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Hi all, this site, and all sister sites will undergo some changes over the coming days as we remove the need of all US services. This includes our server in the US which will now be in Australia through a French provider which will actually end up a little bit cheaper as well. We are also looking at dropping all US produced software and minimising all US manufactured products sold in Clear Prop. This is my way of putting my own tariffs on US products and services and supporting Ukraine. It's not much but if everyone just looked at what they buy from the US and US companies and reduced the money we give to the US then collectively it just may send a message. Besides just my US server costs were around $250 a month to the US, now they will be around $200 a month with some of that staying here in Australia and NONE of it going to the US. Oh, also the server admin person is no longer someone in the US, but an even better guy that is in the UK. He will start setting up the new server tomorrow and will migrate the sites over. Thanks for your understanding and your continued support of the sites over the 20 plus years we have been going, helping you to fly safer and learning from each others experiences.

Update --- Drum Roll I'm happy to report after meeting my Pilot neighbour that all's well with the world and good communication goes a long way. He showed me and my wife his meticulously cared for plane and his logs which gave us alot of confidence that he knows what he's doing and cares alot about safety for everyone. He's had decades of flight experience which I think, gives our family the best confidence that we're in safe hands. So, for any pilots with neighbours ... Please Please Please ... Communicate with them. We ended up laughing about the communication issues as we left. He's a great guy actually. So ... if I have offended any pilots out there, I apologise. I came from a place of keeping my family safe and not one of restricting peoples ability to enjoy their hobby. Thank You and Fly Safely Everyone Brian

If it saves you money and makes it sustainable - go for it. We all appreciate what you do for us. Thanks Ian.

MAGAZINE ARTICLE recreational aviation forum Written By: [brendan Introduction For two decades, the Recreational Aviation Forum has been a pivotal platform for aviators, offering unparalleled support and resources to enthusiasts and seasoned pilots alike. This vibrant community extends beyond digital conversations, fostering real-world connections that have enriched the lives of countless aviators worldwide. The forum serves as a beacon for knowledge-sharing, where aviators of all experience levels collaborate and exchange insights on a wide range of topics. From technical discussions on aircraft maintenance to sharing flight experiences, the forum is a treasure trove of information and support. Members often recount how this resource has enhanced their flying skills and deepened their passion for aviation. In addition to technical resources, the forum plays a crucial role in the advocacy and promotion of recreational flying. By connecting members with similar interests, it has successfully organized events, meet-ups, and training sessions that have significantly contributed to the growth and development of recreational aviation. The community spirit fostered by the forum has created lasting friendships and professional relationships that thrive on mutual respect and a shared love for flying. As it continues to celebrate its 20th anniversary, the forum remains committed to its mission of inspiring and supporting aviators. It constantly evolves to meet the changing needs of its members, ensuring it remains a relevant and invaluable tool in the world of recreational aviation.

Mr FV is planning to live to 107yrs to finish all the projects he has on the go now. Any more and he'll have to live longer.... Despite all his dreaming and studying plans and kits, there won't be another plane building adventure. He's still restoring a 1951 dozer, and old grader, forklift, tractors & windmills for others etc. He reads aviation magazines in bed.

The Sportstar is registered...

I will be attending this year with my brother in the Jabiru... amazing event, wouldn't miss it. (Photo from the last Flyin at Old Station in 2022)

Final build video. Now that the Viper and trailer are finished, I am focused on saving to buy a truck to tow it. In the meantime, I dug through my hard drive for seven years of WIP photos and combined them into a complete build video, just under 9 minutes. Enjoy! Baz.

My son is down to Avalon this week. Here he is with rocket racer Rosco Mcglashin.

takes too long to get through the bloody traffic. spend enough time in it during the week. also i am not looking for a new fighter bomber or attack chopper at the moment.

