Ops Manual update

[JohnMcK]

Hi All,

 

All RA-Aus members will soon be getting a CD copy of the new Ops. and Technical Manual with the July Magazine. Included will be a "Bonus Section" of John Brandon's excellent Tutorials, an electronic version of AC43.13 "Aircraft Inspection, Repairs and Alterations" and AC90-89A "Amateur Built Aircraft and Ultralight Flight Testing Handbook, and a copy of CASA Visual Flight Rules.

 

The new Ops. Manual will become effective on August 1, 2008.

 

PLEASE, don't ring the office about questions straight away. Even if only 10 % of members ring in that is nearly 1000 inquiries and will totally overwhelm the office staff.

 

We, the board and office staff copped a lot of flack by a very small minority of members by going electronic here, but we have saved your organization tens of thousands of dollars that can be better spent elsewhere, and have given you a bonus section that would be cost prohibitive to send out in printed form. If you are a special case and don't have access to a computer you can request a printed copy of the manuals only. You won't get the bonus section in print form. As a side note, the FAA has now ceased sending out AD's in printed form. If you are a pilot in the US and not now on the internet, you are out of the game.

 

A special thanks needs to go to board member Lynn Jarvis from SA who voluntary did a lot of work on the bonus section.

 

John McK

 

 

[Deskpilot]

Quote <If you are a special case and don't have access to a computer> unquote:

 

Now just how are these poor unfortunates going to know about this statement?

 

 

[BigPete]

'Cause it will be said in the magazine :thumb_up:.... I recon.

 

I think.

 

I hope.

 

regards

 

:big_grin::big_grin:

 

 

[robinsm]

Have to get the magazine first, 16th of the month and still no show. Date rewview perhaps?

 

 

[ZoneMagic]

why is this so

 

I have bitten my tongue for long enough... I agree with "Recreational Flying" why is it that the mag for some is received so late in the month.. I was reading the mag for 8mth before starting my training and was able and still am able to get it from the news agents by the 8th of the month at the latest(normally has arrived by the 5th of the month)

 

When i commenced my training i got my membership which included (by requirement) my subscription to the mag, ever since then mag arrives somewhere between the 20th - 25th of the month.

 

Every month i ramble a few choice words as i rip out the subscription form from the mag, as it advertises if you subscribe you'll get the mag delivered to you ahead of the new agency. Haaaaa

 

Needless to say being addicted to flying and the mag i used to purchase the mag at the start of the month from the newsagent ( until the upped the price )

 

 

[Mathew Ker]

With tongue firmly planted in cheek - They might be holding off deliveries of the magazine so they can send out the new ops manual with latest amendments! :black_eye:

 

Actually I want to thank JohnMcK and those involved with the distribution. I applaud them for including additional bonus material that will help many members in their flying safety. This is an unexpected bonus.

 

Cheers, Mathew :thumb_up:

 

 

[Guest airsick]

Every month i ramble a few choice words as i rip out the subscription form from the mag, as it advertises if you subscribe you'll get the mag delivered to you ahead of the new agency. Haaaaa

Me too. I don't mind reading the story of someone flying around Broken Hill at the end of the month but what annoys me most is the fact that I am starting the process of hunting for an aircraft. Getting the mag at the end of the month means that I, as a member, don't hear about the good deals until a good couple of weeks after the general public has access to them!

 

 

[Chucky]

Got mine today!

 

 

[robinsm]

Got mine today also:thumb_up:

 

 

[Mathew Ker]

Still waiting for mine . Maybe if I just think of it coming early for next month - it'll be an unexpected surprise

 

Cheers, Mathew

 

 

[vk3auu]

Hi John,

 

Thanks for your information. It's good to see that you are also taking the opportunity to include some extra information. It is a pity that those without access to computers will miss out, but I suspect they are an extremely small group these days as almost every workplace has a computer to which staff can gain access, or they have friends with computers. After all, what are friends for if we can't share our computers with our mates.

 

That brings me to another related subject which I trot out occasionally, but with a change in the administration I now might have some more success.

