Clare Valley Aerodrome Opening

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Scott

Long-time Foxbat owner and instructor Dave Wilson is based at Clare Valley

In these days of (seemingly) ever-closing airfields, it’s great to hear of a new one opening – in this case just 14 kilometres to the north of Clare, in South Australia.

The airfield is the result of a 5-year (and probably longer) effort by the Clare Valley Flying Group, led by founding president Adrian Smith, to build an airfield ‘to connect Clare with Australia’. The main runway is 1200 metres, with a 600 metre cross strip and caters for a variety of different aviation activities, from crop spraying to charter, recreational to vintage.

The official opening day is on 1 November 2014. Why not fly in during the day and enjoy a very special dinner in the evening. If you are going, the Clare Valley Flying Group requests you pre-book your arrival and dinner ticket here: Official Clare Valley Aerodrome Opening.

The official opening ceremony will be performed around 2-3 pm by father and son pilots Peter & Richard Champion de Crespigny – if Richard’s name sounds familiar, he was flight captain on the ill-fated Airbus A380 Qantas flight QF32 which blew out an engine departing from Singapore airport. Although there were 5 qualified pilots and instructors on the flight, Richard was the captain responsible for getting the plane safely back on the ground – which as we all know, he successfully achieved.

I won’t be able to make the day myself, as it coincides with a very special date of my own – my 25th wedding anniversary – and I’ll be away in Queensland celebrating. But if you can get there – please go. It’s not often we get the chance to celebrate the opening of a new aerodrome!

There’s a very nice YouTube video about the aerodrome here: Clare Valley Aerodrome

PS – Rob Hatswell, responsible for Foxbat sales in South Australia will be there on 1 November – look for the ‘Foxbat Australia’ teardrop flags and go and say hello!

Antique Aeroplane spring fly-in at Swan Hill

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Scott

Interstate & Ercoupe, Swan Hill 4 October 2014

This weekend I was lucky enough to attend the AAAA Spring Fly-in and AGM at Swan Hill in Victoria.

Swan Hill is a great little town on the River Murray, towards the north west of the state. There is a good selection of cafes, restaurants and hotels/motels. I stayed at the Comfort Inn Lady Augusta in the middle of town which has recently been refurbished. The room was spacious and the bathroom new and stylish – not something I usually say about motels! During the stay, I also visited the Lake Boga Flying Boat Museum, about 10 kilometres south of the town – there will be a separate post about this soon. The same weekend saw the annual Swan Hill show but unfortunately, by the time we had visited the Flying Boat Museum, had some lunch and wandered the flight lines, it was getting on well for late afternoon, so we didn’t get to join some of the Antiquers who went.

Speaking as a pilot, the weekend weather couldn’t really have been much better – light winds for both the trip up and back, and high 20’s (celsius) sunny days in between.

I flew up from Tyabb in very loose formation with Jack Vevers in his Ercoupe – so loose in fact that on several occasions we completely lost sight of each other! But his ‘Coupe and my Interstate Cadet are well-matched in terms of performance, so it all worked well. It’s interesting to note that when flying such old aircraft – typically at between 75 and 85 knots – that you are happy to just chug along and enjoy the view. Not once, either way, did I wonder ‘when are we going to be there?’ The Interstate returned just on 20 litres an hour for the entire 5.2 hours of the return trip. Jack, having a smaller engine, recorded about 14 litres an hour – not bad for a couple of old timers!

The AAAA 2014 AGM was conducted at the Saturday evening dinner, between the entree and main courses. And commendably short – at around 20 minutes – it was. I like the AAAA because everyone is there to enjoy themselves, no axes to grind about ‘my plane goes faster than yours’ or ‘mine is older than yours’. Around 50-55 AAAA member aircraft were parked at Swan Hill over the weekend and around 90 people attended the dinner/AGM.

