Foto_Flyer

He He He, LOL! Yes, Nimbin is an, er, interesting place :bmwrider: You literaly can smell it before you see it. Only stayed long enough to get a drink and a quick look at the Sunday markets. Wasn't game to try any of the home made "tea" and "cookies" though, opted for an unopened bottle of Coke instead! In relation to Maj's comments, I agree, those Echo's are great to fly, very forgiving and those two at Prosky have to be about the best kept examples i've seen. Especially when you consider they are primary trainers, not privately owned. As for the custom paint jobs, WELL DONE!!! (Well, I like em!) Yes the engine cowl clips do require care and attention, but they fit so nicely on these two, that it is painfully obvious if you've done them up wrong. (That plus a thourough pre-flight check!) And, Dazza, yes, the area could be quite scarry considering all the tiger country in the area! Although, it did appear from the ground that there were still the odd field around suitable for an emrgency. Ah, all that to look forward to after Nav's!

Yep, I'm a Prosky graduate! in fact, we did the HF course on the same day! I did that flight last Monday in 3789. Not a lot different to 3979 except for a slightly different radio and the engine felt a bit "gutsier"! I was out on a motorcycle ride on Sunday and by 10am it was so hot and smokey I thought I was going to pass out. But I can imagine it being quite pleasant up at YCAB earlier in the day. By coincidence, Dazza, the ride was down Murwillumba way, we were heading to Lismore via Nimbin. Saw a couple of guys flying round and wondered how far they could see in the conditions. I think the "haze" was thicker south of Brissy though.

Hey Shags, well done on the endorsement. I was given the same advice about the turns when I went for my PAX. And yes, if your passenger is a bit nervous, a right hand turn can have them leaning into your lap! Alright if it's your beloved, bit embarrassing otherwise! Great photos, makes it look a lot cooler than the 30+ degrees it was over the weekend! Bet it was a relief to get to altitude! I took a mate up in the other Echo last Monday arvo, went over to Moreton and it was much more pleasant at 3000' than on the ground. Well done on getting your girlfriend to come up with you. My wife is adamant she's staying on the ground so my first passengers were my daughters (1 at a time). They loved it, especially the eldest who is 6. Went straight over to my instructor after the flight and asked when she could learn to fly. (What have I started!!!). So I guess your next step, like me, is the Nav's? Can't wait!!!

Just a couple of things I'd like to add. First, while we come under the direction of RA-Aus, as has been mentioned already, we all (RA and GA) answer to CASA. Like it or not we are all bound by the same rules of the air, airmanship etc. We have some exemptions that don't apply to GA but we also have some restrictions that don't apply to GA. Therefore, while yes, it is a responsibility of RA-Aus management etc. to monitor and reprimand bad/illegal airmanship (or lack of) it ultimately falls to CASA to wield the big stick! Secondly, most of us have chosen to fly RA due to cost and a "relatively" "simpler" training environment. By simpler, I don't mean easier or less skilled. When I was doing my GA training a few years ago, even though it was a GAAP with tower etc. I sometimes felt less comfortable than I do in a CTAF as some of the students (some already with PPL but progressing to CPL) had the attitude that they didn't need to look out, communicate non-standard manoeuvres or even maintain a standard circuit pattern, as the tower controller would take care of that. Fun, Fun, Fun. Now, I'm not bagging GA or it's training. I may even convert over to a PPL some time in the future, but it just goes to show that CTA and GAAP's are busy and sometimes unpredictable places to be in. Not for the faint hearted! Therefore, I can understand if this was a mitigating circumstance to CASA's decision. Yes I am also disappointed about the (for now) loss of the CTA endorsement as I only live 10 minutes from Archerfield. But hey, because I love flying, I am just happy that I have been able to achieve my dream to be a pilot, made possible by the privileges (not rights) gained for us through the efforts of RA-Aus and it's predecessors and at an affordable price. I could never have afforded to do this if GA was the only option. Therefore I don't really care that it takes me 45 minutes to get to Caboolture, I still get to fly and that's what it's all about! At the end of the day there is an awfully big lot of Class G to play in and I for one don't intend to waste any of it!!!!

Thanks for all your replies and advice. Rest assured it was all taken on board. Since I posted this question I have finally gone solo at about the 10hr mark, so I'm pretty happy with that! So, to sum up - Time to solo in GA = 17hrs, Time to go solo again in GA (after 12 month break) = 5hrs, Time to solo in RA (after 7 year break!) = 10hrs! :big_grin: Basically I just needed to stop worrying about things, relax, trust and listen to my instructors and not do what I thought I should but what they said I should! Doh! Once I did that it all just started to click. I was no longer fighting the A/C, I was getting ahead of the game and actually started to enjoy flying again! The other thing that has helped is as Simonflyer mentioned, fly regularly. I have taken a couple of weeks off so that I can do this and it has definately helped! So finally today, we get to do some flying above 1000ft and away from the airfield. Might even get a chance to check out the scenery. Ah, Queensland really lives up to it's motto this time of year!

