Tell us about your last flight

[turboplanner]

On 30/06/2023 at 10:00 AM, RFguy said:

Yesterday had probably the closest call I will ever have . I was mid - late downwind (doing Xwind exercise  circuits) and an aircraft 'joined base' and  flew across my nose, .. no notice. no radio call.  about 2 seconds gap. same height. 2 seconds faster on the downwind and I'd be dead. geezus. I had ADSB , other aircraft did not. Didnt see them by sight or by conspicuity device.  I remarked 'that was close' calmly but scared the sh1t out of my passenger (also a pilot) . The student piloted  aircraft was previously  turning crosswind when I was touching down on my T&G , so I was looking for that aircraft on late base in the air. The guess is they did a very deep wide circuit.  mutter mutter. I would never had seen them to my right , looking over into the town background.

 

 

 

I've been doing some plying around with this and might have some simpler ways of reducing the chances of a repeat. Just need to lay it out and do some calcs.

 

Can you confirm this was at Cowra and if so:

1. What was the into-wind runway or the runway you were using (e.g. "15")?

2. What was the crosswind runway the other person was using (e.g. "21"?

[RFguy]

All aircraft were using 15

 other aircraft  is likely to have gone very deep on crosswind leg, or drifted 1nm on downwind.

As we had 1.5nm to 2nm separation  (or approx 1 minute) when I was in T&G and other aircraft was crosswind leg

and then in late downwind we had zero !

[turboplanner]

What direction was the wind? (deg)?

[RFguy]

240 mag  @ 12-14 kts on ground,

IE blowing aircraft on downwind and crosswind wide.

[turboplanner]

tks, got so many figures my eyeballs are bulging but will see what comes out.

[sfGnome]

Before today, if I was to tell you about my last flight, it would have been April, 2016… Yep, as of today, I’ve taken the first step back to fully operational. Just an hour with an instructor getting comfortable in the air again and finishing with a couple of circuits. The last circuit got a bit interesting, with an RPT departing, two other lighties in the circuit, one overflying, and an emergency chopper departing as well. Let’s just say that it was a *very* wide circuit! Thankfully, the instructor said “you just fly the plane; I’ll handle the radio”. 
 

Hopefully, next week I can get the BFR ticked off. 🤞

[Blueadventures]

I was flying up to Ayr the other weekend and noticed a vapour trail appear quickly and it had a black colour smoke trail with it,  I looked more and saw the soke trail was below the horizon and as I kept looking at it thought it was something launched from the seaborne exercise area.  Then as it was dissipating I thought of taking a photo and took two with my phone.  Wish I took the images earlier when very distinct.  What could it have been?? Any ideas?

[Marty_d]

You didn't hear an alarm and a mechanical voice saying "Missile launch... missile launch..."?

[turboplanner]

9 hours ago, Blueadventures said:

I was flying up to Ayr the other weekend and noticed a vapour trail appear quickly and it had a black colour smoke trail with it,  I looked more and saw the soke trail was below the horizon and as I kept looking at it thought it was something launched from the seaborne exercise area.  Then as it was dissipating I thought of taking a photo and took two with my phone.  Wish I took the images earlier when very distinct.  What could it have been?? Any ideas?

Very interesting sky from Rockhampton to Townsville at times. We were driving up from Sarina to Mackay one day and noticed we were in convoy with a helicopter, then dozens of helicopters including US Apaches and Chinooks and Medical helicopters which had been involved in joint Aus/US exercises in the military area north of Rockhampton. They were headed for Mackay Airport so we headed there too. There were military aircraft parked off the side of the main runway for most of its length, I'd say more than a hundred of all types. After about an hour, engines started up, ground crew started saluting pilots and the helicopters started vacating to a climb out on the cross strip. The black trail could be anything including a B52 sent there because USAF could. There are still active B52s operating around the world and the USAF intends keeping them into the 2050s which would make them the first jet to stay in service for over 100 years (The B52 first flight was 1952; it was designed for the Pacific where the B29 was hampered by range and US forces had to capture islands so it could eventually hop to Japan) A B52 on exercises makes a good point to any unfriendly observers of the drils that go on in the Coral Sea. They carry a 35 ton bomb load as well as cruise missiles.

[RFguy]

TIME FOR SOME AVGAS 

 

 

 

Edited July 16, 2023 by RFguy

[RFguy]

 

YCWR >> YCBB
Nice flight to go and look at a Thruster  for sale with @Thruster88. 
Owner did have 900m field  , I did an approach  but felt it a bit much for my experience with sloped fields. On walking it, the slope seems less intimidating than from the air. wide and smooth. was original Coonabarabran airport from 1958 . 

.....Went back to the town airport 4 miles away. 
Nice spot for an airport, very clean and open field with good approaches and a nice surface.  First time I've flown around through a line of showers on enroute, also.  On way home, improved WX managed to get back up to 8500. If you are going to fly at 65% power, than anything less than 10,000 feet is leaving TAS on the table. 

 

 

Edited July 16, 2023 by RFguy

[Blueadventures]

20 minutes ago, RFguy said:

 

YCWR >> YCBB
Nice flight to go and look at a Thruster  for sale with @Thruster88. 
Owner did have 900m field  , I did an approach  but felt it a bit much for my experience with sloped fields. On walking it, the slope seems less intimidating than from the air. wide and smooth. was original Coonabarabran airport from 1958 . 

