LIGHT AVIATION VOLUME 13 ISSUE 2 FEBRUARY 2020
THE MAGAZINE OF THE LIGHT AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
LIGHT
Aviation February 2020 £3.95
GOING FOURTH Clive Davidson takes to the air a happy man in theVan’s RV-4
A FITTING TRIBUTE BLERIOT BUILD FOR EDITH PROJECT NEWS LUCIOLE IS SET AND READY TO FLY! LA02.cover.V4.LB.indd 1
Light Aircraft Association WWW.LAA.UK.COM
AUDIO IN COCKPIT HEADSETS THAT CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE 24/01/2020 11:05
Editor’s desk
Europe’s first Furio kit (a composite Falco) arrived in the UK recently and ‘chief engineer’ William, importer Allan French’s grandson, is pictured after his inspection of the inverted fuselage. See NEWS.
The Team President ROGER HOPKINSON MBE Vice Presidents BRIAN DAVIES & JOHN BRADY Chairman TIM HARDY CEO STEPHEN SLATER Chief Engineer FRANCIS DONALDSON B.Tech C.Eng FRAeS 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 for engineering and commercial 01280 846786
LIGHT AVIATION MAGAZINE Editor BRIAN HOPE
60 Queenborough Road, Sheerness, Kent ME12 3BZ Telephone 01795 662508 Email bfjjodel@talktalk.net
Get ready for the off
I
t’s been a while since I spent the winter weekends in a cold and draughty hangar, but if you want to get your aircraft ready for the spring, I guess that’s what you have to do. To be honest I am very happy with progress on the Jodel and I am eternally grateful to my mates at Farthing Corner who have been a tremendous help, both materially and morally. I was recently asked to write a piece promoting the Association for FLYER’s Learn to Fly Guide, and I highlighted not only on the affordability of LAA flying, but also the camaraderie and the help and advice that’s there for the asking from fellow members, many of whom will become lifelong friends. I’m sure I’m not alone in being very appreciative of the many people who have enabled me to participate in our wonderful hobby for so many years. This month we continue with Ian Fraser’s series on cockpit audio when he tests a number of ANR headsets, one of which is a bit of a hybrid – a pair of domestic Sony ANR headphones, coupled with SEHT’s electret mic to make a quality aviation headset. Ian commented favourably on the end result so, my lugs not being what they were, I’ve decided to go down that route and now have a similar set up, the cost of which was £470. I’m hopeful they will be just the job, but if not I could always use them at home, or walking down the High Street with a pair of shades and an ‘away with the fairies’ expression! Whilst at the Rally I met and had an interesting chat with Telford Thomson. Telford hasn’t flown for a good many years, but he has 1,000 hours on the likes of Tiger Moths and Austers from way back – and continues to
be a member of the LAA. Telford exercises his aviation interests via the Suffolk Aviation Museum in Ipswich and, when they wanted a Bleriot XI to commemorate the daring deeds of the UK’s first woman to fly an aeroplane (in 1910), a local lass named Edith Maud Cook, Telford piped up and said he’d build one. Read his fascinating story, because along with his friend Tony Wallis not only did he indeed build one, he managed to persuade a number of local and national businesses to donate the materials, as the museum had no budget to cover the cost. In fact, Tony was one of the generous sponsors. Before I end, can I just add my plea for members to take a few moments to respond to the ab initio training and airspace Consultations that are currently ongoing (see CEO Chat and NEWS). We are in what I consider the best position to exercise change than we have been in for at least 50 years. We have a GA sympathetic Secretary of State for Transport in Grant Shapps, and his record for getting things done is pretty good. Please, don’t let this once in a lifetime opportunity slip by, if we don’t respond, we’ll only have ourselves to blame if things stay the same. Be safe, Brian
By Brian Hope February 2020 | LIGHT AVIATION | 3
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CEO Chat
New flying year By Steve Slater New Year Resolutions
So, what will your flying year bring? As I look out of the office window, the post New Year weeks of scudding low cloud and soggy airfields has, temporarily at least, passed and with some welcome winter sunshine my thoughts have moved on to the flying year ahead. As you’ll see from the jam-packed events calendar on page 60, we’ve got some great fly-ins, fly-outs and other events to look forward to in the coming months. In particular Neil Wilson tells me that we’ve got more than 60 expressions of interest in the LAA Scottish Tour, which starts with a ‘Meet the LAA’ event just this side of the border on Saturday 23 May, before heading up to Perth, which will act as the base for a week of flying fun. We’re also lining up some interesting attractions for the LAA Rally on 4, 5 and 6 September.
Consultations: CAA is listening
One of the big things for the LAA HQ team this year will be our dialogue with the CAA. You may recollect I recently mentioned that there are two new consultations on the use of LAA Permit aircraft and home-built microlights for paid-for ab-initio training (search online for CAP1823 and CAP1839). It is both a sign that the CAA has confidence in our processes, and it offers a great opportunity for GA pilot training. The initiative would offer an opportunity for flying clubs to widen the scope of aircraft they operate, introducing modern, more fuel-efficient aircraft into the flight training environment. The types involved not only have lower fuel consumption and exhaust emissions, they’re capable of operating on unleaded fuels. They are often also significantly quieter. We hope that as many members as possible will respond positively to this consultation and support the LAA’s vision of the future. By working together, the CAA, BMAA and LAA could benefit the whole of the sport flying community by offering a new, more practical, economical and more environmentally
06 NEWS
LAA to Support Tiger Moth Flying Trust CAA consultations, New Garmin GI 275
08 LETTERS friendly fleet of GA aircraft to a new generation of flyers. Plus, following direct communication from Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport, the CAA must now regularly consult airspace users on the classification of airspace. In addition, in developing procedures and policies describing airspace classifications, they must seek to “ensure that the amount of controlled airspace is the minimum required to maintain a high standard of air safety and that the needs of all airspace users are reflected on an equitable basis.” The first airspace classification review is underway and the CAA is seeking our help. The first step in what will be a multi-phase exercise is that an online consultation invites respondents to identify volumes of controlled airspace in which the classification could be amended to better reflect the needs of all airspace users – and they will subsequently shortlist volumes of airspace for potential amendment, using analysis of evidence about airspace use and consultation responses. The LAA is already formulating our response and preparing our proposals for a new regulatory process to reclassify volumes of airspace identified through the review exercise. We’ll respond both as an individual Association and more widely with BMAA, BGA and others as a part of the GA Alliance, but it’s equally important that you respond as individuals too, with comments based on your direct knowledge of your local airspace. Please visit the dedicated consultation website, The deadline is 3 March 2020 and you can find the web page by searching for ‘CAA Airspace Classification Review’. It’s not a perfect consultation and it may be necessary to respond several times to identify different areas of controlled airspace which could be reviewed. But as the CAA are listening, it’s well worth giving your input. Also, drop us a line with your comments to office@laa.uk.com so we can collate your feedback and use it in future discussions.
My Infringement plus response and AI Bursary delight
10 COCKPIT AUDIO
How best to deal with audio issues in the cockpit. Ian Fraser on aviation headsets
15 HEADSET REVIEW
The SEHT SM1/Sony combo and SH40-60 headsets
16 PROJECT NEWS
Europa, Sling 2, Colomban MC-30 Luciole, New Projects and Cleared to Fly…
22 FLYING ADVENTURE
Martin Ferid stays closer to home with a trip to the East of England
28 COACHING CORNER
David Cockburn, PCS Head of Training, looks closely at loss of control
30 FLIGHT TEST
Clive Davidson test flies the Van’s RV-4
38 STRUTS4U
Anne Hughes profiles the activities of the Struts and Clubs
40 EC REVIEW
Share the air. Sense all others, be seen by all others. So say the CAA’s slogans for the future of airspace in the UK.
42 BLERIOT
In homage to aviator Edith Cook from Ipswich, Telford Thomson offered to build a replica Bleriot…
48 STEM
What STEM means and how it attracts young people into aviation…
50 PROJECT NEWS SPECIAL
David Pilkington explains what it is really like to build a kit aeroplane
56 MEET THE MEMBERS
Steve Robson spent 22 years in the military – and he is a loyal Van’s man…
60 WHERE TO GO
Plenty of dates for your 2020 diary, plus GASCo Safety Evenings
65 LANDING VOUCHERS Your free landings, discounts and offers for March 2020
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Contents
Contents February 2020
30 Flight Test: Van’s RV-4
15
16
42 February 2020 | LIGHT AVIATION | 5
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LA News
News
Plenty more news is available on the LAA website at www.laa.uk.com check it out every day!
LAA to Support Tiger Moth Flying Trust The LAA has pledged its support to a new trust which is being formed around Sywell-based de Havilland Tiger Moth G-ANTE in memory of one of its former pilots, Thomas Castle, who was tragically killed in a flying accident last year. The Thomas Castle Aviation Trust aims to provide four hours of post-PPL flying training in the aircraft to allow younger pilots a greater insight into vintage aviation. LAA member Tom was passionate about all aspects of vintage aviation and aircraft restoration. The Trust has been instigated by his father Ian, who aims to launch the scheme in the spring. In addition to LAA support in waiving permit and oversight fees, it is being backed by warbird operator Air Leasing, Vintage Engine Technology Ltd (Vintec), Sharman
Above The late Thomas Castle with his father Ian in the Tiger Moth owned by the Thomas Castle Aviation Trust.
Avionics, de Havilland Support Limited, Vintage Fabrics of Audley End and Henstridge-based Aircraft Coverings Limited. Watch out for more on the scheme in Light Aviation magazine in the coming months.
Consultations for expanding paid ab initio training on PtF aircraft The launch of two CAA consultation documents (CAP1823 and CAP1839) propose expanding the types of aircraft allowed to be used for initial paid, private pilot training. If enacted, it would allow certain Permit to Fly aeroplanes and amateur-built microlights to be used by flying clubs and flying schools, offering a great opportunity for them to widen the scope of aircraft they operate for pilot training, introducing modern, more fuel-efficient aircraft into the flight training environment. The types involved not only have lower fuel consumption and exhaust emissions, they’re capable of operating on unleaded fuels. They are often also significantly quieter. The move follows an amendment to European regulations that came into effect in late 2019, which allows countries to recognise training and experience gained on aircraft with permits to gain EASA or national PPLs. For those training in microlights a national NPPL (M) licence will still be issued. We are continuing to query the inclusion of incomplete statistical data and the precise wording of a proposed mechanism to ‘implement a mechanism to provide liability protection to the original builder of a PtF home-built aircraft which may be used for ab initio training’. However, this consultation could pave the way for an exciting opportunity for LAA Permit aircraft users. It has to be said that others have voiced concerns that their
increased utilisation in the unsympathetic hands of a student pilot could compromise airworthiness. We are aware of that and have proposed additional inspection and maintenance criteria that would mitigate these worries. In addition, there is good evidence from the microlight sector, where Permit aircraft are already used for training, that these apparent risks are not proven. Of course, it is entirely appropriate for individuals and other organisations to express their opinions, but we hope that as many members as possible will respond positively to this consultation and support the LAA’s vision of the future. By working together, the CAA, BMAA and LAA could benefit the whole of the sport flying community by offering a new, more practical, economical and more environmentally friendly fleet of GA aircraft to a new generation of flyers. These consultations close on 17 FEBRUARY so please act now; they are simple to complete online surveys. See: https://tinyurl.com/CAAlaunch CAA Airspace Review News of this ground-breaking new review process appeared in our January issue and we only have until 3 March to respond. Please visit the dedicated consultation website at https://tinyurl. com/tegr7h8 to view the visualisations on the use of controlled airspace, and then identify which could be reviewed. If we do not respond, how can we expect things to improve?
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LA News
British Aerobatics Spitfire Lottery
New Garmin GI 275 The idea of producing electronic instruments that fit existing 3 1/8in instrument holes is a useful way of upgrading to modern technology without the major expense and complication of going the whole glass screen route. Garmin’s recently announced touchscreen GI 275 fulfils this useful function and, as you would expect, offers a range of abilities that directly replace a number of traditional primary flight instruments. Among its many attributes are fulfilling the roles of an attitude indicator, course deviation indicator, engine information system, displaying multifunction display-like features, such as traffic, weather, terrain, and optional Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT). It is also compatible with a number of autopilots without the need for a separate interface and can have a 60 minute back-up battery. www.garmin.com/en-GB
Above Upgrading without the hassle
British Aerobatics is delighted to announce its fourth lottery draw to win a flight in a Spitfire. This once in a lifetime opportunity includes a 30-minute flight experience in a two seat Spitfire (TR9) with Boultbee Flight Academy and an overnight stay with dinner for two at Goodwood Hotel. Proceeds from the lottery will go towards the British Aerobatic Team training and support fund in preparation for the World and European Championships. A donation will also be made to the registered charity Aerobility, which facilitates a range of flying training and flying experiences for disabled people. Visit www.aerobatics.org.uk/lottery to buy tickets, which cost £20 each, only 1,000 of which will be sold. The draw will take place on 11 March 2020.
High demand for AI bursaries Trustees of the LAA’s Armstrong Isaacs Fund were astounded to discover at the closure of applications at the end of December, that no less than 60 applications have been lodged for one of five up to £1,500 bursaries. The bursaries are intended to help young PPL trainees (up to 30 years of age) through that later stage of the course when cross-country navigational exercises mean that two-hour, or longer, lessons are required, with the correspondingly higher costs over a single hour’s lesson. To that end, applicants must already be past first solo, in fact a minimum five hours’ solo is required. The process of selecting those five lucky winners is now underway, and the results will be announced in the March issue of the magazine. Details of the 2020 bursary application process will be announced in September.
Furio project gets under way Allan French recently wrote to say the first Furio kit in Europe had arrived in the UK. Based on the Legendary Stelio Frati Falco, Allan commented that the new carbon fibre design by Falcomposite of New Zealand looks to be everything expected and more. It arrived on time and all parts were present and correct. The project is registered and with Mark Davis agreeing to take on the role of inspector, as Allan says, “It’s time to roll up our sleeves and make the kit into the aircraft we hope will be even better than the original Falco. With its performance, three seat option and load carrying capacity, it promises to be something different and unique. This will be the first example in Europe and as agents we hope to import more kits in the future. However, first we have to build it and get the type accepted on the LAA register. So here goes, wish us luck!” allan@comptecltd.co.uk Right The fuselage and fin of the composite Furio
Ernie Horsfall fly-in A fly-in has been arranged to take place at Blackpool airport on April 18-19 to celebrate Ernie Horsfall’s 102nd birthday. Potential arrivals need to pre-register before April 4 at EJH.flyin@gmail.com Ernie’s name is synonymous with the Jodel as he was involved with importing many examples into the UK over an extended period, as well as being an acknowledged expert on the marque. More details as we get them. February 2020 | LIGHT AVIATION | 7
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Your Post
Flight safety
Letters Infringement concerns
I
found the article My Infringement in January’s magazine (p10) deeply disturbing, starting with the title. The pilot never saw more than 2,450ft on his altimeter while beneath the 2,500ft TMA. The CAA acknowledged that there was no action they needed to take and alluded to a ‘loss of separation’ being the reason for their interest. That could be caused by NATS bringing IFR traffic too close to the base of controlled airspace so that any transponder error will generate an apparent loss of separation when none actually exists. All this suggests that in Richard’s case no actual infringement ever took place. The CAA then issued a thinly veiled threat to the pilot who, having done nothing wrong, is faced with having this non-event put on his record in case he is involved in any further reports in the future. This is like the police acknowledging that you didn’t break the speed limit, but they are going to put this encounter with them on file for future use against you. Is this legal? NATS has foolishly programmed no margin into their ‘Controlled Airspace Infringement Tool’, CAIT. Transponders are inaccurate devices tested every year and will pass even when a 200ft error exists. This test is carried out on the ground and takes no account of static pressure errors in the air. In the intervening 12 months who knows how inaccurate they will become? Add altimeter error and the error caused by CAIT perhaps not using the same QNH to convert FL to altitude as that set by the pilot, and it is easy to see that the transponder readout seen by NATS can easily differ by over 300ft from the actual altitude. It is the pilot’s responsibility to fly by the altimeter, not the transponder readout, which is not displayed on many transponders. If NATS is serious about maintaining a minimum separation between IFR and VFR traffic’s transponder readouts, then it needs to move the IFR traffic higher within controlled airspace, not expect VFR pilots to fly ever closer to the ground. In the South East with obstacles on higher terrain rising up to 1,000ft or more amsl, and 1,000ft being the minimum height over congested areas, VFR traffic is already operating in a narrow band between 2,000 and the 2,500ft TMA base. We don’t need NATS trying to make that band even narrower by forcing us to fly below 2,200ft to allow for transponder errors. They need to
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stop accusing pilots of infringing unless the transponder indicates at least 300ft into the airspace to take into account the errors listed above. Our sport flying associations, the LAA, BGA, AOPA etc. should be fighting our corner and not letting the CAA and NATS intimidate pilots who never came within controlled airspace. Nothing in this letter should be read as suggesting that genuine, proven infringements are not a serious matter. Regards, Peter Kynsey.
Response from Steve Slater:
As you can imagine, the CAA is not in a position to respond directly to an individual case, but having as a matter of courtesy discussed these comments in some detail with those involved, I’m writing this in my capacity as the LAA representative to the CAA’s Airspace Infringement Working Group. This is the forum where members of all the GA associations work together with the CAA to proactively reduce the risk of infringements. Pete makes some interesting observations and is a very experienced pilot, so his comments are well worthy of note. However, I don’t agree with some of his interpretations of the processes raised in Richard’s article. I certainly welcome this letter though as it helps draw more attention to the debate. By drawing attention to infringements, it will, I hope, drive greater awareness and perhaps reduce the risk of a future similar event. I can’t agree with Pete’s use of the term ‘corner fighting’. We present our arguments, robustly at times, but all stakeholders including the LAA, BMAA and BGA, are committed to reducing airspace infringements by identifying their root causes in a ‘Just Culture’ environment. In my discussion with the Chair of the Infringement Coordination Group (ICG) which investigated the incident, he was at great pains to point out that throughout the investigation, and after the occurrence was closed, Richard was regarded as a champion of Just Culture in GA. In the CAA’s words: “Richard’s values epitomise the Culture.” In their view, Richard’s article was a perfect example of the Just Culture philosophy in sharing his experience in an open and positive manner and they’ve been highly complementary
about the way Richard has used the incident to offer his experience to others. As Peter points out, there is clearly work needed by CAA and NATS to correct the incorrect perception of the handling of infringement MORs filed by ATC units. At a more strategic level, we are continually raising the subject of lower airspace design and it is good to see that, partly based on evidence given by the LAA to the Kirkhope parliamentary enquiry in 2018, the Department for Transport is pushing the CAA and DfT hard to review their processes. I do agree with Pete that the lack of margin for variance of transponder height and altimeter height programmed into the NATS ‘Controlled Airspace Infringement Tool”, CAIT, can potentially lead to an unfair accusation of an infringement when it did not occur. However, I’ve had it made clear to me that there is no automatic assumption of anything; the CAA’s independent investigation is carried out based on MOR and pilot reports. The more evidence and information that is presented by both parties, the better. Transponder error is considered in the investigation. Where it is proven and shows that no infringement took place, then the MOR is closed with no further action. Whilst the specific details of the MOR, pilot report and investigation will not be discussed by the CAA, they have pointed out that at no time in his article does Mr Warriner claim that he did not infringe; he simply states that he did not see his altimeter showing an ’altitude greater than 2,450ft’. They accepted that a pilot in such circumstances is unlikely to focus his/ her attention solely on the altimeter when flying VFR. It was also noted that Richard has never claimed that the transponder was overreading by more than its permitted amount. One lesson to be learned here are, whatever Peter’s concerns regarding the erosion of margin, that one of the best ways to avoid the risk of infringement is to ensure a little margin for error when flying close to controlled airspace, both laterally and vertically. As Richard wrote: “Horizontal positioning has had millions of years of evolution, vertical positioning is a more recent skill”! October 2019 | LIGHT AVIATION | 9
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Your Post
On my way, thanks to AI bursary
Dear LAA. Further to your generosity with the award of my Armstrong Isaacs Bursary, I thought you might like a quick update on my progress. I’m trying to survive the long period of not being able to fly due to the airfield being waterlogged (I’m getting withdrawal symptoms). However, on the bright side I have recently found out that after going through a tough selection process with CAE and easyJet, I have been awarded a place on the Generation EasyJet MPL course with CAE. I have been given a start date two days after my 18th birthday at the end of August. Once again thank you for supporting me in gaining my PPL which has set me up on a career path in aviation. Here’s hoping for a great summer of flying! Kind regards, Sam Smith.
Trig TY91
Setting the record straight
I entered the Air Race E Design contest held by the Royal Aeronautical Society in 2019, encouraged by the declaration that the competition was intended to be as inclusive as possible. ‘The winner will be the design with the shortest time around a course in a simulator’ the rules said and were not explicit in what was required with the supporting documentation. I was therefore, rather disappointed to hear that the judges rejected my submission (and several others) because they did not consider it to be up to their expected standard. All the more so as my design’s time was 1.6 seconds faster than the official winner, Iontrepid (despite my design weighing 54kg more). It is certainly not my intention that the
TQ-Avionics KRT2 (formerly Dittel)
judges change the results of the competition, and indeed, I congratulate the winning entrants, but I think perhaps that the rules need amending for any future competition to make them clearer, with an explicit documentation standard that is required to be met. This will hopefully then prevent disappointment for future entrants. Anyway, as my design was the fastest, that has justified my design decisions despite the end result. You can check it out by visiting the website: www.mckeeaerospace.com/eracer Notwithstanding the problems, I very much enjoyed the competition and look forward with interest to see what actual designs are winning in this real-world racing series in a few years’ time. Best regards, Andy McKee.
