FlyingVizsla

The mines are very touchy about allowing "private" people to use their strips. Rolleston Coal does not have an airstrip - they use the Rolleston Town strip (no hangars or facilities), but there is a private strip and hangar parallel to it. Minerva likewise, does not have an airstrip, they would use Emerald for RPT and Springsure if they charter. Blackwater has an airstrip which used to be "public" but it is on the mine lease and is now only open to RFDS and the mine's charters. Bandana's Springsure Creek (now in Administration) was to use RPT from Emerald and bus their staff from airport to camp to worksite. Nothing at Ensham. Gregory had a strip but only for mine work, Kestrel acquired a strip but I don't think they developed it. Any airstrip on a mine is a security problem if open to the public, so they usually dissuade employees from using it. Most towns near mines have small Council owned strips.

Yeah Emerald! There are more "security" people wandering around there than in Brisbane. They stand around the car park, the footpath outside the terminal, wander around the place - so many florescent yellow vests. So much fuss about the gate code. It was required to both enter and leave airside, and if you were running late (it changed after hours), they could not give it to you - you had to apply in writing giving 24 hrs notice on a business day. Pilots soon worked out how to get out through the hangars. Vehicles couldn't go airside without a lot of fuss, so to get Avgas in 44 Gal drums the trucks would pull up on the other side of the cyclone wire fence and the hose would be passed through the fence. Incidentally, the refueller at Emerald was one of only 2(?) certified in Aust to refill 44 Gal drums. The hose going through the fence was then deemed to be a security breach and the practice was stopped. The airport terminal was extended but not the car park which was running out of space, hence the rental cars being moved from their paid spots to a gravel area far from the terminal where thieves regularly stripped wheels, but still not enough room for all the patrons. Harvey Norman became the defacto airport long term car park. The industrial area was a sea of cars. When the car park was converted to boom gates, the price per car was to be $25/day with rental companies paying $5,000 per park. Fortunately the Councillors thought that a bit steep and one successfully lobbied for waiving the parking fee for people flying out for medical treatment on the Patient Transit Scheme as they often came from rural areas, needed to drive, and didn't know when they would be back. The taxi fare is over $25 (that's what I paid for my part of a shared trip to town). I regularly picked up and delivered employees to flights to save the company taxi, parking and other fees. There are also Council staff wandering around too - keeping an eye on things that were not "security". We really appreciate the quiet serenity of Springsure - only wish they would give us permission to build a hangar with out also requesting us to build half an airport. Husband's first application elicited a request for $67,000 in addition to other works, for a lease to build an ultralight hangar which would revert to their ownership in 20 years and cost approx $800 per annum in rates. Another applicant was requested to connect water, sewer, power and build a 500m sealed taxiway, drainage works and there were 10 pages in the agreement going through liquor licensing. He just wanted a roof over his plane. Rant over. I feel better already.

Emerald Council has some for rent - fees are on page 3 http://www.centralhighlands.qld.gov.au/web/guest/fee-s-and-charges I don't know if any are vacant. To avoid the landing fees and security (you need an ASIC) people I know have made arrangements with the local Ag companies to leave planes on their strips. There are a few around - like Calibreair, not far out of town. With the down turn in the mining industry you may find some hangar vacancies; certainly there are about 1,000 houses for sale and about 600 for rent with offers of months free if rented for a period. The parking at the airport has been an on-going saga - at $10/day there are plenty cars parked in the streets around the airport (it is a few km out of town) and Council has been putting up signs to ban overnight parking trying to force people back to paid parking. Work isn't as well paid or stable as it used to be. Good luck Doug.

Hi Ian, Did as suggested in Paint and I get 790pixels (down from 900). I did a refresh - the menu is still on the LHS as before. I lose it at 133% zoom and get it back again at 120% zoom. The 790 pixels I am not sure about as the image appeared stretched, as though it had lost aspect (ie got higher but not wider). I am happy with what I have, no need to upset the phone users.

Hi Ian, Further to the above. I just reduced my screen font size (ctl - / +) - a menu slid out from the LH side and remained there through the range of smaller sizes, but disappears when I enlarge past a certain point. Screen shot from Test menu, as above but with a few Ctl - clicks. Looks like I have solved my problem.

