Jezz

Thanks for the suggestions Leni. I just did a search on the CAA register list and all are available.

I will check when I get into work though - The list is never 100% current and I thought I had seen YL-FLY somewhere - Or maybe I am imagining things. Perhaps people here are reluctant to have their aircraft associated with little black critters?

Anyways - thanks again!

Also Leni, did you manage to locate a copy of an operating handbook at all? Now I have closed the deal with the guy he has give me all the docs, all build manuals and logs, logbooks, certificates etc, but there is no manual, only operational limitations.

I think I will probably do a full test flight regime anyway, so could write my own, but it would be great if you or any other guys on here have something already that I could base it on.

Many thanks guys!

Jezz

OK, finally back in Latvia after going to the UK to make myself broke with the 2nd part of the payment for the aircraft.

Went to the hangar to see her and she is looking sexy as hell (the Mrs has some stiff competition). The previous owner had put the wheel spats (pants) back on and now she is looking like she is doing 100 mph while still sitting on the deck with the wings folded!

The previous owner is going to deliver her to my chosen airfield in the UK (will be by road as his field is so soft it is almost impossible to even walk on it).

Also, picked up my new Garmin 196 which I got as a bargain on ebay. Loving it - Joey, you were right, this is a great unit!

Now I need the help of you guys again.

When my plane gets to Latvia I will have to put it on the Latvian register. I am trying to think of something good to register it as. Maybe you guys can come up with something from this:

The national registration is "YL" which will be followed by 3 letters (no numbers).

Originally we were going to have YL-CAT, but that has already gone.

I'm going to throw the floor open to you guys!

Jezz

I guess I have the feeling comfortable bit to come to me. I flew an Avid spin-off a few weeks ago, called a Eurofox, and it felt comfortable after about 30 mins except I will have to re-learn what my feet are for!!! I stopped flying sailplanes in 1995 and it seems that the sensitivity of balance balls on GA aircraft has been increased since those days!

Damn damn damn!!!!

Is there an option to retrofit the Avid with yaw damper?

OK, off the funnies now - I am going to see her on Friday. For some reason I feel like a nervous lover on a first date.

I fly to the UK on Thursday morning, make out the check for the portion of the payment that I was not able to transfer from my bank in the first hit, then on Friday I am going to see the current owner and make myself broke in a single hit. Cant wait!!!

The current owner has put the wheel spats back on for me and re-installed the OAT probe(it is an Annex 6 (II) requirement that all international flights of GA aircraft have an OAT indication. The wheel spats had been taken off because the current owner is flying from grass, but I think I will only be doing 1 or 2 flights from grass before we leave the UK, but for that I will have to wait until April at least

So, next Saturday I will be back from the UK and will be sure to add some photos - I only wish they could be airborne ones

That makes good sense to me now. After I made my previous post I spent about 2 hours going through all the Avid accident statistics and comparing the causes to those of Lycoming/Continental driven machines. It seems to make quite a bit of sense, especially with the 2 strokes, to restrict your possibility of harming someone else until the engine has had a time to run in and you have a feel for the aircraft. It does seem that 40 hours is a bit excessive though, but I guess the FAA have no other way of ensuring that you comply with the manufacturer's maintenance handbook etc. at least this way they have given themselves a clean conscience.

Jezz

Thanks for that Randy. Perhaps the 40 hrs is linked to the ICAO time it takes to get a license. Perhaps they think that if you have done 40 hours in the thing then you should be proficient to fly it? Anyways, I am in the middle of working out the test schedule for when I take delivery of my baby. I am going to do probably 5-10 hours before setting out on the track back. Photos will be forthcoming!

Jezz

Thanks for the pic Joey. The 196 was my number 1 choice because I think it gives the best value for money. I have a lot of space over on the right hand side to put avionics (and an extra 30lbs for free to fill it up with thanks to Leni helping me sort out my W&B), but I really don't want to put a panel mount over there. Aside of the fact that it would probably cost as much as my aircraft, I will be doing some instruction in her and I wanted a GPS I could take out so I can give the students a hard time with map and compass

I am pleased that the 196 is serving you well - I just can't wait to get mine in the air now. SOoooooo impatient I am!!!!!

Have you clocked up any hours these last few days? What is this 40 hour restriction all about anyway? I think things are a bit different over here in Europe so it is a bit confusing for me.