After an extended break from flying (try 7 years) where I was originally training in GA, I have finally got back into it but in a much lighter (lighter than a C152) Tecnam. I abandoned the idea of GA as it was way too expensive for the sort of flying I wanted to do. But here's the thing, yes I know it has been seven years, but I feel like I've gone back to square one. I guess in a way I have. Boy do these lighter planes need to be flowen! Anyway, the frustrating thing is that I had done a few solo circuits in GA, got to that point in around 17hrs, and was half expecting this all to be easy to pick back up. "A bit like riding a bike", I told myself. Well I was wrong! As my instructor has said, in effect I haven't done this before, everything is new and different. I just have to relax, enjoy the experience and It will eventually all click into place. I now see why so many RA/Ultrlight pilots/instructors say that these light, low inertia A/C teach you to be a better pilot. You ride the conditions (and adjust everything accordingly) rather than "drive" through them with barely a care in the world! Anyway, this brings me to my question, how long did it take you to go solo? I would particularly like to hear from of those who have had a similar background/experience to me. Maybe that way I can stop fretting about whether I'm making progress or not, and just get on with it! :baldy:

Great comments, Watto, I think you hit the nail on the head. I agree that the formal "theory" component in GA is probably more extensive, however, it is incumbent on us all, GA and RA, to maintain a high level of competency in both our practical and theoretical education irrespective of how long we've held our licence or how many hours we have. I believe that we shouldn't just learn what we need to know but we should continue beyond that, even if that involves a separate theory course at a school etc. Sure it may seem an unnecessary cost considering areas covered may not be required for a particular qualification/rating. But any "above and beyond" training (theory or otherwise) can only make us safer and thus help answer the question as to what is better between RA and GA.

Slartibartfast is right, hence my comment about the pilot of the twin being "partly justified" in his annoyance. That plus, as BrentC points out, a couple of go-arounds will use more fuel than would have been expected, an expensive exercise. However, as has already been stated, this was effectively a regional show at the home of one of the, if not the biggest RA aircraft manufacter in the country. Of course there are going to be slower RA aircraft attending. (The "offending" aircraft was not a Jab by the way!) And some of the pilots of these aircraft are not going to be used to flying in busy airspace with all sorts of both RA and GA aircraft jockying for a position in the circuit. We knew it, others knew it and I'm sure the pilot of the twin knew it. Therefore, maybe a little more understanding and a slightly more relaxed attitude could have been demonstrated. Yes, if it were me and I was aware of a faster A/C in the circuit, I would probably suggest that I extend that leg (or even continue in the circuit) and let the faster bird in front. The pilot of the RA plane made a decision/s that in hind sight could have been better and he will probably learn from the experience. At the end of the day, everyone landed safely. What annoys me is the conclusion that some (and I stress, some) GA pilots jump to based on one or two bad experiences with RA. This is like saying that all motorcycle riders are "Outlaw Gang Members", all truck drivers are high on "speed", or all 4WD owners "bush bash" and wreck the environment. Yes, there are bad eggs in every group, but they are a minority and the whole shouldn't be judged by the example of these few. That's my 10c worth anyway!