Hi Ian, I can't get the menu down the RH side, in either test menu or default (screen shot is test). The menu (3 bar) does a full screen - I preferred the pull out menu that took up a small area. Using Win 7 professional 64 bit, Firefox, laptop, 17" screen, resolution 1600 x 900, on painfully slow internet connection (sometimes does not draw the screens properly eg text only listed down LHS). You remarked before that I had some strange real estate, so it might only be me. Sue

Not a movie but a book - Temple by Matthew Reilly (read it a long time ago so the memory is foggy). 3 of them in a Maule catching up to & chasing a large cargo plane with a bomb in a tank? (set to destroy earth) to 30,000 ft. Our hero climbs onto the nose while the injured Israeli soldier inches it close to the back door so he can reach out and press the big button that opens the huge cargo ramp, pull back, and let the hero leap into the cavernous interior to fight the bad guy while trying to guess the passcode to disarm the bomb. No people got filleted or sconned by props or descending ramps and he lived to go into a sequel when his borrowed vest turned out to be a ground proximity sensing rocket assisted soft landing type device despite the fall from 30,000ft, part of that inside an armoured tank (missing the Maule "by that much" - with apologies to Maxwell Smart). Sheesh! Sue Campaigner for Truth in fiction.

Here's more from Tomo's little bro http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-13/the-sky-is-no-limit-for-this-young-queensland-astronomer/6091754

Viewing a picture - the one in the post above - the X (close) takes me to a menu, rather than close and back to the post. "View in location" took me back to the thread, to the first post. - FIXED (Admin)

A couple of items are tangled up. The "What's New" & "24hrs" are not working - Laptop, Win 7 (64bit), Modzilla Firefox.

AWPA Scholarships are closing 31 Jan 2015. http://www.recreationalflying.com/threads/awpa-scholarships-and-awards-closing-jan-31.32892/#post-447105 (2015 are at the bottom) There are opportunities for young and old.

CASA Aviation Safety Advisors will be delivering a new series of AvSafety seminars Safe Skies for all in 2015 Seminars will include; Interacting with CASA Q&A regarding Licensing regulations CASA resources available Ageing Aircraft Management Program Airservices safety issues – communicating with ATC ATSB issues – Safetywatch BOM issues – Graphical Area forecast and TAF review Please note that due to time constraints, not every topic may be covered at every seminar. CASA Aviation Safety Advisors will liaise with the organisers and the local aviation industry to discuss the appropriate topics for the area. If you would like to have input to this, please contact your local ASA to discuss. The seminars are an opportunity for industry to interact with CASA, discuss local issues and ask questions of the regulator. Aero clubs and other aviation organisation are welcome to run Aviation Safety Seminars with ASAs presenting, however CASA will not be financially supporting the events beyond reasonable operating costs. Attendance is free. Register here http://www.casa.gov.au/scripts/nc.dll?WCMS:STANDARD::pc=PC_91330 Help make the Skies safe for all, attend a CASA AvSafety seminar in 2015. (Times and venues TBA - check Events calendar) Armidale NSW Mar 11, 2015 Bankstown NSW Apr 16, 2015 Bathurst NSW Jun 9, 2015 Camden NSW Jun 10, 2015 Cessnock NSW Jun 16, 2015 Cooma NSW Mar 4, 2015 Dubbo NSW Jun 23, 2015 Forbes NSW Feb 10, 2015 Griffith NSW Mar 17, 2015 Lismore NSW Jun 24, 2015 Merimbula NSW Apr 21, 2015 Moruya NSW Apr 22, 2015 Mudgee NSW Apr 14, 2015 Newcastle NSW Feb 18, 2015 Parkes NSW Jun 24, 2015 Tamworth NSW Mar 25, 2015 Temora NSW Feb 24, 2015 Wagga Wagga NSW Mar 18, 2015 Wollongong NSW Jun 30, 2015 Alice Springs NT Jun 17, 2015 Ayers Rock NT Jun 18, 2015 Darwin NT Mar 17, 2015 Gove NT Apr 29, 2015 Jabiru NT Apr 30, 2015 Katherine NT Apr 16, 2015 Victoria River Downs NT Apr 14, 2015 Archerfield QLD Mar 18, 2015 Cairns QLD Apr 8, 2015 Gold Coast QLD Mar 19, 2015 Goondiwindi QLD Mar 12, 2015 Gympie QLD Apr 15, 2015 Hervey Bay QLD Apr 16, 2015 Horn Island QLD Jun 17, 2015 Mackay QLD Apr 21, 2015 Maroochydore QLD Mar 17, 2015 Redcliffe QLD Mar 5, 2015 Rockhampton QLD May 13, 2015 Toowoomba QLD Jun 17, 2015 Townsville QLD Mar 24, 2015 Devonport TAS Mar 24, 2015 Albury VIC Feb 5, 2015 Bairnsdale VIC May 20, 2015 Ballarat ** VIC Feb 12, 2015 **This seminar will focus on operations at non-controlled aerodromes and strategies and techniques employed to avoid air proximity incidents. The seminar presents critical information for individuals and flying training organisations in the Ballarat area. Echuca VIC Apr 30, 2015 Geelong VIC Jun 18, 2015 Horsham VIC Jan 30, 2015 Lilydale VIC Jun 4, 2015 Tooraddin VIC Mar 5, 2015 Tyabb VIC Jun 25, 2015 Yarrawonga VIC Feb 4, 2015 Broome WA May 20, 2015 Derby WA May 21, 2015 Esperance WA Feb 20, 2015 Geraldton WA May 27, 2015 Kalgoorlie WA May 8, 2015 Kunurrura WA Mar 19, 2015

