X oz

[rosslr]

Well, I've been working hard a a number of fronts of late. But the most fun project has been planning a cross Australia (X OZ) trip in VH-RMQ. As most of you will recall, we launched her last October after a two year build and have now clocked up over 100hrs and feel we have it running pretty sweetly. So, it's time to put in some serious miles. As you can see from the Google Earth screen shot (below) the trip will be about 2,000nm each way and we are planing on it taking about 2-3 weeks. It will take us across the Strezleki, Simpson and Tanamai deserts, our destination being an Aboriginal Mission called Kalumburu, in the Kimberly region of Western Australia. We plan to meet up with friends on their catamaran up there - somewhere we can find a beach to land on and not too many crocodiles!.

Anyway, we plan to leave tomorrow and head to Broken Hill - if the weather allows us to get out of the valley! Along the way we will post to this thread for those interested. We are all loaded up - full fuel, Gayle and I and 66kg of gear. We are 688kg and 696.6 mm aft cg. 15 kg under MTOW and 9mm fwd of aft limits.

In case you don't realise, this is pretty remote country we are crossing. We have ELB, 2x spot trackers and three GPS navigators and survival gear. We have established a system of checking in and out each flight sector via spot with a group of friends. Given the remoteness and lack of internet coverage, there may be some big gaps between posts here. But rest assured, we are well stocked with cameras and have the GoPro out on the strut. (and the Ipad remote control app that Gayle will use to switch on and off as the scenery dictates.

So, fingers crossed for the weather tomorrow and hope you all enjoy the trip as much as we are going to. Welcome aboard!

Ross and Gayle

[colospace]

Ross,
Just curious how the fuel works out on a trip like that. Looks like some pretty long legs.

[Floog]

Great adventure! Looking forward to the posts. Good luck and enjoy!

[Esser]

Really looking forward to following along and reading your updates. I love doing these types of trips. The last one I did was 3000NM and always makes great memories.

I reckon with the 912iS you must be able to get almost 6 hours of endurance?

[jiott]

Good luck Ross!
By the way, your 696.6 mm aft CG works out to be 27.4". I thought 16" was max aft CG? What am I doing wrong?
Fly safe.

[Rooster]

You GO Ross!!

Living the dream.

Sounds Stunning!
Will we be able to e-mail you on the trip?

I suppose that you are already on your way, given that you are ahead of me by most of a day????

Regards
Reid

[rosslr]

Good luck Ross!
By the way, your 696.6 mm aft CG works out to be 27.4". I thought 16" was max aft CG? What am I doing wrong?
Fly safe.

Sorry Jim 396mm aft - sound better - but thanks for the check - had me worried there for a little while! As for fuel - yes, it is a major consideration and takes some planning. Roadhouses have airstrips and usually stock premium unleaded. Also, the cattle stations will sell some Avgas if you plan ahead - they have helicopters for mustering cattle so they just order a bit more if you ask - expensive though! But you are right, the planning is very much around fuel...

Bit of fog around but looks like we will get away ok.

cheers

r

[PapuaPilot]

Have a safe trip Ross. What an adventure! Sounds like you have done thorough planning.

I am now at 39.5 hours. Only 1/2 hour to go and I will be done with Phase I flight testing and off the "leash". :D Yesterday I did a flight to check the service ceiling and got up to 17,200' in 50 minutes. I think that is my personal altitude record.

Safe travels.

[Paul Z]

Long flight, have fun.

[rosslr]

Night 1. Broken Hill

We got away ok but had to pick our way through some fog patches and low cloud until we got away from the hills.

The two fearless aviators!
10992

And then we were out in the flat country that is looking fabulous now that it has rained!

10993


Hay is a pretty simple arrangement but they have fuel!

10994

And then the clouds finished and we were in the really remote areas - here is a station homestead - mostly several hundred or thousands of square kms.

10996

enjoying the night in Broken Hill before heading north tomorrow - we don't expect internet for a few days!

cheers

r

[Planesmaker]

You and Gayle are going to have such an awe inspiring trip, across this great country of ours. I hope to do something like that in the years to come. Have a wonderful, safe trip! Tom & Marsha

[rosslr]

DAy 2 - Broke Hill - nth to Malparinka - then to Noccundra Pub overnight.