Well, for me it's not really a question at all. I did the GA thing a few years back, didn't quite finish, but am going to continue my journey through RA, cost being a major factor. Now, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against GA. I thoroughly enjoyed my GA training and there are certainly a lot of very nice "Toys" to play with if you have the money! You can take more than one friend with you. You can even mix it with 747's in your C152 if you're brave enough (and can afford the landing fees). But I can't help but feel that most (not all) GA students are on their way to bigger things or have the money for larger/faster aircraft and need the license to be able to fly them. There seems to be very few who, these days, go and get a GA PPL with the intent of just going for a fly for the fun of it. I guess it is a very big financial investment just to go mucking around. The other thing I find interesting is the general attitude to RA by GA pilots/instructors. Now, I'm not going to name names (so don't ask) but I have a close mate who runs/owns his own flight school and charter operation. On the weekend he flew myself and some others up to the Wide Bay Airshow in his 6 seater twin (note comment above about nice toys above) as his company had a stand at the show. In general discussion, some of the instructors/pilots had a bit to say about the difference between RA and GA, one of which holds an instructor rating in both. The comments ranged from the usual banter about GA pilots being "real" pilots to the difference in skills learnt between the two. Those that expressed the latter pointed to a few "incidents" (most of which I was not witness too) that befell RA aircraft and pilots during the show weekend. One incident that I did witness was where a multi-seat twin had to perform two "go-around's" due to slower RA aircraft in front. Upon finally landing, the pilot of the twin was after some blood. His rant (while maybe partly justified) included that the pilot of the slower RA aircraft may need to find a good flying school at the show. I must say I was a little disappointed with this attitude and hope that once the "red mist" had settled he was a little more objective. It's a bit like the Mini being followed by the Mack truck. Does the Mini pull off to the side of the road just because it's smaller and slower? But... I digress! The point of my post is this, do the GA guy's have a point? Is GA training better or does it depend on where that training takes place? From what I can see, there appears to be some schools that provide more in depth instruction than others and that take more of a personal interest in their students than others, in both categories. With instruction being cheaper in RA, is it a matter of you pay for what you get or is it you get better value for your money? Is there merit in going RA and then converting later to GA, with more flying experience? For me, I've made my decision. But there maybe some out there who might be wondering what is the best option, considering they can afford to do either but are not looking at flying as anything more than a recreational interest. So it's over to you, especially those who have tried both, who are licensed for both, who enjoy both. What is better as far as the learning experience goes? GA or RA?

Hi and welcome. Somebody else maybe able to give you a more concise answer but basically you must be come a RA-Aus member and then meet the following as highlighted on the RA-Aus website... So, depending on how much time you have available, you may just get the requirements in within the two weeks, weather permitting. On top of all that you will also have to demonstrate to the CFI that you are competent to land at "another location" and that "location" will have to be within 25Nm from the principle location/airfield of the school.Whatever you decide to do, enjoy! But be warned, once you have a taste of RA (and see how much cheaper it is) you may not want to return to GA!

Hi Nick and welcome. Well done on the acceptance for the degree. Yes, Flight Sim is a good bit of fun, even practical as a practice tool, but you can't beat the real thing! One thing's for sure though, from now on until you finish your degree and CPL, you are going to be constantly poor but with a big silly grin from ear to ear.:big_grin:

Hi Paul and welcome. I love Boonah and would be going there for training if it wasn't so far away. Still, i reckon it's the only place to go gliding. What a great area!

Hi and welcome. Wow, Cherokee to a trike, now that's a jump! Then again, the total price of a trike is probably less than the yearly cost of keeping a Cherokee flying, plus there's the extra "Fun" factor.

Hi Di, I'm a newbie here but I just had to say that I agree with you and the others that this flying thing is like some morbid disease or addiction. I took my first TIF in 1994 but didn't have the resources to do anything about it for another SIX years! That was in GA and it got too expensive to finish. Well, RA is my saviour and after whining and whinging about needing to get back in the sky for the past few years, my wife obviously had had enough and told to just GO and DO IT! So..come July, I start, hoping to get to the stage you are at as quickly as possible. I have family up in north-west QLD so plan on dropping in and surprising them. I, too saw your article, just haven't had a chance to read it properly. I think it said something like "the experience of a mature age student"? or something like that. I'm sorry, you don't look that old yet. Otherwise, I'm going to have to start telling people that I'm mature too and that will never do!

Yes, Decca, it's amazing the quality of images that can be achieved these days from a small camera mounted on an R/C platform. Almost don't need to go up yourself, but hey, where would be the fun in that. Ah, nothing like shooting straight down while hanging out an open door at 1000' in a 45 to 60 deg. bank to get the juices flowing! Thanks to skydog for the heads up on the photo comp. I'll definitely look into submitting a few images. Thanks to all for the welcome too!

Hello to all. I’ve been here a few times but decided it was time to join. Originally started flight training at Archerfield in 2000 but family commitments (read children) diverted my resources (read money) away from my indulgence, so didn't quite finish my GFPT. Since then I have dabbled in a bit here and there (dual) in gliders, C172's and C182's, the latter two usually minus the right-hand door to allow aerial photography (hence user name, yes I am photographer) Anyway, fast forward 9 years, and GA is now too prohibitively expensive so I looked into RA. Well, what a surprise, the cost of training is less than it was in those old C150 & C152's back then. So the plan is to hopefully pick-up where I left off (after a bit of catch up and circuits I'm sure!). I haven't committed to anywhere yet, but I will most likely do this at Caboolture. Just waiting for my Student Pack to arrive from RA-Aus and then I'll organise some time off work and hopefully I'll be away. Looking forward to sharing of experience with you all.