October 2014

TIMETOVOTE

LookingbacktotheRallyandforwardtotheAGM

T hefirstthingIwanttodothismonthissayaverybigthankyou

toeverybodythatcametotheRally,helpedattheRallyorwas involvedinanywaywiththeRallyEarlyforecastswerenotlooking greatbuttheenthusiasmfromeverybodytomaketheeventasuccess waspositivelytangible.Itwasattimeschilly,whileasportingcrosswind ontheSaturdayinparticulartestedpilots'skills,butthankfullyitremained dryandwashailedaprofessional,safeandfunevent.

ThenextimportanteventontheLAAcalendaristheAnnualGeneral Meetingon1November,althoughIthinkit'sfairtosaythatunfortunately itdoesn'texactlyhaveahistoryoffloatingtoomanyofourmembers' boats.That'sapitybecausewearedemocraticorganisationandyou,as amember,havearighttoinfluencehowyourassociationisrun,andthe bestwaytodothatistocomealongtotheAGMandairyourviews.You evenhaveafewdayslefttoproposeanyMotionstochangetheArticles ifyoufeelstronglyaboutit.

ThisyeartheAGMisbeingheldatSywellAerodromeintheCirrus RoomoftheAviatorMotel,startingat11amIfyoucannotattendin personyoucansubmitaproxyvote,andthisyearwehaveincluded

THETEAM

Patron: HRHPrinceMichaelotKent,KCVO, FRAeS

President: SirJohnAllison

Chairman: RogerHopkinson

CEO: PhilipHall

ChiefEngineer: FrancisDonaldson, BTechCEngFRAeS

ChiefInspector: KenCraige

aproxyformonthebackoftheaddresssheetthatcomeswiththe magazinetomakeiteveneasiertobeinvolved-gograbitbackoutof thebinnow!Seepage10forfurtherexplanationandAGMdetails NaturallythisissuehassomethingofaRallyflavour,withafirstreport andanarticleonBobWillies'beautifulaward-winningPiperCub.The airtestthismonthlooksattwoaircraftwithasimilarrnission-two-seat touringandgeneralfunflying-butthedesignandmanufactureof whichareseparatedbyover45yearsWeallknowthataircraftdesign advancementdoesnotmirrorthatofthecar,thelatest FiestaislightyearsaheadoftheAngliaforexample, buttherearesomeinterestingconclusionsthatcan bedrawn.

AlsothismonthwehearfromourlatestArmstrong Isaac'sScholarshipwinner,WillProud,whovery recentlycompletedhisPPLcourse-welldoneWill, Andwecelebrate30yearsoftheMWClubandhear about Mother, theprototypeMW6thathasledabusy andveryinterestinglife.

Engineeringemail: engineerg@leaukcom

COMMERCIAL

Email: office@laa.uk.com

OfficeManager: PennySharpe

HeadOffice: TurwestonAerodrome, NrBrackleyNorthantsNN135YD

Tel: 01280846786

LIGHTAVIATIONMAGAZINE

Editor: BrianHope, 60QueenboroughRoad, Sheerness, KentME1238Z

Tel: 01795662508

Email: BFEedel@talktalk.net

BrianHope EDITOR bfgodelOtalktalknet

p12 p16

6NEWS

JohnFarleyLAAlecture,NATS ADS-BandLPAT.LAAcoursesand CHIRPgoesdigital

9 LETTERS

TheRallywasgreatbutlet'sget moreyoungstersinvolved!

IOAGM

ThisisoneofthemostimportantLAA eventsanditneedsyoursupport

12 PROJECTNEWS

Thismonthweround-upsomeofthe amazingSpitfirereplicasbeingbuilt

I6 SOMMEBYMOTH

100yearsonthedeHavilland MothClubhelpcommemoratethe beginningoftheGreatWar

22 LAARALLYPARTI

Justsomeofthehighlightsfrom anothersuccessfulLAARally

28 RALLY'SBESTVINTAGE

BobWiMes'J3restorationwasa popularwinnerattheLAARally

32 FASVIGCONSULTATION

Ifwewantasayinairspaceit's timerollupoursleeves!

34 FUGHTTEST

WeflytheMascaretandSportCruiser andask,"HasGAreallydeveloped muchin45years..."

42 RADIOANDMODES

ManuelQueirozsetsoutabasic primerfortroublefreeDIYradioand transponderinstallation

46 LANDINGVOUCHERS

Agreatopportunitytovisitsomenew airfieldsforfree!

48 MWCLUBFLY-IN

MikeWhittakerandEddieClapham celebrate30yearsoftheMWClub

50 ARMSTRONGISSACS

AnupdatefromprizewinnerWilliam

52 SAFETYSPOT

MalcolmMcBridewarnsagainst patternpartsandthedangersof ignoringroutinemaintenance

58 LAASHOP

Books,charts,clothingandmore

60 MEETTHEMEMBERS

PeteandAnnSmoothyhavebeen supplyingLAAmemberswithparts andequipmentformanyyears

63 CLASSIFIEDS

Bargainsgaloreinabuyers'market

65 WHERETOGO

Flyingeventsinthecomingmonths

66 CEOTHOUGHTS

Philconsidersa'ruleofthree' personalriskstrategy

CHAIRMAN'SCHAT

Chairman'sChatByRogerHopkinson.

WhatagreattimeGill,mywife,andIhad

attheRally.Asalwaysitwasaperfect opportunitytoenjoythegoodcompany offriendsandlistentotheviewsandconcernsof members.Thegeneralconsensusseemstobethat youaregenerallycontentwithwhatwearedoing, butinevitablytherecanbehiccupsinourservice whichIknowcanbefrustratingifitisyouwhoare affected-havingbuilttwoaircraftmyself,oneof whichwasthefirstoftypeintheUK,I'vebeen theremyself!

TheRallyhasaspecialatmosphere,people cometoenjoythemselvesandrelax,andthat reallyhelpsthatwonderfulsenseofcamaraderie.lt doesn'tjusthappenthough,andweareindebted tothestaffandvolunteers whoworklongandhard toensureitrunslike clockworkAsamember whothoroughlyenjoysit, andastheChairmanof theAssociation,Iextend mygratefulthanksto themall.Thattheoffice hasreceivedsomany emailsfromhappy exhibitorsandmembers makesitallworthwhile, andtheearlysignsthat ithasonceagainmore thancovereditscosts, certainlyputstheicingon thecake.

theFutureAirspaceStrategy.isverypositive IhaveitonthebestauthoritythatAndrewHaines wantsGAtogetafairerdealwithregardto airspacebutthefactiswewon'tjustgetit handedtousonasilverplatterPleaseread theFASVIGupdateandconsiderwhetheryou andyourfellowmemberscangetinvolvedin resolvingsomeofyourlocalissues,afterall nobodyknowsbetterthanyouwhatpartsof yourlocalareareallyneedtobesafeguarded andwheresomepossiblyveryminorchanges wouldimprovethecurrentsituation.Yougetowl fornowtastheysayupnorth,weeitherputin theworknowwhiletheopportunityexistsorwe loseoutonwhatwewillruefullyregretasthe bestchancewehadof improvingourlot.

"Howwe encouragemore youngpeople intoflyinghas beenaconcern forsomeyears"

Iseefromelsewhereinthisissuethatour2013 ArmstrongIsaacsScholarshipwinner,WillProud, hasrecentlycompletedhisPPLcourseand gainedhislicence.Welldonetohim.Willattended theRallyandwasavolunteerontheLAAstand, andpastwinnerstoohavehelpedatavariety ofeventswherewehaveexhibited,addinga somewhatmoreyouthfullooktoourpresence. Howweencouragemoreyoungpeopleinfoflying hasbeenaconcernforsomeyears,anditisnot aproblemthatonlyaffectsaviation.Ibelievewe havetobemoreproactiveandIknowPhiliskeen fortheAssociationtogetafullyfundedyouth programmeunderwayIhopethatissomething wecanannouncesomepositivemovesonbefore toolong.

TheRedTapeChallengecontinuestomake progressinanumberofareas:youwillrecall inlastmonth'schatthatIgaveareasonably comprehensiverundownofwherewehopetogain someadvantageNewsonFASVIG,thegroup lookingathowGAcanbecomeanintrinsicpartof

Thingsaremovingin EuropetooandEASAis wellawareofNational changesintheUKand anumberofotherEU states.Iwillbeattending theEASAGAconference inOctober:thisisthe firstofitskindandone theyindicatewillbean annualevent.Importantly itdemonstratesstrong intentiontofollowthrough ontheGAprogramme Ihavecommentedon previouslyTounderline that,andrecognisethemovesweareseeinginthe UK,thenewEASADirector,PatrickKy,hasinvited GrantShappsandAndrewHainestobeopening speakers-thatisahugestatementinitsown right.Wealsohaverepresentationonanumberof theforums.

FinallyiIwouldberemissofmenottomention theAnnualGeneralMeeting,whichtakesplace atSywellonSaturday1NovemberIfind It a particulardisappointmentthatsofewmembers lakeaninterestinhowtheAssociationisrunrememberitisyourAssociation,notthestaff'snor theBoard'sbutyoursWeontheBoardwould liketothinkwearerunningtheshowinamanner thatsatisfiesthemajorityofthemembersbut wedoneedyoutotellusiftherearethingsyou wouldpreferweputsomeeffortinto.Youwillread elsewherethataproxyvotingformisincludedon thebackofthemagazineaddresssheet:ifyouare unabletoattendthemeeting,pleaseusethisto voteonthevariousResolutionsandMotionsthat formthebasisoftheAGM.

FULLTRANSPONDER FUNCTIONALITYFORGA

NATSistorunatrialthatwillallowGeneral Aviationpilotstousethefullfunctionalityof aModeStransponderforthefirsttime.The trialwillallowtheconnectionofaModeSto anon-certifiedGPStransmittertotransmita position,heightandcall-signviaADS-B,and insomecasesreceivethatdatafromother aircraft.Undercurrentsafetyregulations, thisfunctionalitycannotbeusedunlessthe GPSsignalhashaditsaccuracycertifiedby theCAA.However,NATSandAOPAhave securedpermissiontoconductaUKwidetrial usinguncertifiedsignals.

WhileNATSdoesn'trelyonADS-Bto detectaircraft,itbelievesthathelpingthe GAcommunitytouseitwilldeliveradditional functionalityintheairandontheground,and maketheUK'sbusyairspaceevensaferand moreefficient.

JonathanSmith,NATSGeneralAviation Lead,said,"TheaimofthetrialisforNATS andtheGAcommunitytounderstand whetheruncertifiedGPSpositionscanbe usedtodeliverrealsafetybenefits.Thiscould beintheformoftrafficalertsinthecockpit,

JOHNFARLEY LAALECTURE

JohnFarley,thecelebratedHawkertest pilotbestknownforhisassociationwith theHarrier,willbegivingatalkabout hisexperiencestest flyingLAAtype aircraftonWednesday8Octoberinthe ConferenceRoomat LAA Headquarters onTurwestonAirfield.Complimentarytea andcoffeewillbeservedfrom5:30pm andthetalkstartsat6:00pm(1800). All membersandtheirguestsarewelcome butpleaseemail office@laa.uk.com or phone01280846786sowehaveanidea ofnumbersforcatering.Admissionisfree.

TAGFarnboroughhasreleaseditsAnalysis andSummaryofResponsestoitsAirspace ChangeProposal(PartA).Itreceivedin excessof13,000commentsfromover2,500 stakeholderswithover700documents submittedsupportingresponses.

AnOverviewReport,presentedaspie charts,showsanoverwhelminglynegative responsetotheproposal.Forexample,on Justificationtherewere2,896comments,53% wereNegafiveongeneralissues,45%were Negativeonproportionalityandonly2%of

enhancedsituationalawarenessoreven informationbeingspokendirectlyintoapilot's headset.Inaddifion,thirdpartydevelopers willquicklyproducefunctionalitytotake advantageofthedata."

Thesecondelementofthetrialwillsee theintroductionofanewprototypedevice, developedbyNATSwithGermanengineering companyFunke.LPAT-orLowPower ADS-BTransceiver-isaportable,batterypoweredandreasonablecostdevicethat willprovidetheminimumfunctionality neededtomakeaGApilotvisibleto otherairspaceusers.LPATcansendand receiveADS-Bsignals,allowingpilotsto havegreatervisibifityofthetrafficaround them.However,itdoesnotmatchafull transponderintermsoffunctionality;for example,itwillnotbeTCAScompatibleor allowaccesstocontrolledairspacewherea transponderismandatory.

"Forthosethatareunabletofita transponder,ordon'thavethepowertorun one-LPATcouldbetheanswer,' saidJonathan.

Atthisyear'sRally,Adams Aviationlaunchedanew programmedesignedtohelp sAvIAkeepLAAmembersflying.Any membersofEFLEVA(European FederationofLight,ExperimentalandVintage Aircraft)organisations,andthatincludesthe LAA,whocarryouttheirownmaintenance

GOLDPLATEDEMAIL!

On1SeptembertheCAAandAOPAopened adedicatedGAgold-plateemailaddress inviting stakeholderstoidentifyEUrules whichtheybelievetheCAAmayhavegoldplatedandhowtheissuecouldberectified.

commentswereFavourable.

OnGAImpacttherewere1,563comments. 54%(poweredaircraft)Negafive,45%(gliders) Negative(glider)and1%Favourable, OnSafetytherewere2,715comments.32% (generalkolfisionrisk)Negative,36%(lateral funnelling)Negative, 310/o(Verticalrestriction) Negafiveand1%Favourable.

OthercategoriesincludeEnvironment2,859 comments,1%Favourable,Economic484 comments1%Favourable,Process966 comments1%Favourable.1,496comments

willbeabletobuymaintenancesparesat preferentialprices.

Inthenewyear,LAAmemberswillbeable tosignintotheAdamswebsiteandseethis specialpricing,andplaceordersandenquiries. Meanwhilememberscancalloremail Adamsandtheywillbehappytoquote. mail@adamsaviation.com tel:01689808970

nogoldplating@caa.co.uk willinitiallybeopen until17October,afterwhichallresponses willbeassessedandsolutionsidentified.Any examplesnotfortheCAAwillbepassedon toGovernment.

werereceivedregardingAirspaceorRoute Designsuggestions.

AfullversionofthePartAAnalysisand Summerycanbefoundatwww Consultation. TAGFarnboroughAirpoacom

Thenextphaseisadetailedanalysisofhow thefinaldesignisarrivedat,whichwillbe publishedasFeedbackReport(PartB)andthis isexpectedtobereleasedinthefirstquarter of2015.AsubmissionoftheAirspaceChange Proposalwillbemadefollowingthepublication ofthatreport.

HOLMBECKNEEDS YOURPATRONAGE

HolmbeckFarm.nearLeightonBuzzard,isunder threat-notbecauseofplannersbutbecauseitis simplyunderused!

Everyyearseesthelossofairfields,withothers havingrestrictionsplaceduponthem,soplease, let'smakesureplaceslikeHolmbeck,which welcomesall-comers,remainopenwithahealthy volumeoftraffic.PPRisessentialon01296 681925or681816.Mobile07748557202.and pleaseuseSafetyCom135.475.

CFSAEROROTAXOPENDAY

Aspreviouslyreported,CFSAerowillbetaking ontheUK,Ireland,IcelandandFalklandIslands Rotaxagencyfrom3December.AttheLAARally thecompanyconfirmedthatitwouldcontinueto supportallexistingRotaxcustomersinboththenoncertifiedandcertifiedmarkets,spanningallrangesof theRotaxproductsuite.Similarly,thislevelofsupport extendstoOEMs,flyingschoolsandallassociated withRotaxproducts.

Theengineering,commercialandsupportfunctions whichmakeuptheRotaxTeamatCFShavea cumulativewealthofexperienceinaviationand theGAsectorthatspansmanyyearsandmany thousandsofenginerepairsandoverhauls. Tounderpinitscommitmenttoboththeproductand customers,CFSAerohasannouncedanOpenDay LaunchEventonSaturday6December2014-an idealopportunitytoseethefullCFSFacifities,meet theCFSRotaxTeamandstafffromBRP-Powertrain (Rotax). wwwcfsaero.com

GAUNITUPDATE

JustpriortotheRally,theCAAreleasedits latestupdateontheprogressbeingmadeby theGAUnitinreducingtheregulatoryburden. Itcontainsdetailsoftheworkcarriedoutto dateandanumberofintendedactionsoverthe comingmonths.

GoodnewsforthosewhooperateEASA aircraftandperhapsfeelthattheCAAhas littlepowertoaltertheirlotisthattheUnithas reaffirmeditsundertakingtochallengeand supporttheEuropeanAviationSafetyAgencyas itworksonitscommitmenttodeliver'Simpler, lighter,betterrulesforGA'.TonyRapson,Head oftheCAA'sGAUnit,hasbeenconfirmedas ChairoftheEASANAAGAroadmapgroup.This willdeliveranactionplantotheEASASafety ConferenceonGAinRomeon15/16October. JoiningTonyRapson,CAACEOAndrewHaines andGrantShappsMPwillalsobespeakingat theconference.

SAVEMONEYONTICKETSFORTHEFLYINGSHOW

TheFlyingShowreturnstoitsformerhome atTheInternationalCentre,Telfordon22/23 NovemberLAAmemberscansavemoney bybookingtheirticketsinadvance,£6 insteadoftheon-the-doorpriceof£12.50 Membersmustenterthecode'LM780'on thebottomoftheticketpagebyclicking 'Enterpromotionalcode'.Onthefollowing

screentheywillbeaskedfortheirdetails andLAAmembershipnumberPaymentcan bemadewithdebitorcreditcardsandof coursePaypal.Thisthenallowscurrent LAA memberstopurchaseatthereducedprice. Alldiscountsapplytoadvanceticketsonly, nodiscountsareavailableontheday. inowthellyingshow.co.uk

ROTAX912THEFTS-BEAWARE!

UnfortunatelyitseemsthattheftsofRotax 912sareontheincreaseagain.Arecent casewascitedintheBMAAnewsletterof aCThavingitsengineremoved,and memberSteveNoblealsosuffereda completefirewallforwardlossfromhis TecnamSierra,G-CDTV,inJune.Theaircraft isbasedatRayneHallFarm,Essexandthe 912Sserialnumberis5645683.

StevecommentsthatIffehasneverbeen easierforthewould-becrookwithaircraft detailsbeingavailableonG-INFOand GoogleEarthofferingideasforoverland routesintoairstrips.

