G'day from Tassie

[thegeneral]

Hi from a new member

 

Touchdown from The Flying Rock Doctor, based in Wynyard, Tasmania. I fly a red Foxbat A22LS exploring the magnificent landscapes of Tasmania. Very interested to hear members' views on the latest CASA ruling on attachment of external cameras...

 

Cheers

 

Gary

 

 

[FlyingVizsla]

 

 

Touchdown from The Flying Rock Doctor, based in Wynyard, Tasmania. I fly a red Foxbat A22LS exploring the magnificent landscapes of Tasmania. Very interested to hear members' views on the latest CASA ruling on attachment of external cameras...

 

 

 

Cheers

 

Gary

Hi Gary!

 

:welcome:Welcome to the forums.

 

"Flying Rock Doc" - does this mean you're a geologist? Tassie has been on my list of To Do places, but not in Winter (Central Qld and I am buried under several layers and it's not Winter properly yet). How do you handle flying sub zero?

 

 

 

What is the CASA ruling on external cameras? We are thinking of recording some scenery so we can skite to non flying friends, so this will be interesting, as well as choice of camera etc.

 

 

 

I have only flown a foxbat once. Nice plane. My husband loves red, so you're on a winner already.

 

 

 

Cheers

 

 

Sue

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

G'day Gary , I can see CASAs point in requiring a suitable person to attach or sign off installation. I have seen some dodgy and potentially dangerous installations, even on some large commercial aircraft. However, if you view the footage on the Redbull aerobatic routine in another post you'll note that there is obviously nothing wrong with their mounts !.........It's really something that shouldn't cause a problem but one just has to look at the "what if ?" Factor, should one come loose or cause unkind turbulence over a tail surface or alter airflow over one wing, and not the other. Worse case scenereo would be one coming loose and ending up in a pusher prop at takeoff.

 

The regulator as always, is just covering it's butt for when it does happen...then they can say "well, we regulated against that " and thus their glorious butt is covered, then the problem becomes that of the installer/operator, or the person who signed out the installation..........They haven't said you can't mount cameras, they just want somebody's butt on the line if you do.....Maj...

 

 

[Head in the clouds]

Welcome to the forum TG.

 

Camera mounts - it was always going to come to this because sooner or later a home-made dodgy mount, perhaps badly attached, is going to come loose and cause a mishap from aerodynamic effects or physically jamming something that's supposed to move freely. It's a butt-covering exercise, naturally, and although I certainly don't advocate doing it any other way than the legal way, I personally doubt that anyone would actually be charged for fitting their camera - until they hurt a pax or a bystander.

 

So we definitely need a list of 'approved mounts' and a training course to obtain an 'Approval for Pilot Maintenance' to fit these mounts when a person has been trained. These Approvals could be gained by Dispensation or Exemption, it's all just paperwork.

 

Example - I used to do a lot of filmwork in helicopters and chased that kind of work at every opportunity because I loved it. That meant I was having mounts fitted and removed on an almost weekly basis. The Continental chin mount is a standard mount used for moderate to heavy video and film cameras. On a Jetranger it involves removing the chin bubble (a plexiglass panel under the co-pilot's feet) by removing a series of screws around the perimeter of the panel - about 16 of them IIRC. Then the base of the mount was fitted to the chin of the aircraft using the same screws. The double gimbal Continental mount itself fitted to the base with about four bolts and the camera was secured with its standard baseplate. Some cabling ran up from the camera to the remote viewfinder and joystick gimbal/zoom/focus control at the co-pilot seat, the cables were loomed and secured with cable ties. The collective lever was removed on that left side (Jetranger command seat is on the right).

 

That little exercise took about an hour and my engineer charged me $1500 each time to include the small amount of travel and all the paperwork and doing it all again to remove the mount and replace the plexiglass again. (No, I wouldn't change my engineer, he was the best and deserved every cent he made, much of it went on insurance ...). After helping the first few times I was soon fitting and removing the cameras myself and my Engineer was just checking and signing off and on the next CAA audit I happened to comment to the Regional Inspector that the whole business was laughable and a total waste of money and my Engineer's time. He agreed and asked why I wasn't doing it under Dispensation.

 

That started something that was wonderful for me. I got a letter from my Engineer stating that he had trained me to fit and remove the mount, camera and cabling, and remove and re-fit the controls, and that I could do it to a satisfactory standard. I submitted that letter to CAA with a request for a dispensation to fit/remove 'in the field' and about a month later it was approved, to be renewed annually in concurrence with my AOC/Annual Inspection.

 

After that I applied for all sorts of Dispensations and since much of my operation was conducted in remote areas CAA was pleased to provide Dispensations knowing that I had been properly trained rather than just doing it anyway, as many other operators did. And that meant I was legal and insured if anything did go wrong.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Sounds Good HITC, And working in the industry I am quite familiar with dispensations. Things may have changed of late though, especially since a CASA official signing off on anything these days can be held directly liable for his decision,and sued in a civil court. I currently carry two CASA MAs (maintenance authority's ) which allow me to do specific things, outside of my normal qualifications.

 

In fact an Unlimited RAAus Level 2 rating is really a sort of CASA approved (directly/indirectly) maintenance authority. Don't know if we have the authority to issue a 'dispensation' as an L2, but I would have no dramas with doing so if I I was sure the individual knew what he was doing........This signing off of camera mounts really is a can of worms, and a very classic case of CASA covering their butts big time. Of course one's potential for loosing everything is there also, should the sxxx hit the fan, I mean who is going to be brave enough to sign off a camera mount wing-mounted ahead of an aileron ??....Even if camera induced aileron flutter didn't cause the plane to crash, their lawyers are bound to standup and say it did !!!.......Maj....