.....Went back to the town airport 4 miles away. 
Nice spot for an airport, very clean and open field with good approaches and a nice surface.  First time I've flown around through a line of showers on enroute, also.  On way home, improved WX managed to get back up to 8500. If you are going to fly at 65% power, than anything less than 10,000 feet is leaving TAS on the table. 

 

 

How did you find the thruster?

[RFguy]

didnt have to find it they got it out of the hanger.. its OK. has been rebuilt. needs skins and a big cleanup. 582 engine (replaced) now  15yrs old and 170 hours. AF 2300h TT, about 300 since rebuild.

Edited July 17, 2023 by RFguy

[Ironpot]

Rear seat passenger took this - made I larf!

[Blueadventures]

21 hours ago, Marty_d said:

You didn't hear an alarm and a mechanical voice saying "Missile launch... missile launch..."?

I believe it was a large missile of some sort, earlier on was very distant smoke trail down low and vapour higher, seemed so close I was looking for a warship off the coast.  Was a while before I thought to take image and it was dissipating a lot.  I even turned to port to put the smoke trail viewing through my side window.  I have tried to edit the image for better contrast.  Can see it was much closer than the horizon,  There is a full military aviation base at Bowen Airport and a notice was out that effect.  Very interesting.

[Ironpot]

11 minutes ago, Blueadventures said:

I believe it was a large missile of some sort, earlier on was very distant smoke trail down low and vapour higher, seemed so close I was looking for a warship off the coast.  Was a while before I thought to take image and it was dissipating a lot.  I even turned to port to put the smoke trail viewing through my side window.  I have tried to edit the image for better contrast.  Can see it was much closer than the horizon,  There is a full military aviation base at Bowen Airport and a notice was out that effect.  Very interesting.

I know it’s not your sighting but ATS said, on area frequency, that the big flash on Saturday night was an Indian rocket stage separation and was visible along the east coast. 
 

[Blueadventures]

7 minutes ago, Ironpot said:

I know it’s not your sighting but ATS said, on area frequency, that the big flash on Saturday night was an Indian rocket stage separation and was visible along the east coast. 
 

This was the week before Sat 8 July and smoke at coast area below horizon.  Cheers.

[Markdun]

Was it a meteorite?  Brings to my mind when I was sailing from the Percy Is to Great Keppel a few years back and at 3am I saw what I thought was a red parachute flare. I was about to radio in a relay mayday except the red flare appeared to accelerate over me along with a sonic boom and roaring noise heading south east where it disappeared.  Definitely was not an hallucination as it was a typical dead flat inside the reef QLD sail, so no need for the coloured dreams scopolamine patches.

Edited July 18, 2023 by Markdun

[Old Koreelah]

On 17/7/2023 at 8:16 AM, RFguy said:

 

YCWR >> YCBB
Nice flight to go and look at a Thruster  for sale with @Thruster88. 
 

Crickey, is T88 trying to set up a Thruster Air Force? How many does he have now?

On 17/7/2023 at 8:16 AM, RFguy said:

Owner did have 900m field  , I did an approach  but felt it a bit much for my experience with sloped fields. On walking it, the slope seems less intimidating than from the air. wide and smooth. was original Coonabarabran airport from 1958 . 

Didn’t know about that strip. Found it on GE.
I guess it’s private, but I’ve added it as an emergency option. 

On 17/7/2023 at 8:16 AM, RFguy said:

....Went back to the town airport 4 miles away. 
Nice spot for an airport, very clean and open field with good approaches and a nice surface. 

Coona Airport once got me out of a pickle. It’s an interesting strip to fly out of; taking off to the SE, it’s quite spectacular how the land drops away. 
 

Not the best place for an airport, due to it’s elevation and poor water supply.

Was there during the big fires. The place was busy as Tempelhof during the Berlin Airlift! 30plus water bombers cycling through, being loaded with retardant and water that had to be trucked in.

[Blueadventures]

Nice fly of 1.1 hours out to the coast and over some over water today.

Edited July 21, 2023 by Blueadventures

[RFguy]

On way back from Oshkosh + Dayton Air museum on Friday -  787 turnback. groan ......

 

WX RADAR is on the M.E.L. list for a night-flight across the pacific... an expensive night for United me thinks....dump fuel etc. (50 tons ?)

https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/MMEL_B-787_Rev_18_Draft.pdf
In Section 34, Navigation. Geez the MEL is longer than my PA28....

 

 

 

[facthunter]

Weather radar is certainly needed on that aeroplane. You benefit. 50 tons is more that it carries. You only have to get  back to landijng wt and can land above it if for a good reason..  Nev

[red750]

On 17/07/2023 at 8:16 AM, RFguy said:

YCWR >> YCBB

BTW, RFguy, IIRC, code is contrary to forum rules.

[RFguy]

25 minutes ago, facthunter said:

Weather radar is certainly needed on that aeroplane. You benefit. 50 tons is more that it carries. You only have to get  back to landijng wt and can land above it if for a good reason..  Nev

Hi Nev. accordingtto the spcs, carries 101t of fuel...... 787-900 : MTOW 254t . max landing weight : 193t.  max zero fuel weight  : 181t ... fuel : 101t .....

[facthunter]

yeah I'm out Did it in my head and took it as liters and  I've never seen it listed in tons  It's usually Lbs or Litres.

 but, It can't be both at max zero fuel wt and carry full fuel. That would make you 282 tons  AUW 28 tons over weight and the drome and conditions might also lower the Max TO weight to below the structural MTOW. I've only dumped fuel once and most people never do it in their careers. Half the fuel qty is an unusually high amount % wise to be required in any dumping situation. > Nev