Funke ATR833S
Becker AR6201
For full specifications and pricing on all our 8.33 kHz Coms and Nav / Coms please check our website.
Suppliers of all leading manufacturers
February 2020 | LIGHT AVIATION | 9
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Cockpit audio Picture 1
Technical
Heads up… In Part III of how best to deal with audio issues in the cockpit, Ian Fraser looks at aviation headsets
T
he power of advertising is everywhere, beseeching us to spend our hard-earned money on wondrous gadgets – and it’s certainly true in the world of aviation headsets. A headset can cost us from £70 to about £300 for a Passive Noise Reduction (PNR) set, and up to £1,000 for an Active Noise Reduction (ANR) set. In the early days of noise reduction headsets, claims of 20-40dB (see Note 1) noise reduction were common, but many of these performance values have now gone from the sales literature and device specifications. Today, for the high-end sets, they are replaced by claims that they meet TSO C 139 (see Note 2) or are ‘30% better than conventional headsets’, whatever that
Above We put headsets under the microscope. However, is the one that is ‘best’ for you necessarily the most expensive?
means. And at the lower-cost end, they often claim to be just as good as the high-end devices. Headsets now seem to be compared to some unobtainable or meaningless benchmark and we seem to have to rely on the suppliers, or a subjective test in a shop or on a trade stand, to work out if they are going to achieve what we want. So, do we get what we pay for? In this article I take a look at the differences between a collection of headsets and ask how you might determine if they are what you need or if they perform as implied. In GA, our noisy cockpits generate two audio challenges – protecting our ears from discomfort and damage over time due to excessive noise, and being able to hear the radio, warnings and alarms while still being able to hear the engine clearly enough to identify
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Cockpit audio
“In GA our noisy cockpits generate two audio challenges,
protecting our ears from discomfort and damage and being able to hear the radio, warnings and alarms while still being able to hear the engine clearly” potential problems. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) say that the maximum noise our ears can tolerate (for a very short time) is 135dBA, while the average noise maximum without risking hearing damage is 80dBA. I have measured my RV-6’s cockpit noise to be about 90dBA at cruise power so, to protect my hearing alone, my headset needs at least 10dB of overall noise reduction. I will explain later how you can measure your cockpit noise and the effectiveness of your headset, which is actually quite easy. For someone with normal hearing (by an audiologist’s definition) a good PNR headset will normally suffice to protect hearing, and no further noise reduction should be necessary to hear speech clearly. Cockpit audio alarms (such as stall warning) and the health of the engine, should still be audible despite the headset. Anyone with a hearing deficiency (and with the aging LAA membership, statistically that is most of us) may find that even ‘safe’ cockpit noise levels still frustrate hearing the spoken word clearly. Age-related hearing loss (see December 2019 article) is not just a reduction of the volume to the listener but a change to the dynamic range of the ear (the ability to hear loud noises and quieter noises simultaneously at several frequencies). It is generally manifested as an inability to hear high notes at the same time as louder low notes. This can result in words becoming muffled and having more difficulty in hearing female and children’s voices. The noise in an aircraft exacerbates this problem as it produces excessive low frequency noise, which drowns out the higher sounds. ANR headsets attempt to overcome this problem by specifically reducing lower frequency noise to optimise the chances of hearing the spoken word clearly. But be careful, too much headset noise reduction can also eliminate essential noises such as the engine note or a warning device.
What are the options?
Ignoring the microphone, there are three basic types of headset available. ■ On the ear, which is just what it says: A small loudspeaker with just a comfort pad, there is no serious attempt at sealing the ear from external noise. This is OK for a really quiet environment, which most GA aircraft are not, for our aircraft we have to address external noise. So serious GA headsets come in two categories. ■ The first are Passive Noise Reduction (PNR) types, in
Right Old type ‘hard’ ear seals
Picture 2
which the ear is surrounded by a cup with a large soft seal in an attempt to mechanically isolate unwanted noise from the outside (Picture 2). They are good at high frequencies, not so good at low, but are effective at overall noise energy reduction. Important to their effectiveness is the efficiency of the seal versus comfort. Cheaper (and older) headset ear seals tend to be shallow with a stiff plastic film over foam and require a tighter grip or clamp pressure over the head to seal out the unwanted noise. More modern and costlier models use a variety of softer, deeper more pliable materials (thin leather and gel) to mould over the ears and glasses. Their thicker but more pliable material requires a much lighter clamping grip to exclude noise, resulting in longer term comfort. ■ Active Noise Reduction (ANR) technology normally uses soft seals but also electronically cancels low frequencies typical of engine and propeller noise (Picture 3). They have an additional microphone on the outside of the ear case to detect the ambient sound then use electronics to generate an opposite signal, which should selectively cancel the unwanted noise. The electronics and SW algorithms to do this are very complex and like most of such ‘signal processing’ are a compromise between getting rid of the unwanted noise, while not affecting the wanted sound. The extent to which they remove noise is very much proprietary to each manufacturer and is based on their understanding of the noise an average aircraft might make and what they think needs to be removed. Not all aircraft make the February 2020 | LIGHT AVIATION | 11
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Cockpit audio Picture 3
same noise and not all ANR sets do the same cancellation. The temptation is to believe that you must throw money at the most expensive headset you can find, as it probably does the noise rejection job best, but increasingly in the market place we see claims that much lower cost devices are just as good. But at what? I set out to see if I could identify an accessible and affordable method to measure headset performance once and for all, so that they could be matched to individual needs. My tests are intended to compare, rather than determine, absolute calibrated performance.
Performance measurement – that we can do…
In the earlier days of noise reduction headsets, they were specified by measuring the total sound energy difference between the exterior noise and ‘in-earphone’ noise. That is easy to do with a noise source – a small microphone and a smartphone ‘noise meter app’ (normally a free download). I recorded the cockpit noise of about 10 mins of normal cruise in my RV-6 (at 2,350rpm) on another free app, and also measured the noise level (90dBA) and captured a 0-4 Khz spectrum (yet another free app) displaying a graph of frequency vs sound level.
Above ANR technology normally uses soft seals but also electronically cancels low frequencies typical of engine and propeller noise
The tests
I took this data home and put the noise recording onto my computer. Then, replaying it through its speakers, I checked that the spectrum looked the same as the one from the aircraft (to check the function of the microphone, which forms part of the earbuds from my phone) and measured the noise energy. It was 82dBA, so while lower than in the aircraft, it was still representative enough for my test. Then, for each headset, I measured external noise level, ‘in ear cup’ noise level for passive and ‘in ear cup’ noise level with ANR on. I also recorded the spectrums at each stage to get an idea of how each headset was achieving its results.
Subjective test
Below Ian testing the headsets
I then conducted a more subjective test, while still playing the engine noise. I found an aviation RT course online with a female voice and played the same part of the RT dialogue repeatedly on my smart phone with its headphone ‘out socket’ connected to the test headset (I made a 3.5mm to ¼in headset jack adapter but you can buy one online for less than £2). I recorded the lowest volume setting at which I could clearly hear the RT
Picture 4
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Cockpit audio Picture 5
dialogue with ANR selected and noted the quality of the sound. During all tests, I also observed the effect of increased clamp pressure and the comfort. I did try doing an audiologist (hearing aid) test while subjected to the noise, but that didn’t work too well. Please remember that this is an overview of the market using uncalibrated equipment. My numbers may be quite different to those measured by others, but they are all derived using the same method and instruments and are repeatable, so are valid for comparison. You can see a summary of my results in the table below.
Top The noise reduction spectrum (green) and the noise environment in red of the DC 10-20 PNR headset.
Picture 6
Middle and below The spectrum and environment of the Lightspeed (right) and the Sony (below)
Benchmark
Picture 7
My benchmark ‘conventional’ 20-year-old DC H10-20 (without ANR) still achieved a pleasing 20dB+ of passive attenuation and an extra 5dB could be seen if I squeezed the earpieces to my head, but the seals are old. Its reduction was roughly in line with its claimed 24dB specification, validating my methodology. Its noise reduction spectrum in green and the noise environment in red, showed that at lower frequencies it did not reduce noise as much as the higher ones (Picture 5). As a result, its spoken word test was, although comprehensible, the most muffled of all and required the most volume increase to hear over the noise background. All the ANR sets, rather surprisingly (to me), exhibited passive attenuation of only 6-7dB and squeezing didn’t make much difference. The majority of their overall noise reduction comes from their electronics, and their total noise reduction (for a quiet cockpit) seems proportional to cost. They all had soft and comfortable ear pads and, compared with the DC, were much more comfortable. Their voice clarity was all much better than the DC. The only difference was the volume required to meet the
threshold, and again, this went with price. Once the volume threshold was achieved, there was not much clarity difference between them. Analysis of the active cancellation (the comparative noise graph of Lightspeed and Sony ANR ) shows that they apply quite different levels of reduction across the spectrum, and this may be the biggest challenge in understanding what they can do for us – they each may be optimised to be best at removing the noise from a different type of engine. A Lycoming 4 or 6, Rotax 2T or 4T, two- or three-bladed props, or even a turbine, all have quite different noise signatures. A manufacturer can tune his algorithm to optimise to a specific engine, or they can use one that automatically adapts to cancel
Summary of results Headset
Noise
PNR
ANR
Total
Comfort
Audibility
Clarity
3 KHz
DC10-20
82 dBA
-20
0
-20
Tight
6
Muffled
OK
Sennheiser HMEC 250
83 dBA
-7
-6
-13
OK
Not tested
Not tested Not tested
SEHT 40-60
83 dBA
-7
-13
-20
OK
5
Clear
OK
Lightspeed Zulu 2
82 dBA
-6
-18
-24
OK
4
Clear
OK
Sony WH 1000 XM2
82 dBA
-6
-24
-30
OK
2
Clear
Marginal
Bose A20
82 dBA
-6
-26
-32
OK
2
Clear
Marginal
level
reduction
vol
Warning
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Cockpit audio Picture 8
any constant noise it detects. The latter are much more complex, and thus potentially the most expensive. Perhaps manufacturers could be more open on that in their literature. So, you don’t need to spend a fortune to be able to hear clearly and protect your ears, but for the quiet flight experience, the more you spend the better.
Mind you…
My RV is equipped with a stall warner that produces a high-pitched, piercing 86dBA howl at 3Khz. While I know from experience that I can hear it through some of the sets, I was surprised at the level of reduction achieved by the Sony and Bose whose ANR reduced it to only just audible (to my ears) even without the engine running. I am not sure I would hear it during flight while wearing one of those sets. Similarly, while the engine remains reasonably audible despite the noise cancellation, with the Sony and Bose it is reduced to a very comfortable low level and an engine problem might not be particularly attention grabbing – see picture 10 showing the noise meter graph of the Bose in-earpiece engine noise level making the transition from passive to active. The meter app reports the result as the equivalent of a quiet library. If you were playing music, it would completely swamp any engine noise. A friend with a quieter aircraft than mine recounts a tale in which, during a long cross country, he was listening to music through his nice top-of-therange ANR headset and simply did not hear the engine falter. He did not pick it up until the aircraft started to descend uncommanded, but all ended well and an important lesson was learned. (Perhaps this is one for the human factor ‘distraction’ experts to think about).
Conclusion
As with any product, if you want to get it right you need to define clearly what you need your headset to do for you. If it is to protect your otherwise healthy ears then a good PNR set is the most cost-effective solution, and it will not eliminate essential noises. If you have aging ears, then almost certainly ANR sets will make an improvement but, unless your ears are really bad, you don’t need to spend a fortune. And if you crave a quiet life, then a top-of-the-range set may be for you, but be careful, you may cancel out more than you bargain for – more than adequate may not be best or the safest. ■ Next month Nick Long and I look at the installation issues surrounding a modern cockpit audio system. Note 1. What is a decibel (dB)? It is a (logarithmic) comparative measurement and is commonly used in audio or acoustics. It is used to describe how much sound energy is being produced, compared with a known reference. It can be found as both a positive number, in which it is describing how much louder the subject sound is than a reference, or negative, how
Top right and middle The stall warner howl shown on the out the ear recording (picture 8) and (picture 9) in earpiece recording using the Bose ANR. Probably inaudible with the engine running. Below right This graph shows the difference on the Bose headset between the ANR being on, and then it being switched off.
Picture 9
Picture 10
much quieter. Because of the logarithmic scale, twice the sound energy is 3dB, 10 times is 10dB, and 100 times 20dB, whereas half the energy is -3dB etc. But sound energy and how loud something sounds are not linearly related. In the real world, a doubling of sound energy (3dB) is not discernable to the human ear – 10dB sounds about twice as loud and 20dB four times as loud. For example, in the case of noise cancelling, the engine noise in the Sony headset measured at 30dB will sound about half as loud as that in the DC (20dB). Don’t get too hung up on small differences in dBs because you won’t hear them. For example, you wouldn’t hear the noise difference between the Sony and Bose. However, because the dB is simply a ratio, it does lend itself to making quite accurate technical comparisons as long as we use the same tools and scales for all comparative tests. Note 2 TSO (Technical Standard Order) C 139 is a FAA or EASA (ETSO) specification for audio systems in aircraft. From a customer’s point of view, it is useless as it doesn’t tell us what a ‘compliant’ gadget has to do. Instead it just refers to another (US) technical specification (RCTA DO 214). RCTA documents are normally electrical and mechanical parameters and may or may not specify what a headset must achieve acoustically. To find that out, you have to pay $150 or so to see the document (a PDF download). In my bitter experience with RCTA DO specs, what you may find is a reference to yet another specification ($150 more) and so on, or that what you want to know isn’t specified at all. Customers should not have to do that to find out what the device they purchased does. Industry, be compliant with the TSO by all means but please specify what your devices do. Don’t hide behind obscure specifications. ■
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Headset review
Listen up…
I
Ian Fraser reviews the SEHT SM1 and SH40-60 headsets
f you have just read the Cockpit Audio (Part III) article on the previous pages, you may well have been somewhat bemused about the fact that one of the headsets I tested was a Sony. But, I can hear you say, Sony aren’t into aviation headsets, are they? Well not directly, but SEHT, a small UK company that manufactures a range of aviation headsets, recently sent me a couple of their products to review. Included in the samples was a device they call their SM1 Microphone System for HiFi headphones, which retails at £240. The SM1 comprises a flexible boom microphone and all the electrical interfaces to connect a domestic headphone to a GA aircraft. The boom fixes onto the headset with either a tie wrap, sticky pad or both, and a jack lead plugs directly into the GA headphone sockets on your aircraft. It takes only a couple of minutes to install. Depending on the headphones you choose, the assembly behaves just like a normal aviation headset. This gadget really opens a Pandora’s box for the aviation headset industry because I looked at several HiFi active noise reduction (ANR) headphones and found that the best technology out there is roughly the same, and can be as good as, a top aviation ANR set – for less than half the price. The headphone I used to test the SM1 device was a Sony WH 1000 XM2, listed at £300 and considered a top scorer in their normal domestic market. With the SM1 they form a neat, light, compact and tidy package. In my tests they matched the audio performance of a Bose A20 for a combined price of just £550. Need I say more? Interestingly, the XM2’s successor, the XM3, is
advertised at under £250 bringing the potential price of a top-of-the-range aviation headset to under £500. It’s been a long time coming but this neat SEHT product opens the door to headphone competition from a much more commercial, competitive and technologically advanced market. Well done SEHT.
Noise reduction
Below SEHT’s SH40-60 mid-priced ANR headset is a good choice if you want to maintain a comfortable degree of engine and warning noises in the cockpit. Inset left Beth tries the SM1/Sony WH 1000 XM2 combination on for comfort and performance.
The other headset they let me test was their SH40-60, a mid-market active noise reduction headset for just under £500. It is light and comfortable, with very low headphone grip pressure and its measured noise reduction was adequate, slightly less than my Lightspeed Zulu 2. It is biased to the low frequency range, so was very good at enhancing speech clarity. However, it required more volume input than some others to achieve that. In last month’s Cockpit Audio article, I suggested that individual volume controls on intercoms are beneficial, and this is an example of why. Subjectively, it was fine to fly with, although its microphone seemed noisier than my regular Lightspeed (as was the SM1). One of the key points I made in my overview of headsets is that too much noise reduction for the pilot can lead to failure to spot problems until too late. This headset is a good contender for that pilot seat compromise but, for the quietest passenger experience, I would spend the same money on the SM1 microphone boom and Sony HiFi headphones. ■
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Project News
Projects which inspire others to build their own aircraft Compiled by Mike Slaughter
Project News T hus far, or at least to mid-January anyway, the weather has been very mild and most conducive to project tasks in the workshop. However, in the UK at this time of year, mild equals wet and I know many newly finished projects have suffered from waterlogging delaying those early test flights. I am very fortunate to have a generous double garage to go and fettle in, but recently I realised it is not the space it once was. Decades of domestic storage, one aeroplane too many, not to mention a growing collection of tools and materials, have turned it into the inverse of the Tardis. Over time, the art of keeping the place tidy has improved to a point where although it has multiplied, the ‘stuff’ is condensed into the same volume. Now though, a task cannot be commenced without moving ‘stuff’ from A to B and perhaps subsequently from B to C. Stuff has to go and I need to see the brick walls again. Less would definitely be more – space! Clearly, I should consider myself lucky and just get on and de-clutter, Graeme Bird has managed to complete and spray his project in a space less than seven feet wide. Originally begun in
1995, it's another Europa project that has come out of the shadows and rapidly progressed to flying stage – progress can be rapid when you have built one before. You can read his story below. It’s a common dream to one day build and fly one’s own aircraft, often the catalyst being the construction of balsa flying models when younger. David Lawry initially satisfied that itch assembling a Jabiru nearly 20 years ago, but considering that to be a full-size Airfix model, he has now gone on to plans build a lovely little Luciole, almost now satisfying the building itch. Andrew Beggin not only needed to satisfy that building urge, he also needs to get on and complete the training for his licence to fly the very capable Sling 2 that he has now finished. I think he is finding his PA-28 training aircraft to be in a different league to the modern ‘starship’ he has created. To get in touch with Project News, and tell your story, report a milestone or just to send a picture, email: projectnews@laaarchive.org.uk. Please share your story!
G-PATS (PFA 247-12888) Europa By Graeme Bird
I
acquired the project, a Classic 80hp Monowheel, from the original owner in December 2018 and the Permit to Test was issued at the beginning of December 2019. Rather unfortunately, the original local owner was unable to continue the build due to illness, but I was able to finish the aircraft with his continued involvement, mostly in the form of visits coinciding with inspections. However, there were challenges charting specifics of the project’s history due to elapsed time and his condition. The flying surfaces were all constructed but still required finishing and preparation for painting. The fuselage had been joined but some remedial work was required internally, rather fiddly with the two halves already mated! It also needed to be fully prepared for painting. So, the tasks were to bring her up to mod standard, finish filling and sanding, paint, interior, cowlings, doors and glazing.
Then on to the firewall forward, fuel system, wiring, dash and instrumentation. At the beginning of my involvement, no single phase of the build had been completely finished. One overriding focus was to bring the project back to the build book, with the addition of numerous but only standard mods in order to smooth the paperwork burden and final LAA release to flight. The goal of the instrument fit has been simplicity and reliability with conventional engine dials, pitot and static instruments. A battery-backed Garmin G5 provides an EFIS and Attitude Indicator, a Garmin AERA 600 is the main GPS unit with an iPad for SkyDemon moving map and a traffic feed from PilotAware. An obsession on fuel state is shown by the inclusion of sight tube, tank gauge and differential flow computer. The interior is painted with Nextel suede paint and upholstery is simple shaped and covered Dynafoam seat and back cushions.
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Project News
Above The dash finished and installed into the aircraft. Photo: Graeme Bird Left A beautiful winged creature emerges from its cocoon workshop. Photo: Graeme Bird Below It can be seen here just how little space there was in the lean-to as Graeme’s wife Carol helps attach the registration. Photo: Graeme Bird
Possibly the most unusual aspect of this project has been the restricted workspace. My primary workshop has been a lean-to down the side of our house. It measures only 2.1m x 6.2m and doubles as a spray booth. A trailer on the drive was used for storage of parts that were not being worked on. The driveway also hosted several trial assemblies of the airframe and the odd engine run. The neighbours haven't minded the unusual outlook, but I have only just learned that one of their dogs did loudly object to the engine tests. This is my second Mono Europa project and I have flown 400 hours in my previous example, completed in 2011. I couldn’t keep both aircraft and have agreed the sale of Tango Sierra once the full permit has been issued, allowing the future owner to be involved in the checking, weighing, paperwork and flight-testing process. He should then have detailed knowledge of the aircraft and systems that he will be taking on. February 2020 | LIGHT AVIATION | 17
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Project News
G-LHAB (LAA 399-15401) Sling 2 By Leila and Andrew Beggin
I
t was going to be an RV-12, but then Tim Hardy’s article in the LA magazine made me think again. That boyhood dream of… one day I’m going to build my own aeroplane, was within reach but the choice had to be right, and there would be no second chances. It was not easy; the Sling 2’s aluminium construction, good range and fuel economy with the Rotax 912iS, as well as the aeroplane’s track record around the world, meant it ticked important boxes. Moreover, it looks pretty good too. My pilot brother, Keith, happened to be in Jo’burg, home of the manufacturers, at the right time. We contacted TAF (The Airplane Factory) and after a trial flight he gave the Sling the ‘thumbs up’. I made the order.