The icing on the cake for me – and completely unexpected – was that the Interstate won the ‘People’s Choice Award’ at the fly-in. There are no ‘official’ awards but members fill in a small ballot paper to say which aircraft at the fly-in they liked the most. I was surprised (and very pleased) because there were some lovely aircraft there. In particular an Auster J5G Autocar, resplendent in silver and teal green paint, as well as a beautiful silver and blue Cessna 170B. Thank you to the AAAA members who voted for the Interstate – my plaque will be proudly displayed in my trophy cabinet. Well, it might be a bit lonely but who knows? perhaps there will be others. Special thanks to Nathan Eyers (also an AAAA Committee Member) of the Aviation Centre at Tyabb, who helped make sure that the Interstate was at its best for its first trip away in Australia.

Pictures of some of the other aircraft at Swan Hill over the weekend can be found here at the Foxbat Pilot Flickr Swan Hill Photo Gallery.

A small PS – I believe the beautiful Auster is for sale at a fantastic price, considering the bare metal restoration and improvement it has been given. Have a look here if you are interested: Best Auster

Date for your diary: AAAA National Fly-in at Echuca, Victoria, 27-29 March 2015.

Spring fly-in: Antique Aeroplane Association

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Scott

My next planned trip is to the Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia (AAAA) spring fly-in at Swan Hill in Victoria. This is being held – as usual, weather willing – over the 3rd, 4th & 5th of October.

Here’s what the AAAA says on their website:

“This weekend is a long weekend in most states (except ironically in Victoria!) so should provide everyone a good opportunity to make it to this riverside town. It’s been quite a few years since the Antiquers visited Swan Hill and the local Council, Aero Club and community are keen to see us back in strength.

While in Swan Hill, why not visit the many tourist attractions including the Pioneer Settlement Village and Lake Boga Flying Boat Museum, home of the Catalina flying boat. There will be a bus service to ensure people are able to get to and from Lake Boga. For full details about Swan Hill, visit their comprehensive tourism site at http://www.swanhillonline.com/“

I’m aiming to take the Interstate Cadet on its first cross-country outing since completing flight trials at Tyabb.

Come along and say hello if you can!

Foxbat bird strike

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Scott

I’m sorry to say that Foxbat 100 – the 100th Foxbat officially delivered in Australia – has suffered a bird strike while conducting training circuits at home airfield of Caboolture in south east Queensland.

Although seriously shaken up, instructor Bill Haynes and his student escaped uninjured and landed the aircraft safely. As well as the photo here of the damage I have others and they are not pretty. Apart from the windshield damage, the bird may also have damaged a propeller blade.

In Australia, there are typically 1,500-2,000 reported bird strikes every year. Most of these involve larger aircraft (eg Boeing 737) and happen during take-off or landing roll. There are plenty of photos of bird strike damage on the internet – some of them spectacular. It is unusual for bird strikes to cause injury (or worse) to pilots and crew, although a small number of fatalities in light aircraft over the years in Australia may have been caused by bird strikes. Here’s a link to an ATSB Review of Bird Strikes 2002-2011 published in 2012.

You will recall, I’m sure, the famous incident of US Airways flight 1549, an Airbus A320, which suffered multiple bird strikes just after take-off, causing the shut down of both engines. The pilot, ‘Sully’ Sullenberger and his crew successfully landed the aircraft in the Hudson River with no injuries or loss of life. In case you haven’t already seen it, here’s a link to an excellent Reconstruction of Flight 1549 into the Hudson River.

Caboolture has always been potentially risky for bird strikes – there is a rubbish tip quite close to the airfield perimeter and there are always large flocks of Ibis scavenging the tip.

The aircraft has now been repaired and cleaned and is back flying.

Remember – bird strikes are a real possibility near and around most coastal airfields, so keep your eyes open and don’t think the birds will get out of the way. Particularly, stupid Ibis!

e-Go Aeroplanes – visit

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Scott

Today I went to the e-Go Centre in Cambridgeshire, UK – home of an ultra-modern single seat aircraft – the e-Go Aeroplane. Click here for information in a previous post: e-Go Aeroplanes.

