Tell us about your last flight

[facthunter]

Fit in with the existing traffic unless you DO have a bloody good reason not to.  Anytime you're in a circuit with other traffic you should have a plan of how you would get out of where you are going safely if it's required or you lose power. Nev

[Garfly]

I wonder if there's an agreed best-way to bug-out of a circuit if you suddenly sense you might collide with a nearby craft you've not got eyes on.  Obviously, it depends on what you do know but I suppose neither climbing nor descending nor turning - nor changing speed - is any guarantee that you won't actually cause the crash you're fearing.  Maybe breaking away in whatever direction you have best all-round sight of is the best one can do, no?

 

(Until universal ADSB becomes a thing.)

 

But even short of sensing imminent danger, what's the best way to gracefully bow out of a circuit when you become uncomfortable or situationally unaware?  What to do and what to say?

 

 

Edited April 14 by Garfly

[facthunter]

There are plenty of approved ways to leave a circuit. Climbing is not that safe in some aircraft from a visibility consideration. It's a good question  though and it's topical. Let's GO.

 Do you want to re enter ? Can't be your first priority can it?  Nev

[Garfly]

6 minutes ago, facthunter said:

There are plenty of approved ways to leave a circuit. Climbing is not that safe in some aircraft from a visibility consideration. It's a good question  though and it's topical. Let's GO.

 Do you want to re enter ? Can't be your first priority can it?  Nev

I guess the first priority is to escape the danger; go away until things calm down or clarify.  I suppose that'd be off on the dead side.  There is always 'overhead' the circuit but if there's more than one up there, it might be more dangerous than the (limited) order imposed by the 1000' agl of the circuit itself, no?

 

 

 

Edited April 14 by Garfly

[facthunter]

1500 IF there's RPT.  If there's gliding there may effectively be no dead side. 

[turboplanner]

39 minutes ago, Garfly said:

I wonder if there's an agreed best-way to bug-out of a circuit if you suddenly sense you might collide with a nearby craft you've not got eyes on.  Obviously, it depends on what you do know but I suppose neither climbing nor descending nor turning - nor changing speed - is any guarantee that you won't actually cause the crash you're fearing.  Maybe breaking away in whatever direction you have best all-round sight of is the best one can do, no?

 

(Until universal ADSB becomes a thing.)

 

But even short of sensing imminent danger, what's the best way to gracefully bow out of a circuit when you become uncomfortable or situationally unaware?  What to do and what to say?

 

 

Just fly on the leg out to wherever........

[facthunter]

That's one way but is it the BEST  way? Nev

[Blueadventures]

32 minutes ago, Garfly said:

I guess the first priority is to escape the danger; go away until things calm down or clarify.  I suppose that'd be off on the dead side.  There is always 'overhead' the circuit but if there's more than one up there, it might be more dangerous than the (limited) order imposed by the 1000' agl of the circuit itself, no?

 

 

 

One consideration would be to broadcast intention to say turn right enough to allow resuming the runway alignment direction; as if on a downwind and climb out as if a missed approach.  The other aircraft if they see you should turn to their right.  

[Garfly]

1 hour ago, turboplanner said:

Just fly on the leg out to wherever........

Fair enough, but if you're on mid-downwind, say, and your fear is about converging traffic on base (like the incident recounted by RFGuy a while back) then a more urgent exit might be called for: an early crosswind for an upwind rejoin, or a dive away or a climb?

 

 

 

Edited April 14 by Garfly

[turboplanner]

32 minutes ago, Garfly said:

Fair enough, but if you're on mid-downwind, say, and your fear is about converging traffic on base (like the incident recounted by RFGuy a while back) then a more urgent exit might be called for: an early crosswind for an upwind rejoin, or a dive away or a climb?

We've had two near collisions in RA this year, and I spent a lot of hours coming up with circuit measurements types of aircraft, where the aircraft should be, how to navigate to the airfied, join the circuit, fit into the pattern with the other aircraft there, where to look etc. No one has made an effort to try a trial circuit and comment on it and the people who haven't been trained in PPL Nav should have.

 

If you're on mid-downwind as I have been on hundreds of occasions you will have been watching traffic in the circuit ahead of you and maybe one who went on an expedition and his base will be so long that you'll be turning final before he gets to base. At that point you're only looking at half the circuit (you've already made sure you've left a good margin in fron of the Baron that's coming behind you to allow for the jockying that's about to start. At mid downwind you pull on 1 stage of flap and 90 kts; your job now is to hang in the air behind the aircraft ahead of you until he clears the runway and you can land. If you're catching up, more flap, nose up, more power etc to slow down. Once on Final you watch every aircraft so you're actually seeing who's holding who up. On Final  you hang in there until you are sure you can touch down AFTER the aircraft in front of you vacates the circuit. I've landed with five aircraft in front of me on Final just be being patient; every second one had to ground. So the answer to your question is that in the case of congenstion you'll be going round, effectively starting a new circuit so you won't have to spear off somewhere. The case I've described is where there are normally 10 to 12 in the circuit and where the pilots are all experienced with the continuous loop of aircraft.

