Bimble to the East

December 4th, 2011

Today (4/12/2011) was overcast and mild, 16 degrees centigrade  in the cockpit @2,000 ft which was just about okay since I hate the cold and I have no heater. This was the first time I had flown Cabbage in December, in previous years winter had already set in with high winds and rain in November and ice in December. I decided to fly  EAST today, the last time I flew East between Luton and the London TMA was during my pilot training with an instructor. This corridor of airspace is notorious for airspace infringements, with Pilots clipping the Luton zone and not flying below 2,500 ft because of the TMA.

I have been hesitant to fly through this busy flight corridor and reach my goal of  Clacton-on-Sea to have fish and chips on the peer.  So as usual,  I have broken up the journey into sections.

Today, I went as far as Amersham/Chesham then set a course to Bovingdon airfield , turned early so I don’t meet up with other aircraft tracking the DME (Bees to honey at 2,000ft).  All the while I had listened to Farnborough Radar interaction with aircraft transiting the corridor or flying in and out of Denham. The Aware and the Bendix/King were chirping away with airspace warnings as I changed direction along the route, well worth having even though they add slightly to workload.

As I bimbled back to my local area, the Sun was bright from the South and it was hard to see anything, wind was reasonably strong coming from the South West and I need to use rudder continuously to keep the slip ball centred. The weather was not looking good, dark rain clouds approaching Aylesbury  so I cut the flight short. I did a rejoin at Long Crendon to land on RW 29 with good control.

Next Flight I will extend my route to Hatfield and engage with Farnborough Radar for a basic service for my Navex, once I master the landscape and feel a bit more at ease I will visit Panshangar.

Blue GPS track show route flown

When I taxied to the hangar Tony was waiting for me to chat about the flight, he said both my departure and landing looked good. Total flight time 50 minutes, I cant wait for next week to fly :-)

 

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LAA educational trust ~ Aluminium Course

November 24th, 2011

Saturday (19/11/2011), I attended the LAA trainIng course on “Working with Aluminium” which is primarly targeted for aircraft homebuilders. The course teaches the pre-requisite techniques required for assembling and riveting an aircraft such as a Sonnex or a Vans,  by assembling a small Aluminium toolbox on the day.

The reason for me attending is two fold, I wanted to understand how to drill and rivet a panel and the tooling required. I have a project on Cabbage that involves an engine upgrade and this will require the cowlings to be modified. Secondly, I dream of one day building my own aircraft at home.

The course was at a fast but enjoyable pace, with the theory and fundamentals explained in the morning. The rest of the day was spent making the toolbox and using the air powered tools for riveting. The course tutors were Gary and John both experienced plane builders with hard earned knowledge, I left feeling confident that I had the ability to start building a kit in the future.

The tools required to build a large aircraft such as a Vans RV9 cost around £2,000 and will make the job easier and better quality. I can imagine there is a temptation to skimp but cheap tools will wear out, the day also provided me with knowledge on workshop setup, the facilities required to prime and spray parts that have been constructed.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself and the course is a credit to the LAA in supporting our sport.

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WordPress magic

November 13th, 2011

WordPress is the software that creates and displays my blog,  I found this plug-in that allows a video or a photo album to be included simply and quickly into the blog. It absolutely magic and will feature a great deal in future blog entries.

1st Flight of 2010.mpg1st Flight of 2010.mpg
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1st Flight of 2010.mpg
May 2010 bimble ~ Local areaMay 2010 bimble ~ Local area
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May 2010 bimble ~ Local area
Deenethorpe Fly-outDeenethorpe Fly-out
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Deenethorpe Fly-out
Oakley landing on Rw 29.mpgOakley landing on Rw 29.mpg
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Oakley landing on Rw 29.mpg
Dunkeswell Fly outDunkeswell Fly out
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Dunkeswell Fly out
Returning to Oakley early evening landingReturning to Oakley early evening landing
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Returning to Oakley early evening landing
Landing at Oakley - Gaydon bimble with TimLanding at Oakley - Gaydon bimble with Tim
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Landing at Oakley - Gaydon bimble with Tim
GOPro External camera mountGOPro External camera mount
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GOPro External camera mount
Local Area bimble with externally mounted GoPro HDLocal Area bimble with externally mounted GoPro HD
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Local Area bimble with externally mounted GoPro HD

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Runway Clearance

November 13th, 2011

Saturday (12/11/2011) did not start off a flyable, I had asked the BMC members to come to the airfield and help clear the runway ready for next year. We started on Rw 02/20 and eight volunteers turned out with shovels, brooms and wheel barrows to do some hard labour.

The airfield has been in existence for nearly 70 years and the concrete sections are slowly losing their surface in places, the purpose of clearing the runway is to remove the weeds that grow in the expansion joints of the sections, these cause problems to our under carriage and propellers and make the surface bumpy.