A good days flying with some pretty fun places to land - the Milparinka pub is interesting and historical - you taxi down a road to the pub. Same at Noccundra - where we camped outside the pub - how convenient! RMQ is humming along although we have had headwinds most of the way. But not in hurry so that doesnt really matter. There has been a lot of rain up this way so the roads are closed and the desert looks very wet!

[rosslr]

Day 3 - Noccundra Pub - Dig Tree - Birdsville

Magnificent day for flying so we were up early and on the go - first stop was The Dig Tree - an historical site on the copper Ck where a group of our early explorers left carved signs in the trees to let the other members of their party know where they buried rations. Then on to Birdsville - pretty remote area across that stretch but again, the desert had rain so the water holes were full. We went low to look for camels but only found roos.

In Birdsville now for the night. All good the Kitfox is going great! The big tyres really have proven themselves already.

cheers

[kitfox2009]

Hi Ross
Whenever you get to internet connections, keep the travelog going! Especially when you arrive in the Kimberleys. This will be a wonderful insight into the wilds of Australia that many of us may never get to see.
Safe travels and Have Fun!!
Don

[PNWJARED]

Excellent update. Very interesting to see new country. Looks like your Fox is nicely equipped. Looks like you could not ask for a better travel companion either. well you have one jealous party here!

Vicariously we watch! Onward and Upward.

[Planesmaker]

Great photos! Hard to believe the amount of water laying around in the desert! Should be brilliant when the wild flowers appear. You've happened along at a rare time. Crossing deserts and indeed Australia in a plane you built yourself, how amazing is that!
Talked to a fellow who dropped into Tumut for fuel in his Searay, quiet unassuming, I commented on his American rego, said he had just flown solo around the world at 80kts in it. The things you can do in a kit aircraft
Enjoy the flight
Tom & Marsha

[rosslr]

A day off in Birdsville due strong and unfavourable winds. What to do?? We had a day at the Birdsville races! The OZ members here will get the picture story joke but others who are interested might do a quick google search!

cheers


r

[rosslr]

It was well wortht he wait for a day to get perfect weather and a little tail wind to cross the Simpson desert - all 1140 sand dunes! We landed at Dalhousie hot springs for a dip before overnight at Mt Dare Station.

[rosslr]

Leaving the Simpson desert behind we headed across the centre of Australia passing below Alice Springs and over some of the spectacular inland ranges. we spent the night at the start of the Tanamai desert track - a pretty long stretch of not much - the road trains are pretty impressive too. All night we heard camels and dingos around the camp.

[rosslr]

We need to manage full carefully on this stretch so carried an extra 20 lt and found a disused strip to land on the fill up. Tomorrow we head to Kalumbaru via the Drysdale river station - and a rest for a few days before heading back home!! The plane is humming along with no issues at all.

[chrisag]

Hey Ross, your photos and commentary are first class and makes up for us not being there also. Keep them coming.. Cheers JC.

[Esser]

I never knew Aus had camels. After a quick search I find out you have the largest herds in the world!

[Av8r_Sed]

Ross,
I'm loving the trip report. It's great seeing you put the new bird to good use. Videos coming after you return?

[rosslr]

HI Kitfoxers.. been a few days but now back in email contact and have we been to some interesting places!

Leaving Halls Creek behind, we tracked for the Berkley River Roadhouse which took us across some pretty amazing and remote country. The roadhouse is a refuge for 4WD'ers doing the remote areas of the Kimberly - the roads are rough and take their toll. The cattle properties are mostly several million acres!

Then on to Kalumburru where we sighted the coast for the first time!

[rosslr]

Kalumburru is a very remote Aboriginal community and a Mission station that has a interesting history.
http://www.kalumburu.org/
http://www.kalumburumission.org.au/

We stayed at the mission station and the Indigenous people were just fine - a very sad time for them with a funeral for 10 yo girl who had taken her life. A problem that is sadly all too common.

