Jezz

I have something similar, except mine is with 2 wheels which it pivots around and comes back to a steering handle. Pretty neat - only problem is there was no way it was going in the wing locker when I ferried the plane back from England, so now it is sitting in storage in England until I drive over in the fall. Shame because I now have a garage where I store the plane and have to fold the wings. This steering thing would be a Godsend. Oh well!!

Jezz

Thats the beauty of the Avid - sitting side by side you can always let her play with the stick as you happily fly along

Back in the hotseat now!

I would like to say that I have been away because I have been flying the Avid all around Europe ... but that would be a lie. I have been working my ass off (feels like 24/7) with the summer schedule.

Had quite a cockup putting the Avid into it's new garage. I broke into the wrong one (there were 2 to choose from), and then proceeded to trash all the belongings of the tenants who had leased it. The Avid sat nice in there though, then, 1 day into a business trip I got a call telling me that the police were going to be called and I was in the deep doodoo.

Good job I am in with the council guys who are responsible for the airfield. Nonevent, and the tenants got a load of their trash thrown out for free (turned out they didn't want the stuff anyway!).

So, got back, moved Avid to new home (turns out it is not just a garage, it is 4 rooms, 1 of which is big enough to turn into a bar - IT WILL BE SO!!!!!!!! )

After that, was flying ass off for work, and not in the Avid

Earlier this week I flew off the last hour or so before the 50 hour check. I have 1 question from the Rotax maintenance manual for the 582. It states that the cylinder head should be removed to inspect for deposits and also inspect piston rings. I cannot believe that everyone is removing the cylinder head each 50 hours, checking and then replacing head and probably gaskets etc. Is there a short cut to doing this?

One other question is what grease should I use to grease the flapperson hinge points? They are looking like they would benefit from it (and it is also part of the check schedule).

Final question. I a bit of black sludge in my left main tank and I am getting tiny flakes of black stuff out when I do the fuel test from that tank. Since I noticed this I have been restricting myself to using only the right tank (which is clean). Any ideas how I can flush the tank? I have read some stuff on a boating forum about disconnecting the feed line, half filling tank with salt water then sealing an air compressor hose into the filler cap and building pressure until all of the water is flushed out, then flushing tank with normal warm water, repeat with saline water until particles stop flowing - any ideas if this would work?

One other word. Last time I flew, I was using some MOGAS that had been stored in a (brand new) can for a couple of days. I decided to filter it anyway through a chamois leather (see previous question). The results were astounding. After about only 5 gallons of gas there was no water, but the center of the cloth was pitch black with dirt particles. I am now going to buy a huge funnel and filter all fuel through the leather - it is a bloody slow process (about 2 gallons an hour), but it is worth it for the result.

OK, I am now off to the airfield to do some parts of the 50 hour check (my aircraft is still maintained under the British LAMS schedule which means it gets an airframe/electrics/avionics inspection too at 50 hours). I really don't mind as this gives me a chance to learn quite a bit more about the baby

Jezz

The tracker is a nice touch! Wish I had done that before my trip.

We are awaiting a write-up from you with baited breath. Also trip pics, but I don't have much room to talk there as I am still waiting to get mine from Vadim's camera - will be uploaded as soon as I do.

Till then - enjoy the flying!

Jezz

Want to go flying! Thinking about going flying but it will probably end in me being kicked out by the Mrs because i have been at home all day and done nothing but read up on the carbs and engine ready for my 50 hrs, when what I was tasked with doing was the housework - which is why I am now writing this instead of using a vacuum cleaner.

At the bginning of this week I got the authorization I needed to get the new hangar (garage). It will require quite a bit of a clean-up so I am going there tomorrow and will start turfing things out. We have access to the whole building (which is pretty big), including the 2 fire engine bays. I will try to take some pics of the cleanup, and all things being even should have the baby in her new home by the end of play tomorrow, then give it another week (I am in meetings in the UK and then on a course for the whole week) and I will be ready for that 50 hour when I will have a look at the jets etc.

Happy landings

Jezz

I'm with Leni

Congratulations to both of you!

Jezz

I'm pleased to hear that Jim is on the mend, albeit slowly. What we do carries an inherent risk, and sometimes that risk exceeds our ability to manage it (for whatever reason). That is when we have no choice but to accept that the outcome is going to be down to luck and fate. For Jim it seems that fate has taken a positive turn, not so for Joey's friend.

As one single community, I think I can speak for us all when I say that our thoughts and prayers are always with those who's ability to manage the risks of flying has been outstripped and now in the hands of fate.

Jezz

Joey

Just stumbled across this thread while I am sitting on the ground waiting for a warm front to pass through ... i.e. killing today and hoping tomorrow will bring some good CAVOK.