I met CEO, Adrian Hillcoat and Sales & Marketing Manager, David Boughey, seen L-R in the photo here, with the currently dis-assembled e-Go prototype.

We spent 2-3 hours looking around their facility and discussing the technical aspects of their aircraft, testing schedules and production plans, as well as potential interest in Australia.

For testing purposes, the prototype has been fitted with a wonderful array of strain gauges and computerised data logging equipment. There’s nothing that’s not recorded – flight speeds, engine parameters, flight envelope, heights, airframe stresses under different flight conditions, even a complete GPS track of each and every flight. Every time an aspect of the design is changed, it’s checked and tested to ensure the desired improvement is delivered.

e-Go prototype

Although technically the aircraft fits into the UK ‘deregulated’ class – i.e. single seat with maximum weight, wing loading and stall speed limitations – the aircraft is being finalised to be capable of LSA compliance and maybe even full certification at a later date.

e-Go is aiming for production to be started during the first quarter of 2015 – much of the first year’s production has already been sold.

The aircraft will appeal primarily to the buyer looking to put some extra fun into their flying. Owners will include GA and LSA pilots who already own a more staid bigger aircraft; or perhaps owners of a fast car, motorcycle or boat, who want to add a third dimension to their fun; and even maybe glider pilots, who will find they can ‘thermal’ the aircraft and who will feel instantly at home in the glider-like cockpit.

Although the aircraft is not primarily intended for long cross-country flights, there will be space for an overnight bag behind the seat, as well as other stowage for water, maps and other items in the cockpit. Duration of the aircraft is projected to be around 3½ hours plus reserve, at 90-100 knots, so you could go places if you really want to. However, the primary purpose of the aircraft is to give the weekend flyer a big grin – the test pilot’s partner says his smile after each flight is enough to light up a sizeable town!

Towards the end of the meeting, Adrian, David and I considered for some time a variety of different purchasing options, to make ownership or part ownership a relatively easy and affordable process. There are some interesting possibilities to think about.

Personally, I believe this is one of the more exciting developments in very light aviation in a long while – the e-Go company is well funded, has a wealth of design and technological excellence, and the aircraft itself looks very good – and by all accounts, flies even better.

I think they will have no problem selling every one they can make…….watch this space!

Click here for the e-Go Aeroplane website

Foxbat factory visit – flying day

Posted on September 7, 2014 by Scott

Saturday 6 September was flying day at the Aeroprakt factory and club airfield.

Doug King and I were lucky enough to spend a fair bit of time flying in the Foxbat (both A22L2 and A22LS versions) as well as having a good look at other aircraft around the airfield and in the hangar.

The photo here has not been photo-shopped to look like this. It was taken with a a small Sony camera, similar to a GoPro, mounted on an extendable pole, held just outside the (removed) left hand door of a Foxbat. Apart from yours truly, the pilot is senior instructor Nadia from the Aeroprakt Club. Yuriy Yakovlyev was flying the other aircraft with Doug King.

The reflection of the wing and the aircraft are all exactly as per the original shot – sometimes you just get lucky. Talking of which, a young photographer at the airfield managed the shot of a lifetime – using a huge telephoto lens, he captured a silhouette of a Foxbat against the almost-full evening moon. I’m hoping to get a copy and put it on here – it really is a shot of a lifetime.

There are some other photos of the flying day here on the Foxbat Pilot Flickr Album.

Tomorrow, sadly, I am leaving the Ukraine to begin my eventual way home to Melbourne. Thank you everyone at Aeroprakt for making Doug and my visit so enjoyable and memorable.

Aeroprakt factory visit – 2

Posted on September 6, 2014 by Scott

Independence Square Kiev – the Maidan

Friday 5 September was taken up with a visit to the centre of Kiev, as well as a tour round the factory, a visit to the Aeroprakt airfield, just outside Kiev, and of course business discussions, questions and answers. Our host was Alexei Zhurba, one of the senior people at Aeroprakt, who speaks excellent English.

