What these Forums did for me...

[bushpilot]

Ian's prompt for us to express a view on expansion of these Forums got me thinking about just how useful the Forum has been to me….leading to my final decision on the best aircraft for my needs.

 

I have had my new J160C for a few weeks now, and haven’t had the time until today to post anything about it - but here are a couple of happy snaps.. I guess everyone knows what a Jab. looks like, but it’s a bit like new-born babies – they look more beautiful to the proud parents..:heart:

 

But I want to acknowledge that the reason I ended up at Bundaberg collecting my baby, back in early July, was due to the plethora of information I gleaned from these pages. Forum members have been very responsive to any questions I have asked; I have been researching options for the past 18 months as to which 3-axis a/c to move into after my Trike..

 

I wont labour through the whole decision making process, but in the end it came down to a few main determinants:

 

· Price, performance (fuel consumption, endurance and speed), strength, ease of maintenance and servicing / repairs

 

· Supporting an Australian business (Jabiru)

 

· A ‘community’ of information and support (This Forum and the number of Jab. owners)

 

The last of these points is extremely important to me; I live on a farm and don’t have direct access to many a/c owners, especially RA-AUS. I am a member of a local aero club, but all bar 2 members are GA. So these Forums cover that gap; both from the learning perspective that helped me make my buy decision, and information exchange post-acquisition.

 

So, a big thanks to Ian and moderators for making this service happen, and to the contributors who take the time to respond to all those general and technical enquiries.

 

Cheers,

 

Chris

 

24-5555

 

 

 

 

[Guest brentc]

Nice Rego there Chris!

 

Great to hear that you are happy with your machine.

 

 

[Guest basscheffers]

A Jab is the conclusion of any thread on which aircraft to buy here; the only question is which model!

 

 

[planedriver]

The body language in the photo says it all.

 

The casual crossed legs with the slight lean, and hand on the spinner proudly says, loud and clear, "she's mine".:thumb_up::thumb_up::thumb_up::thumb_up::thumb_up::thumb_up::thumb_up::thumb_up::thumb_up::thumb_up::thumb_up::thumb_up::thumb_up::thumb_up::thumb_up:

 

Congratulations Chris, take good care of her.

 

Regards

 

Alan

 

 

[bushpilot]

Thanks for the comments guys...

 

Ref. the 'body language', yes, it's a bit hard to hide the 'proud father' posture...

 

And ref. the cool rego, I'll let you in on a secret, Brent, but don't tell the others:exclamation:... The nice people at the RA-AUS office will actually let you choose a rego number for new a/c - provided it's a future sequence... So your favourite numbers, birthdate, or whatever, are possible, if it fits. I'm not sure exactly what the criteria is, but it's worth asking if you want something other than the next in the series. I just wanted something easy to remember (important at my age :confused:), so asked for 24-5555...

 

(Maybe they will soon realise that an easy way to make extra $$$$s is to charge a premium for 'personalised' numbers..)

 

Cheers,

 

Chris

 

 

[bushpilot]

Big Brother is Watching...

 

Now is this a coincidence, or a result of my comment below regarding my 24-5555 registration number??:

 

Today I got a call on my mobile phone from a staffer at the RA-AUS office.. It went something like this - 'Sorry to call you like this, but one of our Board members has asked me to phone you to see if you would be prepared give up your registration number'...

 

I was a bit taken aback, and working with colleagues at the time, so all I said was something like - 'No, why would I want to do that? I have good reason to want that number, which is why I asked for it in the first place'.

 

She replied - 'Oh ok, I was just asked to ask you..'

 

So, what's with that?!!

 

Are 'they' worried that they will get a flood of requests for special numbers?

 

Or did this Board member decide that my rego number would be cool on their aircraft?

 

Do we have to be extra careful what we declare in these forums?

 

Will they now write me a letter recalling my rego number?!

 

:confused:

 

Watch this space...

 

 

[Admin]

Now is this a coincidence, or a result of my comment below regarding my 24-5555 registration number??:Today I got a call on my mobile phone from a staffer at the RA-AUS office.. It went something like this - 'Sorry to call you like this, but one of our Board members has asked me to phone you to see if you would be prepared give up your registration number'...

 

I was a bit taken aback, and working with colleagues at the time, so all I said was something like - 'No, why would I want to do that? I have good reason to want that number, which is why I asked for it in the first place'.

 

She replied - 'Oh ok, I was just asked to ask you..'

 

So, what's with that?!!

 

Are 'they' worried that they will get a flood of requests for special numbers?

 

Or did this Board member decide that my rego number would be cool on their aircraft?

 

Do we have to be extra careful what we declare in these forums?

 

Will they now write me a letter recalling my rego number?!

 

:confused:

 

Watch this space...

Now that is interesting!

Firstly Bushpilot, you have nothing to worry about...that is the number that is with that aircraft and nothing can change that!