Anyway, I recognize nearly all of these models and think I probably own a few of them. The London bus in particular looks really familiar.

I will be in the UK week after next, so if I get a few minutes free I will climb up into the attic and have a look.

I think you are probably on the money with dating them in the 80s. I picked up most of mine during my reprobate years through to about 88.

I will keep you posted and try to bring some pics back too.

Jezz

Leni, thanks for that.

I do not yet know which notch I am on - I have not had the tops off the carbs (basically because I could not find a manual on how to do it). I have watched the Rotax training video for the 912 Bing adjustment - will the 582 be similar?

The prop is a wooden Peery prop - I have no idea what the figures are for it, but I believe it is the original as installed in the aircraft.

Which VP prop do you have? Is it CS or straight VP? The wooden prop on mine looks great, but I guess it will be in line for replacement sooner or later (there is some separation of the varnish layer on one tip (although this does not cause me any vib problems at all and the varnish is smooth edged where it is separated so I am not too worried).

As for the 50 hour, I was also going to clean the air filer (again! it doesnt seem like 5 minutes since I last cleaned it on the way from England). I will probably wait until these last 6 hours are complete before going into the carbs - as things are I can keep things in check (just), but Latvia is full of huge fields and meadows so if it all goes wrong I just pull the power and land

Many thanks again

Jezz

Hey Leni

It took me a couple of days to wait for weather, women and will to get up.

Static was a bit over 6100 - from fully warmed up, water about 185 F and EGTs within limits, but I didnt keep it there as the I was a bit concerned about the water.
S&L flight RPM was 6700 (although it was as turbulent as hell so there may have been some residual RPMs in there from the conditions) - Water about 185, EGT about 1200 F max (although I have seen it trying to peak higher than this - as soon as I see it is heading that way I am back on the throttle.

During climbs at low altitude I am seeing the water temps heading up above 180, by the time I am up to 3000' that is solved.
Also, at 3000' AMSL things are a lot better with the EGTs.

At 1000' AMSL and 6100 RPM in straight and level I have about 180 water and 1200 EGT
At 1000' AMSL and 6000 RPM in Straight and level I have about 175 water but the EGT tries to edge its way above 1200, which I can either adding more RPM, or taking a climb.
At 1000' AMSL and 5800 RPM in Straight and level the water temp is well within range, but the EGT goes up really fast and if I don't catch it in time I am forced to pull the throttle and descend.

At 3000' AMSL and 6100 RPM in straight and level the water was still about 180 but the EGT was down slightly to about 1150
At 3000' AMSL and 5800 RPM in normal straight and level flight, water about 165 and EGTs back up to 1200
At 3000' AMSL and 5800 RPM in reverse power command (i.e. nose somewhere pointing to heaven and anchoring on to the stall), everything settled down - water 160ish and EGTs down to 1050.

So, any thoughts? Is this an indication that I am running too lean? Should I change my jets? Change the notch for the needle? (lowest notch is richest isn't it?).

I am due for a 50 hour check in about 6 hours, so I shall be spending quite a bit of time learning the engine - we should also get our new hangar on the airfield (an old fire station garage - plenty of room for an Avid ) by that stage.

Anything special I should look out for during the 50 hour check? I have the Rotax manual which I am going to spend a bit of time with before taking the baby apart.

OK, that's it for now - I have had my hopes of flying tomorrow crushed by the director of the CAA (I have to come to the office tomorrow), and by the weather forecast - looking like the proverbial !

In advance, thanks guys - all thoughts welcomed!

Jezz

Hi Joey

I'm pleased you took me up on the suggestion - I remember being just as cautious after my first.

It is perfectly normal that your confidence takes a hit when you have lost someone who you knew well, and who you considered to be a good pilot. I remember after my first I spent the biggest part of the flight thinking about everything that could go wrong with the aircraft, with my piloting etc. Just a few flights later and everything was back to normal for me. I hope you get back to 100% confidence soon!

dholly, I think what we are talking about is the hit that your confidence can take. I have, over the years lost many friends to accidents, 1 midair, 1 in-flight breakup, 1 during a display, several through very poor decision making resulting in pilot error accidents. After each of them I spend some time looking over what I could improve to ensure I do not end up in the same boat, but what I do now is not a patch on the mulling and musing that I did after the first. Had I not gotten straight back into the thick of it after the first, I think I know I would have started to analyze which would have caused me to worry which would have made me analyze more and so on. It may have been that I would never have gotten my confidence back to where it was before had I not taken the bull by the horns.

Jezz

Hi Joey

Sorry to hear the bad news. I never know what to say at a time like this except to be assured that, as one global community, our thoughts are always with our fellow pilots who fail to come home, and with those friends and family they leave behind.