 

Many organisations now send out there regular newsletters in PDF format as Email attachments. This saves them an enormous amount, both in printing and postage costs. It also gets the information out in a timely manner. I realise that if the RaAus were to do this for those members who are agreeable, the print run would be much smaller and the cost per item would be greater, but it would also save us many thousands of dollars in the course of a year. I have been told that there are legal reasons why it can't be done, but I don't buy that line.

 

Your considered opinion would be appreciated.

 

David

 

 

[Guest pecram air]

Mag Availability.

 

Really dont mind when it arrives but what erks me is when I ahve already read the same stories in Pacific Flyer at the start of the month. Its great to be published but I do hate to see the same stories in both mags.

 

Phil C.

 

 

[Admin]

Just got mine in Victoria - before I start reading the Ops Manual I voted first...offcourse - please tell everyone in Victoria to vote for Ian Baker please, please, please, put a notice up in your club to vote Ian Baker :big_grin: :big_grin: :big_grin: ...now for the Ops Manual

 

 

[Yenn]

Got mine today and had a quick look at the Ops manual. I hope I am mistaken but I may be illegal flying as I don't have either HP or LP on my certificate. No doubt further reading will disclose all.

 

 

[JohnMcK]

David,

 

To answer your question, Technically It could be done electronically if the vast majority of members voted for it. But this will be a real long way away yet. I get access to the magazine "pre print" . I have broadband but it still takes me about two sleeps to download. Personally I like to read a magazine in my hands.

 

Cheers,

 

John

 

 

[Admin]

John, do you know if the Ops Manual is only for RAAus members? - if it isn't then I would like to put a copy of it up in the downloads section here so people can have access to it wherever they may be at the time.

 

 

[John Brandon]

John, do you know if the Ops Manual is only for RAAus members? - if it isn't then I would like to put a copy of it up in the downloads section here so people can have access to it wherever they may be at the time.

The Ops Manual (an RA-Aus copyright) is certainly available to persons or organisations who are not members of the association. The price is $38.50 plus $5.50 postage but updates not included. Mail the office with your cheque!

cheers

 

John (Brandon)

 

 

[Guest basscheffers]

I have broadband but it still takes me about two sleeps to download. Personally I like to read a magazine in my hands.

Sounds like most Australians, you don't have broadband, you have fraudband!

Seriously, even at 512mbps, you should receive over 4GB in 24 hours. (130GB if you are on 8K broadband) If you are getting less, either the server is at the wrong ISP or you are!

 

What type of files do you get? If you are only reading, it should be PDF, with images converted to low-quality JPEG, not embedding the TIFFs as bitmaps. Whoever does the layout should be able to export it this way and have the entire mag come to you in less than a couple of dozen megabytes, which should download in minutes.

 

 

[vme]

The Ops Manual (an RA-Aus copyright) is certainly available to persons or organisations who are not members of the association. The price is $38.50 plus $5.50 postage but updates not included. Mail the office with your cheque!cheers

 

John (Brandon)

Dear John .. The following is what you said last April. Do you see any inconsistency?

 

Regards

 

..Vince

 

Have to inform you that the online ops manual issue 6 has now been removed. It will be reinstated when the CD is distributed to members. I will start working on the CD tonight which will be posted to Lynn Jarvis Thursday. Lynn has volunteered to do all the necessary work to convert it into a publishable format. The CD will contain the two manuals plus my online tutorials.The reason for the withdrawal was that it was creating far more telephone calls to Mick Poole than he could cope with so please give him and the others in the office a break for a couple of months.

 

cheers

 

John

[John Brandon]

Dear John .. The following is what you said last April. Do you see any inconsistency?Regards

..Vince

G'day Vince,

 

Where's the inconsistency? Both statements are absolutely true.

 

Perhaps it is a valid view that our association is foolish to expect to sell our material to non-members in print, or perhaps CD, form when the same material will be available from the RA-Aus website in pdf form? Perhaps, in the current internet climate, we ARE foolish but so what — it is of little consequence; and we have achieved such sales in the past. Or do you suggest, to be consistent, we should give CDs or printed versions to non-members?

 

cheers

 

John

 

ps the link to the Ops Manual at www.raa.asn.au will be restored on the effective date - August 1.

