Ido Segev flies the Foxbat

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Scott

Ido Segev is a world champion aerobatics pilot – of large, freestyle RC model aircraft. In his spare time, he’s also a flying instructor for full scale aircraft, based at Moorabbin Airport, Melbourne, and a multi-copter pilot for a video and photographic organisation.

As you can see from his video channel on YouTube – Ido Segev YouTube Videos – he’s a very accomplished pilot!

In our latest video, he talks about flying the Foxbat: Ido Segev Flies the Foxbat

Thanks to Mike Rudd for the video production. Mike Rudd YouTube Channel

e-Go aeroplane

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Scott

e-Go prototype

Now here’s one of my favourite up and coming single seat ultralights – the e-Go aeroplane.

Contrary to the suggestion in its name, the e-Go is not battery powered (yet). In fact propulsion unit is a 30 hp rotary (Wankel) engine adapted for the aircraft from its original use in large drones.

Performance figures for the single seat, very light weight (115 kgs empty) aircraft are quite amazing – cruise around 100 knots, slowest flight speed (canards don’t stall as such) around 35 knots, take-off and landing distances around 150 metres. Typical fuel burn is around 6.5 – 7.0 litres/hour, giving about a 3 hour duration with reserve.

The aircraft is not yet in production and is still undergoing extensive testing in its home country – the UK. First customer deliveries are expected to be in early 2015. However, at an asking price from about UK£50,000 (that’s about A$90,000 plus shipping and taxes at today’s rates) I can’t see high volume sales in Australia. And there’s also the problem of registration in Australia – currently (unlike USA and Europe/UK) there is no category under which this factory-built midget speedster can be registered. That’s a shame, as even given the high price, there are undoubtedly well heeled buyers out there who would have one…

Here’s a link to the e-GO website: e-Go aeroplane

Let me know your thoughts. Are you interested? Reactions to price? Lack of Australian movement towards ‘deregulation’ of single seat ultralights as per USA and Europe?

And here are some links to earlier blog posts I made about single seat light aircraft:

Single seat ultralights – the Sirocco NG

More single seat ultralights – the Aerolite 103

What does your plane smell like?

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Scott

I was just taking off the other day when I caught an unmistakable whiff of fuel. In the event, the smell disappeared quickly and turned out to be the dregs in my fuel tester cup, which I hadn’t properly emptied. I keep the tester in the wing root storage pocket of my Foxbat just above and to the left of my nose.

This brief experience set me to thinking about aircraft smells generally, and how sometimes it’s all too easy to dismiss an unusual odour – however faint – as nothing worth worrying about. But here are a couple of true stories about how you should listen to your nose – if you know what I mean.

First – coolant. A few years ago, I was flying an aircraft home just after maintenance. Like the Foxbat and many other Light Sport Aircraft, this one was/is powered by the Rotax 912 liquid cooled engine.

Burned coolant hose

About 15 minutes into my planned 20 minute flight, I thought I could smell coolant – that peculiar metallic hot water and anti-freeze smell. The cylinder head and coolant temperatures were steady, as was the oil temperature. But the smell wasn’t going away, even if it wasn’t getting any worse. Luckily my destination was soon within gliding distance, so I throttled back, made a radio call and landed without completing the usual circuit.

It turned out the engineer had moved one of the coolant radiator hoses during maintenance. When the cowlings were replaced, the hose had made a slight contact with the nearby exhaust, enough to burn a tiny hole, through which coolant was dripping onto the exhaust. I should have picked up this proximity during my pre-flight but didn’t. In fact with the top cowling off, the hose was a millimetre or two clear of the exhaust underneath it. But replacing the cowling, to which the coolant radiator was fixed, was enough to move the hose slightly and enable contact with the exhaust. The manufacturer subsequently issued a service bulletin requiring a specific clearance between coolant hose and exhaust. They have now re-designed the installation to avoid the problem.

Next – exhaust. Many years ago, I was flying another Rotax-powered aircraft, fitted with flexible exhaust tubes connecting the manifolds to the muffler. In flight, I thought I could smell exhaust fumes. Being an unfamiliar aircraft, I wasn’t sure if this was a trait of the aircraft or a real problem

Burned oil filter

However, I opened the air vents in the doors and decided to make an unplanned landing a few minutes later at the nearest airstrip. Sure enough, one of the exhaust tubes had slightly fractured. Most worrying – the hole pointed the escaping exhaust gases directly at the oil filter canister and it was only a matter of time before it would have burned through. If oil had escaped onto the exhaust in these circumstances, I really don’t want to think about the possible outcomes.