Wemustallbemorepro-activeinsecuring ourpropertyandmakeitasdifficultas possibleforwouldbethievesThecostofnot botheringcanbeveryhighindeed

LAABRANDWINDSOCKS

TheLAAcannowofferhigh-quality,high-visibility orangewindsockswithourownLAAlogoprinted onthem.Theyareidealforairstripsandairfields, andaremadefromatoughpolyesterfabric. StandardSizesavailableare:lm,£35;1.4m, £49;2m,£69,allincl.deliveryandVAT.Larger designscanbemadeavailable.ContactLAA H.Q.fordetails01280846786.

LAACOURSES

TwoLAAmetalworkcoursesareplanned for1and2NovemberatTurweston.The hands-oncourseisdesignedtoteach basicpreparationandrivetingskillsfor thoseinterestedinbuildingaircraftsuch astheVan'sseries.Cost£140includesa Van'stooboxthatyouwillassemble,plus tea/coffee.

TwodateshavealsobeensetforWooden AircraftStructurescourseswhichteachthe skillsrequiredtobuildorrepairinwood. Theyare12Novemberand10December. ThiscourseisheldatLiddington,near Swindon.Cost£95includeslunch. ARotax912enginecoursewhich takesownersthroughtheinstallationand

ABETTERWHEEL

Clecopliershavehadthesamebasicform fortimeimmemorialbutaUSZenairbuilder. ChrisBraun,decidedhecoulddesign abettertool.HisClecallpliersarenow availableandare70%lighterthannormal decopliers,whichreducesfatigueand wristpain.Theyalsohaveaverticalprofile thatinstallsclecosintightareaswithease, andeasilyinstallsclecosonupsidedown surfaces.Pricearound$30. twwclecall.com

GAPILOTTURNON

TheCAAhasrecentlyannouncedthat licensedaerodromesarenowfreeto introducepilotcontrolledlightingsystems. Untilnow,thisfacilitywasreservedsolely fortheemergencyservices.Unlicensed aerodromeshavebeenusingpilotcontrolled lightingtechnologyforanumberofyears. Morein CAAInformationNoticeIN2014-143.

maintenanceofthepopular912series ofenginesisscheduledfor29November atTurweston.Price£120includestea/ coffee.Tobookaplaceonanyofthese coursespleasecalltheofficeon01280 846786.FurtherdetailsaboutLAA coursescanbefoundonthewebsite wwwlea.uk.corn

LETTERS

TheRallywasgreatbutlet'sgetmoreyoungstersinvolved!

Ihavejustreturnedfromthisyear's Rally:itwaswellorganised, professionalandIthoroughly enjoyedmyself

However!Ididnoticethedistinct lackofyoungpeopleattending theeventwhichwasdisappointing Iarnonacrusadetotemptmore youngfolktotakeupflyingbut weneedtodispelthemythsthatit isanelitistsportforwealthymen andwomen.IsupportPhilHall andtheLAAintheirenthusiasm andenergyazencouragingthe youngergenerationtoenterthe worldofaviation.

Thefunofflyingshouldbe availabletoeveryone,nomatter whatandIthereforeurgemembers oftheLAAtoencourageyoungsters togetinvolved.Ifayoungperson canexperiencethesheerjoyflying hasgivenme,thentheirlifewillhave beenenriched.

KateHowe

BumbleBeeNipper,G-AWJE

AirmanshIplessthandesired First-congratulationstoeveryone involvedinputtingonanexcellent RallyTherewasmoretosee,the organisationandATCwasgood, andthecrosswindtogetherwith theundulatinggrassrunwaywas achallenge!(I'lltrythehardnext time.)

Ihaveonenegativecommentand thisisnotdirectedattheL.

Aswearrived(fromtheEast) thereservoirroundaboutlooked surprisinglyquietwithonlyone aircraftaheadanditwassome gooddistanceawayatthatWe dulyfollowedroundandtheaircraft aheadwasprobablytouchingthe runwaywhenwereachedtheA43to turndownwind,Imagineoursurprise whenwesawthreeaircraftinvarious statesof'final'headingforthe runwayWecouldonlyassumethat theyhaddecidedtofly'straightin' astherewasalullinthetrafficThere wasnorealsafetyhazardbecause ofthedistancebutIdoconsiderthis tobepoorairmanship.

Irealiselhatitiseasytofailtosee anotheraircraftbutwithtwoofus lookingoutcouldwehavefailed toseethreeaircraftahead-oneat leasthadveryvividcolouring-when followingtheprescribedapproach° Notmuchcanbedoneaboutthis hutrtisdisappointing

• LookingforwardtoaRallyagain nextyear!

TerrySmith

TEAMitwas-thankfully!

Iamsadtoseethatwehavelost WayneIsonIgottoknowhimin theyearssoonafterEricDutton emigratedtotheStates.Ericwas oneofthegroupoffriendswho wereinvolvedwithWayneinthe design,manufactureandtesting ofhisearlycraft WayneandErichadadivergence ofopinionconcerningthecompany name:asyousay.Waynewanted tocalltheCompanyTEAMTennesseeEngineeringAnd ManufacturingInc.:Eric,withhis impishschoolboysenseofhumour, wantedtocallitTennesseeUltralight Research&DevelopmentSystems Wayne'swillprevailed GeoffFarr

ReallyRallySatisfied. IhavepinedtheLAAinexpectation ofmyYAK52beingwelcomedinto

yoursysteminthenearfuture,and asanewishmemberhopingbr greatthingsfromtheLAAIdecided toflyintotheRallyatSywellonthe SundaytoseewhattheLAAwasall about.Whatapleasantsurprise! Arrivingatanybusyairfieldin a Yak,100mphonfbal,isusually nofun,buttheslickarrangements meantIwasontheground andparkedwithno'interesting' moments.Theshowareawasan absolutedelight,verywelllaidout andaircraft,engineandcomponent manufacturersallaroundMarquees fulloftraders,catering,theallimportanttoiletsandplentyof thingstoseeanddo.Ipickedup anewlogbookaridabargaintin ofwing-walkpaint,bumpedinto manyfolkIhadnotseeninanage andhadanat-roundenjoyable afternoon.Departurewaseven simplerthanarrival.

Congratulationstoallinvolved, Iwasnotexpectingsucha comprehensiveandprofessional showanyoneattendingwouldhave

beenenthusedtobuildorbuyand flyanaircraft,welldone.Whatare thedatesfornextyear?

SimonDucker

TheRallydatesfor2015are4.5,6 SeptemberEd.

AnastyKnock

tookmyJodelDR1050withmy wifetoIrelandlastweekand decidedtoflytoWaterford,Kerry andIrelandWest(Knock)because wecouldhireacarfromeach airportanddrivearoundtosee Irelandcloseup

Allwasfineuntilwewenttopay ourlandingfeeandparkingfor threeclaysatourfinaldestination, IrelandWest(Knock),wherewe werepresentedwithaninvoice for€155(thequotegiventome onthetelephonetwodaysbefore myarrivalwas€15landingfee and€10perdayparking,withno mentionoranyothercharges)

NeedlesstosayIwasmostupset buthadtopaytheinvoicebefore theywouldletmeleave

Afternegotiationswithhigher authorityIhavemanagedtoobtain arefundofthe€85chargefor handling-asIshouldhavebeen quotedforrtonmyinitialtelephone enquiry

Noneoftheotherairfields/airports thatIhavevisitedinIrelandmakethe extrachargesIwasinvoicedfor,ie. AircraftHandlingCharge:Departing PassengerLoadSupplement:or AirportDevelopmentFeetoGA aircraft.IcanonlythinkthatIreland West(Knock)wanttodiscourage lightaircraftSohewarnedand includeKnockinyourtravelsatyour financialperil.

Apartfromthisunfortunate experience,havingbeenflyingin Irelandseveraltimesbefore,wecan thoroughlyrecommendit.

JohnKempton

LightAircraft AssociationLimited

20I4AnnualGeneralMeeting

TheAnnualGeneralMeetingofLightAircraftAssociationLimitedwillbe heldonSaturdayINovemberinTheCirrusSuiteatSywellAerodrome, Northants,NN6OBN

AircraftAssociationLimitedwill beheldonSaturday1November inTheCirrusSuiteatSywell Aerodrome,Northants,NN6OBN

JimMcKenna (cooptedontotheBoard andnowstandingfor election).

T heAnnualGeneralMeetingofLight

Theprogrammeforthedayisasfollows:

1030-1100:Tea/Coffee

1100-1130:AGM

1130-1145:LAAServiceAwards 1145-1215:Reports 1214-1245:OpenForum

PleaseensureyouhaveyourLAA MembershipCardwithyoutogainadmission.

NoticesofMotionconcerningamendmentsto theArticlesofAssociationmustbesubmitted totheLAAofficebySaturday11October andmustbesignedbytheProposeranda Seconder,bothofwhommustbebeneficial shareholders.

Aproxyvotingformisincludedonthereverse ofthewhiteaddresscoversheetthatcame withthismagazine,torthosewishingtovote butwhoareunabletoattendAnyMotions receivedwillbepostedonourwebsiteonor after13Octoberandcanbeenteredbyname ornumberintheblankResolutions/Motions boxesontheproxypriortosubmittingit Proxyformsmustbesubmittedatleast48 hourspriortotheAGM.Furtherdetailsare availableontheLAAWebsitewww.laa.uk.com

Nominationsforelectionorre-electiontothe Boardclosedon1September.Thefollowing candidatesarestandingforelectionorreelection.

ACCOUNTS

Anabbreviatedsetofthe2013LAA financialaccountswillbeplacedonthe LAAwebsiteonorafter13OctoberShould anybodywishtoseeacopyofthefull accountstheycandosobyrequestinga copyfromtheLAATurwestonofficePlease includeyourLAAMembershipnumber:

Myinvolvement withthePFNLAA startedin1976with theWestLondon StrutwhilstatBA. findingmyselftakenbytheenthusiasmof themembersImetandthePFARalliesat Cranfield.MycareermovedontotheCAA whereasheadofEngineerLicensingIwas heavilyinvolvedwiththeRegulatoryApproach toRecreationalAviation.KnownastheRA2 report,itsuggestedanumberofchangesin theregulatoryapproachtoGAoperations. andwassubmittedagreedbytheCAA Board.Ibelievethatitlaidthefoundations fortherecentestablishmentoftheCAAGA Unitandthecontinuingthedevelopment ofconcessionsandalleviationsforGA operations(e.g.PermitIMC).Iamcurrently helpingtoguidetheimplementationofa differentapproachwithinLAAtosafetyinthe areasofairworthinessandoperations.

HarryHopkins (Boardmember standingforreelection).

After35yearsinthe RAF,carryingout amixtureofflying andstaffjobs,I wantedtobuildand flyalightaircraft.IjoinedtheAssociationin 1989,setuptheGlosterStrutin1993andam stillitsChairman.IhaveashareinanRV-4 whichIhelpedtobuildandhencefeelable torepresentbuildersandgroupowners.My contributionstoAssociationworkhavemainly concernedmarketing,heritageandtrophies andawards,butIalsorepresenttheinterests ofStrutsandClubs,bothwithintheBoardand inNationalCouncil.lamhappytocontinueto offermyservicesandrepresenttheinterests ofallourmembersifelected

LordRotherwick (Boardmember standingforreelection).

Ihaveservedonthe LAAboardsince 2005thoughIalso servedonthePFA ECfrom19972001.Myinterestsinaviationstartedinthe schoolCombinedCadetForce.Myfirstjob wasonthepetrolpumpsKidlingtonwhere laterIlearnttoflyfixed-wing.Isubsequently workedatBristowHelicopterswhereI gainedmyrotaryPPLIhavebuiltandflown anembarrassingnumberofhomebuilds includingaGlasairIIRGwhichIflewto Pakistan1997.USA2000andSouthAfrica 2004.IamacurrentPPLandInstrument RatedpilotflyingaColumbia400Istillenjoy buildingandhavejustappliedforaPermit toTestofmyrecentlycompletedRV-8.I amamemberoftheHouseofLordsandif successfulinreturningtothehoardIlook forwardtopromotingtheinterestsoftheLAA intheHouse

JamesTannock (Boardmember standingforreelection)

IjoinedthePFAin 1996andsettowork tobuildsomething metal,easytoflyand cheap.Ihadlittle practicalengineeringexperience,nolicence andlittleprospectofamedical.Threeyears laterIhadcreatedaratherbasicZenair601, hadaPPLandevenamedical!Istoodtor electiontotheECandjoinedagroupof newly-electedmembersbentonbringing itintothe21stcentury.SincethenIhave helpedrelaunchtheAssociationasthe LAA,restructureitasaunitarycompany andinmanywaysmakeitarobust andinfluentialbody,arealGA successstoryfortheUK.

ELTJTSO approved496MHzELT £599

AMERI-KINGAK-451-15ELTJTS0

HELICOPTERversion E795

FASTFIND220 PLI3 £199

GMEMT4100 PLB E249

HM51 childheadset...........E 89

Peltor8006 GAheadset £199

Peltor Helicopterheadset.. E225

DavidClark H10-30 £199

DavidClark H10-13,4 £229

DavidClarkH10-13H £249

DavidClark H10-60 £259

NEWDavidClarkProX ENC £437

SennheiserHME110 £204

SennheiserHMEC250 £330

SennheiserHMEC2613K-2£495

Sennheiser51 passive £249

SennheiserSI noiseguard E465

SennheiserSI DrertalANR £665

PRECISION

PAI700verticalcardcompass E249 MID -CONTINENT

4300UFESAVERElectrichorizonwith1hour emergencybatterybackupfrom£2495 MD200-306TCourseRevInd E1195 13941100-77TurnCoordinator f530

7000C.31VerticalSpeedIndf450 MD90DuarteClock f165

KX165A-02 Nay/Com833kHzE3500

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Priije News

Projectstoinspireotherstobuildtheirownaeroplane

Compiledby DanielFrancis

T hismonth'sprojectnewsisinadvertentlya'Spitfirespecial'.

AlthoughallthesereplicaSpitfireshavefoundasuitable replacementfortheevocativeandmajesticcrescendo oftheRolls-RoyceMerlin,theyarebynomeanslesser examples.IamverypleasedtohearfromPaulFowler,the skipperoftheMK2613SpitfiresquadronprojectatEnstone aerodrome,andTimMajor,thebuilderofafull-sizedJurca MJ10Spitfire.Bothprojectshavebeenanythingbuteasyfor thebuildersandtheyarebothfineexamplesofwhatcanbe achievedbydeterminationandhardgraft.Frommypointofview, theseprojectscapturewhatissogreatanduniqueaboutbeinginvolved withtheLAA.

Andbelieveitornot,justasIwascompletingthismonth'scolumn camenewsofthesuccessfulfirstflightofyetanotherSpibire.thisone anearlier80%scaleexampleoftheSupermarineMk26.G-CEFC, belongingtoDavidBishop.Ihopewecangetthefullstoryonthis machineforafutureissueCongratulationsDavid TheLAAregisteralsowelcomesthreeinterestingvintagetypestothe fold.TigerMothsG-ALUCandG-AGYUweretransferredinAugustalong

withMilesM65GeminiG-AKHPIhavemanagedtorustleup somegreatshotsofthesemachinesbutIwouldverymuch liketohearfromtheindividualsdirectlyconnectedwith themPleasegetintouchLikewise,ifyouhavebeenorare preparingtotransferyouraircrafttoaPermit,ProjectNews wouldliketohearyourstory.

AsIsayeverymonth.ProjectNewsisalwaysinneedof yourbuildingstoriesPleasesendapictureorparagraph aboutyoubuildingprogress.Yourfellowmembersandbuilders benefitgreatlyfromthesharingofyourexperiences,bethatofahelpful supplieroragreatinspectorwhogotyououtofascrapewhenyou shouldhavemeasuredtwiceanddrilledonce'Ifyouhavealready beenthevictimofmybadgeringforyourstory,keepmeuptodatewith progressofyourprojectwhetheryou'vejuststartedorareaddingthe finishingtouches,infactwhateverstageyou'reat.pleasegelintouch at projectnews@laa-arehiye.org.uk

(InthelastissueweincorrectlyattributedtheProjectNewsSpecial buildofVanSRVBG-XRVB,itwasactuallywrittenbythebuilderPaul Winters.ApologiesPaulandcongratulationsonasuperbaircraft.)

THEFIRSTflightofEuropaXSG-CGVJtookplaceonSunday24August withtestpilotDavidHardakeratthecontrols.AllreportsfromDavid indicatesheflewstraightasanarrowandhewasverypleasedwithits

performance.DavidGlowahaspromisedusadetailedstoryofhis13 yearbuildforafutureissueandasheusedtomanufactureairframesfor Europa,thestorywillnodoubtprovetobeveryinteresting.

DAVIDGLOWA

TIMMAJOR

HAVINGFLOWNfor46years,mostlyintaildraggers,Ihadlongheld theambitiontobuildaSpitfire.InMay2007IreadanarticleinthePFA magazineaboutJohnRogerson'sSpitfireprojectandsubsequently travelledtomeethimandseeit.ItwasthenearestinshapeIhadseento therealthinginascalereplica;Ihadpreviouslystudiedvariousplansbut nothingthatmatcheduptotheJurcaMJ10.Thechallengewastobuild fromscratchandnotfromakit,sowiththisinmindIorderedasetof plansfromtheJurcawebsite.

Theplansarrived,all80sheetsofthem,varyinginsizefromA3toover ametresquare.Theywereallhanddrawn,withtheinstructionshand writtenincapitalletters,althoughnotprogressinginsequence.Despite havingreadplansallmylife,asabuilderIfoundtheseverychallenging todecipher

InJune2009IreceivedagreementfromtheLAAthatIcouldproceed withtheproject,withtheunderstandingthatitmaynotbeclearedfor flightoncompletion.Theriskwasmineastherewasnoprecedent.I decidedtogoahead.

Ihaveagrassairstripwithahangarclosetomyhome,butIdecided tocompleteasmuchofthebuildaspossibleinmygarage.FirstIbuilt thefuselageandtailplane,followedbythewingsection.Aseachstage wascompletedItransportedittothehangarwhereitwasallfinally assembled.

Thefuselageandwingsareofsimilarconstructionmadeprimarilyfrom Sitkasprucetoformtheskeleton,whichisskinnedwithplywood.The entirestructurewasthenfinishedwithCeconiteheatshrinkfabricand finallypainted.Thecowlingsarealuminium.

Throughoutthebuildtherehavebeenmanychallenges—creatingthe spinner,theundercarriage,thecanopyandtheengineframetonamebut

afew.ImanagedtosourceanengineandmatchingpropfromtheUSA, whichhavefittedperfectly.

IdecidedtomodelmySpitfireonPJ-Cfrom130PunjabSquadron, whichwasbasedatPerranporthAirfieldin1941,onlyafewmilesfrom whereIlive.IwenttotheNationalArchivestoresearchthesquadronand havemadeitasauthenticaspossible.Itiscalled Endeavour andallthe decalsarecorrect.

