Re: [Aus-soaring] Easements in the air
At 04:41 AM 22/03/2012, you wrote: It's nice to be able to state that I'm not against wind energy As long as it inconveniences somebody else, not you. Mike From: Christopher Mc Donnell wommamuku...@bigpond.com To: Gliding mail list aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2012 10:54 PM Subject: [Aus-soaring] Easements in the air Having had an academic interest in easements and rights of way for many years I found the link below very interesting. I am sure ridge soaring sites around the world will be watching with interest as they are located on prime sites of the cause of action. http://www.bakersfield.com/news/business/economy/x2085764577/Lawsuit-pits-gliders-vs-turbines-in-effort-to-stop-mountain-wind-farm ___ Aus-soaring mailing list mailto:Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.netAus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaringhttp://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring ___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring Borgelt Instruments - design manufacture of quality soaring instrumentation since 1978 www.borgeltinstruments.com tel: 07 4635 5784 overseas: int+61-7-4635 5784 mob: 042835 5784: int+61-42835 5784 P O Box 4607, Toowoomba East, QLD 4350, Australia ___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
Re: [Aus-soaring] Practice hook up procedure
On 20/03/12 19:49, Mike Borgelt wrote: At 07:45 PM 20/03/2012, you wrote: Hi All, After going through the hook up procedures with a trainee I always ask is this what you would do in a real emergency? The answer is always yes. I reply what about using the radio much safer The GFA manuals should be brought up to date. The effort for many years was to avoid making the carriage of a radio in a glider mandatory and all procedures assume a radio is unavailable. Harry Medlicott Yep 100+ years after the invention of radio we still use a form of semaphore using the entire sailplane. Great. What a pitiful organisation. I have to disagree here. Whilst using the radio is what we would normally do (and I discuss this with my students as part of the briefing for a hook up), having a fall back method is still very important when radio problems in tugs and gliders are a known issue. I have experienced far too many radio problems in club gliders (and tugs) to give up the "whole glider as semaphore" method as a necessary fall back. If we are about safety - and we are - we need to make sure that we cover known problems (and radio in gliders/tugs is a known problem). I would strongly oppose the removal of the current hook up procedures in favour of a radio only procedure. -- Robert Hart ha...@interweft.com.au +61 (0)438 385 533 http://www.hart.wattle.id.au ___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
Re: [Aus-soaring] Easements in the air
Hello from Zurich: The proposed wind turbines near KTSP and KL94 are above the FAA obstruction-free zone for both airports. Those on the ridge would put a line of obstructions between the normal glider release point and the airport, above the glide angle for any glider. There's no safe landing option on the other side of the ridge. The usual thermal triggers would in fact host some turbines. Power pilots like the route that would be blocked by the installation. It'll really be a headache in the winter when the clouds are low. Probably the best support is coming from local residents. Unlike the existing windmill ridge, this ridge is highly visible from most of the valley. This is not the only project in the works. There is another plan to put a solar generating plant in a nearby valley that has good soil. Meanwhile there is plenty of desert to the East which is not as good for agriculture, receives more sun and as much wind, is not near homes, and being adjacent to the grid would require the installation of fewer transmission lines. What was the Honda test track down in the desert is being purchased by a solar power company. A bit of a waste of a 5-mile oval and several road race tracks, but a very good location. The manager of the test track maintained their access road in landable condition (cleared and graded over 200' wide) and is planning to work at the new plant. Until the recent proposals, the more than five thousand local wind turbines have not presented such a problem. Incidentally, the wind turbine and PV array at home are not placed in optimal positions, as that would have not looked good to the neighbours. The wind turbine is much smaller than I would have liked, for the same reason. Jim___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
Re: [Aus-soaring] Practice hook up procedure