From experience though, may I suggest you take your own bird for a little trip ASAP. My first really knocked the confidence out of me, but my friends forcing me to fly the very next day was the best thing they did.

Once again, sorry for the loss.

Hi Joey

Sorry to hear the bad news. I never know what to say at a time like this except to be assured that, as one global community, our thoughts are always with our fellow pilots who fail to come home, and with those friends and family they leave behind.

From experience though, may I suggest you take your own bird for a little trip ASAP. My first really knocked the confidence out of me, but my friends forcing me to fly the very next day was the best thing they did.

Once again, sorry for the loss.

Hi Leni

Too many number for off the top of my head, but I am going flying tomorrow and will check all of them.

Last time I flew I noticed the water temp edging towards the redline (I should know the number of the top of my nut, but I am at the end of an 18 hour day so bear with me ... better I check the actual figures tomorrow - I will be taking an attractive assistant so there is hope of her taking note of the numbers while I take note of her , sorry, I mean the flying). But anyway, the water isn't the thing that is worrying me.

My EGTs have crept up to the 680 mark (sorry, degrees centipedes and brain too fried to work it out - will do for tomorrow). The EGTs seem to be sitting very high in the cruise though. I remembered what you told me about keeping the prop loaded so I have been running her slightly above 6000 rpm which keeps things stable(ish), but in the thermals we have been getting lately, that is not too easy.

I will get the figures when I go play with the young lady ... I mean the airplane ... I mean ....

Till then, Jezz is going to do a little bit of and be out for the count in about 10 minute flat!

Happy landings!

Jezz

Joey, you win the ballsy competition for flying 300nm over Nevada. The thought of doing 300nm over that patch for me would be about 300nm out of my comfort zone. Sure, the freedom levels in Europe are not there like they are in the USA, but it has the benefit that you can't let you attention slip too far and therefore you reduce your possibilities for getting things out of shape. Back in the early 00's I spent a few months hour building in Florida, and that had to be the best flying of my life - you guys really do have a superb system over there.

Back here in Europe, you are spot on about the restrictions and costs. As I work for the CAA, you would think I could smooth over some of the restrictions, but in fact the opposite is true and I have to do absolutely everything "by the book". The good thing for me right now is that Latvia is one of the easier States in Europe to do everything "by the book".

As for the costs ... That's why we got the Avid! It was such a good option for us based on all costs combined.

You are spot on about flying in the UK - one of my main motivators for leaving. Where were you gliding in the UK? I used to do quite a bit at Lasham and Marchington (now called Cross Hayes), but that was way back in the early 90s.

I will not forget to post the pics on here as soon as I have some of them from Vadim.

Jezz

Phase 2

Phase 2 is 1 week after the end of phase 1.

We flew back to Riga from Berlin and agreed to go back to Berlin the following weekend and fly the baby home. This rested on only a couple of things. Firstly I had to be able to fix the weeping hose and secondly, we had to be able to depart Berlin with sufficient time in hand for Vadim to get back for his night flight to Tel Aviv on Monday evening.

During the week I bought new plugs for the aircraft because the logs showed it to be about 3 hours overdue for the Rotax 25 hour actions. I alo tried to shop around for a replacement hose, but with no luck in Riga. I did however find a couple of places around Berlin where it may be possible to get the replacement hose.

On the Friday evening Vadim and I flew back to Berlin. Vadim had meetings to attend that evening so it was decided that I would make my own way to the airfield then perform the repairs. I would keep in touch with Vadim and we would decide if he would continue back with me on the Saturday morning, or if he would go back to Riga on the scheduled service.

I got to the airfield after a lovely evening in Potsdam near Berlin, and took the cowls off. There first hose to go on was not of the correct material and melted during ground running. I notified Vadim that he should probably go back to Riga with the airline as there was a reasonable chance that there would be delays and he would miss the Tel Aviv.

I was now in the proverbial sh*t because everywhere was closing on the Saturday afternoon, and I had a (melted) wrong part sitting on my motor and no way of getting the right one. Then the aerodrome guys came up with the idea of speaking to the engineering guy at Cirrus aircraft (they have a maintenance base there). This guy came up with a hose with the correct internal diameter but with a much thicker core and with a metallic heat shield inside the tube carcass followed by the usual fabric shield outer. Turned out to be perfect however it was 8pm local time before I took the baby into the air to flight test the new hose. All was perfect although I spent much of my time in the pattern chasing the EGTs. Otherwise everything was OK.

First thing the next morning I headed out to the airport (having stayed at the airport hotel), and had the aircraft pre flighted, flight plan filled and ready to depart right on the airport opening time.

