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Le lien ne marche pas... peux-tu poster l'article ? Le lien a été coupé: http://www.asianage.com/main.asp?RF=Defaul...m&newsid=131437 Arnaud ------ IAF flier to glide around the world in 80 days - By Ashwani Talwar New Delhi, Jan. 16: Around the world in 80 days. This is what an Indian Air Force pilot is attempting to do on a piston-engine motorised glider. If Wing Commander Rahul Monga, 35, succeeds, he would set a world record for this category of aircraft. There have been only three successful attempts worldwide, the fastest — in 81 days — by Slovenia’s Matvez Lenaric in 2004. But even that record was unofficial: it has not been certified by the aviation sport body, Federation Aeronautique Internationale. The two certified circumnavigation of the globe by motorised gliders have been by a Swiss couple in 121 days and by a Brazilian pilot in 100 days. For much of the 40,000 km trip, Wing Commander Monga will have Squadron Leader S.K. Yadav as a co-pilot. But the riskier stretches — including 4,000 km over the sea — will be flown solo. The co-pilot has to be ditched so that more fuel can be loaded onto the craft. And in Russia, instead of Sqn Ldr Yadav, a Russian navigator would sit in the cockpit with the IAF pilot: local rules demand that. Powered by a single 78 bhp engine, the Super Dimona H36TC glider, on loan from the National Defence Academy, is not meant for such long hauls. At 770 kilos, it weighs about the same as a car. It has a cramped cockpit with a very rudimentary instrument panel. For this trip, though, there would be some add-ons to make sure that a satellite can keep track of it. But the two pilots will be on their own most of the time. Before taking off on May 1, they will be taught to deal with minor contingencies. There is no autopilot. The cockpit is not pressurised. No air-conditioning except a small blower, hardly adequate for a flight between 5,000 and 10,000 feet. "It is not a comfortable aircraft to fly very long distances," Wg Cdr Monga concedes. Flying six or seven hours most days, the small plane would make some 50 landings and transit through 25 countries and over diverse terrain. For the pilots, fighting fatigue will be a big challenge. The circumnavigation would involve 270 hours of flying. This translates into 56 days without any breaks. But this does not factor in delays due to mechanical failures, bureaucratic hassles, illness and bad weather. So the pilots are hoping to make it in 80 days — the time a Jules Verne hero took to go around the world. Before the flight there is lot of paperwork to be gone through, visas and permission to fly over several countries sought. The pilots also have to take several mandatory vaccination shots. Jokes Wg Cdr Monga: "I am going to have a swollen arm by the time I do that."

Personne alors je me lance: Bonne année, bonne santé, bons vols (et aussi bonnes vaches ), et tous mes meilleurs voeux à tou(te)s les vélivoles Et vive Buno, 1er à la Netcoupe (j'espère que ça va rester ainsi ) Arnaud

Bonsoir, j'ai acheté il y a un peu plus d'un an une pince multifonctions Leatherman "Charge XTi", c'est vraiment du solide (pas la même chose que les trucs à 20€ en supermarché) et je l'utilise pratiquement tous les jours (je l'ai même utilisé en vol, pour resserrer des vis de tableau de bord, ouvrir un paquet de nourriture récalcitrant, ...). Je l'ai achetée directement aux USA sur le site www.moontrail.com pour $110, frais de port inclus ($10), commandée le dimanche soir, arrivée le jeudi suivant (85€ à l'époque plus une commission de 1,5€ pour paiement à l'étranger), alors qu'elle était en boutique à plus de 200€ en France! Il existe une gamme diversifiée, suivant le nombre de fonctions désiré (pince-étau, tire bouchon, scie, ciseaux, lime, ...) ou la taille. La garantie est de 25 ans pour tous modèles (je ne pense pas que ça vaut le coup de la réexpédier là-bas si vous l'achetez par ce site, il y en aurait pour plus cher de transport que de pince et faut le faire pour casser quelquechose dessus) Je veux pas (ou presque) faire de la pub, mais je vous conseille vivement cet investissement qui s'averrera vite rentable. Arnaud