Productive couple of days in the workshop. Undercarriage stop rings, axles and torque link brackets all done. Soon it will be welding time. Just need to make the torque links. The brackets for the legs are with the welder now. After the torque links I need to assemble the centre spar and then I will have an aeroplane on its wheels 😁

This Forum is excellent - Unlike some other forms I am on: Great feedback (for the most part) Great debates, that rarely descend into personal attacks Good people, nearly always willing to help, no matter the topic/question Fantastic tangential departures (Thread Drift) Enough "gush" safe to say I regularly recomend The Forum to fellow pilots😈

I struggle to understand the reason this thread has not been stopped by the mods. I recall some long while ago that my thoughts on the US political failures were very roughly curtailed by ad hominem attacks and worse. It must be apparent that the US nation has been responsible for catastrophe followed by worse at least since they took on the Vietnam boondogle but ,really since Korea and all that. it is NOT JUST TRUMP. We have taken on F35s that can't turn. can't... etc and now are involved in the steal of the century , purchasing Submarines that we will never control let alone actually need. It's about time that we grew a pair as a nation. Sorry for that rant, I guess that I will now be banned for muy trouble. Don

Sorry about the sites outage yesterday but I made a mistake, I didn't purchase enough server control panel licenses, hey I am turning 66 in a couple of months so I am allowed to make mistakes, the old brain isn't what it use to be. Anyway the sites should start to be moved this evening AEDT(Thur 20th).

Aircraft 2. We have motor and avionics sorted. Tomorrow is taxiiing and going through the avionics on the G3X such as checking radios, magnetometer etc. Big deal to close the boot cowl and limited access to the wiring. So, getting it as right as possible now is essential. whirlwind prop is a drama. I’ll post about that once sorted. We’ve had some failures in S21’s related to the 3/8th bolts. It’s a bit like the Jabiru saga with 3/8th and upgrade to 7/16th. I’ll start with the 3/8ths and expect or hope for an upgrade kit with 7/16th prop lugs and bolts. After boot cowl closed we are onto windscreen, sunroof and engine cowl. That’s it. So… maybe 4-6 weeks to flying subject to paperwork. 5kw wind turbine to follow. Aircraft takes priority over the turbine patent. Pic yesterday front and back and picking up Deb for a trip in the RV6. The cows hardly move for take offs and landings. Have to sort of land between them. Cow poop on the new aircraft will be annoying. But.. when going away such as trips back to USA I realise how damn good it is to have your own runway and just wheel it out and be in the air in a few minutes. Warm up is the slowest part of proceedings.

The funnel could be inserted into an empty water bottle to make a handy in-flight convenience.

No one mentioned the free funnel. I can ice a cake or top oil up now.😁

Greetings All, Just wondering if anyone who was following this thread is still on the site? It's been more than six years ...

Good luck to all. Us boaties will be having fun, lots have moved into marinas which is the last place to be if it gets bad. I am on a extra sized mooring, the only safe place to be unless you can be 100,s KMs away from the storm. My biggest issue is been hit by broken boats, trees etc floating past. Many of the local commercial moorings are way undersized and expect some will break away. Stocked up on supplies esp my Peroni 🍺. Batten down the hatches

The pilot in question Ben, is a friend of mine. I will not say much, there is always two sides to every story. Hopefully you and Ben will have an amicable meeting to resolve the issue. As an experienced pilot, as is Ben, I can say you are not at risk. The wind in cowra today was around 20km/h with a peak gust of 35km/h.

Both Marty and Regular person have answered some questions playing in my mind, I was not going to post but have thought about my comments before doings so as i do not know either party. I live in a rural area in the Mid North Coast hinterland. When I purchased my property i was supplied a council letter advising me of the fact the area is rural, you cannot complain about rural noises and operations. I already understood this being a country person, but i can see why they issue the letter with a lot of city dwellers purchasing in the area for holiday homes. My driveway adjacent neighbour has lived on his 10Acre lot for 40 years. He runs sheep for eating on his land, Kept his 2 concrete pumping trucks parked there (day Job) Plants a few crops of melons and Pumpkins on a patch that other neighbours let him used in return for keeping the area mowed, planted and tidy. He had a 2 acre lot he split off and gave away to a daughter for a dwelling, she sold and people built on it, no probs for 8 years. Then the small lot was sold again. New people from the blue mountains area bought it. Instagram Yoga teaching types from Brazil originally. Suddenly he is getting complaints about sheep noises, riding his quad too much (it is hilly and he has 1 leg (prosthetic for other), tractor noises, burning off complaints. To top it off they pushed the boundary fence over, because it spoilt the view of the creek for their yoga videos. A creek they wouldn't even see if my neighbour didn't keep the vines and scrub cleared back for his melon crop. They, being internet savvy, started petitioning the council about every complaint, and because the squeaky wheel minority always get greased they achieved getting our area rezoned residential- putting everyone's rates up, having the trucks removed from his property as no business could be conducted on the land- his employees and himself drove off at 6 every morning to work on construction sites not on his land. Along with creating extreme animosity among neighbours from calling the police if he lights a burn off pile on his own land, taking out restraining orders against him has made an unpleasant environment with an us against them type situation. This guy couldn't do enough to help when we bought our land, gave us 50,000 litres of water to help out when we first built from his tanks, helped moving big items, keeping an eye on things when we weren't there. I tell this story as a precautionary tale, sometimes the consequences of disputes or minor differences can cause everyone some form of grief. I wasn't sure from the original post who was there first. Have you bought cheap land in the country for an idyllic lifestyle only to find there is country noises. Has he become a newly minted pilot and taken up a hobby in the last week, or was he a pilot all along and you were not aware of it- did the people sell you the dwelling because of the runway and noise then failed to mention it. I assume you are not in the town boundary and if the house is off grid it would be newer than his dwelling and maybe wasn't there when he first laid out his landing area, because people didn't do that stuff years ago, they had power lines for power. This is not an attack on either party but points to ponder. Like Marty said, talk to him, if he is not a cowboy and you believe he safe in his operations see if he will take you up and conduct a landing or 2 (with the missus and kids not home of course). Perspective may add some insight to operations and such. Even though it is a "Kit plane", someone spent possibly 2000hrs assembling and finishing the aircraft. Don't picture a model aircraft that takes a weekend or two to assemble with glue and rubber bands. I own a similar aircraft and they are sturdy, reliable , proven and perform well at slow speed and mine has 2 stroke under 600cc motor. You never know you might become friends, A friend is far more better value than a neighbour you hate with a passion and less heartburn.

