Maritime_Ev Posted September 2, 2014 Posted September 2, 2014 Hi everyone, After a bit of a false start in Australian aviation it's looking like I'll be getting my PPL flight test done sometime soon; so I reckon I best introduce myself here before they send me off into the wild on my own :) It has taken me a couple of years to get here, I work on a ship and for every new contract the flying goes on hold for 2-3 months, with a fair bit of revision after each trip to get from nautical into aeronautical mode again. Moved down to the Sunshine coast and finaly got the chance to fulfill an old dream and learn how to fly (in my old home country class A airspace starts at 1200ft and Avgas is around $4 a liter so it wasn't really an option there). Didn't quite fit in the local RA-Aus schools' aircraft so I ended up biting the bullet and going for GA route instead of the RA-Aus way. Can't wait to get some pan-Australian touring done once I get my licence! See ya around, Ev 2
SDQDI Posted September 2, 2014 Posted September 2, 2014 Welcome Ev and good luck with it all:thumb up: Just out of curiosity Where is "The old home country"?
planedriver Posted September 2, 2014 Posted September 2, 2014 . Look forward to hearing more from you. What sort of ship work do you do?
Maritime_Ev Posted September 2, 2014 Author Posted September 2, 2014 I'm from Holland originally, but I've been working on offshore vessels all around the world for quite a few years now. 2
Gnarly Gnu Posted September 3, 2014 Posted September 3, 2014 Welcome Ev! All the best with the completion of your training. There is a bit of a joke around the forum about scammers who respond to an advert and claim they want to buy your aircraft sight unseen because they are busy working offshore on an oil rig or similar. Now we know this could be a legitimate claim it might get confusing. 2
Maritime_Ev Posted September 4, 2014 Author Posted September 4, 2014 Well... I reckon I will be renting for a while after getting my licence, at least until my 'budget for expensive things that are not our house' has recovered a bit. So I won't be making any scam offers anytime soon. 4
rankamateur Posted September 4, 2014 Posted September 4, 2014 The scammers have had a message count of 1 or 2 and unusual flags next to country too. Would be handy to have a key somewhere on the site where the members country of origin flag can be deciphered, I should have paid more attention to Sheldon's "Fun with flags". 1
Gnarly Gnu Posted September 5, 2014 Posted September 5, 2014 R-A I think you just put your mouse pointer over the flag, works for me anyway.... the country pops up. 1 1
Maritime_Ev Posted January 4, 2015 Author Posted January 4, 2015 It's been awhile since I posted this but due to ATO availability, weather conditions and work commitments I only managed to get my test done today. And I passed! Heading back to sea soon and hopefully CASA will have my licence printed when I come back in 6ish weeks. 2 3 1
planedriver Posted January 5, 2015 Posted January 5, 2015 Well done! You must be feeling chuffed. The start of learning even more.
Admin Posted January 5, 2015 Posted January 5, 2015 Congratulations and welcome, have fun and enjoy the new freedoms flying gives you...oh, and if you have spare jar of applestrop send it my way with some olliebollen
Maritime_Ev Posted January 6, 2015 Author Posted January 6, 2015 Thanks! I'm kinda glad that I have to go back to work now; it would be pure torture to sit at home for weeks waiting for CASA to get done with printing the licence. Hope that by the time I come back they will have managed to print it, and maybe the weather will have calmed down a bit too (it was a very bumpy check ride). (Way too hot to make oliebollen in Queensland summer, but we're going to have a crack at them come mid-winter )
ayavner Posted January 6, 2015 Posted January 6, 2015 Well... i think right at 6 weeks was what it took them to get mine done, so you are much better off going to work! Congrats btw, enjoy it!
Maritime_Ev Posted February 4, 2015 Author Posted February 4, 2015 Just as a follow up, got word from home that my PPL has showed up in the mail (missus was a bit disappointed: "it's just a bundle of A4s, looks like something you could print at home"). Passed my test on 6 January, CASA flagged it as received on 20 January and finished processing on 29 January. So not nearly as bad as some of the rumours made it out to be. I assume that the time between 6 and 20 January can be split equaly between the flying school, OzPost and the CASA mailroom. Can't wait to do some flying when I get home in 10 days or so. So... If there is anyone out there with a 172 (or something equivalent) that needs a few more hours on it, someplace near YBSU let me know! I can rent one from the flying school of course, but it would be great to have an aircraft that I can take away for a few days to a week for a big trip.
