Tell us about your last flight

[Blueadventures]

Had a nice fly up to Lakeside Airpark (YLAK) this morning to ferry a mate Ivan’s Skyranger VMax and return to Palmyra (YPYA) in another mate Glenn’s Rockwell 112. Very pleasant conditions with small areas of rain on way up. Nice tail wind up there of 15 kts and landed 22 at Lakeside. (Yep another image posts upside down; don't know why.)🙃 (Edit: Flipped it for you. Mod.)

 

[BrendAn]

😁

44 minutes ago, Blueadventures said:

Had a nice fly up to Lakeside Airpark (YLAK) this morning to ferry a mate Ivan’s Skyranger VMax and return to Palmyra (YPYA) in another mate Glenn’s Rockwell 112. Very pleasant conditions with small areas of rain on way up. Nice tail wind up there of 15 kts and landed 22 at Lakeside. (Yep another image posts upside down; don't know why.)🙃

aerobatics are prohibited

Edited March 19 by BrendAn

[facthunter]

It was unintentional. Nev

[Blueadventures]

2 minutes ago, facthunter said:

It was unintentional. Nev

Yep, image attaching operator error.  The second one of a batch (although its an image taken with the front facing camera so that will be the issue.  I just don't know how to do a edit. Posts ok on Faceblock.)

[facthunter]

You could have made out you flew through an inversion.   Nev

[red750]

Note all:     I have flipped the image for Blueadventures.

[Blueadventures]

1 hour ago, red750 said:

Note all:     I have flipped the image for Blueadventures.

when we meet up; remind me to buy you a coffee or beer, thanks.

[red750]

It's simple enough to do if you use Windows. 

 

Open the Start menu. Type the letter P and open the Paint app. 

 

 

 

Select Open, locate and click on the image file. Click on Rotate and select Rotate 180deg from the dropdown menu. Save flipped file.

 

[RFguy]

The bulk of this post is that it rings true of what my instructor , Rob Glenn, once said.

"Pilots are decision makers : any buffoon can land a plane, but the decisions you make will have a bearing over whether you live to tell the tale " 

 

Cowra YCWR (central west, inland)  to Goulburn YGLB   125 Magnetic, (located near the coast on the great divide) . 76nm over undulating tableland farmland . needing to swap some planes around, getting a lift  in another plane at GLB then somewhere else. 

Day before the GAF looked positive  and nice. but the GAF at 6am was troublesome. 

4 hours of fuel on board for the 45 minute flight - plenty for a diversion that I anticipate  as there is PROB30 for fog at goulbourn  until  10am and thus I MUST nominate a viable alternate with a TAF and carry fuel  . (Bathurst YBTH, 60nm from track) 

 

Goulburn is famous for its fogs but usually clear by 0900 local. A big mass of NS and CB  with heavy showers (per the GAF) from the west  and vertical development chased me out of Cowra at 0900 , I departed VC AD  at 100 kts climb (500 fpm) to get away from it, knowing that I would not be immediately want to use it as an return , or indeed any nearby ADs as alternates.  By the book, the forecast at the AD  has to be good for 30 minutes after departure . So sort of broke that rule but technically  there is no TAF....  but its pretty obvious (without a TAF) what was coming to a reasonable person.  

Get to 7500 ' . temperature +1C.  smooth, clear over ground,  under the next layer of cloud at 12,000-15,000 estimated.   it's a little misty outside . humidity is up... there is a cold pool of air up here. was warm on the ground at Cowra !

Got about 1/2  the way , near Crookwell , where I have landed before, and there is a sharp line where a sea of low level cloud about 700' above all terrain begins .  As far as the eye can see to the east, and south down the range and north up the range.  There is no way I can land anywhere over that whole region. 

While according to the METAR, the is patches of blue sky over Goulburn, It's one thing to duck through 1000' of cloud that has bases at 7500 and tops at 8500, its another thing to do with the 100' thick cloud at 750' AGL in the mountains.......

With a 100' thick layer at 700 AGL,  and you are above it all, if you have an engine failure anywhere over any of that expanse of land and cloud, I guarantee you will die because you'll only know where the ground is when you hit it.

 

So, I  do a 10nm orbit think for 10 minutes, reduce fuel flow from 31 lph (67%, @peak EGT, 2450, 105KIAS 1900lbs AUW@ TO)   to 25 lph , and I get a  tiny bit of roughness and 20-30 RPM lost....troubleshoot by applying a bit of carb heat , it's likely to be  a bit of carb ice..... since conditions are favourable and I have a high manifold vaccum.........  so no big deal, I can see the ground still. No need for carb heat in this case, the high manifold vaccum is obviously causing some low temps, so I increase fuel flow to 28 lph (~ 98kias)   and it goes away but will keep an eye on it.....

 

I  start to head north for my alternate, 60nm.... clear and nice  - as my closest ADs  at cowra, young, parkes, orange, are all under rain  on the radar, and it looks imposing out the window. I dont want to go near the CB and TC .

flyng for a short time, METAR at Goulburn looks better, hmm, alright lets have another look. so head back that way to the edge  of the cloud. 

Nope doesnt look any different. In fact I can see higher cloud behind it to the coast. Mark texts me and says its raining lightly to the east of goulburn. nail's in the coffin. 

