spenaroo

behind the line?

recently decided to try and up my hours and fly as much as possible to get my RPC by the end of the year, and also get a better feel. two weeks between lessons is too long (get a Thursday off each fort-nite, which Ive been learning to fly with - because I can) so did three lessons last week. on Thursday a refresher flight as it had been 2 months (work and holidays). then literally swapped to a different plane and instructor to go up for an introduction to steep turns (45 degree bank - made me dizzy and feel a bit crook for an hour or two afterwards) But the last lesson yesterday (Sunday) was by far the most enjoyable, crosswind circuits. had a different instructor (I can choose who to fly with through the school, but due to life tend to just choose whoever is available) I haven't flown with this Instructor before but enjoy changing up instructors as they all give different pieces of the puzzle. He was experienced and had a commercial approach (i.e. everything had a reason, and importantly explained why) he changed my habits on the ground to hold the stick with the checklist between my thumb and finger to operate everything with my left hand - as I would in flight. and use the thumb and finger to flip switches, as its easier in flight to undo if its the wrong one. shows the difference in approach/experience but what made it such an awesome experience was his teaching in flight, made me talk through each step on the ground - not just parroting back what I remember. then pulled the power (telling me - at height/speed before I would normally put up flaps) to ensure I understood and followed through. there is more brain power on the ground then in the air for figuring out how to act. introduced me to side-slips, they are AWESOME!!! such a fun way to fly. Also picked up I was still tensing up and struggling with the transition from approach and flare, the ground. so had me fly a pass down the runway at treetop level after the flare. Made a huge difference to my feel of controls and reactions, the next landing was a full stop but felt so much more comfortable and was immediately able to respond to a bit of ballooning by instinctively dropping the nose and land without a bounce. probably would have been a bit intimidated with all the information this Instructor gave if he was my first one, but at my current level its awesome and the different approaches worked really well and made it a lot of fun - but also a huge amount to process with lots happening through the flight, instead of the single focus building block approach Ive had with others (which is still something I feel more comfortable with for new skills) . I think regularly swapping things up with a different Instructor is a great Idea. each has their own benefits and help provide a better foundation. came home feeling on an high, with a bit of an adrenaline rush. Cant wait to get back in the air Sunday sitting at about 13-14 hours currently. hoping with 2 lessons every second Thursday and an additional lesson on Sundays I have a good chance of celebrating by the end of the year. Solo before my Birthday in mid November would be awesome

was more then just a low-speed nosedive, the whole aircraft rolled Ive seen video of Mike bouncing Draco off bumps to test the suspension (which has snapped off) it was built very tough, everything re-enforced and machined from billet.

just have to wait until after he is finished building scrappy, and his next PT-6 powered race plane - which the engine is in his hangar for... I think he said he already has the next 3-4 plane builds planned

not necessarily, just change the server address your internet connects through, real easy to do, just changing about 6 numbers

because it can on occasion be Hilarious. another forum I'm on has users regularly creating false accounts to ask silly questions or raise arguments. It often brings great amusement to all involved,

sort of related, what about a random thought thread? We have one on a motorcycle forum I frequent. its by far the most used and valued thread. we use it just to make comments about things we encounter in life, pose questions that don't need a whole thread and post about things going on in our lives. its sort of a catch-all place, and helps build a sense of community.

Caught the end of Hughes's last film, "Jet Pilot" with John Wayne, thought it wasn't half bad for a Sunday afternoon daytime viewing haven't seen "the great waldo pepper" yet and we cant forget the immortal classic "Magnificent men, and their flying machines"

Oh and to get them out of the way, Top gun (high water mark) The aviator Iron eagle The red baron Flyboys (guilty pleasure) Red tails Flight of the intruder Hot shots (love the low flying down mainstreet) Catch 22 Pearl harbor (chick flick done right!) Stealth (almost forgot. Really should have) Squadron 303 (Huricanes) Is a great polish film about the battle of Britain and polish pilots involved. Haven't found an English copy of "sky fighters" yet.