Hi All, Never suggested we should abandon teaching visual hook up procedures and it should remain part of our training. However, if a functioning radio is available that is a safer, quicker and easier way of communicating. Having a rope go over a wing while signalling not very nice. Best to give pilots alternatives, Harry Medlicott From: Robert Hart Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2012 7:49 PM To: Discussion of issues relating to Soaring in Australia. Subject: Re: [Aus-soaring] Practice hook up procedure On 20/03/12 19:49, Mike Borgelt wrote: At 07:45 PM 20/03/2012, you wrote: Hi All, After going through the hook up procedures with a trainee I always ask â€is this what you would do in a real emergency?†The answer is always yes. I reply “what about using the radio – much safer†The GFA manuals should be brought up to date. The effort for many years was to avoid making the carriage of a radio in a glider mandatory and all procedures assume a radio is unavailable. Harry Medlicott Yep 100+ years after the invention of radio we still use a form of semaphore using the entire sailplane. Great. What a pitiful organisation. I have to disagree here. Whilst using the radio is what we would normally do (and I discuss this with my students as part of the briefing for a hook up), having a fall back method is still very important when radio problems in tugs and gliders are a known issue. I have experienced far too many radio problems in club gliders (and tugs) to give up the whole glider as semaphore method as a necessary fall back. If we are about safety - and we are - we need to make sure that we cover known problems (and radio in gliders/tugs is a known problem). I would strongly oppose the removal of the current hook up procedures in favour of a radio only procedure. -- Robert Hart ha...@interweft.com.au +61 (0)438 385 533 http://www.hart.wattle.id.au ___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
Re: [Aus-soaring] Practice hook up procedure
On 22/03/2012, at 19:19, Robert Hart ha...@interweft.com.au wrote: I have experienced far too many radio problems in club gliders (and tugs) to give up the whole glider as semaphore method as a necessary fall back. If we are about safety - and we are - we need to make sure that we cover known problems (and radio in gliders/tugs is a known problem). That's something I can't work out. Radios aren't rocket science. With modern digital radio systems, and high capacity batteries, there's no valid engineering reason why they can't work fantastically all the time. Yet you're right: so many gliders have stupendously shitty radio systems, and it's just accepted as normal. Why is that? - mark___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
[Aus-soaring] Darling Downs weather for the weekend of 24 - 25 March 2012 - updated
Hi The updated weekend forecast is available at http://the-white-knight-speaks.blogspot.com. Well - forecasting is fun - sometimes small changes have quite large results. This happened yesterday, with nearly 50mm of rain falling at Oakey instead of the 1-2mm I had forecast. To add to the problem, NOAA is down and I cannot update most of the forecast! -- Robert Hart ha...@interweft.com.au +61 (0)438 385 533 http://www.hart.wattle.id.au ___ Chat mailing list c...@ddsc.org.au http://ddsc.org.au/mailman/listinfo/chat_ddsc.org.au ___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
Re: [Aus-soaring] Practice hook up procedure
I think 50% radio problems could be fixed with new fuse,use holder or circuit breaker, 16g quality wire, check SWR and replace BNC or aerial if needbe, and use QUALITY charger with new dual batteries. I admit some radios are getting near their useby date~how many electronic items do you have that are 20+ years old~not many I suspect. Ian m -Original Message- From: Mark Newton new...@atdot.dotat.org Sent: Thursday, 22 March 2012 10:25 To: ha...@interweft.com.au ha...@interweft.com.au; Discussion of issues relating to Soaring in Australia. aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net Cc: Discussion of issues relating to Soaring in Australia. aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net Subject: Re: [Aus-soaring] Practice hook up procedure On 22/03/2012, at 19:19, Robert Hart ha...@interweft.com.au wrote: I have experienced far too many radio problems in club gliders (and tugs) to give up the whole glider as semaphore method as a necessary fall back. If we are about safety - and we are - we need to make sure that we cover known problems (and radio in gliders/tugs is a known problem). That's something I can't work out. Radios aren't rocket science. With modern digital radio systems, and high capacity batteries, there's no valid engineering reason why they can't work fantastically all the time. Yet you're right: so many gliders have stupendously shitty radio systems, and it's just accepted as normal. Why is that? - mark___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
Re: [Aus-soaring] Practice hook up procedure