In an attempt to get this interesting thread going again, I have recently done a rating on a Chipmunk here in NZ. It is the actual aircraft that Prince Philip first flew in. Can anyone see what I missed on my first preflight?

While it seems RAAus is a popular thing to kick at the moment, may I ask if I’m the only one who is utterly sick of PC, social engineering, whatever you want to call it, within organisations such as RAAus, and of late their magazine. Australian Sport Pilot was once a reasonable read, but yesterday I opened the latest edition to find another article (the first was in the previous mag) claiming to be written by a not-yet teenage girl. In this day and age of so-called influencers, it’s pretty obvious what is going on: little girls mummy wants daughter to be famous (mummy wants to be famous too but will use child to achieve this), little girl is primped and preened, and camera is always ready to take a picture, mummy writes articles for little girl, little girl wants to be a pilot and drive expensive cars, but gosh so many choices. Mummy fools the RAAus team into thinking that the ‘articles’ are suitable for the magazine, and a star is born. Yeah, I get it that RAAus is trying to broaden its membership but this is ludicrous. It may be suitable for Dolly magazine, but if RAAus wants to be taken seriously they need to kick this crap down the road; they are being taken for a ride by little girls mummy.

Avalon is an Aviation Industry event more akin to Farnborough or Paris where all the latest civilian and military aircraft are on display & sales teams abound. Oshkosh is the US Experimental Aircraft Associations annual fly-in & everyone is welcome. About 10,000 aircraft fly in for the event. It is aimed at a completely different demographic.

I was there today & back again tomorrow. I've flown a display aircraft into the last few & thought the organisation was good. Drove today (trade day) and parking / organisation was fine. Displays were better than expected - GA & RA-Aus well represented. I wasn't able to see everything (other stuff to do) & will see more tomorrow. Good comfortable shoes essential - well worth attending IMHO.

I used to goen stroll through Marshals hangar when I got to visit Bankstown (father and uncle used to work for Air Ag at Hangar 17, I worked for Tom at a much later date) as a kid, Spitfire x2, 109, KI 43 and all sorts of machinery. There was a ground trainer with small wings on it I thought would have been great. In those days a kid could walk through a hangar and nobody would bat an eye.

You da Man, Boss or you da Boss.,Man. ALL good. Nev

Lubricant on a lapped rivetted Joint can weaken it. Some of the strength is by friction and the clamping action of the rivets. Lube it and you just have the rivets in SHEAR. That is why Bonding as well is so good particularly with thin sheet. Nev

Finished the installation of the 600kg upgrade parts yesterday. Set the flap and aileron adjustments. Having a break today then do a recheck and ask a mate to do a double preflight check over. Then perform a new weight and balance. Next fill the tanks and take her up. Need the rain to back off for a short period; looks like the rain has set in for at least another week (it is our wet cyclone season this time of year).

