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Conditions for Flying HDFC Club Aircraft

  • No club pilot is to fly the club aircraft C172 without first reading and signing the "Conditions of Hire agreement" located in the black folder in the aircraft. For all club aircraft, pilots must make themselves familiar with the applicable Pilot's Operating Handbook.
  • Club pilots must record the following details on the white boards provided in the clubhouse. GA pilots must record their licence number, AFR due date, medical due date and the last date flown. RA-Aus pilots must record their Pilot Certificate number, RA-Aus membership due date, BFR due date and the last date flown.
  • No pilot is to fly any club aeroplane unless they have flown within the previous 60 days. If the 60 days has expired, contact Ray Lind – Club Captain (6586 1841) for the C172 or Adam Booker – CFI (0438 300 673) for RA-Aus to arrange a check flight.
  • For hangar security, club pilots are required to close and lock the hangar doors whilst leaving the hangar unattended.
  • If a member wishes to take a club aircraft away for one or more nights, the aircraft, if FPT, must always be back for the monthly competition. FPT must be flown for a minimum average of 30 minutes for every day it is away; the Foxbat and Eurofox must be flown for an average of 2 hours per day and are allowed to be away for a maximum of four days. Arrangemenst other than these can be discussed with the Recreational Aviation CFI.

Foxbat A22 | Eurofox | Cessna 172


Eurfox
Eurofox

On Friday April 4th 2008 the club took delivery of our new Eurofox. The Eurofox is a two place aeroplane with a MTOW of 544kg. Built in Slovakia by Aeropro ( www.aeropro.sk ) It is constructed from high quality chrome molly steel tube with fabric wing and fuselage covering. The engine cowl, spinner, wing leading edges and the Junkers flaperons are made from composite materials, giving them increased strength and durability. A Rotax 912 100hp engine provides the power up front.

The Eurofox is a true pilot’s aeroplane. It is easy to fly and has excellent handling characteristics with good aerodynamic stability. The aeroplane has a wide performance envelope including a stalling speed with flap (Vso) of 36kts IAS, 1000fpm climb at MTOW and a handy cruising speed of over 110kts. The undercarriage is incredibly strong and, combined with good prop ground clearance, makes this aeroplane ideal for grass strip and rough strip operations. The impressive performance combined with the robust airframe makes the Eurofox ideal for our club for both flying training and touring.

GA pilots converting to RA-Aus will find the Eurofox is very “GAish” in the air but has better takeoff and landing performance.

Inside the Eurofox, the first thing that you will notice is the absence of ANY flight instruments. In their place is a Dynon D100 EFIS. ( www.dynonavionics.com ) The EFIS display includes ASI, ALT, AH, Compass, Turn Co-ordinator, DG, OAT, TAS, Angle of Attack and an HSI linked to the AvMap GPS. Winds aloft are also calculated when using GPS information. The large panel AvMap GPS is an excellent VFR unit and has all the bells and whistles a good GPS should have. The Eurofox also has a clock that works and music input for your i-pod!

Eurofox Pilot Operating Handbook PDF Download
Dynon D100 EFIS User Manual
AvMap EKP IV GPS User Manual
X-Com VHF Radio User Manual
X-Com VHF Radio - Quick Start Guide


Foxbat
Aeroprakt A22 Foxbat

FoxBat Flight Manual PDF Download

The Aeroprakt A22 Foxbat is a rugged go-anywhere aircraft. Very short take-off and landing (VSTOL) performance is nothing short of breathtaking! The plane is superbly manoeuvrable - it will turn on a cent in the air or on the ground. It's very light on the nose-wheel, enabling it to land and take off like a tail-dragger - without all the fancy footwork! Cross-wind capability is 17kts. Cruise is a genuine 85-90kts, top speed is 105kts. And when you experience the space inside, you'll realise just how cramped the competitors are. The view out of the A22 Foxbat makes even a helicopter seem claustrophobic!

Features

  • All metal anodised aluminium riveted airframe with ‘Ceconiote’ doped fabric covered control surfaces and part wing. Cowls and wingtips are composite. All fabric is UV-proofed when sealed and painted, giving a projected 20-year life.
  • Rotax 912ULS (100hp) 4-stroke, liquid cooled power. These engines have achieved an enviable reputation for reliability, with a 1,500 time-before-overhaul – about 10-15 years for the average flyer!
  • A spacious and comfortable cockpit - 128cm (50+ inches) wide, 2-seats side-by-side. Doors are glazed down to the floor, giving a truly 'helicopter-like' view out! Glazed panels behind the cockpit give an almost 360 degree view.
  • Stall speed with flap is a genuine 27kts - as tested by both the PFA in the UK and the DAeC in Germany. Stall characteristics are completely safe - no tendency at all for wing-drop. This means you can safely cruise at 40-45ktsclose to the ground without worrying about ‘tucking’ under.
  • Dual controls – ‘Y’ double handled centre stick, hydraulic brakes, dual rudder pedals and throttles, flap lever centrally placed in the roof.
  • Full span ailerons with 10 and 20 degree 'droop' positions, for ultra-short take offs and even shorter landings.
  • High-lift aerofoil section with forward swept wings to give excellent stall and slow speed handling characteristics.
  • Wide tyres on wide undercarriage are good for rough and/or soft strips. Centre of gravity is close to the main wheels, so the nose can be kept clear of the ground very easily - there's even a small tail wheel!
  • Finally, the Aeroprakt A22 Foxbat is big fun to fly - the view out is unbeatable (unless you buy a helicopter!), it turns on a cent both in the air and on the ground, take-off is breathtaking and the good cruise speed means you can take it places. The VSTOL and relaxed flying characteristics of the A22 Foxbat make it the right alternative for pilots moving on from rag & tube ultralight aircraft but who still wish to carry on using their small airstrips with confidence. This aircraft will also surprise and delight pilots switching to the Sport/Recreational aircraft category from a more ‘formal’ background in GA aircraft.
Around 150 A22s are currently flying - in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, UK and the USA.

Cessna 172
Cessna 172

The Cessna 172 seats four people and FPT is a 172N powered by a 16O HP Lycombing 0-320 engine. It is an excellent training aircraft and club plane, particularly suited to the monthly competitions and fly-aways.

Features

  • All metal airframe with the primary structure being constructed of aluminium alloy.
  • The wings are semi-cantilever design (supported by an external strut) and have a 1º dihedral
  • Dual controls are fitted and link the cockpit controls to the control surfaces via cable linkages.
  • Ailerons are of the differential type, moving upward through 20º and downward through 15º.
  • Fflaps are slotted, electrically operated and can be set between 0º and 40º.
  • Rudder is operated from the rudder pedals (which also link to the steerable nose wheel) and can move through 16º either side of the neutral position.
  • Elevators are fitted to the tailplane, and can move up through 28º and down through 23º.
  • An adjustable trim tab is fitted to the right hand elevator. Operation of the cockpit trim wheel moves this control surface independently of the elevator control.
  • Engine is an air cooled four cylinder unit with the cylinders horizontally opposed across the crankshaft.
  • Propeller is an all metal, two blade, and fixed pitch design, turned by direct drive from the engine crankshaft. The propeller rotates clockwise as seen from the cockpit.
  • Stall speed with full flaps is 41kts.The 172 is conventional in its stalling behaviour, indeed with light weights and forward centre of gravity positions it can be quite difficult to achieve a full stall.
  • An airspeed in the region of 75 knots will give the best rate of climb after takeoff.
  • Cruise is normally done with a power setting of 55-75% or 2200 rpm which will give an indicated airspeed of around 105 knots.