At 09:25 PM 22/03/2012, you wrote: On 22/03/2012, at 19:19, Robert Hart mailto:ha...@interweft.com.auha...@interweft.com.au wrote: I have experienced far too many radio problems in club gliders (and tugs) to give up the whole glider as semaphore method as a necessary fall back. If we are about safety - and we are - we need to make sure that we cover known problems (and radio in gliders/tugs is a known problem). That's something I can't work out. Radios aren't rocket science. With modern digital radio systems, and high capacity batteries, there's no valid engineering reason why they can't work fantastically all the time. Yet you're right: so many gliders have stupendously shitty radio systems, and it's just accepted as normal. Why is that? - mark ___ Yes Mark, That was rather the point. Robert missed it completely. Sanctimonious blather about safety doesn't cut it when you are prepared to tolerate safety aids that don't work properly (or inexperienced, well meaning, bumbling amateurs with little to no formal training actively encouraged by the system to pretend to be acting as flight instructors). As you said, it isn't rocket science. Mike Borgelt Instruments - design manufacture of quality soaring instrumentation since 1978 www.borgeltinstruments.com tel: 07 4635 5784 overseas: int+61-7-4635 5784 mob: 042835 5784: int+61-42835 5784 P O Box 4607, Toowoomba East, QLD 4350, Australia ___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
Re: [Aus-soaring] Easements in the air
On Fri, Mar 23, 2012 at 01:55:49AM +1100, gstev...@bigpond.com wrote: As you well know, we are in relatively early days for wind power generation in Oz, and the odd wind farm here and there is more or less a cute novelty - albeit VERY green - but really neither here or there in the larger scheme of things. Come and visit South Australia sometime. Turbines are everywhere: Flying through the mid north, you see them all over the place, generating enough power to service more than one quarter of the State's demand. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-03-19/wind-power-energy-south-australia/3898754?section=sa http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_in_South_Australia 1.2GW of ultimate capacity offsets a gas-fired power station. They tend to be lined up in rows. In terms of obstacles, I'm not sure why they're any worse than a line of high-tension power lines. On the matter of urban visual pollution, I recall seeing some years ago, images of power generation wind trees located in every street in a town in the Netherlands - I think. The current in thing in Europe is to build the wind farm out at sea just over the horizon, where the NIMBYs can't see it; and run submarine high-voltage cables back to substations on land. Just a few other points, on power generation. 2 or 3 hundred square kilometres of solar panels will generate a hell of a lot of energy. And, until the next couple of generations of tech, will probably cost more than Australia's GDP. Which is one of the reasons why I reckon Solar has been one of the technology world's great historic failures: You can go back to the 1950's and see predictions of everything powered by solar in 5 - 10 years. Always 5 - 10 years away. Never tomorrow or today. It's not that the tech hasn't advanced (it has -- witness all the solar panels on houses now). It's that it hasn't advanced in the way that achieves the technical and economic standards the experts have spent the last 60 years predicting. The good news is that solar tech tends to advance disruptively rather than progressively. In the grand scheme of things, it won't be long until large solar facilities become plausible. But since the grand scheme of things goes back 60 years, it won't be long could still mean 20 or 30 years :) - mark ___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
Re: [Aus-soaring] Easements in the air
At 08:26 PM 22/03/2012, you wrote: Hello from Zurich: The proposed wind turbines near KTSP and KL94 are above the FAA obstruction-free zone for both airports. Those on the ridge would put a line of obstructions between the normal glider release point and the airport, above the glide angle for any glider. There's no safe landing option on the other side of the ridge. The usual thermal triggers would in fact host some turbines. Power pilots like the route that would be blocked by the installation. It'll really be a headache in the winter when the clouds are low. Probably the best support is coming from local residents. Unlike the existing windmill ridge, this ridge is highly visible from most of the valley. This is not the only project in the works. There is another plan to put a solar generating plant in a nearby valley that has good soil. Meanwhile there is plenty of desert to the East which is not as good for agriculture, receives more sun and as much wind, is not near homes, and being adjacent to the grid would require the installation of fewer transmission lines. What was the Honda test track down in the desert is being purchased by a solar power company. A bit of a waste of a 5-mile oval and several road race tracks, but a very good location. The manager of the test track maintained their access road in landable condition (cleared and graded over 200' wide) and is planning to work at the new plant. Until the recent proposals, the more than five thousand local wind turbines have not presented such a problem. Incidentally, the wind