Leila: the builder’s wife: What a relief! In my view the Sling was, and still is, the best-looking aeroplane in its class. Call me shallow, but as a mere prospective passenger, that counts for a lot. While waiting for the first kit, I did some boring but essential prepping, which included installing nine LED strip lights in our double garage and adding insulation to the doors at each end. At 6.5m in length, the garage was able to accommodate the fuselage and engine once mounted, with a bit to spare for working/walking round. Multiple layers of clothing and an electric heater meant I could keep going in winter. The empennage was delivered in May 2016. The kit was carefully packaged in a wooden crate, the parts were well-labelled, and the instruction manual was clear, which was also the case for most of the kits that
Below Alpha Bravo ready and waiting for that first test flight. Photo: Andrew Beggin Top right Starboard wing under construction in the TAF special jigs, beefy looking main spar and location in front for the fuel tank. Photo: Andrew Beggin Below right Nice interior, the panel lights up for the first time. Photo: Andrew Beggin
followed. Most importantly of all, parts were matchdrilled precisely and the kit fitted together beautifully. For corrosion resistance I chose to use a Deoxidene wash followed by Alocrom treatment of all internal surfaces, and JC5A between all mating surfaces and on every rivet. Use of zinc chromate requires care and use of the correct PPE but has helped in achieving a relatively good empty weight. Only time will tell in relation to corrosion resistance. There is perhaps room for an LAA course on corrosion protection but the LAA courses I attended on working with aluminium, Rotax engines, and electrical systems all proved extremely valuable during the build. Feeling pretty sure that eventually I would end up with an aeroplane to be proud of kept me going, as inevitably there were setbacks, some of which took up considerable time and effort to resolve. One such was the delivery of the wrong engine mount, something that only became obvious once the engine itself was mounted and the cowling refused to fit.
Leila: There were definitely difficult times. Luckily, I’d
been one of the novice builders in the 7-Day Build of a Sling 4 at the LAA Rally in 2016. That experience helped me immensely in my role as ‘builder support’. I couldn’t offer practical advice but at least I could be a sensible sounding board. But in the end, it’s the builder who has to find the drive to persevere. The actual build turned out to be the easy part; around 15,500 rivets later you have your aircraft. The real challenges come with fitting the engine and the
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electronics. The Garmin glass panel was pre-wired by TAF but still came with a bewildering array of wires, each of which had to be found the right home. I am hoping that it can be cleared for night and IFR operation in due course. A key milestone was the first engine ground test in December 2018. G-LHAB, was tied to an apple tree in the garden and with barely a turn of its Airmaster constant speed prop, the engine started first time! Another milestone came in February 2019 when the excellent Paul Ponsonby moved her to London Oxford Airport (Kidlington). By the end of the day four of us (Leila, my wife, Keith and my other brother, Graham) had put both wings on – G-LHAB looked the business. A number of weeks were spent getting everything ready for the final inspection. Some issues were then encountered in the application for the permit to test relating to the use of the Rotax 912 iS engine. It was the first Sling 2 in the UK with this engine, although a Sling 2 used for training in South Africa was the first aircraft to reach 2,000 hours on a 912 iS. Finally, on 5 October 2019, after some 1,500 man-hours, G-LHAB took her maiden flight in the capable hands of Tim and fulfilled that young boy’s dream. Thank you for all your invaluable help to Leila, my inspector Antonia Gigg, Keith, Tim and the engineering team at the LAA. Now, I just need to finish getting my licence!
G-CKTD (LAA 371-15021) Colomban MC-30 Luciole By David Lawry
T
his is a project that probably became inevitable in the 1950s when I discovered KeiI Kraft, and resumed 60 years later when I thought I needed a retirement project (which turned into a spare time project). At the turn of the 20th century, I put together a
Below On 30 December 2019 she was all finished and ready for test flying. Photo: David Lawry
Jabiru kit which I still fly and love. However, the sense of building was limited as it only felt like putting together a big Airfix kit, so I still needed to build an aeroplane. Then Brian Hope wrote a couple of articles about the Luciole in LA magazine and the fuse was lit. And
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Project News Richard Teverson exhibited his partly built Luciole at the Rally for a couple of years and fanned the flames. About 10 of us bought sets of plans (24 full-size sheets and four or five manuals in French) at the same time and we co-operated in buying and making parts and jigs etc. G-CKTD is the fifth example completed in the UK, with a couple of projects still being actively worked on. For those that don’t know it. The Luciole is a design by Frenchman Michel Colomban as a minimum aeroplane, in France it is a ULM (Ultra Léger Motorisé – a microlight), the goal being minimum power, maximum economy but a good performance, and built mainly from wood. With an empty weight of 100kg, and a max weight of 200kg, the Luciole will cruise at 100mph for as long as your backside can stand it, and all on less than five litres per hour. As for construction, I’m told that this design needs more attention to precision manufacture than most – I never expected to be planning up strips of wood and measuring them with a micrometer!
which is basically 10mm square spruce, is laminated to 10mm x 30mm in the forward section and is further reinforced with carbon fibre. There are three frames made from sheet aluminium bonded into the fuselage to take the wing and undercarriage loads. The engine is perhaps not of the type that first comes to mind when you think of aircraft. It is a Briggs and Stratton (no laughing now) Vee twin stationary engine, modified in simple terms to remove the governors and add a carburettor heat system. The power is about 26hp and the max rpm is 3,600. The engine installation is unusual and appears complex in order to give compliance and cope with the unusual (to us) vibration characteristics of the Vee twin – a phenomenon that causes Harley Davidson riders’ hands to tingle, making them fear they have developed Parkinson’s disease. The prop is custom designed for the aircraft, carbon fibre with ground adjustable blades. Instrumentation on this aircraft is to the design and is the minimum possible.
Carbon fibre top boom
Trial assembly
The wings (a separate one each side) are each built on a spar the depth of the wing and about 30mm thick, which features a substantial pultruded carbon fibre top boom and a slightly lighter one at the bottom, both being supported by spruce and beech caps and ply webs. The spars are extended inboard and overlap across the bottom of the fuselage, to which they are affixed by two pins, allowing the wings to de-rig very easily. The ribs are cut from 10mm closed cell PVC foam and, thank heavens, they are all the same. There is a trailing edge spar of 1.5mm ply with 9mm spruce booms, which supports the ailerons and the flaps, which occupy about 2/3 of the span. The whole of this structure is bonded into the wing skin of 1.2mm ply, pre-formed to fit around it. The fuselage is a pretty standard wooden construction, with a bit of added interest in that the two sides and the bottom have a combined convex and concave shape to them and have to be built on a specialty shaped table. In addition, the top longeron,
The biggest challenge for me, though not for everyone else, was the canopy which although it looks blown at first sight, is from a flat panel of PET with a moulded carbon fibre cap, all riveted and glued to a framework of curved aluminium tubes. Every time I went for a trial assembly, it went together in a slightly different way but, in the end, it was spit or bust and it seems to fit the aircraft OK. Now, after several years of pleasurable problem solving, therapeutic cutting, shaping and gluing, I’m left with a mild case of post-natal depression, even though I probably have the prospect of many hours of debugging to come. One of the pleasurable facets of the project has been the number of exceptionally impressive and talented people from a variety of backgrounds that I have met along the way. Many that I’m still in contact with, and all who share this common interest. They will not recognise this themselves, because they don’t think they are exceptionally impressive and talented. All I need now is the weather to fly off the test schedule!
New Projects If your aircraft has been featured in the New Projects list, please let Project News know of your progress at: projectnews@laa-archive.org.uk n Eurofox 912iS (LAA 376-15678) 18/12/2019
Mr D M Griffiths, Bryn Haul, ‘Dinas’, Pwllheli, Gwynedd, LL53 8UB n Sherwood Ranger-ST (LAA 237B-15675) 04/12/2019 Mr J Corrall, 4 Park Avenue, St Ives, Cambridgeshire, PE27 5JW n Zenair CH 750 (LAA 381-15677)
09/12/2019 Name and Address held by LAA Engineering n Mission M108 (LAA 370-15676) 06/12/2019 Name and Address held by LAA Engineering
Vivienne and Laurence Soutter, 2 Hyde Barton Churchill Way, Northam Bideford EX39 1NX and Karen Shern, 45 Felbridge Close, East Grinstead, RH19 2BN n G-TOPP Van’s RV-10 (LAA 339-15289) 02/12/2019 Mr Stephen Coles, Church Farm, Walton Road, Wavendon, Milton Keynes, MK17 8LY and Mr David Topp, Keyes Burrow, Lillingstone Lovell, Buckingham, MK18 5AY n G-AKPI Auster 5 (s/n 1088) 17/12/2019
Name and Address held by LAA Engineering n G-PATS Europa (PFA 247-12888) 02/12/2019 Name and Address held by LAA Engineering n G-RVFT Van’s RV-8 (s/n 82253) 03/12/2019 Name and Address held by LAA Engineering n G-SLNG Sling 4 (LAA 400-15477) 20/12/2019 Name and Address held by LAA Engineering
Cleared To Fly If your aircraft has featured recently in the magazine and has subsequently completed its maiden flight, Project News would like to hear from you at: projectnews@laa-archive.org.uk n G-CISF Quad City Challenger II (LAA 177-14783) 03/12/2019 Mr Simon Beddus, 35 Grove Lane, Ipswich, IP4 1NX n G-CLCM Mission M108 (LAA 370-15559) 17/12/2019
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Flying Adventure
Home and away… Martin Ferid stays a bit closer to home with a trip to the East of England, visiting Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire…
T
he earliest form of what is known as the English language was brought to these shores by the Anglo-Saxons and, in Old English, the month of February was known as ‘Kale-monath’ (cabbage month) or ‘Solmonath’ (mud month). It was, however, the Latin name ‘Februa’ that finally won through, so-called after the Roman ‘festival of purification’. Being that the month is always so cold, there are still some things to look forward to, although being honest not so much for the aviator. It can, of course, be used as an opportunity to accumulate those valuable Brownie points with a significant other. The month not only contains Valentine’s Day, for the romantically inclined it starts on 7 February with Rose Day and only culminates on the 14th after a different ‘day of love’ each day in between – Propose Day, Chocolate Day, Teddy Day, Promise Day, Hug Day and Kiss Day. At this time of year, when days are still short, runways are wet and the time needed to clean the aeroplane can almost be as long as the flight itself, it’s good to make productive use of the time. Many consider themselves a bit of a whizz with the spanners, so it may be a good time to get the toolbox out and deal with those jobs that go hand in hand with this avocation. Simple jobs like charging the battery, gapping plugs and a little grease
Main Wansford Bridge, as featured in a 17th century poem by Richard Braithwaite, and built from 1577.
here and there are routinely taken care of, but if more involved jobs that need doing get neglected, they can eat into that all too valuable flying-time. As I actively seek out less prosaic and the more interesting places, discovering Stamford is no great surprise, although I have to admit, that it came about due to a set of circumstances and not by any great design. With the winter weather showing no sign of abating, the idea was to drive somewhere for a couple of days, within a three-hour radius. With laptop in hand, Sian was making suggestions whilst I attempted to watch John Wayne taking on the bad guys. There he was on the back of a horse, a gun in each hand, with reins in his teeth while Sian continued the conversation. Her complaint was that I wasn’t listening as she talked, although in my defence I’d put forward the argument that she kept talking when she knew I wasn’t listening. The net result was that she’d booked what she called a ‘superb’ offer in Cambridgeshire in a village called Wansford. As the date drew closer, more out of habit than anything else, a look at the synoptic charts showed a period of high pressure on the horizon, which prompted a check to see if there was an airfield nearby for tea and a chat. To my surprise, Peterborough-Sibson was less than a five-minute car ride away.
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Flying Adventure
“The whole of Eastern England was subject to raids from Viking raiders and as far back as 793 AD”
The day before departure, the forecast good weather had arrived and in an almost knee-jerk reaction, I called Sibson to check their status after all the wet weather. They were a bit soggy, had parachuting in progress, but were operational and suggested a look at their website, as there are no ‘overhead’ or ‘dead side’ joins. (www. peterboroughflyingschool.com/visiting). The questions I wasn’t quite prepared for were, what was the aircraft registration and how many people were on board? Not having exactly rung up for PPR, it seemed that I now had it and was booked in for the following day. There then followed a delicate discussion while I attempted to concinnate the revised plans with Sian, and after some modification to the packing arrangements we were all set to go by aeroplane!
Clear, cold winter sky
The Jodel literally leapt into the clear, cold winter sky on one of those crisp, calm, wintery days that had us touching down on Sibson’s Runway 24 a little over an hour later. Airborne excursions for a couple of days away are usually restricted to the summer months, although I did harbour secret concerns that the weather may not hold for our return. The walk from the airfield takes about 45 minutes, although when it’s not so wet if you ask ATC nicely, they
Above The rear courtyard of the Haycock Hotel at Wansford, a former post house on the Great North Road that dates back to 1632, with al fresco dining in the summer no doubt.
may let you cross the runway to cut across the fields. Our accommodation for the weekend was The Haycock Hotel, and was not what I was expecting, as generally speaking when we fly we tend to book ‘cheap and cheerful’. Located adjacent to the Great North Road, it started life as The Swan Inn, a post house, in 1632 and is said to be haunted. Mary Queen of Scots and her entourage are reputed to have been guests on her way to imprisonment at Fotheringhay Castle and her eventual execution. Our room overlooked the courtyard, where you could almost sense the frenetic activity that took place as carriages arrived, horses were changed, refreshments had, and passengers prepared for the onward journey. Those with a passion for literature and the English language will no doubt know of the poet and writer Richard Brathwaite (1588-1673) a Royalist Officer during the English Civil War, whose books The English Gentleman and The English Gentlewoman were definitive guides of etiquette for the times. Interestingly, especially for the techies, is that he is also the first person accredited to have used the word ‘computer’, in his 1613 book, The Yong Man’s Gleanings. The hostelry’s name change was due to Brathwaite’s writings under his pseudonym Corymbaeus used in writing Barnabæ Itinerarium (Barnabee’s Journal), a February 2020 | LIGHT AVIATION | 23
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series of rhyming verse, written in Latin much like limericks. On a haycock sleeping soundly, Th’river rose and tooke me roundly; Downe the currente, people cryed, Sleeping, down the streame I hyed, ’Where away,‘ quoth they, ’from Greenland?‘ ’No, from Wansford Brigs in England.‘
Below A typical Stamford street. The town is considered the most complete of the Georgian period in the UK.
It tells the story of Barnaby who, in escaping the plague, has a bit too much to drink and falls asleep on a bale of hay (haycock). As the river floods, the hay bale floats away only to get stuck on the bridge at Wansford. On waking-up, a little worse for wear and unsure of his position, ‘what land be I in’, asks he. To which the response was Wansford, Wansford in England. The sobriquet stuck and the village has since been known as Wansford in England, similar to the way Hove in East Sussex is referred to as ‘Hove Actually’.
The quaint stone-built village is small, pretty and straddles the River Nene. Food-wise, apart from Orchards the hotel restaurant, there are a couple of pubs and an upmarket café. The Paper Mills (www.paper-mills.com), The Cross Keys (01780 782266) and The Wansford Country Lounge (www.countryloungewansfordcafebar.co.uk). There are reasons enough just to stay in and around the village for a little R&R, but being perfectly honest, that has never been my strong suit. The obvious choice for a bit of a mooch around would have been Peterborough, with its Cathedral, steam railway and museum, but I generally prefer less oppidan places, with some history and a little charm. On asking around, the hotel staff unanimously suggested, Stamford on the 205-bus route that runs from Peterborough, stopping at Wansford and taking about 30 minutes. Stamford sits on the River Welland, with a population of around 20,000, and was once a walled town, although little of the fortifications remain today. The whole of
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Eastern England was subject to raids from Viking raiders and as far back as 793 AD, Alcuin of York wrote of his concerns to Ethelred, King of Northumbria and Higbald, the bishop of Lindisfarne in anticipation of impending invasion and the inevitable spread further south. In 894 AD, West Saxon Ealdorman Aethelnoth invaded the town, but despite the anti-immigration policy of the time, the Danes continued to rule and many of the locals are likely descendants of the aggressors. The Great Northern Railway connecting London and York was originally planned to route through the town but, as often happens, head honcho the third Marquess of Exeter didn’t like the idea and used his influence for Peterborough to be chosen instead. Subsequently, Stamford has remained a pretty place, with a charming Historic Town Centre boasting five medieval churches, lots of old timber-framed houses and an abundance of 17th and 18th century stone buildings. Several period TV dramas have been filmed on its streets as the entire place lends itself to a film set. Once in the centre, your first port of call should be the Tourist Office, located at the Stamford Arts Centre, 27 St Mary’s St, 01780 763203. There you’ll be given a map of the town as an aid to discover a little about Stamford’s history and highlights. As the name of the Centre suggests, there’s heaps of info regarding up and coming events, concerts and things of interest throughout the year. (www.stamfordartscentre.com).
Two markets
Friday is Stamford’s market day and in fact, every other week there are two markets. The weekly traditional one is on Broad and Ironmonger Streets, with a farmers’ market on the High Street every second week. Walking around you soon get the idea as to why Stamford is regarded as the prettiest stone-built town in England, the place is small enough to wander in any direction and end up back where you started from. There’s an abundance of rather expensive boutique shops, restricting our souvenir shopping to the charity shops and whichever direction you go in you’ll come across one of the umpteen churches dotted around the town. Ducking and diving through St Mary’s Passage or Goldsmiths Lane, the tiny ancient passageways add considerably to the historic feel and by the time you reach the river, you’ll feel like a local. The Albert Bridge that crosses the River Welland is a relatively new addition, having been built in 1881 to replace the one washed away by floods a year previously. About a 30-minute walk out of town in a southeasterly direction is Burghley House and Deer Park. A seriously imposing building, the house and gardens are still owned by descendants of the same family. To get the picture, think big, think Downton Abbey. The Tudor mansion was designed and built by Sir William Cecil, Queen Elizabeth’s Lord High Treasurer and chief spymaster in the 16th century. The gardens we see today were a later development, designed in the 18th
Top Majestic Burghley House, home of the horse trials of the same name, has been in the same family for generations and features gardens by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. Above Peterborough-Sibson is within easy striking distance of both Wansford and Stamford.
“You soon get the idea
as to why Stamford is regarded as the prettiest stone-built town in England” century by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, parts of which get closed off for the annual Burghley Horse Trials. (www.burghley.co.uk). Going further in the same direction, a weekday bus service 201/202 runs to the Barnack Hills and Holes National Nature Reserve, 20 minutes away. Originally the site of rubble from a mediaeval quarry, it has become an important area for wildlife, littered with butterflies and around 300 kinds of wild plants. (https:// langdyke.org.uk). Tolethorpe Hall is about a 50-minute walk to the North, or a little over five minutes by car, and is home to the Stamford Shakespeare Company, it’s a wonderful setting for the open-air theatre, with some superb productions. (https://stamfordshakespeare.co.uk). Years ago, the Browne family were powerful and influential in the area and lived at Tolethorpe Hall. As you meander the streets of Stamford, you’ll notice the mention of them here and there throughout the town. In 1485 William Browne founded Browne’s Hospital as a February 2020 | LIGHT AVIATION | 25
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house of prayer and home for two poor women and 10 poor men. Amazingly the alms-house is still in existence today, the statutes of which require attendance at chapel twice daily to pray for the original founder. (www. stamfordcivicsociety.org.uk). As far as places to stay, the centre is not going to be cheap and the best choice is likely to be an Airbnb, unless you’re prepared to pay upwards of £150 per night. (www.airbnb.co.uk/s/Stamford).
Sensible option
Although nothing about the trip was pre-planned, I found staying out of town and visiting the more sensible option, as the supply and demand conundrum seemed to push prices up to an unacceptable level, even out of season. For something comestible, there are lots of reasonably priced cafés, pizza outlets and American diners, which are the more usual haunts of most aviators, although I found the local pubs had a far nicer atmosphere for a comparable cost. If you’re feeling flush and want a proper restaurant, two of the nicer ones are: Zada Turkish Restaurant, 13 St. Marys Hill (01780 766848) www.zadarestaurant.co.uk and the George Hotel of Stamford, 71 St Martins (01780 750750) www. georgehotelofstamford.com. The George has two restaurants: The Garden Room is very pleasant with outside seating and comes into its own in the summer, where you can watch the world go by. But it’s the Oak Room that is better value, with a three-course lunch costing £32, except on Sundays. If you’re prepared to spend that much and you can get there, a 30-minute drive to the west is Hambleton Hall with food prepared by its Michelin-starred chef,
Below The river Welland is navigable from Stamford to the east and provides lovely riverside walks.
