Natfly 2014

[Powerin]

Ramp check? Speed check? You need to have a *insert favourite road authority here* check on your truck to really see interesting interpretations of laws and rigorous applications of bureaucracy.

 

If many are really staying away because of the fear of a ramp check then perhaps CASA has a point. The way to show CASA we are responsible and careful is surely to front up and pass your ramp check and then tell them "I told you so...RAA pilots are safe". It's no different from the standards you are expected to meet when you drive a motor vehicle.

 

 

[spacesailor]

Or if everyone stays away, They will have nothing to do, & should be terminated as redundant!

 

We can attend by other transportation.

 

spacesailor

 

 

[turboplanner]

If you were managing the Safety Authority, where would you send staff to effectively conduct audits?

 

Winton?, Cunnamulla?, Orroroo?

 

 

[Keith Page]

Casa would not recruit so many ex RAA staff unless they had an agenda, when I spoke with a GA instructor the other day he was bragging how Casa is going to sort RAA out. We need to get them off our back and show we are responsible and carefull without them interfering or we will be sunk like GA and they will take over.

Hello Camel

To have a bit of fun:-Ask how CASA went with the senate safety inquiry?

 

That should give the smart rrrrrrrr's GA instructor something to brag about. ""NOT",

 

As I here things.... CASA have their own problems at the senate, everyone has gone quiet on me hence the news is very sparse.

 

What I heard the other day, the tree is being defoliated not lopped,, however this is yet to be confirmed.

 

Regards

 

Keith Page..

 

 

[turboplanner]

Keith, just go to the Parliament website and check out Hansard.

 

Any committee reports should be in that, so you'll get actual facts.

 

If the committee is still meeting there are no reports, and it can also take some months before the write up and editing is done, but it all comes out.

 

 

[Keith Page]

Thank you Turbo.

 

I will keep looking on the Hansard, as you say takes a while to get there. I am one of those fellows who wants it now.

 

You, on your good old night shift?

 

You have a great Easter.

 

Regards

 

Keith Page.

 

 

[Captain]

Attended Natfly yesterday (Good Friday).

 

 

 

The aerial displays in the "break" around noon to 2 pm were great and RA-Aus are to be congratulated.

 

 

 

The two Pitts were good and one of the Museum's Spitfires flew, giving it's usual Temora display. Was really good & a privilege to see & hear it in the air.

 

 

 

But there were heaps of unfilled exhibitor spaces that were either never booked or who hadn't arrived, the crowd numbers looked to be way down on recent years and my guess is that the number of attending aircraft/underwing campers might also be way down.

 

 

 

Will be interested to hear what others think on the numbers and range of the exhibitors as from what I saw, most exhibits were almost identical to last year except for Camit.

 

 

 

And from what I understood from the talk from the RAA Techman Team, they are all excited and set to take RA-Aus to be the world leader in the regulation of recreational aviation, and they didn't mean the lack of regulation or the increase in freedoms. Two members that I know who attended the presentation separately resolved to sell their aircraft after hearing the talk, so they might win awards and wangle a few OS trips, but might preside over a withering of the membership. I suggest all members keep an eye on the size of the Member's Market over the coming year and the value of aircraft therein.

 

 

 

Check out the webcam link on the Natfly 2014 website. It still shows a webcam shot from 2012. That says something about Natfly, I suspect.

 

 

 

Regards Geoff

 

 

[FlyingVizsla]

We couldn't make Natfly (we are both working) so I was keen to see what was happening on the busiest day - nothing. Webcam, despite assurances after last year that there will be multiple views, is still not working. The Natfly web site didn't have much leading up to the event, particularly the "News" pages. The exhibitor listing does show 22 of 90 sites vacant (25%) and I didn't get a sense of rising excitement. RecFly is a bit quiet too - in prior years there was a constant flow of photos and commentary. Where's young Tommo when we need him?

 

 

 

Keen to know what I am missing out on to make me more annoyed about not being there.

 

 

 

Sue

 

 

[Keith Page]

Hello Sue

 

Tommo has a new wife..so he will be doing wife things I suspect.

 

Regards

 

Keith Page.

 

 

[Keith Page]

Good Morning Captain

 

Thank you for your run down on events of day"1".

 

Regards

 

Keith Page.

 

 

[Captain]

We couldn't make Natfly (we are both working) so I was keen to see what was happening on the busiest day - nothing. Webcam, despite assurances after last year that there will be multiple views, is still not working. The Natfly web site didn't have much leading up to the event, particularly the "News" pages. The exhibitor listing does show 22 of 90 sites vacant (25%) and I didn't get a sense of rising excitement. RecFly is a bit quiet too - in prior years there was a constant flow of photos and commentary. Where's young Tommo when we need him? 

 

Keen to know what I am missing out on to make me more annoyed about not being there.

 

 

 

Sue

G'day Sue,

 

 

 

If you went last year or the year before then you haven't missed much.

 

 

 

But you did miss a horse's mouth (??) explanation of the L1 - L4 maintenance thing and the impending introduction of strict time 100 hourlies, so watch out if one falls due while you are at the Boulia Camel Races or a similar remote strip (as from what I understand was said) if the appropriate L isn't where you are when the next 100 clicks over then you will need to "remove the wings" and trailer it.

 

 

 

I may be misquoting in the above, but can only assume that there have been a massive number of fatalities or incidents that were directly caused by and which will be cured by 100 hourly checks, in what appears to me to be a recreationally destructive rush towards GA rules and practices.

