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Post by Allan_Lowson on May 16, 2009 11:08:39 GMT -5
Well, I finally got going before the winter snows set in at the Florida start-point... First leg was flown in a twin comanche and took 2.63 hours and used 54usg of fuel so that makes for an average speed of 179 knots, fuel consumption of 20.5 gph or 8.7 nmpusg. Our currency may be in free fall but our gallons are still bigger Leg two I switched to a Beechcraft A36 and took 1.7 hrs and 25.67usg, so that made for a speed of 162 knots and a fuel burn of 15gph or 10.8nmpusg Leg 3 the A36 managed in 1.68 hrs and 24.5usg, for a speed of 149 knots and a fuel burn of 15gph or 9.9mpg. Leg 4 (been here before - seem to remember rattling some windows with four RR Conways) I switched back into the Twin Comanche and that took 1.8hrs and 42.8usg, for a speed of 202knots and a fuel burn of 23.8 gph or 8.5mpg. These legs have been fun, a couple of years ago I flew down the East coast to Atlanta and we got a perfect view of the Appalachians all the way down and it is interesting to cover the same ground in fs at lower levels and speeds. I will potter on - may make the West Coast by Christmas, although I am currently chugging around Finnmark in Tante Ju with her seaboots on, can't imagine why.
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Post by Allan_Lowson on May 9, 2009 6:14:19 GMT -5
Just checked out your route on my 1:4,000,000 GeoCenter map. Now I thought my feet were sore from peddling round the GAAR.
Talking of feet, make sure to keep SWMBO seated well away from hazards at the campfire after a couple of bottles of Lindemans throat tonic this time!
Have a great trip, see you back here in June.
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Post by Allan_Lowson on Apr 15, 2009 17:05:44 GMT -5
With MP3 files the gain in compression against purity of tone loss is probably acceptable enough for youngsters wandering along streets with open earphones. For that matter volume has always seemed of more importance than sonic accuracy for a generation or three.
After trundling up and down to London for most of the last six weekends to ease No. 1 Daughters flat move, I apparently only have one more trip to do before getting a month off for the golf fling. I may up the stakes and go for the Eclipse to avoid getting snowed in for the winter before I finish.
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Post by Allan_Lowson on Apr 2, 2009 14:02:55 GMT -5
As I've just got to the end of the dusty Oz trail, I'll take the Twin Comanche along this route, and hopefully find time over the summer to try out the Carribean jaunt with a VLJ. Might be interesting to compare flight times and fuel flows, or not as the case might be.
Now I'm off to help my daughter with her house move, so may not see too much of the next two weekends.
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Post by Allan_Lowson on Mar 30, 2009 2:34:04 GMT -5
A great Rally, organised with good humour, patience, openness and common sense.
You'll never make a politician Andrew! Thanks to you and the team for a marathon effort.
Now, what to fly next year.......'Ornet, 'Urricane, 'Alifax.....
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Post by Allan_Lowson on Mar 26, 2009 19:46:33 GMT -5
...but then following along at a more leisurely pace in the Concordia 104 entry: Skimming the trees: Into the failing light enough flying straight and level and a dawn departure
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Post by Allan_Lowson on Mar 26, 2009 19:39:48 GMT -5
Once I realised - quite early - that I wasn't going to keep up with Alberto, Ed and Zed I went a bit daft with Irfan during the event. I had far too many to cull - so here's three of the 085 Miles Gemini:
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Post by Allan_Lowson on Mar 1, 2009 14:18:05 GMT -5
I'm sure that I read somewhere that European purchasers of the Eclipse were going to have to have retrofits to the avionics to meet required standards. There was an article in Flight International on the Embraer Phenom 100, which is available from their website at www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/02/09/322207/phenom-100-flight-test-building-on-a-legacy.html- or go to www.flightglobal.com and search for Phenom 100. By the way if you go into the archive you can lose weeks trawling through every page of Flight International from 1909-2005. I frequently lose entire lunchhours that way. Anyway, the point of the flight-test reference is that Embraer have re-positioned the aircraft from a VLJ to an "entry level bizjet". Which suggests a lack of faith in a new market taking off in the post sub-prime and collateralised debt obligations economic crash. They also talk about bio-range, to quote: "While the Eclipse 500 planted the seed for its smallest executive jet, Embraer benchmarked larger and more capable aircraft such as Cessna's CJ1+ to guide the 100's definition. Market forces would dictate an aircraft with an absolute range capability on a par with segment leaders, but Embraer also embraced a concept it calls "bio-range".
