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Ben Longden

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Everything posted by Ben Longden

  1. What a classic line!!! Sort of like our friends sig about throwing yourself at the ground and missing..... Ben
  2. I could not agree more. When I need to check Area 30 Wx, the first place I go to is the forum. very easy and quick. Ben
  3. What about adding an English translation of that..... its always usefull in refreshing the grey matter when getting the met before planning a flight. Ben
  4. Agreed. There is no point in having irrelevant items in the check, but so long as it covers whats required in the manual... such as wheels to land on, motion lotion in the appropriate tank/s to keep the pilot cooling device running, flaps if fitted and the like are covered. Each make of plane is different, and therefore has a differing requirement. In addition to mentally rattling off each item and physically checking switches as I go, I have the habit of referring to a bit of paper on my knee to make sure things are not missed. Ben
  5. A bloody good mate of mine, John Frew (Nanchang and Mustang 2) always used the same downwind checks regardless of what plane he was in. His classic line when flying the Bushby Mustang 2 with fixed gear was "Undercarriage; down and welded". His thought was that there are two types of pilot who have landed a retract with gear up, making a mess of the runway.. "there are those who have made a wheels up landing, and those about to.." Ben
  6. And the even better news is that after an hour and a half in the sky with CFI Matt, he has signed off my cross country! Mind you, I need to still attend Remedial Crosswind Landings Class 101..... Oh well, the wind was 180 at 15, and Matt made me land on runway 23 at Mangalore... That and the super wide tarmac made for interesting times.. ;) Ben
  7. Just back from my solo navex.... Shepparton, to Deniliquin, Yarrawonga and back to Shepp. 2.1 hours and now all I have to do is my check ride with Matt tomorrow!! :big_grin: Bloody beautiful weather, and no potholes in the sky at all. The trip from Yarrawonga was a cinch... at altitude I could see Shepp, 40 Nm away!! So you could say it really was a VFR flight.... it was nice to see my navigation had got the math right, and I was steering the correct track... The learning dosent stop there, Unca CASA sent me my student licence... and now its onwards to master the Cessna! Ben
  8. In the Hornet, perhaps?? ;) Seriously, what happened with the Insurance? Ben
  9. http://media.theage.com.au/?sy=age&category=Breaking+News&rid=28305&source=theage.com.au%2F Ben
  10. I had a test ride in the Pioneer 300... AWESOME machine.. Comfy, economical, 130Knot genuine cruise with a 100 horse Rotax, retract... variable pitch prop.... The only downside is the price... $175K. So if I was to own a plane, I would have to go GA... a second hand 172 or Pa28 is around half that of a new Pioneer. Even a second hand Tecnam is $110K.... I always thought that RA was supposed to be affordable flying..... Ben
  11. Mike Hannibal (Pelorus 32) doing what comes naturally in the Shepparton Aero Clubs' second Tecnam, 4774 on a showery Saturday afternoon. Ben
  12. And I take it as read, the crew are now flying Hercs in Alaska? Ben
  13. I have to agree with Mike. All of the Rotax engines I have heard are low in noise, compared to the Lycomings et al fitted in the Cessna and Pipers. A Cherokee 140 going overhead at my place makes twice the noise of a Jab... but 1/10th of a Yak 52... And when the Yaks go overhead (the Echuca Aero club has a brilliant formation flight team of two Yaks and a Winjeel) its a signal to run outside and watch. Ben
  14. Yeah.... rub it in.... Navex cancelled for the second week in a row.... and I am slowly going ground crazy... Ben
  15. "Take the maps, protractor/ruler and prayer wheel with you." Thats what my instructor, Tristo says.. and it works. The navexes he has put me through with sudden 'diversions' and a quick inflight check with map, protractor and brain (well.. pencil and bit of paper as well) have been enlightening. There is nothing like working out the course and drift calculations in flight for a divert. When doing the ground work beforehand, I love doing the map work... and then the drifts.. and Ed, a fellow student will jump onto the computer and crunch the numbers there and check my math.. and I always get Tristo to double check things as well. Ben
  16. Why not get all the chinese pilots from a town just north of Melbourne to do their solo navexes there, and encourage them to continue their practice of keeping eyes IN the cockpit and ignoring the radio, and whenever making a radio call forget to speak english. How fast would they be sorted out? Ben