So get to know your aircraft’s typical smells and whether it’s the unusual smell of exhaust, fuel, coolant, oil or brake linings – listen to your nose and take immediate action!

Anyone else had a similar experience?

6 tips for aerial photography

Posted on June 7, 2014 by Scott

I first met Mike Rudd a few years ago when he was visiting my base airfield to test fly a couple of aircraft. At the time he was the owner of a flexwing microlight (or trike, or powered hang glider). He was looking for a more conventional, 3-axis aircraft. Luckily for me, a Foxbat was on his shortlist.

Apart from being an experienced pilot, Mike is a video/photographer of some considerable talent and I was soon privileged to count him among Foxbat owners in Australia. More importantly, Mike has made many excellent videos about the Foxbat and taken literally hundreds of photos of them, some of which adorn the Foxbat Australia website – www.foxbat.com.au – and our magazine advertisements.

Mike has his own YouTube channel where you can see his work for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/user/mikerudd1948

Here, he gives a few tips for getting the best out of taking photos and videos from an aircraft:

1. Choose your photographic equipment carefully. For in-cabin work, the GoPro camera has become ubiquitous but high-end pocket cameras like the Sony RX100 Mk 2 are as good and in some cases better. For example, pocket cameras have a zoom feature and you can also stop the weird effects of shooting through the propeller without resorting to the neutral density filters needed for the GoPro.

2. For air-to-air stills (and even video), a full sensor DSLR will give the best results. Mike uses a Canon 5D Mk3 with a stabilised 24-105mm lens. For shooting air-to-ground (where the ground stays fixed, unlike a subject aircraft), you can increase the telephoto lens to a 120-400mm.

3. Use a fairly slow shutter speed to get the propeller blurred but not invisible. By default, this also gives you a smaller aperture which helps with depth of field. If your camera has the facility, use auto-focus and continuous shooting as everything is in motion and some of the photos will inevitably be blurred. Make sure the white balance and ISO are set correctly – make some trial/test shots before the main shoot. If at all possible, shoot in RAW mode, enabling better image manipulation and editing.

4. A thorough briefing between the pilots and the photographer is absolutely essential. If you do not have a formation endorsement, the aircraft must remain at least 100 feet (around 30 metres) apart – about three wing spans for most light aircraft. You need to confirm the desired background, target altitude, and track in relation to the sun – ideally have the sun at ten or two o’clock to the subject aircraft, shining into the front of the cabin. Early morning and late afternoon make for better shadows and show the aircraft lines better.

Only the pilots should talk to each other. The photographer can tell ‘their’ pilot what they want and have it relayed to the subject pilot. Whether the subject aircraft flies straight & level and the photo ship moves around or vice versa doesn’t matter – as long as this is agreed before taking to the air. At all times, at least one of the pilots must be responsible for maintaining visual separation.

Be very very careful when operating high and low-wing aircraft together and absolutely avoid the low-wing aircraft flying above the high-wing aircraft where neither pilot can see the other.

5. Choose your aircraft even more carefully than the photo equipment! High-wing aircraft are much better for aerial photography – particularly for taking pictures of the ground! Pictures will be much clearer through open air, rather than a perspex window, so look for an aircraft where the photographer’s window or door can be opened safely in flight. Or if certified to do so, even remove the door before you start. The aircraft should be safely manoeuvrable across a range of speeds and have plenty of room in the cabin for stowing cameras. The photographer also needs room to move around without interfering with the controls. For obvious reasons, the photographer’s safety belt should remain done up all the time and the camera must be attached to the photographer by a short strap!

6. Finally, back on the ground, you’ll want to edit and refine your pictures. This is where RAW format photos are really needed, as you have far more options for enhancement. Mike uses both Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, aiming for 300dpi full-frame jpegs for printing and 72-96dpi for internet and website use.

A couple of reminders – you need a legal permit from an engineer to attach a camera to the outside of a plane. This applies to all aircraft whether GA, LSA or ultralight. Make sure your aircraft is certified for door-off or door-open operations if you plan this; on some aircraft stall speeds can increase dramatically with a door off or open. Safety is always your first responsibility – it’s better to shoot from a safe distance and crop when you are on the ground.