Incorrect, he got 77.3 million votes which was just over 49% of the vote but just under 64% of people eligible to vote actually voted so in fact 67% of eligible voters in the US did not vote for Trump. Trump called this a landslide but he failed to gain 50% though the electoral college system saw him with 312 votes to Harris' 226. Trump won by 230,000 votes in Michigan, Pennsylvania & Wisconsin rust belt states where there was intense campaigning. If just over 115,000 voters in that group had instead picked Harris, she would have won those Rust Belt swing states, giving her enough votes in the electoral college to win the presidency. That is how screwed the US system is.

If the weather gods are kind I’ll definitely be there, photo Old Station 2022.

Harking back to the original post, I took the day off today and did nothing but watch some footy and read the latest Sport Pilot (amongst other things). I must be a bit strange, ‘cause I quite enjoyed it. Maybe I’m the only one? 🤷‍♂️

He just builds ANOTHER shed - mill the timber, use second hand tin. Rural area, so plenty of room, but the last one is still held together with G-clamps. His projects outpace his places to put them. Mind you, the projects don't cost us much as we fabricate parts ourselves. Would be loath to calculate the cost of all the magazines.

FlyingVizsla wrote, I read - Kitplanes, EAA's Sport Pilot, RAAus Sport Pilot, Airnews (Aust Women Pilots Assoc) - in Print. Read a number of other publications in digital - Kitplanes, EAA's Sport Pilot & EAA webinars. Like their Engine & Kit Buyer's guides too. I have the last two SP magazines sitting in their plastic cover because I have too many unfinished projects. I've started building the airstrip but haven't got back to it because the grader (Ripper) I bought has no brakes so I picked up some parts for that earlier this week in Perth. I have a half finished gold cone (wet processing plant) waiting for bits and pieces to turn up. I have Mrs M's carport half built and I just brought home an industrial sewing machine yesterday to sew the shade cloth. I just picked up an oil transfer pipe and two windows for out motorhome that I need to get out there and fit. I just ordered a new park brake cable for the iLoad van I was driving in Perth when the park brake started to stick on. I have the plane sitting at Northam Airport waiting for registration so I can get back to flying and to top it off Mrs M has organized a trip to China right in the middle of my annual prospecting trip north. Right now I came in after snapping the two sewing machine needles that came with the machine and I've only done about 20m of sewing. The new needles are the wrong size so that project can go on the back burner for a bit. Mrs M is away in hospital so I might just sit back with a glossy magazine for a bit 😊

Hi Onetrack, I understand that, but in this instance there is no indication that there was any "simple pilot error". He was flying along in the cruise at 4000 ft a short distance behind his brother in another aircraft and then suddenly he was at a few hundred feet pulling the chute. A few weeks later a GA aircraft ran off a runway and pilot and passenger escaped unhurt - yet the ATSB are investigating that. Also the sad accident where a young instructor took a couple of mates up in his newly-acquired GA plane and flew circles around the mate's house , lost control and crashed is also being investigated by the ATSB - yet I think we can agree this will not reveal anything new about flying circles low and heavy around a point. So I'm afraid the argument about only investigating fatal crashes where something new can be learnt does NOT apply. Cheers, Neil

Well done. When are you starting your flying lessons.😁

Personally, I would not operate from that airstrip. I would have bought a more suitable place to fly from, that house is too close for my liking. The risk element is probably not that great, but its one I would not be happy with.

My LAME was testing as much as he could without flying the plane. Engine, Propeller, Brakes, Park Brake, Steering and instruments. A few seconds of high stress was not going to blow up anything that was not about to let go in flight. I thought that was FINE of COURSE.

Well, I never knew that Chipmunks came with an emission control, cat converter! How forward-thinking of them!

In my opinion TDS is a rather childish put down term directed towards people rightly concerned that a nutcase has been given perhaps the most powerfull position in the world. The term is almost always used by those who agree with some of Trump's behaviour. Perhaps you could elaborate on your position in more detail than simply throwing out the TDS insult?

Thanks Jerry. I'm aware of this thread. I don't wish to add my voice to a well deserved dissing of Trump. My view is that the US has been rogue for 80 years or so. I rejected the Oz invitation to fight in Vietnam and have seen Oz tail wagged by dog as extremely disappointing. In a perfect (or even a slightly better) world, we could be better off with an independent foreign policy. Just my view. Cheers and no judgement implied to my fellow forumites. Don

I am not a writer but if someone on this site wants to write a story on how this site has been helping aviators for over 20 years for the mag then I would be very grateful

I think this thread may have proven a point in that perhaps Recreational flying and Social Australia can coexist if done properly

Love him or hate him, the fact is that more than half of the voters (80 odd million of them) felt that the incumbents had failed, and would continue to fail, them and their children.