The next stop was Grudziadz in Poland. I was keeping a good watch on the temps as I climbed away from Schonhagen. A few times I pulled all the way back and took a shallow descent to let her cool down a little, but otherwise all was good. Before I knew it I was already at the border with Poland which is marked by the huge river Oder. On the charts there was a canal before the river and so I had at first thought I was approaching the canal which gave me a further 10nm till the border, but no such luck. It seemed that I had been lucky to get a strong tailwind and that I was already within 5 minutes of the border. I requested the frequency change and called up Gdansk Info literally within a minute of crossing the border. This was a little too close for comfort as all Polish FIR boundaries are identification mandatory zones.

Once into Polish airspace the controller did something I was not expecting. I had planned for a flight that would scout around, above or below dozens of military fields, installations and danger areas. The Gdansk Info controller uttered the most beautiful words to me "you may proceed direct Grudziadz". The weather was clear, the flying was perfect. There were a few places where I thought I would be eating wood if the engine quit, but mostly it was plain sailing. After 3 hours I was in the pattern at Grudziadz. No one was speaking to me on the radio so I did an overhead join for what turned out to be a truly MASSIVE grass field (I had only minimal info about it prior to arriving there due to the limitations of my flight planning programme).

The landing (my first in the Avid on grass), was really flattering - probably much more to do with the aircraft than my piloting abilities. I rolled to the end of the neatly cut grass in search of a runway exit but there was no taxiway, and then someone on the radio told me (in perfect English) that it was perfectly safe to taxi over any of the longer grass in between me and the apron. Perfect flight and when I got out of the aircraft a great reception.

It took me a few minutes to find someone who spoke English, but when I did it was the chairman of the club there. He gave me a really nice welcome and I got talking to everyone there. There was of course a lot of interest in this tiny British aircraft. I started chatting with one elderly gentleman who turned out to be an instructor, the only limitation being that he did not speak any English. This was the point when I discovered for the first time in my life that I can hold down a basic conversation in Russian.

I had lunch and then asked to file my flight plan for the next leg which would cross the border into Lithuania and end in Kaunas (the 2nd city in Lithuania). I faxed my flight plan to Gdansk who then called me back to question my permission to enter Lithuania - turns out that a separate permission is required if you don't have a transponder - this is published nowhere and was completely news to me. The woman in Gdansk gave me the phone number I needed in Lithuania and one phone call saw the (military) form sent to my email. I had the form filled out and faxed within a few minutes and was told that the permission would be within a couple of hours.

The Russian speaking guy from the club took me into the city (a 15 minute drive each way), and I stocked up on everything that I might need (including GPS batteries and some snack foods).

By the time we were back at the airfield, it was already mid afternoon and I had been on the ground for 5 hours. I was eager to press on, and as I was chatting to the guys there, the phone call came through from the Lithuanian military giving me the permission code that I needed.

I took off in the later afternoon and started speaking with Poznan information, then Gdansk who then passed me on to the next controller who I was unable to reach. I flew in silence until the Lithuanian border - this was a little scary as I was crossing at the smallest border crossing between Lithuania, Poland, Belarus and Kaliningrad (Russia). I had to divert to the West (towards Kaliningrad airspace) to avoid a big CB cell and was really close to the Russian border and unable to speak to anyone to tell them I was there. I knew of one instance in recent history where a balloon had been shot down for being not too far from where I was right now and not speaking to anyone. Anyway, I checked the timings and I was on the money. I was obliged to cross the border crossing within 10 minutes of my estimate unless I had otherwise advised ATC. As it was I was right on to within a minute or two, so I continued on into Lithuania without announcement.

I tried several times to get hold of Kaunas information (who cover the south part of Lithuania) but without any luck. In the end I gave up and started speaking to Aleksotas Information (this is the ground station of the GA airfield in Kaunas). I was last at this airfield in 2003 and back then everyone was speaking only in Lithuanian so it was a real surprise to have someone answer me in perfect English. It took me a couple of goes to identify the airfield because I had been looking to closely at the GPS which I had programmed with a departure point from this airfield .... which I was now following as though it was the point that would take me to the airfield .

I landed at Kaunas without any further event and it was already like being home.

The guy from the airfield welcomed me - then apologized that he had to charge me for the landing - hardly a big deal at 10 Euro, but still the 2nd most expensive since leaving the UK.

The manager from the airfield then found a couple of jerry cans and drove me to the local garage to get some cheap MOGAS (because their AVGAS prices were through the roof).

That night I spent in the accommodation on the airfield (which I had all to myself) and was right ready to leave the following morning - only 1 minor problem .... My phone battery was flat, I had no charger with me, I had no fax there and I HAD TO file a fight plan and get the military permission for the onward journey to Riga.

In the end I walked back to the garage where I had bought the gas the night before. The same young lady was working and when I explained my situation (again in Russian - she spoke no English), she let my use her personal phone. I filled my plan, got my permission, explained to the ATS person on the phone that it was fine to file a flight plan at the altitude I wanted (he thought I would not be allowed into the Riga control zone without a flight plan) - we amended my plan with a height limit abeam the Riga CTR and all was good.