On11January2012,whentheprojectwasabouthalfwaythrough, IwasissuedwithaCertificateofRegistrationG-CHBW.Twoyears laterinJanuary2014,FrancisDonaldsonvisitedCornwalland completedthefinalveryrigorousLAAinspection.Followingafewminor adjustmentsIwasissuedwithaPermittoTestFly—averyspecial moment.

InMay2014,IwasvisitedbyDonaldandMavisShorland.Donaldwas basedinPerranporthwith130PunjabSquadronduringthewarand heflewtheSpitfirePJ-K.MaviswasbasedatPortreath,whichisalso nearby.Itwasamazingtosharetheirexperiencesandtheywerevery emotionalwhenItookthemtoseetheSpitfire.Itstirredupsomany memoriesforthem.Itwasawonderfuladditiontothewholeexperience.

Theentireprocessisdocumentedindetailbyphotographs.Mywife Alisoniswritingthestoryofthebuildfromherperspective,including muchofthedetailandpersonalanecdotes,whichbringsthebuild processtolife!Thisshouldbecompletedsoonandwilladdprovenance tothisSpitfireproject.

FiveyearsonPJ-Cisnowreadyandwaitingtoflywithmyinspector andtestpilot,StefanHeale(whohasseentheentireprojectthrough)at thecontrols.Indeedshemaywellhavespreadherwingsintheblue skiesoverCornwallbythetimethisarticleispublished.

'CITYOF OXFORD'SPITFIRESQUADRON PAULFOWLER

SOMANY saidthiscouldn't,andasmallnumbersaiditshouldn't,be done!Wellcomeandtakeacloselookatwhatcanbeachievedbya groupof12peoplewithnoaircraftbuildingexperience,mostofwhom hadnevermetbefore,buildingoneofthemostcomplexhomebuiltkit aeroplanesavailable.

Ifyouarenotfamiliarwiththeproject,theplanistobuildadozenof theseMK26Bsandoperatethemasasquadron,withalltheassociated groundcrewsandtradesthatsupportanoperationalunit.Thesquadron hasalreadyreceivedinvitationsfrommanyofthemajorairshows throughoutEuropeandiscurrentlyworkingonapotentialmajor documentaryseriestobescreenednextyear

TheMK26BisnotareplicaSpitfirebutisamoderntakeonthe legendaryaircraft,andat90%scaleitmakesamuchmoreaffordable andmanageableoptionforusmeremortalswhoarenotluckyorwealthy enoughtoownalegacySpitfire.

EN-Aisastunningaircraft,builttothehigheststandardsexpected bytheLAAandistestamenttothesupportgiventotheteamfromall 'CityofOxford'SpitfireSquadronpaint scheme,Ebeingthesecondaircraftwhich isnowunderconstruction

quarterswithintheLAAandtheprojectcommunity.Truetherehavebeen manychallengesbuttheEN-Ateamhassoldieredondespitetheseand producedabeautifulexampleofthetype.

Theplanisstilltobuild12oftheselovelies,buttheprojecttimetable hasmorethanslipped,asallambitiousprojectsgenerallydo!The secondMK26B.EN-E,isunderwayandislookingforafewmore shareholderstocompletetheteam.ProgressonEN-Ehasbeena littleslowduetheentireoperationhavingtomoveitslocationfromthe southsideofEnstoneaerodrometotheoppositeendandnorthside. Thenewlocationisabrandnewfacilitywitha20yearleaseanduse ofbothhardandnorthsidegrassrunways.Tothatyoucanadda newclubhousewhichhasspectacularviewsoftherunways.andthe Tardis-likehangarhasacathedral-likeinteriorwithplentyofroomto accommodatethenewsquadron.

Sowhat'slefttodobeforeEN-Atakestotheskies?Thereareacouple ofmodsrequiredthateagle-eyedFrancisDonaldsonpickedupduring thelastinspection.Wealsohavetodotheenginetestsasthiswasnot

completedonanearlierMK26withthe3.51tV6fromIsuzu.Then JezCookewilltakeherthroughherpaces.

ThedetailinthisSpitfireisquitesuperb;thepanelisallretro lookingandhassomegreatlittletouchesthatreallymakea differencetothepilotandtheoverallfeelofthe'office%Allthe internalpaintworkisfinishedinthestandardgreen,mostofwhich camefromthespraygunofPeteHughes,theresthecovered himselfin:"It'sasmallplacetowork!"

Theexteriorpaintworkisaworkofartinitself;Ihadaparticular finishinmind,whenIexplainedthatIwantedglosspaintwithamatt finish.Thesilenceattheendofthephonewasdeafening.Then MurrayFlintsaid"YupIknowwhatyoumean,"andtheresultis breathtakinglybeautiful.

Formoreinformationaboutthesquadron www.spitfireclub.co.uk orgivetheme,theSkipper,acall01608678204,particularlyifyou wouldliketohaveaone-to-onewithEN-AasIliketospendfime withhervisitors.

JezCookevisitedtheEnstoneSpitfireearlierthisyearandwill hopefullyflyitforthefirsttimeverysoon

MOTHSOVERTHESOMME

TheWesternFrontAssociationinvitedthe deHavillandMothClub(dHMC)tosupport thecommemorationevent.Itwasoriginally intendedtoincludeaflypastandlandingof threereplicaBE2cs,oneinthecoloursof Harvey-Kelly'smachine,alongwithafurther flypastandlandingofacontingentofde HavillandMothaircraftofseveraltypesto commemoratethesubsequentarrivalofthe RoyalFlyingCorps(RFC)squadrons.

Theplanwasforaircrafttogatherat HeadcornairfieldnearAshfordinKenton12 August,thentoflyoverSwingateDownnear Dover,beforetransitingtoAbbevilleaerodrome inFrancewheretheywouldbebased.The followingdaywouldseetheMothSquadron flytoAmiens,whichhadbeenthearrivalpoint oftheBE2sinFrancein1914.AtAmiensit wouldlandandformpartofthecentenary anniversarycommemorationservice.Leaving Amiens,theMothSquadronwouldthenfly northeastovertheSommebattlefieldsofthe WesternFronttoArras,whereitwouldland atArras-Roclincourtairfield.Finally,theMoth SquadronwouldtransitbacktoAbbevilleand returntotheUKonthefollowingday.

On12August,1914,poorweatherhad delayedthemovementofaircrafttoDoverand similarconditions100yearslaterdidlikewise; therewereheavyshowersandablustery northwesterlywindthatrepresentedthetail endofformerhurricaneBertha.Someaircraft, includingMattBonningtonandSteveSlater's replicaBE2,bravedtheturbulentconditions andreachedHeadcornbymidday.Sadly twofurtherfull-sizereplicaBE2sespecially shippedfromNewZealandhadtoremain safelytuckedupintheirhangaratOldWarden

ABBCreportoftheeventsatHeadcorncan beseenat wwwbbc.co.uk/news/uk-28757569

AtHeadcorntheweatherconditionsdidnot improveoverlunchandtheBE2,andmany oftheotheraircraft,reluctantlyoptednotto flytoFrance.However,adeterminedfew decidedtoproceedandonceairborneover theChannel,conditionsgraduallyimproved astheMothsflewsouth.CrossingtheFrench coastatCapGrisNez,theMothsfolloweda coastalroutetowardsBerck-sur-Merbefore headingsoutheasttowardsAbbevillewhere theylanded,refuelledandpreparedforan overnightstay.

PROMISEOFAFINEDAY

Justasin1914,13Augustdawnedbrightand stillwiththepromiseofafinesummer'sday, idealforthedayofcommemoration.Atotal ofsixTigerMothsandoneHornetMothwere readyatAbbevilletojointhecommemoration events,withHornetMoth Anadne, G-ADNE, beingthefirstairborneandcarryingawreathto Amienstobeplacedduringthecommemoration service.Thewreathwasoriginallytohavebeen flowntoFranceintheBE2,butitwastransferred totheHornetMothwhentheBE2wasunable toproceedsouthfromHeadcorn.Theremaining sixTigerMothsdecidedtoflyintwo'vic' formationsofthreeaircrafteach.Aftertakingoff ataround11am,theyheadedforAmiens,32 milestothesoutheast.

ThecommemorationserviceatAmiens-Glisy aerodromeincludedaparadewithStandards andCadets,theSouthWalesCOrMeibionDe Cymrumalevoicechoirsingingamedleyof GreatWarsongs,andaserviceandprayers ofremembranceledbythechaplain.Asthe

serviceended,andperfectlyoncue,the sixTigerMothscompletedtheirflypastand landed.Theytaxieduptothecrowd-lineand formedupsixabreastwithenginesrunning. Allengineswerethencutsimultaneously, tospontaneousapplausefromtheseveral hundredspectators,manyofwhomwere dressedinMilcostume.

TheMothsprovidedtheonlyvisual aeronauticallinktothearrivaloftheRoyal FlyingCorps100yearspreviouslyCadetsand spectatorshadtheirphotographstakeninfront oftheMoths,andveteranswereinterviewed alongsidethevintageaircraft.TheAmiens AeroClubthentreatedpilotsandcrewstoa sumptuousandextensivelunch,duringwhich anotherfourTigersandtheonlyairworthy QueenBeearriveddirectfromtheUKasthe weatherhadmoderated.Thatmade12all toldandweweredelightedtoseethem!Their pilotswerealsowelcomedbytheAeroClub dePicardieandinvitedtojointhegrowing lunchtimefestivities.Despitetheworstthe weathercouldthrowatthem,morethanhalf oftheoriginal23TigersandtwoHornetsthat hadsignedupasthesupportcastforthe commemorationhadactuallyarrivedinFrance. Withlunchfinished,itwastimetoflyto Arras,withaserviceofremembranceto commemoratethearrivaloftheBritish ExpeditionaryForce(BEF)inFranceduetobe heldattheArrasFlyingServicesMemorialin theFaubourg-d'AmiensCemeteryduringthe lateafternoon.TheMothswereduetoflythe 38milesnortheasttoArras-Roclincourtairfield, whichwouldtakethemalongthepathofthe WesternFront.ThreemembersoftheMoth Club'sTigerNineaeronauticaldisplayteam

decidedtotransittoArrasinvicformationover someofthenotableSommebattlefieldsites. AfourthTigerMothaccompaniedtheTiger3' andphotographedtheflight

TheformationwasledbyRobinRussellin thecamouflagedDE-992.Tohisportside wasJonathanTurnbullintheoldestTiger Mothinexistence,theredG-ACDA.andto hisstarboardwasPeterBenestintheyellow G-ANEM.Thephotoship1-6953,waspiloted byClivePonsford,whosedaughterIsabelflew withJonathanonthissortie.Robin'sbrotherin-lawJonathanSavage,aprivatepilotfrom Kenyawhohadflownoverfortheevent,flew withRobinintheleadaircraft.Robin,having previouslybeenanRAFfighterpilotflying Phantoms,formedaperfectlinkbetweenthe RoyalFlyingCorpsofthepastandtheRoyal AirForceoftoday.

WorldWarIwascharacterisedbythe stalemateoftrenchwarfare.TheWestern Frontwasalineoftrenchesrunningfromthe NorthSeainBelgiumtotheSwissborderand afteraninifialdashtoestablishthefrontline, theWesternFrontdidnotmovesignificantly overthedurationoftheGreatWar.Nearlytwo yearsintotheconflict,andafterfourmonthsof bloodyfightingbetweenFrenchandGerman forces100milestothesoutheastatVerdun,the SommeOffensiveof1916wasinitiatedtodivert Germanresourcesandreducethepressureon theFrenchatVerdun.TheSommeOffensive wasfoughtalonga28-milesectionofthe WesternFront.

Inpreparationfortheoffensive,former coalminersdugtunnelsundernoman'sland betweenAlliedandGermantrenches.Caverns wereexcavateddirectlyunderkeyGerman

positionsandfilledwithexplosives.Sixteenof these'mines'werepreparedanddetonated justbeforethestartoftheOffensiveat0730hrs on1July,1916.Thelargestofthesemineswas atLaBoisselle,nearAlbertanditsexplosion washeardinLondon,makingittheloudest soundeverheardinEuropeuptothattime.Al LaBoisselle.theresultingLochnagarCrater, namedafterthemaintrenchfromwhichthe tunnelwasstarted,is100macrossand30m deep.Thousandsoftonsofdebriswouldhave beenthrownuptoamileintheair.Immediately afterthedetonationofthesemines,theBrifish andFrenchforcesemergedfromtheirtrenches underthecoverofartilleryfire,andadvanced. Onthatfirstday,despitesustainingthelargest everlossbytheBrifishArmyinasingleday -58,000casualfiesofwhom19,000diedprogressremainedelusive.

CRATERCEREMONY

ThesiteoftheLochnagarCraterwasbought byEnglishmanRichardDunningin1978,and isnowoneofthefewremainingminecraters accessibletothepublic.Aceremonyisheld atthecraterat0730hrson1Julyeachyearto commemoratethebeginningoftheBattleof theSomme.

ThreemilestothenorthofLaBoisselle isthesmallvillageofThiepval.Sittingona strategicallyimportantridgeoverlookingthe valleyoftheRiverAncre,itwasheldand fortifiedbytheGermans.TheSommeOffensive soughttorecaptureThiepval,andBritishtroops achievedthison27September,1916,inthe closingstagesoftheBattleoftheSomme.In March1918itwasretakenbytheGermans duringtheirSpringOffensive,butrecaptured

againbyBrifishtroopsduringAugust1918. Thesitewaschosenforthebuildingofthe largestBritishwarmemorialintheworld. DesignedbySirEdwinLutyensandcompleted in1932,itstands45mtall.Onitswallsare inscribedthenamesof73,357Britishand SouthAfricansoldierskilledduringtheSomme battlesbetween1915and1918,forwhom thereisnoknowngrave.Theyare'TheMissing oftheSomme'.

Thefive-monthdurationoftheSomme Offensiveclaimedmorethanonemillion casualties,eitherkilled,woundedormissingin action.Theseincludedapproximately420,000 British,nearly200,000Frenchand650,000 German.Inthegentlyrollingcountrysideof theSommeregiontherearenumerousmilitary cemeteries-410Commonwealth,22French and14German;theyvaryinsizefromthe large,suchastheAustralianNationalMemorial atVillers-Bretonneux,tothesmall,wherea fewdozensoldiersareburiedinthefields neartowheretheyfell.TheCommonwealth WarGravesCommissionmaintainsthe Commonwealthcemeteriestoanimmaculate standard.The'Tiger3formationflewover manyofthesesitesasitheadedtowardsArras, includingthecemeteriesnearOvillers-laBoisselletothenorthoftheLochnagarcrater, andatThiepvaltothenorthoftheThiepval Memorial.

BackinAugust1914,thefirstRFCaircraft senttoFrancewereusedforaerialobservation; the'Tiger3'formationcontinuedthistraditionof aerialobservationduringtheflighttoArras. OnarrivalatArras-Roclincourtairfield, theAeroClubhadlaidoncoffeeand asmallreception.JustbeforeSpmthe

majoritytookofttoreturntoAbbevilleand passedoverheadtheCitadelwherethemain serviceefcommerrGratienhadstartedat PpmApparentlytheWelshchoirhadjust completedtheopeninghymnwhentheloose formationpassedby,Greeted,weunderstand. tospontaneousapplausebythethousands ofpeopletherewhocouldhavebeen forgivenforthinkingthattheflypasthadbeen choreographed.TheceremonyatArrasclosed withaflypastbyaTornado,appropriatelyfrorn 2SquadronRAF

BackatAbbeville.pilotsandcrewsmetinthe earlyeveningfordinnerattheairfieldmotel Overlookingtheairfield,dinerscouldseetheir MothsparkedlustoutsidethewindowsMore

than40peopleenjoyedasuperbmeal.The AbbevilleAeroClubreceivedadeafening roundofapplauseforallitssupport.the 'GentlemenoftheRFC'weretoastedandall presentgainedabetterappreciationofthe courageofthosepilotsintheirearlyaircraft 100yearsagoItwasafigingconclusiontoa successfulandmemorableday

Bythefollowingdayconditionshadcooled noticeablyanddarkcloudsweregatherind nthewest.Someaircraftdepartedearlyfor thereturnflighttotheUKandbyIlam,just tenTigerMothsremainedalAbbeville.The rainstartedasthefirstofthesetookoffand setanortherlycourseforhomeTheweather graduallyworsenedbutallarrivedhomesafely

ThisMothClubexpeditiontoFranceenabled theslantsand soilnds ofbiplanestobeIprought tothosetakingpartinthecommernoraEon eventsWhilstmoderncommunication, navigationandweatherforecastingare availabletotoday'spilots,thetaskofflyinglight biplanesfromtheUKtoFrancetodayisthe sameasfacedbytheRFCin1914

ThedeHaviilandMothClubshouldbe commendedforarranging,inpartnersUp withtheFrenchauthoritiesandtheWestern FrontAssociation.fortheappearanceof Mothswithacentralroleatthecentenary commemorationsatAmiens (Timar)ksalsotoRonGammonsandJohn Gilder IA thepreparationotthisfeature.Erl)

WithsofewJodelsmaintainingtheiroriginalspec,whatatreat toseeD117,G-BIOU,whichfeaturestheoriginalalloycowlings, afactorypaintscheme,andoriginalstylewindscreenandwheel spats.ItlooksverymuchlikeitdidwhenitlefttheSociete AeronautiqueNormandefactoryatBerneyin1958.Itflewfor manyyearswithagroupofex-BAcrewintheOxfordareabut nowresidesatDunkeswell. (PhotoPaulBussey)

Whilemuchofthegyrotalkoflatehasbeenofthenewfactorybuilttwo-seaters,thereremainsasmallgroupofhard-coreLAA single-seatowners,fewmorededicatedthanDaveOrgan.Dave hasownedandflownhisCampbellCricket,G-AXVM,since1981 andreceivedtheMalcolmAllanTrophyfortheMostMeritorious ArrivalbyAir,havingflowninfromGloucester. (PhotoPaulBussey)

HerewasthefirstofhopefullymanyvisitstoLAARalliesfor DH89DragonRapideG-AHAG.Aftermanyyearsofrestoration 'AGreturnedtotheairforthefirsttimein40yearsatMemburyin August2013andisnowresplendentinScilloniaAirwayslivery,for whomsheflewtheLand'sEndtoStMary'srouteinthemid-1960s. Amagnificentsight,bothonthegroundandintheair.

