Originally Posted by rcmiket

I was referring to HoundDogs claim that the AMA insurance would be the cheapest if it became mandatory to have insurance.

Mike

Originally Posted by HoundDog

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MIT's New Battery Tech Shows Promise For Aviation
By Mary Grady
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In this time-lapse series of photos, progressing from top to bottom, a coating of sucrose (ordinary sugar) over a wire made of carbon nanotubes is lit at the left end, and burns from one end to the other. As it heats the wire, it drives a wave of electrons along with it, thus converting the heat into electricity.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have come up with a new system for generating electricity that could show promise for powering small airplanes. "The potential energy density of this power source is on the same scale with petrochemical energy sources, and it is orders of magnitude higher than commercial lithium ion batteries," Michael Strano, an MIT professor of chemical engineering, told AVweb this week. "It definitely has the potential to power airplanes of any size," Strano said, "especially after our continuous power output methodology (which is not included in this report) is worked out." The report on the team's experiments was published this week in the journal Energy & Environmental Science.
The new approach is based on a discovery announced in 2010 by Strano and his co-workers: A wire made from tiny cylinders of carbon, known as carbon nanotubes, can produce an electrical current when it is progressively heated from one end to the other, for example by coating it with a combustible material and then lighting one end to let it burn like a fuse. That discovery represented a previously unknown phenomenon. Strano and his team have increased the efficiency of the process more than a thousandfold and have produced devices that can put out power that is, pound for pound, in the same ballpark as what can be produced by today's best batteries, according to MIT.
Strano said an open flame is not the only way to make the technology work. "The reaction wave can be triggered via multiple methods, such as a laser (demonstrated in the past), a joule heater (used in this report), etc.," he told AVweb. "More to the point though, even though in this report all of the electrical energy output was obtained with a combustion reaction wave (and hence a flaming yet controlled wave front), the theory of excess thermopower necessitates that energy can be generated without burning at all. In fact, our laboratory is currently working on a prototype that demonstrates this exact point, to great effect."
Strano added that his 2010 experiments with the technology demonstrated seven times the power density as compared to a commercial lithium ion battery. "Even with the current numbers, we could sustain an engine that is seven times as powerful as before, which allows us to bring more fuels on board," he said. "Given similar energy density of the device, it should not come as a surprise that it will sustain a longer flight time than the current battery technology. Exactly how much longer depends on the efficiency of the engine as well as the aerodynamics, in that how much more weight can an engine pull given it could generate seven times its original power."
The new technology would be much safer than lithium, MIT said, which is extremely flammable when exposed to the air. The fuel used in the new device is safer, and also is a renewable resource. It also can be stored indefinitely with no loss of power. The researchers said they have at least several years of work to do before the technology could be developed into a commercial product.
This video from June 2010 demonstrates the basic technology. It was produced by "Daily Planet" on Discovery Channel Canada.

