Contacting Air Services Australia.

[jackc]

Subject says it all, called their 1300 number this morning, immediately put on hold……told I am number 1 in the line, another 5 minutes and I get recording that there is no one to take my call and to please leave a detailed msg. that was an hour ago.

So far, NOTHING…….

But, IF I violated controlled airspace……someone would be waiting on the ground for me, with handcuffs at the ready 🙂

[Yenn]

Airservices can be contacted easily on line. Go to their web site and down the bottom, click contact us. There will be a list of optional subjects to talk about.

Using the phone only means that you are wasting your time and not theirs.

[jackc]

Well, I ended up in contact with Brisbane Air Services after being given multiple phone numbers.  I was enquiring on information about arrival and departure from my own ‘firebreak’ read airstrip for which I gave the GPS coordinates.   Seems I must fly not above 1000 AMSL until I get away from below Class E airspace. Now this gives me an approximate clearance from terrain of 500ft variable for some distance, as my airstrip is 500ft or so AMSL.

I am asked why can I not ask for clearance into controlled air space?  I told him no go with an RPC…..

So, it looks like I am in for some low level flying, like it or not 🙂

 

[RossK]

Just do long approaches and long finals 😁

you can be under 500ft AGL as long as you are on final or upwind

[jackc]

12 minutes ago, RossK said:

Just do long approaches and long finals 😁

you can be under 500ft AGL as long as you are on final or upwind

IF it was that simple 😞

Airstrip at waypoint ‘Weasel’ ………  23 35.066 S.  150 27.163 E 

[Ironpot]

Jack,

 

Have a yarn with Rocky Tower  -  07 4931 5205 - they’ll advise you better. Real good people to talk to if they’re not busy.

 

Bouldercombe is one of their “unofficial “ waypoints and you are very close to the “BUDGI two departure”  so they will have a view.

 

[jackc]

Thanks John……will give them a call 🙂

[Thruster88]

Depart SW and you will be straight into the 2500ft step. Grassroots flying at its finest.  

[jackc]

But what about entering the local Flying School training area D706?  

[Thruster88]

13 minutes ago, jackc said:

But what about entering the local Flying School training area D706?  

Any aircraft may enter a danger area. It is a heads up so the pilot is informed about any activity that may be taking place. https://vfrg.casa.gov.au/general/rules-of-the-air/prohibited-restricted-and-danger-areas/

[Yenn]

The class D has changed where you are in the last few years, it used to be D 2500 min. I doubt that any aircraft would be down at 1000' in that area unless they were local. You can fly in class E if you have a transponder, but I reckon your mention of class E was not what airservices were worried about. D is the thing you have to avoid.

Do you get access from Webb Rd, I know the area and have a friend who lives there. The country to your East is not suitable for low flying. I have walked a bit of it.

[RossK]

Can you not follow the Burnett Hwy west and then climb out under the 2500ft step and then head south?

[jackc]

34 minutes ago, Yenn said:

The class D has changed where you are in the last few years, it used to be D 2500 min. I doubt that any aircraft would be down at 1000' in that area unless they were local. You can fly in class E if you have a transponder, but I reckon your mention of class E was not what airservices were worried about. D is the thing you have to avoid.

Do you get access from Webb Rd, I know the area and have a friend who lives there. The country to your East is not suitable for low flying. I have walked a bit of it.

Here is pic, Webb Road runs between Nugget Ave and Burnett Hiway (red)  Airstrip (green) runs North/South, it’s 1500 ft long.

Very slight downhill to North. Height is around 500ft AMSL and 12nm from Rocky airport.

 

 

 

[APenNameAndThatA]

I must admit, I don't see what the problem is, so long as you arrive and depart from the west. Your firebreak seems less than a mile from the LL1000 boundary. That means that if you fly 500 ft circuits you will *automatically* stay clear of the Class D airspace. With the tiger country to the left, I do see that an overhead departure would have been nice, but. 

 

If you join a local flying school, you might be able to use Class D with a transponder and medical but *without* having a RPL. If you get an RPL, transponder and CASA medical, you will be able to use Class D. But, if you don't want to do overhead departures and don't mind departing to the west, I don't see how you would get in Class D space if you tried. 

 

[jackc]

My problem is not fly over 1000 ft AMSL, and airstrip is about 550 ft AMSL give it take a bit over its length.

Anyway, I spoke with Rocky Tower the other day and had that confirmed.  Apparently they keep a local ‘mud map’ of private airfields  anyway, to which I will add mine.  They did not say I could not fly, but going under 500ft other than for departure and arrival is not allowed, so see what happens.  Told them I would use a Skyecho2 ECD for ADS-B  in/out that they cant see anyway, but others can and they did not know such a device existed 🙂  I advised I would make radio calls for departure etc etc an they seem happy with that.  Guess I will find out on the day I call for a departure advice and see what happens 🙂 

[Bruce Tuncks]

Good onyer, jackc.  How about you use your eyeballs to see if there is anybody there and act accordingly? Just never admit anything to the bad guys.

[jackc]

All I need to do is watch out for drones!  And helicopters doing power line inspections, be too low for radar and like you said keep watch for anything else.  Lived here for years and never seen much except for the aircraft departing  for Brisbane that pass over at 4500 feet or so. Arrival come in on a different track 15 kilometres to my North. Be interesting when my Skyecho2 turns up and I do a ground based ADS-B listening watch. Would not mind setting up a proper ADS-B ground station and feed the data to the Internet, need to do some research on that. Could be beneficial for local area?

[Bruce Tuncks]

There was a powerline inspection helicopter here recently. They now just have a camera system so they just fly along the power lines. 

The very door of the helicopter would be worth than my whole fleet...

[Jabiru7252]

And the camera might well be worth more than the some flying club's fleet! Some IR cameras (Wescam) can  cost many hundreds of thousands of dollars. Bruce, the club has bought my plane...

[Bruce Tuncks]

Great news Jab7252. They sure are getting a good one. Mine is for sale too, at only 20,900 dollars so when all the disappointed would be-buyers for yours come to have a cry, please tell them about mine.

Right now I am flying a 230D with autopilot and other stuff...

[Ironpot]

I don't know if this helps or hinders you. Implemented on the 24th March

 

 

 

 

 

ISS industry briefing RK MK 18 19 October latest version 2021.pdf

Edited November 2, 2021 by Ironpot

[Ironpot]

That should have read ... to be implemented on the 24th March 2022

 

[Bruce Tuncks]

I don't think it helps Ironpot. What we don't need is for government departments to impose "services" onto us which we will have to pay for.

[jackc]

The thing that peeves me is having to pore over charts when checking G airspace, too much information clutter where something important could be missed.   If only there were charts primarily for RAA pilot use. 

[turboplanner]

1 hour ago, jackc said:

The thing that peeves me is having to pore over charts when checking G airspace, too much information clutter where something important could be missed.   If only there were charts primarily for RAA pilot use. 

I'm assuming you're referring to the local area near your strip.

They aren't going to make up maps for RA aircraft because they aren't expected in the zone, and I agree tying to sort out where you can go while at the same time trying to dodge a rainstorm without making an incursion and with the aircraft bouncing around is a nightmare. What I've done is get a small rung binder (A5) and do my own page with any special procedures - pretty much what you're asking for. While you're making the page up you're learning critical points.