First though, Kiev is a beautiful city, made even more attractive by the late summer sunshine and 23-24 degree temperatures. There are tree lined streets and stunning architecture, much like many other European cities. We visited the ‘Maidan’, the square where all the unrest and fighting took place earlier this year. I found it almost impossible to imagine what happened here such a short while ago, although the seemingly endless memorial shrines to those who died are a shocking reminder. The city is now calm and the square has been largely cleared and repaired. All I can say is that those of us who have lived all our lives in the relative peace and security of Australia, and other westernised countries, are very lucky indeed.

Onward to the Aeroprakt factory, where it is very much business as usual. We met with several people, including Yuriy Yakovlyev, the CEO and A22 designer, Oleg Litovchenko, his business partner, and Nina, the sales and distributor liaison person. I have posted some more factory pictures in the Foxbat Pilot Flickr photo album.

Late in the afternoon we arrived at the airfield and were lucky enough to catch a few circuits in one of the Club A22LS aircraft, under the watchful eye of right-seat pilot Yuriy.

There is much more to report, including the availability of the 912iS Sport engine in new A22LS aircraft, a retro-fit engine mount and cowling to enable earlier 912iS engines to be upgraded to the higher spec 912iS Sport for Foxbats already delivered, a potential external power supply socket, a different tyre & tube option, and much more.

I’m aiming to cover as many of these as I can in future posts…so watch this space!

Saturday, we are hoping to get in some more flying at the airfield and expect to meet some more Aeroprakt people in a more social setting.

Aeroprakt factory visit – 1

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Scott

In spite of misinformed rumours to the contrary, I can confirm (again) that the Aeroprakt factory is operating as normal. Here are just a couple of pictures taken today. Currently there are around 5 A22L2 aircraft in production, and 4 A22LS, including a couple of A22LS orders I just placed for an owner in the Philippines.

Later today, Doug King (New Zealand Foxbat agent) and I are going to the Aeroprakt Club airfield to do some flying on this gloriously sunny day in Kiev. More news soon…

Heathrow Airport

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Scott

Arrived at Heathrow this evening, ready for my flight to Kiev tomorrow, Thursday 4 September, to visit the Aeroprakt factory with Doug King, the New Zealand agent.

I’m staying at the Thistle Hotel, Heathrow, that has a great restaurant and bar – ‘Runway View’ – which, strangely, as its name suggests, looks out over Heathrow’s runway 09L/27R, where the evening flights were landing at the rate of one every 2 minutes or so. The flights were lined up maybe 5 in a row, their landing lights flicking on as they passed the 5-mile marker.

Mostly Boeing 737’s and Airbus 320’s but there was a smattering of bigger aircraft and the very occasional A380 – a majestic great beast, dwarfing all the other aircraft around.

BA’s terminal 5 slowly lit up as the sun set, a great glowing glass cavern, huge in the night. The two photos here are almost exactly the same view, a couple of hours apart.

The hotel isn’t 4-star by a long way, but it’s comfortable and clean and has that great view of the airport’s western end. The windows are triple-glazed and the rooms are very quiet. And to top it all, there’s a ‘POD’ ride directly from Terminal 5 to the Hotel. Described as the world’s first hi-speed personalised transport system, it’s an emission-free little automated electric car that takes you the 5-minute ride, almost to the hotel reception – highly recommended!

First solo at 15 – Tristan Sigley

Posted on August 17, 2014 by Scott

Congratulations to Tristan Sigley who has flown his first solo – on his 15th birthday! This happy event took place in an A22LS Foxbat belonging to his father, Nick, at Heck Field, Jacobs Well, in South East Queensland.

Here’s a YouTube link to a short video of Tristan’s First Solo

Well done Tristan, it’s a flight you’ll remember for the rest of your flying career.

* In Australia, your fifteenth birthday is legally the first time you are allowed to fly an aircraft solo.

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