(PhotoMrckBaicar)

Sywell RaIIy

ByBrianHope

The2014LAASywellRallyturned outtobeagreatsuccessdespite earlyweekjittersthatwecould experiencetheworstweather sincebringingtheeventbackinto thecalendarsixyearsago.Astheweek progressedtheweathergodsrelentedand althoughFridaywasn'texactlysummerlike,it wasflyableandahealthytotalof250aircraft arrived.Saturdaywasbetterwith314arrivals andbySundaymorningtheweatherwas positivelyIndianSummerand,nodoubtdue topeoplehavingre-bookedslots,wehadthe busiestfinalarrivalsdaysincethereturnofthe Rally.230aircraftflewin,whichismorethan 100uponthepreviousbest.

(Mainimage) Thewindwasblustery formuchoftheweekendandwell acrossontheSaturday.HereTony Wakefield'sverynicelypresented MinicabG-BGMJisbeingfrisky righttotheendbutaperfectly safearrivalwasmade.

(PhotoMickBajcar)

(Right)Artist MartinSquiressketched anumberofaircraftattheRally, includingDavidBeale'swonderful PercivalMewGull,whichwonthe PooleySwordforBestReplicaAircraft

Atotalthenofaround800aircraftover threedays,over30ofwhichhadcomein frommainlandEurope,sotherewasalways somethinginterestinggoingon.I'mthe firsttoagreethatit'snotallaboutnumbers though,andthisyearweagainhada wonderfulcollectionofmodern,classic andvintageaircrafttofeastoureyesonA packedexhibitionareaprovidedplentyof opportunitytospendmoney,andprovided acafethatwasapplaudedbymanyvisitors, andit isn't oftenyoucansaythatabout outsidecatering.Fabulousaeroplanes, goodfood,greatfriendsandplentyof entertainment.yesRally2014wasawinner despiteachillandtrickycrosswind

TheRallyofcoursereliesonvolunteers tosetitupandrunit,thereisnosmoke andmirrorsandcertainlynomagic,it's simplydowntoputtinginthegraft.I'm sureonbehalfofallwhoattendedIcan sayamassivethankstoeverybodywho didtheirbittomakeithappen.Wewould alsoliketothankLightAeroSparesfortheir sponsorshipoftheHomebuilderCentreand AdamsAviationforsponsoringtheSaturday eveningAwardsPresentation.

Rollon2015.Thedateforyourdiaryis 4/5/6Septemberandthevenuewill,once again,beSywell

AdamsAviationsponsoredtheAwards presentationandalsoannouncedanew servicetomembersoftheLAAandother EFLEVAorganisationsaroundEuropethat willseethemabletopurchasepartsat preferentialprices.Theonlinescheme willbegininthenewyearbutisalready upandrunningfortelephoneorders (moredetailsinNEWSpage8). www.adamsaviation.corn

WhatalovelyshotofBoeingStearman E75KaydetN43YP,whichcameinfrom BicesteronFriday. (PhotoNigelHitchman)

(Right) AnLASHomebuilderCentrewinnerwasRichardTeverson,who manywillrecallisthebuilderofthefirstUKColombanLuciole,onwhich henowhasover300hours.Aserialbuilder,Richardisnowwellonthe waywithaNicollierMenestrel,thefuselageofwhichhehadbroughtto Sywell.HewonaCommendationCertificateinthePart-Builtcategory. Pureartistryinwood,it'llbeashametocoverit. (PhotoNeilWilson)

ddr . aL.ARth,„

TheWeslakedieselmadeitspublicdebutattheRally.Beingbolted ontothefrontofaGroppoTrailallowedittoadequatelyshowedits compactsizeandconfigurationwhichwillenableittolitin'with thecompetitionincurrentairframes.Theengineisnowbackin apropstand,whichenablescontinuedreliabilitytesting,while asecondengine,withtheinjectionandwaterpumps mountedattherear,willbefittedintotheTrailand preparedforflighttrialsinthenearfuture. (PhotoBrianHope)

LightAeroSparesonceagainverykindlysponsoredthe HomebuilderCentreandthisyearhaditsstandinthe marquee.Aseveritwaspackedwithbargainsforthe aircraftownerandbuilder,andwasbusythroughoutthe weekend. (PhotoNeilWilson)

TheWarwickshire&NorthamptonshireAir AmbulanceraisedatotalofE1,544.21atthe Rally,ofwhichEt;001.26wascollectedbythe PaulLawrence'steamof'LAAparkies'wholook afterthecarparkthroughouttheweekend.We seemtorecognisetheguyontheright-hand side;weshouldgivehimabighandsohehasa matchingpair! (PhotoNeilWilson)

TophonourfortheBestKitBuiltaircraft istheRAA(Canada)Trophyandthis yearitwenttoRichardParrisforhis immaculatelybuiltVan'sRV-7,G-RVRP, whichmadeitsmaidenflightatTurweston inNovember2012.Poweriscourtesyofa 180hpSuperiorXP-I0-360.

(PhotoNigelHitchman)

RonSouchownedthisthree-seatPiperPA-12SuperCruiserfrom 1975until1977whenhesolditon.Hecouldn'tresistbuyingit againin2011andspentacoupleofyearsonandoffrestoringit asandwhenhisbusyAeroAntiquesworkshopwouldallow.It's beenflyingagainforawhileandthiswasitsfirstpostrestoration visittotheRally.Needlesstosayitlooksstunningandcollected aCommendationCertificateintheVintagecategory.Notetheone piecedoorthathingesupwardunderthewing;itworksperfectly andlatches,dareIsay,likeaVolkswagen.

(PhotoNigelHitchman)

rirr G-ARIS

TheRallyisagreatplacetomeet-upwithfriendsandthe SonexinEuropegroup,headedbySonexbuilderSteve Moody,didjustthattodiscussbuildingandflyingthetype. TwoparticipantswhoflewinwereDuncanScottwithhis Jabiru3300poweredtd-gear(foreground)infromCroftFarm andChrisRaynerwithhissimilarlypoweredtaildraggerfrom Enstone. (PhotoNeilWilson)

wvweih

7+1011,Sjk-

Another ofMartinSquire's sketches,thisofDudleyPattison's beautifulRotecRadial-poweredStummelflitzer, G-ZIRA,whichwonhimtheAirSquadronTrophyfor bestPlansBuilt.YoucanseemoreofMartin'sworkat martinsquiresautomotiveillustration.blogspotco.uk

TLStingUK'sTL3000Siriusisaimedatthecertifiedflyer whowantssomethinghefeelsfamiliarwithbutwhichoffers affordabilityandbetterperformance.TheCzech-builtallcompositetwo-seaterevenhasyokesratherthansticks, quiteararityinthekitplaneworld.PricesstartatE55,340 plusdeliveryandvat.Thecompanyalsooffersthelow-wing TL2000StingCarbon.www.tl-sting.co.uk (PhotoBrianHope)

AsmilingNigelBeale withhisD-Motorengined Eurostar.Workhas progressedquicklyto thisstageandtheengine hasrunbutthecooling hasyettobecompleted. Ifflighttestingshows thistobeasatisfactory marriagethenitmay beofferedasafirewall forwardpackage. Light Aviation featuredthe D-MotorintheSeptember issue. (PhotoEdHicks)

RALLYUPDATE

backrestandcarriesaBeckerradio,Trig transponder,Garmin196GPSandSigtronics intercom-averyneatsolutionforthepilot (wholiesfromthebackseatinaJ3)who generallyhastohavesuchluxuriesscrewed orVelcroedtoanyavailabletubeorsurfaceto beabletoreachthem

Theengineisbuiltfromasetof085 caseswithan0-200crankandcamand newMilleniumcylindersItalsofeaturesan alternatorandastarterThiscombination clearlyprovidestheaircraftwithsufficient

gruntbecauseitwillclimbatalmost1,000fpm, yetcruiseat85-90mphat2,350,anddeliver 105mphat2,450onagooddayItburnsa reasonable41/2gph(Mph)

Bob'scareerhistoryisinengineering,the drawingofficeendratherthantheoilybits, buthereallyhasgottherestorationand re-coveringbitbetweenhisteethnow.He hasalreadycompletedasecondrestoration. aMaule,andhasacouplemorepotential restorationsinthepipeline-whichmeansthe Cubisonthemarketfortherightmoney.

Bobstartedflyingin1969/70andhaving learnedonaCessna150,promptlywent outandboughtaTigerMothIn1995he wontheBritishAirRacingChampionships inaLuscombe8F.He'salsoownedaLake Buccaneerflyingboat,flyingituptotheArctic CircleanddowntosouthernSpain.More recentlyheshippedhisTigertoNewZealand torawinter'sflying,andtoSouthAfricafor anaerialsafarithattookinJohannesburg. Botswana,ZambiaandtheVictoriaFalls-all veryOutofAfrica!Hehas3,000hours,90% ofwhichareontaildraggers,sowhenhesays theCub'sSTOLcapabilityandclimbrate, thankstoitsreworkedengine,makeitahoot tofly,heknowswhatheistalkingabout. HeScurrentlybasedatOldWarden,whichis wherehestartedoutoverfortyyearsagowith hisTigerHe'scomeandgoneovertheyears asdifferentmanagershaveeitherencouraged orotherwtseprivateowners,butheisnow happilyensconcedinoneofthehighquality newhangars'acrosstheotherside'fromthe museum.I'msurewewillbeseeingmore delightfulrestorationssettinguphomeinthe shadowoftheShuttleworthCollectionoverthe comingyears-andhopefullyturninguptobe admiredattheLAARally.

A veryneatsolutionforsupplyingthepilot withtheelectronicsfortoday'saviating environment.

LightspeedZuluPFX

ThenewUghtSpeedZuluPFXtakesheadsetperformanceand

comforttoanewlevel.TheStreamingQuiet-dynamicANR continuouslyadaptstheamount,consistency,andfrequency rangeofnoisecancellationwhileacousticresponsemapping measuresandadaptstheaudioresponsetothepilot'sear shapeandsizeformaximumnoiseattenuationand voiceclarity.

Features:

Softearseals,exceptionalfit,weighsjust 400grams(14ounces)

Ruggedcablesofsilver-coatedcopperalloy wrappedaroundaKevlarcore

Bluetoothconnectivity

EnhancedFlightLinkcapabilities

AutoShutoff"

Mobilephone/musicconnection

Stereoormono

FirmwareupgradabilitygivestheZuluPFX unlimitedpotentialtoevolvewithnewsoftware innovations

AvMap UltraEFIS

AYMAP

UltraEFIS

TheUlraEFISisa stand-alonedevice withUltrabright3.5" sunlightreadable display.Lessthan 50mmdepthbehindthe panel,andweighing only145gtheUltra EFIScanbeeasilyinstalledinthesamelocationas astandard80mmArtificialHorizon,connectingto theGPSsupply,12VpowerandPitot/Staticsystem. Designedforsailplanesandultra-lightaircraft,the UltraEFIScontainssoljd-stategyros,accelerometers, magnetometersensorandair-datasensors.

Thedisplaygivestrueattitude,indicatedandtrue airspeed,altitude,headinginformationandaslip ball.ThealternativeHSIdisplaygivesfullnavigation informationusingitsbuilt-inupdatableworld-wide JeppesenDatabase.

£995.00 AVMAPEFISULTRA

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WHATHAS EVERDONE FORUS?

BySteveHutt,FASVIGProgrammeCoordinator

seeingthatheadlinelastyearin theAprilissueof LightAviation?

D oyouhaveavaguememoryof

Thearticleaskedyoutotellus whatneededtobefixedabout airspacesowecouldusetheFuture AirspaceStrategy(FAS)todosomething aboutIt.

LAAmembersarenotknownforreticence whenitcomestosayingwhatregulations shouldbechangedbutunfortunatelythere wasnoavalancheofideasDisappointing Sowithoutmuchofanoutsidesteer,abunch ofaviators(includingsomeLAApeople), ATCandairlinepeople,plusthemilitary andtheregulators,cametogetherunderthe bannerofFASVIG(FASVFRImplementation Group)andcameupwithnumerouswaysto makeVFRflyingbetterandeasierSlimmed downandcompressedintopackages,our listissetoutonthepostutnotes(below)The CAAwantstodelivertheFASforusaswell asforcommercialoperationssoitiswilling tobuyintoandsupportourprojechButifwe wantittohappenwehavetogetonwithit Ifwedon'tdoit(andbywe,ImeantheGA community),nobodyelsewill Perhapsthebiggestiteminthereisto identifygeographicareaswhicharereally importanttousanddevelopaprocesswithin theCAAthatformallyrecognisesthoseareas aspartofairspacepolicy.Thatway,the placesyouneedtoflywillnotjustbe'brown fieldsiteswaitingforcontrolledairspaceto

MODERNISINGAIRSPACE

CriticalareasinUKFIRtorVFR

VFRacceptedascoretrafficin

Terminalairspace

VFRrequirementinLondon airspacedesign

DesignterminalairspaceforVFR Moderniseregulatedairspace

Removeunder-utsedCAS

,Transparentairspacecitange

Jprocess

LikemostGApilots,Itooamfrustratedby theseeminglyconstantchippingawayatClass GairspaceHavinghelpedoutonpastLAA airspacecampaignsandwithanunquenched desiretohelpimprovethelotofGA,whenthe callwasputoutforsomeonetotakeonthe roleofFASVIGProgrammeCoordinator,my interestwassparked.Afterabitofinvestigation Idecidedtothrowmyhatintheringandwas fortunateenoughtobeofferedtherole. Istarted1July2014.

Manyinthevarious'alphabetsoup' flyingorganisationshaveabackgroundin commercialormilitaryflying.Mineisalittle differentMycareerwasinITandI'vespent alotoftimeworkingremotely,coordinating largestrategicITprojectsinvolvingpeople frommultiplecompanies.Thefirst21yearsof myworkinglifewasspentatBritishAirwaysso

be'developed'or'improved'forotherusers. theywillhavearecognisedandpresent purpose.Andhavingidentifiedtheimportant areas,wecangostraightintofindoutifthe waytheairspaceisstructuredandregulated isrightforus,andifitisnotwecanchange itTrustme,wereallycan!

Hotontheheelsofthatpackageisa reviewofcontrolledandregulatedairspace toidentifyareaswhicharenotbeingfully usedfortheirpurpose.Obviousexamples includeGlasgow,wheretheairspacewas designedfortworunwaysbutnowtheyonly haveone,andLiverpoolwheretheCASisall thewaydowntothegroundsome15nmfmm touchdownwhenairlinersshouldbeabove 4,000ftPresentlythereisnoincentivefor anyonetogiveupairspacetheyarenotreally using,butwecanchangethattoo!

Thereisalotmoreinthesepackagesbut thesetwoinparticularneedlocalknowledgeso weneedYOUtocometogetherinareagroups tounderstandandidentifyissueswithinthe areayouregularlyflyAnidealagendaitemfor yournextStrutmeeting,perhaps°Orwecan helpyourunremotediscussiongroupsusing conferencecallsorInternetsystemswhichwe cansetupHryou.Justsendmeanemailvia consultation@laa.giccom andIwilldotherest. Wecannotmakethisworkwithoutyou,so dopleasegetintouch.Wemayneverget anotheropportunitytochangethingsforthe betteraboutwhereandhowwecanfly.

ACCESSTOAIRSPACE

Understandcapacityotterminal airspace

CTR/CTAoptimisedtorVFRtraffic

Removeuncieeutilisedregulated airspace

FlexibleUseAirspace

AccessiblemilitaryATZs

MinimiseTRAs

NoClassAbelow10,000ft

therewasanaviationangletotheIT(forthose currentandex-BApilotreaders,myfirstIT jobatBAwasimplementingthenowdefunct SWORDFlightPlanningsystembackin1980).

HavinglearnttoflyatShorehamaboutten yearsago.IcurrentlyflyaniceoldPA28-180 outofGoodwoodandam(slowly)buildinga Van'sRV-7.BuildingtheRVintroducedmeto theRVcommunityintheUKandasaresult expandedmyhorizonsbythegoodfortuneto havebeenabletoparticipateinanumberof theEuropeanRVfly-outsinrecentyears-that helpsalotincomparingandcontrastingUK versusEuropeanairspace FASVIGwasestablishedbytheCAAin January2014toimprovetheefficiencyand effectivenessofVFRoperationsintheUK, mirroringtheworkofFASIIG-theFAS IndustryImplementationGroup,which

AOPA

AscentFlightTraining

BGA

BHA

BHPA

BirminghamAirportLimited BlackpoolAirport

BMAA

CAA

CambridgeInternationalAirport CHIRP

DamynsHall

easyJet

GAA

LAA

Leeds/BradfordInternationalAirport LightAirlines

MOD

NATS

PPL/IR

RIN

ShorehamAirport

StaplefordFlyingClub

UKAB

(Thisisnotaclosedmembershipgroup. IfotherorganisationsfeelFASVIGisrelevant tothemtheyarewelcometoengagewith theGroup.)

VFREFFICIENCY

NOTAMscompatiblewithgraphic display

NOTAMrelevanttotime VARuseetriendlyTRAdefinitions ADS-B(out)available Decontlictionbetweenciviland military

Infringementriskwarningtools ModerniseandsimplifyRTF BringbackICAOFISservicenames tTransitionAltitude18,000ft

isaddressingcommercialoperationsin controlledairspace.OnefocusofFASIIGis introducingCCO/CDO(continuousclimb/ descentoperations).CCO/CDOoffersthe possibilityofraisingthebasesofsome controlledairspacearoundairportssothishas potentialbenefitsforusinGA.

FASVIGaimstoworkwithinafixedtwoyear timescaletodeliverasetoftangiblebenefits withinthe2016-2020timefrarneorearlierwhere possible.WearecurrentlydevelopingtheFAS VFRImplementationPlan(seepost-itnotes) andwe'vejusthadFASVIGMeeting4(myfirst) toreviewit.Oncefinalised,thatdocumentwill befollowedbyaFASVFRDeploymentPlanto makeitallhappen.

Myjobisthehelppullallthepeople, organisationsandactivitiestogether,maintain thefocusandkeepaheadyeyeonprogress!

Alreadythen,thismachinetooisbuildingits historybutthereisundoubtedlyafeelgood factorinowningsomethingthatisnew,that reassurancethateverythingisatthebeginning ofitslifeandaknownquantityandquality.

FIRSTIMPRESSIONS

Onseeingbothaircraftplacedsidebyside,it isobvioustheyarefromdifferenteras.

TheMascaretwasproducedatatime whentailwheeledaircraftwerestartingto fallfromgrace,withintenyearsthelaslof theconventionallygearedJodels,theDR200 series,wouldhavegivenwaytothetri-geared derivatives.However,itperhapsremainsthe epitomeofthetwo-seat,tailwheelwooden variationoftheJodelmarqueUnfortunately, despiteitsenduringqualities,thecompany producingthemdidnotprosper,withreports lhateachaircraftwassoldfortoolittle,less infactthanitsconstructioncosts,withonly around60examplesrolledofftheproduction lineOfthe281JodelsonLheBritishRegister,

26areD150sandthreeofthosearehornebuilts

Thestandardenginefitisthe100hpContinental 0-200(oneexampleis,infact,aD150Awhich hastheslightlymorepowerfulFrenchPotez engine)andthatgenerallydrivesanEvrafixedpitchwoodenpropeller.Despiteitsageitisa charmingandattractivemachine.