The reason we were up there was to meet up with our old sailing mates, Ray and Barbara. They have cruised this remote coat for 13 years and Ray has discovered a lot of Aboriginal Rock art. He nearly died once on one of his excursions and flying over the area it is very easy to see how you would perish quickly if lost! nWe went on a relatively short walk to look at some of his discoveries and we all used about 3 litres of water each! It is hot and humid and desolate.

we landed on a beach at the mouth of the Drysdale River and pulled the plane up above the high water mark using some planks of plywood to get over the soft sand. We had a good time!

cheers

ross

[rosslr]

this morning we left the beach at the Barkley River and flew the Kimberly coast to Kununurra - a wonderful town that services the Ord river scheme.

The red cliffs and gorges were amazing!

Tomorrow we will make our way east into the Northern Territory.

We hear there is snow at home! 34c here and humid! Our plan is to go east to the Stuart Hwy and then tack south past Alice springs and across Lake Eyre.

cheers

ross

[kitfox2009]

Just SUPER pics !! You guys are living the dream. Good on you!!
Don

[Av8r3400]

Wow. Just simply amazing.

[rosslr]

From Kununarra we headed east to the Stuart Hwy that runs N - S through central Australia. Again remote country, the main point of interest is the way the country changes from the rugged Kimberly region to the flat plains that support huge cattle stations and then back to to the dry and scrubby desert country. Dunmarra does not list having a strip on the charts but we heard that the guy who owns the roadhouse there is a pilot and has put in a strip. So we thought we would check it out as an overnight camp. On the way there we stopped for a leg stretch and cuppa at Moolooloo Station - a pretty rough and neglected strip and we had the underwings well splattered with cow turds after! We make a separate post on Dunmarra.

[rosslr]

I think it is worth a mention of this little gem. Just North up the Stuart Hwy is the more popular Daly Waters pub and strip but Dunamarra strip is right behind the roadhouse and the owner Garry has a 206 and clearly keen for people to fly in. He was happy for us to taxi through the gates and park right on the camping ground next to the roadhouse. Good showers, great steaks,a premium unleaded fuel and a bar. He has a collection of snakes to look at and water buffalo and cattle wander though the camp site. We even had his dog sleep beside the tent to keep the buffalo from horning the kitfox through the night! A few road trains stop there but surprisingly few through the night - so a good night sleep. Just had to use the plane to drive the cattle off the strip in the morning before taking off.

cheers

r

[rosslr]

Yesterday was time to turn sth and it turned out to be a bit of a challenge with the weather all over the place. so we did it in three legs and checked the forecasts and planned as we went. first leg to Tennant creek was the easiest although we went on top for about 15 mins over a ban of cloud. At Tannant ck we refuelled and planned to Tee Tri - and indigenous settlement on the Hwy where we checked the forecast again and decided to go to Alice Springs as the weather is forecast bad for the next few days. There was a tempo with storms and 40kt gusts for 4pm so planned our arrival for 2pm - All was well - given clearance via VFR route 1 which took us right over town and through the gap in the McDonalad ranges to the airport. This is the largest place we have been to on the trip and we will stay here a few days as the weather is forecast storms and rain. Plenty to do and see around here anyway. We we let it all blow over and then about 3 days to home.

cheers

r

[rosslr]

Gayle just looked at the photos and said they all had a green filter when taken! sorry about that - she has just gone through and reset them all on my camera and the colours and so much better! sorry to post low quality stuff but you get the general idea!

cheers

r

[rosslr]

We had a day in Alice which is the the centre of Australia. Although we have been there many times before we always enjoy the country around Alice, especially the western McDonald ranges.

[rosslr]

A day around Alice is always interesting - although we have been there many times before we always enjoy it - the Todd River flowed! that is the third time I ave seen it flow now and according to local legend, if you see it flow 3 times you will never leave ( but we did!). The colours of the western McDonald ranges are always stunning!

[rosslr]

Departing Alice Springs was frustrating with a fog keeping us on the group until midday. We eventually got away and went on top of scattered at 5500. Fuel stop at Oodanatta and then on to William Ck - a pretty remote pub - the claim to fame is it's proximity to Lake Eyre which now has water in it. A lot of people come here to see the phenomenon as it is ussually a dry slat lake! But the pub is all that is there and a camping area. It is still very remote country but we will be starting to move into more civilised country in the next few days - weather permitting!