turbine and PV array at home are not placed in optimal positions, as that would have not looked good to the neighbours. The wind turbine is much smaller than I would have liked, for the same reason. Jim So what? There are plenty of wind turbines built where nearby residents don't like them for reasons of visual pollution, noise effects on wildlife etc. let alone for the sheer aesthetic offence of useless engineering devices built at great expense, producing expensive electricity sold to the unwilling by force of the State. If wind turbines and solar were any good they would have been installed on their own merits. (I've been to Tehachapi a few times, the 5000 other turbines are the very definition of despoiling of the landscape.) Now you don't like these proposed turbines because a favorite activity is impacted and it is a case of NIMBY. Seriously, you couldn't see that wind energy was going to impact soaring and aviation at some point? I thought it was obvious. What *were* you thinking? To the nearest whole number, the percentage of the world's energy that comes from wind turbines today is: zero. Despite the regressive subsidy (pushing pensioners into fuel poverty while improving the wine cellars of grand estates), despite tearing rural communities apart, killing jobs, despoiling views, erecting pylons, felling forests, killing bats and eagles, causing industrial accidents, clogging motorways, polluting lakes in Inner Mongolia with the toxic and radioactive tailings from refining neodymium, a ton of which is in the average turbine - despite all this, the total energy generated each day by wind has yet to reach half a per cent worldwide. - http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/the-beginning-of-the-end-of-wind.aspxMatt Ridley He's talking total energy use not just electricity. Wind might make 1% of that. To the nearest whole percent. After years of subsidies and coercion. As a way of running a technic civilization it is a bust. Mike Borgelt Instruments - design manufacture of quality soaring instrumentation since 1978 www.borgeltinstruments.com tel: 07 4635 5784 overseas: int+61-7-4635 5784 mob: 042835 5784: int+61-42835 5784 P O Box 4607, Toowoomba East, QLD 4350, Australia ___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
Re: [Aus-soaring] Practice hook up procedure
On Fri, Mar 23, 2012 at 08:40:57AM +1100, ian mcphee wrote: I think 50% radio problems could be fixed with new fuse,use holder or circuit breaker, 16g quality wire, check SWR and replace BNC or aerial if needbe, and use QUALITY charger with new dual batteries. I think 100% of radio problems could be fixed by following the manufacturer's installation instructions :) I admit some radios are getting near their useby date~how many electronic items do you have that are 20+ years old~not many I suspect. The radio installation in the typical Cessna 152 is at least as old as that, if not older; and arguably installed into a more hostile environment (vibration). Yet it works well enough to carry out conversations with ATC every day. Not sure why a glider tug is different from that 152 in that respect. As Robert said, their radios tend to be pretty poor too, yet they'd have been installed and maintained by the same LAMEs that install and maintain the radios in the local flying school's Cessnas. Why the difference in standards? - mark ___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
[Aus-soaring] Prime 7 and Other Coverage of the Australian Team at Keepit
We are getting pretty good coverage of the Australian team's visit to Keepit. See the following Prime 7 video of that focused on the local team members Brad and Bruce: http://au.prime7.yahoo.com/n2/news/a/-/national/13232131/dropping-in-for-tra ining-video/; The visit has also been covered or is about to be covered on ABC Local Radio, the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and North West Magazine. ___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
Re: [Aus-soaring] Easements in the air
First, apologies for having an opinion different to some. I think the safety zone around airports (or however it's worded) should be maintained. Gary asked why these proposed turbines weren't going closer to the grid, in an area where there are few of us pesky residents: A good question! Er, I dunno! Following stories like this overseas may help prepare for the same thing at home. Caveat: Personal opinion, obviously that of a wanker if I read the response below correctly. Good thing he doesn't sell anything I'd be interested in buying. Jim From: Mike Borgelt mborg...@borgeltinstruments.com To: Jim Staniforth staniforth...