Search results

Isn't that a uAvionix Tailbeacon ADS-B out system? You *can* get thrust from it, but only for a millisecond or so if you feed 1,000 volts into it.... Ron Wanttaja

Oh, the hopper won't care. :) Ron Wanttaja

I get involved in a lot of discussions about homebuilt aircraft safety. Online forums such as this, the post-presentation Q&As after my EAA Homebuilt Week presentations, Facebook groups, or talking at local EAA chapters. I get queried about Viking engine accident statistics more often than any...

An example is the recent death of the owner of Titan aircraft. Last I heard, no one was answering the phone at the company. The installed base for the Viking is too small for an accurate assessment of the safety record. A lot of Rotaxes out there, and the safety record on the four-stroke...

With a good enough airplane, you can just take your car with you to the destination.... Ron Wanttaja

Perfectly true, with the caveat: It cannot be too small to the point where it cannot be made air-tight. The other factor is that it cannot be so badly sized that it impedes an emergency egress. Mind you, this could be waived. By the time the suit is delivered to orbit, it's too late to fix...

And some of us don't even have pitch trim..... Ron Wanttaja

Not saying it's impossible, just there are pitfalls. No one has ever been measured for a space suit while on orbit, by someone who has never measured anyone before on Earth OR in space. Get a measurement too small, then potentially the suit out-and-out won't fit. Get it too large, it may...

No tailors at the space station. Amateurs trying to measure, will give amateur results. Multiple dimensions to be taken, too. Also, due to zero-g, it's difficult if not impossible to stand erect for the measurements. Ron "I dress sunward" Wanttaja

That gets fun, too. According to Skylab astronaut Bill Pogue's "Astronaut Primer," the human body gets between 1.5" and 2.5" longer on orbit. Ground measurements will be off. Now, all the SpaceX astronauts who launch in their bespoke suits encounter the same issue. So it may get accounted...

IIRC, the components of the suits used on the shuttle had a number of sizes, and the user could mix-and-match the components for a fit. Like I mentioned in an earlier posting, I've no experience with manned spaceflight or space suit design, but can see how it'd be a huge design issue. The suit...

Don't know, but I can see that not being the case anymore. SpaceX has a focus on private utilization in space; I could see them refusing to hand over proprietary technology to the US Government. I think NASA needs SpaceX more than SpaceX needs NASA.... When the functional environment of the...

Seems logical, but I'd want to see the history behind it. It may be that SpaceX had already developed their suit, and were unwilling to change the design to accommodate a competitor. Similarly, SpaceX may have patented its suit interface, and was unwilling to let Boeing use it for free, and...

Doesn't sound like the specs were the problem. The problem was either the inability to monitor spec compliance by the subcontractor, or non-technical people rolling over and granting a variance without understanding the ramifications. The subcontractor was not in a Muslim country. We were...

The word I'm getting is that Boeing specified the helium valves be made from titanium, and the subcontractor substituted aluminum. This is a HUGE failure in the Systems Engineering process, which Boeing pioneered. Either the subcontractor swapped the material and no one caught it on a delivery...

And it was wartime, when safety might be overlooked in favor of getting the planes into combat. No such excuse in the civilian world. Ron Wanttaja

Home now. Did a little digging, and only found one other structure-related accident at Oshkosh...A "Bryan Roadable" in 1974 didn't have its foldable wing secured. Looking at my 1998-2022 database, there were also cases of control failure at Oshkosh 2009. RV-9 and a Baby Ace, both had failures...

Hey, if it happens to me, I'll be ready for 'em. Note the fake cockpit painted on the belly of my Fly Baby.... :) Ron Wanttaja

Our airport did a major upgrade this summer. They removed all the signage and runway lights, put them in a pile, and invited airport residents to grab what they wanted. I picked up a taxiway light, with the thought of making it a rather odd desk lamp. Disassembling it, I found that the bulb...

I'm Dan, and so's my wife..... Ron "Always look on the bright side of life" Wanttaja