In this month’s edition:

• Down on the Farm – Tony Palmer
• Air League Scholarships and Bursaries
• Progress on Flight Information Displays
• Heads Up if you are Flying on a PMD
• GASCo Safety Evening at Goodwood
• Meetings and Events over the Coming Year – Tony Palmer

Down on the farm 51 this last month 3/23

Klemm L25C G-ACXE: Oil pump continued

Jim Cresswell (who runs a mk2 swallow with a Pobjoy and has just brought a second one) is intending bringing up a working pump next week.

Jim drove up from the New Forest with his pump and we installed the test plate and low and behold when it pumped it did not produce air bubbles from the discharge like ours did. So we tested our pump under water with compressed air and found a leak from the suction side of the feed pump. We then bodged it with silicon sealer and our test plate and then retried the pump with oil and got no air on the discharge. Jim Cresswell went home with our thanks and we were convinced that we had found the problem. Over night while in a semi sleep I designed the a new top hat plug with a section removed where the pressure relief piston lives, so next morning we set about machining the new plug. We installed with it 2 pack epoxy glue and left it until the Wednesday. We installed the rebuilt pump, purged the system best we could and dragged the plane out, tied to the back of the Audi and fired it up and almost immediately the oil pressure came up to about 50psi. We were estatic!! We ran it for about 20 mins in all and as we had 6 of the rocker covers off to check for the rocker oil feed flow most things downstream got covered it oil (including the Audi) Tick over hot was 35psi static.

Air leak from here

Face of oil pump that bolts to engine. The silver disc is the new stepped plug

We had difficulties moving the Klemm so we made a tow bar which attached to the tailwheel and allowed us to pull/push and steer with one person. The problem before was getting close to the plane and exerting enough force and steering it with the fin and with another person at the front creating the motive power. Once it is proved to be OK it will get a coat of paint.

P.S. sent the paperwork in to the LAA today!!!

Tony Palmer

Air League Scholarships and Bursaries

Know a young person who should, but for the want of cash, be flying? Then point them to this: airleague.co.uk/our-programmes/scholarships-and-bursaries

Progress on Flight Information Displays (Poor Man’s Radar)

Strut member Steve Hutt, through his company Custom Chess Company Limited, is delivering a project that will assist airfields in the UK in gaining approval for their Aerodrome Flight Information Services (AFIS) to use a Flight Information Display (FID). The UK CAA is breaking new ground by enabling the use of lower cost ADS-B surveillance systems by non-radar Air Traffic Service units which will enhance AFIS situational awareness and aviation safety.

The project is creating a set of product agnostic FID template documentation providing suitable guidance and Acceptable Means of Compliance to reduce the burden on AFIS units, whilst also providing some common standards to the documentation that will improve the efficiency of the CAA’s approval process and encourage common standards across industry.

The project is funded by the CAA Airspace Modernisation Strategy Support Fund and is also listed on page 72 of CAA’s Airspace Modernisation – 2022 Progress Report CAP 2494.

Steve, working in association with Nick Duriez and Steve Cooper, delivered the 1st draft of the Flight Information Display (FID) Template Documentation to CAA on 31st January 2023 and had a good meeting with CAA at Gatwick on 14th March to receive feedback on amendments for the final version.

Steve, Nick and Steve have been deeply involved in this innovative safety development, that has now become known as the FID, since the very beginning and are pleased to have the opportunity to help simplify things for Aerodrome Flight Information Service (AFIS) units wishing to deploy a FID.

The FID Template Documents provide:

• Template Safety Case
• Template Manual of Flight Information Services (MAFIS) Amendment
• Template Unit Training Plan Amendment, and
• Template Unit Training Course Material.

In due course a mechanism will be established for these templates to be made available to AFIS ATS units wishing to implement a FID to provide a starting point for each to create their own documentation for gaining CAA approval to use a FID.

Heads Up if you are Flying on a PMD

If you are signed up to SkyWise (and why not…) you will already have heard this, but just in case: the consultation on the Pilots Medical Declaration has been followed up with a report on the responses. The good news (from my point of view at least) is that the scheme was broadly supported. However a number of, on the face of it reasonable and not onerous changes, were proposed. Read a brief analysis of the findings and the next steps here: PMD Review  

GASCo Safety Evening at Goodwood

Organised by Goodwood Aero Club, 19:30 – Thursday 30th March 2023

Aerodrome Cafe
Goodwood
Chichester
West Sussex
PO18 0PH

Contact Amy Harte, Tel:  01243 755066 or 07889 979820 Email: amy.harte@goodwood.com

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Meetings and events over the coming year

The Border force had to pull out of the promised talk at the last minute due to
location in a public place. It is possible that we could hold on private premises, any
offers/ideas?

We need ideas for strut talkers to cover June, Aug, Sept and October.

We have 2 strut trophies which I have on the window ledge waiting for a suitable
candidate; please nominate a club member for something outstanding.

April
Strut night: The LAA has instigated a new system for permit renewals. Phil Tranmar (LAA inspector) will go through what is expected of us using a slide show presentation. Ask any questions.
Goodwood members meeting 15/16 th
Friedrichshafen 19/22nd

May
Strut night: Quiz
Private flyer festival Booker 19/20 th (don’t miss it)

June
Strut night: TBA
Aeroexpro UK Sywell 8/10 th (should be good)
Flyin at Chilsfold farm

July
Strut night: Gliding evening
Goodwood FOS 13/16 th
Firle Hill climb 30/31st

August
Strut night: TBA
Flyin at Palmersfarm 4.8.23

September
Strut night: TBA
Goodwood Revival 8/10th

October Strut night: TBA
November strut night: Film show
December strut night: Xmas dinner