For a sample of Mike’s air-to-air pictures, have a look at our gallery – bottom right of this blog. And for an amazing video with aerial footage, have a look at this YouTube link: Foxbat landing on a ship at sea

Foxbat as photo ship

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Scott

We recently set out to do some air-to-air and air-to-ground photography using my yellow Foxbat demonstrator as the photo ship. By ‘we’ I mean Mike Rudd – veteran professional videographer and photographer – in the right hand passenger seat and myself flying.

Normally, these shoots centre round the subject aircraft, on this occasion a Top Cub by Cubcrafters and another (red) Foxbat, which happened to belong to Mike. And indeed, we got some great pictures – have a look at the photo gallery to the bottom right of this blog to see some samples.

However, on this occasion Mike urged me to write something about one particular short sequence where, quite spontaneously and unplanned, we video’d his red Foxbat doing a very brief touch-and-go on a short, narrow and wet bush airstrip in the middle of nowhere. The video will appear shortly on YouTube (I’ll put up a link when it does) but meanwhile, here’s a preview of what we did.

After the air-to-air shots and some stills of the Top Cub landing and taking off, the pilot of the red Foxbat decided he’d emulate the Cub by landing on the same short strip – this impressed me because the Foxbat pilot was Stephen Buckle, Cubcrafters dealer for Australia. Who once owned a Foxbat of his own before drifting to the dark side….and Stephen’s passenger, Terry Walker, who owns a super little taildragger Kitfox, making them both familiar with the demands of short strips.

Stephen and I executed contra-direction circuits (‘patterns’ for our friends across the Pacific) and began parallel approaches to land. Except that Stephen was lined up on the runway and we were lined up about 50-60 metres to his left over some fairly tall trees. Now the Foxbat typically touches down in the high 30’s knots, so to get the footage, we had to slow down to much the same speed or we’d miss the brief touch and go-around.

Mike was busy with his camera, concentrating on his red Foxbat urging me to go ‘slower’ and ‘faster’, ‘higher’ and ‘lower’ to get the video he wanted. So there I am, sitting in the left seat, subject plane on the right, and lower than me, flying at about 35 knots….watching the tall trees coming up ahead of me.

It was during that sequence that once again it was emphasised to me what a great plane for photography the Foxbat is.

Controllable down to 30+ knots with full flap, I could see the subject plane all the time, even though it was on the opposite side to me, and Mike with his (large) camera in the passenger seat. It has an abundance of power – on the YouTube video you’ll hear the engine noise, not of the subject aircraft but of mine, so you’ll know when the power was on and off.

The only thing I regret is not having had a camera pointing straight out the front so you can see the trees and bush which close right up to the strip. When you think of all the variables and the process of shooting that short piece of video, there aren’t many aircraft short of a helicopter that could have handled it.

Look out for a future post on some thoughts about getting some good photos from your aircraft. And, of course, the link to the YouTube video of Mike’s red Foxbat and that tricky little bush strip.

PPL Medical

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Scott

I just did my bi-annual medical for CASA DAME Stamp my PPL. These days, it seems this is the only time I get to see a doctor, so I treat it as my regular health check.

CASA has joined the digital age and the medical form is now filled in online by the doctor, as you answer the questions. All that stuff about how much alcohol I (shouldn’t) drink and how much exercise I (should) take. I wonder if anyone ever answers ‘yes’ to the question: “Are you a regular user of cocaine, LSD, amphetamines, marijuana or other regulated narcotics?”. It seems like an endless series of questions, about all aspects of your life, most of which you wouldn’t want to admit to even if you had the ailments/conditions they refer to. I suppose if you give an incorrect answer and then have a ‘mishap’ in an aeroplane, particularly if it is anything related to the wrong answer, they throw a book at you. And any aviation insurance you may have would probably be invalidated. Lucky for me, I’m a clean living boy with no skeletons in my cupboard.

Then after the form filling comes the physical bit. It never ceases to amaze me how even the simple things have been mechanised/computerised. I remember when your blood pressure was taken by the doctor pumping up a cuff on your arm, then slowly releasing the pressure and listening through a stethoscope for your heartbeat, noting the pressures. This time it was a gizmo with a little pump and sensor that did it all automatically and displayed the two pressures on the obligatory LCD screen. Headsets and bleeps for your hearing – my doctor used to stick his finger in one (of my) ears and whisper numbers near the other, asking me to repeat them….And talking of fingers, there’s the mandatory rubber glove treatment for us men ‘down there’.