TheSportCruiserundoubtedlycutsamore modern,sleekerfigureanditsflowingcurves andlargecanopymakeitverypleasingon theeyeTheall-metal,rivetedconstructionis verymuchthenormformodernpilots,asisits tricycleundercarriagewhichmakesconversion totypemucheasierforthestandardpilotskill setoftodayPowercomescourtesyofthe 100hpRotax912ULS,amodernenginefora modernaircraft,andavarietyotgroundand inflightadjustablepropshavebeenfitted, CzechWoodcompproductsbeingthemost favored.Thereare73LAAPermittedCZAW SportCruisersontheUKregisterItisperhaps ironicthattheSportCruiser,althoughstill effectivelyinproductionasthe8328Cruiseris.

liketheJodel,intruthanorphanaircraftbecause thekitprovider,CZAW,nolongerexists

COMFORTABLECOCKPITS

Bothcockpitsarecomfortable,butat46in (1.17m)theSportCruiseffsisperhapsthe widestinthecategory,withanamplerearshelf andfirstclassvisibilityHowever,anunusual downsideofthiscanopyhasledtosome singeingofcoamings.Whenliftedopen,the sun'sraysareconcentratedandfocusedby thelargecurvedwindscreenontothetopof thecoarning,justbehindthecentrallymounted compass.BothPaulandIanareawareofthis andplaceareflectivepieceofsilverinsulating cardintheaffectedareaasamatterotcourse whentheyopenthecanopy.

Thecanopyisclosedinternallybyalever betweentheseat-backsthatsecurewithtwo latchesonfuselagelockshighontheairframe back.Whenitcomestothoseparticularlywarm days,thecanopycanbeheldslightlyhigh forsomeaircirculationuponstartup.

righttankisusedtheexcessfuelisn'tvented overboardbecausethelefttankisfull.Simple whenyouknowbutpossiblyawkwardshould thepilotbeunawareofthisfeature

Bothaircrafthaverearparcelshelvesthat carryareasonableamountofbaggage,Ihe Jodelbeinglimitedto50lb(23ka)andthe SportCruiserto40Ib(18kg)Thelatteralso featurestwowinglockers(situatedwhere youmightfindaccesstotheammunitionand machinegunsofaWorldWarTwofighter), eachholdingupto22lb/10kgIntermsof overallcarryingcapabilityhowever,theJodel hasausefulloadof674lb(306kg)againstthe SportGruiser's580Ib(263kg),givingtheoldgirl significantlymorepgglefactorintermsofthe fuel/pilotweight/baggageconundiurn

PERFORMANCE

Inrealworldtermstheperformanceofbothof theseaircraftarenotamillionmilesapart.They cancruiseataround100ktbuttypically90ktis thenorm.Insodoingthefuelconsumptionof bothwillbearound17/18lph.TheSportCruiser undoubtedlyclimbsfaster,800fputatMAUW comparedto500lpmonagooddaywiththe Mascarel,althoughitiscarryinganextra100tb andhasaheavierairframe

Intermsofgeneralhandling,theMascaret comesoutontopwithitsclassic1/2/3 aileron/elevator/ruddercontrolforces.The SportCruiserhasalighterthanidealelevator andnotthenicestailerons,thatsaiditis pleasantenoughtoflyandwithelectricallyoperatedrollandpitchtrims(atopthe stick)canbesetupnicelyinthecruise(the Mascarethasjustacableoperatedpitchtrim).

45YEARSAPART

So.thetenmilliondollarquestion-haveGA aircraftreallymovedforwardin45years?I thinkcertainlyyes,butwithreservations UndeniablytheSportCruiserisasleek, modernmachinewithasmart,well-appointed

interior.Itsmetalconstructioniscosteffective, requiringlesslabourtobuildwithmaterialsthat arereadilyavailableTheengineisamodern. relattvelyhightechandlightweightunitwhich, togetherwiththeconstructionmethod,allows anemptyweightthatis170lb(77kg)lighter thantheMascaretItcannotbedeniedthatif wewantproductionaircraft,hetheyreadyto-flyofkit-built,thenwehavetousereadily available,sustainablematerials,andwoodno longercutsthemustardbasedonthatcriterion. Intermsofperformance,thatweightsaving helpssignificantlyinamuchimprovedclimb performance.

Butisilreallyttiatsimple?Aviationisan industrythatisdrivenbypassion,theheart oftenrulingthehead.Whilstitisundeniable thattheSportCruisermeetsarequirement foravoliimeproduct,formorethanafew peopleaeroplanesliketheMascaretbetterhll theneed.Itmatchestheoppositiononmany attributesandbettersitonasmanyasitfalls short,butoveralltheperformanceofbothof thesemachinesisperfectlyadequateinterms oltheirmission.

Thechoiceofwhatis'best'ismoreaboutthe personwhowillownitthantheaeroplaneitself -butisn'tthathowitshouldbe?

RADIO

INSTALLATION

vionics!Tothemajorityofpilots, radiosandtranspondersarethe workofthedevilandthecauseof themostbafflingofproblems.After all,withsuchanalarmingamount ofwirespaghettiit'sonlyamatteroftimebefore theyinflictgreatdamageonyourwallet... Therearealsothoseamongstourranksthat knowallthereistoknowabouttheassociated theories-sadlyIamnotofthose,butIhave spentafairfewyearsworkingwithavionics inallmanneroflightaircraft,cmtifiedand hornebuill.InthisarticleIhopetobeablelo givesomepractical,down-to-earthguidance tothosehopingtokeeptheircostsdown andtackle,forthefirsttime,anupdatingof theiravionicsItisanunfortunatefactthata significantnumberofpilotsaregoingtoneed tochangetheirtrustyoldavionicsforsome newshiny(readexpensive)boxesoftricks Therearetwomainreasonsforthis Fostthere'sthetransponder-I'msurethat wehaveallhadourfillothearingaboutmode Stransponders,andthereisaormipofpilots whohavevowednottobepushedby'big brother'andaredeterminedtocarryonwithout updatingtoModeS.MuchasIsyrnpathisewith thisview,tomeaviationisabouttreedorn,arid notbeingabletogotoplacesIwanttolust becausetherequiredtechnologyisabsentis notasatisfactoryanswerIfearthetrendwill maketiltsrestrictionprogressivelymoredifficult soincreasingnumbersofrebelswillinevitably needtorelentandaccedetotheSword SecondlyVHFradiosnowneedtomunply withthe833KHzspacingasopposedtothe old25KHzspacing.Thiswillhaveaneven greaterinupactthanModeSasitwillapplyle everyaircraftequippedwithVHFradiofrom theendof2017Infact,asmanyalready know,anynewradioinstallationsincelastyear hashadtobe8.33KHzcompliantInevitably therearethosewhobelievetherewillbealast minutereprieveandwewillbeabletoretain ouroldequipmentbutcertainlythemessage Igetfromthosewhohavebeenengagedin theregulatorydebateisthatthissimplyisnot

Asolutionfortheamateuravionicsinstaller isthepre-madewiringloomsthatsome suppliersprovide.AirworldUKoffers transceiverandtransponderloomsfreeof chargetoitsTrigcustomers.

Atypicalinstallation kit,thisfora transponder, showingD-SUB connectors, antennaconnection andstaticsource plumbingfittings. Addwireandmix well!

goingtohappen.InassimpletermsasIcan stateit,bytheendof2017youwilleitherhave tohavean8.33KHz-coropliantradiooryouwill havetooperatenon-radioJustonefrequency onanold760setwillbepermittedforuse1215,theemergencyfrequency.

Thereareobviousconstraintsand requirementsthatcannotbeoverlookedThe mostsignilicantoneisthatallradiosand transponders,i.ethoseavionicboxesthat areabletotransmit,havetobecertifiedand approvedbyourownCAAorEASA,whether theyresideinafactory-builtcertifiedmultimillionpoundietortheoldest,simplest, leastexpensiveandwell-usedhomebuilt Anotherrequirementisthatyouneeda radioinstallationlicence,whichformost ofusisonly£20fortwoyears,bulon ityouneedtospecifytheequipment fitted.Andbeforeanywirestouchcircuit breakersyouwillremembertohavea chatwithyourInspectorandsortoutthe necessarypaperworkrequiredfortherelevant modfromLAAEngineering,won'tyou?

So,hereweare,lookingforanewradioand/TheGreenleeCommunicationsPA1460crimpingtoolworksverywelland ortransponder,tryingtodecidewhichbox/costsaround£50 boxestobuy.Thereisnowplentyofchoice butitwouldnotberightformetogivespecific adviceonwhatyoushouldbuy,youlusthave tolookatwhatisavailable,whateach individualsetcangiveyou,whatyou wishtohaveandwhatyouactuallyneed -andyes,probablythedecidingfactor formanyofus-howmuchthepiggybank cansupportTimespentresearchingwhatis availablewillrepayyouovertheentirelimeyou

andyouraeroplaneremainan'item'

Ifyouwishtotackletheinstallationoiyour newpurchaseintoyourprideandjoyyourself,

andareinthefortunatepositiontohavebought oneofthemoresophisticatedsets,remember thatthemanufacturersarenotlikelytopart withthenecessaryinstallationinformation. Thereis,asonewouldimagine,afairamount

ofinformationonline.butpleasebeawarethat

thisisnotalwaysreliableorup-to-date Goingbacktothepiggybank.ifyouhave fatteneditreallywellbeforeitssacrificefor thegreatergoodofavionics,thiscouldbe agoodtimetoseriouslyconsidersimply payingaprofessionaltocarryoutthe installation.No,thisisnolJusttheeasywayout -theyhaveaccesstothelatestinformation,Modemavionicwithseparateheadunitsandremotehardwareboxesallowfittingin theexperiencetoavoidunnecessarymistakes,confinedspaces.TheseareTrigbutothermanufacturersoffersimilarsolutions.

RADIOINSTALLATION

thenecessaryhardwareandthecorrectand veryexpensivetools.

However,ifyouaredeterminedtocarryon withyourowninstallation,theendresultcould wellsavesomemoneyandultimatelybea veryrewardingexercise.Justlikeallthingsto dowithaircraftbuilding,theamateurneeds toworkhardandlongtobeabletomatch thestandardsprofessionalsareexpected toprovideAndjustlikeallotheraspectsof aeroplaneworkthisisperfectlypossible-but atthecostofmuchdeterminationandslog.

Therearemanyessentialaspectsthathave tobeobserved,startingwiththeneedto read,fullyunderstandandcomplywiththe manufacturer'sinstallationinstructions.Modern unitsarenotaspower-hungryasolderones buttheysftllrequirepower,sopleasemake sureyoursystemcancopewiththeirdemands

Themechanicalfittingoftheunitsintothe panelisobviouslycritical-aradioendingup onyourlapinthemiddleofaparticularlyrough caseofturbulenceorspiritedmanoeuvringis notgoodApointoftenoverlookedisthatthe groundpathisasimportantastheliveside andagoodcentralgroundpointforavionics shouldalwaysbepresentPolaritytoois criticalwithelectroniccomponentsanda slightmistakewithinawell-populated connectorcanfryyournewpurchasewithout anyrecourseonwarranty,socheckandcheck againbeforeconnecting.

Oneelementthatallavionicshavein abundanceiswire,solet'sconsiderthese majorarteries.AsmostLAA'ersarewellaware, thewireinanaircraftneedstobemilitary specification,asourUSAfriendswouldcallit. IfthereisalittleScroogevoicesuggestingyou

useautomotivetypewiring,simplyignore itforoneverygoodreason.Intheeventofa firethePVCcoveringwillgiveoffpoisonous fumesandifyougetforcedtopullwiresoff withyourhandsyoucanguaranteesomevery nastyburns.

AviationwiringismeasuredbyAmericanWire Gauge(AWG)andbyandlargemostwiring foravionicsisspecifiedas22AW0,withthe exceptionofsomepowercablesofthicker gauge.usually18AWG.Thiscomesfrommost unitsbeingdesignedtousethesesizesand althoughthereareinstanceswhere24AW0 ismentioned,Iwouldforegotheminiscule weightadvantageandsubstitutethisthinner (numericallyhigher)wirefor22AW0.

Closelyrelatedtowiringarethetoolsrequired toworkwithit.Theimportanceofusing satisfactorytoolscannotbeover-emphasised. thelongtermreliabilityofthesystemrelieson howwellthewirewascut,strippedandthe connectorsattachedtoit

Wirecuttersforasmallspecificlobneednot beexpensiveandaslongtheyremainsharp andwithoutslacktheywillbeserviceable.One usefulcharacteristicistheabilitytocutwireat 900 sothewirehasafulldiameterrighttothe endSuchcuftersareidentifiablebyoneside ofthejawsbeingflatandonlytheotherside beingangled.

Wirestrippersneedtohecompattblewith Americanunits,using'nearenough'metric strippersisverypoorpracticeasthewire MIget'nicked'andthiscaneasilyleadto futurefailure,justasanyothercrackorsharp indentationinmetal'Pliers'typeofAWG stripperscangiveareasonableresultbut regrettablytheyrarelysatisfactorilygoassmall as22AWGProfessionalsuseratherexpensive (wellover£100)multi-actionstripperssuchas IDEAL45-174M(theonlyonesIuse),butthey dogiveexcellentresultsandgoondoingsofor alongtime.Itishopedthattheuseofaknife forthispurposedoesn'tevencrossyourmind Havingsaidthat,thereisalsoadefiniteneed foragoodsharpknifeandpersonallyIfinda miniatureStanley-typeofknifejustaboutideal Itsobvioususeistostriptheouterinsulation ofmultipletwistedshieldedconductors.This typeofwireisidealforaudioapplicationsas itisverygoodatavoidingallmannerofRF andmagneticinducedinterference.Itcanbe arguedthatinsomeinstancesitmaywellbein excessofrequirements,butitcanavoidhaving toredotheinstallationatalaterdate!

Whenbuyingthiswireitisworthhavingthe braidedmetaltypeofouterscreen,asopposed tothetoilvarietyasitgreatlyreducesthe likelihoodofdamagetotheconductorsinside whenyouareattackingitwithyoursharpknife

Wiresneedtogointoconnectors,soatthe endofeachindividualwirethereisaneedto crimporsoldersomesortofpinorsocket.On mostmodernavionicsthetypeofconnector morecommonlyusedisaformofD-SUB(asin sub-miniature)withafewtypesusingaMolex typeconnector.

WhenusingD-SUBconnectors,thereare twobasictypesavailable,theHighDensity populationandLowDensitypopulation.As expected,theformerallowsmorepinswithin thesamespaceandareusuallyfoundinthe moresophisticatedunits(itisnotuncommonto find78contactswithinaconnector).

TheseD-SUBconnectorsareavailablein solderorcrimptermination.Moreoftenthannot HighDensityconnectorsareavailableinradio kitsascrimpsandLowDensityonesaseither solderorcrimptypesSolderingwiresintoa D-SUE1connectorisnotaparticularlyeasytask whenthereareahighnumberofcontacts:a shortlengthofheatshrinkinsulationovereach solderjointisgoodpractice.Thecrimpvariety (Garminuseexclusivelythistype)canproduce goodresultswithminimumeffort,buttheydo requireagoodcrimpingtool.Professional outfitsusesophisticatedtoolscostingseveral hundredpounds,butIhavehadgoodresults fromaGreenleeCommunicationsPA1460 crimpingtoolataround250.Nomatterwhich toolyouareusing,theformedjointneedstobe testedwithafirmpulltoconfirmasatisfactory crimp.Itisworthnotingthatusing24AWGwire andcrimpingtools,shortofthesophisticated itemsmentionedabove,invariablyleadstoa poorconnection.

Co-axialcablingforantennascomesina varietyofforms,formostsimpleinstallations theR058specificationisquiteadequate.For itemssuchascurrentGPSantennasandother applicationsrequiringalowattenuationcable, 80142willbeyouranswerThere'snothingto stopyouusingthehigherspecificationcable forlowerrequirements,otherthanpriceand easeofhandling.

Towrapupthisintroductiontowiring,make sureyoualwaysleaveroomforserviceloops (sparewirelength)sothatunitscanbe pulledclearofthepanelwithouthavingtobe disconnectedfirst.Andwhenusingshielded wiresforaudio,suchasconnectionstoheadset jacks,theshieldneedstobegroundedatone endonly-inmostinstallationsattheaudio panelorintercom(ifpresent).

Thismentionofintercomsandaudiopanels leadsustolookbrieflyatthisaspectofan avionicsinstallation.Ifyouhappentohave anaircraftwithmorethanoneseat,youreally oughttoconsideroneorotheroftheseunits. Althoughmanyradioshaveabuilt-inintercom facility,Ipersonallyfeelthattheperformance ofsuchunitsiswellunderparwhencompared withaseparateunitandiftheremainsofthe piggy-bankwillruntoit,don'tbereticentabout splashingoutonanintercom/audiopanel.It willbemoneywellspent.

So,youhavetheinstallationalmostcomplete withthetraysinplaceortheplugswiredup, understandablyyouareraringtotryyournew toys-butisthatit?NO!Beforeyouslideyour unitsintotheirtraysorconnecttheirplugs (whicheverthecasemaybe),makesurethe positivepowerandgroundpowerarepresent atthepinsassignedforthatpurpose-this isyourlastchanceofavertingthesmall puffofsmoke,anacridsmellandyetmore unwelcomeexpense!

Ihopetohearyoufives!

LAAFREELANDINGSFOROCTOBER2014

Anotherfourfreelandingvouchersthis month,Fishburn,Gloucester,GoodwoodandLincolnSturgate.Please takethevoucherwithyouwhenyouvisitthese airfieldsandthankthemfortheirgenerosityandsupportof theLAAIfyoucanavailyourselfoftheirfoodandfuel facilities(whereavailable)somuchthebetter.

Withoutspecialistadvicepilotscan oftenfaceexpensivepremium loadingswhenapplyingforlifecover. Wecanusuallysecurestandardrates withnoaviationexclusions.