@yahoo.com; Discussion of issues relating to Soaring in Australia. aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2012 4:32 PM Subject: Re: [Aus-soaring] Easements in the air So what? There are plenty of wind turbines built where nearby residents don't like them for reasons of visual pollution, noise effects on wildlife etc. let alone for the sheer aesthetic offence of useless engineering devices built at great expense, producing expensive electricity sold to the unwilling by force of the State. If wind turbines and solar were any good they would have been installed on their own merits. (I've been to Tehachapi a few times, the 5000 other turbines are the very definition of despoiling of the landscape.) Now you don't like these proposed turbines because a favorite activity is impacted and it is a case of NIMBY. Seriously, you couldn't see that wind energy was going to impact soaring and aviation at some point? I thought it was obvious. What *were* you thinking? To the nearest whole number, the percentage of the world's energy that comes from wind turbines today is: zero. Despite the regressive subsidy (pushing pensioners into fuel poverty while improving the wine cellars of grand estates), despite tearing rural communities apart, killing jobs, despoiling views, erecting pylons, felling forests, killing bats and eagles, causing industrial accidents, clogging motorways, polluting lakes in Inner Mongolia with the toxic and radioactive tailings from refining neodymium, a ton of which is in the average turbine - despite all this, the total energy generated each day by wind has yet to reach half a per cent worldwide. - Matt Ridley He's talking total energy use not just electricity. Wind might make 1% of that. To the nearest whole percent. After years of subsidies and coercion. As a way of running a technic civilization it is a bust. Mike Borgelt Instruments- design manufacture of quality soaring instrumentation since 1978 www.borgeltinstruments.com tel: 07 4635 5784 overseas: int+61-7-4635 5784 mob: 042835 5784 : int+61-42835 5784 P O Box 4607, Toowoomba East, QLD 4350, Australia ___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
[Aus-soaring] Radio (was something about the waggling of wings)
The difference in standards comes from a couple of reasons. The first is that most of the radios we use were designed with the assumption that a good supply of reliable power was available from the alternator, and probably little design attention was paid to transmit performance with depleted batteries running through old wiring and dicky fuses. We may have got a reading you 5 from the glider next to us in the morning with a fully charged battery but it doesn't mean much in the circuit after a 5 hour flight. The second is that a glider radio is less useful for situational awareness than the radio in a powered aircraft, because powered aircraft tracks and particularly altitudes are far more predictable. Also, we don't chat to ATC much. So in fact, a radio in a glider is less useful and less used for official communication, and so less respected, maintained, etc Then there are an increasing number of pilots who use their radios like mobile phones. I just switch off when those idiots start. It improves my safety because I can hear myself think. Cheers /Tim/ /tra dire e fare c'è mezzo il mare/ On 23/03/2012 10:45, Mark Newton wrote: On Fri, Mar 23, 2012 at 08:40:57AM +1100, ian mcphee wrote: I think 50% radio problems could be fixed with new fuse,use holder or circuit breaker, 16g quality wire, check SWR and replace BNC or aerial if needbe, and use QUALITY charger with new dual batteries. I think 100% of radio problems could be fixed by following the manufacturer's installation instructions :) I admit some radios are getting near their useby date~how many electronic items do you have that are 20+ years old~not many I suspect. The radio installation in the typical Cessna 152 is at least as old as that, if not older; and arguably installed into a more hostile environment (vibration). Yet it works well enough to carry out conversations with ATC every day. Not sure why a glider tug is different from that 152 in that respect. As Robert said, their radios tend to be pretty poor too, yet they'd have been installed and maintained by the same LAMEs that install and maintain the radios in the local flying school's Cessnas. Why the difference in standards? - mark ___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring ___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
Re: [Aus-soaring] Easements in the air
At 09:08 AM 23/03/2012, you wrote: On Fri, Mar 23, 2012 at 01:55:49AM +1100, gstev...@bigpond.com wrote: As you well know, we are in relatively early days for wind power generation in Oz, and the odd wind farm here and there is more or less a cute novelty - albeit VERY green - but really neither here or there in the larger scheme of things. Come and visit South Australia sometime. Turbines are everywhere: Flying through the mid north, you see them all over the place, generating enough power to service more than one quarter of the State's demand. