get around to fixing the Swifter because I’m having too much fun with this,” he says after flying in to Gatton Airpark. “You can virtually get in and out of anywhere.” Watching Nigel arrive at Gatton is a display of just what basic flying is all about. The sight of his aircraft on finals causes many conversations to pause as the insect-like aircraft bounces around in the light chop. It’s obvious Nigel has a lot of experience in the aircraft as he touches down smoothly despite a slight crosswind.
Nigel’s decision to learn to fly is unusual. “I was riding horses and the last few times I came off I decided to get into something safer and I ended up training with Kevin Walters in 93 or 94. “This is my third aeroplane. My first was a double skin Quicksilver, then I bought the Swifter and when the engine died on that one I bought this.” Looking at the design it’s easy to see the flying characteristics would be different to more modern LSA’s, but Nigel says it’s a pleasure to fly. “This was the first successful ultralight sold in kit form. I think they sold something like 14,000 worldwide. It’s a really great plane,” he says “It’s very hands on, very basic but very safe because you are flying so slowly. I used to have an airspeed indicator but I didn’t trust it so now I just fly by the feeling of the wind. I’ve been flying it for so long now I can feel what speed I’m doing.”
“It is absolutely the type of aircraft every pilot should have a fly of at least once. It’s flying at its most basic, yet can teach a lot of skills that people don’t have these days.” Despite the sales success of the various designs, the company has been through a few owners. For the past 14 years Bert Moonen has been the local dealer for Quicksilver and despite a problem with the last company that was manufacturing the aircraft going broke, he says a new owner has picked up the mantle and the aircraft will be around for some time to come. “One of the biggest Quicksilver dealers in the US (who has already been selling aftermarket QS bits) has bought nearly all of the company parts and assets at auction and so he’s going to become ‘Mr Quicksilver’,” Bert says. “He’s still dealing with the intellectual property issues but in the meantime he can sell kits and parts. That means if someone orders a Quicksilver Sport 2S or MXL I can get it for them.” Bert says despite the problems with the parent company, about 90 per cent of parts for the Quicksilver GT400 and GT500 are available, and the new Mr Quicksilver has obtained the remaining machinery and dies and drawings from storage sheds in LA to be able to make the final parts required. “For myself and the other serious dealers around the world, being a Quicksilver dealer is more than just selling aircraft. It is embracing the history and the Quicksilver legend, and fulfilling the needs, enquiries and questions from the very large Quicksilver family in all parts of the globe,” he says. “In Australia there are hundreds of MX and MXL’s in the back of sheds on farms, and I get the occasional call from their owners asking for bits to get them back in the air. At one stage, back in the 1970s, the dealer at the time was selling 10 to 15 kits a month. I would estimate there would have to be 400 or more of the MX series, and the GT400s and 500s another 200 or more. “The typical buyer and flyer of Quicksilver Aircraft are GA pilots who just want to get back to just basic grass roots fun flying, or new flyers who want to get into entry level low cost flying”. SPORT PILOT | July 2018
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CONTENTS Our goal is to provide the best quality writing and photography relating to Sport Aviation from across Australia. Over time we will be cultivating a team of people who can provide professional standard articles that match the quality found in publications like the EAA magazine which is much better funded and resourced due to the larger size of that organisation. The growth in RAAus has seen a huge growth in the variety of aircraft types available to pilots, from basic rag and tube to sophisticated composite retractables. There is room in the magazine to cover all interests.
THE TEAM Editor: Mark Smith. With more than 35 year experience in mainstream media as well as 33 years’ experience as a pilot Mark brings a wealth of experience to the magazine. As well as being an award winning professional photographer he’s been writing for aviation magazines for the past 15 years, being published both
in Australia and overseas. He owns a Beechcraft Musketeer A23-24 and a Piel Emeraude. Deputy Editor: Michelle Smith. Marks wife, Michelle has been a journalist for 25 years on daily newspapers. She also holds a PPL and is a self confessed grammar nazi. Apart from helping edit Australian Sports Pilot, she’s a senior journalist on The Ballarat Courier. Flight Test writer; Rob Knight. After a 30 year career as an Ag pilot Rob now enjoys the lighter side of aviation and is heavily involved in RA-AUS. Apart from being an experienced pilot he works as a technical writer and has the ability and experience to make complex ideas seem simple. Columnist; David Bonnici: David took a number of years to see the light and start learning to fly RA-AUS after spending a large amount of time and money going the GA route. He now holds a pilot certificate and is about to start his navs. Apart from a love of aviation he’s a self-confessed car nut which explains why he’s a full time writer at Wheels magazine.