15 minutes later I was back on the ramp with the engine turning over and ready to roll.

I started to taxi from cold as the taxi from the ramp to the runway at Kaunas is one hell of a long way. By the time I was at the hold the temps were up to the point where I could do the run up checks and then I was out onto the runway and departing. It was now Monday morning and Kaunas Info had woken up.

This was to be a pretty low level flight because along most of the route the airspace is down to 1500 feet due to Kaunas, Shauliai and Riga CTAs. Kaunas handed me over to Shauliai Information who asked me for my estimate at the border. Took me a few goes to get it right. By that time I was being forced lower and lower by a descending cloudbase.

Just before crossing the Latvian border I tried to raise Riga Approach but while I could hear them 5 they could only hear me with a 3, so I told them I would call back later.

I continued on route with a continuing lowering cloudbase and increasing turbulence. I was considering calling Riga back to let them know I was there, but there was hardly a chance to get a word in edgeways as it was the morning rush hour. Eventually I called Riga Approach back and they could hear me .... But I was only telling them that I would change frequency to Riga Spilve (a CTAF).

The cloudbase continued to lower and for the 2nd time on this trip I ended up being in cloud. This time was a little more scary as I was right on the E side of Riga city with a lot of tall buildings in the neighbourhood. As it was though, I knew I was over a large lake at the edge of the city, which is right on the VRP that leads to Riga Spilve airport. I emerged from the cloud at 600' still over the lake and managed to climb back up to 1000' to fly over the residential area that is between the lake and the airfield.

Finally I landed at Riga Spilve 2h 12m after leaving Kaunas and taxied in to a royal welcome from all the friends and colleagues who had been sitting on the deck wondering when the weather would improve enough for it to be possible to go flying!

So, that was the end of the journey from Otherton in the UK to Riga Spilve (EVRS).

The next thread will be "flying my new Avid"

This really is a dream machine for me and I think there will be plenty more stories.

Jezz

Hey Guys
Sorry I have been out of the loop so much. I have been trying to get on here and update the 2nd part of my trip, but at the moment I am juggling 2 full time jobs, an ICAO audit finding clearance, an EASA audit finding clearance and being on 2 training courses this month to boot ... so anyway - much to the disdain of the Mrs, I am now sitting down at the computer and stealing it for the next hour ... there is nothing she can do further - she must accept her rightful place as 2nd to the Avid!!!

So, the final leg from phase 1.

While in Aschaffenburg Vadim had checked his schedule and the airline had put him onto a standby shift after the weekend, so he had no choice but to plan to use the ID tickets he had and depart Germany from Berlin and fly airline back to Riga. After mulling it over between us we decided that we would both fly home from Berlin and then return to Berlin the following weekend so that we could fly back to Riga together. This left only the left from Aschaffenburg (near Frankfurt in W Germany, to Berlin) in phase 1.

During the overnight in Aschaffenburg we stayed at a hotel arranged by the controller (AFISO) in Aschaffenburg. The price was resonable. We ate the most perfect steak, drank the most perfect local wine and woke in the morning to go to the airfield. The cloudbase was low, but the OAT was lifting so we were quite positive. During breakfast the hotel manager came to us and asked if we were pilots and went on to offer whichever one of us was not flying that day, a champagne breakfast - GUTTED - Vadim and I were strictly flying this as a 2 crew operation so we were forced to decline the offer.

At the airport, I checked the met while Vadim preflighted. Germany was forecast to have a bank of very poor visibility right across the middle, in a line running NW to SE. The departure airport cloudbase was lifting all the time and the destination (Schonhagen nr Berlin) was CAVOK.

Out at the aircraft I offered Vadim to take this leg as PIC from the LH seat which he accepted. Normal takeoff, climbout and departure to the NE. Within a few minutes the visibility was decreasing over the mountains (only large hills for those of you who are out in Alaska), but still, the obstacles on the hills were higher than us.

We flew like that for about 3/4 of an hour before things got interesting. As we pressed on, the forecast was right on the money. In places we were down to about 3km visibility (2sm). It was hard work as the GPS was eating our supply of batteries at an alarming rate. It was a case of resorting to the chart (which had been supplied FOC to us by the hotel manager as we had been unable to pick one up before the trip). As I was pilot monitoring, it was the hardest work hour or so of my life. During this stage the convective turbulence was also pretty hard work as the hand and feet had to keep on the go (I had taken the aircraft from Vadim so he could have a rest for a while). As the visibility started to improve as we passed over the centre of Germany Vadim suggested that I relax for a bit, so I snuggled down in the seat and started to doze off leaving everything to Vadim. I came around as Vadim was trying to work out where we were. He had followed the compass which obviously has a bit too much error and badly needs swinging - and was just about to fly us into the Leipzig CTR. Having corrected that we flew on to Schonhagen and the visibility really started to improve until the point when we were flying in gin clear VMC.