Hi Alexander, My advice to young people who wanted to fly (and get paid for it) was to concentrate on a career that would involve flying as part of the job or as a deduction through your own business. Combine your other interest with flying. People I know who do this are the flying vet, flying piano tuner, engineers working for a firm who fly around western Qld, electrician flying to remote locations etc. Either the employer makes the aircraft available or you book the expense back to your business. You only need a PPL for this. If you still want to fly commercially, then you are still logging hours in command and also have a career you can fall back on when commercial flying gets thin. I was fortunate that various employers allowed me to fly as part of my work, once they realised the time saving in getting me to remote locations quickly. I was also fortunate that I owned a plane and my employer and others hired it. I didn't want to detract from your flying ambitions, but just to suggest there are other ways to get a "flying job". Your idea of going to aviation business and introducing yourself is very sound. Having worked in the aviation industry I was used to lots of unsolicited resumes, most of which listed every nano second of flying experience but nothing of the person. We wanted to see if they had the personality and the drive to succeed and something to fall back on when there was no flying. Your other skills and interests are important as these can add another dimension to your employment. For example, bookkeeping knowledge is helpful as every flying business has to maintain their accounts. Keep at it! Sue

Facthunter? In case you are wondering what it looks like - go to "Members"

Hi Eagle i, Well done mate! Is there a flying training component in the Grad Dip? How hard was it to get in, and where do you hope it will take you? Good on you, and let us know how you get on as the course unfolds. Sue

Merry Christmas to all. Happy New Year and Safe Skies in 2015. Thanks Ian & Mods for a fantastic forum and site. Unfortunately there will be no flying for Mr & Mrs F Vizsla as none of our planes are flyable. We were hoping the bloke in the red suit might have airfreighted a RANS wing tank, but I must have been bad this year. Sue See you all in 2015 - don't forget to put your events in the Events Calendar.

Hi Lyle, We have been using ours as a car GPS as well as in the plane. Seems to be OK, but is now not taking as much charge to last on batteries. It is best plugged in to power. Our charger had a melt down, but we got a compatible one. There are sun shades still for sale in the Pilot Supplies (used to be Clear Prop, now Savemoreonline). We have not had the problem with the unit freezing, so I can't be much help there. Hope it all works out for you. Sue

Unfortunately the Wings & Wheels event has been cancelled for 2015. The Club just ran out of puff for such a big event, but will try to stage one in 2016. Sorry folks.

