NZFF

by **Alfashark** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 5:02 pm

My first repaint of a powered aircraft - Tauranga Gliding Club's BKJ, a 180hp Super Cub. I'll call it a work in progress, as I want to tidy up the blue stripes on the fuse...
Still tuning the .cfg to give accurate tow performance since I've replaced the default Maule with this old girl, but here's the results of today hauling GDS aloft:

PA-18 model is freeware by J.E.Narcizo, Ka-7 freeware by Wolfgang Piper, shot over RealNZ Tauranga.
And just for reference, here's the real deal at the regionals @ Waharoa in Feb 2011 with Dave Lyons waiting for the morning fog to lift:

by **Ian Warren** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 5:09 pm

The Pinkster and BKJ

Nice screens Steve

by **noooby** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 5:12 pm

Nice to see GDS in the sim.
I did my first solo in DS on July 1 1989!
Then about 18 months later, the late Stu Griffiths and I nearly crashed BKJ into the harbour due to a bit of inflight miscommunication.
A bit of a "I though you were flying" misunderstanding! I was looking out the window wondering why Stu was telling me that we shouldn't get too low here as the windsurfers don't like it. Me thinking, well duhhh pull up then, and Stu thinking that I was flying and I was going to pull up. Ooopsie!

by **Adamski** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 5:31 pm

noooby wrote:
QUOTE (noooby @ Mar 6 2011,6:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Then about 18 months later, the late Stu Griffiths and I nearly crashed BKJ into the harbour due to a bit of inflight miscommunication.

Similar mis-communication thing happened to me. Last flight of the day - we were "parking" the glider near the caravans as opposed to landing on the strip. The instructor kept repeating "you're flying towards the caravans". I understood that to mean I ought be aiming at them, rather than trying to avoid them

.

To give him his due, he kept his hands *off* the controls and just watched as I "parked" just a few feet from the nearest caravan (why walk, when you can fly there?)!

by **Alfashark** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 5:40 pm

Cheers Ian

Not quite 10yrs after you, Graham - Feb 13 1999, just over a week shy of my 15th birthday was when I soloed in DS. First solo was early that morning in GEO the Puchacz, with DS after lunch and into the single seat PW-5 GPG at about 4pm.
I think everyone that knew Stu ended up with a memory like that, be it from actually being there at the time or from listening to him tell you about them

by **deeknow** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 5:48 pm

Nice work on the repaint, watch out tho its addictive

Any plan to share the textures? And where can we get the base model? I went to avsim and tried to search for it but in the last week (I've been away on holiday) avsim have totally borked their search interface, its diabolical, really dont see how they could make it LESS usable if they tried.

by **Alfashark** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 5:59 pm

No problem mate, I got it from Flightsim.com - file name pa18_v3.zip and used one of the repaints in PA-18.zip as the basis for my repaint. I'll bundle everything together and try and get it up on flightsim.com in the next few days

by **deeknow** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 6:22 pm

Sweet, thanx

by **connor** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 7:57 am

May I ask how you were able to tow the glider?

by **noooby** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 8:53 am

Hehe, I could just about write a book about the adventures Stu and I had flying a Fatman down to the worlds at Omarama in 1995. Bad weather, trains, tunnels, and turbulence all had to be avoided by us!

by **Alfashark** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 11:14 am

connor wrote:
QUOTE (connor @ Mar 7 2011,8:57 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
May I ask how you were able to tow the glider?

Default FSX function... Get in a glider and hit Ctrl+Shift+Y and you'll have a Maule lining up on the runway in front of you

by **connor** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 1:14 pm

Alfashark wrote:
QUOTE (Alfashark @ Mar 7 2011,12:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Default FSX function... Get in a glider and hit Ctrl+Shift+Y and you'll have a Maule lining up on the runway in front of you

Show that I'm far to used to the powered flight for my own good!

by **Olderndirt** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 2:22 pm

If you don't mind one little nitpick and if you're still 'tidying up'. Your BKG is aligned with the upper longerons but not quite with the blue stripe so try splitting the difference. Not much but, at my age, you gotta make allowances

.

by **Alfashark** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 8:34 pm

Olderndirt wrote:
QUOTE (Olderndirt @ Mar 7 2011,3:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
If you don't mind one little nitpick and if you're still 'tidying up'. Your BKG is aligned with the upper longerons but not quite with the blue stripe so try splitting the difference. Not much but, at my age, you gotta make allowances .

No worries

I'm making good progress tonight with the tidy up - I've even found a font in CS5 that matches the one on BKJ's cowlings... Those with keen eyes will pick up that it says "Superior Cub"

This being based on the fact that the real BKJ is in fact a 3-seat conversion (hard to see in the photo from this angle, but the fuse gets progressively wider from the firewall back, with the widest point being roughly in line with the rear of the door frame) and has been converted to 180hp.

by **noooby** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 6:24 am

The Superior relates to the 180hp engine, but not the 3 seat mod. The 3 seat mod was done by Bruce Drake in Christchurch. The drawings are still around and when I was a member of the BKA syndicate, I asked Southair if it was still able to be done. They said no problem. The 3 seat Cub handles nicer and seems to go a bit quicker.
BKS (The predecessor of SHG) also had the Superior Cub on the cowling, as it was also a 180hp Cub with the same engine STC.
SHG was a different beast altogether with the square wingtips/tailplane/rudder, toe brakes instead of heel brakes, and the electrics in the instrument panel instead of the wingroots.
Not sure, but perhaps the STC was done by Superior Aviation in the states?
I have a photo of 8 Cubs lined up at Tauranga if you're interested.

by **Alfashark** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 7:15 am

Awesome! That sheds a bit more light on the history of these machines

From what I recall SHG had a love/hate relationship with a lot of pilots, in particular with gusty/crosswind days on 03/21...

With the extended wings and tips came those massive fuel tanks - someone once filled the tanks to the step and had a rather brown pants moment towing a Janus...

by **noooby** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 7:47 am

Tee hee. Brown pants moments on tow

The only worry I've had on tow was behind a very old 172 in an ASH-25 with two people and a bit of water on board. Holy cow it takes a lot of runway for the towplane to get off the ground!
I hear the Pawnee at Tauranga isn't like too much either. Not surprised really, it was a bit of a mistake buying that thing. Not a true 180 conversion as the engine was out of a helicopter, it makes 180 hp, but only at something close to 3000RPM! CAA weren't happy with the mod. Lots of paperwork and swearing involved. I got to push the thing around a bit as I was living in JB's hanger around that time
The ol brain kicked into gear on the engine conversion. Penn Yann Aero in the USA are the STC holders.
I'll dig out the Cub photos with 8 of them lined up and scan it for ya.
And let me know if you need any photos from Museum of Flight in Seattle, I'll be there in a couple of days.

by **Ian Warren** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 11:09 am

noooby wrote:
QUOTE (noooby @ Mar 8 2011,8:47 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
And let me know if you need any photos from Museum of Flight in Seattle, I'll be there in a couple of days.

Graham , Please , take the Photos anyway and post them in the 'Non Flightsim Related ' at the bottom of the forum page , many would be interested

NZFF

Towing in Tauranga

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