Aaron Patterson. The views overlooking Rutland Water make a lovely setting, with a three-course lunch menu for £40. (01572 756 991) (www.hambletonhall.com). Alternatively, you could fly to the strip at Shacklewell (N52°39.15 W000°34.250), where 13 aircraft are based, making Hambleton Hall or Stamford a 15-minute taxi ride away. Give Richard a call for PPR, 07801 585480. Now whether it’s as a simple lunch trip or a weekend away, both Wansford and Stamford are worthy contenders, but I doubt very much that they feature much on the ‘usual suspects’ list for most aviators. Unfortunately, the bus from Wansford to Stamford only runs Monday-Friday, although if there are a few of you a taxi works, and would have you from the airfield into Stamford itself in a little over 15 minutes. As for the journey home, there was a bit of a breeze, but Sibson does have a cross runway but the promised clear skies didn’t materialise. The return proved to be the exact opposite of the outbound leg, with low cloud and turbulent conditions, although we did manage to get home. Our afternoon departure was probably a little too relaxed and leisurely and had we been 10 minutes later we would have needed an en route diversion as we managed to land at the strip just before the arrival of a front and had pouring rain by the time we got the Jodel into the hangar, which I guess is classed as a result – just! Over the next few days, conditions proved why the original Old English name of ‘Solmonath’ for February made such good sense. ■ Next month we start venturing across water again and go to Waterford (EIWF) in the Republic of Ireland.
Get touring with the author! Martin Ferid is a Class Rating Instructor and Revalidation Examiner and specialises in helping qualified pilots expand their horizons into Europe, by flying with them in their aircraft both as day trips or a few days at a time. A browse through the ‘favourite destinations’ should help with a little inspiration, as it provides a selection of places we’ve visited, giving a snapshot of what to expect, cruising at a relatively sedate 90kt. The ‘touring’ pages contain a useful amount of info with regards to formalities, radio procedures, flight plans etc. Or for a little amusement on rainy days try the ‘bit of fun’. Email: lightaircrafttraining@yahoo.com Tel: 07598 880 178 www.lightaircrafttraining.co.uk
26 | LIGHT AVIATION | February 2020
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Coaching Corner
Coaching Corner…
T
hose of you who attended my CAA Safety Evenings years ago, should remember my main concern was loss of control. Yes, airspace infringements are a major problem for GA pilots, but generally the danger is to other people. If pilots lose control the consequences can be, and often are, fatal, and while pilots can lose control at high speed (that red line only gives you a 10% margin below the speed at which airframe damage is likely to occur), the fatal accidents seem generally to occur at the low speed end of the flight envelope – the stall/spin. I can see no reason why a fit and qualified pilot in current practice, in a serviceable aircraft, should lose control of his or her machine in fair weather, because the training system teaches us all to avoid situations when we might do so. Nevertheless, statistics show that ‘loss of control’ has been the most common type of GA fatal accident for many years, and the numbers show no sign of reducing. Perhaps it’s because a lot of flying takes place when the pilot, aircraft or weather do not fit the criteria I described – and I’m not discouraging flying in less than perfect conditions, this is the UK after all! Every time I have lost control (you didn’t think experienced pilots ever did that?) at least one of these criteria has been missing. I shall consider losing visual references another time, but unusual handling characteristics resulting from poor design, incorrect maintenance and unfamiliarity with the aircraft have caught me out more than once. I’ve got close, but I think I’ve managed to avoid actually losing control, on several other occasions, because I enjoy flying aircraft close to the edges of their flight envelope. However, as a believer in the need for ‘two out of three vital requirements’, I’ve always been able to recover either before or just after control was lost. Oh sorry – there are three vital requirements for pilots – altitude, airspeed and brains – and we’re only safe if we have at least two of them
David Cockburn, PCS Head of Training and member of the LAA Safety Committee, takes a close look at the loss of control… all the time. Exploring an aircraft’s handling at or close to the stall needs not only skill but height to recover if things go wrong.
Hazardous situation
Below A wellhandled wheeler landing at a gusty 2019 LAA Rally Photo: Nigel Hitchman
If the aircraft doesn’t stall, it won’t spin. I believe it’s the unusual situation which leads pilots to stall their aircraft, so we coaches have to help them to recognise and avoid such a hazardous situation developing, and in the worst case, to realise what has gone wrong and recover without losing an excessive amount of height. Many years ago, when I had limited experience in modern light GA aeroplanes, a pilot owner very kindly took me flying in his pride and joy. As I levelled off at 3000ft, I asked him ‘what is she like at the stall’ – and was horrified when he told me he’d never stalled his aeroplane! There are undoubtedly many others in the same situation, and I wonder if the training system may be at least partly to blame. I, and I suspect most of you, are aware of flying instructors who lack confidence in teaching stall recognition and recovery. You may have also heard the apocryphal tale of the accident pilot who said, “I can’t have stalled – I hadn’t done the HASELL checks.” In any case, as a flight examiner, I meet many pilots who seem to have been inadequately trained in stall recognition and recovery, and who are afraid of flying too slowly. They usually add extra speed on the approach, giving problems on landing but because they don’t normally fly at low speed, they haven’t any feel for when the aircraft is flying TOO slowly. We have to give these pilots confidence that they can fly the aircraft as it is designed, without fear, so we have to help them to recognise an approaching stall instantly, even when distracted in less than perfect flying conditions. PPL training takes place in certificated aircraft with totally predictable stall characteristics. Our pilots’ aeroplanes are unique, so even a well-trained PPL
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Coaching Corner graduate cannot be expected to avoid, or recover from, stalling their own machine unless they have experienced the individual symptoms in that particular aircraft, for which we must encourage them to seek our guidance. After construction, the test pilot will have checked that the stall characteristics are safe, so when we as coaches help the owner to explore the low speed end of the flight envelope, we can be confident that it will recover when we reduce the angle of attack (at a safe height!). I find it useful to carry out demonstrations before encouraging the owner to feel the symptoms themself.
Straight and level
The pilot needs to be able to recognise what the aircraft feels like when it is approaching the stall in all flight conditions, not just from straight and level. He or she should also be able to recognise the actual stall, and recover from it, in all flight conditions. A few years ago, EASA introduced the need for pilots under test to recognise and recover from an approaching stall in the short field take-off configuration. The first time I actually stalled a certified aeroplane with full power on, I recognised some of the crash videos I had shown – and I thought the aircraft was in a balanced climb! I mentioned the fear that some pilots have about stalling, and those videos were certainly frightening, so we as coaches have to be very careful how we approach this subject. Remember, the main aim is for the pilot to recognise and recover from the approaching stall in their own aircraft, and do that when it is close to the ground and
they are distracted by some problem which tenses them up so they can’t feel light buffet or hear a warning horn. We should concentrate on that first and work up progressively, only putting the aircraft in a frightening situation if and when we’re happy the pilot can cope with it – there’s always another day. Oh, and we need to remember the aim of the exercise and not get distracted like some flying instructors I know, who try to teach the pilot a set of safety checks before getting on to the essentials. You can do the checks (HASELL) in the air and debrief on the ground. The pilot needs to concentrate on the symptoms and the handling, not the checks. The Honourable Company of Air Pilots have produced a booklet called Teaching Stalling – A Guide for Instructors intended for newly qualified flying instructors teaching stalling to PPL students, but there are some useful points for all of us. It can be downloaded through www.airpilots. org/aviation matters/light instructors.
Coaches meeting: 8 February
You will have seen in the previous issue of the magazine that Chris Thompson has taken over as the new National Coach. We’d like to thank Will Greenwood, who fulfilled the role previously for all his hard work, and we’re delighted that he will be continuing to offer his extensive expertise as a coach into the future. Chris and I are hoping to meet as many coaches as possible at the Coaches Meeting at Turweston on 8 February. We’re aiming to start at 1030, with coffee from 1000, and hoping to finish at around 1530. ■
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www.lxavionics.co.uk Panel design, build and wiring service for your aircraft
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Ask us about LAA Members special prices
Call us on 01280 700020, or visit us at Turweston (next to the LAA) to discuss your requirements. info@lxavionics.co.uk www.lxavionics.co.uk
Our Address: LX Avionics Ltd, Hangar 10, Turweston Aerodrome, BRACKLEY, NN13 5YD
VAT: GB 793 1777 86 Company number 4417407 E & OE
February 2020 | LIGHT AVIATION | 29
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Flight Test
May the ’4 be with you…
Clive Davidson flies with Steve Robson in his beloved Van’s RV-4. After a great flight all Clive wants now is some nice spring weather – to fly more aeros… Pictures by Neil Wilson 30 | LIGHT AVIATION | February 2020
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P
erhaps it was in the Project News column of LA magazine, or maybe a report from Oshkosh, when I first became aware of the image of an RV-3… and it immediately grabbed my enthusiastic attention. I thought it looked just right, sleek and purposeful, its tailwheel configuration giving it an energetic, ready-to-go, nose-in-the-air stance. The bubble canopy, coupled with a well-cowled drag reducing frontal area, the pilot sitting centrally being able to be totally connected with the machine. The figures promised real performance, ‘total performance’ was the concept that designer Richard VanGrunsven was aiming for, not just straight-line speed, but good short field ability, rate of climb and precision of handling. And by the praise of those fortunate enough to have sat in the cockpit and taken a ’3 aloft, he had succeeded. But, not everybody wants to fly a single-seater, many wish to share their flying experiences and what became the development of the ’3, the tandem two-seat RV-4, was almost as fast, and had almost as good short field performance, whilst maintaining those lovely handling qualities. The RV-4 is now an established icon and according to Google, is the fourth most popular kit-built aircraft ever conceived with 1,400 produced up to its 40th anniversary last August, from way back in 1979.
The start of the legend
Turning the clock back, how did this all start? The ’1, the first model retrospectively categorised and termed an RV-1, wasn’t really such at all. The subject aircraft was a modified and improved version of a 1952 design, the plans-built SA-3A Stits Playboy. A steel tube and wooden wing aircraft, the wings were oddly strutted from the top of the fuselage sides down to the low wings. VanGrunsven replaced this arrangement with a new aluminium cantilever wing, which included flaps that gave the aircraft a reduced stalling speed of 50mph. It also gained drag reducing upward sloping Hoener wing tips, a field of view enhancing bubble canopy, a streamlined cowling, wheel pants, modified tail surfaces – and an increase from 65hp to 125hp as the C65 was replaced with a Lycoming O-290G. No doubt this, albeit quite extreme modification of an existing design, was the stepping stone to VanGrunsven’s all new RV-3 which, at the 1972 EAA Oshkosh Convention, was awarded the Best Aerodynamic Detailing award. It is still quite evident, nearly 50 years later, why the hugely impressive series of RV aircraft still bathes in so much enthusiastic support – performance sells.
Our subject aircraft
Our subject RV-4 carries an upper dark blue fuselage over a greyed silver paint scheme, and its contrasting red registration is succinctly the marque identity and its registration, G-RVIV. It is fitted with a fuel-injected 160hp Lycoming’s O-320-D3G and an Aymar Dymuth fixed pitch February 2020 | LIGHT AVIATION | 31
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prop. Aymar Demuth was a US maker of wood and composite props for homebuilts but ceased trading in 2012 following the death of founder Mike Demuth. The RV-4 is known to be able to cruise close to Vne, which is 209mph/182kt and this example also moves with great rapidity. At a climb speed of 103mph/90kt, the VSI will indicate 1,500ft per min at max all up weight.
Planning our sortie
Before considering strapping in and starting, a little thought has to be given to the regime in which we are intending to fly. Should we wish to tootle around the sky, or fly from A to B, then the standard max all up weight (1,500lb/680kg) can be used, so long as we are within the centre of gravity limits of 68.7-77.4in aft of the datum. However, should we wish to pull up to +6G, then our all up weight must be below 1,375lb (623.5kg). Very briefly, kitted and clothed and sitting in the rear seat, I weigh 11stone 11lb (165lb) and I will size Steve as a fit XXL for tee shirts at 12stone 2lb (77kg), leaving us with an aircraft and crew combined weight of 1,006lb plus our 335lb, making 1,341lb. That allowed us a fuel load of 34lb, and at 7.2lb an imperial gallon that is only 4.72 gallons – or to make it sound better, 21.4 litres. That seemed a bit tight, so our considered plan for this flight would be to start with 45 litres of fuel, sufficient for the stream departure following the photoship, and then flying beside them for the photoshoot for up to 40 minutes burning 20 litres at a reduced cruising speed. At this point of the game, we should be within the aeros weight category to enjoy ourselves further, looking at India Victor in a variety of attitudes and manoeuvres, but not too far from the airfield.
Compact and bijou
The design advantage of an efficient, lightweight tandem aircraft is not for all. Its configuration and dimensions may be overshadowed by the potentially larger sized pilots who may view the cockpit as rather restrictive, not allowing easy access or comfort when settled and strapped in. Ensuring one has clean shoes, from the left walkway, aided by it not having a steeply raked attitude and with the canopy swung to the right, entry is an easy matter of standing on the rear and supporting myself with the roll bar, lowering myself down as I slide my booted feet either side of the front seat. Stepping into the front cockpit, the roll bar is a good hand hold, but when lowering oneself down, grabbing the cockpit edges is a great help.
A Spartan rear
There are no instruments in the rear cockpit, all is cut to the bare minimum. There is a mount for a portable Garmin 196 on the rear of the front seat, but I thought I could see all of the panel by craning my head around Steve’s bonce. There is a stick, and its throw is not hindered or restricted by any items in either cockpit, and my rudder pedals are unusual in that they are rods that protrude
from the front footwell which have chunky, metal circular discs for the balls of the feet to ease against. I also had a left side, wall-mounted throttle, and my stick has a coolie hat electric trim switch, and electric flap switch – the settings for take-off and approach can be judged visually by their angle against the inboard edge of the ailerons beyond (the sole trim indicator is mounted on the front panel), but otherwise that is all I have to contend with. Ordinarily this is not a training machine and so items of operational necessity, such as fuel taps, radios etc are just not needed to be within reach for the rear seat ‘passenger’. Having said that, I did teach a fellow for his PPL in his own RV-4 quite some years ago, and he had to fit a rear throttle for me. It was an aesthetically and practical solution, having a polished and petite Edwardian brass door knob. I am 6ft 1in and have a slightly long back, measuring 36 1/4in from my seat to crown which has, unfortunately, precluded me from flying and closing the canopies of a Cri Cri (I have to admit I nearly cried) and a Monnet Moni (upon which I certainly moaned) – it would seem therefore that size matters… According to Van’s and Co., the rear seat has 39in from seat to canopy, which with a peaked ‘jeep’ cap and headset on I still had a flat-handed palm of head clearance – and I could still sidle from side to side to see very nearly ahead, as the rear cockpit is 25in wide, increasing to 28in beyond the roll bar as the fluted fuselage widens heading forward. This welcome expansion extends the front seat headroom to a comfortable 40in. There is a 7.3 cubic feet locker directly behind the rear seat, at the moment it is empty but can carry up to 50lb.
Fuel
Notable of the front cockpit controls are the internal roll trim springs on either side of the control column’s shaft. There is an adjuster to remove any fuel imbalance and Steve says it doesn’t need much counter movement to remove any potentially, but slightly annoying, roll bias. He tends to avoid any ‘real’ fuel imbalance that might produce this trait by changing tanks on a regular 15-minute cycle. The wing tanks have a combined capacity of 121 litres and the Andair rotary selector is centrally placed, on the floor just forward of the stick with the left and right circular content gauges just beyond. The electric fuel pump switch is mounted just below three horizontal ‘traffic light’ warning lights on the lower left side of the panel – green indicating pump on, red for fuel pump off and orange for flaps down. At an rpm setting of 2,300 and a cruise of 140kt/161mph, flow is expected within the region of 23 to 25 litres an hour. So, even over-egging the pudding by saying we’ll use a litre of avgas every two minutes, we have four hours to travel in as straight a navigated line as possible. In a calm and soothing sky, free from oppressive headwinds and seated on a comfortably firm cushion, and having avoided any coffee beforehand, it would give a range of 560 nautical, or 627.2 statute miles. Long legs indeed! Controlling the fuel is a throttle and mixture quadrant mounted on the left fuselage side. There is no carb heat as ’IV has a fuel-injected engine.
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Our camera ship today is Patrick Caruth’s Freelance (flight test December 2013) and if I remember he cruises at 105kt, which will give us plenty of performance for positioning ability and a reduced fuel burn as well.
Gyros, gauges and comms
There is but one gyroscopic driven instrument, the artificial horizon, and its tiny ‘sixpenny-sized’ suction gauge (which I bet few of us ever check) it’s sitting on its own, outside right. We have a neat mixture of steam, digital and warning lights in front of us on a smart light grey panel. Their functions are readily obvious once individually scanned but it is worth spending more than a glance as to where things sit. There is a mixture of representations for solo and associated group displays. I do like the circular RPM dial with an outward semi-circle of tiny green lights that light progressively further around the dial as the revs increase from 1,200 to 2,700rpm and to complement this representation inset there is a digital readout as well. To its right is a manifold pressure gauge, it’s needle correctly stuck at two o’clock showing us our high static ambient pressure of just over 30in. We have every engine parameter covered with back up warning lights. A Becker 8:33 radio and transponder are positioned low and left on panel and nav is taken care of by an iPad with Runway HD and a backup Airbox Clarity.
Ready for the off…
The throttle knob, spherical in shape, fits comfortably into the crook of the left palm. It was once black but it’s paint has all but been worn away with use, exposing its wooden form. It moves freely through its full arc and, set a tad more than quarter of an inch open, and mixture fully back and closed, master on, fuel pump on and we hear the tick, tick, tick of pressured fuel to prime. Clear all around, ‘Clear prop!’. Left mag on, engage the starter and as the Lycoming fires and the prop blurs, the mixture is slid forward and the right mag is brought into the game. Alternator on, and the oil pressure rises to 55-60psi. Having warmed up, the fuel flow has been established on one tank and Steve changes to the other as we taxi to the hold for the run up. Into wind at 1,800rpm, mag check complete, idle is a sweet ‘chunk atta chunk’ with no undue roughness. The standard mantra is addressed and, at ‘flaps set’ a switch marked RSE situated under the flap and pump ‘traffic’ lights , is switched to ‘On’ – RSE stands for rear stick enabled – thus allowing or otherwise the rear seat occupant to operate the coolie hat flap, trim and PTT. My view is manageable providing I sweep the nose, don’t rush and anticipate any swing, all tempered by the fact that I have no brakes.
Take-off and climb
Having lined up, throttle closed, I give her back to Steve for the take-off. We have 2,200rpm static accompanied by the open exhausts, that eager prop slicing the air; rolling, the tail
Previous page The Van’s has the speed to go long haul, the agility to stooge and play, and the strength to perform aerobatics – what else could you possibly want! Top She rolls around the sky with such ease Above The RV-4 is a very compact aircraft, easily manoeuvred by a single person but better with two in the confines of a hangar.
held down, keeping straight with right rudder and stick still in neutral, I am ghosting the stick and foot work. Directional control is helped by having all three points on the runway rather than forcing the tail up too early, but at around 150 metres the tailwheel is slowly edging itself up and easing the nose down, allowing us to see more ahead. Rudder and direction still have the centreline, the engine and prop are singing away with an eagerness to fly. At perhaps 250 metres we sit in a near perfect ‘fly herself off attitude’ and, with the ASI passing 65kt she is being held in ground-effect and the speed allowed to rise to 90kt as the climb attitude is selected and trimmed. This all took place in under perhaps 400m. Passing 300ft and flaps up, slight nose attitude adjustment and blip on the stick’s electric coolie hat trim, we ascend to look for our partners in crime orbiting the Freelance in the sunshine. They are somewhere to the south before the 1,200-foot mast on the hills at Bulbarrow and over the villages and hedged, green fields of the Blackmore Vale.
Control is all
As with all machines and especially aircraft, control is all. So, being able to anticipate a change rather than reacting to an event, implies the finesse of control. It was present here today and I wondered what this fellow up front had cut his teeth on? As you can read in this month’s Meet the Members column, Steve started out on gliders and went February 2020 | LIGHT AVIATION | 33
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Flight Test
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Flight Test
the Silver C route to powered flight, now sadly no longer possible. After a VP1 and a Condor, the RV came into Steve’s life. “How was your speed handling and check out on the RV?” I asked. “Ah well,” there was a slight pause and a head rocking chuckle, “double awesome burger with large fries! First take-off I was so awe struck, I was two miles out of the circuit passing 2,000ft before I remembered the flaps! But time in the cruise and a friendly back-seater taught me to anticipate the distance needed to slow down for a return to the circuit, and the white arc on the air speed for the 90kt flap limiting speed!” A good pair of eyes from the front seat spots the Freelance and the RV closes. Within perhaps half a mile Steve gives me control and I prepare to join the echelon left as arranged. The trick is to reduce the power promptly as the lead aircraft appears to ‘bloom’ (to suddenly grow rapidly in size). But we are ganging along with a 50kt speed differential… and, like all of her family, ’IV is particularly aerodynamically clean. Anticipation, coupled with caution, ensured our ‘steed’ is given reduced power early and we stabilise, rise into the lateral position and sidle in on a diagonal alignment. Steve confirms that all of the engine parameters are in the green and continues his scan for other aircraft. I can see too, Patrick concentrating and looking ahead, not being distracted by the aircraft tucked in tight under his wing. We danced hither and thither to Neil’s command as he got his shots, the RV doing all we asked of her with consummate ease.