 

 

[Tomwantstobeapilot]

Yay, welcome fellow Tasmanian! Are you "Wandering Foxbat" on YouTube?

 

 

[Powerin]

Hi Gary, stopped in Wynyard a few days ago to refuel. Saw and heard a Foxbat but pretty sure it was white. I remember from the distance we were fooled by the taxiway that's much wider and more noticeable than either of the runways

 

 

[farri]

G`Day Gary and ! I`ve visited Tasmania, beautifull place.

 

Frank.

 

 

[BoxFat]

I have a red A22LS too - fun innit ? Not so many red ones around - haven't seen another here in WA yet.

 

 

[thegeneral]

Hi Everyone

 

Yes, I am the Wandering Foxbat" on YouTube. Keep watching, there's heaps more on the way.

 

For Flying Vizsla: yes I am a geologist - how'd you guess? We don't often fly sub-zero - in fact, if it is sub-zero at Wynyard it's often 5 degrees warmer at 1500'. The Foxbat has a cabin heater, but I've never used it - I've not felt the need to. If I'm flying at altitude above the mountains, I wouldn't be there unless it was sunny (for filming), so the sun warms the cabin pretty nicely. Yet to experience carby icing in the Foxbat...

 

As regards the CASA directive on external cameras, Foxbat Australia have advised that Aeroprakt Ukraine need to approve the particular modification - I intend to follow this course.

 

For Boxfat: I know of two other red Foxbats in Tassie. We are well represented down here.

 

Cheers

 

Garyt

 

 

[BoxFat]

Great videos - I watched some before deciding to buy my (red) Foxbat. Some photos taken by a professional recently are at http://www.mdwpix.com/galleries/day-trip-too-the-superlight-aircraft-club-of-wa-north-of-bindoon.

 

I am also a geologist (well, geochemist) by the way.

 

Will be interested to hear your progress with Aeroprakt and approval of a specific external camera fitting - will get a GoPro or similar when that issue is resolved.

 

Cheers,

 

BF

 

 

[XP503]

Do you train with Peter Reed? If so - you are in the best hands RAAus has to offer, and can be safe in the knowledge that you were taught by the VERY best......

 

 

[Phil Perry]

For many years,. . .I thought that "Tasmania" was some sort of terrible disease,. . . . but having visited it on about 37 occasions,. . . I found that this was NOT the case.

 

Beautiful Island.

 

Phil

 

 

[BoxFat]

It took 37 times ??

 

 

[thegeneral]

Yes davidmason1, I was taught by Peter Reed. Very thorough, thoughtful, and a real nice bloke to boot.

 

 

[BoxFat]

Just watching some of those videos again. It occurs to me that you could use them for advertising Rotax engines as a large proportion of the flying recorded is over the most rugged and remote country imaginable. In short, "engine stops, you die !" kind of country.

 

 

[thegeneral]

Yeah, I know, "what are you doing flying over tiger country?!"... It's not as bad as it looks - there's a few roads, button-grass plains and shallow lakes and rivers - all preferable to hard rock. Not any different than flying across Bass Strait really, and that's a very regular occurrence by LSA's. And, don't forget, it's always more risky driving to the airport. Many would disagree, but it's a risk I'm prepared to take for the sensational views.

 

 

[BoxFat]

All flying is risk management. In fact, I think that's a large part of the fun of it - assessing the risk, doing what you can to manage it, weighing up what you can't mitigate against the benefit. Exactly what you have done in fact. The Foxbat is part of the risk mitigation over Tiger country because of the STOL capability, great low speed manoeuvring and excellent downward visibility (cockpit safety structure is pretty good too). I certainly don't want to poke a stick in the Jab vs. anti Jab engine hornets nest but from my own experience...no way would I do what you are doing behind a jab engine. For now, happy to watch your vids of e.g. the Gordon and just nibble at the edges of the wild stuff if I ever get my FB down to Tassie.

 

 

[Marty_d]

Welcome from another Tasmanian, Gary!

 

(From the south end, but don't hold that against me.)

 

 

[Phil Perry]

It took 37 times ??

I've told you a million times. . . . . I never exaggerate . . . . . actually it was probably more like 29 times. . . . . BUT as you're probably aware by now, us Pommies are a bit thick. . . and everything talkes a bit of a while to sink in. . .

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Yeah, I know, "what are you doing flying over tiger country?!"... It's not as bad as it looks - there's a few roads, button-grass plains and shallow lakes and rivers - all preferable to hard rock. Not any different than flying across Bass Strait really, and that's a very regular occurrence by LSA's. And, don't forget, it's always more risky driving to the airport. Many would disagree, but it's a risk I'm prepared to take for the sensational views.

I like the sentiment Gen. . . .

 

The only small hole in the argument is that there isn't much chance of being chewed by a large fish following an engine stop whilst tracking the Nullarbor highway ? ( ! )

 

 

[Mark11]

Great videos - I watched some before deciding to buy my (red) Foxbat. Some photos taken by a professional recently are at http://www.mdwpix.com/galleries/day-trip-too-the-superlight-aircraft-club-of-wa-north-of-bindoon.I am also a geologist (well, geochemist) by the way.

 

Will be interested to hear your progress with Aeroprakt and approval of a specific external camera fitting - will get a GoPro or similar when that issue is resolved.

 

Cheers,

 

BF

Great link to some great photography tips

 

Mark