Jezz

My new GPS (Garmin 196) came yesterday!!! That is the belated valentine for my new baby. Just another week of waiting and I will see her again :D

Leni - did you get back yet? Don't want to pester as you have been a great help already, but I was just wondering if you had managed to find those extra files? Hope you are having a great time in the snow - we started to thaw here yesterday, but a bit of -10C overnight and now back with a healthy covering again this morning!

Jezz

Leni - wow! That's awesome. Many thanks indeed!

From the 2nd scenario I would have to shed 30lbs though (in theory at least) because the Avid was only ever given a permit for 1020 lbs MTOW on the British register (unless I could blag the 1050 as ramp weight and claim 30 lbs taxi fuel ). On the other hand, most of our group are featherweights (I am about 140 lbs fully clothed and dripping wet). But this XLS is excellent, many thanks! I will now be able to do the measurements again and see how much she has gained since '94. At least with this 6lbs per USG instead of 7.2 per imperial, I will pick up 30 lbs along the way, and all just for getting the math right

Right, off to bed for me - tea candles are lit and she will be home in 10 mins. I can but hope!!!!

Jezz

Thanks Leni, that would be great!

At the moment, this is all I have to go on:



Which is taken from the original hand scrawled working out - these guys have really kept all the papers in order!



I will be really happy if I get an extra 30 lbs I am a complete lightweight myself, but it is great to know I can fill her up, two of us get in and not have to worry too much about how much stuff we are bringing along in the locker.

Jezz

Thanks! So the 18 and 6 combined would give 24 USG which would be in the right sort of ballpark for the 25 on my mass and balance (the extra one for being in the lines and header/collector tank). I wonder if they screwed up their calculations between USG and Imperial when they did the original W&B?

I just checked and they factored 0.91 gallons for minimum, which must be in the right ballpark to give a total fuel of 25 gallons USG (0.91 imp gallon being just a tad over 1 USG). It really is starting to look like I have an 18, 6 and they are USG, and that when they did the original w&b they just screwed up and entered the density for imperial gallons. The good news is that if I check this and it is correct then I can have almost an extra 30lbs of payload or new toys, for free and still have full tanks!

The bad news is that I will have to draw up a completely new w&b schedule

Anyway, many thanks for the help! What indicated speeds do you get for those power settings?

Jezz

Yea, I am planning on testing everything I can possibly think of and then some more, before I leave the UK - fuel, engine, instruments and once I have done that lot I am planning to fly the full flight test program just for good measure - I figure that by the time I have done that I will have taken her to all edges of the envelope and will have a good feel for her and also a few hours under my belt ready for the adventure.

Damn SURE I will be taking pictures on the way back! Don't worry, they will be posted here even before the Mrs gets to see them!

Jezz

Thanks for the info. Looks like I will have to do a thorough contents check before I set out. The figures I got were from the original certified mass and balance which was signed off by an inspector so I assumed it to be correct. I will check!!!

If the burn figures are only around 4.5US ph then it is still going to be possible to keep with the original legs that I have planned, even if I end up with smaller wing tanks than I thought.

At this time it looks like my routing will be:

UK - midlands (Otherton airfield)
UK - S. Coast (Provisionally Llydd or Shoreham)
Germany - Nr Frankfurt (Provisionally Egglesbach, staying with friends)
Germany - Colone (Stop to see some colleagues in EASA)
Germany - Erfurt (stop to see a friend)
Poland - 1 or 2 stops TBA
Lithuania - Kaunas (city center GA airfield)
Latvia - Home to EVRS (Riga Spilve airport)

Jezz

That was only the softcore porn!

Yes, it was made from a Model "C" kit, but was modified to bring it up to the Mk4 so that it could be certified at 1020 lbs. It has the thicker spar tubes 0.085" thickness, thicker tailplane struts (0.5") and the 12" rib spacing. It has 25 gallons total in 2 wing tanks, but rather usefully the mass and balance schedule does not tell what type of gallons they are. As the mass given for the fuel calculation is 7.2lbs per gallon I am assuming they are Imperial gallons (I know, never bet your life on an assumption - I will be checking it too) which will give me a total fuel capacity of 30 USG or 113 liters here in Europe.

The left hand tank is smaller and next to it there is a wing baggage locker - looking forward to popping some camping stuff in there and heading off up into the islands in the Baltic Sea or north up into Finland.