Stalls and stability
Photos complete, we were free to beetle back to Henstridge and do some general handling en route. Unfortunately, it seemed like the weather in the west was worsening, and Steve had to refuel and get back home with a reasonable margin before a winter’s afternoon darkened. Very quickly, after assuring ourselves we were in balance and were trimmed out perfectly hands off, first with flaps up and then in the
Top left Flying along the South Coast, full tanks would get you well into mainland Europe. Below left The aircraft is flown from the front seat, and ‘IV has a nicely appointed cockpit and panel. It’s an ergonomic dream.. Below The right side-hinged canopy and shallow sloped wingwalk make climbing in or out a relatively simple task.
approach mode, I confirmed by releasing individual cross controls that she was stable laterally and directionally. We were of course still well within the C of G limits and the up down phugoids, those rising and falling hands off cycles, dissipated to assure us she was also stable in pitch. Clean stalls from straight and level exhibited no wing drop and are pre-warned both aerodynamically with a juddering elevator and stick, and a clearly audible buzzing warner prior to the start of sink and eventual stall at 52kt. Full flaps and no power showed a similar action at 48kt, but there was more waffle before we were let go, with a slight hint of instability and a right wing drop. Stalls from in balance climbing turns both left and right had her rolling progressively to wings level and, as she did so, all we had to do (as in ALL erect stalls) was to ease the stick forward to reattach the airflow for control response. When considering the speed range of the RV-4 from 48kt/55.2mph to a Vne of 182kt/207mph, there are few homebuilt or light general aviation machines for that matter, that have a 1: 3 airframe speed range. Quite remarkable. And very remarkable to achieve a cruise of 140kt/161mph at 2,400rpm burning 25 litres /5.5 imp’ gallons an hour and Steve has seen 175kt straight and level with both levers forward before reaching the engine red line speed of 2,700rpm. Lightly loaded, she’ll show 2,000ft a minute ascent!
Time to play
I started to clear the area for some aeros and then, after a brief discussion that perhaps we hadn’t burnt as much fuel as we anticipated and might only be on the edge of the aerobatic weight limit, we decided we had better stick to 4G. Entry speed for most aerobatic manoeuvres is 130-140kt. “I tell you what, let’s just do a couple of gentle rolls and fly together when the weather decides to change its
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Flight Test
Above Silhouetted against a setting sun and a cirrus cloudscape, this is just magical. Left The Van’s tailwheel looks quite rudimentary when compared with traditional units, but it certainly fulfils the job. Below The Van’s series are something of an enigma – they are ostensibly an unsophisticated design yet perform quite magnificently. A convincing argument for less is more.
mood.” So… a big, sweeping, balanced barrel roll, using pitch and roll at the seemingly correct rates with energy upwards to check, the inverted point confirming the roll rate was correct and continuing in low g to take us all the way around. Nice and smooth, what a lovely girl. Steve showed an aileron roll and she twirls beautifully. She will roll 360° from cruise, with just short of full deflection beneath the Vno of 156kt IAS/179.4mph at just over three seconds. Pushed slightly further but starting with a higher nose attitude and same speed, again to the favourable right, she will roll twice before wings level and a lower nose attitude. However, I did have to increase the rate of roll with pro rudder for the last 90°. I have no doubt that she would come around cleanly without being forced should we start with a higher speed and power. Simply delightful.
Back in the circuit
Breaking off, Steve joined on a short left base for 24 with a constant curve at 70kt/80.5mph and partial flap, becoming 65kt/74.75mph with full flap. The last over the hedge speed I saw was 60kt/ 69mph before he held to float, maintaining the nose attitude above the horizon with stick not quite fully back for us to squeak on with all three wheels together. Nicely done. Well, we still have an aeroplane and Steve managed to get home before anybody could be concerned by the early onset of any darkening clouds. I think Neil was more than happy with his end, Patrick too. So, although we ended up beating a retreat for an early home visit, but to finish on a bit of misquoted doggerel: ‘He who has flown and flies away, can fly again another day’. Cheers Steve, great machine. But I'd like you to arrange some good early spring weather so we can aerobat a bit more, please… ■
VAN’S RV4 Specs with O-360 180hp engine General characteristics
Performance
Length: 20ft 4in (6.20m) Wingspan: 23ft (7.0m) Height: 5ft 5in (1.65m) Wing area: 110sq ft (10m2) Empty weight: 903lb (410kg) minimum Gross weight: 1,500lb (680kg) Fuel capacity: 32 US gallons (120L; 27 imp gal) Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming O-320/O-360, 150-180hp Propeller: Two-bladed fixed pitch or constant speed propeller
Maximum speed: 212mph (341km/h, 184kn) Cruise speed: 200mph (320km/h, 170kn) 75% power at 8,000ft Stall speed: 54mph (87km/h, 47kn) Range: 590mi (950km, 510nm) Service ceiling: 23,000ft (7,000m) Rate of climb: 1,950ft/min (9.9m/s) Wing loading: 13.64lb/sq ft (66.6 kg/m2) Power/mass: 8.33lb/hp
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LAA Strut News
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aving, hopefully, recovered from the seasonal excesses, it’s time to look forward to a year of aviation. Doubtless Struts are now planning a diary of flying events in anticipation of a good year for aviators. This month we are looking at another of the LAA’s affiliated clubs, the Vintage Aircraft Club. The VAC is effectively the vintage wing of the LAA, and the beginnings of the club, 56 years ago, set the scene for a group of intrepid aviators who were intent on enjoying the eternal life of their machines. The group, involving Alan Chalkley, Rex Coates and Roy Mills, among others, had their humble beginnings at Hatch End, from where the remains of their deliberations are to be found on faded foolscap, type-written pages. However, it would appear little changes in our world and their ideas for attracting more members to the group and defining the aims of the club are the same as today! In those early days of 1964, it was decided that ‘vintage’, when it came to aircraft, meant pre-WWII. In practical terms that meant aircraft that exceeded the age of 35 years and excluded ‘modern’ types such as Tiger Moths! Now, with a lively club of nearly 350 members, we are regularly asked if a certain aircraft qualifies as suitable to grace our events. It’s not a question easily answered, but we would certainly say that any aircraft over the age of 50 is ‘getting on a bit’, so we would be happy to see it at our events! The 1970s and 1980s often found the club at weekend gatherings at Finmere Aerodrome, Oxfordshire, and fond memories are often shared of those days of barnstorming, picnics and camping. When Finmere was no longer available, the club based many events at Turweston as well as flying days to members’ strips and bases. We now live in a different world, and we are unable to be quite as free and easy with the regulations. However, we do organise regular fly-in events from Bodmin to Breighton, and accompany many with ground events so that the social side of the club continues despite inclement weather, which can sometime prevent flying. We have also been grateful to have LAA HQ accommodation for some of those days, including Halloween Spooky Stories, ‘I learnt about Flying from That’, Aviation Adventures, informal seminars, Aviation Art Fun for Grown-ups, Pure Nostalgia and, at White Waltham, an annual Aviation Poetry Evening in the depths of winter. Our Dinner and Awards Evening is enjoyed in the sumptuous surroundings of Shuttleworth House.
Struts 4U by Anne Hughes
Above de Havilland, Miles and Beagles at a VAC fly-in. The Club hosts and attends a number of events Below The 1913 Eastbourne Monoplane replica is an exciting new project to teach youngsters engineering skills
As a club, we receive many invitations throughout the year to bring our vintage aircraft to other venues.
Opportunity for the young
It is important to make certain that we offer young people an opportunity to make their way into the world of flying, and we are pleased to offer an annual scholarship, the Liz Inwood Taildragger Scholarship, to one young person under the age of 35 each year. Most recently the VAC has acquired a 1913 Eastbourne Monoplane, and Cornwall Aviation Heritage Trust’s Museum at Newquay has kindly agreed to host it for young people to try their hand at basic engineering skills, with particular reference to maintaining and rebuilding historic aircraft. With Pete White as project manager, we look forward to following this exciting project. The Vintage Aircraft Club has a wealth of talent among its members, a dedicated team steering the ‘ship’ and an enthusiasm for beautiful aircraft, from the delightful de Havilland Dragonfly to the humble Piper Cub, that we see at our fly-ins. Have a peep at our website and see for yourself! For details please visit: www.vintageaircraftclub.org.uk
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LAA Strut News
Strut and Club events February and March Andover Strut: Spitfire Club, Popham Airfield, SO21 3BD. 1930. Contact keith.picton@ntlworld.com 10 February – Touring accommodation and fuel, by Martin Ferid. Bristol Strut: Room 4, BAWA Club, Filton, 1930. Contact chairman@bristolstrut.uk www. bristolstrut.uk 4 February – GASCo 3 March – TBA. Cornwall Strut: The Clubhouse, Bodmin Airfield. Contact: Pete White pete@aeronca.co.uk 01752 406660 12 February – Pilot Maker. The Harvard Story by Martin Pengilly. 11 March – The last pilot to fly a Concorde by Les Brodie Devon Strut: The Exeter Court Hotel, Kennford, Exeter, 1930. Contact: david.millin@sea-sea.com 13 February – AGM and Strut Awards with LAA Chairman Tim Hardy. 12 March – Harvards by Martin Pengelly. East of Scotland Strut: Harrow Hotel, Dalkeith. 2000. Contact: inrgibson001@btinternet.com 0131 339 2351 3 February – Strut Meeting. 2 March – AGM. East Midlands Strut: The Plough, Normanton on Soar, LE12 5HB. 1930 for 2000. Contact: tonyrazzell2@gmail.com Monday 10 Feb – Ballooning and Aerial Photography by Robin Macey. Monday 9 March – TBA. Gloster Strut: The Victory Club, Cheltenham, GL50 5SY. 1930. Contact: harry.hopkins@talktalk.net 17 February – Building the Twister and flying it to Oshkosh by Andy McKee. Highlands & Islands: Highland Aviation, Inverness Airport. Contact:b.w.spence@btinternet.com 01381 620535 Kent Strut: Cobtree Manor Golf Club, Maidstone, Kent. 2000. Contact: gary.james.smith@btinternet.com 27 February – Frontier Engagement Team with Rachael Marshal. LiNSY Trent Valley Strut: Trent Valley Gliding Club, Contact: Kirton Lindsey. pilotbarry1951@gmail.com http://linsystrut.wixsite.com/website
North East Strut: Fishburn Airfield. Contact: alannixon297@btinternet.com Brunch third Sunday of each month. 1130-1330 at Fishburn Aviator Cafe. North Western Strut: Veterans Lounge, Barton, Manchester, 1930 for 2000. Contact: cliffmort@btinternet.com 07813 497427 11 February – AGM and video. 10 March – Practical electronics. North Wales Strut: Caernarfon Airport, Dinas Dinlle. HEMS Bistro Café 1300. 2nd February – War in the Air 1935-1940 PPR on 01407 720581; 1 March – TBA. Contact: Gareth Roberts gtrwales@gmail.com 07876 483414 Oxford Group: The Duke of Marlborough, Woodleys, Woodstock, Oxford, 2000. Contact: LAAOxford@gmail.comwww.oxfordlaa.co.uk 12 February – The Scottish Air Ambulance by Andrew Sayers. 11 March – Designing your own aircraft by Barry Plumb. Redhill Strut: The Dog and Duck, Outwood, Surrey, RH1 5QU. Third Tuesday of each month at 1930. Contact: david@milstead.me.uk Shobdon Strut: Shobdon Airfield, 1930. Contact: Keith Taylor bushebiggles@sky.com 13 February – The People’s Mosquito by David Smith. 12 March – TBC. Southern Strut: The Swiss Cottage, Shoreham-by-Sea, 2000. Normal meetings are on the first Wed of the month. Contact palmersfarm@sky.com Strathtay Strut: Scottish Aero Club, Perth Airport, Scone. Scone Clubhouse. Contact: keith.boardman@peopleserve.co.uk 07785 244146
Suffolk Coastal Strut: Crowfield Airfield Clubhouse 1930. Contact: Martyn Steggallsevents@suffolkcoastalstrut.orguk 07790 925142 26 February: Annual Strut meal and social evening. 1900 at Highwayman Inn. 18 March – The Restoration of the Beagle Pup Prototype G-AVDF by Anne Hughes. Sywell Strut: Aviator Hotel, Sywell Aerodrome 2000. Contact: TBA Third Wednesday of every month. Vale of York Strut: Contact: Chris Holliday 07860 787801cwaholliday@gmail.com 27 February Rufforth East Café. 1900 – Chocks Away, Flight Preparation; 26 March Real Aeroplane Club Breighton. 1900. Planning a Flight to Europe (in anticipation of a group trip to France in April). Wessex Strut: Henstridge. 1900 (Food) 2000 meeting. Contact: neil.wilson@laa.uk.com 17 February – Talk by Eric Verdon-Roe; 16 March – Strut Night. West Midlands Strut: Navigator Café, Halfpenny Green Aerodrome 1930. Contact: Graham Wiley westmidlandslaastrut@ googlegroups.com Stuart Darby stuartdarby134 @hotmail.com or visit wmstrut.co.uk 19 February – Tilstock SkyDiving Centre. Introduction to operations. West of Scotland Strut: Bowfield Country Club, Howwood, PA9 1DZ. 1900. Contact: nkg@barnbeth.demon.co.uk 1505 612493 Youth & Education Support (YES) Contact: Stewart Luck captainluck@hotmail.com Sat 7 March – 13th Annual Education Conference 1000-1630 Brooklands Museum, Brooklands Road, Weybridge, KT13 0SL. Registration details on www.yesflyers.org.uk Sat 4 April – 3rd Annual Education Conference 1000 to 1630. Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, Shifnal, Shropshire TF11 8UP. Registration details on www.yesflyers.org.uk Note: Some struts make a small charge towards costs for members but all are welcome to attend the gatherings. Check with the strut contacts above if you have any queries. Let me know of any calendar or contact details changes for your group asap (struts@laa.uk. com). Thanks to Strut co-ordinators and newsletter editors for the flow of info. ■
Left A display of ‘vintage’ Vintage Aircraft Club photos and newsletters. February 2020 | LIGHT AVIATION | 39
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EC Review
Taking stock of EC
Share the air. Sense all others, be seen by all others. So say the CAA’s slogans for the future of airspace in the UK. Ian Fraser reports
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theme common to many recent CAA publications (CAPs) concerning the future of airspace in the UK is ‘sense all and be seen by all’. It is about Electronic Conspicuity (EC), a system in which all aircraft automatically transmit their GPS derived position via radio beacons and we will all (including ATC) have a ‘radar’ display and warning device, using this data, to alert us to potential traffic conflicts. That couldn’t be clearer, and there is affordable technology available today that could do it. With this technology, the airspace modernisation programme planners can harness the data, confident that it has high integrity and will allow a reduction in the amount of controlled and restricted airspace. Commercial and GA traffic could share the air safely, and the UK would become a much more aviation-friendly place to be. Successful EC is absolutely fundamental to the CAA’s lower airspace modernisation strategy (CAP1734) and must happen. But will it? One of the key requirements for the CAA’s vision of EC is that all the devices must be (in their words) ‘interoperable’. To me, that means that there can only be ONE standard for all beacon transmissions and the same standard for all receivers. In various CAPs, the CAA say that they will start to
mandate EC for choke points by 2023, and several regional airports are already planning airspace change in response to their modernisation initiative. Is EC ready for that? No, it is not. Currently there are four incompatible conspicuity technologies in use in the UK – ATC Radar, Mode S ES (ADSB), FLARM and Pilot Aware (PA).
Incompatibility
Below The CAA CAPs and the SkyEcho 2.
Much has already been written on the problems of, and incompatibility between, these technologies, so I won’t repeat much of it here. It’s a bit like current politics where every standard has its champions who claim they are right and that everyone else is completely mad and wrong. In fact, each of the technologies has strengths and more seriously, weaknesses. This article was supposed to be an annual technology update on the EC world, but since my last one in February 2019, very little new technology has appeared. Nothing is happening because the market is waiting for the CAA’s decision on an affordable way ahead for EC technology. To date, the CAA and EASA have been very careful not to take any decisions. In most of their documents they carefully explain that they are not favouring any technology, but they do appear to prefer the traditional transponder band, 1090Mhz, and to continue to use
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EC Review Mode S ES (ADSB), so I shall focus on this. As well as being expensive and old technology, it’s single channel’s capacity to handle the level of radio activity EC could precipitate is in some doubt. CAA’s own preferred low-cost uncertified technology (defined in CAP1391) is also a 1090Mhz ADSB device and thus vulnerable to the same channel capacity problems. Unfortunately, it is severely limited in the ‘seen by all’ role too, due to its incompatibility with Radar interrogation systems, which means it will be invisible to most ATC radars and many aircraft equipped with TCAS. It is also banned from controlled airspace as it is uncertified (CAT 3) transmitting equipment (why I don’t know, because radio waves don’t honour airspace boundaries). One of the manufacturers of a CAP1391 device has already said it would be simple to make their device respond to interrogations, but until the CAA permit that, CAP1391 remains seriously flawed with respect to the ‘seen by all’ objective. FLARM and PA are not visible to any ADSB in device, so no certified aircraft or ATC can sense them. They are currently hamstrung by the radio frequency band they use (around 860Mhz), which is a European low power public radio band shared by many other users in both the UK and Europe. Their choice of band limits them to very low power (= low range) and is outside the authority of the CAA or EASA to either protect it or do anything about it. The CAA’s own Airspace Modernisation programme could resolve this when old technology such as DME is removed and replaced with GPS. This could free up many of the 126 channels available in the 1 GHz aviation band, which in turn could be allocated to FLARM or PA. This would render them serious contenders. It would be comparatively simple for the current devices to make this change and an option for the CAA or EASA as an alternative to Mode S ES ADSB. But only they, not PA or FLARM can make that decision. Of course, the CAA could just revert to the existing Mode S ES transponder devices, ignoring the risk of 1090MHz channel saturation and have its customers swallow the cost and inconvenience. But will that work? Actually, it has its own technical problems, too. I have been flying with an ADSB In /Out system from a well-known Avionics manufacturer for some time now.
Above The PilotAware Rosetta.
I have noticed that some ADSB transmissions that I know are there, and indeed are detected by various other receivers and ground-based systems, are conspicuous by their total absence from mine. Is it a SIL 0 setting or an antenna issue we asked? No, they say it’s not, the receiver is SIL 0 compatible. The manufacturer has spent some time investigating this anomaly, both in the aircraft and on the bench, but to no avail. They still can’t explain it, although their investigation has exposed several other problems, in particular with other manufacturer’s ADSB Out settings and interfaces. Despite its maturity, mode S ES ADSB is still a fragile technology and no more ready to support ‘sense all others’ than any of the alternatives. The CAA’s strategy is clear. ‘Sense all others’, not just some others, be seen by ‘all others’, not just a few others. This is in line with my original article that I wrote back in December 2017 and with the LAA’s policy on EC, that the immediate focus should be on developing compatibility and interoperability of existing, installed systems rather than the CAA mandating the carriage of any specific equipment type. Two years on I have little confidence that any of the technologies will get anywhere close to this aspiration, let alone meet the CAA’s ‘seen by all’ objective (which needs a quantised performance target too). For such a system to be of any use to their airspace modernisation visions, it must work effectively and reliably in all aircraft from airliners to drones. The trouble with EC is that nobody seems to know how well any of the available devices actually work together as a system. To realise their vision, I think the CAA must take a system wide view including receivers, displays and human factors as well as beacons, and produce a proper system specification that will ensure interoperability. Only then will industry stand a chance of giving us a solution we can trust and afford.
Available options
Left An ADSB In and OUT system.
There are several options available to the CAA, and indeed they have consulted the aviation world on the matter. The result of their consultation (CAP1837) seems to me to be inconclusive, so the community is not going to help them. It is up to the CAA to make a decision, not us. If they expect us to equip them with EC, they have to make that decision now to give us – and industry – time to implement their solutions and gain whatever approval is required by 2023. Before we depend on this equipment to keep us safe mixing it with other aircraft, we all need some confidence that the chosen technology will work. Meanwhile, I attended one of several airspace modernisation workshops run by local commercial airports (Bristol in my case). When I asked how they intended to incorporate EC into their strategy they replied ‘nothing to do with us, it’s up to the CAA’. Because of what I have said in this article, I understand their point, but how can the CAA possibly expect an organisation to plan airspace change without taking into consideration one of their fundamental principles of lower airspace modernisation – EC? Despite all the promises in the various documents, it still looks as if Mode S ES is going to be imposed on us whatever the utopian dream says. Watch this space, and please provide any feedback to the LAA forum. ■ February 2020 | LIGHT AVIATION | 41
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Bleriot XI
Remembering Edith…
In homage to aviator Edith Cook from Ipswich, Telford Thomson stepped up to the plate and offered to build a replica Bleriot – helped along the way by numerous generous people…
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blame it all on Edith. Who? You know, Edith Maud Cook, the first British woman to fly an aircraft (January 1910). It was a Bleriot XI, very similar to the one in which Louis Bleriot crossed the Channel in 1909, other than the shape of the rudder. Edith was born in Ipswich on the 1 September 1878 and was unfortunately killed only months after her Bleriot flights, following a parachute accident on the 14 July 1910. I am a member of the Suffolk Aviation Heritage Museum near Ipswich and having had a long time interest in Edith, we had previously arranged for a Blue Plaque to be placed on the house in Ipswich where she was born, and to have a headstone erected on her previously unmarked grave. So, one day, members were talking about how nice it would be if we could arrange to have an Edith Cook Memorial Hall at the museum, perhaps even a replica Bleriot XI. Research soon showed that the cost to have one built was far beyond our means, in the region of
Above Edith Cook First British woman to fly an aircraft.