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-03-19/wind-power-energy-south-australia/3898754?section=sa http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_in_South_Australia 1.2GW of ultimate capacity offsets a gas-fired power station. I'm not sure that is quite correct. If you build a 1.2GW peak load gas fired power station you fire it up and it goes on line. The wind - not so much. The installed wind capacity in SA appears to be twice the peak load generation capacity. I wonder what this does to the efficiency when the base load is throttled back to cope with wind on a good day? SA is connected to the national grid so quoting just SA is probably misleading. This is an interesting document that might bear perusal: http://www.aemo.com.au/planning/0400-0031.pdf This also done by a sociologist from Eugene, Oregon which near as I can tell is ground zero for every left wing, bleeding heart, green, PC cause in the USA. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/03/21/study-it-takes-10-units-of-alternative-electricity-sources-to-offset-a-unit-of-fossil-fuel-generated-power/ They tend to be lined up in rows. In terms of obstacles, I'm not sure why they're any worse than a line of high-tension power lines. The big ones are higher and I think the people who build power lines are environmentally sensitive enough not to put them on top of the ridge lines, whenever possible. On the matter of urban visual pollution, I recall seeing some years ago, images of power generation wind trees located in every street in a town in the Netherlands - I think. The current in thing in Europe is to build the wind farm out at sea just over the horizon, where the NIMBYs can't see it; and run submarine high-voltage cables back to substations on land. As any ship owner about salt water corrosion. Just a few other points, on power generation. 2 or 3 hundred square kilometres of solar panels will generate a hell of a lot of energy. And, until the next couple of generations of tech, will probably cost more than Australia's GDP. Which is one of the reasons why I reckon Solar has been one of the technology world's great historic failures: You can go back to the 1950's and see predictions of everything powered by solar in 5 - 10 years. Always 5 - 10 years away. Never tomorrow or today. It's not that the tech hasn't advanced (it has -- witness all the solar panels on houses now). It's that it hasn't advanced in the way that achieves the technical and economic standards the experts have spent the last 60 years predicting. The good news is that solar tech tends to advance disruptively rather than progressively. In the grand scheme of things, it won't be long until large solar facilities become plausible. But since the grand scheme of things goes back 60 years, it won't be long could still mean 20 or 30 years :) The big problem is that the actual generation stops when the sun sets. So you are stuck with generation plus storage both of which require tech advances and add to capital costs. There are still no good ways to store electricity. Pumped storage of water seems to be about the best. Requires hills. I have every sympathy for those trying to stop windmills impacting aviation. None for those who do so while promoting wind power. Mike Borgelt Instruments - design manufacture of quality soaring instrumentation since 1978 www.borgeltinstruments.com tel: 07 4635 5784 overseas: int+61-7-4635 5784 mob: 042835 5784: int+61-42835 5784 P O Box 4607, Toowoomba East, QLD 4350, Australia ___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
Re: [Aus-soaring] Practice hook up procedure
Well said Mark ~ lan M -Original Message- From: Mark Newton new...@atdot.dotat.org Sent: Friday, 23 March 2012 10:45 To: Discussion of issues relating to Soaring in Australia. aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net Subject: Re: [Aus-soaring] Practice hook up procedure On Fri, Mar 23, 2012 at 08:40:57AM +1100, ian mcphee wrote: I think 50% radio problems could be fixed with new fuse,use holder or circuit breaker, 16g quality wire, check SWR and replace BNC or aerial if needbe, and use QUALITY charger with new dual batteries. I think 100% of radio problems could be fixed by following the manufacturer's installation instructions :) I admit some radios are getting near their useby date~how many electronic items do you have that are 20+ years old~not many I suspect. The radio installation in the typical Cessna 152 is at least as old as that, if not older; and arguably installed into a more hostile environment (vibration). Yet it works well enough to carry out conversations with ATC every day. Not sure why a glider tug is different from that 152 in that respect. As Robert said, their radios tend to be pretty poor too, yet they'd have been installed and maintained by the same LAMEs that install and maintain the radios in the local flying school's Cessnas. Why the difference in standards? - mark ___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring ___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
Re: [Aus-soaring] Easements in the air
On Thu, Mar 22, 2012 at 05:33:22PM -0700, Jim Staniforth wrote: ? Gary asked why these proposed turbines weren't going closer to the grid, in an area where there are few of us pesky residents: Because they put wind turbines where the wind is, which tends to be on hilltops. - mark ___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