view on YouTube
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How Old Are Your Mags?
Black Bendix data plates are at least 52 years old!
Red and blue Bendix data plates are at least 27 years old!
Red and blue Continental Atlanta data plates are at least 20 years old!
The function of scheduled maintenance is to prevent unscheduled maintenance. Click to learn more.[/TD]
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Germanwings Report: Airlines Should Track Pilots' Mental Health
By Mary Grady
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Officials at the Germanwings airline couldn't have done anything to prevent last year's fatal crash, according to the final report (PDF) issued yesterday, because they were not informed by anyone — "neither the co-pilot himself, nor by anybody else, such as a physician, a colleague, or family member" — that Andreas Lubitz was suffering from mental-health problems at the time of the flight. "In addition, the mental state of the co-pilot did not generate any concerns reported by the pilots who flew with him," according to the report. In the four months leading up to the crash, at least six doctors saw Lubitz for his mental-health problems, but none of them informed the airline. Changes should be made to patient confidentiality rules to ensure that authorities are informed when public safety is at risk, according to the analysis by France's safety bureau, Bureau d'Enquetes et d'Analyses.
Also, aviation authorities need to do a better job of monitoring pilots with psychological problems and be clear about follow-up requirements, investigators said. The report also recommended that airlines should mitigate the risks taken by pilots who self-report disabling problems, by offering loss-of-income insurance. EASA also should routinely analyze all reports of in-flight pilot incapacitation and continuously re-evaluate its medical assessment criteria, the report recommended. The investigators also said EASA should ensure that airline operators provide peer-support groups to pilots and their families, where personal and mental-health issues can be discussed with an assurance of confidentiality, to help ensure that pilots will get help when they need it.
Investigators also found that after Lubitz was treated for a depressive episode in 2009, a note citing a special conditions/restrictions waiver was added to his medical certificate. However, no follow-up or specific assessment was required for subsequent medical checks. The certificate was revalidated or renewed annually from 2010 to 2014, but no psychologist or psychiatrist was involved in that process. Lubitz, the first officer on Germanwings Flight 9525 on March 24, 2015, locked his captain out of the cockpit and deliberately flew the Airbus A320 into a mountainside, killing all 150 people on board.
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Request Your 2015-16 Pilot's Guide to Avionics
The 2015-16 edition of the Aircraft Electronics Association's Pilot's Guide to Avionics is now available. The publication is a consumer's directory loaded with educational articles about the avionics industry, its products, and its people, which helps pilots and aircraft owners make better buying decisions and locate nearly 1,300 AEA member companies, including government-certified repair stations around the world. To request a complimentary copy, visit AEAPilotsGuide.net.[/TD]
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Three New Possible MH370 Items To Be Analyzed
By Mary Grady
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Experts will examine three pieces of debris found over the last two weeks that might be from the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, Malaysia's Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said today. One fragment was found by a South African family visiting in Mozambique. They took the item back home with them, and South African authorities plan to take custody of it and hold it until Malaysian investigators come to get it. The other two items were found on Reunion Island and on a sandbank in the Mozambique Channel. A piece of a flaperon found on Reunion in July has been confirmed as a part of the missing Boeing 777.
The three items will be sent to France and Australia for analysis. "We are all waiting for the final verification result on the three pieces of debris … There is no verification if they are from MH370 or not," Liow Tiong Lai said. The 777 disappeared in March 2014 while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board. All are presumed dead. In January, the Malaysian government pronounced the airplane's loss an accident. Search teams are continuing to scour the Indian Ocean in search of the 777. Authorities have said that search will continue until June, but if no wreckage is found, the search will be concluded.

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Another Short-Term Fix For FAA
By Mary Grady
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Congress once again has delayed taking substantive action on FAA funding issues, as the House voted yesterday to extend the current FAA budget through mid-July. The FAA's budget is due to expire on March 31. Competing proposals in the House and Senate have failed to gain enough support for passage, as lawmakers argue over whether air traffic control should be privatized. The House transportation committee has proposed a bill that would extend FAA funding for six years, while the Senate transportation committee has proposed to provide funding only through September 2017. The Senate is expected to approve the four-month extension later this week.
Besides the extended funding cycle and privatized ATC, the legislation now under consideration could bring other changes that would affect general aviation. Issues in play, according to AOPA, include third-class medical reform, increases in Airport Improvement Program funding, streamlined certification for light GA aircraft, support for a transition to unleaded aviation fuel, and rule changes that would make it easier to install modern safety equipment in legacy aircraft. "There are a lot of moving parts right now," Jim Coon, AOPA senior vice president of government affairs, said this week. "But both the House and Senate have signaled their strong desire to reach an agreement on FAA reauthorization, and that's a hopeful sign. The FAA needs stability to effectively implement new and ongoing programs."
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Originally Posted by rcmiket

I don't see how. If insurance was mandated than it would need to be primary insurance, it's not and would not meet the requirement as it is now. This is all just a "what if" thing right now as it's not mandated.

Mike

Originally Posted by Sport_Pilot

I thought the Cuban dropped out. Love the sandwich's and coffee.

Originally Posted by rcmiket

http://amablog.modelaircraft.org/ama...with-uas-poll/


https://csuci.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0jkUzTeKGnslZ2Z

Interesting poll.

