Techni-CAN-a! - by Steve Wright

In my last article (XC in Scotland), I mentioned that I had encountered a couple of minor problems:

i) When landing out (i.e. close by a fuel station to re-fuel) on a leg of any given XC flight, one was left with the rather limiting choice of either carrying in one's motor unit into the forecourt and refueling, removing your fuel tank from the unit (not possible on all types of 'motor), or relying on the petrol station owner's charity and help, in respect of a handy (and hopefully CLEAN) means of conveying said fuel back to the laid-up motor, and also the use of a funnel or filler to strain same into the tank; this also means a "return" journey with any such borrowed fuel can and funnel, which, in itself is a relatively trivial matter, unless you find yourself swamped by over-exuberant school kids, or are situated in a spot where your unit may be vulnerable to the depredations of our fellow man!

ii) The elasticated leg strap of my alti-vario had a habit of slipping down my trouser leg towards my ankle at take-off, which (potentially) did nothing for either Alti-vario's expected longevity, or my take-off confidence and technique.


Having mulled the matter over for a few days, and discarding the notion of carrying a few fold-flat empty wine-box bags in which to hold any bought fuel (light, but alas illegal for acquiring petrol in!), and having elected not to put my stitching skills toward sewing a leg-strap keeper into my flying trousers, I came up with a fairly simple solution to both problems.

This involves the following materials:

1, 5 litre tetra-type fuel can with pouring spout;

1 discarded port bottle cork (it's tough being a pilot!);

40mm nylon webbing and corresponding quick-detaching nylon buckle, sufficient to go round the outer perimeter of the can laterally;

2 pieces of 12cms of 40mm nylon webbing for making the retaining loops;

12/15mm nylon webbing and corresponding quick-detaching nylon buckle, sufficient to go round the outer perimeter of the can transversely (under the handle and round the middle of the tank);

Approx.½ metre of 50mm wide sticky-backed Velcro;

Webbing to make a dust cover for the threaded end of the pouring spout. (you could also use a plastic bag and elastic band!)

I first thoroughly cleaned the outside of the tetra can with a rag dipped in cellulose thinners, to remove any traces of grime and fuel residues, which ensured that the stick-on velcro "took" well to the plastic can; once the strapping was made, I then positioned four pieces of velcro as follows:

2 x 19cms of the WOOLY LOOP part of the velcro on the base of the can, sitting either side of the central moulding line on the tank;
2 x 6cms of the WOOLY LOOP part of the velcro on the ENDS of the can, sitting centrally and running laterally, to hold the outer webbing belt securely in place once attached to the can.

Making up the straps.
A few minutes with the sewing machine attached the 2 buckles to their respective webbing lengths, and once the position of the bigger buckle was determined (on my right hand side, looking down with the inverted tank sat on my lap), a short piece of the HOOK part of the velcro was stitched on to the webbing to mate with the WOOL part on the tank at that end; this was repeated at the opposite end of the tank where the webbing lies over the velcro wool on the tank.

A small safety strap was then made to run under the can handle at right angles, and around the complete circumference of the tank with the wide webbing in situ, and is held in place by a retaining loop stitched on to the wider webbing where they crisscross.

Once the position of the retaining loops was determined and chalked on to the wide webbing, the belt was removed from the tank and these 2 loops were stitched into place.

This all took roughly as long as it takes to type about, but is much, much more easy to understand when you study the pictures.

The cork is of the right diameter to make a close fit to the end of the pouring spout, and I have made a web flap to cover the threaded end of same (not shown on the photo), to keep the pouring spout clean when not in use. Both this and the pouring-end cork are secured to the tank with a safety line, as indeed are the various instruments to the master web running round the tank.

As for attaching it to the harness, I found that if the "male" part of the buckle on the central webbing midriff strap was passed through one of the retaining loops (shown in RED nylon in the closer photo), the tank could be left in a "partially attached" state, which makes for relatively easy getting in and out of the harness. Once the shoulder- and leg-straps have been secured and adjusted, the tank-cum-instrument deck can be swung into place and secured with the other ('female') half of the buckle being easily passed through the other retaining loop, and adjusted after securing. Again, much easier to do than describe!!!

The HOOK part of the sticky backed velcro is cut to shape and secured to the back of your Alti-vario, GPS, phone, compass, camera, etc., and are held very securely in place just in front of you.

The total materials used cost around £7, or £28 if you fancy a vintage port! Time taken to make up was around 45 minutes from scratch to fitting to motor chest-strap.

The end result ensures that you retain control over the cleanliness of the fuel put into the fuel tank when you land near any petrol
station, and keeps the instruments where you want them, and securely.

Weather permitting, I intend to fly from South of Oban down South West over the Isles of Luing, Lunga, Scarba and Jura toward the end of April, en route to Islay, to join up with a few mates for our annual "Sad Bastards" holiday there! As the total SLD from Balvicar on the mainland to Port Askaig on Islay is 60km, and given the paucity of petrol stations en route (!) I anticipate landing along the shores of Jura to fill up from my lap-top tank. The widest point over water en route is between Luing and Lunga, at just under 2km, but a healthy elevation of over 1200m ASL should minimise risk of having to text the coast-guard should the trusty Cors Air engine decide to let me down for the first time!

Viewing various manufacturer's websites, I see that over on the Continent, it is possible to buy some models featuring a twin fuel tank arrangement for extended flying (+3 - 5 hours!), but I think that 60+km without a stop is enough for anyone's bladder, especially if it's cold!

Happy landings,

Steve Wright

Loanend, Gartly, Nr. Huntly, Aberdeenshire AB54 4SB, Scotland
www.mortlachsporting.co.uk
Tel/Fax +44 (0)1466 720225
e-mail:steve@mortlachsporting.co.uk

MOTOR: Vortex with Cors Air Motor
WING: Swing PowerPlay Sting 160