£12,000. This is when I said that I would build one. In retrospect, this was perhaps somewhat rash as, at that time, I had no plans or technical drawings of a Bleriot, no experience in building one, no materials, nowhere to build it and no budget! What could possibly go wrong…?! I decided straight away that if I was going to the trouble of building the Bleriot, I may as well find a set of plans for a flyable aircraft and build it as if it were going to fly, even though it would be for static display only. Unfortunately, my flying days are behind me with 1,000-plus hours mostly on Tiger Moths, Austers and Luton Minors. That was in the ‘good old days’ when you did not need a radio to fly into airfields like Stansted or Brussels International, petrol was two shillings (10p) a gallon, and few airfields charged landing fees.
The search for materials and sponsors
Finding the plans turned out to be far more difficult than I had anticipated. They were available, but we would have
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Bleriot XI
“I had no plans or technical drawings of a Bleriot, no
experience in building one, no materials, nowhere to build it and no budget! What could possibly go wrong!” to pay for them, unfortunately at a cost beyond our means. Having tried various places in the UK without much success, I looked to the USA, but again without success. Not wishing to give up, I tried Europe and – bingo! I found the Spanish Air Museum. The Fundacion Aerea De La Comunuida Velenciana (FACV) had built a flyable Bleriot XI to the original drawings, and not only were they willing to let me have plans for the aircraft, they also provided a number of templates for various parts, in addition to a pair of main wheels – and all for free. I was also introduced to the gentleman who had built the aircraft, Señor Joan Bloomer, who also worked as an engineering volunteer at Duxford. His advice was invaluable throughout the build. Next step was, where do I get the wood? As it was non-flying, I did not have the restraints of finding approved wood, although I do not think either Louis Bleriot or Raymond Saulnier, who collaborated with Bleriot on his aircraft and went on to found Morane-Saulnier, had any concerns about wood approval. I decided to go for Douglas fir for the fuselage and main spars, and Birch plywood for the ribs. Douglas fir is nice and straight, easy to work and, importantly, has few knots. I struck lucky at the first joinery company I approached, Sunningdale Joinery (now 1st Stop Joinery) of Ipswich. Astonished at this request for a sizeable amount of wood to build an aircraft, the manager, Tony Wallis, said he would like to build it with me. I asked if I could make use of their premises to build the aircraft and he allowed it on Saturdays and in areas that did not interfere with Joinery’s work. And of course, the wood was also offered free of charge. I now had plans, wood and a place to build it. When you look at the Bleriot you will notice that it is held together by lots of U bolts and yards of 2mm stainless steel wire and turnbuckles. Where do you find wire and turnbuckles? A ship’s chandlery, maybe, but it
Above Telford Thomson at work on the Bleriot, having managed to gather a plethora of generous sponsors to support the building of the Bleriot.
would be very expensive. So, I tried a number of manufacturers and suppliers of marine rigging wire. James Arrowsmith, the CEO of the S3i Group of Harworth, turned out to be a fellow pilot and kindly agreed to donate the wire and the turnbuckles. And so the story of generous sponsors continues. Technology Suppliers Ltd of Shrewsbury kindly donated the 1,500mm x 4mm rods needed (16 of them) for 80-odd U bolts; Tracy Tools of Torquay freely offered advice and generously donated a number of engineering dies. And Gripfixings of Ipswich donated all of the nuts, bolts, washers that were required. We had decided on a high-quality 4mm Birch plywood for the tailplane and wing ribs and this time we had to buy four 8 x 4ft sheets at a cost of £97. However, Gliders and Racing Models Ltd of Newark kindly gave us a discount on the 1mm plywood for the leading edge of the wings, leaving us just £64 to pay. You will see from the photos that the undercarriage is of a quite simple design of steel tubes, bolted or welded together, which we thought that, with help, we could manage to make ourselves. That was before we discovered that if we wished to buy even a small piece of tube, of say 25cm in length, we had to buy three-metre lengths. I approached one company which said they could make the undercarriage, but it would take quite a time and cost hundreds of pounds. Then I remembered that a company in Ipswich called Ransomes Jacobsen Ltd, built aircraft in 1918. So I approached them to see if they would like to help in the build of another one, albeit 100 years later? The MD at the time, Alan Prickett, agreed they would build the undercarriage for us free of charge! We were now ready to build the 1910 version of the Bleriot XI as flown by Edith Maud Cook.
The construction
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Bleriot XI
“We had also drilled the U bolt holes in the longerons before
steaming and bending them on the jig – big mistake – when bent to fit the jig, two of the longerons snapped at the holes”
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Bleriot XI
built one will know that, unless you have ideal facilities and time on your hands, if you say six months that will usually equate to six years. We said one year, and it took just over 18 months, our main restraint being the time that was available to us at the workshop. Tony and I now had the plans and most of the materials, but where do you start? The plans were written in Spanish, German and English with metric and Imperial measurements. It was decided that we would start with the ribs for both the tailplane and the wings.
Tailplane, elevator and wing ribs
There are a total of 16 ribs in the tailplane and elevator, although fortunately they are all of the same size. Using a band saw, we cut out 16 blanks of 4mm ply and stacked them together in two bundles of eight. Then a number 3mm holes were drilled for dowels that would hold the blanks together for cutting, and also to line up with the positioning pins on the gluing jig. Then, using the template drawing, the outline of the rib was marked on the top rib blank and the band saw used to cut out the shape. Then 10 lightening holes of 30mm were drilled and 20mm x 35mm holes cut out for the two spars. A further 35mm hole was cut into the ribs to accommodate the tube for attachment of the elevators. The 24 wing ribs are also made of 4mm Birch ply in a similar manner, but due to their size they were made in three different sections. The wing ribs are in three sizes, 20 are 2,040mm in length and 850mm wide, and on four ribs (two each wingtip), the rear section is made to measure on the job.
Capstrips
Capstrips for both tailplane and wing ribs are 3mm x 20mm x 2,060mm and were placed in a steam box made from a plastic drainpipe and a wallpaper steam stripper. Pegs were placed across the width of the pipe for the strips to lay on to reduce the chance of them being contaminated from water in the pipe. A drain hole was placed in the rear end of the pipe and a steam vent on the top surface. The strips were steamed for one hour, removed and placed on a curved jig and left in place for 12 hours. Assembling the ribs was fairly straightforward, although care has to be taken not to snap the upper capstrip due to the sharp curve on the leading edge of the wing rib. I allowed a 15cm overlap at the leading edge, which was reduced when the capstrip was clamped in place (we needed a lot of clamps).
Wing spars
The 4125mm long wing spars were made from Douglas fir, the front spar is 19mm thick x 100mm wide with a 15˚ taper on the top and bottom edges of the spar to allow for the curvature in the wing rib. The rear spar is 16mm x 63mm with a five-degree taper. There are a further 14 (seven each wing) mini spars, 4125mm x 20 x 10mm threaded through the groves in the wing ribs.
Top left Wing ribs showing the dowel pins. Photo: FACV Bottom left Rear fuselage showing U bolt fittings, mortis holes and the fashioning on the crossmembers.
The fuselage
Building the fuselage was also straightforward. The only problem is its length, 8.5m. Using a bench saw we cut eight lengths of 3.5m x 35mm x 35mm from a plank of Douglas fir then, using a suitable thicknesser, we planed the longerons 30mm x 30mm in a matter of minutes. Next were the fuselage crossmembers, 40 in number 80mm x 30mm x 40cm, which would later have to be fashioned and cut to the exact size. Remember, there are no glue joints on the fuselage, thus the crossmembers have to be carefully cut to allow for the taper in the fuselage shape. Each one would then need a hole mortised at either end to accommodate the U bolts. As they all look the same, it is important to mark each piece with its position on the fuselage, and which way is up. We had a slight problem when we tried to marry the front fuselage to the rear, we found that the front section was four inches wider. What had happened was, due to our restricted use of space, we had fashioned the front and rear fuselage sections in different rooms and had misread the crossmember length – we took 2. 0 ³/8in for 20 ³/8in, when in fact it was two feet and ³/8 of an inch. We had also drilled the U bolt holes in the longerons before steaming and bending them on the jig – big mistake – when bent to fit the jig, two of the longerons snapped at the holes. Something else we discovered was not to pre-drill the holes for the mounting bolts between the longeron and the main undercarriage struts – the bed posts. First fit them into position, clamp them together and then drill through both structures. What is it they say about your second aircraft being built much more quickly than the first!
The bedposts
Fortunately, we had templates for this important structure, which is the mounting for both the main undercarriage and the engine. Using a bench saw, we cut four planks to slightly larger size than needed, then ran them through the thicknesser. Next, we placed the template over the planks and cut them to size, marking the positions for the mounting holes. The bedpost structure is fastened together by a number of 90˚ metal brackets. We were also lucky here as we had 1:1 scale drawings for each bracket.
Assembling the fuselage
The fuselage can be built in two sections with the longerons spliced and bolted together, or in one large structure with the longerons spliced and glued together. We were not going to fly the aircraft, so we went for a bolted splice. We found it was best to attach the vertical and lateral crossmembers to only one side of the fuselage and then, when all were in place, bring both sides together. You need a few spare hands for this. The U bolt arms needed to be made about 4cm longer than the finished size and were laced through the mortis on the strut and then through the holes in longeron. You can use the U bolts to tighten the rigging, instead of February l 2020 | LIGHT AVIATION | 45
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Bleriot XI Left The bed posts with the undercarriage tubes in place. Photo: FACV Below One of the wings makes good progress. They proved quite straightforward to construct. Bottom The tailplane structure. The elevators pivot off each end rather that off the back of the tailplane.
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Bleriot XI
turnbuckles, and then cut the U bolt arms to the correct length once the rigging wires are attached. We also discovered that before reducing the size of the U bolts you have to check, and check again (!) that the spars are in the correct position, not upside down etc. because you will find that you almost have to disassemble the whole fuselage to get one out if it is in wrong. Don’t ask! Now we come to the fun part – attaching the bedposts. Life is easier if you have the metal brackets for the attachment of the vertical and lateral crossmembers fitted in place, as well as both metal tubes for the undercarriage, which will be positioned between, and attached to, the lateral arms of the bedposts. If you do not have the tubes, you can still attach the bedposts, but you will have to turn the fuselage upside down – as the tubes only go through the bottom lateral strut.
dope and then stitched in place. It looks authentic. It is just too expensive to cover in aircraft fabric.
Attaching the wings
Attaching the bedposts and undercarriage
When it comes to attaching the bedposts, you will find out why you should not pre-drill the bolt holes. Holding the bedposts in position and then sliding the upper longerons over the top lateral spar and the bottom longerons on the inside of the vertical post, the bedposts are not at 90˚ but at a slight slope (we could not find a measurement for this on the drawings). This is due to the curvature of the longerons. So, once all clamped up, we drill the holes. All we had to do then was fit the floor of the cockpit and the crash protection around the edge of the cockpit, install the pilot’s seat and rudder bar and tighten the fuselage wires – and it was all done. If you had all the parts ready, three people could assemble the fuselage in a matter of a few hours.
The wings
Once all parts were cut to size, we experienced no problems in putting them together. We placed the main spars on a trestle high enough to allow for the curvature of the leading edge, this was placed on a table then the completed ribs were slid in place. With the ribs in position it is then possible to fit the mini struts as well as the trailing edge. Before gluing we then placed spacers between each rib to ensure everything was at 90˚ and the correct distance apart. Next, we positioned and glued the tension plates in position between the top and bottom mini spars. The trailing edge section on the wingtip ribs numbers 11 and 12 were then cut to size and the wingtip edging glued in place.
Below The Bleriot XI on display at the Suffolk Aviation Heritage Museum (Ipswich).
Four people were needed for this, one standing in the cockpit to attach the bracing wires (four each wing) to the metal ‘bird cage’ above the cockpit. Another guided the front spar into the wing mounts, which was resting on top of the fuselage, and two others took the weight of the wings. Another discovery was that if you stand back admiring your work with only one wing on, and nobody supporting it, the aircraft will tip over, undoing all your good work! With both wings fitted and the supporting rigging wires at the correct tension, we fitted the wing warping wires (two each wing) to the warping arm, which is fitted on a metal structure under the fuselage. Two further wires per wing are attached to the lower fitting on the bedposts. The Bleriot XI turned out to be simple aircraft to build, provided you have the correct woodworking tools and the engineering facility to make the undercarriage, and a large room with a door high enough to get the fuselage through – with the upper wing rigging mount in place it is 8ft in height. Tony and I were fortunate in that we had full-size templates and most of the plans were 1/1 scale – and the invaluable advice given by Señor Bloomer. We also had help from Colin Durrant, the chairman of the Museum, and Paddy and Tom from 1st Stop Joinery. Our thanks too to all our generous sponsors, without whom this project would not have been possible. The aircraft is now on display in the Suffolk Aviation Heritage Museum, Foxhall Road, Ipswich. ■
The tailplane and elevators and rudder
Building the tailplane and elevator was straightforward, they are just a mini version of the wing. We built ours with full width elevators at either end of the tailplane. The rudder too was uncomplicated. We drew the trailing edge outline on a sheet of 4mm ply and cut it to size, then attached the bracing struts, and metal fittings. We covered the rudder in a cotton bedsheet, applied the February 2020 | LIGHT AVIATION | 47
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STEM
STEM at Sheffield Aero Club Brian Hope introduces Colin Anthony, a STEM Ambassador, who explains how STEM can attract young people into a career in aviation
W
hat is STEM? In a pastime where engineering is a prime activity, I guess most members of the LAA will know that STEM is an educational initiative designed to encourage young people to take an interest in the fundamental subjects for a career in science and technology, STEM being the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. The initiative started as long ago as 2001 in the US and has been taken up by a number of other countries since, including the UK. Here the scheme is run STEM Learning Limited, in partnership with government, charitable trusts and employers, and they work with schools, colleges and industry across the UK. The reason for the initiative is because it was recognised that there was a dire shortage of young people going forward into careers in science and technology, and this would inevitably have a negative effect on UK industry in our ever-more technological world.
The STEM Learning website (www.stem.org.uk) explains the opportunities for industry and associations to get involved in inspiring youngsters in understanding the opportunities that aviation has to offer in the science, technology and engineering fields. I will hand over to Colin Anthony to explain how the Sheffield Aero Club at Netherthorpe ran a successful STEM event in October last year.
Colin Anthony:
Below The six youngsters from the David Nieper Academy who enjoyed a day at Sheffield Aero Club to learn about STEM and aviation. Seen with flying instructor Christine Carlin.
“The demand for STEM skills in the UK has reached a critical point, and we are calling on businesses to join our efforts to grow the future STEM workforce.” When I read that quote from Stem Learning, it hit a chime with me and I wondered how I could help out, as I had entered the world of aerospace as a 16-year-old engineering apprentice with Rolls-Royce in 1990. I think like much volunteering work, you have to make it work for you too, you need to get something out of it. I decided to take the plunge and become a STEM Ambassador. This was a straightforward process and was completed online; along with completing a Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check. This is also straightforward and done as part of the main application, if completed through STEM it is also free of charge, saving £40. STEM Ambassadorship is also free. Once you get the Ambassador’s ID card and DBS certificate, you can either start volunteering for STEM activities or creating your own. The events are published through the STEM website, where you register online, the activities range from going into schools to help with mock job interviews, or helping in STEM subjects, using practical activities or going to airshows to do interactive activities with visiting kids – and to answer your question, yes you do get free entry to the airshow as a STEM Ambassador! You can do your STEM activities as a team or as an individual. If you are working in a STEM sector, there is also a high probability that your boss will let you have the time off with full pay, it is up to five days per calendar year where I work. Once I was registered, I decided to review the online activities list, however, there was little to do with aircraft engineering or flying. There was some airport, RAF and museum involvement but was the sum of it. Although interesting, it was all based in the classroom, so I decided to plan and execute my own STEM activity day. I recently completed my first activity, delivered to six pupils of the
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STEM
“I was a little nervous
about getting in front and presenting to a load of 14 to 16 year olds but they were great and interacted really well” David Nieper Academy from Alfreton and using the facilities at Sheffield Aero Club at Netherthorpe, in association with Rolls-Royce. The activity was titled How does an aeroplane fly? – The Four Forces. I was mindful that dealing with young people you need to keep their attention and to pitch the presentation for their age group – I had chosen the 14 to 16 age group. The activity brings together science (physics), the four forces harnessed to enable flight; along with technology within the aircraft; and finally Engineering, how the aircraft is constructed and maintained.
Chuck gliders
I decided to go light on the projected Microsoft PPT slides, no death by ‘vu-foil’ as we used to call it, and instead use activities interactive with the presentation as a means of getting things across. Much use of chuck gliders, elastic bands for thrust and quicker lift, and a simple aerofoil made out of an A4 sheet A4 paper and a pencil (lift being created with a hairdryer). Thrust and propulsion were shown with a mass release of toy balloons – much fun was had with that! I then enabled the forces demonstrated in the classroom to be appreciated with an air experience flight, these were split into two flights of three pupils in a PA28 Cherokee. Following a pre-flight brief around the control surfaces, instructor Christine Carlin took the flights up and demonstrated how the four forces are controlled during flight; this was especially a hit when they flew over the academy during the lunch break! During planning for the activity, it was suggested that use of simulators could be made, so this was added into the day plan where Peter Ford configured a simulated Cherokee to complete an eight mile final, this was flown by each pupil, and of course was good fun with much competition between the two teams! This activity also reinforced what the pupils had
Above Mark Bonsall explains some of the technology in light aircraft and maintenance engineering. Right Models were used to explain thrust and aerodynamics.
experienced in the real flying with the Cherokee. A further extension of the day was a hangar tour where Colin Cave used his East Midlands Aero park tour guide skills to good effect. This included a visit to Dukeries Aviation where Mark Bonsall spent time talking about aircraft and engine construction, maintenance and repair with some live examples on show. At first, I was a little nervous about getting in front and presenting to a load of 14 to 16 year olds but they were great and interacted really well, all performed enthusiastically and, most importantly, they really enjoyed their day out. Unfortunately, Aviation is under-represented within STEM, especially our end of the spectrum. Wouldn’t it be great to roll this or a similar light aviation-based activity out to more schools, academies and youth groups around the country and have more STEM Ambassadors on board in the LAA? If you have experience or skills to offer, you should give some thought to the STEM Ambassadors role, if you would like to discuss further please let me know. Colin.anthony@rolls-royce.com • During the spring of 2020, and to complement the schools Four forces of flight course, Colin will be rolling out a further three new STEM courses for the Scout Association’s Stages 4 to 6 Air Activities Badges. ■ February 2020 | LIGHT AVIATION | 49
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Cockpit audio
Project Special
Learning curve… What is it really like to build an aeroplane kit? One person’s voyage of discovery. Words and Pictures by David Pilkington
P
eter walks over to inspect the rear fuselage section we have clecoed together – he takes a quick look and says “Yes, that’s right, rivet it.” In my head, and probably written all over my face, is the thought, “What me? Don’t you want to look at it in more detail or get someone who knows how to pull rivets to do it?” However, to start at the beginning, cast your mind back to the LAA Rally in 2016, where the Association was celebrating its 70th anniversary. As part of the celebration, and as they were looking to start importing their Sling 4 aircraft into the UK, The Airplane Factory from South Africa, with the help of launch customer Lucian D’Sa and great support from the LAA, had the idea to build a Sling 4 in seven days using a team of ten people! Volunteers were sourced through an article in Light Aviation and, when I saw this, the timing was just perfect. I was looking to build a kit, so what better way to gain some experience than as part of this project. And so it was that eight of us from the UK (of which only two had any previous experience of aircraft building) and four guys from TAF, started to get to know each other in a big tent at Sywell. This article is not about that build though, it is the process I went through in building my own Sling 4. But it is also not an article along the lines of ‘then I put the
Above Painted by GA Livery Ltd., India Victor is a very handsome looking aircraft. Right Typical exploded view from the manual.
