Category Archives: Uncategorized

Ballistic rescue systems for aircraft

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BRSA ballistic rescue system (BRS) is an option available on Foxbat aircraft – about 15 of the Australian fleet of 125 are fitted with them. Thankfully, no-one has needed to deploy a BRS on an Australia Foxbat.

However, the pilot of this Cirrus was not so lucky, although due to the BRS, he and his passengers all walked away from what otherwise might have been a nasty incident.

It was around 2pm on Saturday afternoon, 10 December 2014 at Lawson, west of Sydney in New South Wales when some sort of problem occurred with the aircraft and the BRS was deployed – an excellent example of how modern technology can dramatically improve the safety of light aircraft.

Here’s a link for more information, including a short piece of video: Sydney Morning Herald

Bush flying

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Backcountry PilotA good website for bush flying information is Back Country Pilot. They have just released an article and YouTube video about planning and executing safe short field take-offs in rough country. Although the two aircraft they focus on are the Carbon Cub and a heavily-modified Maule – both astonishing aircraft when it comes to short take-offs – nevertheless, the lessons for all bush fliers are relevant. The good thing about the Foxbat is that the tail is already in the air, so need to lift it before take-off like a tailwheel aircraft.

I’m working on some short field take-off and landing videos specifically covering the Foxbat and these should be available later in the year.

How high do you like to fly?

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We’re talking about light, single engine aircraft here – not jetliners or high performance multi-engine aircraft.

Some people love to fly high – often 8,000 feet and higher. They tell me they like to fly this high for lots of reasons – it’s usually much cooler (particularly in the summer), it’s usually much smoother (it takes thermals a while to build up to reach these altitudes), and sometimes the wind is stronger (useful if you’re going in the right direction). On a clear day, the view can be almost unbelievable, with the horizon many tens of kilometres away.

Up highThere is also an argument that if the engine stops, you have a lot more choices if you’re up high. This may be true if you fly a typical spam can brick but today’s breed of light sport aircraft will glide far further than our fathers could ever have dreamed, so height is not always necessary. Last and not least, for the high-flyer there aren’t many hills at this height to get in your way, so you can fly directly from A to B.

And in my mind that really summarises high-flyers – getting from A to B.

Personally, I’m a low-flyer. Not illegally low, I hasten to make clear. Just that my preferred height is between 500 and 2,000 feet above the ground. Yes, it can be bumpy. Yes, it can be a bit hotter. And yes, you may have to make detours around the topography. But if you take-off and fly early in the day and catch the smooth cool air, the rewards are well worth it. While you don’t get the ‘see-forever’ views of the high flyer, you do get to see much more detail on the ground. Farms, mines, wind-farms, beaches, even animals – which in Australia includes kangaroos, camels, goats, emus and even crocodiles. Even the hills look great from lower down, so long as you don’t get too close.

Down lowA friend of mine (who also prefers the low and slow approach) jokes with high-flyers about the lovely ‘hills’ they are missing on French Island in Westernport Bay, south of Melbourne. Even from 2,500 feet, the place looks quite flat. Only when you get down to 700-800 feet do the hills appear.

So low and slow is my preference – enjoy the journey!

Who needs a taildragger?

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ImageFor extreme bush flying – and by this I mean river bed landings, rocky hill tops and so-on – there’s no substitute for a tail dragger with huge main wheels and a smaller one at the back. And a pilot with considerable skill and experience.

But for most types of bush and farm flying, a suitable tricycle gear aircraft will do the job just as well – and in some conditions better than – a typical tail dragger.

Specifically, let me introduce you to the Aeroprakt A22 Foxbat – a tricycle gear aircraft with a tail wheel.

The Foxbat is a 2-seat light sport aircraft – an LSA – which will take you into many places you just cannot go in a conventional tri-gear plane. And it is an aircraft that enables reasonably competent, medium time pilots to handle cross winds like no tail dragger possibly can.

For a start, it’s rugged and strong. As well as full fuel it will carry around 200 kilos of people and baggage.

The CofG is close to the main wheels, so you can lift the nose off the ground at standstill or very slow speeds – this lets you run the plane down a rough paddock on its main wheels, with the nose wheel and prop well clear of trouble in the form of ruts, stones and even small shrubs.

The Foxbat lifts off in around 75 metres, even fully loaded, so there’s no long ground roll to punish the landing gear.

And getting back on the ground is just as quick and easy. You land at about 35 knots and you can hold the nose wheel clear of the rough stuff down to walking pace. Even better – unlike a typical tail dragger – you have nose wheel steering if and when you need it. The Foxbat nose wheel is steered directly through the rudder pedals, not relying on differential brakes. And there’s always the tailwheel to help you protect the rear of the aircraft in extreme cases!

There are farm based Foxbats operating out of rough strips and paddocks all over Australia. A couple have over 5000 hours on them in these conditions and many over 2000 hours. All of which attests to the longevity and toughness of the aircraft.

Who needs a tail dragger? Not me!