I would like to see more stories about Fly-Ins and what hobby plane builders have and can make on the kitchen bench and take with them for the cake and scone judging competitions. 😐

Wouldn't there be a rolling group of say 40-80yo's making the bulk of members? So as people fall off the perch on one end, more 40 / 50 / 60yo's get to a financial situation where they can start living a life long dream.

DPP will be looking at the published requirements for transitioning pilots from another RAAO across to RAAus, because the trail of decision making has to start back when the pilot first approached the CFI with his request to obtain a RPC. It appears to me that the initial decision by the CFI was the critical one:which lead to a cascade of weak decisions by those concerned. Looking at the Ops Manual informs me that a paraglider does not meet the requirements for transitioning. SECTION 2.13 5. C. (1) & (3) states clearly that the experience claimed must be 'of the same type and group' as the RAAus operate. A paraglider is non-powered to start with, while the J-230 is in the HP group of RAAus. Let common sense prevail even if the wording could perhaps be more positive. As a CFI, you are often asked about transition requirements, and more often than not, you need to wisely 'discover' that what the proponent seeks is impossible. Sometimes the reaction is volatile, but with age, we should be able to handle that. I think that RAAus needs to spend more time and resources with SIs and CFIs to ensure that there are clear pathways in the sequence of decisions they make. A 'traffic light' approach? These decisions have to be made on the frontline, and not re-directed to managers in Canberra.

Yep, they do a good job, it was gone next day, somewhere else in the hangar. Was not a killer if bitten so a hangar pet. Got one wing finished today. Just need a suitable time next few days to put back on and get the other wing off. Added an update of plastic sheet to fill out the inner section where we get a wrinkle effect, worked well. Fitted new fuel contents tube while had things apart.

This is an interesting read; better than the daily telegraph or sun mirror... If RU1 zoning then landing and taking off of aircraft is not an illegal issue. Flying under 500' during the procedure of take off or landing of aircraft, complies with CASA regulations. Landing and take off of an aircraft from a paddock; CASA regulations, in short, area must be suitable for the aircraft in command of to safely clear flight path obstacles according to aircraft's climb performance charts and atmospheric conditions. Aircraft Stalls... aircraft do not just suddenly fall from the sky during a stall as many may believe. A proficient pilot will train for this and recover the aircraft well before the aircraft is beyond the point of control. Wind Shear... aircraft can fall from the sky in the event of severe wind shear; but not like in bugs bunny cartoons Proficient pilots will train for this and anticipate an occurrence during both take off and landing in particular wind conditions. Experimental & General Aviation aircraft accidents and incidents... currently statistics have General Aviation aircraft leading the score board on this one. Council restrictions upon airfields... depends how many people complain to council and how regular aircraft movements occur. Flying Neighbourly... most community and commercial airfields have a policy to minimise pissing off the neighbourhood. This does not always align well when the aircraft pissing off the neighbours all come from another airfield and do not land or take off from the airfield the neighbours are complaining about... Risks Profile & Mitigation Strategy... What are the risks and what is the likelihood of them occurring? Low or High? What are the impacts of each risk should they occur? Low or High? Flying an aircraft is primarily all about constant risk management; it does not end until the engine is shut down and keys are removed from the switch. Talking is always best; flying is even better 👍👨‍✈️

Without knowing the exact situation it's hard to know whether the landing path is unsafe or not. Many airfields have houses up to the boundary fence, I remember the first time I flew into Adelaide (passenger) being shocked at how low we approached over the rooftops. And that's 90 tons of metal, meat and fuel travelling at 135kn, not 600kg doing about 50. As a father I can also understand your concerns about your kids safety. You're doing the right thing by getting information. With forums like this you'll get some different views. What I can agree with others about is that good communication with your neighbour is the most important thing. If you take a friendly approach, express interest in his aircraft from your engineering perspective, maybe he offers you a flight... then that's a good starting point to discuss your concerns. Maybe he can allay them, maybe you can work out a system where he lets you know his estimated arrival time so you and the kids can be out of the property while he lands... something like that. One thing is for sure, if both parties get upset and angry - you because you think he's callously putting your kids at risk, him because he thinks you're selfishly stopping his hobby... then no one wins and it'll be hell living next door to each other.