Okay so there is plenty of movies with aviation themes, and TV shows. Thought it would be good to have a place to share them Being of a younger and internet raised generation I've been enjoying anime related to aviation. That I'm not sure how well known they would be on this forum. Some of you may have seen "the wind rises". It was on SBS last weekend several times. And is an (heavily fictionalized) account of the designer of the Japanese zero's life. The artwork alone makes it worth watching The creator also does a film called "porco rosso" which with the protagonist being an ace pilot turned into a pig, and sky pirates is a bit more lighthearted. "The princess and the pilot" along with "sky crawlers" have some of the best dogfight scenes. Shows the strength of anime, allowing worlds that couldn't be shown using western film and CGI. Immersive story telling. For jets nothing beats "area 88" a whole series dedicated to the story of a Japanese pilot tricked by a friend to sign a contract to be a mercanary. Who's only option is to fight to earn enough to buy himself out of the contract. Wide variety of jets used. Special mention goes to "last exile" Doesn't use aircraft but "vanships" (think biplanes with no wings) once again stunning art and impressive characters/story

Been reading the accidental airline By Howard white and Jim Salisbury. Intersting reas about flying around Canada during and post WW2

Damn... The talk of equations triggered a memory of one in my first lesson briefing. It was something simple but I Can't seem to find the notes at the moment, and what I'm looking for isn't in the text books. I think at the moment its the classic case of overcomplicating things. Trying to chase the best or most correct answer. Instead of the simplest.

No, just to fly the picture. The instruments are there to be glanced at, just a very quick look to confirm. If you are flying the picture outside (where the nose is relative to the horizon, where the ground sits on the windscreen during a banked turn) the instruments will reflect that.

submarines are one of the very few secret forces still in operation. no one really knows where they are and what they do. The most highly decorated boats aren't even public knowledge till they are retired. if you want a good example of this, google submarine collisions. amazing how many have occurred between foreign submarines in peace time. Collins class is still quieter then any of the American subs - downfall of nuclear is they are always pumping water to cool the reactors. which is why the American's were so happy to design the propellers for it. they want the shared intelligence it can gather

Look out the window, and keep it balanced. or at least thats what my instructor keeps reminding me (more so the looking out the window bit)

they said that about the F4, didn't even fit guns to it....

I think the word is called diplomacy America wanted us to buy the jets, so we bought the damn jets. don't think there was much say from the defense community compared to the politicians could be wrong, but thats my perspective on it.

I feel the need, the need for speed. Loved the original, as a kid growing up it was the greatest thing ever. used to sit in front of the family's portable heater/aircon and turn the fan up and down by a lever, pretending it was the throttle of a jet and the sound was the engines as it roared louder. one of my few vivid childhood memories. still watch it once a year or so. never gets old

I'm training to get my RPC at Lillydale, enjoying the experience, its a great atmosphere and friendly staff. I fly Thursdays

oh yeah, very quick way to lose money. grew up around boats thanks to my father. small tinnies with oars, to a 40ft flybridge cruiser with twin 250 outboards drinking a litre per minute. family now has a ski boat with a 350 chev sitting in it. (bought when i was a teen, sold when we were adults. purchased back again 10 years later when the first grand-kids started walking.) think the old man spends $300 each time it goes out. I run two jet-ski's, a stand-up and a sit down. also absorb the money like a bucket with a hole in the bottom. easily spend $150 on fuel and 2-stroke oil each day. last time was almost a grand.... (fined for not having a torch in the stand-up, then it decided it didnt want to run anymore - still need to replace a component in the electrical box) then there's the maintenance. have to clean and flush everything when you get home. (my ski's only ever see freshwater...... because im lazy, and cant be bothered with the maintenance that salt brings - easier to dive an extra hour to the lake) constant corrosion everywhere

Yeah, report I heard has witnesses saying it was flying for an hour and at heights of 20m In my inexperience it sounds like the pilot wasn't flying according to the rules/standards. First thought was Eildon isn't that wide, surely If you were at height, easily could glide to the paddocks on the side

EXTRA EA-300

interesting, I'm currently learning in a J160, use the pump to prime for 5s before start, then turn on before takeoff after making the call. it stays on until after landing. where it is shut down "to stop the buzzing noise it makes" before any landing checks are done then again I'm learning - the school probably built the standard practices around preparation for any recovery from all manner of mistakes

oh should probably mention that the instructors run the engines up before the lesson, I can feel the heat when checking oil (very nice in the cooler mornings), and the T's and P's are usually in at the start of the green or just touching the yellow sections when I start it.

Learning out of lillydale is pretty great, literally the time it takes to do the checklists and run-up checks, then taxi straight to the runway. occasionally do an enter and rolling. think Ive had to wait for another plane to clear once in my 8 hours of lessons so far. Admittedly I only fly on thursday mornings, so unlikely to be the busiest time