Vadim set us up on a 15nm final for Schonhagen (well he is a 757 driver by day so he can be forgiven). The touchdown was uneventful, but he didn't hold the nosewheel off and the shimmy was back like sent from hell.

While we were taxiing in, I could smell something a little strange. We parked and I pulled the cowling off to reveal a weeping leak from one of the coolant return lines (the one that exits the block above the exhaust). It looks like that long flight over Germany (almost 4 hours) had managed to partly melt the hose due to the heat soak from the exhaust.

Vadim had managed to sort out hangarage there for free so we put the baby to bed and decided to have lunch and leave everything until the next week.

We took a taxi to Berlin's Tegel airport and then set off home, thus ending phase 1 of the ferry.

The pictures for this are still on Vadim's camera and at the time of writing this he is in the USA (I think actually in Alaska), mountain climbing. I WILL upload them as soon as I possibly can!



Leni

My low stuff over the water was only started within a mile or two of the shore and stayed within beach landing distance for the remainder of the flight, so no real ballsy stuff. Had it looked any worse I would have diverted back to Lydd in the UK, but as it was there seemed little point in not pressing on. The guys who landed after us said that they had been down to 300' on the same route. We had just managed to get in in time!

My thoughts on the baby:

I was expecting to have to use my feet, and having come from a gliding background, I did not have a problem with this.

I had read about the neutral stability in yaw but still this took me a few hours to get used to and it probably was not until we were in Berlin that I really felt 100% comfortable with this. Now when I fly her I find my feet doing exactly what they are supposed to, when they are supposed to and without any fuss.

The first few take-offs were poor in climb, but that was just because the ball was way out to one side. Now corrected, she is a beauty. I really enjoy the handling, exactly because she is a little different, but having flown close to 50 different types it may be that I have an adaptability built into me.

I am writing this well after the end of the ferry flight so I will probably start a new thread called "flying my new Avid". ATM I would say she is a dream. I am especially impressed by the performance I get (load lifting, climb (with the ball in the centre), cruise speed etc).

One thing I am still finding difficult is controlling the temps. Especially I am chasing the EGTs more than I wanted to. I took out the air filter and gave it a good clean but with only minimal difference. Next I will probably have a look at the jetting.

OK. Next post will be the 2nd phase (which geographically was only slightly shorter than the 1st, but which was much shorter in terms of stops, time and events).

Update on the ferry:

Now as far as Berlin ...

We had to fly back to Riga on a scheduled flight because Vadim has had his work roster changed and so we had to use an exit strategy. Aircraft is sitting tight and snug in a hangar in Schonhagen/Berlin.

Journey so far:

Left Otherton (UK base where I had been storing her), at around lunchtime on Friday. Because I had not had a full checkout on the aircraft, we decided to fly to a nearby field with 3 long tarmac runways and to fly a few ccts before heading off into the unknown.

Before leaving Otherton I did a few taxi runs to get a feel for her at something close to flying speed - no problems.

The strip is short(ish) so I decided on the 2nd fast taxi that I would take-off. Not pretty!!!

Got the aircraft stabilized in the climbout and all good.

Got to the nearby airfield and flew the first cct and finished it off with a really nice landing (not quite a greaser but not bad either).

Rolled off that to do another couple of ccts (also nice landings) and then Vadim had a go - also not bad

We played around with the speeds and found it to be best at about 80 on final reducing to 65 at the fence. I know we can get it to go a lot slower, but as we had not experimented with the slow speed handling, we though it best to keep a good buffer.

We re-fueled (we had not loaded much fuel previously because of the short strip, had a cup of coffee and set off again for Lydd on the S Coast of England.

We were about 1h 45 into the flight and just west of London when we had a conversation about the fact we had no idea of exactly what the fuel burn is, and that we couldn't see much in the sight gauges (those things are really really shitty - any ideas for a better system?). Anyway, we decided to divert into Blackbushe, and airfield about 30nm west of London Heathrow. Divert was normal but there was about 15kts G20 about 30 degrees off the runway. Landing was purposeful but safe. The nice people at EGLK do not charge for safety related diverts, so we weighed up the options.

After a good rest we reached the decision to go direct from Blackbushe to Le Touquet on the north shore of France. The flight out from Blackbushe was uneventful, the clouds were down to about 1200 AGL over the area, so we had to request to route through the zone of the adjacent Farnborough airport (of Farnborough airshow fame). It was nice to be routing over all the BBJs ACJs G IV and Vs that are based there. We continued on towards Lydd where we should have already landed and continued to coast straight out over the sea. By this stage the cloudbase had risen and we were up at about 2500. It was at this point that Vadim (who was pilot flying at the time) started to get nervous about the EGTs. He started chasing the throttle around and of course the EGTs continued to climb. I took the aircraft from him and settled everything back down and continued on course.

