To go light or not?

[facthunter]

I don't even like icing on cakes. nev

 

 

[68volksy]

were they carb ice or fuel starvation? I flew into goulburn for the first time last week and the ra people there seemed a bit gun shy about icing with the gazelles.I was very happy to be able to buy unleaded for cash on the spot though, i wish more places would do it.

I heard they were having carb icing issues. Mind you that's why i thought they invented the little carb heat knob in the Gazelle's... I assume the unleaded you bought came in a 20 litre drum - be very careful if that was the case.

 

 

[Guest nunans]

I heard they were having carb icing issues. Mind you that's why i thought they invented the little carb heat knob in the Gazelle's... I assume the unleaded you bought came in a 20 litre drum - be very careful if that was the case.

yeah the werent game to turn a wheel untill the temp/dew point improved however i had flown in already that morning and didnt need carb heat at all.

 

the fuel was in a 20l plastic drum but it looked fine. is water normally a problem with the fuel there?

 

 

[68volksy]

More a question of where the fuel might have come from and what kind of fuel it was. If it wasn't the container next to the lawnmowers then you should be pretty safe :) . The other school out there's been training in a Gazelle for several thousand hours over the past 15 years without any significant carb icing (certainly none that couldn't be handled with carb heat) they tell me so i'm pretty dubious about the young kids claiming they had engines shut down because of carb heat!

 

 

[Diddy Pilot]

Let’s start painting a more accurate picture of things at Goulburn. Volksy hasn’t had a good thing to say for ages, honestly the way he bags the flying school which operates out there and the airport operator it sounds like the sort of whinging you get from a jilted lover. All of us here on this forum share a common interest, even love, of flying. We should be supporting each other; safety is a very real concern for all concerned; certainly if there is fact behind any of his insinuations then this should be investigated. I am confident that if there was any basis to his claims then the inspections undertaken by, CASA, RA AUS, Council etc (and yes they have taken place) would have uncovered at least some of them. The facts are, GFTC always have staff at the airport, always have planes flying, always has students and qualified pilots (both trained by GFTC and others) hiring aircraft. GFTC have both RA and GA aircraft and students, operate a successful, safe and growing business, something any operator would be proud of.

 

I have sat quietly for a long time, figuring this is just one bitter individual, but as these incorrect statements are broadcast widely I feel compelled to chime in.

 

I have regularly been out at the airport for the last twelve months, rarely have I seen any activity from the other flying school. The only hanger guaranteed to have activity on a weekend is where GFTC and Adrenalin Skydive operate from. I even went looking for any signs of life at the deserted school to see if I might be able to get a better deal there when the availability of aircraft at GFTC got tight late last year. The other school being locked up and feedback from a few student pilots who had started with that school but then transferred over to GFTC dissuaded me from pursuing further enquiries.

 

I have watched the operations of Goulburn Airport and the businesses operating there; one flying school grow from 2 RA registered aircraft this time last year to 5, one school rarely opening its doors. The parachute ops there has grown tremendously, there would barely be a flight on a weekend out there now when you are not being aware of where one of the jump planes is or timing your approach to ensure all canopies are safe. For those flying in from elsewhere it could look like you have arrived at a special occasion, crowd of people, sausage sizzle, friendly welcoming environment.

 

As for the safety of fuel; I had a conversation with John (airport operator) about fuel last weekend discussing unleaded and maybe even providing a small tanker, similar to diesel ones used on worksite. John is buying the unleaded at retail prices (maybe less a Woollies voucher discount J), the fact that he has made this available to visitors is a positive to the flying community. The costs of having to purchase the quantity of fuel each day and personally transport it to the airport are probably not considered by others. I am not sure what additional risks might be incurred by obtaining fuel in a container at the airport versus obtaining a container to hitch into town and buy the fuel. I trust my life with this fuel and with the aircraft which regularly use it.