Lifeassuranceforyourfamily, mortgageorbusiness

Wehelprecreational,commercial, instructorandstudentpilots

Covercanbearrangedoverthe phone—nocomplicatedforms OurinsuranceadvisorholdsaPPL

Onlinediscountedquotes

0

neofthejoysofourAssociation istheinvolvementwithinit ofgroupswhosupporteach otherinkeepingtheirparticular aircrafttypeflying.Ofcourse therearethelargerclubs,likeAeroncas andtheRVsquadron,buthowmanyofus Iwonder,knowmuchabouttheactivitiesof theMWClub,whichsupportsbuildersand flyersofMikeWhittaker'sdesigns?Thisyear marksthe30thanniversaryoftheformation oftheMWClubandforthelast24yearsit hasheldanannualMWClubfly-inatWarren FarmontheMendiphillsaboveCheddar,on thefirstweekendofAugust.Sadly,dueto thelackofMWaircraftattendingthesedays andtheincreasedcostofthevenue,this year'seventwaslikelytohavebeenthelast tobeheldatCheddar.

Comparedtothe80sand90s.whensome 30aircraftwouldarrive,onlytwoMW6 aircraftwerepresentthisyear.theMW6 prototypeG-MNMW,(PFA164-11144), affectionatelyknownas Mother andEddie Clapham'snewlyacquiredMW6,now modifiedtocomplywiththenewSSDR requirements. Mother hasnowbeenflying for28yearsandhasamassedsome2,500 hours.Shewasflowninmanycompetitions intheUKandinternationallywithmuch

successbybothEddieandSteveSlade. ItislittleknownthatinthehandsofEddie andSteve. Mother wasthefirstmicrolight toflyfromLand'sEndtoJohnO'Groatsina singleday,takinginfivefuelstops.

The30thanniversarypromptedthe diggingoutofanoldphotograph,takenby EdwinShakleion,thatshows Mother onthe occasionofitsfirstflightfromBadminton airfieldon1May1986.Shownright,leftto rightareMikeWhittaker(designer),Eddie Clapham(builderandtestpilot),Steve Slade(builderandsoontobeG-MNMW pilot)andSteve'swifeVal.

Thelaterpicture,shownlettandtakenat theCheddarbygatheringbylongtimeMW ClubmemberSimonGanecki,showsMike. SteveandEddie28yearson.

Betweenthesetwophotosthisremarkable aircrafthasflownwithsixdifferentengine typesandgivenhundredsofpassenger rides,alifelongtraditionitcontinuedatthis year'sfly-in.

Eddie,whohasbeenassociatedwith quiteanumberofaircraftinhisbusyand oftencompetitiveflyinglife,saysthat Mother holdsaspecialplaceinhisheart andhehashadmorepurefunwithitthan withanyotherflyingmachine.Longmay thatcontinue.

•

ANAMBITION ATTAINED THANKSTOTHE

ByWilliamProud

Ming LAA

T imehasflownbysinceIwroteto

LightAviation introducingmyselfas thelucky2013ArmstrongIsaacs Scholarshiprecipient,InthattimeI havelearnt,experiencedandloved everyminuteI'vebeenintheair. Thefirstfewlessonsoftrainingwerevery muchfocusedonthestickandrudderskills offlying,whicharetheimportantbuilding blockstoalicenceAfterthiswastheexciting transitionintothecircuit,aculminationofall thecoreskillsIhadlearnt,withthatminor detailattheendofactuallygettingtheaircraft safelybackontotheground.Theselessons werecertainlyintense!Myinstructorsworked mehardandIbegantomakeprogress, alwayschasingthatelusivegreaserofa landing.Inthemiddleofaparticularlyintense circuitdetail,myinstructorgotmetomakea fullstopsaying,'Weneedacupoftea."As welefttherunwayhecalled,"Taxiforstudent firstsolo,"butIhadn'tseenitcorning.I'mnot quitesurewhatIfeltatthatexactmoment, butI'msureit'sconsistentwithlookinglikean excited,nervous,overwhelmedlemon. Everyonesaysthefirstsolostayswithyou foreverandIcanseewhy.Thefirsttimeyou areupintheairaloneandyoufindasecond tolookaroundatthenowemptyseatnext toyou,itisasensationalfeelingoffreedom andindependence.I,ofcourse,hadmy instructor'svoiceinmyheadthewholeway aroundand,thankstothefantastictraining I'vehad,theflightwentverywellandIwasan excitablekidfortherestoftheday.Thefunny thingwas,aswedoourcircuitsatGoodwood, Ilandedon32,whichwastherunway I used towatchaeroplaneslandonasakid,giving thisspecialdayaparticularlynostalgicnote. Afterthistherealworkbegan.Following afewlessonsonsteepturnsImovedonto theratherlargesubjectoffindingyourway aroundinthesky.Ithoughtthecircuitwas intensebutmyfirstNavExflightprobably toppedeventhat,as I collapsedafterwardsin abraindeadheaponthesofa.As I didmore trips,however,thingsstartedtofeellesslike 'Myhead'sgoingtoexplode'andmorelike, 'Doesn'ttheIsleotWightlookprettytoday'. ThenitwastimeformyfirstsoloNavEx,for whichIwenttoCranbrook.Ryeandthenback toShorehamItwasanotherverymemorable flightandthefirsttimethatIreallyhadthe timetoproperlytakeinbeingintheairalone -amazing.

AtPhoenixFlyingthereistheinfamousOld Sarumtrip,whichfollowsonfromyourfirst soloNavEx.ThisinvolvesdepartingShoreham ATC,speakingwithGoodwoodAFIS,aClass DtransitthroughSolent,aMATZpenetration intoBoscombe,followedbylandingatA/G OldSarum,alovelyaerodromewhichcanbe verybusyandhastightrulesregardingentry/ exit.OnthewaybackisaflightaroundSolent ZoneviatheSolent,withstunningviews.After completingthisflightdualIthenwentoffand diditsolo.Itookoffearlyinthedaysoonthe

waythereitwasveryquiet,and I gotatransit straightoverSouthamptonAirport(which wasagreatviewfromtheair)andlandedat OldSarumforacupoftea.Thewayback, however,wasextremelybusyovertheSolent. itbeingsuchalovelysunnyday.Usingthe listeningsquawkonSolent I keptmyeyes andearspeeledfortrafficandgotbackto Shorehamafteranotherthoroughlyenjoyable andsatisfyingtrip.

"Thefirsttimeyou areupintheair aloneandyou findasecondto lookaroundatthe nowemptyseat nexttoyou,itisa sensationalfeeling offreedomand independence"

Afterthiscamethepracticequalifyingcrosscountry.TheplannedroutewasShoreham -Lydd-Stapleford-ShorehamHowever, justapproachingtheThamesIwasgivena practicediversiontoBigginHill.Afterabusy fewminutes,Ihadtherouteplannedand setoffMyinstructorcommentedonwhatan excitablechildIbecamewhenwelanded, gettingourownmarshalandbeingaroundall thebigprivatejetsandofcoursethefantastic viewsofLondononthewaythereIfIthought Icouldn'tgetanymareexcited,aftertake-off weprecededtogetaGatwickZonetransit. I hadbeenbabblingonatmyinstructorsabout wantingtotransitGatwickforawhile,soI thinktherealreasonwediditwastoshutme up!WegotaholdaltheNorthTerminaland thenatransitover26LfollowingalandingBA AirbusHavingflownfromGatwickmanya time,seeingeverythingfromtheairforthefirst timewasareallyunforgettableexperience andcertainlysomething I neverthought I wouldhavetheopportunitytodo.

ThencamemyQualifyingCrossCountry. forwhichIwastogoShoreham-LyddStapleford.Again,anearlystartmeantthat itwasquietandthetriptoLyddgavesome stunningviewsoftheSouthcoast.Aftera quickturnaroundatLydd,Isetoffonmy

waytoStapleford,theweatherthankfullystill beingperfect.As I approachedtheThames, Londonstartedtocreepintoviewofftomy leftandit'safantasticsightfromtheair I must say,albeitexceptionallybusywithcommercial traffic.Staplefordisalovelylittleaerodrome luckedjustinsideoftheM25andnot(hat farfromStansted.Afteracupofteaand watchingtheA380sgoingoverhead.Igot goingonwhatwasalltooquicklymylastleg. Itwasalsothebusiestlegastheamountof GAtrafficonFarnboroughhaddoubledand IwasclosertoBigginthistime.AsIpushed south,thingsquieteneddownandafter skirtingtheedgeofGatwickZone,Ilandedat Shoreham. I findthatnavigatingfromAtoB (andCinthiscase)isverysatisfying. HavingabreakfrommytrainingIattended theLAARallyontheFridayandhelpedout ontheLAAstandItwasagreatopportunity toputfaceslonamesandmeetsomany members. I hadagreattimeandamlooking forwardtoattendingagainnextyear-and maybeevenflyingin.

STOPPRESS!

WillpassedhisPPLSkillsTestonFriday12 Sept.Hewrites: Asthedaystartedtherewasaverylow cloudbasewithpoorvis.Afteraboutathree hoursofwatchingthecloudbaseriseand visibilityimprovingandcheckingtheweather reports,at1200Imadethedecisiontofly MyroutewasShorham-Uckfield-Borough Green-Fairoaks.Thenavwentverywelland whenIgotloBoroughGreenIwastoldto diverttoTenterden,whichagainwentwell. ThenIhadtotracktheVORtoSeafordand getapositionfixwithanotherVOR,Ihada slightlossofbrainfunctionatthestartbut recoveredandmanagedthatOK AswenearedBeachyHeadwegotintothe generalhandlingsectionwhichalsowentOK. Can'tsaythesameformycircuitsbackat Shorehamthough,thiswastheweakestpart ofmytestandthelandingsweren'tgreatso Iwasveryrelievedwhenwelandedafterthe glideapproach.

ItwasamazingtobetoldthatIhadpassed andnowhadmyPPL,adreamcometrue! UniversitystartsthiscomingSundayandI intendjoiningtheATCatSheffieldtokeep flying.andthenwhenIgetbackinthe holidaysflyagainwithPhoenix.

Iwouldneverhavethoughtthatthis timelastyear,asIcheckedmyemailsto seeifmyscholarshipapplicationwas successful, I wouldbewritinganarticle abouthavingcompletedmyflyingtraining! TheLAAhasbeenfantasticinhelpingme achievemygoalandspecialthanksgoto RobMetcalfe,PhilandPennyforalltheir help,andalsotoeveryoneinvolvedinthe Armstrong/Isaacsfundforgivingmethis amazingopportunity

Ireallyamveryproudtobeamemberof theLAA.

SAFETYSPOT

ARMSLEGSAND

With MalcolmMcBride

AirworthinessEngineer

NOSEFAILURES

Withacertainamountofdéjàvu,it'stimeagaintoconsidertheproblems ofusingpatternpartsandtheimportanceofregularmaintenance.Make thewrongdecisionwitheitherandtheresultscanbedisastrous

H elloagain,andwelcometothis autumnSafetySpot,Ihopethat all'swellwithyouandthoseyou love,mostespeciallyifyou're luckyenoughtoownaparticularly gorgeousloverwithwingsandatailplane! Loverornot,wecanallfalloutoffavourwith oneanother.I'vejustcomeoffthetelephone withDAAInspectorDavidHunterwho,whenI askedhimhowhewasgettingonwiththerepair ofhisCvjetkovicCA65atterarecentwheelsuplanding.explained,"She'sinthecornerand we'renotspeakingatthemoment.There'sonly somuchachapcanforgive"We'lllookatthis unusualandinterestingincident,whichoccurred onatypeI'veneverheardofbefore,lateron PatternPartRotorArms

Wefeaturedthispairofpicturesacoupleofmonthsago,showingagoodandabad rotorarmbothasusedintheJabiru2200engine.Thepictureontheleftshowsa'good' Boschrotorarm,thisisthedesignthatwasselectedtofitintotheJabiru-manufactured distributorandhasshownreasonableserviceoverthelastfewyears.Thepicture ontherightshowsaninferiorpatterncopywhichhasahistoryofprematurefailure. Unfortunately,manyofthesepatternpartshaveenteredthesupplychainand,judging bythenumberofin-servicefailures,theyarenotuptothejob.Ifyouoperatea2200 engineandhaven'tcheckedyourrotorarmsyet,takeouradviceandmakesureyou're notrunningwiththeseinferiorpatternpartsbeforeyournextflight.Earlierintheyear, LAA'erColinHaleshadafrightwhenanewly-fittedrotorarmoftheinferiortype,oneof twofittedatoverhaul,gaveuptheghostonhisRandKR2justbeforehesetoutonhis trans-AtlanticflighttoOshkosh. (PhotoGaryCotterell)

(Left) Thispictureofafailedpatternrotor armshowsadifferentmodeoffailure thanwe'vepreviouslyseen.Asyoucan see,thedrivespindlehasgroundaway theinteriorkeywaytothepointthatthe rotorarmitselfhasstoppedgoinground. Thisexampleanditsbrotherfailednearly simultaneouslyafteronlyaveryfewinservicehours,causinganenginefailure duringatrainingflight (Photo:MalcolmMcBride)

Takealookatthepictureofanotherfailedrotor arm,whichIfeatureforacoupleofreasons Firstisbecausetheenginefailureitcaused duringatrainingflightonaJabiruUL-D Microlightaircraftshouldn'thavehappened, especiallyafterallthat'sbeendonetogel thesedodgypartsoutofserviceWe'reall,I hope,prettyexpertatidentifyingthesuspect patternrotorarmsbynow,atleastweshould befromtheamountofpublicitythesefailures havegenerated,andthisone(anditspartner) shouldhavebeenreplacedForsomereason theagentwasn'tawarethattheparticular enginehadbeensuppliedwiththepattern itemsandtheowner,whousesthisfactorybuiltmachinefortraining,doesn'tappearto beaSafetySpotreader.Thesecondreasonto feature?Well,moreinterestingthansupplychaindrop-oftsisthemodeoffailure:we'venot seenafailureinthecentreattachmentbefore Iwas,acoupleofweeksago,verygently takentotaskbyLAAmemberKevinMorgan. whohappenstobetheco-ownerofthePAle SuperCubthatendedupinafieldnear Crowthornelastmonth.Ifyouremember. LAAerJonathanMorton,whowasP1atthe time,madeagreatjobofthefieldlanding inwhatIdescribedinthearticleas'hostile territory'lKevinpointedoutthathewasthe passengeratthelimeoftheincident:but ir wasn'tthefactthatIhadn'tmentionedhimin despatchesthatworriedhim,ratherthelack ofemphasisinthepieceaboutthecauseof theenginefailure.YoumightrememberIwas emphasisingtheneedto FlytheAircraftFirst,

(Aboveandbelow) ThispictureshowstwoHeimHM-6Mrodendbearingsasfittedto mostPietenpols;theoneontheleftcomesfromthelowerlettsideoftheundercarriage andtheoneontherightwasremovedfromtheleftlowerattachment(Iknow,Ishould havebeenclevererwhen I tookthepicture!).Inanyevent,mostofthefailureshave occurredwithbearingsontherightside.Thesebearings,accordingtoLAA'er,Peter Wrightwhoownstheaircrafttheywereremovedfrom,hadbeeninserviceforonly 48hoursand13minutes.Ihopethatyoucanseewhat'shappeninghere—clearlythe landingstresseshavereachedtheyieldpointoftheoutercasingandagaphasstarted toopenbetweentheinnerraceandthecasingitself.Thishascausedwaistinginthe casingwhichreducesthesurfaceareaintheloadedzone;oncethisVaisting'startsthe ultimatestrengthofthebearingintensionwillprogressivelyreducetothepointthatthe casingwillfail,justaswesawinthefailurecasediscussedlastmonth.Thedesigner intendedthisbearingtoactasmechanicalfuse.Thegoodthingaboutthislatestfindis thatwenowknowthatbearingsdon'tjustsuddenlygivewayand,knowingthis,makes themreadilyinspectable. (Photo:MalcolmMcBride)

wur-

abitofahobby-horseofmineallhemoment, inthiscaseataskaccomplishedverywell.

Thereasonfortheenginefailurewasfound tobethatthecarburettor'sfloatvalveseat hadn'tbeenwire-lockedduringaprevious overhaulandhadbecomeunwound,shutting offthefuelsupplyandstoppingtheengine. Kevinwasworriedthattheremaybeother incorrectlyassembledcarburettorsoutthere justwaitingtofail.Itookthecriticismonthe chinandwrotetothefirmthathadcarried outthepreviousoverhaulonthecarburettor toseewhetheranyothercarburettorscould havebeenmisassembledduringthistime. Unfortunately,thecompanyhadchanged handssincetheyhadcompletedtheoriginal overhaulonJonathanandKevin'scarburettor butabitofdetectiveworkthroughthe company'sworkrecordsystemshowed thatthiswastheonlyStombergtheyhad overhauledaroundthattime.Apparently thefitterinvolvednclongerworkedforthe company.ThechapIspokewith,onceI'd madecontactwiththenewmanager,had recentlybeenbroughtintorectifydeficiencies inthecompany'sinspectionsystem.

ThanksKevinforthinkingoutoftheboxwith regardtothisandforpickingupthephoneIt wasgoodtochat.

Pietenporsfailedundercarriagerod endbearings

Anotherincidentfeaturedinlastmonth's magandwherewe'vesincehadabitmore informationtopasson,isthestoryofthefailing Pietenpolundercarriagerodendbearings. We'veissuedartAirworthinessInformation Leafletaboutthisnow,definingaminimum qualitystandardfortheactualbearings, initiatedregularstripinspectionsandhave lifedtheparts.Youcanseebylookingatthe attachedpicturethat.afterreadingSafety Spot,LAAmemberandPietenpotenthusiast PeterWrightdecidedtotakeacloserlookat therodendbearingsonhisRetenpoland, well,youcanseeforyourselfwhathefound. Itiscertainlyworthtakingacloselookaround anundercarriagebeforeeveryflightAfter all,flyingsultsarenotjustworntolookflash, they'retokeepyoursuitcleanwhilstyouare crawlingaroundonallfoursmakingsureall's wellbeforeyouflyGoodSpotPeter.

(Above) RegularreadersofSafetySpot willrecallseeingthispictureofafailed Pietenpolrodendbearingbeforeand the LAA recommendedtheremovalof rodendswithgreasenipplessometime ago.Thisfailurewasthefirstwe'veseen thatfeaturedagrease-nipple-lessrod endbearing.Tobehonest,wewereabit foxedastothesequenceofeventsthat leduptothisbearing'seventualfailure. Certainly,accordingtothemanufacturer's specifications,thebearingitselfshould havebeenstrongenoughtowithstand allnormallandingcaseloadsLast month'sSafetySpotfeaturingarecent undercarriagefailureencouragedafewof youtotakeacloserlookatthebearings onyouraircraftand,asyoucanseeinthe othertwophotographsfeatured,Ithink thatwecannowunderstandwhat'sgoing onintheearlystagesofanevent.Itmay berelevantthattheundercarriagewas designedtouseenergy-absorbingballoon tyreslikethoseonaJ3Cub,butPietenpol buildersprefertheold-timelookof spokedwheelswithnarrowhigh-pressure tyres,whicharemuchlesskindlyonthe undercarriagestructure.