 
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12-Nov-2011 11:16, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 3.3, 4.9mm, '0.004' sec, ISO 100




 
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12-Nov-2011 11:33, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 3.3, 4.9mm, '0.008' sec, ISO 100








 
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12-Nov-2011 12:11, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 3.3, 4.9mm, '0.002' sec, ISO 100




 
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12-Nov-2011 12:11, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 3.3, 4.9mm, '0.003' sec, ISO 100








 
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12-Nov-2011 12:11, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 3.3, 4.9mm, '0.002' sec, ISO 100




 
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12-Nov-2011 11:16, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 3.3, 4.9mm, '0.005' sec, ISO 100

Just after midday I had my sons 21st Birthday party to attend, so I went home. By mid afternoon the Sun was shining so my colleagues went flying, I returned at dusk to see the runway status and chat about their afternoon flying.

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Operating a plane

November 12th, 2011

I have been trying to streamline  the operating of the aircraft, sometimes it feels like a struggle to get the plane out of the hangar get it checked and refueled to fly. Overtime I have learned from watching others and evolving my own operations.

High Wing refueling

High wing aircraft refueling at a farm strip normally means balancing with a Jerrycan on your shoulders on a step ladder, with a funel in the apature of the tank then pouring fuel in. Although this is fast you can sometimes overfill for splash and you need to have strong arms and back.

So over the last year I have been coming up with schemes, some complex that are still in my head and expensive ( similar to a Powered fuel delivery system at a petrol forecort). But in the meanwhile I have developed a small platform using gravity to fill an empty wing tank, this free me up to perform another task, thus reducing the pre-flight preparation time.

Fueling platform for the Jerrycan on top of a ladder

My eureka moment came when I thought that if I doubled the pipe diameter I can move more fuel by gravity in half the time, this seems to work. I contacted my friend Mike who owns a Tecnam and he of course had considered all options, a Jerrycan with a siphon was as good as any for unattended delivery.

 Preparing for Winter

Condensation and dampness will increase as the cold weather draws near, we currently are experiencing a warm November 2011 as I write this. Although the plane is in the hangar it gets extremely cold and we have no electricity for heating or humidification. Condensation can damage cockpit instuments and upholster, the previous owner Ivan took great care by placing a small caravan humidifier in cockpit.

Dehumidifier Damp Buster Bin

From October to April each year,  I will have collected at least 2-3 litres water in the humidifier.

Additional to the humidifier, I use mothballs to deter any rodents from climbing on-board and  nesting or generally chewing on parts of the aircraft. On the nose wheel, plastic shields are used to stop rodents climbing into the engine bay. I will probably place a biscuit in the cock pit to see if anything eats it. Last year several aircraft sustained some damage from mice and rats.

 

 

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Sywell Fly-out

November 12th, 2011

Today (6/11/2011) I decided to fly to Sywell, visibility was good, strong headwind 020/15kt and broken clouds at 2,000/2,400 ft. Weather forecast said it will be bright at mid-day, so I prepared to fly. I had not flown to Sywell since my PPL X-country training, I have been meaning to come here with Cabbage, so I can in future take the wife for Sunday lunch at the Aviator Hotel.

I dragged Cabbage from the hangar and refuelled, I made my call for PPR to check the run way in use. This was Rw 03L (left) LH circuit, this is the new concrete runway, the grass runway RW 03R was closed for re-seeding/repair. Flying to Sywell from Oakley is a straight line on a heading of 020 true, I called Sywell after crossing the M1 motorway just passed Milton Keynes. I was making slow progress at 52kts ground speed because of the wind, the clouds were low and I went through wisps but stayed VFR with the ground, I avioded the villages for noise abatement and finally keeping the airfield to my left came to Rw 03 called overhead and descended dead-side,. I called downwind, turned base onto final some 1.8 Nm to the runway. I used 20 degrees flap and pushed down to lose height, I floated for a while over the threshold and my speed decayed quickly as I closed the throttle and lost energy in the flare. Cabbage dropped out of the sky for the last couple of feet with a slight jolt, I was pleased to be down and vacated the runway to the right when asked.

Approach to Sywell and Standard Overhead join for Rw 03 LH

I parked on the apron next to a large twin, i found out you no longer paid the landing fees in the old tower, but in the building next to the petrol pumps. I went to the Aviator hotel for a cofee and to warm up a little. With no heater in the cabin I doubled up on socks and wore a ski thermal jacket. Sywell is looking very organised and slightly more formal since my last visit.

