The new news 24 thread

[alcyonecorporation]

1 hour ago, SiC said:

Yeah I have done and seriously considered going the microlight route a few years ago. It's a good half the price per hour than a typical spam can trainer.

However a microlight licence restricts you a fair bit and can't build on to it. Like Instrument Rating, night flying, twin engine, etc. They're also all only two seaters. So stuff like a four seater Cessna or Piper is a no go on a microlight licence. There is also slight variations on the PPL that requires less hours but they have more restrictions. Also not necessarily recognised that well internationally and reading up it looks like the CAA may remove them in the near future in the path of simplification.

Where as a full PPL has far more growth paths if wanted to and still possible to convert down to a microlight as well if wanting to buy one. That said most microlights are similar cost to buy as a typical single engine piston. Albeit much cheaper to run.

I think I can afford to go full PPL so in my head it feels worth going the whole hog. 

When I bought my Jeep the same bloke offered me a single-seat plane he'd built for £1900. 

I think for everyone's sake me turning it down was a great decision. 

[Popsicle]

5 minutes ago, 24vdiamond said:

2k a year on insurance  and 3.5k a year to fix it?  Would you be better off with something new on a business lease deal? 

You'd think so but not really, I've rented and leased before, it works out far more expensive for 100k miles a year*. Also hire & reward, goods in transit, public & employee liability insurance is never cheap for a courier.

Small vans to rent for big miles are around £800 a month and you have to provide the insurance on top. I'm not aware of any leases for one off vans for anything much over 50k miles a year.

For something else I'm involved in, the best price we could get for 8 Luton curtainsiders with tail lifts was just over £2k each a month. 

* I had last year off work and 3 months off in 2022, hence 'only' doing 300k in 4 years.

[Metal Guru]

17 minutes ago, alcyonecorporation said:

When I bought my Jeep the same bloke offered me a single-seat plane he'd built for £1900. 

I think for everyone's sake me turning it down was a great decision. 

If Boeing can invest $30 bn in a new aircraft and get it wrong occasionally, I wouldn’t risk the odds in a plane made in someone’s shed for £1900.

[BorniteIdentity]

My neighbour was keen to get the palm tree in my garden under control.  I have asked my landlord twice now to just have it away (it's far, far too big for the garden and is causing untold damage to the patio but he doesn't give a shit so neither do I).  Rather than getting a man in to do it, my neighbour balanced very precariously on top of his Pergola and went at it!

68 branches down.  All of them transported to the Tip Recycling Centre by Sierra 'Jungle Edition'

[stuboy]

Ended up buying off amazon but 10 day wait...  many on Ebay but couldn't get definitive fitment..didn't want too risk 2nd hand parts as no idea how long it would last..

[richardmorris]

Thought the ac smelt a.bit like a vacuum cleaner bag on Tuesday so ordered a pollen filter - feb, i ebay £7 delivered. 

Watched a 60s YouTube video and just changed it. Obviously not been done as part of the main dealer service, ever. 

 

[Zelandeth]

1 hour ago, stuboy said:

Ended up buying off amazon but 10 day wait...  many on Ebay but couldn't get definitive fitment..didn't want too risk 2nd hand parts as no idea how long it would last..

In all honesty, I'd trust secondhand OEM parts far further than whatever Chinesium they've dredged up from the lowest bidder on Amazon these days.  I just had to get a refund on several spools of wire which arrived sans any actual wire in them...

Went and did what I should have in the first place and ordered from Farnell.

[SiC]

1 hour ago, richardmorris said:

Thought the ac smelt a.bit like a vacuum cleaner bag on Tuesday so ordered a pollen filter - feb, i ebay £7 delivered. 

Watched a 60s YouTube video and just changed it. Obviously not been done as part of the main dealer service, ever. 

 

Usually a cost option extra at main dealer services.

[richardmorris]

17 minutes ago, SiC said:

Usually a cost option extra at main dealer services.

First time I’ve had a car that went to the dealer for servicing in my ownership !

[wuvvum]

1 hour ago, richardmorris said:

Watched a 60s YouTube video and just changed it. 

I didn't think YouTube was around in the 60s.

[richardmorris]

2 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

I didn't think YouTube was around in the 60s.

60 seconds:-)

 

anyway, I lied. It’s 3 minutes

 

 

[junkyarddog]

 

[richardmorris]

 

[bunglebus]

Cushions!

https://vrumvrum.si/en/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwL4nptleHRuA2FlbQEwAGFkaWQBqylnWtMIAgEeD_aC8wMrY10RLQDeVXI5iJOn2jwCGUHsJH0OyJ1yEiC8B9nE85gCvtqUGuM_aem_Tvoxa7N0S3aedOg4Z_GLTQ

 

[richardmorris]

8 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Cushions!

https://vrumvrum.si/en/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwL4nptleHRuA2FlbQEwAGFkaWQBqylnWtMIAgEeD_aC8wMrY10RLQDeVXI5iJOn2jwCGUHsJH0OyJ1yEiC8B9nE85gCvtqUGuM_aem_Tvoxa7N0S3aedOg4Z_GLTQ

 

Renault 4, a Polski fiat, but no 2CV!

[stuboy]

3 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

In all honesty, I'd trust secondhand OEM parts far further than whatever Chinesium they've dredged up from the lowest bidder on Amazon these days.  I just had to get a refund on several spools of wire which arrived sans any actual wire in them...