 

 

[Guest basscheffers]

ps the link to the Ops Manual at www.raa.asn.au will be restored on the effective date - August 1.

And if you want to read issue 6 online in the mean time, the Google knows where John has hidden it! :big_grin:

 

 

[eastmeg2]

John, do you know if the Ops Manual is only for RAAus members? - if it isn't then I would like to put a copy of it up in the downloads section here so people can have access to it wherever they may be at the time.

Good question Ian. I'd like to know the answer since most of my trike flying is under HGFA jurisdiction.

 

 

[Guest brentc]

Copyright or not, it's information that is relevant to members only who fly under its' juristiction. Anyone could have it, but it won't give them anything unless they pay up.

 

If you were considering setting up a rival organisation and 'stealing' the wording and regulations, you'd get it from a member anyway!

 

The HGFA is a good example, you might like to get yourself a copy as a non-member to see how the organisations and rules differ before moving across.

 

 

[Guest airsick]

All this copyright nonsense is rubbish. Ok, so the material is copyrighted and owned by RAA but let's face it, if anyone wanted to start up some sort of rival organisation there are more significant barriers to entry than getting hold of the Ops Manual. Joining up and paying the fee is not likely to be a show stopper. And even if they do obtain it legally they still can't copy it and use it as their own. What irks me is the restriction on free sharing of information amongst ourselves.

 

I started to have a look over the Ops Manual on Friday and got annoyed that it is broken into about 50 odd files making it hard to read through the entire thing and reference different parts easily. Not a problem I thought, I have the software to join it all together and make it a single file. But no, RAA in their infinite wisdom feel it is prudent to prevent me from doing anything that will make it easy to read through the entire document - it is protected so I can't do this. Anyway, I persist and come up with a couple of questions.

 

I figure that I will go with Mick Poole's comments in the latest mag (which I recieved two weeks after it was in the local paper shop) and post here to see if I can find answers before annoying the RAA staff with questions (I don't have a local instructor to bug so I can't really take that avenue). In doing this I would like to cut and paste parts of the regs that I have questions on but again no, the document is protected - I can't even copy parts from it! I figure bugger it, seeing as how they aren't making it easy for me I will ring them and ask the question first hand.

 

So my gripe is this. Why is it that when our organisation sees fit to make the best use of technology they only go half way? Wouldn't it make more sense if they are going to distribute it electronically to make it such that we can pull bits and pieces from it in order to ask questions, clarify things, disemminate knowledge, etc. This manual is essentially the same as the CAOs, CARs, etc. which can all be freely copied and distributed. All laws and Acts can also be freely copied and distributed. Yet for some reason RAA feels this is different and some sort of copyright applies such that we can't copy sections of it. Basically, it is the law under which we fly yet we are restricted in the way we are allowed to discuss it and gain a better understanding of it.

 

Ok, some may argue that if you could copy the content it could be modified and the true meaning thus 'lost in translation'. But it is more likely to get mangled in Chinese whisper type ways if we are forced to retype it to ask questions. And you don't have to allow editing of the original document to allow copying either so the original document would remain intact - this argument isn't valid. As for making it one big document there was mention in these forums that this was intended to encourage non-members to purchase the document. So why not distribute a single file version (as well as the 50 file version) to members and post the protected multiple file version on the net. We used to get a hard copy for free as a member now we don't, the least we could do is get an easy version to navigate rather than be 'forced' to purchase something we used to get as part of our fees just so we have easy access. Even the big old evil CASA publishes a multi part version together with a single file version for everything except the CAOs which, it could be argued, are unlikely to be read in their entirety anyway.

 

This distributing electronically was a good cost saving idea and to their credit the RAA had options for those who can't use the electronic version. But for those of us that can and want to help the organisation save money why the hell punish us by making it difficult?

 

RAA has done some great stuff over the years but in my opinion they have botched this and, put simply, it was one of the easiest things to get right.

 

Anyway, rant over. I am off to fill in my ballot paper.

 

 

[vk3auu]

(David - I have sent your post on to Airsick as a PM - Ian)