Tech Head Talk

Its just two days to go before I set of on the On a Wing & a Chair Central Australia Training Flight.

So I though I'd give you a bit of a run through on what type of aircraft I fly and how I fly it with my modifications before my Central Australia Flight is underway..

The aircraft I fly is a 2 seat Jabiru J230D recreational aircraft.  The maximum take-off weight (MTOW) is 600kg, flies at around 120Knots (220 km/hr) with 5 hours flying time without reserve.

Following a motorbike accident when I was 19, I was left with high level quadriplegia.  I have no finger function, limited arm function and cannot move anything from my armpits down.  For me to be able to fly I had to design my own hand controls as there were no off the shelf adaptations that I could use.

Rudder Steering

The rudder controls the yaw of the aircraft, turning the nose of the plane left and right and also steers the aircraft on the ground.  I operate the rudder/ground steering by pushing a lever forward to turn right, and backwards to turn left.  Because I have no finger function to grip the lever, wrist supports holds my hand in place. Normally the rudder is controlled with foot pedals.

Rudder/Ground Steering Control

Throttle Control

The throttle controls the speed of the engine.  I control the throttle by sipping and puffing through a plastic tube, which is attached to my headset. The sipping and puffing switches are connected to a small electric motor located under the dashboard and connected to the throttle. When I sip on the tube the engine slows down, and when I puff the engine goes faster.  The existing throttle on the dashboard that is normally push/pulled out can still be operated manually if the plane’s electrical power fails.

Throttle Control - Sip/Puff System

Brakes

The brakes are used to stop the plane when it has touched down on the runway or is being taxied on the ground.  I can't operate the brake lever so I installed a pneumatic (air) system.  I activate the brake by flicking a toggle switch on the dash board up and down with my hand. When the toggle switch is flicked up, compressed air drives an actuator (a piston in a cylinder), which pushes the existing brake lever on.

Control Column

The control column controls the pitch and roll of the plane.  The pitch is the upward and downward movement of the front of the plane.  Pushing the control column forward causes the nose of the plane to angle down, making the plane lose height. And pulling the column backwards causes the nose of the plane to angle up, making the plane go higher.

Control Column

The roll is the sideways movement of the plane. Pushing the control column left causes the left wing to dip, turning the plane left. Pushing the control column right causes the right wing to dip, turning the plane right.

Because I don't have any finger function to hold the control column, my wrist is supported between the two upright posts. My hand and fingers are wrapped around the centre post. This securely locks them in place to allow movement in all directions. I can also remove my hand easily and quickly by sliding it out upwards.

I have a number of other modifications on switches, trim control, flaps etc to allow me to use them easily, however a big obstacle was how do I get into the aircraft.  Geoff Higgin's the guy who built my modifications came up with a very lite scissor lift that goes into the back of the plane.  The lift sits under my chair, raise's it, and my support crew helps me get my bum in the plane.  Really simple!!

Over & Out!