Mike

Originally Posted by Sport_Pilot

Geez, this just reminds me how crude and unreliable aircraft engines are. They are light years behind the automotive industry. My airplane always suffered from something, stuck valve, bad magnetos, cracked cylinder, always something. I think the magnetos were the same magnetos in my grandfathers tractors, I knew them inside and out from working on a tractor! I have a truck with almost 200,000 miles and nothing but distributer cap, plugs, wires, air filter, oil filter, and oil. No stuck valves, no cracked cylinder, and no tractor magnetos. One reason I quit flying full scale.

Originally Posted by porcia83

........Thoughts ??? ....

Originally Posted by Sport_Pilot

Geez, this just reminds me how crude and unreliable aircraft engines are. They are light years behind the automotive industry. My airplane always suffered from something, stuck valve, bad magnetos, cracked cylinder, always something. I think the magnetos were the same magnetos in my grandfathers tractors, I knew them inside and out from working on a tractor! I have a truck with almost 200,000 miles and nothing but distributer cap, plugs, wires, air filter, oil filter, and oil. No stuck valves, no cracked cylinder, and no tractor magnetos. One reason I quit flying full scale.

Originally Posted by Rob2160

In a motor car the engine is averaging 15-20% power output but in the aircraft that is closer to 85-90%. Your car engine never spends hours constantly at or close to maximum throttle.

The aircraft engine is air-cooled vs liquid cooled in the motor vehicle. Cracked cylinders happen from shock cooling but if you follow the manufacturers guidelines on throttle management and correct leaning for altitude you won't have a problem and they are very reliable.

I have 5000+ hours on piston full size aircraft and never experienced a single hiccup.

Originally Posted by Rob2160

In a motor car the engine is averaging 15-20% power output but in the aircraft that is closer to 85-90%. Your car engine never spends hours constantly at or close to maximum throttle.

The aircraft engine is air-cooled vs liquid cooled in the motor vehicle. Cracked cylinders happen from shock cooling but if you follow the manufacturers guidelines on throttle management and correct leaning for altitude you won't have a problem and they are very reliable.

I have 5000+ hours on piston full size aircraft and never experienced a single hiccup.

Originally Posted by porcia83

Here is an interesting report. Filled with some pretty good predictive data, Franklin should appreciate this. Then again, it's coming from one of those "liberal colleges right".

No actually...a very conservative one actually, well funded by none other than the kingmaker brothers Koch brothers.

So here we have an ultra conservative bastion of higher education putting forth some pretty damning information putting a big wet blanket on the whole "drones are a huge safety issue" situation.

Thoughts ???

http://mercatus.org/publication/do-c...fe-strike-data

Originally Posted by porcia83

Right on!

Originally Posted by porcia83

less than 12 hours.......

Originally Posted by bokuda

>[/COLOR]

https://cei.org/blog/senate-faa-reau...ll-disappoints

Interesting. There's a proposal in it to ban "homebrew uas". That would ban us from building our airplanes. I wonder if that would include building from kits too.

This just keeps getting better!

Originally Posted by Chris P. Bacon

Nailed it!

Originally Posted by porcia83

All due respect...I think you called it first last night. He hasn't missed a beat since the post, been here nonstop. And honestly, I'm glad, he adds a ton of fun to the threads. He had me at hello you are a liberal, I can't quit him!

Originally Posted by porcia83

Right on!

Originally Posted by Rob2160

In a motor car the engine is averaging 15-20% power output but in the aircraft that is closer to 85-90%. Your car engine never spends hours constantly at or close to maximum throttle.

The aircraft engine is air-cooled vs liquid cooled in the motor vehicle. Cracked cylinders happen from shock cooling but if you follow the manufacturers guidelines on throttle management and correct leaning for altitude you won't have a problem and they are very reliable.

I have 5000+ hours on piston full size aircraft and never experienced a single hiccup.

Originally Posted by Chris P. Bacon

Wow, almost 200k miles on the original brakes, tires, wipers, coolant, and trans fluid, impressive.

Originally Posted by Sport_Pilot

I have a truck with almost 200,000 miles and nothing but distributer cap, plugs, wires, air filter, oil filter, and oil. No stuck valves, no cracked cylinder, and no tractor magnetos. One reason I quit flying full scale.

Originally Posted by Sport_Pilot

I was only comparing the engines.

Originally Posted by Chris P. Bacon

Perhaps English isn't your primary language?