Can any of you guys please give me some idea of what your 582 fuel burn is like? I have 4.5 gph from the current owner (I am presuming he is talking imperial), but I am keen to have some kind of average idea so I can start to plan my 1500nm marathon through Europe (and yes, when I do it, you will have lots of pics from that little trip!).

Jezz

It has a 582 gray-top (0 timed 14 hours ago), a "B" type gearbox and Peery 71"X 37" prop. It has MTOW of 1020 lbs and is in "nose dragger" configuration (I can't guarantee to keep myself (and my group members) current enough to be comfortable with a tail dragger).

My baby looking very sexy at a fly-in before we first met



When I went to view her:





I will probably put the panel into a "Standard T" and may add a transponder in due course.



And another one from the rear:



Will keep you all posted with lots of pics as and when I take them. I will be over to spend a night or two with it in a couple of weeks. Really can't wait - Need to fly! Not sure I will be able to remain sane for 2 weeks.

Jezz

I never know if I should congratulate or commiserate when I hear of someone splitting up after such a long time - but if it gives you more time with the Avid then it can only be a good thing methinks! I've spent the last 90 minutes in front of the computer Googling for gift ideas - results I have found the perfect Garmin GPS 196 on ebay and only a day left on bidding ... Ah what the hell, I will buy the 196 as a valentine for the Avid and the Mrs can have a few tea candles scattered around the place for when she comes home tonight (will already be past midnight).

Garmin - $350 (or maybe more if the bidding goes up)
Tea candles - $5

Yep - I think it says it all! Maybe I can make up the other $345 by having a shower and a shave for when she comes home? Nah, on second thoughts I want to try to upload those pictures. OK, off now to buy the tea candles then!

Jezz

p.s. How is the snowfall up there in Alaska this season. Here we have had more than in a decade. I went to the airfield today to look at the building I am stealing (part of the old fire brigade garages, so plenty of room for the Avid), the snow depth has already raised about another foot and the clearance machine drivers only work weekdays so airfield closed so I had some fun putting the car sideways on the runway with a couple of students hitching along. Always good fun to show them that its not only the teenagers that can have fun. Temps are way down here too, normally we get a week or two solid below -15C (day and night) with most of the rest of the season about -5C, but this year it was over 2 months below -20C. Global warming perhaps?

Guys, many thanks for the positive words and support!

I have a few pics from when I went to view her, I will post them here when I get back, but that is likely to take me all evening (I am a bit slow on the computer uptake these days), so priorities first ... tomorrow is Feb 14th, time to go out and make a last minute ditch effort look like a years worth of romantic planning.

And Leni, many thanks for the offer of info, it will be gratefully received!

Jezz

p.s. maybe another thread I should have started yesterday would have read "romantic ideas SOS"

OK, filling it out - I am (amongst other roles) a ramp inspector for the Latvian Aviation Authority. Of course, I can't say if the Antonov just drew the short straw, or if there was a little bias in it being selected for inspection ... but on balance, a very professionally run outfit more or less completely compliant with ICAO requirements. The crew were really hospitable and patient (I wouldn't be surprised if they have a tenancy to get ramp checked everywhere they go).

The Antonov 124 itself does not have a much bigger footprint than a 747 although the flight deck has a crew of something like 6 to 8 (my Russian isn't up to how the skipper was explaining what his crew do and where they sit so I lost a bit of detail on who sits where), and I have a feeling the hold volume is quite a bit more than the 747. Behind the flight deck there are crew rest cubicles (2 bench seat/beds, table and 3rd fold-down bunk in each cubicle), galley, toilet etc and behind all that an open avionics area (I didn't delve too deeply, I was WAY out of my depth when they took me in there). There is a 2nd "upstairs" bit, aft of the wing - didn't go up there as was already long past having finished my job

As for the pics. I really don't know how happy the Ukrainians or the skipper who's flight it was would be (not to mention my CAA) of me posting inspection photos on a publicly accessible forum, but if anyone would really like them I am sure I can send one or two non specific ones privately. Just use my mail above if interested.

Jezz

First post on the forum, but will keep with this theme....

That's nothing, you should see the flight deck of the Antonov 124 that I was in last week

I would post the pictures if only I could shrink them to fit (not to mention not pissing the Ukrainians off by posting them on a forum)! If anyone wants a selection of them, just mail me at jezzbaldwin@hotmail.com and I will mail them to you.