[rosslr]

We left William Ck this morning and tracked over Lake Eyre - it was a bit overcast but still an impressive site! The weather became marginal towards Leigh Ck so we decided to land and check weather forecast - there was a trough moving right over our track with poor vis and rain forecast for the rest of the day are are enjoying the sites of down town Leigh Ck - actually it didn't take long to do that as, although it is a nice town, it is pretty well a ghost town as the local mine has closed and there are only about 180 people left.

The weather is going to be a challenge to get the rest of the way home but we are in no hurry.

[jiott]

The photos are really great without the green filter. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the greenish ones. A continent I've never been to.

[DesertFox4]

Just one word.

Beautiful!

[rosslr]

Thanks guys! We are stuck in Leigh Ck now with weather. Never mind. At least out here you can go just enjoy the outback - The east coast of OZ is getting hammered at the moment with floods and wild weather so the outback is a nice pace to be until it all blows over and the sun shines once more!

cheers

r

[Esser]

Looking like a blast Ross. The green filter gave the pictures a retro look!

[Rooster]

Hello Ross and Gayle!

Quote: "We had a day in Alice which is the the centre of Australia. Although we have been there many times before we always enjoy the country around Alice, especially the western McDonald ranges."

I have to do this as it is such a party song.....

Who the%#* is Alice?
:D

This is an awesome trip!
I'm living vicariously. Please keep the reports and pictures coming.

Reid

[rosslr]

Well, we took a narrow opportunity in the weather patterns ( that all are a bit crazy at the moment in OZ!) to fly over the Nth Flinders rangers and across to Broken Hill - from here we are about 4-5 hrs from home...and there is a little bit more to do in Broken Hill than there was in Leigh Ck!

The Flinders are up to 4000ft and with a 20-25kt westerly and cloud over the ranges we need to get up and over the top. It was a good forecast so off we went and it all turned out well.

We are holed up here in Broken Hill now for a few days until the current rain and low cloud passes.

Cheers
ross and Gayle

The rugged Flinders Ranges and the cloud we flew over
11210

More of the Flinders and note the salt on the tyres from the last take off - we are in salt lake country!
11211

The end of the Flinders Ranges as it flattens out to the desert on the way to Broken Hill
11212

Approaching Broken Hill that takes advantage of the sun!
11213

[rosslr]

We are here in Broken Hill for a few days - it is the home of the famous BHP company and has fascinating mining history, mostly presented in glowing terms of economic outcomes but the haunting memorial on top of the slag heap tells a story of the miners who have lost heir lives in tragic circumstances - a few photos to give you the idea. It is also the home for the Royal Flying Doctors that serve the remote regions of outback Australia with their fleet of King Air aircraft.

Must be patient and wait for good weather to complete this wonderful trip - it will total about 2500nm and we have just 420 to go! No need to take risks at this stage!

cheers

ross and gayle

[kitfox2009]

Hi guys
Yes,it seems you have been getting some "nasty" weather over there recently,especially up the East Coast.
Take your time, better to wait out in beautiful downtown Broken Hill than beside the highway somewhere. How about Lightning Ridge for a few days!!
Have fun
Don

[SkySteve]

Ross,
It looks like a great adventure trip! Thanks for all the photos. Being from the Salt Lake, Utah area, I especially liked the photo of your "Salt Tires"!!

[rosslr]

We left Broken Hill this morning and were home by early afternoon. A successful end to a great trip. I will comment a little on the trip in a follow up post but first, it was a narrow opening in the weather that we needed to take of wait a few more days for another system to pass. We left Broken Hill about 0830 and headed for Hay - about 230nm and a good fuel top up and refreshment stop. It was interesting to see the open sandy plains give way to the fertile irrigated areas. However, at Hay the fuel bowser wasn't working as the internet was down and not able to activate the pump. Never mind - we had enough to get all the way home if needed. So off to Wangaratta for fuel and a break to reassess the weather into the mountains and home to Mt Beauty. No problems apart from a few rain showers to dodge. Fuelled up at Wang and checked with friends that the valley was 'open' and then we headed off for the final 40 mins of this trip - it was all pretty straight froward with better cloud base than we anticipated ( although 2 hours later it dropped and now it looks like snow!). It was great to see the Kiewa Valley again after 3 weeks and 2500nm!