 

Now if I was to call myself the "Shadow" minister board member for Vic I would say that I have been advised on a previous occasion that I could not transfer the number from my first CT to my new one that I had ordered at the time and reregister my first CT with new numbers - I was told that it wasn't allowed yet here we have a Board member doing the same

 

 

[Guest pecram air]

Great Purchase.

 

Great Purchase Chris. Have you taken her into your home strip and how did it go ??

 

Regards,

 

Phil C.

 

 

[bushpilot]

Great Purchase Chris. Have you taken her into your home strip and how did it go ?? Regards,

Phil C.

Haven't had her in at home as yet; we lengthened (by 80m) and widened (by 10m) the strip in Autumn, sowed some grass seed - and now waiting for Spring to get it properly established.... I'll then move her out here from Bathurst aerodrome (Club hanger).

 

Have had Jabs. in here before - in the shorter configuration - so should be fine....

 

See you around.

 

Cheers,

 

Chris

 

 

[Guest High Plains Drifter]

Maybe they will soon realise that an easy way to make extra $$$$s is to charge a premium for 'personalised' numbers...

Top idea :thumb_up:

 

My last two 55 rego'ed aircraft had the numbers of my choice (did'nt care before that) always been an option as far as I am aware ...maybe theres a leg pull going on somewhere

 

 

[Guest TOSGcentral]

Re Rego numbers choice.

 

Got to box a bit careful here but......

 

A few years ago there was a bit of turmoil about office staff meeting member panderings on future numbers. The apple cart got turned over by an AUF President insisting on the re-allocation of a previous number (Like a very important one - 10-0001!) That caused an alleged brawl with the the encumbrant manager but the President got his way,

 

After that I understand that a very firm edict was put down that ANYONE gets their number of the next on the list - no exclusions and NOBODY gets a previously issued number (which is the way it always had been). Seems as though things have changed - again!

 

 

[brilin_air]

Congrats Chris on the new Jab!

 

A warm welcome to the club. :thumb_up:

 

We hope you have many happy hours with the 160

 

-Linda

 

19-5026

 

 

[bushpilot]

All's well that ends well...

 

Now is this a coincidence, or a result of my comment below regarding my 24-5555 registration number??:Today I got a call on my mobile phone from a staffer at the RA-AUS office.. It went something like this - 'Sorry to call you like this, but one of our Board members has asked me to phone you to see if you would be prepared give up your registration number'...

 

I was a bit taken aback, and working with colleagues at the time, so all I said was something like - 'No, why would I want to do that? I have good reason to want that number, which is why I asked for it in the first place'.

 

She replied - 'Oh ok, I was just asked to ask you..'

 

So, what's with that?!!

 

Are 'they' worried that they will get a flood of requests for special numbers?

 

Or did this Board member decide that my rego number would be cool on their aircraft?

 

Do we have to be extra careful what we declare in these forums?

 

Will they now write me a letter recalling my rego number?!

 

:confused:

 

Watch this space...

Had a chat with RA-AUS CEO about this one.. He got onto it straight away and emailed me later to confirm that I was not at fault in requesting a specific rego number and the Board member that had raised the question had been spoken to.

 

Good response and handled well, on his part...

 

Cheers,

 

Chris

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

I am part owner of scout no 10-0001. it has been rebuilt but placing it back on the register seems to have come to halt as it seems that it's rego number has been reallocated to an ex presidents aircraft. Some time was spent tracking down this historically significant 'minimum' down and more time and money spent restoring it.

 

Monies were accepted but no allocation of paperwork has been recieved by the nominated registed owner. (Arthur Walker). If you look at the list of registered aircraft on the RAAus site you will find the 10-0001 entry is vacant. question remains to be answered is were is and who now posesses the aircraft now carrying the 10-0001 rego. a kestral i belive. This is one of two cases of a board member taking what is not theirs. altho no doubt their are those who would disagree.

 

ozzie

 

 

[Guest TOSGcentral]

Good one Oz. I suppose that just stating the way things are is written off as ‘politics’. Really Pee’s you off does it not.

 

 

This is the drum on this one. It is going to be heavy!

 

 

The RAAus office got ticked off with requests for rego numbers ‘down stream’ – seems they did not want the work load and I do not blame them for that – they have more than enough to do and these days have more.

 

 

An edict came out that any future number allocation would be ‘next on the list’ and no exceptions so do not bother pleading. This was put in the magazine.

 

 

I do not know whether that was a Board Policy decision or a management edict – we get few if any reported changes from Board Meetings, yet have to comply with them when we eventually find that we are confronting them – because they are there and it is automatically assumed that we know they are there!

 

 

Within months a (then) serving President decided that he wanted the (then inactive) rego number 10-0001. I opine that he wanted it to demonstrate that he was totally ‘grass roots’ orientated while at the same time ‘selling AUF down the river to GA’ without the member’s direct or even indirect knowledge and doing so in collusion with others.