I am a member of a number of organisations with magazines. Scouts Australia (Qld branch), in my opinion, handle the on-line edition the best. When Encompass is available I get an email with link. Scout leaders on-line probably outnumber RAAus members as our members, being youth, are very active in that sphere, we even have JOTI (Jamboree on the Internet). In between times we get email "newsletters" and alerts. I get Kitplanes and EAA Sport Pilot on-line, but also have a paper magazine for the better half to read. I tell him what he's missing - one day he will try reading the screen. We also get AOPA and the on-line in between edition. The one that does on-line badly is CASA (and I have offered suggestions to them). When Flight Safety first went on-line you had to register using your ARN etc and wait 14 days for a password to be mailed to you which expired in 28 days. I had two attempts because I was away. They did away with that, but there is no email to remind you to look for a new edition. We also get other publications, booklets etc, one of which charged an extra $30 for a hardcopy posted (someone had to print, cover, bind and post) but one day I paid the on-line only, downloaded, printed and bound. He enjoyed it nearly as much as a magazine, although it didn't have the magazine feel, it had better quality & care than the one from the publisher. Now he asks for on-line for me to print. There's also a difference between the layout of an on-line offering to a magazine format. The on-line layout is foreign to him, but I find it better.

Gympie airport now has an airpark. The blocks are freehold. Council insist on owners being pilots, hangar be constructed first (or with the house) so that it is genuinely a pilot's paradise and not a defacto rural res or a hotchpotch of zincalume sheds and caravans. There's a covenant to that effect and standard of house. Its a private development, although the airport is owned by Council. www.cumulusairpark.com.au From what I heard it sounds good, only 6 blocks, but larger 'hangar only' blocks to be released next. Gympie airport is in a very pretty area, near the Mary River and Bruce Hwy in Qld. It has always been busy with light aircraft when I have gone past. Sue

I have not listened to the recordings, due to my very slow internet connection. Getting call signs confused led to a delay in the search for an aircraft I had dealings with in 1996. The aircraft was VH-TCN, but was misheard as ECN, which, when the owner was contacted, was determined to be a different make and tucked up for the night in its hangar. We knew he had departed the afternoon before and had not arrived at his destination. It was a farmer who found the wreck after the Alert phase was cancelled and the calls deemed a hoax. Read the story here: http://www.atsb.com.au/publications/investigation_reports/1996/aair/aair199602526.aspx Hopefully it was only a training exercise. If so, perhaps they could broadcast a "this was only an exercise" message, on conclusion, to allay public concern.

Farce book is used by journalists to harvest photos and quotes from people who probably had no idea their dribblings would be reproduced in national print and on-line media. Similar with twits, I am sure famous people have media advisers who post as soon as something happens knowing the media will pick it up and publish. RecFly allows a certain anonymity, which I think is good, because the person is less likely to be attacked than the persona and concepts under discussion. Moderation makes a big difference. I have younger relatives who have been miserable because of an onslaught of abuse from 'friends' on FB. RecFly allows a good robust discussion, however I note the younger rellies don't seem to be able to sustain a discussion over 140 characters or more than a day. I found RecFly after a google search; tried others, but there was either no traffic, biased, abusive or too narrow. Not sure what the future is, but it seems tied up with smart phones and tablets, short and instant. I hesitate to say inane, but that seems mostly what people do on social media. I don't have time for it (or internet speed ). Sue

Andy - I am intrigued by this one. Is this flying pigs or controlling cows on private strips? Seems a strange one - no mover, seconder; no one in favour? Sue

Magazines - my husband and I get one each. We read and keep one, the other I take to the Tourist Info Centre (I am President) where we have a free book & magazine exchange for locals and travellers. Two volunteers (old pilots) read them before putting them out to go round Australia. I had looked at the magazine archive on the RAAus members only portal, and thought that was a job I could do (scanning our old magazines) with the addition of an index. I lack the equipment (A3 scanner & appropriate software), but I do have the magazines, as my husband has been a member since the 1980's and never throws anything out. When I get things sorted out I'll volunteer to do the job. It will add to our history and also to our body of knowledge. The way it is presented on the Members Portal will get a bit tiresome as more years are done - they are presented as a menu item for each year, potentially filling the page. I would be happy with a digital magazine, but my husband still wants paper. Sue

Was at Maryborough, not Hervey Bay Qld. Local story here http://www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au/news/man-burnt-while-refuelling-plane-maryborough-airpo/2429671/