Phil Perry Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Can I add my welcome too EV,. . . . . what a nice aeroplane you chose to carry out your test,. . . not a "Heavyish" light aircraft by any stretch of the imagination, but I always found the type really pleasant and forgiving to fly ( and if you ever saw my flying skills you'd know why. . . ! ) I used to LOVE those barn door flaps,. . . .which were ( Back when I flew in "OZ", FORTY whole degreees, . . ! ) it's unfortunate that due to ONE idiot in the USA, who sued the company after he buggered up a landing and blamed the flaps for his lack of pilotage stating "Shielding of the elevator from the aerodynamic airflow, causing a violent uncommanded downward pitch,. . ." that the company reduced the max flap setting to thirty degrees, to preclude the risk of further lawsuits. . . . What a crock of crap that was, and what a tosser. . . ( We the C172 illuminati. . . call that STALLING BEFORE YOU BLOODY WELL SHOULD HAVE. . . ) That's a bit like blaming understeer because your Holden went off the road when you tried to negotiate a sharp bend at 180 kph. . . . . but if you don't particularly wish to land in the car park of your local Walmart, then 30 deg. is probably sufficient for day to day ops. . . . ! Hope you enjoy it EV,. . . .some of us old farts have been carving up the air for too long ( ! ) we need NEW blokes like YOU ! All the best and we hope you post your experiences on this forum. Phil
Maritime_Ev Posted February 4, 2015 Author Posted February 4, 2015 Thanks Phil! Did my training in (two different) N types and a few hours in the 162, but for my test the 172N was undergoing its SID inspection. Had to change to a newish G-1000 SP version that doesn't have the barn door flaps (but it did have lcd screens and a faint new aeroplane smell in it). Those 40deg flaps are like throwing out an anchor, and like you said not really needed for the kind of ops that a new PPL should be engaging in. But could be handy to get it down on the golf course if the engine fails after take off. As I mentioned in the first post, I tried quite a few different RAaus aircraft when I got started and I just didn't seem to fit in any of them (I'm about 195cm). In the older 172 models I have heaps of head and leg space to spare, the new S model doesn't have as much headspace, I think it's the 20g seats that are a bit higher. Ev NB. Heard some numbers floating around for the SID inspection on the old bird (not the one in the picture), and I think I'll wait a bit before joining the ranks of aircraft owners
Phil Perry Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Thanks Phil!Did my training in (two different) N types and a few hours in the 162, but for my test the 172N was undergoing its SID inspection. Had to change to a newish G-1000 SP version that doesn't have the barn door flaps (but it did have lcd screens and a faint new aeroplane smell in it). Those 40deg flaps are like throwing out an anchor, and like you said not really needed for the kind of ops that a new PPL should be engaging in. But could be handy to get it down on the golf course if the engine fails after take off. As I mentioned in the first post, I tried quite a few different RAaus aircraft when I got started and I just didn't seem to fit in any of them (I'm about 195cm). In the older 172 models I have heaps of head and leg space to spare, the new S model doesn't have as much headspace, I think it's the 20g seats that are a bit higher. Ev NB. Heard some numbers floating around for the SID inspection on the old bird (not the one in the picture), and I think I'll wait a bit before joining the ranks of aircraft owners OK EV, . . . . The feature that I MISS about the 40 flap setting is that you did not HAVE to use it,. . but it was nice to have it available, and since the ubiquitous 172 was, for quite a long time, the MOST manufactured type on the planet, . . .only outstripped later by the Bell Jetranger,. . which shows how popular it really was,. . .just like driving a BUS. . . ( Autobus ? ? ? ) completely predictable and just. . .NICE to fly. A rather . . .er,. . .politically incorrect pilot friend of mine ( Canadian ) said that"the yanks HAD to make it easy to fly, because all their people were a bit stupid. . . ." well,. . .I don't know about that, but Cessna's designers certainly hit the spot with that 172, . . . . I have to own up here to the fact that I am a bit of a fan of the Cessna breed, . . . having flown all of their piston engined singles, APART from the C-120, and I finally