 

 

When that little box of tricks came unglued – partly at my own hands and mainly because of totally inept financial and structural management – the deed had already been done.

 

 

10-0001 was re-allocated to a brand new, kit built Kestrel that was (I believe) totally built by the manufacturer and then delivered. I was personally invited to fly the aircraft (which I should have done so that it was in my log book. but I did not) . I did however photograph it with its rego number.

 

 

I do not know what happened to the aircraft afterwards. The disgraceful AVMIN/Magazine Editorship faded away but the name change and change of the main office was pushed through – all without any consultation or direct knowledge of the membership – it just happened because the Board are so empowered but not required to tell anyone anything unless it suits them- or (in fairness) if they have spare resources to so report.

 

 

With the 10-0001 situation I also climbed on board the bandwagon – seeking to get early and now redundant rego numbers re-issued for really historic Thrusters that were illegal at that time as changing regulations had passed them by.

 

 

This was refused – not just by AUF but also by the members of the QUA at an open meeting where two present Board members, one serving President and two ex Presidents were present. The combined meeting voted against any form of airworthiness training for reasons that the ‘members would not understand and it is an imposition on freedoms’.

 

 

I tried again a couple of years ago. Like Oz I had put a lot of effort into finding what happened to 25-0001 – our first ever legal trainer. I found it and provided ample proof, was on these forums drumming up support, took it to a Board Meeting after circulating EVERY Board member, and it all fell flat and went totally quiet.

 

 

I seriously believed that a movement such as ours would value it’s heritage. The very fact that 10-0001 and 25-0001 originals have been found and researched and proven – yet discarded is indicative of the ‘evolutionary’ mentality of RAAus! These aircraft clearly demonstrate the soundness of our movement in the fact that they endure after over a quarter of a century.

 

 

These aircraft are no longer of significance. They have no relevance to a movement that clearly (at management level) wishes to leave them back in the past as dinosaurs just for a museum – the movement has to forge ahead and forget the past other than a few platitudes that the past is not forgotten.

 

 

In fact they are a practical echo of what was said by very senior RAAus officials at the time at a NatFly – ’95.10 and 95.25 are dead – we have to move on’. Damn did those words ring because believe me they were widely spread!

 

 

So we are splitting a movement ethically as well as by aircraft type. Do you wonder that there may be a perceived ‘us and them’ attitude amongst ourselves as well as between ourselves and our management? Especially as we had a once unified movement and others could have gone and created their own without involving us – or could have joined in if there was more equality clarity?

 

 

Bah! How a straight recounting of history can come out as a just a ‘rant’ these days!

 

 

Ozzie and his mate deserve the rego 10-0001 for the machine that they found, researched and restored. Just as 25-0001 also deserves hers. But RAAus on one hand are powerless as they cannot re-issue a rego number – but they already had – and are so trapped in a web of ineptitude. They were too weak in the first place and now their own recourse is refusal rather than correction of error.

 

 

In closing I wish to say one thing very firmly. I do believe John Gardon and his team are really trying – but they have such a task to unravel and it will take them time. How many more skeletons would you like me to drag clanking out of the closet? Because I have a great many. Ops, airworthiness, Board conduct, administrative conduct, financial ineptitude – take your pick – they are all provable!

 

 

 

Aye

 

 

Tony

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

The reason that this has not gone to court is the consideration that it is the members monies and not the individual board member whose monies will be spent defending the case. personally i'd rather sort this out in the car park. scout 10-001 flys regularly and will continue to do so regardless of it's legal status. and we have a ball doing it. more than willing to go into Battle over this. CAO95-10 may be dead. But ANO 95-10 is very much alive. you just have to know were to find it. It is just that most participants want nothing to do with the RAAus.

 

Ozzie

 

 

[bushpilot]

Whoops - I've inadvertantly led this thread down a political path... so I figure it's now a case of 'enough said'.

 

 

[Bigglesworth]

All I can say is that I asked for a an interesting number, with a few suggestions, and got 19-5222. I like it. The .222 is a good gun

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

Is this a fresh number or has it been previously allocated to another aircraft?

 

 

[Ultralights]

im quite happy with my 25-0078 vampire.. its the aircraft that ate 007!

 

 

[Admin]

im quite happy with my 25-0078 vampire.. its the aircraft that ate 007!

Or is it 0078 Vampire so James Bond ate your vampire up :black_eye:

 

 

[Bigglesworth]

Is this a fresh number or has it been previously allocated to another aircraft?

Fresh, I'm always original.

 

And I like my number......

 

Reckon we could get a trading system? like vanity plates....

 

I could make a bit of money with mine, but it wouldn't be worth it: nothing can make up for the loss of a good number....