Cabbage on the Apron at Sywell

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Heading North into CloudsHeading North into Clouds
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Heading North into Clouds06-Nov-2011 13:51, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 3.3, 4.9mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 100
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06-Nov-2011 13:53, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 3.3, 4.9mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 100
Grebe LakesGrebe Lakes
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Grebe Lakes06-Nov-2011 13:54, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 3.3, 4.9mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 100
Buckingham townBuckingham town
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Buckingham town06-Nov-2011 13:58, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 3.3, 4.9mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 100
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06-Nov-2011 13:58, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 3.3, 4.9mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 100
Cabbage on the Apron at SywellCabbage on the Apron at Sywell
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Cabbage on the Apron at Sywell06-Nov-2011 14:34, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 3.3, 4.9mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 100
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06-Nov-2011 14:35, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 3.3, 4.9mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 100
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06-Nov-2011 14:35, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 10.0, 4.9mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 100
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06-Nov-2011 14:35, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 3.3, 4.9mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 100
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06-Nov-2011 14:35, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 10.0, 4.9mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 100
Paying my Landing fees & waiting for a receiptPaying my Landing fees & waiting for a receipt
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Paying my Landing fees & waiting for a receipt06-Nov-2011 14:37, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 3.3, 4.9mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100
Control Tower closed to Pilots nowControl Tower closed to Pilots now
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Control Tower closed to Pilots now06-Nov-2011 14:40, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 3.3, 4.9mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100
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06-Nov-2011 14:44, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 3.3, 4.9mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100
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06-Nov-2011 14:45, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 3.3, 4.9mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 100
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06-Nov-2011 14:45, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 3.3, 4.9mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100
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06-Nov-2011 14:45, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 3.3, 4.9mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100
The Aviator bar & restaurantThe Aviator bar & restaurant
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The Aviator bar & restaurant06-Nov-2011 14:54, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 3.3, 4.9mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 400
The Aviator bar & restaurantThe Aviator bar & restaurant
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The Aviator bar & restaurant06-Nov-2011 14:54, Panasonic DMC-FT3, 3.3, 4.9mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 400
 


I signed out for departure by radio, asked for Taxi instructions, taxi to A1 holding point, Rw 03 LH, QNH 1025. I did my power checks and requested departure, the wind as 010/15kts so i climbed quickly and had reached a 1,000 ft by the end of the runway, I departed to the east from the cross wind leg, then radio to say i had left the ATZ and changed frequency en-route.


With a strong tailwind, I was indicating an air speed ot 80kts and 104 kts over the ground. I landed in Oakley with a total brake to brakes time of 41 minutes. A plane passed in front of me near Milton Keynes, i had to take avoiding action, he may have been a 100 ft below, I am sure he did not see me. At Oakley i was met by Tony who had been flying his Jodel for 40 minutes, we had a quick chat before he left. I put the kettle on for a coffee whilst I put Cabbage away. The light was fading fast at 16:40 hrs as I locked up.

				


				
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Help ~ Airbox to the rescue

				November 4th, 2011 

				

					
I mentioned FastPlan in my last Blog entry to Abergavenny, I had trouble creating a Route Briefing pack that retained all the information after closing the program and reloading the Route. I sent and Email to Airbox and lamented my frustration and they started to fix it a few days later, I have now received a working version that caters for my requirements. This is great where a vendor actually responds and helps you out, I use the Airbox Aware 5 Plus product that performs “Airspace Alerts” (developed in conjunction with NATS ) for spacial awareness and basic route planning along with my printed Plog. This unit is good value for money and I would recommend it to anyone. The Aware unit saved my bacon flying out of Sandwon this Summer when on a rare occasion my Bendix/King did not get a GPS signal after coming out of sleep mode, and I wanted to stay outside of the Bembridge airspace.


 

				


				
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Abergavenny Bimble

				October 26th, 2011 

				

					
Today, Saturday (22/10/2011) looked to be a fine day, the weather forecast said that on Sunday there will be strong wind and rain from the Southwest. I had tried to contact Abergaveeny for PPR but to no avail. Performance Aviation who operate at the airfield only work Monday to Thursdays and they did not answer my emails or calls on Friday. In a way I was glad, I always feel pressure landing at a new airfield, so I contented myself in saying I will be happy to bimble to Wales. Next time, I will know the route land and go for lunch at the Hardwick which is a hotel / restaurant 5 minutes walk away.


I  planned on using the Airbox Aware 5 for navigation today, thinking that it would be simple to use. The Airbox FastPlan software  produces the flight plan for downloading to the GPS and  a printable Plog. I  found several bugs in the software that lost my Breifing route and printed an incorrect Plog. So I faithfully planned the route into my AV8OR/Ace from Bendix/King and used Skydemon Light website to create the Plog and check the Notams.