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Project News Special
engine on’. No, my hope in writing these words is to inspire others to seriously look at kit building, to relay the feeling of doing this, how to make it work, and how not to get stuck. In short, to show how anyone can actually do it! So, why mention Peter’s words at the start? Because this one simple sentence taught me so much and started the journey that culminated in the second UK built Sling 4 being completed and test flown in July 2019. When you have agreed to be part of a project to build an aeroplane in seven days and one of the guys from TAF tells you to pull the rivets, what are you going to do? You are going to pick up the electric rivet gun and pull the trigger. Boom! Rivet set. After getting over the shock of what you have just done (joined two or more pieces of aluminium together) and have stood there for a minute wondering if someone is going to check it, then realising they are not even looking, you are going to pull the next one, and the next. With each rivet set, you start to feel more comfortable with what you are doing. Confidence, that is what this process is about. Yes, there is a technique but it’s simpler than getting the microwave going or cleaning your teeth, things we do every day almost without thinking. Trust me, after pulling around 17,000 rivets between us over seven days, it became just another routine task. And so to my second point, building an aeroplane is
Top Looks like a tailplane and compares favourably with the manual. Above Job done, the tailplane completely skinned.
a process of learning. The seven-day Sling 4 flew on the last day of the Rally. OK, that was day eight, but through those eight days, novices, in which I include myself, had learnt how to: ■ Study the drawings (nice 3D exploded views in the case of the Sling) ■ Identify the parts needed ■ Cleco them together ■ Pull the rivets ■ Carefully inspect your own work ■ Move on to the next page ■ Eat, sleep, build and repeat! Let us now consider some points that I think probably put potential builders off and how I approached and got over them. As I said, this is not a ‘how to build’ article, it is a ‘how to not get stuck or be put off’ article.
What to build
Be honest with yourself. What sort of flying are you going to do, what’s the main mission, and what sort of performance must your creation be capable of? OK, so here I am probably going to be a bit contentious. You may know someone who is building an aeroplane already and discover that they have been building it for something like seven years – instantly you are turned off the whole idea. But the next questions of your friend should be, what are they building, does this February 2020 | LIGHT AVIATION | 51
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type normally take that long, and what is the construction technique? I take my hat off and salute anyone who can spend so many years on a project. I know I cannot, I would get bored and lose interest. So, I chose not to build an aeroplane that is known to be a labour of love, with construction times typically of many years, or even decades. If I need a new cupboard in the house, I don’t learn joinery skills. No, I’d nip out and buy a flat-pack and have it together and in use within 30 minutes of returning home. There are the same types of choices with kit aircraft. You can start from plans and flat sheets of aluminium or wood, or you can have a kit with many different levels of preformed parts. Maybe it even has pre-drilled pilot holes that need final drilling and subsequently require a lot of deburring, or a kit with all skins and parts preformed to size and shape with match-drilled holes to final size that never need drilling again. Some aircraft use solid rivets, think pneumatic ‘hammer’ riviter on one side with metal block on the other, some use pulled or pop or Cherry, I know they are all slightly different, but it doesn’t matter for this discussion. Some will use flush or countersunk rivets, some use raised or roundhead rivets. They all work, some are definitely sexier than others, but some take significantly more work and skill to form, or to prepare the metal for – and some really need two people to set them quickly or neatly. So, what are you looking to do? I know I am bad at asking for help and hate relying on other people to give their time. I like working alone and having something to show for my efforts at the end of each evening’s work. That is me – you have to think about yourself. For many builders, it is the building that is of great interest and time taken is not the issue. Do you like working with composites, as in laying up with resin? There are several composite aircraft kits where the main assemblies are completely finished with a nice smooth gel coat from the factory, happy days. Or
do you want to have fabric covering to do? Is your preference for metal or wood? Is this your first build, if so, maybe something simple would be best. How long do you want it to take? The range of kits available to us is as much about the methods of building and what we are expected to do as it is about the actual performance of the finished aeroplane. To be blunt, the performance is irrelevant if it never gets finished! So, especially for a first build, be realistic and honest with yourself.
Where to build
Short answer – at home, unless your build space is within two minutes’ walking distance. Even if this means the car will not be in the garage until the aircraft is finished, modern cars don’t really mind getting wet, well except my wife’s which has a leaking boot lid. You might also consider putting a big wooden shed in the back garden. Realistically, it is likely your main build time will be in the evenings after work – what better than simply being able to walk a few metres and be in a different world. So ignore all that TV rubbish you don’t really want to watch anyway, and spend those two hours a night building your dream.
What not to do in your shed
Below The fuselage construction starts at the rear.
Let’s say you are going to start with the vertical stabiliser, the fin to you and me, that’s another point – don’t worry about all the fancy terms. I would look at the drawings and read the instructions. Now, straight away, I would get the pieces out, prepare them as necessary (deburr holes etc.), prime them if you are doing that and cleco them together when dry. Does it look right, does it look like the drawings? Yes, good, now pull that first rivet. Just do it. You must avoid thinking ‘I’ll pull that first rivet tomorrow night’ as what is likely to then happen is that you will stop early and the next time you return to your work piece, you’ll have to remember where you were up to. You will then spend the same time again checking the drawings and looking over the parts wondering and doubting yourself and maybe even talking yourself out of setting that first rivet for a second evening. Why? There are no rivet fairies who will come and take the responsibility from you. The same pieces will be waiting for you the next time, but human nature being what it is, you will start putting off going outside to do some building as the fear grows. What if, instead, you pull or set that first rivet on the first night. It is then very clear what you will be doing the next time, you will be pulling the rest of the rivets and then it will be complete, and behold you have a fin. I refer you to the first sentence of this article, the wisdom of Peter.
Corrosion protection
I would suggest that there are as many different methods to corrosion proof an airframe’s internal cavities as there are people building aeroplanes. None of them are the wrong way. If your way works for you, then it is 52 | LIGHT AVIATION | February 2020
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the right way. I ended up using zinc-chromate from a tin, applied using a combination of a brush for the hard to get to bits and a smooth roller for the larger areas. Yes, it might be 1kg heavier than spraying the primer, but I don’t like spraying, so a roller was the right way for me. More protection is an advantage anyway as I fly from Blackpool – at the end of Runway 28 is the sea. As with kit types, not all metal kits are made from the same alloy of aluminium and so have different forms of either natural protection or applied protection in the form of a coating from the supplier. So, here’s a thing, you know that blue plastic that is on either side of the aluminium parts, depending on the alloy used, you can just take that right off on day one. It saves a lot of soldering iron work to cut neat strips to be removed so rivets can be put in.
project either would benefit from it or needs it. They will be as interested in your project and kit as you are, finding interesting new ideas the manufacturer or designer has used. We are all aviation buffs to a certain degree, or engineers with an interest as to how things work. One thing Nigel did say to me at the start was that I would become an expert on my kit, not him. This is so true, I can picture every part. He was there to check if I had interpreted the instructions correctly and that my quality was sufficient – not necessarily perfect, but above all safe. In total, I think Nigel visited maybe 10 times during the build at home and before inspection of the completed aircraft. Some of those were trips I asked for, just to check I was doing the right things on the engine installation, this was the area that I was least confident with – there’s that word again. Of course, there was an inspection prior to the first flight – more on that later.
LAA Inspector
I was very worried about having someone come and inspect my work, it is something I don’t really like. How wrong was I! My inspector, Nigel, was absolutely brilliant, right from the first visit to look at my build space. This initial inspection doesn’t mean your floor has to be clean enough to eat off, unless that is how YOU like it, it’s all about developing a relationship and making sure you have thought about space, tools, lights etc. and to take a look at how the kit has been presented to you, instructions etc. Nigel would say at what stage to call him back for another visit, for example before closing a structure, and at the start of each visit I would make him a cup of tea and we’d go through ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’ of my work since last time. What had gone well, what had gone badly and had maybe already been reworked, and the ugly – parts I was not completely happy with but thought would be acceptable. Do not try to hide anything from your inspector, he or she is there to help, not criticise. If they ask for something to be looked at again or changed, it is because they feel your finished
Don’t change the design
Below Fuselage well underway – suddenly my build space seems quite small.
I built everything as specified by the designer, I used the engine they already had approved by the LAA, same with the propeller, even the avionics where the same as a Sling 2 that had just been Permitted. This was my first build, I did not want to complicate things. If you don’t like the recommended engine, build something else would be my advice, or accept that you are kind of on your own and will have a serious test schedule to go through. Support from the designer is likely to be limited or slow, they don’t think the engine needs changing, and let’s be frank, LAA Engineering are very busy. The LAA also has a duty to ensure they are happy with any change, remember, once one person has gone through this process any future builder could then use that alternative engine. But as with everything I have written here, if you are happy to accept this work and potential delay, or hey, you might even like the thought of it, then go for it, but talk to Engineering first!
How long does it really take to build?
I was curious about this, so I recorded all the hours of the complete build up to a point where all that remained was to plumb the already hung engine and fit/fettle the canopy doors/windows. The total was the equivalent of two hours per night, five nights a week for one year and four months. Of that, a quarter of the total was preparing and priming the parts (so you had better find a method that you like doing). From that point on, I stopped recording the time but would estimate about the same again for the fit out and final assembly, which actually is a very fast part of the process. The project commenced in February 2017 and first flight was mid-July 2019. Going back to the seven-day build, the way Mike Blythe (Sling designer and TAF founder) put it to us was something like 1,000hrs – so 12 people over seven days means 12-hour days plus a bit! Could I have built her in less man hours? Yes. The next one will probably take only two thirds the time. February 2020 | LIGHT AVIATION | 53
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Project News Special
If you think pulling the first rivet is stressful, wait for the next bits.
flight with me on board. So, a few days later, it was my turn alone. Yes, it was stressful but also a relief.
Time to move to the airport
Flight testing
Some good friends and fellow aircraft builders came to help on this monumental day. I had hired a car transporter trailer for the fuselage and had made stands for the wings etc. to go in a 7.5 tonne box van. There’s nothing like going down the M55 to Blackpool at 40mph, though actually that was the less stressful part. I think we got about two miles down the road and five potholes before the first strap came off the fuselage.
Looking back, I actually really enjoyed doing all those landings (15 minimum), finding the sweet spot on speeds. During the two-hour continuous test, Nigel and I were able to complete the various test sheets needed – general, autopilot, constant speed prop and avionics – well there isn’t much else to do flying within 25nm of Blackpool for two hours. Seriously though, you really do learn about your creation during this time, flying her in configurations and at speeds/settings you may never normally use. My confidence grew in the work I had done and the design TAF had created. So much so that after getting approval from LAA Engineering, I flew her to Eshott to be painted – first time more than 25nm from Blackpool, first land away and first time to 7,500ft to remain clear of cloud – the North of England, lack of Airspace, you can’t beat it.
Wings go on
Get as many people to help as you can. That’s it really, just stressful, awkward and heavy.
First engine run
The moment came where I could not put it off any longer. I had checked and doubted myself several times, hadn’t slept well the night before and now that propeller is going to be turned by the engine for the first time. I was fortunate, I had helped a friend, Nick, with his first engine run on his RV-9A a couple of days before so kind of knew what to expect. But again, there are no engine fairies who will come and do it for you, but you can get some people to come and help watch for leaks and generally be of assistance.
First flight
The big day. I did consider making the first flight myself but decided against it. Nigel stepped into the breach and off my baby went, and hey, she came back after a 30-minute flight. Maybe there are fairies after all (not you Nigel).
First solo
Another friend and nominated test pilot did the second
Recap
Below Instrument panel going in although awaiting delivery of GPS from South Africa.
I think this article is wandering, so time to recap and summarise my experience. Gain confidence however you can, if you know someone who is building a kit, ask to help, for sure you will make friends along this journey. Don’t fear the inspector, embrace them. Keep moving forward, if you get stuck, think why that is. But before any of this, look at what you can build. Kits have come a long way, especially since the use of CAD and CNC. Someone who built 20 years ago may not be the person who can give a true representation of the present. Building an aeroplane does take time, how long depends on what changes and yes, sacrifices you can or will make. Yes, I am about to start another build. I miss going into my barn and doing something I love. This time it is a Sling 2 Tailwheel. Now, go pull that first rivet! ■
52 | LIGHT AVIATION | January 2020
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EXCLUSIVE LAA MEMBER INSURANCE BY AIR COURTAGE CALL US ON 03306 845108 TO DISCUSS YOUR AVIATION INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS. https://www.air-assurances.uk/laa laa@air-assurances.com
Aviation Insurance and a Post EU United Kingdom. By Christelle Launai
After almost three years of twists and turns, I expect that now the UK has left the EU, regardless of personal preferences over the referendum, there is at least some relief that it was done with a deal rather than without. One can only hope that ‘on the ground’ that means that pilots will not face too many obstacles over licensing as transition progresses. What about Aviation Insurance? To ensure a smooth transition as far as aviation insurance is concerned, the EU Withdrawal Act 2018, provides for the implementation of EU aviation regulations into national law for at least a two-year period. The main insurance EU regulation which affects aircraft operations is EC785/2004 and subsequent modifications, setting the minimum liability limits required to fly. Such legal provisions will, therefore, remain applicable. As far as insurance providers are concerned, there should be no need for a reduction in market competitivity, which would have had a negative impact on premiums, adding more pressure in this already hardening market.
Today’s main challenge for aviation insurers is not Brexit but the urgent need to get back to profitability. After almost 15 years of premium reductions, and the subsequent significant losses suffered by the insurance market, many insurers have stopped underwriting general aviation risks, and those who remain in the market place are under huge pressure to ensure sustainability of their portfolio, hence the substantial premium increases many of you have recently experienced. In this adverse context, where high minimum premiums are requested by insurers, group programmes, such as the LAA Insurance Scheme, make good sense as they bring some risk mutualisation into the fragile light aviation insurance market. Long story short, I would say that whatever happens in the forthcoming months or years, we, as governmental organisations, associations, insurers or insurance brokers are ready to continue providing the best possible service to private pilots. Political decisions are not in our hands but making sure that we adapt to any situation in a timely manner is. I will then conclude with a sentence rightly or wrongly attributed to Charles Darwin: “It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change”.
A DEDICATED INSURANCE PROGRAMME FOR LAA MEMBERS https://www.air-assurances.uk/laa laa@air-assurances.com
Meet the Members
A real Van’s man…
Today we meet Steve Robson, former marine, long-serving Devon Strut Committee man and Van’s RV-4 owner
W
elcome Steve, could you tell us something about your career?
I consider myself fortunate to have had a wide-ranging, varied and rewarding working life. I grew up on a rough council estate in Leeds before joining the Royal Marines. My military career gave me a fantastic window on life along with the odd hair-raising experience. I left the military at the turn of the millennium and started working in the management training and consultancy sector but illness (cancer) took me away from that. On recovery I found myself as head of education and development at a local hospice charity. From that I moved on to an NHS Mental Health Trust working in several senior management roles. Following redundancy, I went to work for an international maritime security company where I was head of logistics and compliance. ‘HM the Wife’ tells everyone I’ve now retired, but I tell people ‘I don’t have a job just now’.
Above Steve with his Van’s RV-4, G-RVIV, which he has owned for nine years. Photo: Neil Wilson
What sparked your interest in aviation?
I’ve always wanted to fly for as long as I can remember. I recall going to an air display at RAF Church Fenton in the very early 1960s, I was certainly pre-school age. I have very clear memories of walking up to a massive military jet (no HSE in those days) and watching two people get in. It took off making a deafening roar perched on two plumes of black smoke, it was a Gloster Javelin. I was very frightened and ended up in tears, but through my fear and tears I remember saying, “I want to do that.” I later realised I have the ‘need to fly’. Thankfully my wife’s very supportive. Like many of us, I followed the well-trodden path, Airfix, Frog, Revel, Keil Kraft and Veron, and then learned to fly in gliders in 1982, which I have always considered to be pure flying, using the energy in the atmosphere. Thereafter I gained a PPL A, which has taken me from club trainers to an Evans VP1, a Rollason Condor and now the Van’s RV-4.
In what, where and when was your first flight?
My first flight was with Freddie Laker in a DC10 on the way to visit relatives in Canada, and I was as sick as dog.
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Meet the Members
During my holiday my late uncle arranged a trip in a Cessna 150 from Oshawa to Toronto, which included two orbits around the then incomplete CN Tower. I still got air sick but loved every minute. My uncle was doing his PPL but had almost given up, but we inspired each other to continue. So that flight did two things, it encouraged my uncle to go on to complete his licence and it confirmed that I was going to learn to fly as soon as I could. He ended up owing a C172 on floats, but I never got to fly in it. I still have one of the books and the Dalton E6B Flight Computer he gave me.
Where did you learn to fly?
I learned to fly on gliders with the Devon & Somerset Gliding Club based at North Hill in Devon. As well as making many good friends, gliding taught me many things – flying accurately, keeping a good lookout, and of course, lots about the weather. As time progressed, I gained a Silver ‘C’ and an Air Experience Instructor rating. The plan was to attend the next instructor’s course, but my military career called me away to the jungles of Brunei and ended that ambition. On return to the UK from two years in Brunei I started my PPL training in a C150 at Swanton Morley in Norfolk. I was just within the two-year currency conversion period and was able to use my Silver ‘C’ experience. I completed my PPL in 10 days and with 24 hours in my logbook. The lack of P/UT in my logbook did cause a few issues later that took quite a bit of explaining when trying to hire club aircraft.
Tell us a bit more about your military career
I joined the Royal Marines in 1978, specialising in weapons and tactics and completed 22 years’ service in 2000. This included Commando Units, the Commando training Centre as an instructor, two years in Brunei as a staff instructor at the Jungle Warfare School, as well as two drafts with the Royal Navy. As could be expected in military life, I did several operational tours including Northern Ireland, the Balkans region and North Arabian Gulf. As well as being physically exhausted, wet, cold, tired and hungry for extended periods, I’ve had a great many experiences and adventures.
Above Steve restored his former aircraft, Condor G-AXGV, and flew it up to Wick in the North of Scotland on one of the LAA Regional Rallies. Photo: Steve Rendle Below Steve spent 22 years in the military, serving in a number of overseas arenas, including Brunei, where he was a Jungle Warfare Instructor.
Travel in the UK Armed Forces is an occupational hazard but that has provided me with close insights into different places and cultures. At the last count I think I visited 34 countries. I have so many ‘dits’ to tell it would take a long time, but my family are encouraging me to write them down, which is an ongoing project.
How did you hear about the LAA?
While serving with the Royal Navy in the late 1980s, I was chatting with one of my course students who flew a Jodel. He kindly sent me a couple of PFA magazines that I read from cover to cover several times, and I was hooked. I won’t mention this person’s name, but I believe he is still an active pilot in the Manchester area, so, if you recognise yourself, please get in touch, I’ve got a lot to thank you for!
How long have you been a member?
I joined the PFA in 1991, just before I began my PPL training.
As an active member of the Devon Strut, what is your role?
I joined the Devon Strut in the same year I joined the Association and I’ve been on the Strut committee since 1993. Initially I was Event’s Organiser but have also been Safety Officer, PR and Chairman.
What do you think a Strut can offer a member?
Whilst in the Chairman’s role, the committee undertook a review to establish our future direction in order to promote the Strut to the wider GA and air enthusiast communities. At this point I looked back at my journey and how they and ‘it’ had helped me. I often describe the Devon Strut offering as being a great aviation resource for all kinds of things. If, for instance you needed a left-handed widget with a 3/8in drive, there would be someone who had one, and more importantly knew how to use it. It also provides a wide circle of friends, I think the social side of aviation is often understated.
How many LAA aircraft have you owned?
I had the Evans VP1 for four years, it was the aircraft built by Robert Lowe and it taught me a great deal. I loved it to bits.
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Meet the Members
I moved on to a Rollason Condor which I owned for 14 years. It was a gentleman’s aerial conveyance that served me well. I also enjoyed the restoration, including a recover and top end overhaul. The Vans RV-4 I have owned for nine years and it is probably the nicest handling aircraft I’ve flown to date.
but most of my heroes are the people I fly with today. I’ve had the privilege of mentoring several people though their PPL course and have received good guidance and mentorship from others. In particular, I include all my flying friends and those who have invested time in me in an attempt to make me a better, safer pilot, shared flying adventures with me and those who provide knowledge, skills, experience and tools to help me keep my aircraft airworthy.
How has the LAA helped you?
It has shown me how to achieve affordable flying as well as enabled me to share in a great aviation community.
Any ‘I learned flying from that’ moments?
Any aviation books you would recommend?
Encountering carb icing at the same moment as going inadvertently IMC just after take-off. The cloud base had lowered significantly between me arriving at the airstrip and taking off, and I’d failed to notice it. Fortunately, I’d practiced my low-level circuit just a few weeks earlier, so I already knew what I was going to do – you should always think about the ‘what ifs’ and have an escape plan.
The usual favourites, Fate is the Hunter, Gift of Wings, Once upon a Thermal, and Empire of the Skies etc.
Do you have a favourite or worse type flown?
The worst type was probably an Evan VP2. The example I tried to fly only briefly got airborne but decided to give up at about 10ft. I’m still working on the best type but my RV-4 has yet to be beaten.
Do you have any non-aviation hobbies or interests?
What is your best aviation moment?
As well as being a proud member of the Devon Strut, I’m also a proud member of the Fleet Air Arm Squadron. Flying with former and serving Fleet Air Arm pilots has lifted my flying to a new level. Through their patient and professional tuition, I’ve learned aerobatics and formation flying in a professional, structured and disciplined manner. My RV-4 is well suited to this type of flying and although I still have a great deal to learn, I’m enjoying every moment.
Have you done much touring?
I’ve done a couple of trips to France, one to the RSA Rally at Blois a few years ago, and more recently (last summer) to Dinard/Quiberon staying over in St Malo. In addition, a few of us made a long weekend trip in the days of the regional rallies to Wick. This was via Sywell, Fishburn, Perth, Wick, Lamb Holm, Oban, Carlisle, Barton and back to Devon. All of them have been fantastic adventures, and I plan to do more.