 

 

 

Next thing we'll need accreditation to work the combination lock gates at airports or be mandated to undertake an annual check before boarding the Tootle type pilot transport imitation Choot-Choot at Natfly.

 

 

 

However, looking on the bright side (because there ain't many) perhaps the new rules/regs just apply to those that attended yesterday's ebullient presentation and the rest of the members can continue to enjoy what limited freedoms they have left.

 

 

 

Hope this makes you feel better.

 

 

 

Regards Geoff

 

 

[Teckair]

100 hourly checks, in what appears to me to be a recreationally destructive rush towards GA rules and practices.

Yes and the warnings about this have been on this forum for quite some time but still we continued on.

 

 

[facthunter]

I'm not the kind to say I told you so, either. MUCH. Natfly becomes Notfly. Nev

 

 

[Teckair]

I given up worrying about it, it's what the members wanted, they did it to themselves. I was just one of the lucky ones to see what I considered to be the best days of ultralight flying.

 

 

[Bubbleboy]

This is the second year in a row I have chosen not to go. Sounds like I havent missed anything. The best one they had at Temora was the first one. It went down hill quick smart after that! As others have mentioned, the website gave out no excitement what so ever and is dated. Webcam from 2012? You would think with a million dollars in the bank they could organise a decent event that would attract people.

 

When I received the latest magazine and it had the Natfly guide in it I was kicking myself that I had decided not to go. It looked like it was going to be a pearler!

 

Im glad I stayed at home and saved myself hundreds of dollars which I will use to buy parts for my build. I had really hoped they would have pulled something out of the hat this year...

 

 

[XAIRVTW]

Arrived back from Temora this afternoon I did not see a CASA Inspector the whole time I was there from Wednesday to Saturday. That doesn't mean they weren't there.

 

 

[Mriya]

this is a silly argument because 100 hourlies have been around in GA since the very start. Me husband flies GA and always plans around the 100 hours just like everyone else. it is not a big deal. if he only had a few hours left before the service due he would not be flying to Burke.GA has annual inspection and 100 hourlies and they are not the same. a private aircraft like ours can go more than 100 per year without an annual service but in a flying school or charter they have to be done at each 100 hours.

Talk about not following the aircraft/engine maintenance schedule, I suspect, is part of the reason RAAus sees the need to tighten up maintainer privileges.

If you operate your aircraft beyond the approved maintenance schedule in respect to calendar time or TTIS, it can no longer be considered airworthy. My observations are that some owners have little appreciation of the responsibility and obligations they have as the maintenance controller of their aircraft. This statement is true of both some RAAus and VH owners, except at least with VH (unless they are an owner/builder) the maintenance must be certified by a LAME, who can then provide informed advice to the owner on a regular basis.

 

RAAus are between a rock and a hard place when it comes to ongoing management of maintainer privileges. On one hand the growing membership want to maintain existing privileges, while on the other hand they are aware of the exposure to potential litigation from the widow of a pilot or pax who has died as the result of maintenance being carried out (or not being carried out) by a person who does nor possess the knowledge or skill to conduct this work in a competent manner and yet is approved by RAAus to do such work.

 

RAAus is no longer comprised primarily of a bunch of enthusiasts who have built and maintained their 'minimum' machines, knowing every aspect of the build intimately. These days a significant percentage of members may come from a non-technical background, and have purchased a high performance machine, with little understanding or skill in maintaining it.

 

Unfortunately, due to a lack of checks and audits, a culture has developed within RAAus where people believe they are entitled to do whatever they see fit with regards to maintenance, paying little or no attention to the approved schedule. Modifications are also done without consideration to the effect they may have on the CofA status. Is it any wonder that RAAus (and CASA) see the need to tighten up maintainer approvals for our aircraft?

 

 

[robinsm]

hey, instead of bitching about it, how about some one who is actually there give us an update.

 

 

[Gnarly Gnu]

hey, instead of bitching about it, how about some one who is actually there give us an update.

Well Goulburn is real close, why not just pop over?

 

 

[Keith Page]

Yes good one GG.

 

Temora is s---o close for every one down that way they can all attend, any other town is t---o far away from the big concentration of members. When I mentioned something in Qld there was noise about being too far away. Maj flew his LightWing to Temora. Now look what happens when it is under their nose. Temora is a RAAus sponsored event which makes a profit.

 

Regards

 

Keith Page.

 

 

[Gnarly Gnu]

Not quite following Keith but seems you disagree that Temora is close to Goulburn? It's all relative I guess, if you are walking it would be a fair stretch.

 

 

[Teckair]

I thought Keith was saying people reckoned it could not be in Qld because that would be too far away, but even at Temora some close people do not attend.

 

 

[Keith Page]

GG:- In Australian terms of distance Goulburn to Temora is just a hop skip and a jump ---- you are there. (I am saying it is close.)

 

Teckair:- First of all... Thank you for keeping us posted even the nasty stuff. You are correct Temora is under their nose and they still can not attend so why moan if it comes to Qld. You would have found some people bend over backwards and turn themselves inside out just to find something to moan about.. If it is good they will not look at that.

 

Regards

 

Keith Page.

 

 

[dodo]

Keith,

 

it isn't all about North Queensland.

 

At least, not everything is!

 

dodo

 

 

[coljones]

Keith, we don't doubt the attractiveness and hospitality of RARA and FNQ but there must be a problem if the people of NSW are migrating to Victoria and the cane toads are trekking across deserts to get to WA.