Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Propane sub

["Karl Fuller" <fullerk@voyager.co.nz>]

Craig,
Where do you get off making assumptions about my country ? I would be very
happy to stick to the subject and started out doing that but do you think
you will get the best out of this group by refering to them as "low grade
ore" Are you a "high grade harvester" :-)
I have not seen one comment about your idea that deserves a negative
response. I personally would like your ideas to succeed as would anyone in
this group. I have tried to understand what you want to achieve. As for
knocking creativity, read the archives, full of new concepts put to the
collective mind of the group. I personally do not have the resources to
build a sub I might end up scraping so value all comments from another
perspective. Do you ? It need not be taken personally when someone differs
with your ideas.
Generally I can't see any merits in propane for ballast for me but that does
not mean there isn't any and I wish you luck in finding the answers you
require. A merit I can think of, is it seems that you would not need an air
compressor and HP air storage. Before I assume that, will you have any
compressed air on board at all ? When using up the propane in the ballast
tank, in order to dive, how do you intend to use up the last bit without
sucking water into the engine by mistake ? If you have an open bottom
ballast tank with no valve at the bottom you will need to remove the last
bit by either venting or some other method, as any gas left in will be
compressed as you dive and the deeper you go, the greater the negative
bouyancy will become.
 If you have a  shutting off valve on the bottom of the ballast tank (like a
hard tank) you would not need to remove the last bit but the ballast tank
would then become subject to external pressure like a hard tank and would
need to be strong enough. Maybe you should  be ballasting in the hard tanks
with propane and they could be bigger than normal. That way you should never
have to vent into the air !

I don't need to defend NZ from your comments but consider this.
NZ was the first country to use composite materials for an America's Cup
challenge in Perth, it was called cheating.
 NZ has won the America's Cup the last two times with a convincing 5
straight wins each time, unheard of for a long time.(In 2003 we will be
lucky to win it because over 60% of the crew and technology people have gone
to USA or other countries, lured by big money.)All this on a budget small in
proprtion to the competitors. All from a team effort.

You like flight Craig. It is a known fact that nobody can prove for sure
whether the first powered flight happened in NZ or USA, by the Wright's or
Pearce who made his own engine !     http://www.richardpearse.co.nz
That's enough of that !

As an aside, I noted that you have a gyro copter ! An engineer friend of
mine is doing the final testing and getting CAA approval for a gyro copter
he designed and has had a huge amount of interest in. I built some of it. It
is a fully enclosed version and should cruise at a little over 100knots. It
is powered by a twin rotor Mazda engine. I'll post the webb page address
when it is approved and ready for marketing, if you are interested.

Regards,
Karl.