AirSport_Jan15

CONTENTSROCKET WOMANInstallbefore flightAirmanship is much more than simply a measure of technical knowledge.Skill, competency, and discipline are the hallmarks of Airmanship.Qualities you also need in your insurance company.Cover photo Rod AndrewarthaFEATURESPortrait of a Young Builder 14Kreisha Ballantyne chats with Michael Jones,who has just completed his RV7 buildThere’s Only One Design 20Russell Buchanan reports onRodney Bailey’s new buildPOCKET ROCKET 22Kreisha Ballantyne flies the F1 RocketREGULARSPresident’s Report 04Vice President’s Report 07Calendar of Events 08New Members 08Members Vale 10Tech Talk 12Incident Report 14Engine Management 101 16Tales from the Toolbox 26Builders’ Log 32Chapter Chatter 36Classifieds 39Chapter Contacts 40SAAA Contacts 40When I was a child my mother used to say to me, “if you don’t ask, you won’t get,” formingthe foundations of the inquisitive nature that would lead me to become a professionalnosey parker.In the last edition of Airsport, I took my mother’s advice, and asked the readership ifthey would educate me in the art of amateur construction, if they would showcase theiraircraft, and perhaps even take me for a fly. And, as my mother promised, my asking leadto my getting: in this case, a thrilling day spent with two F1 Rockets and their wonderfullyenthusiastic owners.The moment I was contacted by Rocket owner Nick Mills, I knew I was in for a day ofgreat excitement. If his attached image of Rocket VH-NBW was meant to tempt me, itworked; the image showed a shiny tail-wheel aircraft, glinting in the sun, with every surfacescreaming ‘fly me! I’m fast! I’m fun!’Immediately, I booked an aircraft and planned my flight to Temora. The lovely CarolRichards offered me a place in her B&B, and before the day was over Nick and I hadarranged an evening flight in one aircraft and an early morning flight in the other. As youcan see from the story on page 22, the F1 Rocket was everything its tantalizing photopromised it would be.I’d like to thank Nick Wills for organizing such a seamless operation. Thanks also to KennyLove for providing the photo-ship; Rod Andrewartha for bravely harnessing himself toKenny’s Lance to bring you the cover shots; Alan Clements for his precision flying inVH-XFI and Leonie Furze for the barbecue. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I enjoyedcreating it.Of course, now the bar has been raised and the challenge is: how do I find an aircraft totop the F1 Rocket? Any ideas? If you’re a builder, and you’d like to see your aircraft on thecover of Airsport, please drop me a line at airsport@saaa.comAnd, in the meantime, I’ll be adding a Rocket kit to my Santa list. After all, who am I toignore my mum’s advice?Happy New Year,Kreisha BallantyneEDITORExplore Airmanship at airmanship.qbe.comQBE Insurance (Australia) Limited ABN 78 003 191 035. AFSL 239545The Sport Aircraft Association of Australia is a group of aviation enthusiasts assisting each other to build,maintain and operate sport aircraft. We educate members to continuously improve safety outcomes.AirSport AT ISSN 0156-6016 is the journal of the Sport Aircraft Association of Australia Inc. PO Box 99 Narromine NSW 2821 Incno. A0046510Z Telephone: 02 6889 7777 / fax: 02 6889 7788 / General enquiries: email airsport@saaa.com / www.saaa.comEditor: Kreisha Ballantyne airsport@saaa.com / Art Director: Melinda Vassallo Produced by:Fineline Design www.finelinedesign.com.auJ5345 2 AIRSPORT SAAA – THE HOME OF AUSTRALIAN EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT AIRSPORT 3