Wodin

Well done Mike! Your first solo is like you first.......never mind, y'know what I mean. You will NEVER forget this.

I love the look of the Foxbat. That's one of my Tattslotto planes. Such an elegant and clever design - absolutely "fit for purpose"

I had quite a lot of input with the design of the Ranger and the Javelin. I had a LOT of input with the design of the Lynx. That was my baby which was brought to life by Dave McEhin (?spelling?) with great sail making & Steve Tucker with a strong airframe . I live in Mount Eliza so you'd better tell me how to PM so we catch up.

Hi Ross, I used to live in Parkes and flew gliders out of Forbes. Not too far from where you now. Cheers, Wodin

Hi RD, It's sad isn't it, regardless of how hard you try to ignore it, sooner or later it gets you again. It all began for me when I first flew a glider at 14yo and did my first solo after 8 flights (yeah, I know, not legal) at Forbes. I started hang gliding in 1975 in Coffs Harbour with a blokes old 17ft Moyes standard. Then when I came to Melbourne to study I joined up with the guys from Wings Hang Gliders and ended up being part of the design process. I flew everywhere we could then, Flinders, Portsea, Eumeralla, Spion Kop, Buffalo (in a standard rogallo with 4 battens per side, in thermic conditions, no 'chute, no radio, no idea), The Paps. Then came careers and kids. After a while they grew up and I was able to go back to it, and haven't stopped. I still fly all the same places but adding in Mt Emu, Ben Nevis, ground towing and aero towing at Locksley. I just love it! In the meantime I went into GA, gaining a PPL and flying out of Moorabbin in C172, PA-28, PA-28R, PA-32Rs. When my PPL was up for a BFR I was also in the midst of writing a thesis so it fell by the wayside. It's only now that I have the time, freedom and support of my lovely wife that I can get back to GA. Along the way I also gained my Weightshift Microlight Licence along the way, training with Steve Ruffels at Porepunkah. Oh yeah, and then there's the RCs. Damn, when I read that back it's obvious that I'm a chronic case. Cheers, Wodin

Have you been downwind from me lately?? :yuk:

Thanks facthunter. The plan at this stage is to do the TW endorsement on an RAA registered Cessna 120 - that will cover me for both in one go. The Moyes-Bailey Dragonfly that I'll be using for towing the hang-gliders is a special beastie and will require extra training anyway.

Thanks for all of the lovely welcome messages. Progress and observations to date: Old planes still smell funny: a combination of decaying vinyl, mould, damp, sweat and oil with just a touch of stale vomit. Tyabb ONLY has crosswinds and they're usually right on the margin of demonstrated maximum for whatever type you're flying. All crosswinds at Tyabb are violent, switchy bastards. After flying hang gliders and microlights for years one forgets how use one's feet to steer. C152's are gentle, forgiving, robust, gutless little aeroplanes. Instructors have the patience of a saint (Nick Caulwell & Barry Tate) It's all finally starting to come back to life in my head and my muscles are remembering what to do. With a bit of luck I'll be signed off as "safe to fly" within a week. I'm looking forward to catching up with as many of you as possible either in person or online. Cheers, Wodin

Thanks Frank!

Nice! I have a mate who flies an RV6 and a Skywalker out of Gatton - Martin Hone. At the moment I'm rewiring the flying muscles on a little C152, but I have hours on C172, C172 (STOL equipped), PA-28, PA-28R & PA-32. The little 152 is a sweet natured little thing, perfect for a rusty crusty.

Hi Tomo, Thanks for the welcome :thumb_up: I'm flying out of Tyabb at present - how about you?

Thanks for the welcome Spin and pudestcon. Yep, you're spot on with the infection, I just can't seem to get rid of it (as if I really want to!). It's been there for as long as I can remember, the only thing that changes is the mode of expression. The "Grand Plan" is to re-activate my non-current PPL, then get a tail dragger endorsement, then convert the whole lot over to an RA Cert, so I can get an endorsement for a Moyes-Bailey Dragonfly, so I can get a Tugmaster Endorsement, so I can aerotow my Hang Gliding mates - whew! Oh yeah, and have a bunch of fun along the way flying GA again.

Hi All, I'm new to the forum. I've been flying since I was a wee tacker, GA, Gliders, Ultralights, Microlights, Hang Gliders, RC, paper planes....pretty much anything that will fly (except helicopters). I'm just getting back into GA after a 20 year hiatus that was filled in with all the other stuff. Hopefully we'll catch up on the hill, field or strip at some stage. Wodin