 

Where you're flying with two or three others in the circuit I accept it's hard to bring yourself up to speed, but you can still train yourself to follow the next one maintaining the same gap all the way down and be ready for the busy airport.

[facthunter]

How much assistance does the tower do? Nev

[facthunter]

At Moorabbin  I didn't go there very often as you spent a bit too much time on the ground. I remember getting a Decathlon from Peter Binney? and doing some aeros in the area  near where Holden had a test Track with a  CASA ATO. I had lots of friends in CASA then when they actually  FLEW Planes.  Nev

[RossK]

We also did the Parkes Fly in. Good fun and met some great people.

We didn't hang around for the Paul Bennet display as we didn't want to push our luck getting back to YLIL before sunset.

Would have been nice if they could have done it earlier in the day.

[facthunter]

Sea Furies have a nice sound when starting up. Sleeve valve motor..  Nev

[RossK]

1 hour ago, facthunter said:

Sea Furies have a nice sound when starting up. Sleeve valve motor..  Nev

We certainly knew when he was in the circuit 😍

[facthunter]

Good that some still fly. I wonder what fuel they burn in it?Nev

[RossK]

4 minutes ago, facthunter said:

Good that some still fly. I wonder what fuel they burn in it?Nev

Looks llike avgas.

 

[facthunter]

It would have to be but they originally used 130/145 I think.. It would have to be derated to use 100 LL but that would apply to a lot of that military Stuff.  Nev

[Flightrite]

They wouldn’t be using  max boost for a variety of reasons, degraded octane fuel being one. The other engine longevity. 300lph Cruze. Cheap to run😂

[facthunter]

Sleeve valve motors have trouble cooling the heads.  Nev

[red750]

This is not my last flight, it's a post I picked up from Facebook, but I thought some of the points may be of interest.

 

"I am a pilot.  Flying is in my blood.  I decided at 39 years old to quit my corporate America office job and learn how to fly. Here in the US, if you dream of working as an airline pilot, you have to accumulate at least 1500 hours of total flight time.  How you go about this doesn’t really matter.  In order to supplement the hours one gets during training and working entry level jobs, lots of pilots in the US supplement their total hours by flying cross country flights on their own dime. I took this photo while flying such a flight from Chicago to Clinton, Iowa today.  
There is nothing duller than flying across the flat plains of the US. It’s completely flat and completely empty… yet it’s shockingly humbling.  I’ve done this exact flight a number of times and I’m always humbled by it.  Humbled by the expansiveness of the region, the emptiness, and how the diurnal heating of the ground can toss an airplane around even at 6500ft.
I’m also humbled by the kindness of the air traffic controllers that are almost 100 miles away from me, yet take responsibility of my safety like I’m one of their own kids.  They want to make sure that I get home safe to my wife and dogs at the end of a completely pointless flight.  The kindness exchanged between pilots and other pilots, pilots and controllers, and pilots and airports in this region are unparalleled.  
I landed at an airport today that had a couch, a chair, personal hygiene products, wifi, bathroom and even a car to use completely free of charge, no questions asked, without any staff members present. The final frontier of trust as far as I’m concerned. 
I’m so lucky to live in a place where all of this is possible and to have a life where chasing a dream isn’t out of reach.  Being dull isn’t a negative… I find it to be quite the opposite.  It gives me the canvas I need to paint the future that I want. 
I hope this dull photo can inspire you as well.  Your future is what you want to make of it."

 

 

[Flightrite]

To the author…..that’s not flat and boring…..come to Oz where apart from grubby politicians this is about as dull & boring as it gets, the GAFA!😂

Edited April 20 by Flightrite

[sfGnome]

Doesn’t look like much, just a country town, but it’s MY country town. First time I’ve been away from the airport since getting back to flying after a break of 7 years. Been doing lots of circuits; still not entirely comfortable, but getting there. It used to be so easy… 🫤

 

Amusing aside. My GPS decided to not function and I had to navigate using compass and clock. Lot of years since I last did that. Lucky it was dead still and clear (and I wasn’t flying very far 😛).

[Bosi72]

Last weekend at the 50th Anniversary of  Antiques Aeroplanes Association in Corowa, NSW.

~150 aircrafts attended the Fly-in.

Great event, lots of activities, fun..

 

Camping under the wing - Priceless !

 

[Thruster88]

On the way home from Japan in an Qantas A330 last night. Waited till the moon set behind the winglet at 4am est. Phone did a good job to get the shot. Might have to fly the thruster tomorrow.