So far, what’s good are my blood pressure, decreasing weight, and blood sugar levels. Not so good is my eyesight; by my next medical I may even have to consider glasses. Well, I suppose I should be grateful I got this far without them. Now, where was I?

Next are the ‘bloods’ – whatever happened to blood tests? And an ECG as I’m getting older and haven’t been to my GP in the last 2 years. These are not mandated by CASA, so the medical certificate has been issued and I can fly again for another two years.

Deep breath for my Bi-annual Flight Review – BFR – later this week. More of that anon.

Foxbat Glider Tug

Posted on May 20, 2014 by Scott

The Foxbat is used successfully in several countries as a glider tug and was recently tested in both Australia and New Zealand to find out just how capable the aircraft might be for this purpose.

Below is a synopsis of the New Zealand experience and a link to a video covering the Australian testing. The NZ Foxbat was a standard 100hp Rotax 912ULS powered A22LS fitted with a KievProp series 283 (71″ diameter) propeller and a Tost glider release hook. The Australian aircraft was identical, except that we used the 68″ WarpDrive propeller with tapered tips, which customers more commonly order for best cruise.

[As a short aside, after the respective towing experiences, we tested the two different propellers, to establish which would give the best static thrust for glider towing. In simple terms, at the same maximum throttle 5,700rpm engine speed, the WarpDrive tapered tips prop gave around 135kgs static thrust and the KievProp 283 series around 185kgs – close to 50% more static thrust. It is thus pretty conclusive which prop would give the best performance for glider towing, if not outright cruise speed.]

Foxbat glider towing at Benalla

The tug pilot in New Zealand was Ian Williams, who has over 30 years’ experience of towing gliders. He says that depending on glider weight, the Foxbat was towing up to 2,000 feet at times between 6 and 9 minutes, from wheels off to wheels landing. This is just about the same total time as heavier GA tug aircraft, times which are also borne out by Australian tow times. What the Foxbat may lose in outright climb, it easily regains in descent, where the liquid cooled Rotax engine helps protect from shock-cooling.

With similar tow times to typical GA tugs, the Foxbat offers some useful additional advantages:
– it is much more economical on fuel and maintenance, burning well under half the fuel per tow
– it is much quieter, an important factor where residential housing is encroaching on airfields
– in an emergency, the Foxbat, being much lighter and more manoeuvrable than its GA counterparts, should be able to recover from unusual attitudes very quickly

Overall, in both New Zealand and Australia it was felt that the Foxbat could handle 75-80% of glider towing required by clubs, with only heavy, water-laden single seaters and some heavier two seat gliders outside the flight envelope. In Australia, it was noted that high-tow resulted in much better performance than the more common and preferred low-tow technique.

For Australian information, here’s a link to a short video of Foxbat glider towing at Benalla, with the Gliding Club of Victoria in Australia. Chief tug pilot Mark gives the commentary.

If you want to try out a Foxbat for glider towing at your club, please contact:
– in Australia, Peter Harlow at Foxbat Australia – +61 413 900 892
– in New Zealand, Doug King at LiteFlight Green – +64 210 285 6932

Pacific Flyer Magazine – RIP

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Scott

Pacific Flyer – last cover

Over the years, I have spent many thousands of dollars advertising the Foxbat (and a while back now, the SportStar) in Pacific Flyer magazine – including my usual half-page in the latest and – as it turns out – the last issue.

They offer a few reasons for folding (forgive the pun). I suppose top of the list must be their declining advertising revenue, but what’s caused this?

Pacific Flyer quotes the continuing effects of CASA (over) regulation of the industry, leading to buyer deterrence and disinterest. The squabbles in RA-Aus over the last couple of years cannot have been helpful either. Maybe the overall state of the Australian economy is to blame – although Australia is among the top five most successful economies in the world, even ahead of Germany, France, UK, Japan, USA etc etc, we seem to have got cold feet about debt, whether national or personal. People are not buying so many small light aircraft at the moment and, as a result, fewer advertisers are willing to reach into their pockets. So it goes.

