My 2c worth
The Bulletin No.1 issued by VicRoads I believe had the involvement of GFA
(John Ashford?). The road authorities were concerned that long trailers had
poor corner swing characteristics (unacceptable tracking into corner with
wheel axle group and outside radius swing of the trailer rear end). The
Bulletin reflected the road authorities on paper assessments and how far
they were prepared to accept glider trailers being safe in these regards.
Much as the rowing skulls and trailer sailor boats limits.
5m rear overhang from centre line of axle group, an extension from the
normal 3.7m limit for trailers. Also limits on car+trailer length totals,
and so on.
Similar rules were subsequently promulgated in other states, as this is
dealt with at state level.
Some gliders of course don't fit.
Older single wing types (ES-52, ES-57, ES-59)
Open Class with long fuselages (ASH25) or long wing panels (IS32), or both
(Stemme)
These all exceed the limits derigged, usually in rear overhang. (I have an
interest in 4 on the list above, hence the personal interest)
(Internationally this is nothing new. While in the EU each country had its
traditional individual trailer laws, German pilots crossing Italy each year
were paying road fines for taking their gliders to comps for not having
compliant trailers to Italian law)
In S.A. for these, individual permits were initially available.
Then these were slated for withdrawal ('surely you've reworked your trailer
to comply by now' says the desk driving beauracrat)
So we talk about indivisible loads, or would the beauracrat like to explain
himself at a coronial aviation inquiry because he made me put a chainsaw
through my wing (ie the precedence of federal law over state law), and so on.
Currently individual permits are being 3 year renewed (so we can have the
same debate with new desk drivers each 3 year rotation). As previously noted
on this list, the permit has no validity outside the state of issue.
[which brings us to the plight of farmers having acreage across state
borders and moving machinery where top, side, length overhang laws vary]
The answer is of course obvious. Buy only a compliant glider/trailer. What
do you mean you buy the glider on its performance characteristics. That's
irrelevant; we're doing this in your best interests you know.
Similarly, we're unlikely to see a VW Beetle towing an ES-52 on its trailer
at a vintage car rally (early AGs show such combinations as the norm),
because of modern max tow limit laws for cars and hitches.
>From my work world experience, the primary growth industry in the last
decades seems to have been endless desk drivers writing endless new rules
which create so many anomolous situations which then have to be dealt with
by having more desk drivers writing more rules. Never ending employment
opportunities; no skill required.
I'm told by my earthmoving mates (during smoko while we were taking one hump
out of my strip) that the police are less involved than Dept of Roads
inspectors for whom all this is core business, including inspecting the load
tiedowns under another set of rules (no, being an enclosed box does not
relieve you of the chain and ratchet tension on all corners and across the
body securing rules - another time when complying is more important than
what damage you might do to the aviation approved device in the process of
complying).
--
Emilis Prelgauskas
B.ARCH ARAIA
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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