(Photo:MalcolmMcBride)

Ithinkthatthat'senoughgossip, importantthoughitis.Let'stakeabiteinto anotherdevelopingstory,alsoinvolving undercarriages:therehavebeentworecent failuresofSportCruisernoselegassemblies... soundfamiliar?

SportCruiser—PiperSportType NoseLegFailure(s) IfyouaregettingafeelingofDejevu,Icannot saythatIblameyou.Thelastcoupleofyears seemtohavebeendominatedbytheLAA's SportCruisernoselegmodificationprogramme Youwillrememberthatithadbecomeclear, atteracoupleofnoseundercarriagefailures damagingLAAaircraft,thattheassembly suppliedforthekit-builtmachines,builtby theCzechmanufacturerCZAW,wasn'tstrong enough.Aftersomeconsiderableworkby LAAmembers,theproblemwasfixedby theimplementationofoneoftwoavailable strengtheningmodifications,colloquiallyknown astheDoverandDerbymods.Ataround thesametime,PiperAircraftCorporation wasrollingoutthenewfactory-builtLSA versionunderthePiperSportflag,andit

piiipilliunpup

(Above) Thisisthefirsttimethatwe've seenafailureofaPiperSport-type noseundercarriagelegintheUK.This failureoccurredtoanLSAversion oftheSportCruisersowe'renot directlyinvolvedintheinvestigation. Nevertheless,knowingthattherehasnow beenafailurenaturallyconcentratesour thinkingandadvicehasbeengiventoall LAAownersofSportCruiseraircraftto increasethelevelofinspectionsinthis area. (Photo:DavidPitt)

(Left) Hereisaclose-upofthefractureface ofacastoringspindlefromthePiperSporttypenoseundercarriagelegwhichrecently failed.Notethegeneralsimilaritytothe earlierspindlefailurefeaturedinthepicture below.Clearbeachlinesindicateafailure overtimeand,betweentwoandfour o'clock,multipleoriginscanbeseen.We'll needtotakeacloserlookandIbetwe'llsee corrosionpitsinthecrackinitiationzone.

(Photo:NeilCopley)

(Left) Thisisaclose-upofafractureface ofaCSAW-typenosewheelcastoring spindle.Wewerefairlysurethattherewere twoprimaryreasonsforthefailureofthis part:thefirstbeingthatitsimplywasn't strongenoughtotaketheloadsimposed duringnormaloperation;thesecondwas rathermoresubtle,andconcernedlackof routineinspectionandmaintenance.All theseunder-strengthcomponentswere removedfromserviceonLAAmachines during2012and2013.Notetheclassic beachlinesindicatingafatiguefailure (overmultipleoverloadingeventsprobablyoveraperiodoftime).Acloser examinationsuggestedthattheprobable originforthecrackingwasacorrosionpit onthesurfaceofthepin.

(Photo:MalcolmMcBride)

hadtidiedupthedesignslightly,and,perhaps recognisingthedeficienciesintheCZAWnoseleg,hadre-designedthatcomponent.

WeissuedanAirworthinessInformation Leaflet (LANMOD/338/017issue1)in April 2013requiringthereplacementoftheexisting CZAWnose-legswitheithertheDerbymod, theDovermodorthenewEASA-certified PiperSportnose-leg.BoththeDoverand Derbymodsrequiredthereplacementof thespindleassembliesbut,oncethiswas done,itsoonbecameclearthatthelegwas sufferingproblemselsewhereThefirstissue thatsurfacedwasbendinginthelegfollowed, shortlyafterwards,bycracksthatstartedto appearinsomeofthelegsatthewelded joints,mostespeciallythelowerjointAnother modwasclearedbyLAAEngineeringadding doublerplatestothelegtoincreaseitsstiffness andultimatestrength,andthesedoublers wereextendedovertheconnectionwiththe nosewheelassemblytoreducethelocal loadsonthewelds.Thesemodshavebeen incorporatedfleet-wiseand,sofaratleast, we'venotseenanyproblemsinthemodified assemblies

Someownersadoptedtocomplywiththe LAAmodbyfittingthenewPiperSportleg assemblyAtleastupuntiljustrecently,we've hadnoreportedproblemsfromanyofthethree solutionsAnecdotally,wehadheardofone ortwofailureswiththistypeoflegintheUS, althoughinbothcases,thefailuresappeared tobedueto'snap'loadswhenpushingthe aircraftbackintothehangar;thistypeof damage,althoughnotcommon,canoccur TakealookatthepictureofthefailedRV-6A nosewheelstopassemblyI'vefeatured. Oneaspectofallthesefailuresthatbecame ratherobviousduringourenquirieswasthat, especiallywiththemainspindlefailures,lack

(Above) Undercarriagesonlightaircraftneedtobeinspectedconstantlyif embarrassmentistobeavoided.Noticethatthebodyofthisnosewheelcastoringstop isshowingsomesignsofsurfacecorrosion.Thisisthesortofthingthatsuggeststhe legneedstocometopiecestobeinspectedandre-furbished.LAA'erTimGibbsdidn't likethelookoftheweldholdingthetwopartsofthestoptogetherandIcannotsaythat Iblamehim...Timreports:"Ilandedon08atEnstoneyesterdayinamildcrosswind. Itwasafinegentlelanding,butIdon'tthinkI'dperfectlycorrectedthecrabbingofthe aircraftontouchingofthemains,butonloweringofthenoseInoticedmoreroughness fromtheundercarriagethanIexpected.Icheckedtheaircraftoverandnoticedsome minorpaintchippingfromthenosegearspatandastonechiptothepaintontheright mainleg.Everythingelsewasfirm,alignedandworkingcorrectly.You'llprobablyknow thattherunwayisn'tbrilliantinplacesandthereareafewloosestones. "OnreturningtoWhiteOxMeadItookthespatofftojustcheckthatitwasnothingmore thancosmetictofindthatthecastoringlimiterhadfailed."

(Photo:77mGibbs)

(Left)As youcanseetheweldedjointinthisassemblyhas completelyfailedand,lookingatthedepthofpenetrationand unusualpattinationinthefailedweld'sfracturesurface,I'm notconvincedthatthecorrectfillerrod(andthereforewelding technique)wasusedduringthispart'smanufacture;itlooks tohavehadafarlowermeltingpointthanthematerialitwas supposedtobeattaching.Timcontinues,"Theweldhasvirtually completelybrokenawayfrombothsurfaces-nearlyallofitwas looseandfellawayontouchingCloserinspectionshowsatelltalemarkontheleadingedgeoftheplatethatsuggeststhatthe nosewheelcastoredabout240°aroundthewrongwayatsome point,andthiswouldbeconsistentwiththepaintdamagetothe nosewheelspat."

(Photo:77mGibbs)

(Right) We'vebeenluckythusfarthatnoseundercarriagefailures onSportCruiseraircrafthaveonlyoccurredattaxyingspeeds. ThelatestLSAfailureoccurredonlandingbut,fortunatelyfor theoccupants,thegroundspeedwasbelowabout20ktwhen thespindlefailed.Thispictureshowsthespindleassemblyfrom theaircraftthatsufferedafailureofthelegitself.Notethelack oflubricationand,moreworryingly,themultiplecorrosionpits.

(Photo:MalcolmMcBride)

ofmaintenancefeaturedheavilyItwasclear duringmanyoftheinspectionsthatmany oftheoriginalnosewheelassemblieshadn't beenservicedproperly.Allthefailureswesaw exhibitedsomeevidencethattheinitiating cracksoriginatedfrommultiplecorrosionpits inthesurfaceofthepinandmanyofthepins inspecteddidn'tlookasiftheyhadhadany greasenearthemWefoundoutthatmany builders,whilstconstructingtheirkits,hadjust fittedthelegtotheaircraftstraightoutofthe boxthinkingthattheywerereadytofit,hence the'nogrease'scenario!

Thislackofmaintenanceextendedtoother aspectsofnose-legservicingOneaspectof thistypeoftrailingforkdesignisthattheycan bepronetoshimmy,akindofuncomfortable dynamicoscillationwiththeforkswingingwildly fromsidetosideatafairlylowfrequencyof, maybe,fourtotenCPSAshimmycanbevery damagingtolocalstructures,bothbecauseof theincreaseinfatigueduetothefluctuating loadsand,duetoaccelerationaffects,an increaseinpeakloadsSomeaircraftuse

(Below) Idecidedtotakealookatthespindleonthebrokenlegtoseewhytheredidn't appeartobeanygreaseemanatingfromthetopandbottombearings.Itwaspossible that,beforesendingtheitemtousforexaminationafterthefailure,somebodyhad cleanedtheexteriordown.NeverthelessIwasverysurprisedtofindthattherewasn't adropoflubricationinthebearingsatall.Naturally,Iwantedtomakesurethatthe greasingnippleworkedandIhopeyoucanseethattwoorthreepumpsofthegrease gunlater,cleangreasecameoutofthelubricationport.Isort-ofguessedthismightbe thecase,baseduponpreviousexperienceswiththeCZAWspindles.

(Photo:MalcolmMcBride)

(Above) ThisisthefractureareaofafailedPiperSport-typenose undercarriage;thisexamplefailedwhilsttaxying.Toorient yourself,thecastoringpinsitsataboutteno'clockinthephoto soyou'relookingatthepartthewrongwayup.Noticethatthe top(bottominservice)ofthefailedarea,whilstabitbattered,has clearlybeenfailedforsometimebeforethelegfinallygaveway (theareafromaboutthreeo'clocktoabouteighto'clock).Thisis aneasilyinspectableareaontheSportCruiser,butacloselook aroundthisweldwillrequireatorchandamirror.Ouradvice, untilafixhasbeenincorporated,isthatthisweldiscarefully inspectedaftereverylanding;naturally,anysignofcracking groundstheaircraft. (Photo:MalcolmMcBride)

(Above) BeforeIdisassembledthePiperSportnoseleg'sspindle assemblyIwantedtoseewhattheforksrotationalfrictionwas relativetotheCZAW/PSSafetyDirectives.Toolittlefrictionhere willincreasethelikelihoodofshimmy,toomuchmayleadtoa torsionaloverloadfailureofthelegitself,especiallyifregular heavydifferentialbrakingisused.Irecruitedtheassistanceof JoX',theChiefEngineeratAkkiAviationServicesbasedhere atTurweston,forthistest.Asyoucansee,thetestwasdone backwards,inthatnormallythistorqueissetbyreferencetothe forkitselfbut,afterafewsumswenotedthatthefrictionalload wasroughlytwicewhatitshouldhavebeen.

(Photo:MalcolmMcBride)

SAFETYSPOT

specialistpistontypeshimmydampersto preventshimmyfromoccurring,simpler machines,liketheSportCruiser.relyonfriction forcesbetweentheforkassemblyandtheleg. TheSportCruiserreliesonthefrictionimposed bytighteningthespindleassemblyagainst Bellville(cupped)washers,buttheproblemis thatifthefrictionloadsaretoolow,shimmywill occurand,iftoohigh,thelegitselfcaneasily becomeover-loadedduringnormalsteering, andthismayleadtoprematurefailureoftheleg!

So,whatofallthishistory?Well.whatdid Isaylastmonth,'whatgoesaround,comes around'?Wereceivednotificationthatthere hadbeenafailureofanose-leg'following anuneventfullanding'fromtheAirAccident InvestigationBranch(AAIB),theincident havingoccurredatWestTistedairstrip(near Petersfield.Hampshire).Nobodywashug. thankgoodnessand,afterabitofchecking, wediscoveredthatthenose-leghadsimply collapsedwhilsttaxying.Furtherexploration showedthatthefailurehadoccurredwitha PiperSporttypenose-leg,soweaskedthe ownertosendthebrokenpartstoTurweston forexamination

Itwasclear,asyoucanseefromthe accompanyingphotographsandtext,thatlack ofmaintenanceand,perhaps,closeinspection hadplayeditspartinthisfailuretoo.Wesent aletterouttoallSportCruiserownersletting themknowthattherehadbeenafailurewitha PiperSportlegandadvisedownersthat'close attentionshouldbepaidtotheareaaroundthe weldjoiningthelegitselftotheforkattachment hingeateverypre-flightinspection'

AsIsaid,subsequentcloseexamination ofthelegshowedsomeevidencethatlackof maintenancewasatleastpartlytoblame,but itwasclearthatwewereseeingthesametype ofproblemwiththeweldedjointcrackingthat we'dseenpreviouslywiththeCZAWleg,sowe naturallybegandiscussionstoseewhethera similarstrengtheningmodcouldbeintroduced. Thenfateplayeditshandandwehadanother failure,soitlooksasifwemightallhavetogo backtothedrawingboard.

Afewdaysagowereceivedaverybrief emailfromLAAInspector,NeilCopley,letting usknowthatafactory-builtSportCruiserthat helooksafterhadveryrecentlysuffereda noseundercarriagefailureatAudleyEnd Thesefactory-builtmachinesareoutsideof

"Closeexamination ofthelegshowed someevidencethat lackofmaintenance wasatleastpartly toblame"

ourbailiwickofcourse,butNeilsenttheCAA OccurrenceReportwhich,inthedescriptionof events,explainswhathappened.

"Uneventfullandingongrassrunway18 (goodsurface)withmodestcrosswind.During rollout,at20knotsestimated,a/cpitchedonto noseanddeceleratedoveradistanceof85m. EnginestoppedPilotshutofffuelandmaster switchandevacuatedNoinjuries,nofire. Nosewheelhaddetachedatthespindle,nose legthendugintoturfandbentbackonitself. Onepropbladebroken(otherundamaged). lowercowlingsomedamage,landinglight damaged.ELTwasactivatedbydeceleration Neilalsokindlysentusoneortwopictures ofthebrokenspindle,whichIhaveattached. Youcansee,Ihope,thatitappearsthatweare re-visitingoldterritory,butthen,inreality,we're justatthebeginningofthisstorysoitwouldn't befairtojumptoconclusions,wouldit?No doubt,muchmorelater

CvjetkovicCA - 65u/cfailure thinkthatitwouldbeveryfairtosaythat itwouldbeimpossibletocheckforevery possiblefailuremode:agoodinspectorwill getclosebut,realitybeingreality,therewill alwaysbethegotcha.LAAInspector,David Hunter,wascertainly'gotcha'donhiswayto theLAARallythisyearinhisCvjetkovicCA-65. Hedidn'tmakeit,muchtomydisappointment, asIwaslookingforwardtoseeingthisonly exampleoftypeintheUKforthefirsttime. Davidexplainedthatonthisofallflights,when hetriedtoputtheundercarriagedowntomake theaeroplane'sfirstpublicland-awayatSywell, theundercarriageoperatingleverfailedto, well,doanythingatall.

Davidexplained,''AtfirstIcouldn'twork outwhatwasgoingon...wasIdoing everythingright?Thenitbecameclearwhat hadhappenedandIrealisedthatIwasgoing tohavetodoawheels-up:thebestplace todothisinmyview,wasmyhomebaseof ChavangeAirstrip(NearTetbury.Glos):550m ofpristinegrassandnottoomanypeople! IdecidedthatIshouldgetridofasmuchfuel asispossiblewhichmeantflyingaroundfora coupleofhours,soIhadplentyoftimetotry tofindasolutiontothepuzzle.Sadly,no solutioncame!"

Iwouldn'tbeatallsurprisedifyouhadn't heardoftheCA-65,Ihadn't,althoughthis particularexamplepurchasedfromtheestate ofaBelgiumplans-buildercametotheUK abouthalffinishedin2002!Theaircraftis, essentially,alow-wingtaildraggermonoplane withside-by-sideseating:theaircraftis,as implied,aplans-builtaircraftdesignedintheUS byAntonCvjetkovicinthe1960s,Thisexample ispoweredbyawet-sumpturboSubarudriving anNSIvariablepitchpropeller.Regularreaders willrememberthattheNSIpropellerhasthe unusualfeaturewherethefinaldriveisthrough aspragclutch,whichmeansthatthepropeller free-wheelswhennotbeingdriven.Inother words,youcannotstopthepropellerinthe eventofsay,awheels-uplanding!

Anotherunusualthing,wellperhapstwo unusualthings,aboutthemachine-firstlythe exactsamemachinecanbeconstructedusing aluminium,thisbecomestheCvjetkovicCA65Aand,welltoquoteDavid."Thehandling characteristicsareabsolutelysuperb'.Sad thatthisshouldbeconsideredanunusual featureagainstsomanymoderndesigns,but thereyougo.David'saircraftwasessentially finished,havingnowcompletedabout70 separate'tuning/testflightsandwasjust waitingforDanGriffith,theLAA'sChiefTest Pilot,toconducttheformalflightevaluation and,hopefully,signoffthehandlingqualities aspectsoftheLAAdesigninvestigation.

So,whycouldn'tDavidgetthe undercarriagedown?Here'swhathappened asDaviddescribesit

"Theundercarriageisessentiallyamechanical hand-operatedsystem:it'salovelysmoothand robustaffairThemainoperatingleverisactually anoff-the-shelfsocketwrench,theonlydifference fromtheoneinmytoolboxbeingthatitoffersa

ThisrathersadpictureofDavidHunter's CvjetkovicCA-65wastakenafterhe'd madeasuperbjobofawheels-uplanding afteranabortedattempttobringthis interestingmachine,theonlyexample intheUK,totheLAArally.Ifeaturethe picturetoshowyouwhatthisallwood, side-by-sidetwo-seaterlookslike,albeit withoutundercarriagelegs.Notetheslots ontheleading-edgeoftheportwing... interesting! (PhotoDavidHunter)

Here'safewofDavid'sfriendspreparing tolifttheaircraftbackontoitswheels. Thisisbyfarthebestwayofdoingthis(if everyouhaveto)withoutcausingfurther damage.Iwon'tmentionthe'howmany engineersjoke'.Check-outthetextforthe fullstory. (PhotoDavidHunter)

Youmayhaveseencomponentslikethis before,especiallyifyouareinterested inhowratchethandlesinsocketsets work!Believeitornot,aratchethandle isusedastheoperatinghandleforthe Cvjetkovic'sundercarriage;flickthelittle lever(centreleft)onewayforup,the otherfordown;prettycleverifyouask me.TheproblemthatDavidencountered wasthatthepinisonlyheldinplaceby aninterferencefitintotheselectorcam (centrestage),whichwasprobablyfine whenthedevice'shomewasatoolbox. Sadly,andratherexpensively,itcouldn't staytogetherinthedifficultenvironment ofanaircraftcontrolsystem. (PhotoDavidHunter)

drivetobothsidesofthewrench (SeePicsIremembermyDadhavingonelikeitthough,a KingDickitIremember?MI)

Beingasocketwrench,thedirectionoftravelis dictatedbythepositronofasmalloperatinglever, oneway'sup,theother'sdown.Simple.What happenedtocausethedisasterwasthatthislittle selectorarmhadfallenoutsotherewasn't,for wantofabetterphrase,anyratcheteffect".