I was fuelled up and ready to go at 14:20 hrs, according to the Met Office the wind at 2,000 ft. was 180/25kts, this means I was into acrosswind all the way there and back. The skies were clear, visibility on the ground was good but slightly hazy whilst flying. As soon as I left the airfield, I listened to the Oxford ATIS and then Oxford Approach. The world and his wife was flying today, I orbited overhead Beckley mast 6 Nm from Oxford Kidlington to get my call in. I was given clearance by Oxford and I transited their Zone, I decided not to contact Brize Radar but to listen in on the traffic and squawked 7000 on the transponder. I was well clear of controlled airspace and headed to Chedworth WW2 airfield as my first major waypoint. Gloucester was my next Radio frequency to listen to, I passed Cheltenham and Gloucester quickly, since the 71Nm from Oakley to Abergavenny is 1 hr exactly at 75 kts.


GPS Outbound and Return track in Red, Blue is shows the route


Little Rissington active today with training gliders


I took pictures of the river Severn estuary, I will fly along the estuary and visit  the Severn Bridges on future flights. I turned my focus back to the map to get to Abergavenny and admired the hills and rivers as they started to come into view.


Severn estuary to the south, the road bridges into Wales are in the distance


The airfield came in sight the once my eyes followed the A40, I had used Google earth to familarise myself. The airfield is about 2 Nm miles from the town of Abergavenny. I circled overhead the airfield and I could it had no visitors and the hangar was closed. I took some pictures and then flew east on the M40 whilst I reversed the GPS route to fly home.


Town of Abvergavenny approx 1 mile from the airfield


 


Airfield adjacent to the A40, with hay bales alongside the runway


Since flying into Wales I noticed that the temperature had droped by about 5 degrees in the cockpit, shortly afterwards I noticed the engine sounding different and I had lost 200 ft, I checked the RPM and it showed just less than 2,800 RPM, so I decided to put the Carb Heat on and the engine sound more lively and the height was regained. The flight back felt quicker, I came back in brighter weather once I passed Gloucster. I called Oxford for a zone transit and I was soon back at Oakley for a landing on Rw 20, the wind was still strong at 12kts but it was straight down the runway. A good landing and a fast taxi to the hangar, as soon as I shutdown I ran for the loo. 2hrs 20 min Brakes to Brakes, I should not have drank the water on the flight.


Flight Stats


Brakes to Brakes: 2hrs 20 min

Flight time: 2hrs 12mins

Distance: 156 Nm

Average speed: 70.9 kts

Maximun ground speed: 117 kts

Fuel used: 29 Litres

				


				
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Indian Summer in mid October

				October 18th, 2011 

				

					
This year we had our BMC club fly-in in October at Oakley instead of the usual September date. On Saturday (15/10/2011) we were blessed with clear skies all day with little to no wind, a true Indian Summer.


Everyone at the Bucks Microlight had opted for a Fly-in and BBQ instead of a club competition day. We invited families and friend and members from the Berks flying club attended. Good food and good company. Every year the event is held to help raise money towards muscular dystrophy, this is the charity of our benefactor of Field Farm Betty Baxter, who is also our club President. Pilots who fly-in play a landing fee of £3 and then a further donation towards the BBQ food, this helped us raise £175.48 for the charity.


		
		
		


I took a new club member Clifford for a Bimble to Henley on Thames, Pangborne and then over Oxford to see the Univeristy Colleges in all their splendor. The afternoon and evening was hazy but enjoyable, I let Clifford fly some of the legs, then I took control so he could take pictures.


Bimble around Benson Matz via Henely-on-Thames


Sunset bimble in the local area, peaceful and calm


Hopefully Clifford enjoyed the flights, he told me that on Sunday he would going Solo in his flex-wing, I want to inspire him more to work his way towards his license and keep his interest up in flying.

				


				
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Permit Inspection 2011

				September 15th, 2011 

				

					
This is now the third permit inspection since I have owned Cabbage. I had arranged for Ian my inspector to come down the hangar on the (10/9/2011)  once I had stripped the plane. The strip down takes about 2 hours and I removed all the inspection panels covering the controls, seats and cowlings and spats. The following maintenance and checks were carried out:-


    

  • Review work carried out as part of the 50 hr engine service
    • 

  • Check for signs of corrosion, spray with ACF50
    • 

  • Re-grease main under carriage wheel bearings
    • 

  • Replace brake pads on disc brakes
    • 

  • Clean air frame for inspection
    • 

  • Clean engine mounting frame for crack inspection, painted over stone chips with white hammerite
    • 

  • Check propeller bolts
    • 

  • Check rudder pedals for any cracks (several have failed on Tecnam’s)
    • 

  • Inflated tyres and checked overall condition
    • 

  • Light oiling on hinges on control surfaces
    • 





		
		
		


The servicing of the wheels and changing the pad took 2.5 hrs I then re-assembled the aircraft. A long day but satisfying. Ian signed off the the plane ready for the test flight which I did a week later. Total flying time between Permits was 44.3 hrs.


 



				


				
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