THE MODERN CAR NOW has mature technology engine management systems that prevent knocking and detonation. They burn fuel at the optimal stochiometric ratio – so you don’t have to fool around with the all-important mixture. They are well cooled and so don’t need fussy cowl flaps or have the risk of shock-cooling on the descent. I could go on ….. and on.
I used to fantasise about the ideal personal plane – an A36 Bonanza with a V8 BMW petrol engine on the front. Ever since the Rolls Royce Merlin, we have known that aero engines can be made that will turn at an efficient 5000 rpm and so have much better power to weight ratios and longevity than clunky direct-drive air-cooled ‘Lycocontasaureses’.
Water cooling works well – despite those who claim that a water cooled aero engine makes as much sense as an air cooled submarine engine. A good example is Rotax flat fours, which happily spin at 5000 plus rpm for thousands of hours. 12 years ago there was widespread panic that Avgas would be killed off, as it is the last fuel to still use super-toxic tetra-ethyl lead. And as already noted, Avgas is expensive. Why it should be so expensive remains something of a mystery. There’s very little reason for it to be more expensive than car fuel, as it does not carry road users’ tax or the huge Road Accident Fund insurance premiums. Yet it’s about 25% more expensive than petrol.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 2023 من SA Flyer Magazine.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 2023 من SA Flyer Magazine.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
SACRIFICE
John continues his anecdotes about the sacrifices he has had to make in the course of his helicopter bush flying career.
KENYA - SAA PARTNERSHIP DELAY
KENYA AIRWAYS AND South African Airways announced the establishment of a highly anticipated Pan-African Airline Group three years ago.
TO PARIS FOR LUNCH
One morning I arrived back at Lanseria from a two day charter to a dreary Northern Cape iron mine. Entering the terminal, I removed my wings and epaulets, thrust them into my flight bag, and headed for the restaurant.
ASCA'S MPUMI MPOFU: READY FOR TAKE-OFF
Ms Mpumi Mpofu has occupied the hot seat as Chief Executive of ACSA, the Airports Company of South Africa for a tumultuous past four years.
HYDROGEN POWERED PLANE TESTED
WORLD’S LARGEST liquid hydrogen-powered aircraft, using a 1 MW fuel cell engine, has been tested.
CAMEROON - BLAMES BOEING
BOEING JUST CANNOT STAY out of trouble. It has become the whipping boy for endless absurd claims.
IRIS GOES TO SOMALIA
Having spent the last couple of years flying to a rota, I was thoroughly enjoying the freedom and randomness of flying charters at Sunbird Aviation.
TELEPORTATION
One of the best clients for whom I ever flew was BP, the British oil giant. I was with them in Algeria for about seven years, from the very start of their large gas projects, right in the heart of the Sahara Desert, near the small towns of In Amenas and In Salah.
FEBRUARY 2023
February has shown steady growth in the number of aircraft registered. Four fixed wing and one helicopter were added while the non-type certified (NTCA) register grew by seven.
RIGHT SEAT RULES NO. 16 FUEL SYSTEMS WHY SO COMPLICATED?
You know those aggranoying people who say, “Oh I wouldn't fly in one of those little things - you can't just pull over and fix it if something goes wrong\"? What makes this particularly irritating is that the bastards are right.