Safety comparison Ultralights vs GA

[Flyer]

Continued VFR flight into IMC (enroute weather management), running out of fuel enroute (planning technique) , breakups over mountains caused by windshear (failure to understand the weather), low cloud (failure to deal with weather as it really is), CFIT (not paying attention and I'm sure a myriad of other reasons), getting lost (planning and heading hold) etc, etc.....

 

Sitting at altitude enroute trimmed out is a requirement to becoming and remaining proficient.

 

I feel that both aspects of flight are equally important and as such I will stand by my answer and say both pilots are current.

 

Perhaps I have missed the point of this thread maybe..:;)5:

 

regards

 

Phil

 

 

[Yenn]

Isn't the flyer who has just spent 3 hours at 8500' illegal if he is flying RAAus?

 

I may be wrong but I thought that we were restricted to below 5000' except where high ground made it unsafe to be there, in which case a radio is required and to fly for 3 hours in any direction in Australia should take you clear of high country, unless you are just trying to run around over the mountains to make a stupid point.

 

 

[Guest TOSGcentral]

Ian you are not wrong but neither are you correct.

 

It is a sad fact that people forget what ultralighting actually is! It does include powered parachutes and foot launched aircraft and over the mountains may be exactly where they want to be - because that is where the good thermals are.

 

You could be there for hours - and with the engine switched off!

 

Tony

 

 

[Flyer]

Isn't the flyer who has just spent 3 hours at 8500' illegal if he is flying RAAus?

Sorry Yenn..... My posts are a bit tarnished because I have a PPL as well. :big_grin:

I should give more consideration to the RAA laws as they stand. ;)

 

You are correct that RAA should not operate above 5000' unless operationally required.

 

Regards

 

Phil

 

 

[Guest babs1aus]

Ga vs Raaus

 

Having been a hang glider pilot Ultralight Pilot Paraglider Pilot dabbled in Ga until the cost killed me. They are all as safe as the pilot operating them. I have always been a pretty conservative pilot (some say boring) I have also over the years witnessed plain acts of lunacy in all disciplines, some getting away with it others comming undone and those that continued to repeat them eventually meeting a not so herroic end.

 

There is all manner of reasons they do these things , personality ,poor training, just plain stupid. There are difficult to hadle craft in all catergories that require greater level of skill to fly. Hang gliders in the eighties saw a huge leap in performance between the training glider and the comp glider. The same for Paragliding in the nineties. Now its ultralights turn seeing massive leaps in performance.

 

So perhaps they are right the people in the earlier posts. Maybe the training from alot of schools is not really meeting the task of adressing the skills you require to step into aircraft that perform outside the parameters of certified trainig aircraft even those are flown in favourable conditions at the instructors decision.