Sea Crossing:

This was my first time going to France as pilot in command but I was pretty relaxed about it as I have done the journey many times in the right hand seat. Because the cloudbase had forced to keep us down, and then we had lost about 500' thanks to Vadim playing with the throttle, we were down to about 1500' for the crossing - no problem except it kept the French shore out of view from the English side. As we approached France I could see the shore rising ahead and but didn't have a clear view of the landmarks - I just put this down to the decreasing visibility (which had not been forecast). Then, there was a light mist layer below me, so I decided to stay on top of it. Within seconds, the shore had disappeared and I was in cloud.I descended through it on partial panel (I HATE having to do that), while still over the sea, and broke out at about 700'. I continued to go down to 500' to stay below the cloud and then, when i finally got to the shore, hugged the beach all the way in, flying the approach to the pattern just with the GPS.

Landing at Le Touquet

Not pretty. 90 degree crosswind and gusting to 18. On rollout, I thought the shimmy would rip the noseleg off. While on the ground in Le Touquet, had a really good look at the nosewheel and I thought the tyre seemed a bit underinflated, but Vadim was convinced that all was OK.

Departing Le Touquet

When the time came to depart Le Touquet, the cloudbase was still really low and the wind was still not nice, but the wind speed at least had reduced. Originally we had decided to go direct from Le Touquet to Aschafenburg (near Frankfurt, Germany), however, while at Le Touquet we had re-filled the tanks so that we could get a better idea of fuelburn. We were getting fuel consumption we expected, but not the cruise speed so we decided on an intermediate stop at Cherleville close to the French Belgian border.

Exactly 2 hours later we were at Charleville, with a completely uneventful landing after I held the nosewheel off as much as possible. This was probably the most friendly airfield I have ever visited. We filled a flight plan for the next leg which would cross into Germany, and went out to preflight the aircraft. It was at this point that Vadim had to admit that the nosewheel was going flat - the chocks (which were tied together), would no longer fit around the wheel. Thankfully, there was a really friendly ultralight club based there and within an hour they had fitted a new tube, cleaned the assembly, straightened the nosewheel bolt, re-packed the bearings and refitted the wheel. If you guys read this, a HUGE thanks for your help and support.

We took off from Charleville an hour behind schedule and got to Aschafenburg exactly at closing time. The nosewheel was almost perfect (shimmy wise) now that it was properly inflated and was properly held off. Taxi to hotel, drink, meal and sleep.

The leg to Berlin will follow, along with the pics (they are on Vadim's camera, I didn't take mine), and once we get the aircraft back to Riga, a breakdown of the times costs and consumptions. Right now though, I have to work.

Jezz

Leni

Many thanks for all the info!

I am really not too bothered about the over water section, it is only about 20nm so hardly out of gliding range of the shore, and its the busiest shipping lane in the world (so they tell me).

The weather is still looking shitty as hell. At least the airspace is back open after being closed for nearly a week due the Icelandic volcano.

I will be taking some pics en route and promise to post them here when i get back to Latvia.

Really cant wait - I feel like a kid does the night before Christmas.

Many thanks again ... and watch this space!

Jezz

Sorry guys, I am doing a really bad job of keeping this thread going. I have just started a new project at work and so I have a new set of standard ops to learn for a different type, and all this on top of my regular desk job (oh the joy of flying a desk )

Leni (and anyone else), YES PLEASE - any info you can give me on keeping the two stroke going would be great. Out of pistons, I have only flown behind Lycomings, Continentals and 912s so I am a bit of a virgin.

The ferry flight is planned, leaving Latvia this Thursday afternoon. Spending some time with the baby on Friday am (getting to know her), and having a damn hard look at the met to decide if we set off on Friday pm or Sat am. At the moment, the long range forecast is looking REALLY good until Wednesday this week, and looking like it will get better again on Tuesday NEXT WEEK (the time frame we have is until next Monday afternoon when Vadim (co-owner) has to be back for a night flight). Really not looking forward to having to do that trip in marginal VFR, but thats the way it is looking at the moment

Anyways, I have the 196 programmed with the route. Vadim has the flight planning program on his mini laptop. I have got all the clearances and permissions. Also, I have bought an ICOM A22 from a friend because neither Vadim nor myself would be completely at home without being able to fall back on VORs for reference (the airspace in Europe is about 1000 times more messy than in the US - best time of my life was flying over there).

OK, will keep you guys posted (PROMISE)!