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“It was very confronting , even though I’d flown three or four hours in other Nieuports. I chose Watts Bridge for the initial test flights because it has wide open spaces, with lots of paddocks if I had an engine issue, plus there is low traffic volume.” Even though the Nieuport doesn’t mean some aspects is small it of tailwheel aircraft don’t spoil the view forward. “The view out of the front is non-existent so weaving is vital to make sure an obstacle doesn’t become an unwanted part of the airframe,” he said.Lined up and there were no more excuses. “I suspected it’d track straight because of the modifications I’d made, though I didn’t take that for granted after my previous experience. With no brakes I knew
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that if it started to get out of track on the ground the usual practice of just cutting the throttle wouldn’t work because I’d lose all airflow over the rudder. “I kept the tail low until I felt the mains get light, eased the stick forward and it went up like an elevator. I was a bit slow so I pushed the nose down and it just flew sweetly. The landing was the same. I held a bit of power until I was what I thought was the right height over the runway and slowly eased it back. It was the best landing I’ve done.” After a few hours in his Nieuport Jim feels a lot more comfortab le flying his creation, even handling crosswinds that would challenge more modern aeroplanes. It’s worth reflecting on Jim’s journey
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into recreational aviation because it gives an insight into the varied paths RAAus pilots have followed in to their passion. Like many pilots it all started with model aeroplanes. “When I was a young fellow my uncle had quite a few unused control model aircraft under his house, which I would go and play with because they fascinated me. Then when I was around 12 my uncle got them going again and I started flying them with him.
“I did some competing in control line aerobatics but that then took a back seat to my other interest of motor racing. I always knew when I got through the racing bug that I’d learn how to fly but that took a few more years than I thought it would.” After Jim left school his racing career took off and he became Queensland national dirt bike champion in his age group. Then a bad crash in 1987 saw him shift from bikes to speedway cars which he raced for 20 years. Another crash in 2007 saw him decide to finally take the plunge and reignite his interest in aviation. “I had my last speedway race in January 2007, which ended in a bad crash, so as I was recovering at home I decided I was going to start flying lessons. “I did my first lesson in December 2007 with Kevin Walters at Kentville, near Gatton. That was in a Drifter. all my training and endorseme I’ve done Drifter except for my formation nts in the and senior instructors rating.”
While he is extremely keen on the Drifter as a training aeroplane he admits the unique configurati pilot’s seat can be confronting on of the to abinitio students. “Learning was interesting because flying in the front seat of a Drifter can be confronting. People either love it because of the completely open feel, or they hate it. Thankfully I loved it. It’s such a great stick and rudder aeroplane , with lots of adverse yaw so you have to be good with your feet. I’ve done a lot of instructing in them now and they really teach the importance of co-ordinat a student ion as well as energy control because of their low weight and high drag.” Jim’s other aeroplane is at the very opposite end of the RAA spectrum and yet it also holds a special place in his aviation affections.
“Someone I knew had a Geoff Eastwood Tyro, which they were going to throw away. I decided to take it on and completely rebuild it. Now it’s a great aeroplane to just cruise around in on a calm evening. It’s an absolute joy to fly.” Whether it’s helping keep the memory of the brave pilots who fought for the cause of freedom a century ago, instructing the next generation of pilots at Caboolture, or looking for another project to rebuild, Jim Gollagher is an enthusiast who is leading the recreational aviation movement by example. That’s something we can all learn something from.
Jim Gollagher’ with his 7/8th scale Nieuport 11 ‘Bebe’
SPORT PILOT | July 2018
SPORT PILOT | July 2018
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