Do you have any aviation heroes?
Of course, all the historical aviation figures are my heroes,
Above The first aircraft Steve owned was Evans VP1 G-BDAH, a well known LAA aircraft as Robert Lowe wrote this book about building it in the 1970s.
I do like shooting, but these days only air weapons. I also like to learn new things, inspired mainly by my two sons. Right now, I’m learning electronics, but I’ve a long way to go before I can programme my Arduino.
What do you have on your aircraft or vehicle wish list? The restoration of a rare, classic vintage aircraft is probably the highest on my list. I did a full restoration on my Condor in 2003-4, enjoyed it and learned a great deal… and I got a heap of help and support from all over the place, which is what the LAA is all about.
Any advice for fellow pilots?
Have fun with all your flying but be safe, think ahead. Don’t be afraid of trying something new with suitably qualified and experienced people and beware the ‘C’ word – Complacency! When you think you are good, you’re about to do something dumb. I make mistakes all the time and I try to review what I can improve. The thing that concerns me most is the mistake I don’t recognise and so I may repeat. I’m far from being perfect – ‘HM the Wife’ will tell you that! ■
58 | LIGHT AVIATION | January 2020
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Where to go
N
Where to go
Where T To oG Go o
ews of two important events: the RSA Rally dates are 31 July to 2 August, at Brienne le Chateau, and a Fly-in to celebrate Ernie Horsfall’s 102nd birthday at Blackpool on 18/19 April. The GASCo Safety Evenings are in full swing, plus Strut talks and social gatherings (Struts4U, p38), so treat yourself and pop along to
FEBRUARY
1 Compton Abbas Vintage Fly-in 6- 9 Hawera (ZK) SAANZ SportAvex National Fly-in 11-16 Changi (9V) Singapore Airshow [Public days 15-16] 15 Reading University GASCo/RMetS Weather for PPLs Seminar [pre-book] 19 White Waltham GASCo Airspace Infringe Awareness. No need to book. 20 Central London GASCo Airspace Infringe Awareness dtucker@haywards.net 20-22 Tauranga (ZK) RNZAC Club Competitions – National Finals 22-23 Mandeville (ZK) Weekend Eight Fly-in & Steam Festival (TBC) 23 VanDerValk Hotel A4, Schipol (PH) Amsterdam Aviation Collectors Fair 27 Sherburn GASCo Airspace Infringe Awareness Presentation [pre-register] oliver.prince@sherburnaeroclub.com 29 Popham VAC Fly-in/Drive in lunch 01256-397733
MARCH
5-6 Yeovilton FAAM Cobham Hall Reserve Coll’n Tours [pre-book] 01935-840565 7 Compton Abbas Vintage Fly-in 7 Gatwick Museum Threshold Night Photo-Shoot [Pre-book] 7 Paris 75012 (F) Aero Collectors Fair 21-22 Weston-s-Mare Helicopter Museum Behind the Scenes Spotters Event 27-29 Wangaratta, Vic (VH) Antique Aeroplane Assoc National Fly-in 28 Munchengladbach (D) Wings & More Collectors Fair 28-29 Sywell BAeA Aerobatic Judging Seminar 29 Basel-Mulhouse (HB/F) Aero Collections Fair 31-Ap 5 Lakeland, Fl (N) EAA Sun’n’Fun fly-in
APRIL
1 1-4 4 4-5 10-12 11-12
White Waltham GASCo Airspace Infringements Awareness Friedrichshafen (D) AERO GA Exhibition 0049-7541-708128 Compton Abbas Vintage Fly-in Weston Super Mare Helicopter Museum World At War Event Wanaka (ZK) Warbirds Air Show Easter (Scotland) Easter at Easter Fly- in [PPR] 07967-715304
60 | LIGHT AVIATION | February 2020
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one near you. Check the Royal Aero Club Events website for the latest information and web links for many of the events listed. http://events. royalaeroclub.org/events.htm. Our thanks to the RAeC and to Dave Wise for the use of their data. If you have an event you want to advertise on the list, please email the details to Dave at: dave.wise@btinternet.com
12 Popham Jodel Fly-in 18-19 Breighton BAeA Aerobatic Competition 18-19 Blackpool Ernie Horsfall’s 102nd Birthday Fly-in [PPR - pre-register] 19 Fenland VAC Daffodil Fly-in 19 Henstridge LAA Wessex Strut Fly-in [PPR] 01963-364231 19 Old Buckenham American Fly-in [PPR] 19 K2 Centre, Crawley Gatwick Air Enthusiasts Fair 01403-252628 21 Cambridge Airport GASCo Airspace Infringements Awareness Presentation 25 Duxford General Aviation Expo 25-26 Sywell EV-97 Fly-in 26 Bicester Sunday Scramble Classic Cars
MAY
2 Compton Abbas Vintage Fly-in 2-3 Popham Microlight Trade Fair 01256-397733 2-3 Fenland BAeA Aerobatic Competition 3 Old Warden Shuttleworth Season Premiere VE Day Air Show 6-10 Badminton Eventing - Badminton Horse Trials 8 Plymouth Hoe VE Day 75th Anniv vent 9 Bodmin Action Stations Fly-in (VE day-75) Military vehicles etc. 9 Shobdon GASCo Airspace Infringements Awareness Presentation 9-10 Old Buckenham VE Day 75 Anniv Show plus Meet the LAA Day [PPR] 10 Popham Aero/Auto Jumble Classic Vehicles & Fly-in 01256-397733 10 Kempton Park Heathrow Aircraft Enthusiasts Fair 01423-862256 15-16 Compton Abbas BAeA Aerobatic Competition
GASCo Safety Evenings.
GASCo’s excellent Safety Evenings are now underway and we have included the dates booked until the mid-April. More events are listed on the GASCo website until well into May. For further information see www.gasco.org.uk/ flight-safety-information/safety-evenings Tuesday 4 February 2020. Bristol Aero Club & LAA Bristol Strut. 1930. Directions via: www.bawa.biz/contact Contact: Philip Green 07768 822406 social@bristolaeroclub.co.uk Wednesday 5 February. Samlesbury Airfield.
Courtesy of Bay Flying Club and BAe Canberra Club. 1930. Contact: Peter Balmer 07799 404234 pete@pbalmer.free-online.co.uk Thursday 6 February. Horse & Farrier, Otley. 1930. Contact: Rosie Ireland: 07929 935371 rosielyle@hotmail.co.uk Thursday 6 February. Otherton Airfield. Contact: Alex Jermaine-Crowley 07739 456 433. ajscrowley@gmail.com Friday 7 February. Sandown Airfield Café. 1930. Contact: Terry Slack: 07917 194604 terry.terman@btinternet.com Thursday 13 February. Snitterfield Airfield. 1930. Contact: Andy Balkwill: 07850 410263 andybalkwill@hotmail.com Monday 17 February. The Wheatsheaf Sandbach. 2000. Contact: Steve Rosser: 07973 226219 steve.r@lsa-technology.co.uk Tuesday 18 February. Surrey & Sussex Balloon Group. Details TBA. Wednesday 19 February. Andrewsfield Aviation. 1930. Contact: Mike Rowland: 01371 856744 mike@andrewsfield.com Wednesday 26 February. Earls Colne. 1930. Contact: Victoria Pratt/Kevin Barber: 01787 223676 enquiries@flyafc.co.uk Tuesday 17 March. North Coates Airfield. 1900. Contact: Steve Charters 07952 923 265. Saturday 29th February Bidford Gliding & Flying Club. Details TBA stevecharters@gmx.com Wednesday 18 March. Bobbington Village Hall. 1930. Contact: Tony Dring 07973 921840. anthony.dring@yahoo.co.uk Thursday 19 March Goodwood Aerodrome Building 1930. Contact: Kristin 01243 755 159. aeroclub@goodwood.com Saturday 21 March Sutton Bank Airfield 1930. Contact: Josephine Runciman 01845 597237 enquiry@ygc.co.uk Tuesday 24 March Liverpool John Lennon Airport, Ravenair. 1930. Contact: Neil Bishop 07815 195 477. Pre-registration is essential see http://tiny.cc/rz7udz Wednesday 8 April Sturgate & Lincoln Flying Club 1930. Contact: Eugene Beirne, 01302 865676 zerotonull@btinternet.com Wednesday 15 April RAeS (Hatfield Branch) University of Hertfordshire Contact: Steve Rogers 07887 824752 or 01582 763504 steverogers51@hotmail.co.uk Friday 17 April Bristol & Wessex Flying Club 1930-2020. Free ticket only event only, visit www.bristolandwessex.co.uk to order tickets. November 2019 | LIGHT AVIATION | 49
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Classifieds
February
AIRCRAFT FOR SALE
For all display or commercial advertising enquiries please contact Neil Wilson: 07512 773532 neil.wilson@laa.uk.com You can email your classified advertisement direct to the LAA at the following address: office@laa.uk.com Deadline for booking and copy: 18 February 2020 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
Rans S6S Sport. This unique Rans 912UL-powered S6 has been upgraded to 499kg and covered in conventional Ceconite fabric. Additional cabin panelling - the most luxurious S6 in the UK. Only 20 hours with a current Permit to Fly. May be seen at Milson, Worcs. £35,000. Contact David Bedford, DBedford1@btinternet.com Christen Eagle II. Permit Aug 2020. 1730 TT. Lycoming IO-360-A1A 200HP 670 STOH. Hartzell Prop 200 hrs, next due Dec 2025. Details at www.christeneagle.weebly.com 07514 003 495.
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
AIRCRAFT FOR SALE
Thatcher CX4 G-CISH. This all aluminium new build single seat aircraft can be seen at Fenland Airfield, Lincs. It has a current permit to fly with 40 hours TTE, a Revmaster 2100 with Revflow carb. Cruises 80 - 90 knots on 9 litres per hour. Icom 8.33 radio. £17,500. Contact Peter on 07557 140620. Can deliver. Barker Charade. Single seater. Jabiru 2200 series 22A935. Excellent condition, 509 hours engine and airframe since new. Wood and fabric - Diatex 2oz. 100 Kt cruise on 12 litres/hr (43.5mpg). Roomy cockpit. Always hangared. Permit until May 2020. £10K. Very reluctant sale. spothall@mac.com 07588 038 283
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.
Health issue forces sale of Europa 912 ULS Tri Gear. Air frame 210 hours Engine 48 hrs from new. New Trig 8.33 Radio. Transponder fitted. Permit to fly April 2020. Aircraft hangar at Eshott. Contact Tony on 07792 797 851.
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.
62 | LIGHT AVIATION | February 2020
Vans RV12, new and just finished flight testing. All accessories incl, lights, interior, carpets etc. Structure fully primed throughout. Dynon HDX EFIS, Garmin GTR225 COM. Built as an engineering project. Superb group aeroplane. £85,000 Contact Mike Newall, trent772@graffika.biz or 07802 977505.
Practavia Sprite 1979. Built to very high standard with only 530 total hrs. On LAA permit. RR Continental O-240 engine. With standard blind flying instruments and Icom 200 -760 radio plus Icom A6E 8.33. Also Trig transponder and King Skymap. £35.000. Tel: 07979 500859.
Taylor Titch G-BARN. First flown 30/11/1986. One owner. Engine C90-12F TT 370 hrs. RWG 61"x 64.5" prop. Sensible offers to Newtons15@btinternet.com
HM293 Pou Du Ciel (Flying Flea). Built in 1996 from the Grunberg plans. Rotax 477 engine. Very clean and authentic aircraft in lovely condition. Please note, this being a post-WW2 flying flea with updated aerodynamics, it is free of the safety concerns of the original 1933 design. Sold complete with custom trailer, roll-on-rolloff with winch. Road to air and back single handed in under 15 minutes. Visible in Paris area. 4000 euros, cash only. Drive away with it if you have a trailer hitch. Can send more photos. David, davidleobonner@gmail.com Tel: +33650781644
GROUP FLYING
AIRCRAFT PARTS Tiger Moth Wings, overhauled, covered and Released for Service available now. Also, other components. Currently in first coat silver will just need topcoat. Telephone David 01732 822 686
MISCELLANEOUS
Waltham based hangared RV6, 1/4 share for sale. Built 2003, TT 850+ Eng.650+ 160hp. 150Kt cruise. 30 Lph, capacity 140 Lts. Fixed Sensenich cruise prop. Dynon Skyview SE. Two-axis autopilot with auto level. Two iPad mini mounts with power. Trig Ty91 8.33. Mode S with ADS-B out. PilotAware. Two Lightspeed Zulu headsets. PLB, cover, tie downs. £20200. Further details contact Dave 0791 722 5013 Email davelisterc5@gmail.com
AIRCRAFT SERVICES
PLANS: Complete sets of Van’s original drawings and manuals for RV4, RV6, RV8 and RV12. FREE, with option of contribution to charity, and buyer collects. Contact Eric Marsh, 01629 812677 or 07770 860670. eric.marsh6@btinternet.com France, Loire. Montrichard private airfield. Hangarage for two aircraft, four-person cottage. Package designed by flyers for flyers. £700 per week. www.lachaumine.co.uk Tel: 07802 217855 or 01424-883474. FOR ALL MEMBERS CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES CONTACT SHEILA
MISCELLANEOUS Parts needed for a firewall forward Gipsy Major test stand. Parts, any condition, (unserviceable or bent) from Chipmunks, Tiger Moths or Auster are ideal: Engine bearer arms and attachments (rubber-mounts, caps etc). Engine bearers (crankcase to bearer arms.). Firewall to engine bearer attachments (Upper and Lower). Contact Phil Hall 07740 806934. phil.hall.rv7@gmail.com if you have parts available for purchase.
WANTED Wanted: Stockwood Vale Golf Club, Bristol want a damaged or crashed small light aircraft as a prop for their new adventure golf course. Contact Mike: info@stockwoodvale.com or 0787 644 5024
SHEILA.HADDEN@LAA.UK.COM
COVERS
Welding Services. CAA approved Tig welding of 4130 tubular structures. Mobile service based in East Anglia. Contact Richard Kimberley, LAA Inspector 594 on 07850 570231 or email: rks@richardkimberleyservices.co.uk Design & Stress Analysis Service. Type submissions, modifications, and general advice. We cover structures, powerplant (IC and electric) and avionics. Ex-Chief Stressman and Part 21J Head of Design. Contact John Wighton enquires@acroflight.co.uk or call 07770399315. DREAM IT, FLY IT, VISIT OUR WEBSITE
WWW.LAA.UK.COM
SERVICES
KITS & SPARES
TRANSPORTATION
Aircraft Transportation Specialists Specialist vehicles to move your aircraft safely
BONSALL REPLICA MUSTANG MkII
An amazing replica of a P-51 Mustang. TTAF 128 Hrs. Engine & Prop both 35 Hrs. This is a UK LAA Permit to Fly aircraft. w/8.33 & Mode S. This is a stunning aircraft, with a 300HP Lycoming IO-540.
GBP £96,000 No VAT Tel: +44 (0)1747 825378 Mobile: +44 (0)7836 708564
Email: sales@derrickings.com
Web: www.derrickings.com
Telephone: 0121 327 8000 E-mail: info@ponsonby.co.uk Web: www.ponsonby.co.uk
Contact us now for a quotation
February 2020 | LIGHT AVIATION | 63
SERVICES & MORE
SPORTYS.COM
PHONE: 1 (USA) 513.735.9000 FLIGHT Flight Training • Flight Reviews SCHOOL Instrument Proficiency Checks PILOT SUPPLIES
Courses • DVDs • Headsets GPS • Radios • Flight Bags Kneeboards • iPad accessories
LightAviation_2018.indd 2
Lima Zulu Services Ltd. limazuluservicesltd@gmail.com / 07713 864247 MILES MAGISTER AUGUST 2018 (old workshop)
5/17/18 3:11 PM
Flaking paint removed and surface prepared
New paint applied
It’s not just repairs and recovers but TLC for your loved one Please email rather than call, workshop signal 1/10 INSTALLATION
For all display and company advertising contact Neil Wilson 64 | LIGHT AVIATION | February 2020
NEIL.WILSON@LAA.UK.COM
WWW.LAA.UK.COM
Landing vouchers
LANDING VOUCHERS MARCH 2020
✁
By the time March comes around we can hope that some of the waterlogged strips have dried out and the weather is starting to think about taking on a more spring-like feel. Even if it hasn’t, at least our destination airfields of Huddersfield
Crosland Moor, Elstree, Haverfordwest and Lydd all have hard runways, which is great as long as you can get out of your home base. I hope you manage to enjoy an early season day out, but don’t forget to take the voucher with you!
Aviation Huddersfield (Crosland Moor) 01484 645784 LIGHT
Free Landing for March 2020
A friendly airfield, with light refreshments available. The Sands House pub is ½ a mile walk and offers a 10% discount for visitors from the airfield. Limited fuel, please ask before leaving your base. Please avoid flying over houses and the hospital, ½ mile from the
runway end. Look out for various TV masts in the area. Please PPR. Watch out for turbulence on approach to Runway 25, there’s a quarry to the North so land beyond the threshold if you can. Circuits are left-hand at 1,000ft QFE. Radio is 128.375 www.croslandmoor-airfield.co.uk
Aviation Elstree 0208 9537480 LIGHT
Reduced Landing £10 for March – Monday to Friday
A well-known airfield, ideally suited for visiting London (taxis can be arranged to a train or underground station) or visit the family friendly Aldenham Country Park, which is next door. A restaurant and café are on site, as well as the Pooleys Flight Equipment shop and offices.
The airfield is strictly PPR by telephone. Jet A1 and Avgas available. Radio is 122.405. www.londonelstree.com
Aviation Haverfordwest 01437 765283 LIGHT
Reduced Landing of £10 March 2020
Haverfordwest is a great place to visit and to use as a stepping stone to Ireland. The website details how it is easy for pilots (there’s even a link to the fuel rebate form on the HMRC website!). Situated in the middle of picturesque Pembrokeshire, magnificent
countryside and beaches are nearby. Avgas and JET A1 are available. PPR, non-radio not accepted. Avoid local riding stables and residences north of runway 09/27. Taxis can be arranged. Radio frequency 122.205 www. hwestairport@pembrokeshire.gov.uk
Aviation Lydd Airport 01797-320881 LIGHT
Free Landing with 35 Litres of Fuel Pickup for March 2020
Lydd Airport EGMD is located on Dungeness Peninsula halfway between Folkestone and Hastings. Nearby attractions include Port Lympne Zoo. Prices are very competitive compared to other airports in the South East. Lydd is designated for clearing Customs and
Immigration, and avgas is Duty Free for pilots transferring outside the UK. ILS / NDB / GPS approach procedures. Non-radio aircraft not accepted. PPR on 01797 320881 Radio: ATIS 129.230. APP/TWR 120.705 / TWR 119.380 when directed. www.lydd-airport.co.uk
The RV Series RV-14
Most popular kitplanes in the world
10,567 completed
66 | LIGHT AVIATION | January 2020
LAA02.landing.V2.LB.indd 64
www.vansaircraft.com
001 503 678 6545
24/01/2020 16:29
Variety of Books Available 100 Paper Planes to Fold & Fly
Chasing the Morning Sun
Includes fighter planes to robots, dragons and sharks. This title features instructions on how to fold and throw the planes.
By Manuel Queiroz. Signed Copy. An inspiring tale of personal strife against impossible odds, both inside and outside the cockpit
£9.00*
£18.00*
Supermarine Spitfire – Haynes.
Why don't you put a little engine in it?
By Keith Nurcombe. A broad view of flying for fun as an enthusiastic amateur, with sixty unforgettable years to help paint the picture, look at the future and explore the possibilities.
An insight into owning, restoring, servicing and flying Britain's legendary World War II fighter.
£25.00*
£14.99*
*Prices exclude P&P for books
Aircraft Technical Books
Flying on your own wings • Alternative Engines • Standard Aircraft Handbook Aircraft Covering Process • Sheet Metal Handbook More information on the LAA Website
LAA Branded Clothing
LAA Hoodie £20.00*
The colourful LAA Hoodie available in Sapphire or Burgundy is stylish and warm. Made from 50% cotton and polyester, it has a front pouch pocket and taped neck for superior comfort. Sizes: S, M, L, XL.
LAA Rugby Shirts £28.00*
Traditional and classic Rugby Shirt with taped shoulders and side vents. 100% cotton and available in Burgundy and Green. Sizes: M, L, XL. * Prices exclude P&P for clothing
Windcheater in a bag £20.00* Windproof. Concealed hood with tear release fastening. Full length zip. Two front pockets. Elasticated cuffs. Adjustable drawcord hem. Convenient carry bag. Showerproof nylon with silver acrylic coating inside. Sizes: S, M, L, XL.
Together to Protect Your Investment
Three months that can do more harm to aircraft engines than an entire season of flying... Learn how CamGuard protects aircraft engines year round at aslCamGuard.com
Some say they do the lot... LAS REALLY DO! Contact LAS Aerospace, your number 1 parts supplier. LAS Aerospace Ltd. Exeter Road Industrial Estate, Okehampton, Devon, UK EX20 1UA Email: sales@lasaero.com Phone: 01837 658081 ● Fax: 01837 658080
www.lasaero.com