  17. *Danger Will Robinson, Danger* Scary stuff Ian... very scary.... :;)2: But what is even scarier could be the ramifications of flying an RAA registered aircraft under RAA rules (VFR) when so close to the complete end of daylight. Im not being a wowser, but a realist, who has flown and made last landing just before last light with an instructor, and it is bloody difficult to do at the best of times... even on a strip with lights... and does Riddells have runway lights? Correct me if I'm wrong, but night VFR endorsements are only available to GA trained pilots who have undergone the appropriate training and that NVFR flights can only be made in a VH registered and appropriately equipped aircraft? Somehow I can hear the sound of insurance companies washing hands at the sheer thought at these circumstances.... Food for thought.... Ben
  18. Wheres Tristo when you need him? Tristo, one of the GA/RAA instructors at Air Shepp would be able to clear this up in a jiffy.. Ben
  19. I completed the thing last night... Took a few mins and answered yes to everything. If anyone from the board is reading this, please be aware I am taking your trust completely in commenting positively on this. Ben
  20. Not only that but they should have checked their ERSA as well. Something to do with what the instructor teaches.. PLANNING. Plan the flight, and fly the plan. Ben
  21. I can personally vouch for the Air Shepparton team, led by Matt Ford. Not only that, the Shepp Aero Club is renowned as one of the biggest but friendliest in Victoria. A Saturday lunch is not to be missed! The aircraft they have are two Tecnam P92 Echo's, A Piper Archer, and a Cessna 172. If you feel like furthering your experience, then how about a Seneca and a Navajo? RA, GA, VFR or IFR.. Matt, Nathan, Tristo and Sue can do it. When I was looking at training, I found the availability of instructors and aircraft very limiting. So I enquired at Shepp, and found I was not being given the usual sales pitch, but realistic and down to earth information. The Aero Club itself has long held a reputation for being friendly, but also it should be known for its nurturing skills. To these folks, a pilot is a pilot, no matter what he or she flies.. and the big thing is to improve skills. Oh that, and the saturday lunches....;) Ben
  22. It works for me as well. I was the lucky b'stard who sat in the right seat of Nathan Muller (Air Shepparton) as he flew his Navajo into and from Avalon. That was such a huge, positive learning experience, and what he had been teaching me gelled at that moment. Ben BTW; Ask John Frew about his Bushby Mustang 11 and approach speeds... it comes in over the fence at 95 Knots, and the flaps are more of an air brake than anything...
  23. May 4, 2007 - 10:59AM The Age, Melb New Zealand MPs were among more than 120 passengers on an Air New Zealand Boeing 737 forced to make an emergency landing at an air force base. The flight from Wellington to Auckland made an emergency landing at Ohakea, 30km north-west of Palmerston North, at 9.30pm last night after smoke was smelt in the aircraft. The flight landed on its second attempt as the crew was not sure the landing gear was down on the first attempt. The 122 passengers got off the plane without incident. Members of Parliament Murray McCully, Richard Worth, Mark Gosche and David Cunliffe were among the passengers. "There was certainly a little smoke in the air. It was perceptible at the front of the passenger cabin and I imagine more than that in the cockpit. People were cool, calm and collected but there was the odd nervous joke," Mr Cunliffe said on Radio New Zealand. A replacement Air New Zealand aircraft departed Ohakea at 2.30am and landed at 3.15am in Auckland, Air NZ said. It is believed the replacement aircraft was delayed by negotiations with the Civil Aviation Authority over whether it was allowed to land at Ohakea. Last night emergency services from Palmerston North were called to assist the Ohakea ground crew when word of the impending emergency landing came from the plane. It was also reported police blocked off roads around the air base in case the flight had to land on a road. Air New Zealand spokesman David Jamieson told NZPA 122 passengers and crew were onboard the plane en route to Auckland from Wellington when the pilot turned back about 100km north of Ohakea. "The pilot decided to divert to Ohakea because the crew smelt smoke." The emergency landing had gone smoothly and all the passengers got off the plane without incident. Engineers travelled to Ohakea on the replacement aircraft. The 737 remains at Ohakea. Passengers were accommodated in a gymnasium at the airbase until the new plane arrived. NZPA
  24. Got this one from work.. Q; Whats 40 foot long and smells of stale urine? A; Line dancing at the old folks home. Sorry..... Ben
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