Re: [Aus-soaring] Radio (was something about the waggling of wings)
At 10:48 AM 23/03/2012, you wrote: The difference in standards comes from a couple of reasons. The first is that most of the radios we use were designed with the assumption that a good supply of reliable power was available from the alternator, and probably little design attention was paid to transmit performance with depleted batteries running through old wiring and dicky fuses. We may have got a reading you 5 from the glider next to us in the morning with a fully charged battery but it doesn't mean much in the circuit after a 5 hour flight. The second is that a glider radio is less useful for situational awareness than the radio in a powered aircraft, because powered aircraft tracks and particularly altitudes are far more predictable. Also, we don't chat to ATC much. So in fact, a radio in a glider is less useful and less used for official communication, and so less respected, maintained, etc Then there are an increasing number of pilots who use their radios like mobile phones. I just switch off when those idiots start. It improves my safety because I can hear myself think. Cheers Tim Tim, I agree about the distraction of radio in flight on a glider cross country (or powered aircraft for that matter most of the time) but it is useful in the circuit and around the airfield as an aid to situational awareness. In the emergency situation we're talking about there seems to be a need for communication as shown by the semaphore procedure so maybe it ought to be the best and least intrusive communication possible? An alternative would be to agree on the maximum release height with the tug pilot before takeoff on the understanding that on reaching that +500 feet the tuggie will head over the top of the field and release his end? No airborne comms required. Best to go into/be in high tow though. Don't forget also the recent radio use changes at registered and licensed airfields. You are expected to carry a working radio and use it. We might not talk to ATC much but there are people in powered aircraft who may use the field and if one calls and you detect a conflict you are expected to answer. Gliding doesn't operate in isolation. I'm afraid the no radio days are gone. Mike Borgelt Instruments - design manufacture of quality soaring instrumentation since 1978 www.borgeltinstruments.com tel: 07 4635 5784 overseas: int+61-7-4635 5784 mob: 042835 5784: int+61-42835 5784 P O Box 4607, Toowoomba East, QLD 4350, Australia ___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
Re: [Aus-soaring] Radio ( the waggling of wings) and out-of-station flying
One very real problem with communicating between a tug and a glider on tow behind it is that often the antenna placement for normal use - on top of the fuselage of the tug - does not see a glider that is below and behind the tug at very close quarters. This is not uncommon that a glider and a tug that can each, independently, communicate with most other traffic sometimes cannot talk to each other whilst the glider is on tow behind that tug. It can often be the case that better radio communication is achieved when the glider is laterally out of station and can see the tug's antenna. However close-range interference may still occur - something that is not normal between aeroplanes flying independently around the aerodrome, or from aeroplane to ground station. Either way, radio failure is not such an uncommon event it is still wise to have a back-up way of signalling that there is a problem releasing - albeit that is in itself a more uncommon problem than radio failure. The consequence of a tug commencing its normal descent in the belief the glider has already gone may be serious. That is not to say that any practice of flying out of station on tow should not be done very carefully and preferably not in turbulence. And of course, if a large bow develops the cable should be released before it pulls tight around part of the structure. Part of the exercise should be to fly in an out-of-station position that will NOT allow the rope to foul the glider structure. Wombat On 23/03/2012 4:06 PM, Mike Borgelt wrote: At 10:48 AM 23/03/2012, you wrote: The difference in standards comes from a couple of reasons. The first is that most of the radios we use were designed with the assumption that a good supply of reliable power was available from the alternator, and probably little design attention was paid to transmit performance with depleted batteries running through old wiring and dicky fuses. We may have got a reading you 5 from the glider next to us in the morning with a fully charged battery but it doesn't mean much in the circuit after a 5 hour flight. The second is that a glider radio is less useful for situational awareness than the radio in a powered aircraft, because powered aircraft tracks and particularly altitudes are far more predictable. Also, we don't chat to ATC much. So in fact, a radio