Bio-range means designing an aircraft that four passengers would want to ride in for nearly 3h. Central to this is a large cabin. Most fuselages have a circular cross-section, but for the Phenom, Embraer designed an oval fuselage it calls Oval-Lite. This provides more usable room. The class leading cabin's space is further accentuated by eight large windows. Since pulling over for a bathroom break can be problematic at FL410, a chemical toilet lavatory is at the aft end of the cabin."Quite. I have to admit to being a trifle concerned with the prospect of droves of pilots who were used to the relatively simple operational envelope of piston-powered aircraft having to remember just how critical fuel flow and cruising altitude are to the range of jets. I think the topic of accidents caused by pilots running out of fuel has already arisen here, and the signs are that the Turkish Airlines 737 crash in Holland may be another. We should hear initial details about that in the coming week, so I won't comment further. Oh, and of course there is a Phenom 100 (and 300) which has just appeared on flightsim from Monsieur Camil.
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Post by Allan_Lowson on Feb 27, 2009 6:38:59 GMT -5
You'd think the ampersands would know they picked the wrong opponents. T'interweb 0 TG 1
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Post by Allan_Lowson on Feb 14, 2009 8:21:41 GMT -5
THE BEARD What have you done Tom? On matters ancestral I'll just include this link and let others draw their own conclusions: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tsar_Nicholas_II_%26_King_George_V.JPGNow are you so sure that your ancestry goes back to a Church of England Bishop?? As I'm now past the halfway mark on the GAAR, and some bludger in a flying ute is pulling away from the field ( Good on ya, Ed - since when did Holden make aircraft, I ask you?), I'll be firing up a Twin Comanche to tour the Carribean in a week or two. Veering ever further off-topic, your A320 FDs could be used with an Airbus A319 model (+ additional tankage) to produce the Airbus CJ with 6,000miles+ range. Remind me to come back to that idea.
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Post by Allan_Lowson on Feb 10, 2009 18:08:35 GMT -5
Peter, I can certainly recommend the Cunliffe-Owen Concordia for next year. It's a piece of cake to fly and a lovely all-round package - I've enjoyed the 10 legs I've flown so far this year. Which reminds me to get them all logged in. Well done Andrew, we knew you had it in you! We're all behind you (in the queue to take over the headache), about 10,000 miles at the last count.
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Post by Allan_Lowson on Feb 8, 2009 17:55:49 GMT -5
As I sit in one of the least snow-affected areas of Blighty, it was sobering to view the devastation in Southeastern Australia with the fires.
Commiserations to anyone affected, either directly or through families and friends.
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Post by Allan_Lowson on Jan 31, 2009 6:31:56 GMT -5
When the first Beverley was making its maiden flight some of the onlookers were laying bets on whether it would leave the ground. I see the Edgar Percival Prospector has broken cover over at Classic British Files. You were close John, they both have a boom tail. I'm sure when the Prospector grows up it will want to be a Beverley. Edgar Percival designed the Prospector after he left the Percival aircraft company. It was designed with the Australian market in mind, but only about 26 were built by either Edgar or the Lancashire Aircraft Company - so you might see it referred to as the Lancashire E.P.9. As one was evaluated by the British Army, it would even fit in with a warbird theme for the event! (along with all the C-47 gooney birds.)
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Post by Allan_Lowson on Jan 30, 2009 17:48:03 GMT -5
Swipe me John. How big's your eskie!!! Actually the Beverley would have been my second choice aircraft if the Concordia had not proved such a brilliant plane. Well, Peter's model of it anyway. Nope think of something the other end of the alphabet. Or PM me! Any road coming your way soon.
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Post by Allan_Lowson on Jan 28, 2009 17:58:43 GMT -5
Many happy returns. Hope you enjoy the GAAR.
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