Went and did what I should have in the first place and ordered from Farnell.

i know what your saying... frightned that 2nd hand oem that will fail or chinesium that may, just may last longer............ i only want too drive it, the missus had it fortnight, parked it up and it broke, just bad luck due too wear... i can keep winding up the missus saying she broke it.........lol

[High Jetter]

1 hour ago, richardmorris said:

Renault 4, a Polski fiat, but no 2CV!

Not arrived yet, it'll be a while...😃

[reb]

[Fat_Pirate]

13 minutes ago, reb said:

Excellent!  I bought one of these in 1985 with my hard-earned YTS money, so I could play Elite on my Spectrum without fighting for access to the household TV.  Has it needed repairs?

[reb]

2 minutes ago, Fat_Pirate said:

Excellent!  I bought one of these in 1985 with my hard-earned YTS money, so I could play Elite on my Spectrum without fighting for access to the household TV.  Has it needed repairs?

No repairs needed so far, it was struggling with vertical hold when I first started using it but fiddling with the settings on the RF modulator seems to have cleared that up completely.

I have a colour Harwood(?) on the way that I'll probably use in place of this in the living room, and build a second streaming box to use this one in my bedroom.

[wuvvum]

14 hours ago, richardmorris said:

Renault 4, a Polski fiat, but no 2CV!

With a 2CV-shaped cushion I'd be worried about getting a headlight up the bum.

[Momentary Lapse Of Reason]

3 hours ago, wuvvum said:

With a 2CV-shaped cushion I'd be worried about getting a headlight up the bum.

 Where my wife used to work they were forever getting Patients that had "fallen on" an object ...

[Hawkeyethenoo]

[bramz7]

Just back from collecting this:.

It would probably never have appeared on my radar without @NorthernMonkeyoffering it to me, so thanks! It has gadgets beyond what I am used to, including a reversing camera, quite a step up from a rough 147. 

It also managed to do:

The drive back was remarkably free flowing, in fact the whole journey was without drama. My train to Waterloo did it non stop from Basingstoke in 39 minutes!

I'll have to keep this one for a while I think. 

[r.welfare]

Had this for over 3 months but have kept quiet as it’s been a bit of a project to fix up.  But as it passed it’s MOT today, it’s now ready to receive L plates in order for my daughter to start brutalising the clutch!

Like @bramz7 I’m not a massive MiTo fan but unfortunately my daughter loves the looks of it…and it was cheap.

[bramz7]

@r.welfare

The more I drove it, the more I liked it. But even a fairly unhappy 147 felt more like the familiar Alfa Romeo I love. 

What engine is in this one? 

The seats were fairly good at least, despite the ricochet esque ride quality. 

[r.welfare]

1.4 petrol @bramz7, the detuned one (78bhp).  Ride quality is…not great, but as you found, the a/c is excellent.  And the bodywork is spotless, as is underneath.

A full history until 2022 then lots of owners and neglect, my favourite fault (aside from the worn diff bearings) was a snapped-off dipstick which required a new tube as well!  Still, it was a fun project overall and hopefully my daughter won’t test the 5-star NCAP rating.

[Sunny Jim]

Cut the hedges at mine today which meant I needed to move the 480 that was blocked in by the Puma which won't start because of a knackered fuel pump which I haven't fixed yet as there's no access from inside the car so I'm going to have to drop the tank. The picture doesn't really show it but the slight incline meant I couldn't push the stricken Puma so I used the 480 and some old tyres instead.

[SiC]

Only thing left is to book a lesson. Need to speak to my manager when he's back next week and I'll take a day off to get an hour or two in during a week.

£235 p/h on a Cessna 152

 

[Marina door handles]

I think this is one for the new news thread.... Turns out nylon webbed ratchet straps are a bit slippery-er than I thought... I needed to transport some fairly long wooden shelves from the outlaws old house to mine. In theory they could go in the Forester but they would preclude me from taking a passenger and possibly be a bit restrictive. 

So I fitted some roof bars and gently whistled over to the other house with Mrs MDH as my co pilot (Jesus was busy)....

I carefully loaded the shelving planks on the roof and then spent ages trying to lash them down as tightly as the crap ratchet straps would go. After what felt like hours/days off faff I was reasonably confident and Mrs MDH seemed convinced I had tied the down as well, so we set off for home but not after some gentle brake/acceleration tests....

At the five mile mark, I started getting some slightly alarming noises from above, so I carefully pulled over, found the planks had shifted and spent a couple of minutes re arranging them and re securing, all good?

Next stop the farm shop for some scram, I eased up from about 40 mph and slowed right down to turn into the farm shop and whoosh one of the planks escaped, quickly followed by a second! Smacking the bonnet and then landing on the road ahead. Shit!

Fortunately Mrs MDH is a very laid back person and just laughed at the situation, could have been worse..

I hit the hazards and ran around hoisting the large planks onto the verge before hopping back in the car and completing my manoeuvre into the farm shop car park.  And then went and rescued the planks, sticking them next to the parked Subaru, I felt like a right plank after that.......

In the farm shop, we bought some nice pork and leak sausages, some Chatwin's bread rolls and some bread flour but that's not really important is it?

Anyway after our purchases we still had to figure out what to do with the planks. Then a brain wave, they will sort of fit in the car if my better half would sit in the back and if I don't try and change into second using the knob, have to hold the stick by the shaft (oooh errr) other wise I cant get my hand under the plank!) .

And then we drove all the way home and ate the sausages and they all lived happily ever after.......

Fin