Something Pacific Flyer would not want to mention is unfortunately what feels like a rather basic approach to design and layout in the magazine. Sometimes the quality of the photos is not good – whether this is down to the originals or the printing process I don’t know but either way, it leans towards a more amateur look. If you compare Pacific Flyer with other professionally produced aviation magazines, it does begin to appear more like a well-produced flying club newsletter. Attractive though some may find this style, in this very competitive market place, it cannot help sales. Overtly or subliminally, this design look probably puts off more readers than it attracts – however interesting the actual content.

As I said, I have been a great supporter of the magazine over the years, both financially and socially, mentioning it to customers and others alike. They have carried a great variety of articles covering the whole range of aviation, from small single seat aircraft (one’s featured in the last issue) through to warbirds and heavier metal.

So it is a great pity that another light aviation publication goes to the wall. To all at Pacific Flyer: thank you for your magazine and good luck in your next ventures.

Now where am I going to place my next series of adverts?

Darrell Ingham – still flying

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Scott

I did not know Darrell but Foxbat owner Andrew Wood has contributed the following story, which I think is a wonderful example of a tribute from pilots to a fellow flyer and his family.

Darrell’s history is quite unique. His career was as a police officer but his passion was flying. Darrell originally flew gliders before his interests moved towards Light Sport Aircraft some years later. Darrell was an instructor at Adelaide Soaring Club (ASC) and was heavily involved in introducing new students to the wonders of aviation. Darrell was a passionate man when it came to aviation and instruction. This passion was supported by his wife Sue, who is a Senior Instructor at ASC.

Karl & Andrew with Darrell’s ashes

Darrell passed away on 10 March 2013 following a prolonged battle with cancer and had asked that his ashes be released over the flying field he considered a part of his life for many years. One year to the day, his wife Sue organised for Club members, family and friends to celebrate Darrell’s wishes with the releasing of his ashes with a low, slow, fly over of the field. My offer to fly my Foxbat alongside another aircraft was accepted.

Needless to say I was somewhat nervous about taking the door off the Foxbat as I was unsure just how it would behave and how the aircraft would react to flying very low and very slow to allow sufficient time for release of the ashes. We first carried out a test run and I must admit, the aircraft handled superbly – but it was loud and windy in the cabin with the passenger door off!

After a successful test run it was time for the real event. Bob Page took Sue up in his Savannah aircraft whilst I took ASC CFI, Karl Faeth in my Foxbat. My role was simply to fly a suitable circuit and descend low and slow, slightly offset to the left of runway centreline. Bob’s role – being the far more experienced pilot – was to join abreast of me to the right, no closer than 100′. Our passengers – Karl and Sue – would release the ashes simultaneously as we approached the cross runway.

Everything went without a hitch and we returned to the awaiting crowd for commemorative photos. To be honest, it was an easy event to volunteer for as the Ingham family are wonderful people, extremely supportive of the soaring club and those who wish to experience the thrills of aviation, on many occasions for the first time. Following the service it was whispered by many: “that’s how I would like to go, my ashes laid over the field”.

Sue had a small plaque placed over a memorial at Darrell’s family home which reads: “Darrell, still flying!” My thoughts go out to Sue and her family and I am extremely honoured to have been a part of the celebration of Darrell’s life and this very special event.

In the Loop

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Scott

For quite a while I have been a subscriber to Loop magazine – an electronic monthly aviation publication. How about this for a bit of fresh air: the subscription is completely FREE!

My subscription is via my iPad – visit the app store and search for LOOP – but you can also subscribe online. Here’s the website address: http://www.loop.aero

The iPad version uses some very good and creative ways to enable you to see text and pictures. For example, you get mostly text in the ‘portrait’ orientation and in the ‘landscape’ orientation you get loads more photos. Using the LOOP app is quite intuitive – they don’t seem to be obsessed with creativity for its own sake, but just to enhance your viewing. Once you get the hang of it, you can swipe up, down and side to side, and rotate the iPad when you want more pictures. It’s a very good example of how electronic publishing can show real benefits over a printed magazine.

Even the advertisers are on board – I just love the ‘scratch card’ reveal of the Bendix King advert for their latest KT74 transponder.

The current issue – number 29 – has a great article about the Chipmunk trainer and previous issues have covered Light Sport Aircraft, STOL/bushplanes, the Red Bull racers, and many classic aircraft.

Finally, can you spot the Foxbat, which appears in every issue?

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