got to fly the "Push me Pull you" C-337 a few years ago, what a beast that is, OK a single it ain't. . . but I also managed to blag the C 310, and the 402 also. . . ( yeah, I know, . . . they have a spare engine as well. . . . . .LUXURY ! ! ) but my chances of finding a Bamboo Bomber to increase the list seem a little remote. . . . The 162 Skycrapper doesn't count as it's just a feeble attempt to attract the LSA boys and girls, but since it terrifies even test pilots, I don't think I'll bother mate. And no,. . .I'm not really a "Typehunter" timewaster, I just like the brand. I've never cheated a prospective seller just to get a "Ride" . . .I hate that. Keep at it mate, and make sure you get plenty of IMC training / practice as well, not just the bit you need to get a PPL ticket. . .. It WILL save your knackers one day . . .trust me. Phil
Maritime_Ev Posted February 7, 2015 Author Posted February 7, 2015 I think the 162 has a worse reputation than it deserves, it's just a bit too heavy for a LSA (especially the 'luxury' version with the 2 screens), with me and a skinny instructor on board it was just workable for a X-country if we took fuel halfway. If you put 2x 85kg people in it, you have about 30minutes before you reach your reserve. But I guess that's just an LSA problem in general, with only 600kg of MTOW you just don't have much weight to play with. But apart from that it's a nice little aeroplane, the view is slightly better than from the 172 and feels more solid than some of the plastic LSAs out there. And I did like the stick/yoke combination thingy. Didn't spin it though...
Phil Perry Posted February 8, 2015 Posted February 8, 2015 I didn't spin it though... Good move mate,. . ! When I get offered a test ride on a new motorcycle occasionally, . . .I DON'T deliberately scrape the footpegs on bends just to see what happens either. . .! Phil.
Geoff13 Posted February 8, 2015 Posted February 8, 2015 Good move mate,. . ! When I get offered a test ride on a new motorcycle occasionally, . . .I DON'T deliberately scrape the footpegs on bends just to see what happens either. . .! Phil. Thats the trouble with you poms, no sense of adventure. 2
Maritime_Ev Posted February 8, 2015 Author Posted February 8, 2015 Good move mate,. . ! When I get offered a test ride on a new motorcycle occasionally, . . .I DON'T deliberately scrape the footpegs on bends just to see what happens either. . .! You know what they say about rental cars being the quickest vehicles in the world, no matter what the model is... But seriously, about the scared test pilots thing, the reputation of the C162 just never recovered after they crashed one during spin recovery testing. Cessna did fix that problem with some extra fins under the tail, but it is still placarded as 'do not spin deliberately' and that seems to scare people even though AFAIK most LSAs are not tested for spin recovery at all. I think it would have been a good thing for Cessna to have some sort of replacement for all those venerable 150/152 and older 172, they will not last forever (with the SIDs becoming mandatory in Oz soon a lot of them will be scrapped) and with a new price of $300.00+ for a new 172 it will be very difficult to make a profit for a flying school.
Phil Perry Posted February 8, 2015 Posted February 8, 2015 My apologies for the unguarded comment I made Re the "162" EV,. . . . what I was actually getting at was that as the model originally appeared to be aimed at the LSA market ( a bit heavy I realise) I was jocularly discounting it as a "Classic" Cessna model. . . . I have not yet seen one aywhere near me in the UK, so have not had the pleasure of a close look. I remember the spin test incident, and the bad press they got from that. I wonder if you recall the early problems with the PA38 "Tomahawk" . . ., this is going back a few years, when there was a report of two test pilots spinning one, fortunately from a very safe height and ei ther one pilot or both had to remove their harnesses and place their body weight as far forward in the cockpit as possible to bias more weight forward of CofG,. . as the aircraft refused to recover from the intentional spin . . . I guess that Piper were on the recieving end of some brickbats over that, and the type still worries some pilots, although quite a few schools still use them today. . . ."Traumahawk" being a popular nickname for the poor thing. . . ** OOps,. . edited to add . . . the Tomahawk DID recover from the spin, and nobody got dedded. Phil.
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