Davidexplainedthateverythingwentas plannedduringthewheels-uplandingexcept thathedriftedoffthecentre-lineslightlyand cloutedarunwaymarker,damagingtheport flapandwingleadingedgeslightlyTheaircraft wasliftedbackupontoitswheelsandasI explainedearlier,issittingwaitingforsome attention(andacuddle)inthecornerofDavid's hangarWhattheCA-65doesn'tknowyetisthat David'sthinkingupamodfortheundercarriage which,hetellsme,willincludeanelectricmotor Don'ttaketoolongDavid,ifshefliesaswellas yousay,I'dlikeagoinher!FairWinds,

LAACoachandtestpilotChrisThompsonhasbeenworkingwiththeLAAclosely duringtheinitialflighttrialsofaSpitfireMk26.Thingsweregoingwelluntil—well, here'swhathappenedinChris'words.

"FlewtheMK26forthesecondandthirdtimetodaystilldoing'shakedown'shortflights. GraduallyIncreasedthecruisespeedsto145ktthismorning(Inoticedaslighttendency toturnleft).Noproblemsfoundsofar,butafterlandingadetailedinspectionshowed aVERYsmallcrackaroundtheradioaerialwhichlookedlikeapaint/fillerchip.The flapsuppositionwasadjustedtocompensatetherollleftaccordinglyandasecond flightmadethisafternoon.ThiswasabeautifulcalmeveningatLee-on-SolentandI cruisedaboutatleisurefor15minutes.Thisflight'sdetailwastocheckwhethertheflap trimminghadcuredtherollandtoincreasethemaxspeedto160ktinlevelflight(topof thegreenarc).Noproblemswereexperiencedinflightotherthancrapradioreception whichIputdowntointerferencefromtheengine.Afterlanding,wenoticedthatthe aerialmountontopofthefuselagehadamajorfailureandhadcompletelybrokenaway fromthetopofthefuselage.Intheinterimtheplaneistotallygroundedandtestingwill havetoceaseforsometime".Almostcertainly,unbeknowntothepilot,theaerialhad beenshakingathighspeedduetoaerodynamiceffectsonthewhippyrod.Thesame problemwasfirstspottedonthefirstoftypeintheUK,butonlycametolightwhenseen bygroundobserversduringalowpast.Atthetimethishadbeendismissedasa'one off'snag.Agoodlessonlearntshowingwhy,withallnewaircraft,step-wiseincreasesin airspeedarerequiredandanysignsofdistressmustbethoroughlyinvestigated.

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PeteandAnnSmoothyhavebeensupplyingLAAmemberswithpartsandequipmentfor manyyears.NeilWilsondropsinforacoffeeandachat

alwaysseemtohavebeenin 'therightplaceattherighttime," explainedPeteSmoothey,adding, "IfIwasadogIwouldbenamed Lucky.'BasedinWinslowand Hinton-in-theHedges,PeteandhiswifeAnn haveoperatedAirworld(UK)since1994, althoughashewentontodescribe,hisentry intotheworldofaircraftparts supplycameaboutalmostby accident.

Pete'sinterestinthings mechanicalstartedasayoung man,flyingcontrollinemodelsat hislocalAbingdonModelFlying Club.Infact,aeromodellingsoon becameatotalobsessionforhim, tothepointwheremostweekends wouldfindhimalonecompetilion oranother.

Fromradiocontrolaerobatics, PetewaslaterintroducedtoRC pylonracingwhichquicklybecame

hisforte,seeinghimcompetingalloverthe UKandEurope.In1979hewontheFrench/ SwissmeetingatLyon,thefollowingyearhe tooktheAmbiorixTrophy,andthenforfour consecutiveyears,1981-1984,hewonthe DutchInternationalPylonRacingEventat

Emsic

Heemskirk.Eventuallyin1985,hewonthe EuropeanChampionshipeventatMelnikin Czechoslovakia.

Awayfrornaviation,Petestartedhis professionalcareerwithThePostOffice asatelephoneengineer,carrying outhisapprenticeshipatthefamous BletchleyPark,andlaterbecomingan engineeringinstructor.Itwasabout thistimehediscoveredmusicand girls,althoughnotnecessarilyinthat order,andmetfuturewife,Ann Coincidentally,thisbeingaWorld Cupyear,PeteandAnngotmarried inJuly1966,butnotonanyold Saturday-onWorldCupFinalday whenEnglandwereplayingWest Germany!

"WeneverthoughtEnglandwould

Peterinthoseearlymodel flyingdays...

makeittothefinalwhenwebookedit," herecalls,addingthatneedlesstosay quiteatewpeople'wentmissing'afterthe churchceremonyhutitwascertainlya doublecelebrationlaterthateveningatthe reception"Ourweddingnightwasspentat asmallhotelincentralLondon,andLondon certainlyknowshowtocelebrate!'

UltimatelyPetedecidedhewouldhketo extendhimselfbeyondmodelHyingandatan airshowatCranfieldwanderedintotheold caravanthatwastheHOtortheOspreyFlying ClubTherehemetownerandCFIMickDry andjustafewmonthslater,withthehelpof thetwoinstructorsandarathertoedCessna IbiLPetehadashinynewPPL OfcoursehavinganewPPLisonething. havinganaeroplanetoflyisanother However,onadayout,byroad,loaJade] fly-inalPophamin198€1,Petelearnedthata littleJodel0112,ownedbyJohnNewbold, wasforsaleWithencouragementfromChris andMavisParkeroftheJade;Club,Pete

Onthecoverof RadioModeller in1994with hisfullsizeandscaledJodelD120.

endedupbuyingO-AZFEandJohnbravely convertedPeteontotypewithmanycircuits atEnstone"Forme,ranchingawoodand fabricaircraft.withatinylalwheelwasanew experienceandJohndidacrackingjobFrom thenon,IwasaConfirmedJodelfan" WtHeAnnhadnotbeenoverwhelmingly enthusiasticaboutridinginthisgunny littleaeroplanewithbentwings",onecairn summer'sevening,withginclearvisibility PetetookAnnforaHightroundthelocal areaflewitlikea 747 arid!halgaveAnn theconfidencetogoontoenjoythousands ofhoursofflying."Sincethentheyhave travelledtogetheralloverEuropeandNorth Africa.

In1994Petewasoffered,androok,early t. retirementfromETAtonly49yearsofade hewaskickinghisheelsabitandalmost bychancehewasabletoturnhishobbyinto asmallbusinessOwninganolderaeroplane likeaJodelyoudulendtosourceafew hitsandpiecesforspares,andwhen

(Left) PeterandAnnSmoothy,partnerslir inlifeandintheAirworldUKoffice.

(Above) Pete'sRobin0R400ontheapron atGibraltar

MEETTHEMEMBERS

friend,andthenfellowJodelowner,Ken Jarmanneededengineparts,Petefound themintheUSAforhim.

ThenextrequestwasforanEvrapropeller. HelocatedtheFrenchmanufacturerand decidedtoorderfive,droveovertoFranceto collectthemandbecametheUKEvraagent intothebargain.Thus,Airworld(UK)wasborn. Petedecidedthatsupplyingallthings Jodelseemedagoodidea,andcoincidently RollasonAircraftandEngineswasbeing woundupataboutthesametime,soPete boughtupalltheremainingJodelandCondor parts,someofwhichareinterchangeable. WiththeoldRollasonstocksecured. Petethenwroteletters(inFrench)toallof theFrenchsuppliersthathecouldfind. NowAirworld(UK)holdscomprehensive stocksofpartsformostJodelandwooden Robinmodels.

Everkeentoexpanditsstock,PeteandAnn werealwaysonthelookoutfornewproducts tolaunchintotheUK.AsaresultAirworldnow suppliesstallwarningsystems,strobes,wind drivenalternatorsandthecompleterangeof B&Clightweightstartersandalternators.

AirworldisalsoasupplierofTotalandShell oils,whichcanbedelivereddirecttoyour door,carriagepaid.Italsosuppliesawide rangeofuniversalaircraftandengineparts, aswellasthespecialistJodelandRobin components.AsanAircrahSpruceagent, itcanalsosupplyalmostanythingfromthat company'sextensivecatalogue.

AparticularlyrelevantservicePeteis abletoofferissupplyingbespokewiring

harnessesforcustomerswhobuyTrigradios andtranspondersfromAirworld.Hesends outaneasytofilloutformforthecustomerto notecomponentpositions,wirelengthsetc. andthensupplies,fornoadditionalcost,a purpose-madeloomfortheunit,whichmakes installationsomucheasier

OvertheyearsPetehasalsogathered,and invented,anumberofspecialtoolsthathe rentsouttoowners.Onethatisindemand quiteregularlyisaJodelleg'dresser',which reformstheteardrop-shapedouterlegsof manyJodelundercarriages,takingupslack andtruinguptheundercarriagetracking.

ABETTERWIDGET

Havingheardmanytalesofwoeabout corrosioninaircraftenginesthatareleft unusedforlongperiods,particularlythrough theBritishwinter,Petetookacloserlookat theengine-saverproductsthatareavailable throughAircraftSpruce.Aseffectiveasthey undoubtedlyare,Pete,aself-confessed gadgetfreak,decidedhecouldmakea 'betterwidget'soan'engine-saverAirworld style'was,withalittlehelpfromthelateBrian Lamb,designedandbuiltinPete'sworkshop. Formanyyearsnow,ithaspumpedsuperdry,highly-filteredairthroughtheenginein Pete'sRobinwhileitresidesinPete'shanger. Super-dry,filteredairmeansnomoistureand nocorrosion

OnethingPetehasnotdoneisletrunning thebusinessinterferewithhispassionfor flying.In1989hedecidedtosell'FFandwith thehelpoffriendsDaveSentenceandGeoff

Grumble,andLAAinspectorBevisGriffiths, strippeddownandrefurbishedhisnew aeroplane.Thus,JodelD.120G-BMIDtookon anewleaseoflife.Thenin1998,Petebought RobinG-BSYUWhenIvisitedPete'shanger atHinton-in-the-Hedgesheshowedmeamap ofalltheplacesthattheyhavevisitedinall threeaeroplanes,fromthetopofNorwayin thenorthtoCyprusinthesouth,Romaniain theeastandintoAfricatoCasablancaand MarrakechinMorocco.

Annhelpswiththenavigation,"Andverygood sheistoo,"saysPete.Iaskedwhathisbest flyingmemorywasandPeterecallslandingat Gibraltar."Whenyouflyroundthatrockonto finalyouseebeforeyouthelargestpatchof concreteyoumayeverseeinyourlife."

Healsoenjoystakinghisgrandchildren flying.Withhisson-in-lawowningamotor glider,itallowsthemtoteamupandvisit somewhereintheirtwoaircrafttogetherwith thechildren.Petenowhasalmost3,000hours total,practicallyallinJodelsandtheRobin. Providinganythingfromatransponderto alitreofoil,thereisnodoubtthatPeteand AnnhaveworkedhardtomakeAirworld(UK) asuccess,muchtothebenefitofmanyLAA membersforwhomsourcingspecialistparts forlongoutofproductionaeroplanescanbe aproblem.Itisanexcellentexampleofhow theindustrythrowsupsmall,enthusiastic businesseswhoseownersgotheextramile forthecustomer.WelldonePeteandAnn. Mayyoursuccessandenjoymentinsportand recreationalaviationcontinueformanyyears tocome. wwwshofrairworlduk.com

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MCRO1VLABANBI,G-CFSK.Rotax912S, carbonwings.Glasscockpit.130ktcruise @17Iph.Built2009.280hours.Permitto July2015.£44,000.01939232364evenings oremailsifi.collins@virgin.net

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BC12-D. Newpermitandlessthan10 hourssincetopoverhaul,includingnew rings.Thisaircrafthasbeeninthesame ownershipsince1994;itfliesbeautifully andstartswelleitherhotorcold.I'vedescribedherasaprojectbecauseshereally needsastripandrecover!However,you couldputthisoffandenjoyflyingherfor anothercoupleofyears.Thesemustbethe bestkeptsecretsontheLAAregister,side bysideseating,directrelationoftheCub, and100mphcruisefromanA-65ataround 16Itrsperhour.Offersiro£10500.Call 07821718763oremailnskywrite@aoloom

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A lwaysasadtimeoftheyearwhenthecalendarofevents

beginstolookveryempty.It'sasuresignthatwinterison thewaybutwecanatleastlookbackonwhathasbeena fairweathersummerformostofus.Let'sseetheseasonoutwitha flourishanddoourbesttosupportthelastfewevents.Don'tforget

OldBuckenhainMilitaryRevival Show

OldSarum

VintageSundayFly-in 26 01722322525

OldWarden ShuttleworthEndofSeasonAir Show01767627927

BrimptonLAAAndoverStrutFly-in (PPR)07831606075

PophamEndofSeasonFly-in 01256397733

RoughamFly-in

NorthreppsEndofSeasonFly-in (PPR) 07886264992/07771800406

FenlandFACAutumnFly-in

theAGMon1NovemberisatSywellthisyearNOTTurwestoni RemembertoothatLAAmemberscangetgreatlyreducedadmission toTheFlyingShowon22/23NovBUTYOUMUSTORDERYOUR TICKETSINADVANCE(seedetailsinNEWSsection).

YeoviltonFAAMuseumCobham 9 HallReserveOpenDay 01935840565 t5.

YeoviltonFAAMuseumModel Show01935840565 (7

t.b.a.VACAllHallowsFly-in Weston -super -MareHelicopter MuseumHalloweenFamilyFun Day

SywellLAAAGM(NoteVenue) 01280846786

OldSarumVintageSundayFly-in 01722322525

RAFMuseum,Hendon HistoricAircraftAssocSymposium OldBuckenhamRemembrance DayMemorialService

SeethingRemembranceDay MemorialService

OldWardenShuttleworthWW-1 AviationSeminar01767627927

RAeS,LondonRAeSLightAircraft DesignConference 23IntlCentre,TelfordTheFlying Show(SeeNewspage6)

OldSarumVintageSundayFly-in 01722322525

OldBuckenhamChristmas Fly-in

OldWardenShuttleworth EngineeringOpenWeekend 01767627927

LongMarstonIcicle Fly-in&Camp

RISKYBUSINESS.

ByPhilipHall

R isk-basedandproportionate'.

ThesearefourwordsthatI haveheardrepeatedmany timesoverthepastyearasthe newregulatoryoutlookhas takenshape.Thekeyprincipleofrisk-based regulationisthatthoseparticipatinginthe activityhaveanunderstandingofthelevelof riskthattheyareexposingthemselvesto.In theworldofrecreationalflying,atleastoneof theparticipantswillbeapilotorstudentpilot, andoftenanypassengerswillberelatives

Haveyour

orclosefriends,sotheoreticallyeverybody Involvedunderstandstherisks,ordothey? Mathematicallyriskisaneasythingtoquantify. Thestatisticsavailablereadilyreportthenumber ofdeathsper100,000hoursflown.Relative comparisonscanbemadebetweendifferent activitiessuchasflyingversusmotorcyclingor scubadiving,andthereisevenaunitofrisk foralltypesofdeathcalledthemicromort.The problemisthatwecanbeawashwithstatisfical dataandstillnottrulyunderstandtheriskweare abouttotakeaswelineupontherunwayor,more

sayby attendingtheAGMorbycompleting theproxyformsentwiththismagazine

Importantly,howourownacfionscanincreaseor reducethatriskThestatisficssimplyprovidea generalrecordofthenumberofaccidentsovera periodoftime,theywon'ttellyouhowmuchextra riskyouaretakingwhilststrugglingwithlastnight's hangoverorlaunchingoffintopoorvisibilitywithout thecorrectequipmentortraining.Nomyfriends, thatriskassessmentisstrictlyyoursasthepilot andyourpassengerswillberelyingonyoutogetit right.everysingletime.

Icertainlycan'tprovideyouwithafoolproofway tocalculateanaccuratemicromort-basedrisk profileforeachflightIcan,however,offeryou theruleofthree.Theruleofthreecomesfrom anexaminerfriendofmineandisverysimple:if therearethreethingsthatarenotquiteright,stay onthegroundTheydon'thavetobeobvious show-stoppers,perhapsahardweekatwork, anervouspassengerandamarginalweather forecast.Throwinabitofcomplicatedairspace andyouhavethemakingsofaninfringementor muchworseMurphy'slawwillguaranteethatall ofthecasualfactorswillconspiretomakeyour lifethatmuchharderwhenyouneedtocopewith anunexpectedemergency

THEAGM

Democracyhasbeeninthemainstreamnewsa lotoverthepastcoupleofweeks.Regardlessot yourviewsontheresultoftherecentreferendum onScothshindependence.Ithinkthateveryone wouldagreethatthepeopleofScotlandshowed theirdeterminationtoexercisetheirdemocratic rights.Theveryhighturnoutonpollingdaywas arefreshingchangetothevoterapathyseen inrecentyearsatgeneralandlocalelections OurAssociationisalsogovernedbydemocratic process,however,ratherlikegovernment elections,thenumberofmembersparticipating inoursmalldemocracyhasremainedstubbornly low.Thisyear'sAnnualGeneralMeeting(AGM) isbeingheldatSywellon1ofNovemberand Ihopethatmanyofyouwillcomealong,but ifyoucan'tmakeitinpersonthenyoucanstill participateintheprocessusingaproxyvote. Proxyvotingisasimpleandeasywaythatyou canhaveyourvoiceinAssociationmatters,and thisyearwehavemadeiteveneasierbyprinting theproxyformonthebackoftheaddresscover sheetthatcamewiththismagazine(don'tworry ifyouhavealreadythrownitaway,youcan downloadacopyfromtheLAAwebsite).Simply completetheformandpostitbacktotheoffice hereatTurwestonbefore31Octoberandyour viewswillberepresentedattheAGM-simples!

veryrobusttube&fabricairframe wingfoldinginunder5nen 85-90ktcruisewithRotax9l2iS 5+henduranceatavg14lit/hour 600kgMAUW.265kgusefulload

LAAkitaircraftwithextensivefactory

assistancetoreduceassemblytime UKSales&Support Call:03300500108 •excellenthandling,easytofly Email:UKsales@lambert-aircraft.corn •largecabin(43").adjustableseats LambertAircraftEngineering•verylargebaggagearea Hangar5WevelgernAirfield 0-85500/eveigeni BELGIUM •idealaircraftforshortgrassstrips fulldualcontrols,manualflaps