in a glider is less useful and less used for official communication, and so less respected, maintained, etc Then there are an increasing number of pilots who use their radios like mobile phones. I just switch off when those idiots start. It improves my safety because I can hear myself think. Cheers *Tim* Tim, I agree about the distraction of radio in flight on a glider cross country (or powered aircraft for that matter most of the time) but it is useful in the circuit and around the airfield as an aid to situational awareness. In the emergency situation we're talking about there seems to be a need for communication as shown by the semaphore procedure so maybe it ought to be the best and least intrusive communication possible? An alternative would be to agree on the maximum release height with the tug pilot before takeoff on the understanding that on reaching that +500 feet the tuggie will head over the top of the field and release his end? No airborne comms required. Best to go into/be in high tow though. Don't forget also the recent radio use changes at registered and licensed airfields. You are expected to carry a working radio and use it. We might not talk to ATC much but there are people in powered aircraft who may use the field and if one calls and you detect a conflict you are expected to answer. Gliding doesn't operate in isolation. I'm afraid the no radio days are gone. Mike *Borgelt Instruments** *- /design manufacture of quality soaring instrumentation since 1978 / www.borgeltinstruments.com http://www.borgeltinstruments.com/tel: 07 4635 5784 overseas: int+61-7-4635 5784 mob: 042835 5784 : int+61-42835 5784 P O Box 4607, Toowoomba East, QLD 4350, Australia ___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring ___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
Re: [Aus-soaring] Radio (was something about the waggling of wings)
Mike (both Mikes), Spot on, thanks. Radio is most useful at the end of a flight. Whether to report an outlanding, announce our arrival or fit in to circuit traffic, it's nearly always in the last 10 mins of flight that it does most good. Therefore, we need batteries, wiring, and all the rest of good enough quality that still allows the radio to work after many hours flying. And if it works at the end of the flight, it will probably work the rest of the time as well. Cheers /Tim/ /tra dire e fare c'è mezzo il mare/ On 23/03/2012 16:06, Mike Borgelt wrote: At 10:48 AM 23/03/2012, you wrote: The difference in standards comes from a couple of reasons. The first is that most of the radios we use were designed with the assumption that a good supply of reliable power was available from the alternator, and probably little design attention was paid to transmit performance with depleted batteries running through old wiring and dicky fuses. We may have got a reading you 5 from the glider next to us in the morning with a fully charged battery but it doesn't mean much in the circuit after a 5 hour flight. The second is that a glider radio is less useful for situational awareness than the radio in a powered aircraft, because powered aircraft tracks and particularly altitudes are far more predictable. Also, we don't chat to ATC much. So in fact, a radio in a glider is less useful and less used for official communication, and so less respected, maintained, etc Then there are an increasing number of pilots who use their radios like mobile phones. I just switch off when those idiots start. It improves my safety because I can hear myself think. Cheers *Tim* Tim, I agree about the distraction of radio in flight on a glider cross country (or powered aircraft for that matter most of the time) but it is useful in the circuit and around the airfield as an aid to situational awareness. In the emergency situation we're talking about there seems to be a need for communication as shown by the semaphore procedure so maybe it ought to be the best and least intrusive communication possible? An alternative would be to agree on the maximum release height with the tug pilot before takeoff on the understanding that on reaching that +500 feet the tuggie will head over the top of the field and release his end? No airborne comms required. Best to go into/be in high tow though. Don't forget also the recent radio use changes at registered and licensed airfields. You are expected to carry a working radio and use it. We might not talk to ATC much but there are people in powered aircraft who may use the field and if one calls and you detect a conflict you are expected to answer. Gliding doesn't operate in isolation. I'm afraid the no radio days are gone. Mike *Borgelt Instruments***- /design manufacture of quality soaring instrumentation since 1978 /www.borgeltinstruments.com http://www.borgeltinstruments.com/tel: 07 4635 5784overseas: int+61-7-4635 5784 mob: 042835 5784: int+61-42835 5784 P O Box 4607, Toowoomba East, QLD 4350, Australia ___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring ___ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