 

Turn back. head NNW, descent to 6500 , toward Cooming Park ALA, dodge a few heavy rain bands , after 15 min, I notice that it's cleared around Cowra now  (I am east of Cowra now north of Wyangla Dam)  so then  I turn west direct to cowra. 

For all the rain and dark clouds, it is suprisingly smooth. I did stay at least 10nm away from ANY of the shower activity and heavy cloud, so that's a good thing. 

Uneventful landing....   WIll try another day.  

glen.

 

 

Edited March 23 by RFguy

[facthunter]

Don't get caught by airframe icing.   Nev

[Farmpilot]

My daughter took this as I flew over the paddock they were in. First calm evening for months, nice to fly without being bounced around. 

[Flightrite]

Looks like a panting but apart from a little shadow and saturation adjustments this was me flying at a mates big property some months ago👍

[planedriver]

Strong wind from starboard? 

[Flightrite]

31 minutes ago, planedriver said:

Strong wind from starboard? 

Not quite, the outback metal windsock tells otherwise😉

[planedriver]

11 hours ago, Flightrite said:

Not quite, the outback metal windsock tells otherwise😉

You'll be telling me soon that if you put a brick in the back of a windsock, it does nothing towards a smoother flight. 

I never noticed the metal one. Silly me!

[Flightrite]

2 hours ago, planedriver said:

You'll be telling me soon that if you put a brick in the back of a windsock, it does nothing towards a smoother flight. 

I never noticed the metal one. Silly me!

Mentally it makes for a very smooth flight that brick in the sock😉 

Once turned up at my mates place flew over to check sock, what sock? Sock was jammed hard up against his north boundary fence, I wondered why I had a screaming G/S😂 

[RFguy]

actually, in my above post, I said it was 30 minutes after departure that the weather at the departure aerodrome needs to be good for after you depart to be able to return.

 

Casually revising through the VFR rulebook- ,I am in error 

 

It's in the event of no destinatiuon forecast being available, you must be able to return for up to 60 minutes

 

"Flights unable to obtain an authorised weather forecast before departure (CASR 91 MOS 7.03) ---If a weather forecast or report is not available, you may depart, provided you
reasonably consider that the weather conditions at the departure aerodrome will  allow you to return and land safely within one hour after take-off; however, you
must return to the departure aerodrome if you do not obtain a weather forecast within 30 minutes after take-off.

[facthunter]

Respectfully I can't see that being the full story. TAFs are treated differently to a general AREA forecast.  Certainly if your knowledge Of meteorology is above a certain level you become a Qualified Forecaster for the purpose of the ACT and I've used that to Plan the trip Back on an international flight where the MET Blokes went on strike, during the flight. MY weather reports on the way  to PNG were the Basis of the return flight. Pilots are supposed to give an AIREP IF the weather is much different from the forecast. and it affects the safety of other Aircrafts operations so t's actually required. On a clear day you are able to see 100s of miles and iF you understand cloud formations you know where things like fronts are and your data will confirm the Wind velocities as you go. Nev

[RFguy]

yes, you are right, the topic has to be read in full, there are all sorts of if that not if this but that type of things apply. IE my quote is not the full story.

 

[facthunter]

Don't let the rules tie you up in Knots. The SHOW Must be capable of going on in most  circumstances. Nev

[Bennyboy320]

A beautiful morning flight around Moreton Island with a mate, priceless.😊

[skippydiesel]

Did the Parkes thing yesterday. Arrived  about 11:30 ish. 

I started listening to YPKs at about 20 Nm out and was astonished at the confusion ref the ACTIVE  runway.

While its the PIC's prerogative to land on whichever runaway he/she deems appropriate, it is customary/considerate of others, to fit in with traffic already in the circuit.

Runway 22/04 seemed in favour, with pilots (I think there were 3-4 involved) declaring for both within seconds of each other.

It all worked out okay in the end, with all opting for 22.

 

[facthunter]

Any PIC is required to operate his plane in the safest manner available in the circumstances. THAT rule over rides all others. Landing contrary to all other traffic would have to be justified if a mishap occurred. Good luck with that.  In a controlled situation  you can and must opt out of a clearance given If you consider it a safety issue. Be prepared to have to Justify it. At the time the response would be something like Tower RWY 22 not acceptable due excess  downwind,  length insufficient,   etc REQUIRE alternative instructions.  Nev

[Blueadventures]

34 minutes ago, skippydiesel said:

Did the Parkes thing yesterday. Arrived  about 11:30 ish. 

I started listening to YPKs at about 20 Nm out and was astonished at the confusion ref the ACTIVE  runway.

While its the PIC's prerogative to land on whichever runaway he/she deems appropriate, it is customary/considerate of others, to fit in with traffic already in the circuit.

Runway 22/04 seemed in favour, with pilots (I think there were 3-4 involved) declaring for both within seconds of each other.

It all worked out okay in the end, with all opting for 22.

 

I ask what the "Duty runway" is; That's a feedback matter for RAAus consideration.

[turboplanner]

8 minutes ago, Blueadventures said:

I ask what the "Duty runway" is; That's a feedback matter for RAAus consideration.

The duty runway with a Towered/Manned strip is what they are calling, otherwise into wind, but as Skippy said there was virtually no wind. If the first one decides on a runway, nothing wrong with the followers all joining on. Usually an airfield is busy because of training, and a student in the circuit is probably setting the nil wind duty runway, but these were all arrivals.