[rosslr]

I am an average pilot (probably a bit below average actually!). I am not a tradesman and have a very average builders skill set. But despite this, we have built the Kitfox SS7 in two years and flew the maiden flight in October last year. 7 months later we have flown it 165 hrs and our latest trip took us over some of the most remote and inhospitable country in Australia - a trip of 2500nm in three weeks. This stands as testament to the quality of the Kitfox product, the manual/instructions that guide a relative novice through the build process and the fantastic resource that this site offers! I can not thank you all enough for the advice and support you have all offered throughout or build and beyond - the experience and expertise is offered generously and enthusiastically. I note there has recently been a few 'newbies' on the site (which I was only a few years ago) and I hope you go ahead with the builds and get the same sense of joy as we have from this trip.

I have learned a lot on this trip and thoroughly recommend that when you finish the build and fly off test hours, get out and do a big trip - you will learn a lot about the plane and come to trust it like we have! Our personal preference is for under wing camping in remote areas and we are planning more of this in the near future!

We hope the posts of this trip have been of interest to you and thanks again to all of you who have helped to make this possible through your advice and encouragement!

Until the next adventure!

cheers

ross and gayle

[DesertFox4]

Thanks for taking us all along.:)
Glad you bonded thoroughly with your Kitfox and had a safe journey.
Epic trip over magnificent landscape in your homebuilt aircraft.
You're living the dream of thousands of folks.
Congrats.

[jrevens]

That was was so enjoyable and good, Ross and Gayle! Thank you very much for sharing your adventure... it has helped to keep me moving forward on my own project. Good job!

[rosslr]

Thanks guys. Gayle just informed me that my maths were way out - the total trip was 4,1072nm. It felt more like that.

Anyway, a pleasure to share it with you - I will post a few videos shortly.

cheers

[colospace]

Ross,
A big reason for choosing the Kitfox, and a goal for the future, is the idea of doing camping trips with our plane. That's probably the major reason my wife is so supportive of the build. We would enjoy hearing more of the camping experience from this epic trip of yours if you have the chance.

[av8rps]

Yes, I also enjoyed following along on your trip. I look forward to the videos.

It really is amazing what we can do with a plane that comes in a box :)

I'm curious what performance you are getting with that prop, and if you'd do that again? I apologize in advance if I missed that info elsewhere

Paul

[rosslr]

First Gary - I think the camping is a good topic that a lot of people are interested in so I will start a thread here - there are a lot of people here who have a lot of experience of camping in the Kitfox and I think we could all learn from each other about equipment etc.

Paul- re the prop - In cruise setting (24"MAP, 15.6 lpg and 5000rpm) I get about 103kts TAS. That is with 26" tyres and the Airmaster CSP). Take off roll and climb seem to vary a lot according to temps and loading but when light and on a a cool day I get off in well under 100m - more like 50-60m - and climb at about 800-1000fpm. Heavy and on a warm day it can take 150m to get airborn and the climb is more like 500-600fpm. I really dont have experience of other configurations but it certainly seems to give me all I want/need.

cheers

ross

[Av8r_Sed]

Ross,
Thanks for posting this great trip thread. It was really interesting following along with you and Gayle. I'm wondering, after all that flying, would you and Gayle do it again?

I'm also curious what your average fuel burn was for the trip with the 912is. I'm sure the Airmaster prop helped, but it would be a good data point.

[Floog]

Welcome home, Rossir! Safe and sound, a testament to the plane and her crew. 41,000 miles is a long way! :). I'd be curious about the fuel burn with the 912is. Just wondering how it compares to the 912uls in real world numbers. I'm averaging about 3.7GPH. Thanks for taking us along on your fantastic trip!

[PapuaPilot]

It was enjoyable to follow your flights and see the great pictures of areas that we will never get to. Glad you and Gayle are home safe. I laughed when you mentioned how warm and humid it was at the north coast.