 

Last Sunday morning the temperature was freezing and foggy, at 1000 it was up to 6 degrees Celsius, still very high humidity; perfect conditions for carby icing. I delayed my 1000 flight for 40 minutes waiting for fog to lift properly. We discussed the likelihood of similar conditions for the next few months and the necessity for all pilots (particularly students) to be aware of the risks. Having an instructor who is aware is okay whilst he is in the plane but eventually everyone wants to go solo, so instilling awareness early was seen as a benefit. After all we could have had an inexperienced pilot flying solo that morning experience carby icing. So the decision was made to emphasise the requirement to know conditions for carby icing, remind everyone using a GFTC aircraft to be aware and potentially keep the carby heater on when icing conditions exist, once at altitude whilst training/ flying. For my mind this was good thinking and demonstrates a positive safety approach, instilling a safety first culture, rather than leaving the risk un-attended.

 

I have no beef with anyone, but I do feel that a balanced view needs to be considered and other than a few comments from Boingk (Enoch in the yellow Gardan Minicab) most of what I read on here about flying at Goulburn seems to be the negative shots taken by Volksy.

 

Certainly I have a positive experience and have not seen others having any negative experiences.

 

 

[68volksy]

Certainly I have a positive experience and have not seen others having any negative experiences.

All i have to say is give it time...

 

 

[alf jessup]

68Volksy,

 

All airports are the same not everyone likes what others do, some think they own the airport, some think they are the air traffic controller some think they are it and a bit. (the only mistake I see from them is the "Think " bit of it)

 

I bet there are not many airports in the country that everyone is lovey dovey with everyone else.

 

Me I just do my own thing and try not to get involved in the politics of it.

 

Yeah I been screwed over at a airport before but I didn't dwell on it, got over it easy.

 

Some say I am arrogant my answer to them is I don't tolerate ********and if I think they fit that category I will tell them up front, that's the problem some don't like being told the truth, me I'm like Teflon say what you want it washes off and I won't lose sleep over it.

 

If you think someone's doing a shifty tell them and confront them about it what you got to lose.

 

Alf

 

 

[68volksy]

I'd love nothing more than to get over it all Alf. It's been slowly eating away at a big group of us out there over the past few years. At least a dozen guys so far have quit flying all together purely because of the politics. The lady that's run the local school for the past 20 years has moved some of her training to Canberra after the new operator increased her landing fees from $700 per year to a "per landing" basis that would have worked out at over $16,000 per year. Canberra charges $2000 per annum all up for all landing and parking fees so that was a no-brainer.

 

I love this sport as much as anyone i've met and it just kills me to see the aviation activity in Goulburn so utterly abysmal compared to when i first ventured out there 6-7 years ago... No arguing there's a lot of parachutists now but the pilots and aircraft owners have fallen like flies. I still fondly remember the weekends only a few years back when almost every hanger at the airport was abuzz with aircraft, pilots, friends and family. Walking down the taxiway would have brought a smile to any aviators face. There are 3 beautiful tiger moths under covers out there that haven't seen the light of day in well over 3 years. It's a mere shadow now of what it was.

 

Perhaps some see it as casting poorly disguised aspersions on a public forum but the urge to vent just gets too strong. The old guard at Goulburn (of which i'm sadly counted a member with only 6 years behind me) now have an unspoken agreement that it's better not to discuss these things at the airport as it just gives everyone the *****. We simply try to enjoy our flying whilst we still can.

 

 

[alf jessup]

68Volksy,

 

We now I can understand how you must be feeling going from a vibrant surrounding at the airfield to basically a place of misery by the sounds of it.

 

Such a shame as us people who fly do love the surroundings of the local airfield but by the sounds of it's on a downward spiral which to me is not good to hear.

 

It takes all kinds in this world and by the sounds of it there are some out there that are not the kind you want to be there but also must be major players around the airport.

 

I feel sorry for you in your situation and it is not as simple to just find another airport to fly out of as there are a lot of things to consider other than the pain, time & cost of travelling further to pursuit your joy of aviation.

 

Cheers

 

Alf