Jezz

Hey Leni!

Too right, but in my line of work I don't have a whole lot of choice in pissing people off - it's what I'm paid to do. At least I try to be fair about how I do it. The guy had a point - He wanted engine failure plans stated before take off and I didn't do it (the fact that I have a chart of all the surrounding fields next to the airfield, and a forced landing plan into each of them worked out doesn't count - If there are 2 pilots in the AC together then there's no excuse for not letting each other know what you will do in an emergency - my bad!!!).

Going away now to lick my wounds!

Jezz

Hi Guys

Failure to post pics and keep up to date with buying my new Avid will be the downfall of me!

Went to the UK about 3 weeks ago and did some taxi runs on my baby. Wind was 20 with a gust component bringing it to over 30. Decided to do some really slow taxi runs to get a feel for taxiing it. So, at just over 1/4 throttle, that is how I ended up having my first flight, albeit to the height of only an inch or two. Now I see what you guys mean about these things really wanting to fly!

Today I made the flight plan for the ferry flight. I will be routing from the midlands of the UK down to the South Coast (Lydd), then over to the north of France (Le Touquet). Maybe stop on the border of Luxembourg to get some cheap MOGAS then on to Frankfurt (visiting friends). Day 2 will be over to Berlin then on to Inowroklow in Poland. From there up to Kaunas in Lithuania (avoiding that bit of Russia that is in the middle of the EU - Kaliningrad). Maybe spend 1 more night in Poland or Lithuania then on to Riga. Estimated flight time about 17-18 hours. Charts already bought, plates already printed, alternates already selected, price of fuel already compared.

One question to you guys. Has anyone had any problems with mixing MOGAS and AVGAS? There are a couple of these stops where the only available fuel will be AVGAS. Are there any precautions we should take? I am planning on replacing the plugs with new ones each day (we will be flying over half a continent of forest and otherwise unfriendly forced landing sites). The engine is a 582 with oil injection.

Another question for you guys. I have 2 bottles inside my cowling labeled "OIL". One of them contains about 5 quarts (I guess this is the one for the 2 stoke oil). The second one is tiny (smaller than the hydraulic reservoir in my (small) car), containing maybe just a few fluid ounces - anyone able to tell me what goes in that one?

Happy flying!

Jezz

Where did I fly today? .....

About a half dozen times around the pattern in a 172.

Biennial on my SEP

X-wind on limits and an instructor who I have previously snagged for a shit load of misdemeanors. Needless to say, he snagged me back, big style. At least my flying was on the ball and I am now good to go on my SEP for another 2 years.

Can't wait to get my baby here and do some real flying! Ferry flight is planned ... see my other post in "buying my new Avid".

Jezz

Hi Guys

Finally back from 3 weeks bloody hard work (trying to change the way an ICAO Doc is implemented). Top of head is sunburned and now back to -7C in Latvia. At least the daytime temps are up so Spring is just around the corner.

My baby was delivered for me while I was away the week before last and she is now sitting in an Ultralight field in the UK. I went to the UK earlier this week, pulled her out and ran her for the first time so be prepared, here the questions start!:

I vented the fuel prior to starting and had the fuel cock set to the right tank at the time. Once she was running I switched to the left tank but got the "Low Fuel" light illuminated so I put the electric pump on - nothing, then I tried venting again now that the left tank was selected and this seemed to cure the problem. I am guessing it is necessary to vent from both lines during pre-flight and that the problem I was having was a vapor lock in the left line, but as I have not had the chance to have a look at the plumbing to date, can one of you guys confirm if this is correct?

Anyway, that's the main question I have at the moment.

Unfortunately I didn't manage to fly her, only did an engine run. She was purring like a kitten and begging to be flown, but the 30kt gusts were not begging me to fly her for our first time together

Question for Joey (or anyone else with a Garmin 196). I have tried to log on to Garmin to update my nav database. I have registered on the site, registered my product, downloaded the software and connected the GPS, but nothing I do will make the computer recognize that the GPS is attached. I don't think it is a problem with the cable (although of course it might be). Just wondering if anyone has experienced a similar problem downloading updates from Garmin and has any advice?

Happy flying!

Jezz

p.s. 5 am and writing this up at home - photos are on works camera so I will try to upload them later today. Didn't take any pics when I had her outside of the hangar because the horizontal rain was none too inviting.

Thanks for that Joey! Perfect. I will flight test, substitute the figures for my own AC and develop something a bit fuller then post it here. I know I am probably paying a bit more attention to this sort of thing than many Avid owners, but as my job is mostly telling others to be cautious and as safe as possible, I guess I have to lead by example. Also, this is the first aircraft I have ever owned as such (I have had tiny shares in a few established groups, but never started a group from scratch before - loving the experience!).

Jezz