September 2024

Down on the Farm 68 last month 8/24

Klemm L25C G-ACXE

Well she went to her first away event to the Stow Maries air show the 18.8.24, she fouled one cylinder on landing which meant changing 2 spark plugs.

Us in our British Klemm overalls.
Se5 with a modern copy of the correct V8

Palmersfarm Fly-in

We forgot to hold the raffle at the PF flyin and so all prizes donated on the day will be put into the Xmas raffle (an so if you had donated at the flyin please don’t do so at Xmas. We collected £62.50 for the RAF fund so will pass this on.

Gathering of Moths at Oaksey Park: Tiger Moth 5084 DH82C

We had this event pencilled in for a few weeks and were reviewing the weather on the lead up to it. The winds at 2000’ were about 25kts from the West which meant a stop at Goodwood for fuel. We went as low as practicable to reduce the wind on the nose but at 65kts cruise it took a long time but she never missed a beat. The place was full of Mr De Havilland’s products and we met lots of old faces and saw some interesting planes.

The return journey was much quicker (at about 3000’ with a tailwind of about 28kts)and done in one leg and we also refuelled at Oaksey Park before we left. 3.30hrs total that day 1.20hrs on return journey.

  • Mike Souch of Aero Antiques had his latest build destined for USA
  • 5084 on display
  • Canadian DH83C with bubble canopy
  • Tony Berryman had his first ever flight in a Rapide at 11 years old

Next month I will have pics and write up from my trip to 2 museums in Finland and more from Oshkosh.

Tony Palmer

Flying with non-pilot passengers? CAA says you’ll need a CO detector!

The results of the CAA’s February 2024 consultation on carbon monoxide in piston engine aircraft is in; here is the Comment Response Document. The upshot is they will be issuing a Safety Directive “requiring an active CO detector to be present in specified piston engine aircraft when operating with passengers on board who do not possess a recognised pilot qualification.” Here it is: sd-2024-001 It will come into effect from 1 January 2025.

So, what detector are you planning on getting? I recently bought one for my SD-1 Minisport, with its very small enclosed cockpit (for anyone familiar with my purchase saga – yes, I have actually flown it!), even though it is not mandatory in a single seater. I wanted something that took up the minimum space, that would give a readout of any concentration detected, and not be expensive. This is what I went for:

Mini Carbon Monoxide Detector,Battery Powered CO Alarm with LED Digital Display and 85DB Sound Alarm, Test-Reset Button, Low Battery Indicator

All for £9.99 from Amazon (other shops are available). I just checked and it is no-longer available, but plenty of similar kit on offer. I fixed it near to my head on the canopy sill with Velcro. OK, carbon monoxide is unlikely to be an issue in this aircraft, no heat-exchange heater, and the exhaust is under the fuselage, but the cabin vent is downwind of the engine, so a leaky exhaust manifold might just be an issue. For the price I though it was worth it.

Richard Griffiths

Events

Next club night will be at the Longshore and will be a social evening, Wednesday 4th September, 7:30 pm.

For a full list of events go to the website Events page.