[rosslr]

Thanks for picking up the slight mistake Doug! what's and extra '0'!!

As for the fuel burn with the 912is - We averaged 17lph - about 1.5lt more than we were getting flying local. We put it down to the extra weight - nearly always at MTOW.

Would we do it again? Yep sure - already talking about other sections of the continent - we really only went up and back through the red centre and there is a lot left to discover. And nearly all of it is outside any controlled airspace. We think that we will select a couple of spots to fly to and set up camp for 4-5 days and fly the local areas. In the meantime, we need to catch up on some work and attend to my sons weeding next weekend.

Thanks for all the interest - its a pleasure to share it with you all.

cheers

r

[kitfoxJeff]

Have a safe trip Ross. What an adventure! Sounds like you have done thorough planning.

I am now at 39.5 hours. Only 1/2 hour to go and I will be done with Phase I flight testing and off the "leash". :D Yesterday I did a flight to check the service ceiling and got up to 17,200' in 50 minutes. I think that is my personal altitude record.

Safe travels.


Hello,
I just bought a KF-5 with an IO-240 and it needs a prop, wondering if you can share some insite for me? Last owner told me to call Senich but I wanted to ask a few others with IO-240's but I cant find anyone else.

I fly from sea level, most flights would be 2000 to 5000 ft. I like fast climb and take off, but still want a good cruise,

Thanks

[PapuaPilot]

I have a Catto prop that is a 74 x 47. When I ordered it I asked them to make one balanced between a climb and cruise prop. I'm really happy with it.

[airlina]

Hi Jeff , welcome to the IO-240 minority. here is a copy of a response I recently sent to a new IO-240 powered owner: There are a few of us out here that love this aircraft/engine combo. I finished my Series 5 Outback back in 2003 and can't believe that I have been flying it for 13 years already. The IO-240 has been bulletproof in the 750 hours I have flown it so far. As far as my prop history goes , I started with a warp drive (Skystar recommended prop) never got installed as it was found not to hold up to the IO-240 power pulses and developed cracks. That prop was sent back and I bought a Sensenich W74EK-2-58. this is a 72 inch dia. prop (thats what the -2 means-2" cut off from the 74 " prop at the factory) This prop only only developed about 2200-2250 static rpm at full power on takeoff. I called Sensenich and they recommended trimming the prop , so I got up some nerve and took a saw to the blade and trimmed 3/4" from each end-it got static rpm to 2300-2350 and helped takeoff perf and is my most of the time prop. I was very careful and used a fine furniture builders hand saw to make the cut , then sanded the tips to the same profile they were before and added some epoxy varnish to the cut areas. i did not rebalance in any way with no noticeable vibration change. Jeff hays , another I0-240 guy on the list had the same prop and did the same thing to his. My takeoff distance solo from grass is around 350' and I cruise at 115 to 120 mph at 2400-2500 rpm variable with alt and temp. I live in snow country in western NY so I fly on skiis in the winter and needed a good up and out prop for winter ops so I bought another Sensenich prop which is my climb prop. it is designated W74EK-54 and is a true 74 inch dia. With this prop , my static RPM is 2400-2450 RPM and is a good climb prop. Cruise speed will suffer by 5-10mph with this prop which isn't a problem since I stay close to home in the winter anyway. As far as recommended torque values go, Sensenich says for AN6 bolts (3/8'') 200 +/- 25 inch-lbs and thats what I use. Like you I have always wondered about other props like a Catto or whirlwind, but at what they cost, I need to know exact specs from someone operating an IO-240 with those props to see if there would be a significant perf increase. There is a guy Phil on the list who recently completed a Series 5 with an IO-240 who is using a Catto prop but I haven't gotten enough specific data from him to make the buy. I would lean toward the Catto as guys seem to love them. It would mean no more seasonal retorques and flying in rain wouldn't erode the prop -which are 2 of my wood prop complaints. Can you tell me the history of your vixen, I thought I knew of all the IO-240 guys out there but didn't recognize your handle when I saw your post on the list. Any help you need don't hesitate to holler. I still really enjoy my airplane after all these years and know I built the right one for me. see ya later Bruce N199CL