Phil_P

Prior to my current wing, I flew a Swing Arcus with power risers with trims. I was advised to open the trims about half an inch to reduce any tendency to hang back on launch. It sound like the wing is similar, so might be worth a try. I used to also opens the trims about half way if it was particularly windy at T/O. Phil

You must have a suitable chart with you when flying which will allow you to complete your flight legally and safely. In theory, this would mean an OS map is OK as long as you have drawn on all airspace. Even a current CAA chart is not valid unless you have been on the CAA web site and checked for amendments and noted them on your chart. The airspace around Doncaster Robin Hood is a case in point, as it's not on the latest 1:250,000 chart. Pain in the bum drawing it on, but hey. It would be nice to have airspace updates available as an overlay that could be printed on to OHP film and fastened onto the map of your choice, just requiring suitable scaling. Phil

Full marks for stepping forward into the unwanted limelight though. Phil

Perhaps general aerodynamics, the motor & pilot is such an inefficient lump? Teardrop shaped tank, thin cage profile (but still strong enough to meet Alan's suggestions above), reserve 'chute stowage together with bridle routing. Feathering or folding prop for those rare motor off soaring periods? A prop with frangible but replaceable tips? Sprung skids so a fubar'ed landing doesn't bend your cage? While weight loss and/or power boost would be nice there are a couple of things that strike me; 1) we already seem to be at a balance point between shedding weight, increasing power, and maintaining reliability. and 2) there are relatively few of us who wouldn't benefit from losing five or more kilos off our OWN frame which would probably be easier and have multiple benefits all round Phil

Thing is, if you go abroad and then hit some bad weather there, you will be REALLY pi**ed! My vote is for the UK. The winter months herald some of the best flying days of the year, as long as you wrap up warm. Phil

It won't reduce the condensation Whitters, but it will keep you warmer. The only way to get rid of the moisture is by using a permeable wrap around you rather than the wing. As it stands, all your sweat works it's way outwards until it reaches a layer it can't get through, and then condenses. 'Goretex' bivi bag is probably fave. Phil

The 'black oil' is just uncombusted two stroke oil mixed with sooty carbon deposits. If you had run a two stroke motorbike in the seventies, you'd be used to it Don't worry about it. More important is the state of the plug. Phil

You are only as old as the woman you feel Drat.... she's a year older than me! Phil

Volkswagen Beetle tail pipes are brill in that sort of application, as they are dead slim but also have an absorption silencer built in. (Also dirt cheap). Phil

No one should be worried about saying GPS is their primary means of navigation as long as it is backed up by a known position fix from either map reading (preferable in this game) or radio nav aid. I think you will find that the CAA state that GPS should not be your primary means of nav. That was what I was implying. Whilst a very good system, it is liable to be turned off at any time by the US military, and the receivers are known to fail, or have batteries go flat. A map and a compass are pretty infallible if you can use them. Phil

Oziexplorer has got to be one of the best known bits of software that you can scan maps into. Works well on a WMPPC device. Personally, for nav I use a dedicated GPS (Garmin 295). Beauty of that is that the database is updated on a monthly cycle, so you don't have to manually add updates. Of course, like all good pilots, GPS is not my primary means of nav (ahem), and I always carry the appropriate chart and have access to a compass and know how to use it. Often fun to compare your dead reckoning with GPS. Phil

Sorry Simon, you misunderstood my posting. I'm not saying the Bailey tank will fit the O/P's motor, largely because I don't know what it is. I think the tank blanking the airflow is a bit of a red herring myself, as the pilots body and the harness blanks all of the area that the larger tank would occupy anyway. Rather more likely is that it's taking a bit more effort to launch with all the extra juice on board. I suspect that most people flying the 15L tank are probably filling it to the brim to get as long a distance/time flight as possible. Phil

Make your own from either a section of push bike handle bar, or a 'bar end' type grip off a mountain bike. A small push bike stubby brake lever gives you the throttle, and a little ingenuity, and possibly a mate with a lathe can custom fit buttons and lights. For cruise control, I use a largish 'o' ring looped over the grip that can be hooked onto the throttle. Moving it along the length of the throttle lever provides varying tension/throttle setting. In an emergency there is no restriction on gunning full throttle. Phil

I am afraid that as a fairly new pilot, I have no knowledge of either of those wings. You will probably have done loads of your own research, if you are anything like me. As long as the one you like has the appropriate certification, and you haven't heard a load of bad reports, then that's probably the one to go for. Phil

My feeling is that if you buy a DHV1 wing, you will probably want to upgrade it after as little as six months flying anyway. If you can find a suitable 1-2, I would do that. How about something like the APCO Thrust (not HP), as this gets a good write up for free flying, but has a pretty good speed range under power? Phil

Already dealt with, with the Bailey. 15 Litre tank is a direct replacement for the standard UK 10 Litre one. You have to fit a slightly longer retaining strap though

Well, my thoughts from what I can see; The relay looks like a standard automotive one, does it have a little diagram on it showing the pin-out? If it does, you can just buy any old replacement that has a high enough rating and connect the wires to the appropriate terminals (these are usually numbered, something like 85, 86a etc). However; Isn't the relay responsible for powering the starter motor, it's normally the only reason to have a relay in a circuit like this. If it does control the starter, then presumably it must be working because the starter motor is turning. The lack of any form of CDI ignition unit suggests a simple points/coil ignition circuit. If that is so, you should be able to check out the wiring to that very easily, and test it by manualy shorting and opening the circuit going to the points.

Well, stainless or mild steels bend back into shape better (or at least with a lower risk of work hardened cracking) than aluminium and can be welded at home with stick or MIG welder. To weld aluminium you will need an AC TIG plus a good skill set. I believe Ti is tough stuff to drill/machine/weld but it's toughness might make it more resistant to damage in the first place. My personal would probably be stainless (at least for the cage). I have actually produced a workable cage for my Bailey out of stainless thin wall tube, which even Paul Bailey said was pretty good. The whole cage probably came to about £50. If money was no object, I'd probably go for Ti, or stick with aluminium and buy a nice shiny TIG welder to patch it up. If you are never going to bend it, it doesn't really matter Phil

Thing is, it can really be for OUR benefit to check. If I'd been up to flying today, I would almost certainly have been in the path of the BBMF if I hadn't checked the Notams. As it was, the Dakota banked right over our house

Good, bl**dy deserves it.

What triggers the spark on this machine? Is it points or is it breakerless? If it is breakerless and driven off part of the stator, then it could be the section of the stator that provides the impulses for the ignition breaking down. My Solo engined Adventure had this problem. The stator trigger coil had partially broken down (it was still showing a resistance between the terminals) but enough windings were shorted for there to be inadequate trigger voltage to set off the electronic ignition. It manifested itself as gradually deteriorating start, and then no spark at all. Phil

Si, it just occurred to me that that works out as almost every weekend for twenty years outdoors! Phil

I think most of us get it Eddie I have a similar brake line issue on my Thrust HP, and the last couple of landings I have even taken a couple of wraps to get a good solid flair. I was actually thinking of using a pulley on each brake line, to double the amount of line pulled in from the amount your hand moves (slip pulley onto brake line and tie off end of brake line to maillon or suitable anchor, then attach brake handle to pulley instead). The effort of pulling would be doubled, but that would be no bad thing as you would need much less hand movement before you got to the stall point, and the pressure would make you more aware of the pull you were exerting. Phil Incidentally, I'm one of the 20-50' crowd.

It wouldn't have been a world record anyway, as he didn't have any functioning means of recording his altitude.

How about our wings, but with sealed cells inflated with hydrogen/helium? Just enough lift to lift the wing should result in almost zero blown launches